The Scientific Reason Behind Putrid Smells on Hudson Valley Trails

Every so often you will catch a nasty odor while on the trails and walkways here in the Hudson Valley. What could possibly be causing it?

After spending weeks if not months in a state of quarantine many of us relied on getting outside for some much needed outdoor activity. You've got to love going outside and getting some air. Even if sometimes the air isn't so fresh.

If you've been on the Dutchess Rail Trail recently you might have noticed some interesting smells lately. Is it porta potty? Is it a dead animal? Could it be both? Possibly but the fact is that there is an overwhelming gross smell that comes in waves throughout the trail.

Seriously, what the heck is it?

Is it really the smell of rotting meat? Is the answer really that simple?

Swamps and bog water has a nasty smell but the odors you are most likely noticing is  a dead animal whether it's a deer or a squirrel. That's the simple answer but what are you really smelling?

According to Tech Letter, when you're smelling a rotting carcass you're getting a whiff of a combination of several different chemical compounds such as sulfur dioxide, methane, benzene and hydro carbons. Why does it smell so bad? There's an important reason why you naturally want to run away from these smells. These smells are specifically designed to make humans sick and stay away from them as these corpses carry illnesses and diseases.

Have you noticed these rotten smells while on the trails here in the Hudson Valley?