Not especially. Google is little help, so I'll have to resort to a real library. What little I could find indicates that the terms Whip Scorpion and Whip Spider are interchangeable, though they are indeed spiders.
They are suggested to not be dangerous to humans (with the caveat that all spiders will bite to defend themselves) and prey on small animals and other insects. Pretty typical stuff.
Mostly NOT found in North America north of Mexico, and pointedly I could not find a specific reference for the Appalachians. Not to say you aren't seeing them, just that nobody is putting anything on the web from that region. Possibly a species similar in appearance, but sufficiently different as to not be a whip spider.