Depends on whether those you are exploring nature with are capable of shutting their mouths for more than two consecutive minutes. Constant, purposeless, inane, media-driven chatter and the Glories of Nature do not mix well.
I have hiked this trail twice, once with company and the second time to escape from it. I encountered maybe one person along the trail, seated on one of the benches. I was less concerned with attacks from humans than with the big thunderstorm that was looming up behind me and echoing off the hills, and with the bears which had begun to frequent the area. Encountered no bears, and the rain didn't begin until I got off the trail (which, as you'll remember, emerges smack into a Gatlinburg parking lot with no preamble). Luckily, there was a pretty good barbecue place not too far along the River Road into which I could escape.
In retrospect, I should probably have been more concerned about human aggression, which is more frequent than unprovoked bear attacks here. A black bear generally won't attack unless you've scared it, or have come too near its cubs, or just have something delicious which it feels it has every moral right to share, whereas humans seem to think along the lines of (a) "I want to hurt someone," and (b) "There you are!" I don't own a gun (no moral objections--just don't have a gun) and would frankly balk at the idea of having to carry one into the national park on the grounds of simple propriety ("One shouldn't have to do this!"), but this might be one of those cases where the moral high ground leads straight to the graveyard.
I had my sons in a backpacking store a while back, and showed them a bear bell. They asked me what that was for.
I explained that it is very dangerous to surprise a bear on the trail. The animal might feel threatened and attack. So you tie this bell to the bear so you’ll hear it and can avoid that area.
They said, “Oh, that makes sense.”
As a woman, or maybe it’s just me.. I have a super- heightened state of situational awareness. This is not as rare as they would like you to think.. there was a couple who was attacked and as you can imagine what a truly sick psychopath does to cause pain to couples. Moral high ground varies from individual to individual. Mine includes do not put myself or my children in danger. The other problem with this is.. if the criminals think everyone is unarmed and helpless... naturally they are easy prey. Think of the number of crimes we know about which happen in “gun free” zones. Gun free cities... etc. Bear spray shoots a 12 foot stream of high intensity cayenne. Non- lethal bear deterrent.