View Full Version : Strangest Encounter on a Trail?
CarlZ993
12-05-2013, 15:56
What was your strangest encounter while on a hike? Any hike.
Mine was on a 6 mile day hike along Lake Tahoe. I rounded the corner on the trail and met a scuba diver in a full dry suit and re-breather apparatus on his back. He was hiking the 1/2 mile back to where he had parked his car. He looked like a monster from the lost lagoon. My wife & I were so astonished by this that we forgot to take a picture of him. Really weird.
Hiking in northern Michigan, just as the sun was setting and the trail was getting to dark to hike without a flashlight, miles from the nearest trail head,
I came around a corner in the trial and coming towards me was a line of people all in dark hooded robes with rope belts all carrying burning candles.
I stepped aside and they passed me one by one, no one looked at me, and I could not see their faces. None of them said a word.
jfarrell04
12-05-2013, 16:46
We saw the tuba-dude somewhere in VA back in I think 2000 on a section hike.
Hiking in northern Michigan, just as the sun was setting and the trail was getting to dark to hike without a flashlight, miles from the nearest trail head,
I came around a corner in the trial and coming towards me was a line of people all in dark hooded robes with rope belts all carrying burning candles.
I stepped aside and they passed me one by one, no one looked at me, and I could not see their faces. None of them said a word.
I was afraid to say anything to you because of the others.
Was on the AT in Ga about midway in between Unicoi and Hogpen Gap when ahead of me I see a large duffle bag on the edge of the trail stuffed with something. As I passed it, in the small area that was unzipped, I could see heavy coleman camping equipment and books. Not too long after I'd scratched my head a few times and continued on, here comes a guy carrying another large duffle bag that appears to be full of more books and who knows what else. As he passes me he say, "Gotta have my books!" to which I politely smiled a little "of course!" smile and went about my way. Normally, I like to talk to people I pass, at least briefly, but this guy spooked me. I was totally hearing banjo music in my head - no telling what he had in those duffels. Found out later he was making about 4 miles a day and camping in the middle of the trail, leaving the evidence of the fires he was making right on the trail.
FarmerChef
12-05-2013, 16:54
Hiking in northern Michigan, just as the sun was setting and the trail was getting to dark to hike without a flashlight, miles from the nearest trail head,
I came around a corner in the trial and coming towards me was a line of people all in dark hooded robes with rope belts all carrying burning candles.
I stepped aside and they passed me one by one, no one looked at me, and I could not see their faces. None of them said a word.
Did they hit their foreheads with boards by any chance? ;)
Did they hit their foreheads with boards by any chance? ;)
No boards :) but this was in the 70s and Rosemary's Baby was still on my mind.
I was just glad none of them had a small child in their arms.
In retrospect I figured that Northern Michigan University was not that far away, so I tend to think it may have been some frat thing....I hope.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
garlic08
12-05-2013, 17:49
In the Wind River Range in Wyoming, I met a naked hiker tooting "Winchester Cathedral" on a tin whistle. He asked me if I'd seen some friends of his, and I wanted to reply, "Dude, you're never going to find them."
That was six years ago and I still can't get that tune out of my head.
Two come to mind.
1) Evolution lake in the heart of the Sierra on July 4th a few years ago. I was kicked back enjoying the lake when a lady wearing helmet and a pack comes strolling by and sets up camp a short distance around the lake. Soon she stripped down and went into the lake. After she was fully dressed I went over and met her and lit off sparklers for the holiday. I asked her if she was the world safest hiker given the helmet and she explained how she was a climber and just bagged a couple of peaks.
2) November at the top of Vernal and Nevada Falls in Yosemite. I met a man who was starting a "thru hike of the jMT". He had a backpack, a front pack and was dragging a rolling suitcase down the trail. he wanted to give me some cans of food and coffee but I politely declined. I still wonder to this day how far up the trail he went. He was aiming to be a Darwin Candidate.
Comet Omega
12-05-2013, 19:02
Started an E2E of the Long Trail the day of Hurricane Irene, when I was north of Little Rock Pond shelter two gals said there was a weird guy hiking with a rifle. Sure enough I passed him. He wanted to talk so I engaged him for a short while. He was carrying it by cradling it in his arms. Said he was doing an E2E. Who was I to argue! Neither of us mentioned the elephant in the room!
Hiking in northern Michigan, just as the sun was setting and the trail was getting to dark to hike without a flashlight, miles from the nearest trail head,
I came around a corner in the trial and coming towards me was a line of people all in dark hooded robes with rope belts all carrying burning candles.
I stepped aside and they passed me one by one, no one looked at me, and I could not see their faces. None of them said a word.
Could be a college fraternity thing....
Around 15 years ago I was out alone doing about a 15 mi day hike in the Catskills. Beautiful fall day, with hardly a soul about, I was being quiet and the wildlife was abundant. I saw deer, turkeys, pheasants, grouse, and a woodchuck, and as I stealthily approached the fire tower on Hunter I came upon the sight of two homo sapiens getting intimate. I just kept walking, not wanting to disturb the native wildlife.
jimmyjam
12-05-2013, 19:37
That is exactly what I was thinking- a college fraternity initiation night.
HikerMom58
12-05-2013, 20:25
Hiking in northern Michigan, just as the sun was setting and the trail was getting to dark to hike without a flashlight, miles from the nearest trail head,
I came around a corner in the trial and coming towards me was a line of people all in dark hooded robes with rope belts all carrying burning candles.
I stepped aside and they passed me one by one, no one looked at me, and I could not see their faces. None of them said a word.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!! :eek:
Some pretty funny posts here... :o
I was surveying the property line along the AT, walked upon a naked and stoned sunbather in Rice Gap, north of Devil's Fork Gap.i told him if someone from Spill Corn, the NC side had found him they would kill him. He started running naked down the trail.
atmilkman
12-05-2013, 20:39
Could be a college fraternity thing....
Quite possibly. If it had been in the south it would of surely been devil worshipers.
That is exactly what I was thinking- a college fraternity initiation night.
Easy for you to say :) Out in the woods alone, getting dark, robes... See if you think "hey look it's Animal house"
So many strange people I meet while hiking. It's one of the fun parts of hiking/traveling. One of the strangest though was on the AT, a girl/young woman with bright red hair with braided pigtails resembling Pippi Longstocking or the Wendys girl bouncing down the trail on a pogo stick. Makes me laugh just thinking about it. She even stopped to chat a minute with me all the while never stopping pogoing. Up and down, up and down, boing boing boing She told me she was attempting to go 6 miles on the trail bouncing on a pogo stick.
googlywoogly
12-05-2013, 23:15
We were hiking up to Indian Seats on top of Sawnee Mountain in Cumming Georgia. It was February and the temp was in the teens. We were approached by someone wearing nothing but a loin cloth and a cape. He was walking barefoot in the sub freezing temps too. He asked us if we needed a "guide" to the top. We declined and went on our way.
Seatbelt
12-06-2013, 08:51
We came across a guy actually riding a unicycle on a trail and he was at least 1-2 miles from any road. It was a woods trail too, not a city park, smooth path.
kayak karl
12-06-2013, 09:14
ran into a cross-dresser in NH.
Seatbelt
12-06-2013, 09:26
ran into a cross-dresser in NH.
Took yer eyes off the trail for a minute? Was he hurt? :D
Tipi Walter
12-06-2013, 09:54
Weirdest thing I ever saw was backpacking up the North Fork Creek in the Citico wilderness and crossing the creek and finding a big half-eaten dead horse laying in the creek with his head about 10 feet on the other side of his body. At first all I saw was the white bones of his ribcage and then the picture came together.
Firefighter503
12-06-2013, 10:15
Was on the AT in Ga about midway in between Unicoi and Hogpen Gap when ahead of me I see a large duffle bag on the edge of the trail stuffed with something. As I passed it, in the small area that was unzipped, I could see heavy coleman camping equipment and books. Not too long after I'd scratched my head a few times and continued on, here comes a guy carrying another large duffle bag that appears to be full of more books and who knows what else. As he passes me he say, "Gotta have my books!" to which I politely smiled a little "of course!" smile and went about my way. Normally, I like to talk to people I pass, at least briefly, but this guy spooked me. I was totally hearing banjo music in my head - no telling what he had in those duffels. Found out later he was making about 4 miles a day and camping in the middle of the trail, leaving the evidence of the fires he was making right on the trail.
Didn't happen to be a bald guy named "That Guy" in 2011 did it? That dude was weird. I remember he camped just short of a shelter one night on his own, and there was a huge storm. He showed up in the middle of the night with only his books (left everything else back at his camp site a couple miles back) and had them all laid out to dry. This guy was making about 4 miles a day as well.
Every time I look in the mirror...
fiddlehead
12-06-2013, 10:49
Don't know if it was when I stepped on a sleeping bear in CO.
Or the cow moose following me too closely in WY
or the black bear false charge in VA
or that rattlesnake encounter I had in IDaho when I was bushwhacking tall grass and decided to look down at my feet, and sure enough......
or lots of other memories.
Griz coming my way and wind blowing towards me, 11 bears in one morning in WA, mountain lion 10' away in CA, mountain goat eating tuffs of grass right outside my tent in Idaho.
But the scariest was definitely the ape attacking me in the jungle.
I stayed out of the wilderness for 2 years after that one.
Lots of memories.
Yeah, lots of memories.
HikerMom58
12-06-2013, 10:50
Every time I look in the mirror...
Ha ha.... the mirror can be a very scary thing while on the trail. :eek: Just don't be "That Guy" on any given day. ;)
HikerMom58
12-06-2013, 10:52
Don't know if it was when I stepped on a sleeping bear in CO.
Or the cow moose following me too closely in WY
or the black bear false charge in VA
or that rattlesnake encounter I had in IDaho when I was bushwhacking tall grass and decided to look down at my feet, and sure enough......
or lots of other memories.
Griz coming my way and wind blowing towards me, 11 bears in one morning in WA, mountain lion 10' away in CA, mountain goat eating tuffs of grass right outside my tent in Idaho.
But the scariest was definitely the ape attacking me in the jungle.
I stayed out of the wilderness for 2 years after that one.
Lots of memories.
Yeah, lots of memories.
You've lived an exciting life... :D
Over 20 years ago, meeting my first marmot and not having the slightest clue what a marmot is. Not that "strange" compared to the other encounters but believe me it was weird to have what I thought was an oversized and very friendly "squirrel" sit near me and beg for food, and then noticing a few others pop up around me.
fiddlehead
12-06-2013, 12:39
You've lived an exciting life... :D
Still living it.
Plans for this year: Borneo trip (again), and Kunming China (if I can talk my son into going along), but yeah, hopefully many more strange encounters comign up.
Life is priorities. What are yours?
CarlZ993
12-06-2013, 12:51
What was your strangest encounter while on a hike? Any hike.
Mine was on a 6 mile day hike along Lake Tahoe. I rounded the corner on the trail and met a scuba diver in a full dry suit and re-breather apparatus on his back. He was hiking the 1/2 mile back to where he had parked his car. He looked like a monster from the lost lagoon. My wife & I were so astonished by this that we forgot to take a picture of him. Really weird.
I also had a "It's a small world" encounter a few years back. In 2008, I was backpacking in Canada outside of Banff. I was talking w/ a young Canadian couple about different places to backpack in the US (they never backpacked here). I ran down the usual suspects: Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Utah Red Rock areas, Colorado, etc. I told them that our mountains were similar to theirs. They really needed to experience the Grand Canyon w/ possibly some nearby areas in Utah.
In April 2009, I was backpacking in the Grand Canyon & I came upon the same couple. We chatted for a short time, amazed about bumping into each other. What are the odds of that happening?
Berserker
12-06-2013, 13:02
I was doing a week long section of the AT and was either in NY or NJ...I think it was NJ. It was raining, and trail was muddy. My buddy and I walked up on a pack laying right off to the side of the trail with a small tarp covering some other stuff all laying in the mud. I think the small tarp might have been a pack cover. Both of us were a bit concerned for the owner of the stuff hoping he/she was alright so we looked around for that person. We didn't see anyone so my buddy picks up a corner of the pack cover with the tip of his hiking pole just to see what's under it. Immediately we hear someone yell out out "Just move on!" The voice came from under the pack cover. Startled we started walking again and could hear the person (a woman I think...and apparently a small one at that) yelling at us to move on, and reprimanding us for "messing" with her stuff.
Another Kevin
12-06-2013, 13:36
We came across a guy actually riding a unicycle on a trail and he was at least 1-2 miles from any road. It was a woods trail too, not a city park, smooth path.
If it's Shug, (this guy), he's a big name on Hammock Forums:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1uffll14mE
HikerMom58
12-06-2013, 13:37
Still living it.
Plans for this year: Borneo trip (again), and Kunming China (if I can talk my son into going along), but yeah, hopefully many more strange encounters comign up.
Life is priorities. What are yours?
Sounds like more fun on the way for you, fiddlehead... exciting! :) You are def. still living it. Stick around and share... it's wonderful to hear about it.
Okay, since you asked, my life priority #1 is this... I needed to figure out why I even exist, what/who created me (others & this incredible world around me) and what is the purpose/meaning for my life.
After I got that straightened out in my mind, I aim to align myself with that world view. It's a beautiful thing. I get that it's not all about ME. ;) Relationships are most important. Those relationships brings a person the most joy & meaning/fulfillment, in this life. The relationship, with my Creator, being the MOST important of all. I needed to figure all that out.. I put my faith in things unseen.
For me,it's a good time living here, for a short while, exploring this world, meeting interesting people and even experiencing strange encounters like yours.. I would love to hear the the story of the ape attack.. *yikes*. :P
I may never go all the places you do but I like to hear about your experiences in your life... it's just FUN to enjoy other people & what they bring to such encounters of this kind. Bring it!! :sun
I do have a bucket list of places I want to visit before I die, if I die in the usual time frame. I hope I do get the opportunity to travel to other places, I want to see more of this planet we live on...it's amazing!!
Seatbelt
12-06-2013, 13:53
If it's Shug, (this guy), he's a big name on Hammock Forums:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1uffll14mE
I think the guy we met was considerably younger but that video is cute!!
MDSection12
12-06-2013, 14:04
MUNI, or mountain unicycling, is more common than you might think. ;)
Cedar Tree
12-06-2013, 14:04
Did they hit their foreheads with boards by any chance? ;)
If it's Shug, (this guy), he's a big name on Hammock Forums
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BOW-ZpsFCM
Another video from Shug and friends.
Cedar Tree
Kerosene
12-06-2013, 14:08
I was 10 years old and decided to bushwhack to the top of a big hill/small mountain in central New York State (Norwich area) visible from my grandmother's porch. I just took off, crossing fields and fence lines. in the last meadow before the base of the hill I saw a herd of animals about 150 yards ahead of me. For some reason I thought they were wolves and promptly turned around...a few years later I realized that they were white-tailed deer in flight!!!
Seatbelt
12-06-2013, 15:12
After I got that straightened out in my mind, I aim to align myself with that world view. It's a beautiful thing. I get that it's not all about ME. ;) Relationships are most important. Those relationships brings a person the most joy & meaning/fulfillment, in this life. The relationship, with my Creator, being the MOST important of all. I needed to figure all that out.. I put my faith in things unseen.
Since my accident and my wife's resulting condition, I can totally relate to this HM. Backpacking has helped me with this.:sun
DeerPath
12-06-2013, 15:38
I was on the Florida Trail and starting to set up camp for the night. A guy came to the site and ask if he could stay for a while. I said sure, and he started talking about himself and the UU Church (?) he was attending. He was wearing a rock on a rope around his neck, an Indian Dream Catcher, and a stone skinning knife. He talked for 2 hours without stopping. His sentences did not have periods. And at some point he mentioned what a good day he was having and thought it was his meds. He was very strange! I'm happy he did not spend the night.
Prime Time
12-06-2013, 15:58
I was hiking on the AT in Maine this summer and came across the strangest footprint. It was definitely a very large barefoot human print except that at the end of the toes, there were what looked like claw marks about 2 inches long. Very funny I thought, and walked on assuming someone was pulling a prank. After all, it was just one print. Then, about 100 feet later a saw another one, then a succession of about 6 or 7 of them, both left and right prints with the long claw marks in the front. I tried taking pictures, but it was a dark, wet day in the Maine woods and the pictures didn't look like anything, let alone footprints. All in all I probably saw 30 or 40 of the prints over about a mile and a half of trail, then they veered into the woods and disappeared. My hiking buddy was about 20 minutes behind me and when he arrived in camp I really thought twice about mentioning the prints to him out of fear that I had just let my imagination go wild on me. As soon as he arrived in camp he says, "You saw them, didn't you"? I don't think either of us slept much that night.
Below is a quote from my journal of a few years ago. I thought it was a little strange...
"Crossing the road I entered the woods and went about ¼ mile and ran into a man about my age – peeing beside the trail. He had no pack or other hiking gear – only two 10-pound barbells, one for each hand. He was wearing a Tennessee orange shirt. We made small talk for a minute and he used the words “research” and “fascinating” a number of times in that short conversation. I didn’t bite so he began to tell me about his research. He says he has discovered that absolutely NO disease is caused or borne by microbes of any kind. NONE of them. He has discovered that every disease is caused by chemical imbalance. This situation involves the mind, which punishes the body when the person experiences guilt, by attacking the body’s organs. He gave a very cursory explanation of how to apply his discovery, and claims it will cure any and all diseases. He says things like cancer just “clear right up”, but things like MS “take a little longer”. With me standing there soaking wet from sweat and very tired from the recent climb, I mentioned that I needed to go in order to make my destination. He was disappointed, made a small attempt to get me to stay and listen, but then told me where he lives and gave me his address “in case I want to write or come visit him sometime”. He even gave me a little “method” for remembering his name and address (which works, I still remember it). "
Just one of the unexpected things along the trail.
Dad
Lucy Lulu
12-06-2013, 16:04
I was with two other SOBO's at a shelter in southern ME (1999). It was early dusk, still plenty of light, and we were at a shelter that must have been near a road access point, although I don't recall one. A man in khaki pants, button up shirt, and loafers walks up to the front of the shelter, throws up a suitcase onto the platform (one of those older hard leather ones) and starts unpacking....while mumbling to himself the whole time. One of the guys says hi, and the man just stops and stares at all of us, slowly turning to look at each of us. He never responded or said a word. He had a large knife clipped to his belt, and started unpacking beer, ropes, a blanket, and a couple more knives from the suitcase. There may have been a tarp to go with the ropes, but I don't recall. We all started slowly (attempt at casually) packing, and I left first telling the others I would see them later. I hiked until well after dark before stopping.
Sometimes the military practices on or near trails. I've seen this in several states(wide apart geographical areas) on different hikes. On the AT I experienced 4 well hidden soldiers, armed(not sure if their weapons were fireable/loaded), in full camouflage(right down to the face paint, ruffled netting, hats, boots, etc), one behind/partially inside a standing large hallowed out tree, two in shallow pits w/ leaves and duff over them, and one lying next to a downed tree. They sometimes screw w/ hikers so beware. They thought I didn't know they were there when I sat down on a tree to take a break. What gave them away was that I smelled them(perspiration), a cologne or bar soap fragrance, and I think the machine oil smell of their weapons as well as two of them being overly fidgety(I could hear their unnatural movements in the leaves). They were all less than 150 ft from the me. Despite them attempting to be cocky wise arses by suddenly jumping out AT ME intentionally attempting to sneak up and scare the shart out of me I let them know in no uncertain terms they had given away their positions in the various ways I just described before I even sat down on the tree. I plainly let them know they weren't as stealthy as they thought they were. They didn't like hearing that. They did listen somewhat to what I said though as far as improving their techniques. I hope they heeded what I said because their lives may depend on it in the future when the games they were playing became real. I also let them know that when one spends much time in the Natural Environment such as in the woods, like when you're thru-hiking the AT, away from the sounds, smells, sights, tastes, and feel of "civilization" IF your observant enough and in tune with the Natural Environment it's much more easy to pick out what doesn't belong what isn't customary. Wildlife does this to survive. They should take some more clues from wildlife.
I thought it was strange when I first experienced the sounds and sights of a major gun battle on the AT as well. Historical battle reenactments are staged very near the AT.
More than a few gun ranges are in close proximity to various hiking areas/trails as well. It's not always strange encounters with people that occur hiking it's strange encounters in general. There are some very unusual things happening in remote areas like in the Mojave Desert near the PCT. I don't think it too far fetched to say technologies/scientific advancements exist that haven't yet been made known to the public that exist in the Mojave Desert area. There were certainly some things that I witnessed on the PCT that I can't find explanations for.
SCRUB HIKER
12-06-2013, 17:12
I thought it was strange when I first experienced the sounds and sights of a major gun battle on the AT as well. Historical battle reenactments are staged very near the AT.
More than a few gun ranges are in close proximity to various hiking areas/trails as well. It's not always strange encounters with people that occur hiking it's strange encounters in general. There are some very unusual things happening in remote areas like in the Mojave Desert near the PCT. I don't think it too far fetched to say technologies/scientific advancements exist that haven't yet been made known to the public that exist in the Mojave Desert area. There were certainly some things that I witnessed on the PCT that I can't find explanations for.
In lots of places, the hills are everyone's informal gun range. On the PCT in SoCal south of Cajon Pass this year I could look down and see two rednecks tailgating and firing their rifles up into the hills straight at the PCT where I was hiking (then running). I'm still in Halfmile's water report for reporting it. Not strange, given that it's rural America and the locals probably assume 'tain't nothin' but jackrabbits and Mexicans in them hills, but scary.
Mr. Bumpy
12-06-2013, 20:40
There used to be a green alien at the Hogback Ridge out house. He hung around for at least two years.
jimmyjam
12-07-2013, 10:22
While hiking between Hog Camp Gap and the Priest I came across a day hiker that was using an oversized oven mitt hooked on his belt to carry his hiking supplies. It is a fairly remote area and it was just strange.
HikerMom58
12-07-2013, 10:31
While hiking between Hog Camp Gap and the Priest I came across a day hiker that was using an oversized oven mitt hooked on his belt to carry his hiking supplies. It is a fairly remote area and it was just strange.
That's interesting....:jump I love that area btw.. :>)
HikerMom58
12-07-2013, 10:35
Since my accident and my wife's resulting condition, I can totally relate to this HM. Backpacking has helped me with this.:sun
I hear ya Seatbelt... kinda goes hand in hand! :sun
pipsissewa
12-07-2013, 12:12
Hiking in northern Michigan, just as the sun was setting and the trail was getting to dark to hike without a flashlight, miles from the nearest trail head,
I came around a corner in the trial and coming towards me was a line of people all in dark hooded robes with rope belts all carrying burning candles.
I stepped aside and they passed me one by one, no one looked at me, and I could not see their faces. None of them said a word.
That sounds exactly like a Freya walk. But I don't know what they were doing in Michigan... . If they were from Hollins, they were all women. From Hollins University's student orientation handbook (2013):
Freya Walk. Freya Walks take place on nights of special events or issues. Members of this secret society walk at night to call attention to or celebrate current events. They wear black-hooded robes to protect their anonymity and carry candles to symbolize hope. Since 1903 Freya has sought to emphasize the notion that "concern for the community is a creative and active force." Please join Freya tonight as they welcome and show support for the new sisters of Hollins.
Traffic Jam
12-07-2013, 12:19
I was 18 and backpacking in Europe alone. I was hiking near Stuttgart when I heard a whistle. I looked up and a man in a trench coat stepped from behind a tree and flashed me. I laughed and kept walking but was secretly quaking in my shoes.
Dogwood... Do you remember the '06 AT hiker, Trouble?" He was the second to the last man walking NOBO that year. He frequently hiked at night.
I recall a story that he was intercepted by the Secret Service for hiking too close to Camp David in the middle of the night. He'd set off motion detectors, or some such thing. I never got to ask him if the story was true, but I recall many NOBOs had heard the rumor.
You?
Well, I'm sure Camp David has security quite possibly including motion/sonic and infra red detectors near the perimeters and very likely roving patrols when someone "important" is visting. I think they do rove the perimeters when someone high in political office is present but maybe at other times as well. Gotta respect that space as a hiker on the AT.
Interesingly, when thru-hiking the AT in 2006 I took the train into Washington DC from Harpers Ferry for three days. While wearing my backpack I was wandering the grounds outside the Capitol Building looking at the many large specimen plantings(I'm a Landscape Architect and Horticulturalist so that stuff fascinates me) when I was escorted off the grounds by, I think, plain clothed Secret Service. I think I probably got to close to the building. I was just wandering around looking at the plants. I wasn't fully thinking about what potential risks I may have potentially posed to them or the Capitol Building. They were decent though. I told them why I was there and showed them my ID, ATC Membership Card, my AT Thru-hikers Databook, train ticket, and opened up my pack for them. They were guarded in their demeanor but OUTSTANDINGLY professional and decent. It's the way I expect LEOs to be within reason when I act respectfully towards them. They saw I was who I said I was and that I was just acting a little aimless. I should have been more aware that something like that would happen under those circumstances. LEOs sometimes get a bad rep undeservingly. .
bamboo bob
12-08-2013, 18:51
We saw the tuba-dude somewhere in VA back in I think 2000 on a section hike.
I saw him in Vermont. At Kelly-stand road
I was 18 and backpacking in Europe alone. I was hiking near Stuttgart when I heard a whistle. I looked up and a man in a trench coat stepped from behind a tree and flashed me. I laughed and kept walking but was secretly quaking in my shoes.
You look kind of shady yourself ITri like a blond ninja in training without her hat in your avatar. But, since you're wearing ArcTeryx I'll let ya slide..... for now.:D
When you hear whistles these days do you have flashbacks? :D
That sounds exactly like a Freya walk. But I don't know what they were doing in Michigan... . If they were from Hollins, they were all women. From Hollins University's student orientation handbook (2013):
Freya Walk. Freya Walks take place on nights of special events or issues. Members of this secret society walk at night to call attention to or celebrate current events. They wear black-hooded robes to protect their anonymity and carry candles to symbolize hope. Since 1903 Freya has sought to emphasize the notion that "concern for the community is a creative and active force." Please join Freya tonight as they welcome and show support for the new sisters of Hollins.
Well I wish I knew they were all college girls at the time. Isn't Freya the Norse version of Aphrodite?
Actually I think they were guys, but it really would not have mattered at the time. Did you ever see the movie "The Omega Man"? I did.http://theflickcast.com/wp-content/uploads//Screen-Shot-2011-11-27-at-11.10.06-PM-525x235.png
pipsissewa
12-09-2013, 08:45
BFAYER: No, never saw that movie--looks scary! There are probably other chapters of the Freya Society (at co-ed schools) around that I'm not aware of. After all, it IS a "secret" society! :D
HikerMom58
12-09-2013, 10:05
See, all these stories are exactly why I can't hike alone. Not one person was hurt or harmed by these strange encounters but Wow... just wow!
pipsissewa... interesting username! :D
LuckyMan
12-09-2013, 14:52
While I was camped by the Toccoa River bridge on the Benton Mackaye in October, soldiers from a nearby base started playing war games. Their leader was polite and alerted me before all the noise started.
Traffic Jam
12-09-2013, 15:30
You look kind of shady yourself ITri like a blond ninja in training without her hat in your avatar. But, since you're wearing ArcTeryx I'll let ya slide..... for now.:D
When you hear whistles these days do you have flashbacks? :D
As a matter of fact Dogwood...I was sitting on the banks of the Little River at campsite 18 (in the GSMNP), when I heard a whistle from about 20 feet downstream. It was the exact same whistle! I refused to look and the guy whistled again. After the third time, I slowly got up and left. It's the only time I've ever been nervous about hiking alone in the Smokys. Now I carry my ninja blade wherever I go :)
ITri, don't be a Pavlov dog. :) Some day, that whistle may mean to get the hell off the train tracks or the dam's flood gates are about to be opened.
Old Hillwalker
12-09-2013, 16:47
The Aetherius Society
This group used to climb Mt Adams in the Whites every summer dressed in white or grey robes to commune with who knows what. They were featured in the Magazine Applachia (AMC) a few years ago. There used to be a set of symbols painted on a ledge at the summit of Adams, but it was removed a few years ago by persons unknown claiming it was graffiti.
On their site: http://www.aetherius.org/pilgrimages-to-holy-mountains/ Pilgrimages to Holy Mountains, scroll down to New Hampshire and Mt Adams.
fireneck
12-13-2013, 18:24
Spent the night .6 off trail at a shelter with hiking partners. At 6am the next morning we awoke to SCREAMS off in the distance. We all quickly bolted up, couldn't figure where it was coming from. We drifted back to sleep and then Checker woke us up claiming, "They know I'm out here I'll sit down for the interview when I'm ready, damn it!"
We met back up with Checker in Waynesboro, VA and stayed the night with him at the YMCA (This was not our first choice). He went on and on about "the government" stealing his ideas and other crazy talk. I sat a few computers down from him at the Waynesboro Library as he was angerly typing away.
It didn't get strange until a month later when we found out he was arrested for threatening to kill the President, blow up local news stations and the White House. After he was arrested he delivered this bone chilling quote, "Sooner or later I will grab someone, maybe in the woods, on the trail, and beat the life out of them."
Check out this (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/christopher-hecker-virginia-obama-assassination-threat_n_1497327.html) news story for more info.
HikerMom58
12-13-2013, 19:22
Whoa... that's crazy!
rocketsocks
12-13-2013, 20:13
Spent the night .6 off trail at a shelter with hiking partners. At 6am the next morning we awoke to SCREAMS off in the distance. We all quickly bolted up, couldn't figure where it was coming from. We drifted back to sleep and then Checker woke us up claiming, "They know I'm out here I'll sit down for the interview when I'm ready, damn it!"
We met back up with Checker in Waynesboro, VA and stayed the night with him at the YMCA (This was not our first choice). He went on and on about "the government" stealing his ideas and other crazy talk. I sat a few computers down from him at the Waynesboro Library as he was angerly typing away.
It didn't get strange until a month later when we found out he was arrested for threatening to kill the President, blow up local news stations and the White House. After he was arrested he delivered this bone chilling quote, "Sooner or later I will grab someone, maybe in the woods, on the trail, and beat the life out of them."
Check out this (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/christopher-hecker-virginia-obama-assassination-threat_n_1497327.html) news story for more info.yeah, he's done...never gettin out...just a guess tho.
off-pher
12-13-2013, 20:46
Spent the night .6 off trail at a shelter with hiking partners. At 6am the next morning we awoke to SCREAMS off in the distance. We all quickly bolted up, couldn't figure where it was coming from. We drifted back to sleep and then Checker woke us up claiming, "They know I'm out here I'll sit down for the interview when I'm ready, damn it!"
We met back up with Checker in Waynesboro, VA and stayed the night with him at the YMCA (This was not our first choice). He went on and on about "the government" stealing his ideas and other crazy talk. I sat a few computers down from him at the Waynesboro Library as he was angerly typing away.
It didn't get strange until a month later when we found out he was arrested for threatening to kill the President, blow up local news stations and the White House. After he was arrested he delivered this bone chilling quote, "Sooner or later I will grab someone, maybe in the woods, on the trail, and beat the life out of them."
Check out this (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/christopher-hecker-virginia-obama-assassination-threat_n_1497327.html) news story for more info.
We have a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is crazy...................
Gonecampn
12-13-2013, 23:18
Hiking in northern Michigan, just as the sun was setting and the trail was getting to dark to hike without a flashlight, miles from the nearest trail head,
I came around a corner in the trial and coming towards me was a line of people all in dark hooded robes with rope belts all carrying burning candles.
I stepped aside and they passed me one by one, no one looked at me, and I could not see their faces. None of them said a word.
OMG! I would have freaked out if I was alone :-/
Sent from somewhere in the woods.
Gonecampn
12-13-2013, 23:30
Had a few really weird things show up while in the Sipsey Wilderness, AL. Once we were hiking, in the spring time, WAY off trail and happened upon a "Christmas Tree" ornaments and all. I'm taking about in the middle of NOWHERE. Then on another trip, same wilderness, there was 18 Natural Light beers sitting all in a row, upright, on the trail?! On two other separate occasions we found (1) - a complete campsite set up that was still there UNTOUCHED at least a month later. We checked to make sure no one was in the tents. Every thing was totally water logged. (2) we found a slew of camping gear, tent, flashlight, mat, etc strewn all down a mtn side, way off trail. We really thought we were going to find a body at the bottom of the hill. So thankful that we didn't!
Sent from somewhere in the woods.
Sheriff Cougar
12-13-2013, 23:49
If it's Shug, (this guy), he's a big name on Hammock Forums:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1uffll14mEHe is funny! And probably as tough as nails. He would be a fun guy to see on the trail.
daddytwosticks
12-14-2013, 17:13
Spent the night .6 off trail at a shelter with hiking partners. At 6am the next morning we awoke to SCREAMS off in the distance. We all quickly bolted up, couldn't figure where it was coming from. We drifted back to sleep and then Checker woke us up claiming, "They know I'm out here I'll sit down for the interview when I'm ready, damn it!"
We met back up with Checker in Waynesboro, VA and stayed the night with him at the YMCA (This was not our first choice). He went on and on about "the government" stealing his ideas and other crazy talk. I sat a few computers down from him at the Waynesboro Library as he was angerly typing away.
It didn't get strange until a month later when we found out he was arrested for threatening to kill the President, blow up local news stations and the White House. After he was arrested he delivered this bone chilling quote, "Sooner or later I will grab someone, maybe in the woods, on the trail, and beat the life out of them."
Check out this (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/christopher-hecker-virginia-obama-assassination-threat_n_1497327.html) news story for more info. Wonder how long it took to get him. With the current level of NSA survellance, it shouldn't have taken too long. I probably shouldn't have said that or even thought about it...they'll probably soon come for me. My hat? Where is my foil hat? :)
Chair-man
12-14-2013, 21:35
Spent the night .6 off trail at a shelter with hiking partners. At 6am the next morning we awoke to SCREAMS off in the distance. We all quickly bolted up, couldn't figure where it was coming from. We drifted back to sleep and then Checker woke us up claiming, "They know I'm out here I'll sit down for the interview when I'm ready, damn it!"
We met back up with Checker in Waynesboro, VA and stayed the night with him at the YMCA (This was not our first choice). He went on and on about "the government" stealing his ideas and other crazy talk. I sat a few computers down from him at the Waynesboro Library as he was angerly typing away.
It didn't get strange until a month later when we found out he was arrested for threatening to kill the President, blow up local news stations and the White House. After he was arrested he delivered this bone chilling quote, "Sooner or later I will grab someone, maybe in the woods, on the trail, and beat the life out of them."
Check out this (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/christopher-hecker-virginia-obama-assassination-threat_n_1497327.html) news story for more info.
Here's a site with a photo of this wacked out dude. (http://fandaily.info/scandals/christopher-hecker-man-who-threatened-to-kill-president-obama-asks-for-the-death-penalty/) He's obviously showing signs of someone who has listened to way too much AM talk radio.
Sarcasm the elf
12-15-2013, 01:45
While I was camped by the Toccoa River bridge on the Benton Mackaye in October, soldiers from a nearby base started playing war games. Their leader was polite and alerted me before all the noise started.
Hey wait a minute LuckyMan, that sounds familiar! I'm guessing that was a couple of days after we spotted the soldiers hiding near hawk mountain shelter? How was the rest of your BMT trip?
The soldiers hiding around hawk Mtn shelter weren't the only military run-ins we had either. The next morning we found a bunch of empty cardboard ammo boxes in a fire ring, all the boxes were for 5.56x45 (M-16) blanks. The night after this we were camped trail side when we were lulled to sleep by a Squad automatic weapon shooting off 1-2 second bursts of suppressing fire.
Sarcasm the elf
12-15-2013, 01:54
Here's a site with a photo of this wacked out dude. (http://fandaily.info/scandals/christopher-hecker-man-who-threatened-to-kill-president-obama-asks-for-the-death-penalty/) He's obviously showing signs of someone who has listened to way too much AM talk radio.
Great...I clicked on that link at the same time that I was doing a google search to double check the size ammo an M-16 takes (for my previous post.) Who knows what kind of list tht just got me added onto. :D
Sandy of PA
12-15-2013, 18:58
Checker seemed OK in 2011 when I hiked part of New Jersey with him. I looked at the picture I took and it was definately Chris Hecker.
Hot Sauce 2011
01-09-2014, 16:26
The "Checker" story saddens me to no end. I spent a good deal of time with him on my '11 thru, pretty much rolled with him from NOC to Damascus- he split all his food with me leaving Gatlinburg because I forgot to resupply. I later ran into him near Hanover and we hiked together into the Whites until Hurricane Irene forced us to hole up in Lincoln, at Chet's, for four days; that was about 3 days too long for him and he developed pretty severe cabin fever and said some pretty scary things. He is very intelligent and kind, and also very troubled. I, and several others on the AT, got to know a side of him that is not expressed in this news story, and really serves to underscore the need to better address mental health issues in our society.
Alleghanian Orogeny
01-09-2014, 18:12
I took my bride, who had never backpacked before, on a pair of 2-3 night trips in Rocky Mountain Nat Park, CO, on our honeymoon in 1978. Incredibly, we're still married now, 172 years later. Anyway, on our first night out, after driving from Charlottesville, VA to Estes Park, CO in a Honda Civic, snagging our backcountry permits, and hitting the trail with ZERO acclimation, we were enjoying the twilight around the trusty old Svea, when a loud, strange noise emanated from the meadow around 100 yds down the trail. The noise was repeated several times over the ensuing half-hour. It sounded like a really loud flute/recorder and we never saw what was making it. My bride was really questioning our (my) sanity for being there, as I hadn't a clue what it was, either. It was late September and we subsequently learned about the bugling of bull elk during the fall mating season.
Decades later, I was car-camping at Oconee State Park, SC while on a rafting trip on the Chatooga River. It was a group of a dozen guys around my age, with Tim being the senior and about 10 years older than me. Well after dark, after enjoying a goodly number of frosty adult beverages around the campfire, we suddenly heard HEAVY automatic weapons fire erupt in the near distance. There were multiple bursts of small arms fire after that, then more heavy weapons. After a few minutes of collective "WTH?", we heard Tim's voice coming from down an embankment beyond the campfire. "That was Ma Deuce, some M-60s, and about a dozen M-16s". Tim said this as he returned to the campfire from down the hill, where he had instinctively dived for cover when the shooting started. The firing was blanks, of course, courtesy of military training under way in the Nat Forest lands surrounding the State Park. Many of the group did not previously realize Tim was a 2-tour Vietnam veteran who served as an artillery forward observer. The man knew his automatic weapons, and he knew what to do when the shooting started.
AO
I ran into a guy at a shelter in PA who was in the middle of what I'd guess was a noro or giardia attack, was squatting at the treeline of the clearing with it coming out of both ends. I lost my stomach seeing that but luckily we found him a hostel nearby who took care of him.
Were you in the Keweenaw by any chance? There is a monastery near Eagle River. Don't know if they go on night hikes but they make some excellent thimbleberry jam. And you could get a buzz eating a slice of their abbey cake. :)
Hiking in northern Michigan, just as the sun was setting and the trail was getting to dark to hike without a flashlight, miles from the nearest trail head,
I came around a corner in the trial and coming towards me was a line of people all in dark hooded robes with rope belts all carrying burning candles.
I stepped aside and they passed me one by one, no one looked at me, and I could not see their faces. None of them said a word.
Sorry, meant to add this quote.
Were you in the Keweenaw by any chance? There is a monastery near Eagle River. Don't know if they go on night hikes but they make some excellent thimbleberry jam. And you could get a buzz eating a slice of their abbey cake. :)
Pictured rocks actually. But anything is possible. Most monks I have met are pretty outgoing usually, even the quiet ones. Either way they did no harm except to freak me out for the night.
coheterojo
01-09-2014, 21:11
Mormon pack goats S of Monson on my 2010 NOBO.25537
East rim of Linville Gorge looking upstream toward Table Rock, Hawksbill, Sitting Bear, Gingercake, and the Falls.
Two different occasions, one warm, one cold.....blue sky above both times.....wind blowing downstream toward Lake James .... a cloud appears at the head of the Gorge, sinks, and flows towards me from miles away....down past Spence Ridge Trail....on past the Chimneys.......now below me, and the updraft is kicking the cloud upward closer and closer to my feet, dangling over the edge of Shortoff Mountain......Suddenly it begins snowing upside down and I am delighted by the clear sky above and the gravity defying frozen precipitation flying about my perch. The warm day revealed a huge cloud of Monarch butterflies....thousands of them....trekking to Mexico...........so glad to cross their path......what unspeakable joy! A cloud of butterflies.
Mormon pack goats S of Monson on my 2010 NOBO.25537
Now there's something you don't see every day....
HikerMom58
01-09-2014, 23:55
Now there's something you don't see every day....
Ha ha!! :0)
Olustee bus
01-12-2014, 07:22
I was on a short hike to Abrams Falls in Cades Cove one day by myself. Shortly after the trail head, there is a fork, left to go to the falls and right to another trail. I heard a bunch of people hollering so I was curious. I figured it would be safe as it was a lot of people apparently. I got close enough to see what was happening and I truly thought I was in a time warp. There were indians attacking a log cabin with bows and arrows and such. Then gunfire (with a lot of smoke) came from the windows of the cabin. I could not believe what I was seeing. After a while, they stopped, all began walking around, laughing, the settlers came out of the cabin and everybody was having a good time.
I was relieved that it was not real as it sure looked like it was. I went closer and found out they were filming a commercial for an insurance company. Spooked me though. I then went to the falls.
importman77
01-12-2014, 08:53
Here's a site with a photo of this wacked out dude. (http://fandaily.info/scandals/christopher-hecker-man-who-threatened-to-kill-president-obama-asks-for-the-death-penalty/) He's obviously showing signs of someone who has listened to way too much AM talk radio.
Wow, that is one scary looking dude. I shivered when I first saw it. That guy in the top picture's not so bad though.;)
MDSection12
01-12-2014, 12:00
Wow, that is one scary looking dude. I shivered when I first saw it. That guy in the top picture's not so bad though.;)
:rolleyes:
Glad you prefer the guy that made comments about killing a random hiker on the trail.
HikerMom58
01-12-2014, 14:13
Oh I get it, you guys! I was confuzzled at first. Pssstt....
I'm skeered, on the trail, when I read about people like this. But, I won't let me stop me from getting out there and hiking. I promise! :p
Found out later he was making about 4 miles a day and camping in the middle of the trail, leaving the evidence of the fires he was making right on the trail.
maybe he was carrying hisnfuelwith him?
On the Batona Tr in the NJ Pine Barrens around Christmas there was about a 60 yr old severely over wt guy wondering around in nothing but his B-day suit in the middle of the woods near no apparent roads. No pack. No car keys. No shoes. Nothing. I didn't know what was happening like if he was on drugs, had Alzheimers, had gotten lost, needed clothing, was into voyeurism, etc so I went back to see if he was OK. Seemed like just a nudist out on an unseasonably warm NJ Dec day but he did ask me a couple of times if I had seen a young male hiking group(Eddie Bauer or something) which I had seen earlier in the day. I thought it was kinda creepy as I stood 20 ft from him like he thought it nothing strange what he was doing and the possible motives behind his questions about the boys hiking group.
pipsissewa
01-18-2014, 13:31
On the Batona Tr in the NJ Pine Barrens around Christmas there was about a 60 yr old severely over wt guy wondering around in nothing but his B-day suit in the middle of the woods near no apparent roads. No pack. No car keys. No shoes. Nothing. I didn't know what was happening like if he was on drugs, had Alzheimers, had gotten lost, needed clothing, was into voyeurism, etc so I went back to see if he was OK. Seemed like just a nudist out on an unseasonably warm NJ Dec day but he did ask me a couple of times if I had seen a young male hiking group(Eddie Bauer or something) which I had seen earlier in the day. I thought it was kinda creepy as I stood 20 ft from him like he thought it nothing strange what he was doing and the possible motives behind his questions about the boys hiking group.
He was probably a member of the New Jersey Pine Barrens Nudist Colony. (Google it yourself--I don't want to click on the link!!! :eek: ) Creepy for sure!!!
Second Half
01-18-2014, 16:01
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200540903798565&set=vb.1637464041&type=3&theater
This wasn't an actual encounter, more like some folks living next to the trail who made a point of making their presence known. I hope they were aiming away from the trail.
jimmyjam
01-18-2014, 19:34
Today I hiked north of Rockfish Gap, there was a couple of inches of snow on the trail, it was 23 degrees and the wind was blowing at 15-20 mph, and along comes a trail runner in trail runners, low socks, long T, and of all things what looked like Hawaiian board shorts. Wish I had gotten a picture.
On the Batona Tr in the NJ Pine Barrens around Christmas there was about a 60 yr old severely over wt guy wondering around in nothing but his B-day suit in the middle of the woods near no apparent roads. No pack. No car keys. No shoes. Nothing. I didn't know what was happening like if he was on drugs, had Alzheimers, had gotten lost, needed clothing, was into voyeurism, etc so I went back to see if he was OK. Seemed like just a nudist out on an unseasonably warm NJ Dec day but he did ask me a couple of times if I had seen a young male hiking group(Eddie Bauer or something) which I had seen earlier in the day. I thought it was kinda creepy as I stood 20 ft from him like he thought it nothing strange what he was doing and the possible motives behind his questions about the boys hiking group.
Well... It isn't as if he were hiding anything... And I feel for you. Some things, having been observed, cannot be "unseen," no matter how much bourbon is applied to the task.
Now there's something you don't see every day....
Yeah, that's a lot of rocks.
Did anyone else meet Samarai? He was an aggressive, strapping fellow who dressed in black and carried a big samara sword until one day he broke it cutting firewood. We met him at the Blackrock shelter in SNP in May 2011, as he came through NOBO. He was there long enough to scare everybody with threatening talk, get into a few arguments, then he left about as the sun set hiking on to who knows where… we were all so relieved to see him go.
HikerMom58
01-19-2014, 11:30
I had a very strange encounter on the trail, myself. Mine was Oct. '08' on McAfee Knob. I've told the story so many times I'm tired of sharing it. But, it's just another story of someone on the trail with obvious mental health issues.
What makes these encounters more intense/scarey is the fact that there's no place to run, no place to hide to get away, often times. The only thing you can do is pray. Everything ended well that day. I think about him every time I hike to McAfee Knob. I pray that he is in a good place... safe, warm and well fed.
I saw a girl in her teens near Madison Hut with a folding toilet seat strapped to her pack.
FooFighter'12
01-19-2014, 14:12
Did anyone else meet Samarai? He was an aggressive, strapping fellow who dressed in black and carried a big samara sword until one day he broke it cutting firewood. We met him at the Blackrock shelter in SNP in May 2011, as he came through NOBO. He was there long enough to scare everybody with threatening talk, get into a few arguments, then he left about as the sun set hiking on to who knows where… we were all so relieved to see him go.
I wonder if you may be talking about a hiker I met in 2012 by the name of Pro Visions. This guy had been on the trail the previous two years also but had different trail names. At this time he had a large bamboo pole that he practiced martial arts with. When I got to a shelter that he was staying at, there was a couple of section hikers and they were terrified. The shelter filled up and he kept getting stranger. Upon first meeting me he asked "are your ancestors Scottish?" "No, German," I replied. "I was wondering because the Scottish were very malnourished. How many calories are you eating? Do you need food?" Then he moved on to next person. Later he started fire dancing and claimed to everyone, "fire dancing is good for sexual Lobito." He had a schizo type feel to him and as soon as it got dark he packed up and left. Everyone exhaled in relief. Five minutes later it started pouring but he never returned. I heard several crazy stories about that guy including picking a couple fights.
FooFighter'12
01-19-2014, 14:26
I had a very strange encounter on the trail, myself. Mine was Oct. '08' on McAfee Knob. I've told the story so many times I'm tired of sharing it. But, it's just another story of someone on the trail with obvious mental health issues.
The scariest thing that happened to me was on the side of a road several miles south of Mcafee. I was waiting for family to pick me up and hang out for the day when this black pickup kept driving by. The second time he tried to sling gravel at me and my buddy. The third time he screamed, "GD Hippie!" The next time he came to a stop and said, "let me ask you something, I've served three tours in Afghanistan. Do you suck **** out here for food? I mean i don't get it. I'm out getting shot at and you f*** are you walking around in the woods. You damn hippies are sick". We kept are cool as he called us more names, threatened to kick our butts, and then later threatening to kill us when he saw us again. Trying to be positive, I thanked him for his service before he drove off.
We ended up staying at the next shelter that night after getting dropped back off by family but we were too paranoid to get much sleep.
HikerMom58
01-19-2014, 16:36
The scariest thing that happened to me was on the side of a road several miles south of Mcafee. I was waiting for family to pick me up and hang out for the day when this black pickup kept driving by. The second time he tried to sling gravel at me and my buddy. The third time he screamed, "GD Hippie!" The next time he came to a stop and said, "let me ask you something, I've served three tours in Afghanistan. Do you suck **** out here for food? I mean i don't get it. I'm out getting shot at and you f*** are you walking around in the woods. You damn hippies are sick". We kept are cool as he called us more names, threatened to kick our butts, and then later threatening to kill us when he saw us again. Trying to be positive, I thanked him for his service before he drove off.
We ended up staying at the next shelter that night after getting dropped back off by family but we were too paranoid to get much sleep.
Oh gezzz. FF12... Whoa... that's really bad! :( I think the family(that picked you up) should have reported that incident to the local police. That dude has anger problems and seems to want to take it out on hikers. Good grief!!
You handled yourself well in that situation.
It's great you shared this story here, so others can take notice. Be careful around that area. I wonder if Joe, at Four Pines Hostel, has heard other hikers talk about this happening to them? How long ago did this happen?
FooFighter'12
01-19-2014, 17:13
Happened in April 2012. The road was Va. 785.
HikerMom58
01-19-2014, 17:45
Happened in April 2012. The road was Va. 785.
I see...I looked it up in my book. That is right down the road from the Homeplace. Not far at all...
Seems like the dude was suffering from PTSD..... :(
squeezebox
01-19-2014, 18:41
Threatening to kill someone is pretty serious stuff. police generally take it seriously. Particularly if he knows how. Do you think you should have reported him to the police? Maybe he should be in jail, or forced counseling, before he does hurt someone. Yea PTSD.
Yea PTSD.
Only if you take that person's word about serving.
gunner76
01-19-2014, 19:47
In 1977 I was camping on near top of San Jacinto Peak in Souithern California in Feb. Took the Ariel Tram Way to and then started hiking. Found a place in about 6 ft of snow and set up camp. Do not know how cold it got that night but my water bottle next to head was frozen solid when I woke up in the AM. Only reason I got up was because I hear dogs and I knew there were not dogs up there because the only two ways up were by the Tram from Palm Springs or From the Town of Idyllwild on the other side of the mountain and I knew with that amount of snow no one was hiking from Idyllwild that time of year. Turned out they were having snow sled races up there and they brought the sleds and dogs up on the tram. Ended volunteering to work that day as a trail director. Had a blast.
That was not the strange part. The strange part was seeing the women coming off the tram in their high heels, short dresses ect and all made up like they were going to some big Hollywood party and trying to walk around in the deep snow.
Blacksmith
01-30-2014, 23:00
The strangest thing I saw while hiking/camping happened in 1983. That was the first year of a class in my high school called "Wilderness Wise". It was all about nature, the weather, camping, hiking, etc. Awesome class. In May of that year the whole class and the two teachers went on a ten day camping trip with daily hikes on the property one of the teachers owned on Silver Creek here in western New York. There are cliffs forty to sixty feet high along the course of the creek. Standing on the bank of the creek one morning speaking with both teachers there was suddenly a dribble of sand and small pebbles coming down the cliff face and into the creek just feet from us. Naturally we looked up just in time to see a huge whitetail doe come crashing down into the creek with a great splash literally at our feet. That deer didn't miss a step, was up immediately and bounded through the camp. It ran in an arc from left to right jumping tents and dodging between surprised students just emerging from their tents as it was quite early yet. The doe's tongue was hanging out of its mouth the whole time and it kept right on running flat out in that arc which brought it back to the creek by us again. The whole episode took probably less than 15 seconds before it cleared the creek in one bound and went literally straight up the face of that cliff at least forty feet of near 90* vertical and disappeared over the top. I don't think anybody spoke for several seconds yet, just trying to absorb what we had just seen until finally we all burst out in stereo "holy *****"!!!
It is amazing what a whitetail deer can do when it is pressured.
HikerMom58
01-30-2014, 23:04
The strangest thing I saw while hiking/camping happened in 1983. That was the first year of a class in my high school called "Wilderness Wise". It was all about nature, the weather, camping, hiking, etc. Awesome class. In May of that year the whole class and the two teachers went on a ten day camping trip with daily hikes on the property one of the teachers owned on Silver Creek here in western New York. There are cliffs forty to sixty feet high along the course of the creek. Standing on the bank of the creek one morning speaking with both teachers there was suddenly a dribble of sand and small pebbles coming down the cliff face and into the creek just feet from us. Naturally we looked up just in time to see a huge whitetail doe come crashing down into the creek with a great splash literally at our feet. That deer didn't miss a step, was up immediately and bounded through the camp. It ran in an arc from left to right jumping tents and dodging between surprised students just emerging from their tents as it was quite early yet. The doe's tongue was hanging out of its mouth the whole time and it kept right on running flat out in that arc which brought it back to the creek by us again. The whole episode took probably less than 15 seconds before it cleared the creek in one bound and went literally straight up the face of that cliff at least forty feet of near 90* vertical and disappeared over the top. I don't think anybody spoke for several seconds yet, just trying to absorb what we had just seen until finally we all burst out in stereo "holy *****"!!!
It is amazing what a whitetail deer can do when it is pressured.
Wow, that's quite a story! :p
Blacksmith
01-30-2014, 23:13
Wow, that's quite a story! :p
It was quite an experience. Anyway to give credit where credit is due that class first offered in 1983 at Clarence High School in Clarence NY was very unique. It was the brainchild of Biology teacher Jim Marshall and science teacher Ken Schnoebrich. Mr. Schnoebrich's land in the hamlet of Smith's Mills is where we camped and hiked.
As I recall the class was a resounding success and was copied and added to the curriculum by several other high schools in western New York and gradually all over the state in subsequent years.
Jim Marshall and Ken Schnoebrich deserve all the credit.
HikerMom58
01-30-2014, 23:16
It was quite an experience. Anyway to give credit where credit is due that class first offered in 1983 at Clarence High School in Clarence NY was very unique. It was the brainchild of Biology teacher Jim Marshall and science teacher Ken Schnoebrich. Mr. Schnoebrich's land in the hamlet of Smith's Mills is where we camped and hiked.
As I recall the class was a resounding success and was copied and added to the curriculum by several other high schools in western New York and gradually all over the state in subsequent years.
Jim Marshall and Ken Schnoebrich deserve all the credit.
That's cool! :)
Wise Old Owl
01-31-2014, 01:37
HM you need backup?
Josh Calhoun
02-03-2014, 16:07
a drunk man with 2 black eyes, carying a sword and a machetti. talk about akward...
ALLEGHENY
02-03-2014, 16:35
Tipi Walter!
Strange because he was sitting in the Partnership Shelter.
Nice guy too.
PatmanTN
02-03-2014, 18:47
This was the strangest I've seen! (if the image works)
ALLEGHENY
02-03-2014, 21:06
that's the guy
Butterfly58
02-03-2014, 21:31
Great. Now I have to cancel my thru-hike. No way I'm going out alone after reading this thread! :eek:
Weather-man
02-03-2014, 22:20
What was the story of the woman that hiked for a week or two, never saw another person, got back and had her film developed and the there were like 10 or 15 pics of her sleeping on her camera.
Anyone know the whole story? That one's a bit freaky.
Edit: I guess it's an Urban legend....sure is a good one though!
http://www.123helpme.com/urban-legend-of-photos-of-hikers-on-the-appalachian-trail-view.asp?id=154899
Didn't happen to be a bald guy named "That Guy" in 2011 did it? That dude was weird. I remember he camped just short of a shelter one night on his own, and there was a huge storm. He showed up in the middle of the night with only his books (left everything else back at his camp site a couple miles back) and had them all laid out to dry. This guy was making about 4 miles a day as well.
I have heard a story of a guy who hiked his next section of trail 3 times each day because he would bring half his stuff to his next camping spot then go back for the rest. Maybe the same dude?
Still living it.
Plans for this year: Borneo trip (again), and Kunming China (if I can talk my son into going along), but yeah, hopefully many more strange encounters comign up.
Life is priorities. What are yours?
Not being pretentious is a big one for me
As fiddlehead was mentioning China:
One of my brothers-in-law had been to China on his own, many years ago, when getting a Visa was still difficult.
He intended to do some studies in Accupuncture (which he did), then took a week off to visit various sights, the Big Wall amongst them.
He told the story that while he was hiking along the top of the wall happily, he suddenly faced a group of Chinese. Which were puzzeled by his "long nose" appearence, hid their faces and started giggling helplessly with shaking shoulders and no help, no end to it.
He had to push through the laughing, roaring group and head on. The same happened at the next corner, and the next, the whole time he kept hiking.
After so many hours of being laughed at by everybody, he broke down and crept into a corner, weeping.
Obviously HE was the strangest encounter all of THEM ever had.
Late October 2018...headed south, just crossed Allen Gap about a 2 miles back. Run into a guy wearing Great Wolf Lodge wolf ears headed north. Said he slept in a brush pile the night before and kept a fire going all night. Was wearing Carhartt-like clothing with a tiny daypack. He didn't know where he was...told him Allen Gap was 2 miles away. He said he was gonna hitch a ride into Hot Springs. Hope he made it.
Traffic Jam
10-29-2019, 18:32
I was in the Smokies, hiking on the AT from Newfound Gap to Clingman’s Dome then planned to hitch back to my car.
Sitting on a downed tree and finishing lunch, a hiker walked by and stopped to talk. He was wearing flip flops, had mud splashed up to his knees, was using a student book bag as a backpack with a sleep pad hanging from the outside, and wore a cotton tee shirt and cargo shorts. My radar was screaming, ALERT WILL ROBINSON!
He stopped to talk to me but his thought process was not intact and I reached into my pocket for my pepper spray. He asked me if I had extra food. I told him that I just ate lunch and didn’t have anything left. He said, how are you going to get to clingmans dome without any food? (It was only a few miles away). I found an old, forgotten granola bar in my pack and held it out for him.
As he walked up to me, my life flashed before my eyes. I truly believed that I had made a grave error and it was the end. I envisioned him grabbing my outstretched hand and dragging me into the woods.
He did not but I decided then and there that I will NEVER again allow someone to approach me if I’m not feeling it. I should have thrown the granola bar to him. I will NEVER again defer to my southern politeness, even if means offending someone.
It turns out, that hiker was Paul Paur.
https://www.outsideonline.com/1924206/why-did-man-enter-appalachian-trail-and-never-leave
Mother Natures Son
10-30-2019, 10:53
There was a state park that over looked Area 51 years ago. (Now closed.) The hikers in the area had many wild stories to tell. Anyone hiked that area before it was closed?
Last month on the PCT, Section K, we had heard there was a bear hunter on the trail. One evening we saw him walk by, with a high powered rifle in his hands. I called out "did you get a bear?", and he said "it's right behind me". Looking more closely, the bear head was mounted on his backpack, facing exactly at his own head.
On the rocky Pennsylvania AT in 1974 I met a bicycle touring rider, mostly carrying his loaded bike over the rocks. He had ridden all the way from Michigan. I asked what he was doing on the AT and he said that on the road map it was shown as a huge thick line, so according to that scale he figured it was good enough to ride his bike on (he showed me the map, and yes the AT line was as thick as lines for Interstate highways)... I saw him schlepping his loaded bike, and camping on the trail for over a week as I hiked NOBO.
English Stu
11-25-2019, 11:22
AT Story,
I will omit the trail names to protect the innocent.
I first did ten weeks in one section; approx. 720 miles
south to Mt Springer; I have been back a couple of times since to hike
sections.
I think this was in Tennessee in my first section. I hiked
with a guy for seven weeks and of that we hiked off and on with a couple of
females who I shall call Chris and Sue. In a trail town we met another guy who
we kept bumping into. He told us to be careful on the next section as there was
large black guy on the trail who could be difficult and had an axe.
Off we went and were heading towards a shelter; we were
spread out with Sue (not her real name or trail name) about a hundred yards in
front of me; the other two were way behind.
There was turn off the trail to the shelter and I saw Sue
disappear down it and I followed - to see her stopped a short distance towards
the shelter- she motioned toward it to see a large black guy (Matey not his
name or trail name) sat on a bear box. Off we went to the shelter I was a bit of
a fire bug and as it was late October often lit a camp fire. I proceeded to
collect wood helped by Matey who produced a saw, saying he had lost his axe!
His only food was a massive bag of Trail Mix, no stove; no waterproofs; no
shelter, just a large plastic sheet.
It had been wet and that night was my only fail to get a
fire going so we settled in early- the five of us to be side by side in the shelter. I
was notorious for messing about late and then saw the only space left was next
to Matey. As ever the snorers get to sleep first, as did Matey who snored like
a buffalo. Conscious of the notoriety and the axe story I was little
nervous and as we had been in his presence all the time we could not discuss
the issue. Therefore I decided to write a note and pass it along the shelter
asking if the others thought Matey was the mad axeman. I was then surprised to
get a separate note asking the same question passing from the other way. We
decided he was not the Axeman but clearly we were not sure.
His snoring was unbelievable and I vacated and slept under
the shelter were it was marginally quieter.
It turned out he was just out of the military and seeking a
bit of thinking time. We shared food with him in the morning.
During my thru, hiking SOBO I stopped at Wilcox shelter North for a break. Two NOBO section hikers stopped by and we began to talk. They informed me that If I was planning to stop at Wilcox South shelter don't because there was a couple there that had the shelter reserved and I would not be able to stay. They had planed to stay there but had to move on. That was going to be my destination for the night. When I approached the shelter there was a couple occupying the whole shelter except for a small area on one side. They had a large air mattress, a large portable radio, a couple of quilts and pillows. They had a large fire going in the fire ring in front of the shelter and the guy was cutting more fire wood.
I entered the shelter and greeted them. They did not answer. I started to unpack and cook some dinner, wondering if it would be a good idea to stay or move on. The woman approached me and asked me if I was going to stay and that they had a permit for the shelter. I thought that that was unusual and asked if I could see the permit. They did not show me one. They started to pack up and leave informing me that they decided to go. I told them that I was sorry that they were leaving but they left anyway.
Turk6177
11-25-2019, 12:24
On my last hike, I saw a guy walking almost dressed like a wizard with a staff. He was collecting acorns in a mason jar. After conversing with him for a couple minutes, he was definitely out there.
English Stu
11-27-2019, 08:31
What happened to Paul Paur. I did read the above-mentioned link
bad biscuit
11-27-2019, 14:41
Had a few really weird things show up while in the Sipsey Wilderness, AL. Once we were hiking, in the spring time, WAY off trail and happened upon a "Christmas Tree" ornaments and all. I'm taking about in the middle of NOWHERE. TSent from somewhere in the woods.
Was this near Wolfpen Falls? I've seen it a few times until someone removed all the red Christmas ornaments.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200540903798565&set=vb.1637464041&type=3&theater
This wasn't an actual encounter, more like some folks living next to the trail who made a point of making their presence known. I hope they were aiming away from the trail.
Why were you worried about this?
gpburdelljr
11-28-2019, 10:43
Why were you worried about this?
Because he didn’t know which direction they were shooting.
The shooter was very likely acting within his/her rights. The shooter probably knew which direction they were shooting. Absurd to be concerned about this. I was asking the poster for clarification but I see this instead.
gpburdelljr
11-28-2019, 19:57
The shooter ways very likely acting within his/her rights. The shooter probably knew which direction they were shooting. Absurd to be concerned about this. I was asking the poster for clarification but I see this instead.
Nobody said they were, or weren’t, within their rights. They may have been responsible shooters, or they may not have been responsible shooters. I’ve been around hunters, and other shooters, that were careless about where they fired. People get accidentally shot every year by careless hunters, and other shooters. If I’m in the woods, and hear lots of gunfire, and I don’t see, or know whether the shooter is responsible or not, then I’m going to be concerned. The OP stated that he hoped the shooter(s) weren’t shooting towards the trail, so I have assumed he could not see them, or they him.
Traveler
11-29-2019, 08:25
The shooter was very likely acting within his/her rights. The shooter probably knew which direction they were shooting. Absurd to be concerned about this. I was asking the poster for clarification but I see this instead.
The converse of this opinion could be easily written as, "The shooter was very likely in the AT Right Of Way (easements in some areas) and subject to weapons discharge laws of the overseeing federal or State authority. The shooter probably didn't know there was a trail 50 to 100 yards distant in the line of fire. It's not at all absurd to assume there is no danger from a shooter firing many rounds in a short time that cannot be seen."
This is a fairly uncommon occurrence and having had this happen a few times I developed a plan of sorts. While it certainly is a right to fire weapons under legal hunting or private property law, when there is a question of safety when trajectory direction cannot be determined, get loud. Make noise by yelling "on the trail here" or some other hail and pick up the pace if you can to put some distance between you and the shooter. You may hear a reply, though my experience suggests you won't, but gunfire typically stops. The only inference I can draw from that is the shooter stopped following my yell because they; a) opted to stop firing until known trail foot traffic passed by; b) became unsure of where they were and where the trail was, presuming they knew there was a trail in the first place. If you can hear projectiles snapping through brush near you, quickly get under cover of a tree or rock THEN get loud, you may very well be the target regardless of how rare that circumstance is.
As an added measure, around the middle of September I start to wear orange and keep it on through mid January to be as visible as possible to legal hunters and poachers who may be hunting out of season.
madfarmer
11-29-2019, 20:27
So many from which to choose (from my 2011 thru hike alone)!
Stumbled upon the Vermont Freehikers or something like that. Of course, before making conversation, we just saw 9 naked old men. No shoes, socks, or gear. They were skinny dipping, and so were we, in one of the many ponds on that part of the trail. Only once we came to shore did we realize they had nothing to put on. One of the 9 went over to a bush and retrieved a small dayback (bookbag style). It was full of only 1 thing: oranges. They gave us an orange, which was quite a treat for some pop-tart overloaded SOBOs. They took turns carrying only this one small pack. Most were retired doctors, lawyers, and such. They meet up every so often for a nude hike, and found each other online if my memory serves (who knows).
Then there was the whole stalking by a naked man in Virginia right around the area where Scott Lilly was murdered. Followed me for 16 miles, again no shoes or water or gear. Popped up again 100 miles down the trail. Called police who referred me to the FBI. They flew black helicopters over the area and tried to find his vehicle as he could have been a suspect, but they never found him. He must've bushwhacked down the mtn to his car after I called the police.
So many from which to choose (from my 2011 thru hike alone)!
Stumbled upon the Vermont Freehikers or something like that. Of course, before making conversation, we just saw 9 naked old men. No shoes, socks, or gear. They were skinny dipping, and so were we, in one of the many ponds on that part of the trail. Only once we came to shore did we realize they had nothing to put on. One of the 9 went over to a bush and retrieved a small dayback (bookbag style). It was full of only 1 thing: oranges. They gave us an orange, which was quite a treat for some pop-tart overloaded SOBOs. They took turns carrying only this one small pack. Most were retired doctors, lawyers, and such. They meet up every so often for a nude hike, and found each other online if my memory serves (who knows).
Then there was the whole stalking by a naked man in Virginia right around the area where Scott Lilly was murdered. Followed me for 16 miles, again no shoes or water or gear. Popped up again 100 miles down the trail. Called police who referred me to the FBI. They flew black helicopters over the area and tried to find his vehicle as he could have been a suspect, but they never found him. He must've bushwhacked down the mtn to his car after I called the police.
Bushwacked naked? :-?
Ouch!! Watch that thorn bush!! :banana
madfarmer
12-06-2019, 00:13
Ouch!! Watch that thorn bush!! :banana
Yeah, one of the (many) strange parts of our encounter was him drawing attention to a certain anatomical area. He pointed to a scratch near his pelvis and joked, "occupational hazard." We (my hiking buddy and I) didn't laugh. We just hiked faster.
Yeah, one of the (many) strange parts of our encounter was him drawing attention to a certain anatomical area. He pointed to a scratch near his pelvis and joked, "occupational hazard." We (my hiking buddy and I) didn't laugh. We just hiked faster.
As I recall very little information was shared with the public in the immediate aftermath of Scott Lilly’s murder. They would not even confirm the death was a murder (as opposed to a suicide) for a long time, despite reportedly finding him in a shallow grave. Even today, not much is known by the public.
I believe hikers like you were advised to take just normal precautions in the area, which struck me as a bit odd at the time.
Questions:
Did the FBI meet with you to review details of your interaction and carefully go over the the man’s description, or was this a situation where they interviewed you over the phone? Did they reinterview you after you saw him again 100 miles down the Trail? Or get out any BOL type advisories advisories to the hiking community?
madfarmer
12-06-2019, 09:32
As I recall very little information was shared with the public in the immediate aftermath of Scott Lilly’s murder. They would not even confirm the death was a murder (as opposed to a suicide) for a long time, despite reportedly finding him in a shallow grave. Even today, not much is known by the public.
I believe hikers like you were advised to take just normal precautions in the area, which struck me as a bit odd at the time.
Questions:
Did the FBI meet with you to review details of your interaction and carefully go over the the man’s description, or was this a situation where they interviewed you over the phone? Did they reinterview you after you saw him again 100 miles down the Trail? Or get out any BOL type advisories advisories to the hiking community?
We had a hard time finding information, as you say, but hikers were gossiping at the shelters each night. My partner and I stealth camped for two weeks south of the Priest just to avoid the strange talk at shelters. I initially spoke with local police who asked minimal questions. Then, when I encountered him a second time a considerable distance later, I called police again and was directed to the Blue Ridge Parkway authorities. It was the FBI agent who contacted me. At that point, "suspicious death" was all we'd heard on trail. The FBI basically confirmed it was a murder investigation (implied, not directly) through our talks. We only spoke on the phone, but he called several times for a week. We discussed vehicle descriptions at road crossings, physical traits of the man, snippets of our conversation, etc... Very unsettling. I was happy to finally leave Virginia and enjoy my last month on the trail.
I can understand why you were unsettled.
Were you aware that the FBI and ATC made a special effort to calm people’s concerns?
It took a week after Scott Lilly’s partially buried body was found for the FBI to publicly categorize his death as “suspicious” — and months longer before anyone would acknowledge his death to be homicide. Just a week after Lilly’s body was found the FBI felt confident enough about the circumstances to tell the public that investigators had no information “that would lead (them) to believe other hikers would be targeted.”
The ATC reinforced this perspective: “People should trust their instincts,” Conservancy spokesman Brian King said. “That is the core of the advice. Right now, we don’t have any reason to believe there is a threat out there.
Easy for people to say when you are not on the trail, or being stalked by a man with no clothes, I suppose.
Out of curiosity, did the FBI agent take any special interest on the naked man’s shoes or lack of them? Lilly’s Ozark Trail hiking boots were reported to have been taken — which is something a naked man without shoes might want to do if they were intent on leaving a crime scene quickly.
madfarmer
12-06-2019, 11:36
I can understand why you were unsettled.
Were you aware that the FBI and ATC made a special effort to calm people’s concerns?
It took a week after Scott Lilly’s partially buried body was found for the FBI to publicly categorize his death as “suspicious” — and months longer before anyone would acknowledge his death to be homicide. Just a week after Lilly’s body was found the FBI felt confident enough about the circumstances to tell the public that investigators had no information “that would lead (them) to believe other hikers would be targeted.”
The ATC reinforced this perspective: “People should trust their instincts,” Conservancy spokesman Brian King said. “That is the core of the advice. Right now, we don’t have any reason to believe there is a threat out there.
Easy for people to say when you are not on the trail, or being stalked by a man with no clothes, I suppose.
Out of curiosity, did the FBI agent take any special interest on the naked man’s shoes or lack of them? Lilly’s Ozark Trail hiking boots were reported to have been taken — which is something a naked man without shoes might want to do if they were intent on leaving a crime scene quickly.
We were aware of the ATCs official statement; we had heard almost verbatim what you just wrote. No other information was available. The rumors kept talking about the Priest but no specific location mentioned. We'd heard talk of "shallow grave" and "strangulation" possibly involving shoelaces or a plastic bag. It turns out the first shelter we stayed at after stealth camping for a week or two was Cow Camp Gap (we needed water). Turns out, that's where the body was found (I think). A hiker the next morning told us that when we mentioned staying there the previous night. We had noticed that the log book had suspiciously few entries compared to other shelters. There was also a 4x4 road that seemed to lead up to the shelter, making it accessible (maybe) using a non-AT approach. It was the VERY NEXT DAY that we encountered the naked man. He followed us for 8 miles, saying strange things about slaves, helicopters, cornbread, primates... random topics. He did say we were the first people to "catch him like this" (naked) but then said, "well, there was one time, but..." but trailed off without finishing the thought. We, of course, were thinking, "but WHAT!?" He mentioned wanting to have camped out the night before but having to work a night shift, so we couldn't help but wonder if he might have showed up at Cow Camp Gap (we were the only 2 people there... eerie). He asked if he could hike with us and finish the trail (again, we are now 8 miles deep from the last road, and he has no shoes or water...). He also asked to try on my backpack. We jumped in front of him at a bridge (he wouldn't let us pass for the first few miles). He then followed us, just off trail, running tree to tree, for another few miles.
We hiked 26 miles without stopping that day. Peed while hiking and forewent water fill ups. No telling when he finally turned around. Then we saw him again a few days later...
Hadn't thought about the shoe connection, but he must've had calluses. When I called the cops after the second encounter, he disappeared straight down a ridge off trail. Rangers parked at both ends of the segment of trail we were on and hiked toward one another but never found him.
I spent the night at the cow camp shelter almost 1 year to the day after this murder, not in the shelter, tent. And as you said I believe he was drug a couple hundred feet from the shelter and tucked under a log with leaves covering him a couple days later folks retrieving water found him. So the next morning I was walking around camp knowing all this drinking coffee wondering why the hell a hiker would strangle another hiker deep in thought and 2 f-18 fighter jets came down tree level full bore !! I hit the ground instinctively wow scared the craps out of me.
I've always felt the murder was done by a local.
I've always felt the murder was done by a local.
Whys that?
blue indian
12-07-2019, 10:21
We were aware of the ATCs official statement; we had heard almost verbatim what you just wrote. No other information was available. The rumors kept talking about the Priest but no specific location mentioned. We'd heard talk of "shallow grave" and "strangulation" possibly involving shoelaces or a plastic bag. It turns out the first shelter we stayed at after stealth camping for a week or two was Cow Camp Gap (we needed water). Turns out, that's where the body was found (I think). A hiker the next morning told us that when we mentioned staying there the previous night. We had noticed that the log book had suspiciously few entries compared to other shelters. There was also a 4x4 road that seemed to lead up to the shelter, making it accessible (maybe) using a non-AT approach. It was the VERY NEXT DAY that we encountered the naked man. He followed us for 8 miles, saying strange things about slaves, helicopters, cornbread, primates... random topics. He did say we were the first people to "catch him like this" (naked) but then said, "well, there was one time, but..." but trailed off without finishing the thought. We, of course, were thinking, "but WHAT!?" He mentioned wanting to have camped out the night before but having to work a night shift, so we couldn't help but wonder if he might have showed up at Cow Camp Gap (we were the only 2 people there... eerie). He asked if he could hike with us and finish the trail (again, we are now 8 miles deep from the last road, and he has no shoes or water...). He also asked to try on my backpack. We jumped in front of him at a bridge (he wouldn't let us pass for the first few miles). He then followed us, just off trail, running tree to tree, for another few miles.
We hiked 26 miles without stopping that day. Peed while hiking and forewent water fill ups. No telling when he finally turned around. Then we saw him again a few days later...
Hadn't thought about the shoe connection, but he must've had calluses. When I called the cops after the second encounter, he disappeared straight down a ridge off trail. Rangers parked at both ends of the segment of trail we were on and hiked toward one another but never found him.
This is just wild. Cant imagine
When you say he was following you, off trail, running from tree to tree, do you mean trying not to be seen by you? Or was he just being weird right off the trail while maintaining contact with you?
madfarmer
12-07-2019, 23:14
This is just wild. Cant imagine
When you say he was following you, off trail, running from tree to tree, do you mean trying not to be seen by you? Or was he just being weird right off the trail while maintaining contact with you?
I mean, he was trailing us about 50 feet back, peering around trees as if being stealthy. No more verbal contact was made after we jumped in front of him. The odd thing was, we clearly saw him staring at us from behind various trees. I'm sure he knew that we could see him, but he just kept trailing us and peering around trunks all wide-eyed.
Weirdest (to me) was on the AT I met an American born Hari Krishna monk who had been deported from India and didn't have anywhere else to go. But I'd say weirder still was on the Pinhote trail I ran into this guy, mid 30's, a bit rough round the edges, with a framed backpack that looked to be from the 70's. He said his wife had left him and he was trying to find himself on the trail, said he planned to walk the Pinhote to the AT and on up to Katahdin. I paused for a second, I asked him, "Do you realize you're going South?". Long story short, he took the wrong trail head and had walked for 3 days in the wrong direction. He was also out of food. I was close to the end of my hike so I took him to a grocery and dropped him off back where he started in the wrong direction. Somehow I don't envision he got very far.
double d
12-27-2019, 14:01
I met a women many years ago who told me near a trail head that she was once Jim Morrison's lover and that he was still alive and she was looking for him! I told her I loved the Doors and Jim as well and can relate to her experience and then got the hell out of there as fast as I could!!!
I met a women many years ago who told me near a trail head that she was once Jim Morrison's lover and that he was still alive and she was looking for him! I told her I loved the Doors and Jim as well and can relate to her experience and then got the hell out of there as fast as I could!!!
Ah the LSD days.
chknfngrs
12-27-2019, 21:02
This sounds like “Meandering Snail” to me... dude we met in Maryland in 2017, definitely the oddest duck ive met
Weirdest (to me) was on the AT I met an American born Hari Krishna monk who had been deported from India and didn't have anywhere else to go. But I'd say weirder still was on the Pinhote trail I ran into this guy, mid 30's, a bit rough round the edges, with a framed backpack that looked to be from the 70's. He said his wife had left him and he was trying to find himself on the trail, said he planned to walk the Pinhote to the AT and on up to Katahdin. I paused for a second, I asked him, "Do you realize you're going South?". Long story short, he took the wrong trail head and had walked for 3 days in the wrong direction. He was also out of food. I was close to the end of my hike so I took him to a grocery and dropped him off back where he started in the wrong direction. Somehow I don't envision he got very far.
double d
01-01-2020, 15:59
Ah the LSD days. Haaaaaaa, very correct JN164, very correct!!! Very surreal encounter I had, as I still remember it like it was yesterday (it was the summer of 1992).
turtle fast
01-29-2020, 04:39
I see Dad on 12-6-13 had posted running into a guy that had 2 barbell weights and was talking about “research on illness”.... in 2008 on the AT thru I think I ran into the same guy. He was hiking with no pack and was carrying two plastic (normally concrete filled) dumbbells and was talking about doing a lot of research and knew that the end of the world was going to happen in July of that year. We said “thank you for that vital information!” And made distance between ourselves and him.
blue indian
01-29-2020, 09:01
Not the strangest encounter Ive had, but noteworthy because I was on the AT yesterday.
I was on Justice Mnt (I think) in Georgia with my dog. We were on a rock ledge where on a clear day you can see Atlanta. We were relaxing and taking in the view.
The army Rangers have a big facility near by and I know they train in the mountains and very near the AT. I've even heard stories about exercises where soldiers will practice their "hiding" skills in front of hikers.
I got that feeling that I was being watched and my dog would not stop staring over the side of the mountain in one certain direction. I personally could not see anything or anyone but I trust my 6th sense and even more, my dogs. I even stood up and looked around and stared into the direction the dog was looking. Never saw or heard anything
On our way off the mountain, we did indeed pass a solider in full fatigues and fully loaded army gear/pack. But he was on trail, and the dog was staring off into the woods off the side of the mountain. I cant help but wonder if there was a solider or two practicing their camouflaging skills.....Army Ranger or Sasquatch? I will never know
I personally dont care for the idea of them purposefully hiding from hikers just trying to enjoy a peaceful day on trail.
I was in the Mountain Phase of Ranger School in 1976. We reconned Hawk Mountain shelter one night, I was somewhere out on security.
We might have observed the trail if a patrol got near it. We definitely did not want to be seen by a hiker.
turtle fast
01-29-2020, 21:43
I’ve had several encounters from encountering a lone seemingly new orange resting on the middle of the North Country Trail in a remote part of The Upper Peninsula of Michigan (funny too as I was craving citrus) and their was no person on the trail in quite some time as it was overgrown, no sign of people going through in quite some time (is no boot marks in the mud, moved tree branches, deadfall, etc). On the AT, came up on a rabid raccoon sitting smack dab on the trail during daylight not acting right and preoccupied with biting itself swinging it’s head around sitting and not even paying attention to us dirty hikers who slowly backed away and waited awhile till it left and reported it later. ...then again seeing a lot of camping equipment on the side of the trail on the approach trail up to Springer Mountain was unreal.
That orange is what we call trail magic!
The abandoned camping gear is not uncommon in GA unfortunately.
FreeGoldRush
01-31-2020, 13:38
An orange that you eat? I encountered one all alone, sitting on a boulder in the woods in New York (or NJ or some state. They blur together). After a few weeks you think nothing about eating food you find in the woods. Part of the experience.
turtle fast
01-31-2020, 17:29
Yep a new orange on the trail. Thing was it was miles in from any road. No ATV trails, intersecting paths and the like. Blowdowns from the previous week (and some older) covered the trail in a lot of places and were not disturbed or gone around (I cleared most...except when chainsaw was needed) and no footprints in the mud. Was odd...
Traveler
02-01-2020, 09:48
"Yes Alice you need to carry my orange so I can carry the stove comfortably"
"Gee, that will make me very tired and unable to participate in any non-hiking activities like skinny dipping or other fun things"
November 2013 AT section hike thru the Smokies - Fontanta Dam to Standing Bear Farm
(my last shuttle ride with Curtis R.I.P. great guy)
at Double Springs Gap shelter just south of Newfound Gap
met a duffle bag hiker dude
(one other SoBo thru hiker at the shelter that night)
said he just rode a bus from his Ohio town to Tennessee, then hitched to Gatlinburg and Newfound Gap... to escape his "relationship problems" with a GF
ranted all evening about the "b*tch" and what he was gonna do after this hike
lacked any proper gear and clothing for Nov weather in the Smokies
but did carry a variety of pharmaceuticals and liquor to relieve his problems
and the biggest Bowie knife I've seen in years
me and the SoBo hiker tried to talk him down, the dude was jumpy and needed help
he seemed to fancy himself as Rambo-Jr.
regaled us all evening with his tale of woe, life stories, romantic conquests (too many to count)
and how he had to escape the numerous females in his town that were chasing him
awoke us in middle of night shouting about seeing a Bigfoot creature living in the Smokies, that only he had seen, was trying to steal his pack that night'
next morning claimed some large footprints in the mud were Bigfoots
anyone else seen Bigfoot in the Smokies?
hey RangerZ !
small world
I was also at Mnt Phase of Ranger School in 1976, our class was there during peak fall colors late Oct til early Nov of that year. Still remember a jump from CH-47 chopper during that phase into a cow pasture, but the view of mtn fall colors.. flying in was awesome.
fwiw: the mountain phase was by far my favorite part of Ranger school that year. First time in north GA mountains. I remember doing patrols near Hawk Mtn and Gooch Mtn shelters that year. Never saw any AT hikers.
The Florida phase was miserable. The class right after mine had 3 hypothermia fatalities in Jan-77 in those dam Yellow River swamps, one guy died who had been in my Engineer EOBC class that summer at Ft Belvoir, VA.
I was in the Mountain Phase of Ranger School in 1976. We reconned Hawk Mountain shelter one night, I was somewhere out on security.
We might have observed the trail if a patrol got near it. We definitely did not want to be seen by a hiker.
44terryberry
02-22-2020, 14:06
coming up to Pulpit Rock,Berks County,a completely nude man standing close by advertising himself
coming up to Pulpit Rock,Berks County,a completely nude man standing close by advertising himself
Maybe it was hike naked and you didn't know it. And that would make you the strangest encounter on the trail.