You know, living here in New Hampshire, there's no shortage of skunks around, particularly in fall.
Having frequently run across them at night (they are obviously nocturnal), when both of you are surprised, as in, walking from my car to my front door and there's one rooting around underneath my deck...its like "Yikes!...Oh, Hello!" However, they are really docile At least a dozen times I've encountered them over the years and I've never been sprayed, to the point where now I just ignore the little stinker and head in the house without bothering.
I did have my dog get sprayed once, though. Two days before Halloween he came in from the back yard and the smell was like a baseball bat hitting you in the face. I described it to friends like ammonia--it actually burned my nostrils.