Posted by kathryn surprenant on July 31, 2005

Q: I spent last week at Wilderness State Park outside Mackinaw City (near the Straits of Mackinac). While walking along the road to my cabin I noticed a strong smell of body odor. It was so strong that I expected to encounter a very sweaty man in the near vicinity. My friend and my husband also noticed this smell at the same place at separate times and different days. We also detected this smell about 1/2 mile away. The next day when I was hiking a different path, I encountered the same overwhelming stench. Because I was in such an isolated area I turned around and hiked back out and returned to the cabin where I was staying. Later in the day it rained and we no longer noticed the smell at the original site. (I didn't hike back to the spot where I smelled it earlier.)

Is there an animal that marks its territory with such a scent? Is there some plant that has a scent resembling that of human sweaty body odor at some point in its life cycle?

Thanks for any information you might have. Both my friend and I are rather "creeped out" by this. We'd like to know that there is some explanation other than that someone might have been stalking us.

A: Boy, you really got me going on this one. I've spoken with several naturalists and an active hiker from Michigan and no one is sure what your "body odor" might be. I do have some thoughts that I'll share but can't give you a definitive answer.

To begin with, I know that this has been an especially hot and humid summer over much of the northeastern quarter of the U.S. so odors have been more pronounced in this humid air and more apt to travel greater distances too. My point here is that you may have smelled something rather commonplace that you hadn't noticed before simply because the environmental conditions weren't right for you to notice in the past.

Some of the possible causes I've thought of include a mammal that has marked the area with its scent, one kind or another plant that has a bad odor (Nannyberry for one- Viburnum lentago), or even a fungus of some kind that is releasing an odor into the air. I'm quite sure you weren't smelling another person although I can understand your nervousness. Skunks can be pretty smelly in the right conditions but I'm assuming you are quite familiar with their scent and wouldn't confuse it with "body odor"?

Think about these possibilities that I've noted and see if one sounds reasonable. Sorry not to be able to pin this down. I'll keep asking around and if I come with an answer, will share with you. Thanks for asking.

John Wiessinger ( August 1, 2005)