Only a small number of people have been murdered on the Appalachian Trail making the Appalachian Trail seem relatively safe. Most consider the outdoors to be an escape from soicety, and an escape from the dangers that came with civilization. However, somewhere between May 24, 1996, and June 1, 1996, Julianne Williams and Laura Winans were brutally murdered in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, a crime that shocked the Appalachian Trail community due in part to its proximity to the Trail. This murder was not only signifcant because it took place in a relatively popular location, but because the victims were also lesbian lovers.