Ghost Stories - Folklore welcomed

[Sarcasm the elf]

There used to be a member who had a signature line that said something along the lines of "Myth is the smoke of history, ignore the smoke, fan the flames and there you will find the embers of truth." Here I am asking for just that "stories" I love them and want to read them true of false. If you don't believe in ghosts, please pass by, we don't care that you're skeptical (okay fine, we do care, but not for this thread)

Anyway, it's close to Halloween and I love a good ghost story, so here's the request: I don't care if it's established or unknown, real of fake, perceived or imaginary, if you have a good Appalachian Trail ghost story please share it. These mountains have a lot of history rumor and legend oesn't matter if it's personal experience, folklore, or whatever. Tell it, tell it well (preferably in detail) and you will have my thanks.

[Hangfire]

Nothing too spooky happened to me out on the trail, but I will say my first night in the 100 mile wilderness was a little creepy. My afternoon start had me trying to get to the Wilson Valley lean-to by dark which proved to be difficult for me arriving at the Big Wilson stream crossing right as the light really began to fade. Now maybe it's because I've spent my whole life in socal but it really never struck me how quickly the light goes away once the sun sets until that first night in the wilderness. After fording the river and having to take time to get my boots and socks on I realize that I would have to continue on into the dark which believe it or not after nearly 6 months on the trail I would have to dawn the headlamp while hiking for the first time. Of course as I get moving into the dark I realize that my headlamp batteries are practically dead (wouldn't you think I'd have checked that before stepping in...) but I only have a half mile to the shelter so this shouldn't be to difficult. Well now I start doubting myself as I'm sure that I have already walked the half mile and I haven't heard a peep or seen any sign of a side trail and my headlamp is putting out about as much light as a lighter and all I can think is that I missed the shelter. I finally did find the shelter which was occupied by just a couple of section hikers who were extra quiet but the whole self doubting thing had me a little rattled. I set up camp, gathered water and had dinner and tried my best to enjoy my first evening in the wilderness but I just started thinking of creepy Blair Witch kind of stuff which usually has no effect on me but this night I couldn't get buried in my sleeping bag quick enough, eyes shut tight with my flaps covering my face...I was scared. I know this really isn't a ghost story or anything like that but I am still amazed that after all that time on the trail I let my nerves get the best of me, and not like I was worried about a bear or some wild animal getting me but more like a witch creeping up to my tent and tapping on the walls. I survived the night with no signs of witches or goblins or any super natural activity going on outside my tent, go figure.

As for a real ghost story...this was back in the late 80's I was driving to Mammoth Lakes(PCT trail town) from San Diego with my sister and her husband and my nephew. It's after midnight and we're driving up the 395 which runs south north along the desert floor with the Sierra Nevada Mountains rising to the west, basically paralleling the PCT passing trail towns along the way. Now there are some long stretches of absolute darkness as you roll through the desert and being that this was almost 30 years ago and a ghost story you have to trust me it was the dark stretch of highway that you only see in horror movies. My brother in law is at the wheel driving a healthy (or unhealthy) 100 mph as there are no cars, dwellings, or lights as far as you can see in any direction. Out of nowhere we pass a figure on the side of the road which can best be described as a ghostly woman wearing an antique style dress like you would see a woman wearing in a western saloon, but there was no color, just shades of ghostly gray. Neither one of us said anything right away until my brother in law looked over at me and asked if I just saw that...and I replied, yes I did. Now again we were flying down the road so it's hard to say exactly what we saw but we both agreed that it was a woman in a raggy dress and she had one arm raised into the air. There was no doubt in our minds that if there ever was a ghost that we had just seen one, and there was not a chance in the world that we were going to turn around and go check. My sister and nephew were both asleep in the back seat so they missed it, but to this day my brother in law who swears he doesn't believe in ghosts has no explanation for what he saw that night.
So any of you who are planning on the PCT, beware of late night hitches down into the valley floor towards Ridgecrest as I'm sure that woman is still wandering around somewhere out there!

[HooKooDooKu]

Hope a GSMNP ghost story is close enough.


Over a long Veteran's Day weekend, I took my 7yo for a two night hike along Hannah Mountain Trail. We drove thru the night and arrived at the entrance to Cades Cove early enough to be 1st in line to enter the Cove that day. We ate pop-tarts in the car for breakfast while we waited for the park ranger to come unlock the gates at day break. Once in the Cove, we headed for the Visitor's Center for a last pit-stop where we were greeted by a herd of deer. From the Visitor's Center, we drove down Forge Creek Road where we saw a pair of bears still trying to fatten up for the winter. We parked at the trail head for Gregory Bald trail and hiked Parson's Branch Road to get to the Hannah Mountain Trail Head. Only a single car passed us as we walked the 3 miles along Parson's Branch Road, and we soon found ourselves on Hannah Mountain Trail.

Weather was cool and crisp, the trail was gorgeous with a thick layer of autumn leaves on the ground. Before noon, we reached our campsite for the 1st night, Flint Gap (BC#14). But the campsite is rather small and sits right by the trail. I knew from the online website for permits that no one else had reservations for any of the campsites in the area. So after eating some lunch, we decided to move on and spend the night at Scott Gap (BC#16). Along the way, we passed a day hiker heading back towards the trail head; presumably the person from the car that passed us on Parson's Branch. It would be the only person we would see while in the back country on this trip.

Arrived at Scott Gap with plenty of time to setup camp, make dinner. Even had enough time to gather some fire wood and build a nice fire to drive away the chill that set in as the sun went down. Soon we retired to our tent where a long need sleep awaited us.

Some time in the middle of the night, about 3am I estimated, I woke up and heard a strange noise I had never heard in the GSMNP. The sound was distant, but obviously loud at the source, and my mind was racing as I tried to discern the source. It wasn't dog-like, so it couldn't be a coyote. It wasn't hoot-like, so it couldn't be an owl. As I tried to place the sound, only one thing came to mind... Scooby Doo... the ghost sounds from Scooby Doo. For those that have seen the original Scooby Doo cartoons, simply listen in your minds ear that fake ghost 'woooOOOooo' sound, complete with that pitch that rises and falls as the sound is made. That was exactly the sound I was hearing miles deep in the back country. At this, I was clueless and my heart started beating a little faster. Halloween was over more than a week ago, and we were too far away from civilization for this noise to be coming from a 'Haunted House' type attraction. My mind raced with crazy ideas, like a murderous satanic cult holding a post-Halloween ritual deep in the woods, and I was glad I wasn't staying at the camp site where the online reservation system would indicate the whereabouts of a pair of people alone in the woods. I finally decided to just try to calm down, keep reminding myself that "no body knows we're here" and go back to sleep... followed by abandoning plans to spend a 2nd night in these woods until I could learn what the heck was haunting theses woods.

When I got back home, I called my older brother up (he has spent many more nights in the GSMNP that I) to see if he had any idea what we heard on our camping trip. He immediately said "bobcat". At first, I thought that sounded like a crazy idea. This noise didn't sound anything like a cat. Even Googling 'bobcat' only turned up references to people describing bobcat cries like that of a baby crying or a woman screaming in terror.

Finally, I came across a YouTube video entitled "Urban Bobcats". The video shows two bobcats in a typical neighborhood vocalizing at each other. Listening to the cats in the video, my mind could easily add some mountain echo and I once again could hear the ghosts that haunt GSMNP.

[Odd Man Out]

Not really a ghost story, per se, but late in my Boy Scout career, I was the Senior Patrol Leader and my father was one of the adult leaders. The troop was on a camping trip and one evening everyone was gathered around the campfire telling stories. About 20 yards away through the woods we could see one of the troop's cooking fire circles. That group had not done a good job of extinguishing their cooking fire and every now and then the wind would blow up the fire for a few seconds before going out again. A number of the scouts noticed this and my father noticed that they noticed it, so he got up and said "I see you all have noticed the fire up there lighting up periodically. Well there is a scientific explanation for this". It was well known in the troop that my father was a research scientist for the USDA, so they expected this kind of campfire story from him. He started out with a technical explanation of the science of fire, but the story gradually morphed to a discussion of invisible aliens, kidnapped scouts, and late night cremations. I just rolled my eyes and thought "you've got to be kidding". But later that night, about every hour for the whole night I was awaken by a sobbing Tenderfoot at my tent door scared to death of being cremated by invisible aliens. I don't think I will ever forgive my father for that lost night's sleep.

[Pedaling Fool]

Not ghost, but according to Cherokee folklore, little people live in area of Appalachia, in places such as western N. Carolina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojUrLjYZZAU

[Wet Foot]

My brother/hiking partner (Stick) and I (AT Section Hikers, always SoBo) were staying at the Punchbowl Shelter, one night in July of 2013. I'd been dealing with cluster headaches for a couple of weeks and had not had a good night sleep during that time (Note: trust me, you have no idea how nasty those headaches can be). We had a third hiker, a really nice guy in camp with us. We spent a relaxing few hours to eating, jaw-jacking, and relaxing. Hiker midnight arrives. We're all three in sleeping bags in the shelter. Stick and the third hiker (Matt, ? trail name) are asleep a few hours later when splitting headache #99 hits me like a bot of lightening. Exhausted I wake up, sit upright and swing my legs over the edge of the shelter. I'm alternately bending over, holding my head and then stretching my neck by looking up. In my delirium (remember, 2-3 weeks on almost no sleep), I look up an little Ottie Cline Powell is walking around the edge of the pond towards me, alive and well and getting closer and closer. And since he's been dead since 1891 or so, when he died of exposure about 2 miles away on the mountain that looms over the shelter, I'm about to scream out loud. I look down at my sleeping companions, and when I look back, little Ottie is gone. Next morning, we hike up Bluff Mn and see his memorial. I know it was a function of sleep deprivation and imagination -- I had read about it just recently -- but it was scary and haunting.

[Starchild]

I met the 'Spirit of' Ottie at the Punchbowl 'haunted' shelter of the AT. Funny thing he is a angel and not a ghost haunting it as we commonly hear it, he takes care of children there usually by directing the hearts of adults who are open to the care of children as how it is best to be done, this extends to the animal kingdom as a adult bird was directed to a certain spot to help her chicks. But yes a supernatural being is there, ghost or not.

[rickb]

Hope a GSMNP ghost story is close enough.


Over a long Veteran's Day weekend, I toop awaited us.....I once again could hear the ghosts that haunt GSMNP.

Great story. If anyone ever puts together an anthology of short AT stories, that one would be a wonderful addition.

[donthaveoneyet]

Don't have a story, but there's a couple of places close to the AT in Connecticut that have long fascinated me. First, the old mental hospital at Wingdale. Wow. First time I drove by it, probably 30 years ago, my eyes were big as tennis balls. Been past it hundreds of times since, same general feeling. That place is creepy. AT crosses Rte 22 just a short distance away.

The other -- and I haven't really been able to explore this, because word is you'll be arrested if you even try -- but Dudleytown, near Cornwall. Some say it is a genuine ghost town, and there are many eerie tales of the place. Old AT used to run by here, new trail is across the river a few miles away.

Just thought I'd mention these.

[jefals]

Late at night, way out on a lonely old road, Johnny and Francie were out in a parked car, doing what young teenage boys and girls normally do when they're out in parked cars, late at night, on lonely old roads.
Finally, it got so late, they knew they'd better wrap it up and head for home. So, with great reluctance, Johnny started the car. After only about 50 feet, that old Chevy started sputtering - and that's when he realized he had been so preoccupied with the possibilities of the evening, he had forgotten all about the fact that it needed gas - and now, 1:30 in the morning, 4 miles from anything, on that dark, mid-November night, and they were out.
Johnny told Francie to lie down in the car, and keep her head down until he returned. Then he got a gallon can out of the trunk and headed off.
An hour went by. Two hours went by. Francie stayed down, shivering from the cold, shivering more from the fear.
All of a sudden a bright light shined thru the driver's window. "Hello in there!", the voice loudly shouted. "Don't look up!" "Don't look up!" But Francie could see the cop looking in the window. And she did sit up.
And there, on the hood of the car......

[Sarcasm the elf]

Late at night, way out on a lonely old road, Johnny and Francie were out in a parked car, doing what young teenage boys and girls normally do when they're out in parked cars, late at night, on lonely old roads.
Finally, it got so late, they knew they'd better wrap it up and head for home. So, with great reluctance, Johnny started the car. After only about 50 feet, that old Chevy started sputtering - and that's when he realized he had been so preoccupied with the possibilities of the evening, he had forgotten all about the fact that it needed gas - and now, 1:30 in the morning, 4 miles from anything, on that dark, mid-November night, and they were out.
Johnny told Francie to lie down in the car, and keep her head down until he returned. Then he got a gallon can out of the trunk and headed off.
An hour went by. Two hours went by. Francie stayed down, shivering from the cold, shivering more from the fear.
All of a sudden a bright light shined thru the driver's window. "Hello in there!", the voice loudly shouted. "Don't look up!" "Don't look up!" But Francie could see the cop looking in the window. And she did sit up.
And there, on the hood of the car......

...

http://img.pandawhale.com/post-16089-Cow-warms-up-on-car-hood-XTwj.jpeg

[jefals]

Aw drat! I didn't know you'd already heard it! :)

(really....., it was supposed to be Johnny's severed head! but, I DIDN'T WANNA SCARE YA!!!!!!

[Scrum]

The story of Betsy as told to me, and a group of about 10 13 year olds, by a member of the hut croo:

Years ago a mother, father and their young daughter Betsy (about 6 years old) were camping near the Mizpah Spring Hut. A storm blew in, temperatures dropped and heavy rain caused a flash flood. Betsy fell into a raging stream and was whisked away. Someone ran into the hut and called for help, perhaps one of Betsy's parents. A search ensued, and sadly, Betsy's cold, dead body was found half a mile down the mountain side in the stream bed.

Croo members carried Betsy's lifeless little corpse back to the hut, and placed it in a body bag, and put on a table in the cold cold storage area under the hut, to be brought down to Crawford Notch the next day. That night the wind howled with the last remnants of the storm, and Betsy's parents thought it sounded a bit like little Betsy's voice murmuring for their help.

In the morning the croo went down into the basement to retrieve the body bag and start the sad journey down the Crawford Path. When they walked into the room, they were surprised to see that the body bag was no longer on the table, it was on the other side of the room. When the bag was opened, they discovered that it had been clawed at and scratched - and material from the body bag was under Betsy's fingernails.

Eventually, everyone came to realize that Betsy had not drowned in the flood, but had been hypothermic and unconscious. During the night, she warmed up and became conscious enough to try and call for help while clawing at the body bag. Slowly, she suffocated and died in the early hours of the morning.

In the room where the croo sleeps there are a series of bunks. In one specific bed, said to have belonged to the croo member who zipped the body bag closed, people who now sleep there awake late at night, unable to breathe. It is as if someone is pushing the air out of their chest. Now, no croo member will sleep in that bed which is said to be haunted by the ghost of Betsy.

After hearing this story, several of the kids, including my daughter, had a hard time getting to sleep that night. Once my daughter dosed off, I went back to the hut's library area to get my water battle. As I returned to my bed, I passed by the door to the croo's room and saw that someone was sleeping on the floor below an empty bunk.

The story can be found in an edition of Appalachia from the early 70s - a copy is in the Mizpah hut's library.

[Another Kevin]

AT ghost stories ... let's see, which ghosts are supposed to haunt the A-T?

Doc Benton! He haunts Moosilauke. http://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2012/07/dartmouths-demon-doctor.html - the broken link to the 'student newspaper' in the article should be http://thedartmouth.com/2008/05/09/the-man-the-myth-the-legend-the-lodj/ . A lesser-known ghost, Daniel Welch, is said to haunt the Great Gorge south of South Peak, and is occasionally seen on the carriage road between the Hurricane Trail and the Snapper Trail. http://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2007/10/30/the-strange-haunting-of-mt-moosilaukee/

Farther south, there's Claudius Smith.

Claudius Smith is most often reported at his Den on the Tuxedo-Mount Ivy trail in Harriman. (I don't know, I've slept in the Den and never met him.) The story of his life is eerie enough - the infamous Cowboy of the Ramapo, a notorious Tory and horse thief. Horse Stable Mountain was one of his hideouts, the eponymous Den in Harriman was another.

He's been spotted riding in the park on foggy nights, using the ancient roads - such as Johnsontown Road and what's now the 1777 Trail, so look for him near Elk Pen, near Island Pond, in Beechy Bottom, and between West Mountain and Bear Mountain. He wears a blue broadcloath overcoat with silver buttons. An important detail if you're telling the story - these things are improv theatre after all - is that if he's not barefoot, it's an impostor. Smith goes barefoot: contemporary accounts tell that Claudius Smith kicked off his boots before he was hanged, because "My mother said that I would die like a Troopers horse, with my shoes on. I want to make her out the liar that she is."

There's also a tale of a carving knife that incites its owner to murderous deeds. Smith had been buried in a shallow, unmarked grave just outside the Presbyterian churchyard in Goshen. A resident who walked with a crutch discovered the grave by accident by having the crutch penetrate it - and the lame man died from the fall. The bones were taken up and stored in the cellar of a shop nearby. A blacksmith in Goshen had an order for a carving knife. Lacking a suitable piece of antler for a handle, he stole a thighbone and fashioned a handle out of it. Poetic justice for the murderer? But Smith had his revenge: the wife of the good burgher who purchased the knife found herself one night standing in horror with the knife in her hand over the bloody corpse of her six-year-old daughter. She died in a madhouse south of Middletown.

His skull is bricked into the wall above the main entrance of the Orange County courthouse in Goshen. Apparently doors have been slamming there since the nineteenth century, with no wind to propel them.

There is material for a dozen good Claudius Smith ghost stories at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~frederick/docs/CSmithfact&fiction.htm

[Pedaling Fool]

I've told this before, but will tell it again for anyone that missed it.

In 2007 I was at Watauga Lake Shelter, as hiker midnight approached and everyone retreated to their sleeping bags, the night was uneventful; at least for most of us. The next morning two separate hikers (that didn't know one another) reported seeing floating orbs/balls of light dancing around in front of the shelter -- I was camping in my tent behind the shelter, so I did't see crap. The two hikers were very animated in their descriptions and basically just wondering what the hell it was -- The conversation basically started like this:

Hiker #1 - I saw some strange lights floating around in front of the shelter last night.
Hiker #2 - (In a very surprised voice) Yeah, hey I saw that too!! What the hell was that...!
Hiker #1 - I don't know, I've never seen anything like that before.
Hiker #2 - Me neither, for a second I thought I was dreaming, but after rubbing my eyes it was still there.


And they went on for a little more.... What it was, I guess we will never know. Someone mentioned them possibly seeing lightning bugs...They laughed that off as a possibility...

[moose717]

...

http://img.pandawhale.com/post-16089-Cow-warms-up-on-car-hood-XTwj.jpeg

Not fair! I just burst out loud laughing ... I'm not supposed to be on the internet! Good thing the boss is at lunch!!!

[Smoky Spoon]

I was hiking by myself in the Pecos wilderness looking for Katherine Lake to camp for a few nights. The elevation was surprisingly straight up as my map did not indicate that and they usually do and the heat was more wicked that day than usual. I still had 2 liters of water left but realized the distance on the map I had was off by several miles. (I was correct, later I bought a two more maps and both had several more miles added to the course I was on). Anyway, since the miles were off I found myself on the trail and it getting darker and my water getting less and less as I tried to get closer to my destination. Now I am a pretty level headed person and have hiked many times low on water and in the dark but for whatever reason I had some feelings of being unsettled that night and I could not shake the feelings of eerieness as I kept plodding on hoping to get to the lake soon. I knew if I got close I would be able to see it even at night as the moonlight here is very bright and then I could tent down for the night and hike early the next morning to it and retrieve more water.
But until then I had to keep hiking, and just when I was close enough to see the lake I also could hear music. The relief that flooded through me upon hearing signs of civilization was astounding and I felt myself hike a little faster to get to the music and people. Just as I rounded the corner to approach the campsite I heard the music turn down a little and a guy say to others that they needed to find some women (not the word he used but you get the idea).
It was then that I got a good look at their camp to compare the image of so called civilization I had in my head to what I was really running into. There before my very tired eyes were a group of about eight to ten males, very drunk, all shirtless and partying like the dudes from the show Animal House. Two were having a beer can crushing contest on their foreheads, four more were using what looked to be a Marijuana bong and the rest were elaborating on what they would do if they found some women. Trust me when I say no woman I know would of willingly participated in what they were hoping to do. It was pretty clear this civilization was not exactly as civilized as a lone woman hiking would want to enter into by herself.
I decided my best bet was to try to find another way around to the lake or back track a little and make camp for the night hoping tomorrow would find the party hardy boys either going home or sobered up a bit. As I started to slowly back up hoping to not draw attention to my presence I overheard one of the boys tell the others they needed to walk around the lake looking for chics and as they discussed it they decided to split up, two would walk around the lake and two would hike up the path a bit to see if they could find some. Unfortunately for me up the path a bit was towards me. Never in my life had my poor tired little body get such a surge of adrenaline. It is amazing what fear can do for you energy wise. I ran as fast as I could down the very path I had so tiredly walked down minutes before. I ran as if I was in a marathon shooting game for first place at the finish line. I went back at least a mile and then decided another mile and a half would be safer.
Finally coming upon a nice meadow spot far from the drunk party boys I stopped to tent for the night. I hung up my food bag like a good hiker having seen a small bear earlier in the day, I set my tent up, barely ate any supper since I was near exhaustion at this point and pretty scared from what could of been a very nasty situation and crawled into my sleeping bag for the night.
You would of thought I would of fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, but no, instead I let my nerves get the better of me. Every little sound I was certain were the partying boys and the more sounds day I heard the more my heart beat faster. Soon I decided I was being silly, after all according to my watch I had been in the tent for at least two hours scaring my silly self to death, surely if they were coming this far down the path they would be here by now. Having realized that, I started calming down and sleep soon overtook me.
Sometime later I awoke to hear a noise outside my tent. Now I have no idea why but whenever I am by myself in the wilderness every noise outside my tent sounds huge and that night, it sounded very huge. Hoping that it was not some thing bad and confident it was not the guys from earlier because I was pretty sure they could not walk without jabbering as drunk as they were I felt my safest course of action was to unsheath my knife and ready my bear spray and just wait it quietly out. I believed that the noise was most likely a raccoon and my imagination was making the sound bigger than what it really was....I was wrong.
Just as I convinced myself the noise was nothing that could me do any damage I heard the sound move closer. I buried myself in my sleeping bag further as I saw the garage tent flap start to move. I realized something was partly under the tent so I peered my eyes closer to try and make out what I was seeing, still unable to figure it out I turned on my head lamp and shined it on the ground to see one very large cat paw. Then I heard the distinctive growl. I quickly shut my light off, pulled my knife and spray closer and shrunk my body into my bag as best as I could. Then I prayed, I prayed to God, to Jesus and to saints, I said the Hail Mary and sang in my head church songs intermixed them with some more of the Lord'said prayer and Hail Mary's....anything to keep myself from screaming. I knew that paw, I had seen them before, not that exact paw, but one like it and I knew it meant mountain lions. Now most people are scared of bears or snakes, but me, I am scared of a mountain lion. I have seen one tear a person up before. I know I may be able to defend myself against a bear, at least enough to live, but I also knew there was no way I could defend myself against a big cat.
Considering the day I had up to that point I felt beaten. I knew I did not have enough strength or energy to take on such a large animal and all I really wanted right there and then was to go home and sleep for two days in my bed safe and sound. So I laid there, quiet as a bug in a rug with my large knife and spray that probably would of not done much good, but still I stayed, very very quiet, praying.
Eventually the cat left, what seemed like hours later and the sun rose shining as bright as could be. I admit, at this point of sheer exhaustion, no sleep, spending the entire night scared and very little water I hiked back towards my car. I did not stick to the trail, I bushwhacked onto private property and filtered some fresh water from a stream. By nightfall I was home back in my bed trying to shed the feelings of fear and uneasiness I had lingering from my two close calls. I did report the cat to the rangers, they said they had another report from a group of guys, apparently the cat made an appearance at their party and I reported them partying as well. I still to this day have no idea why I had bad feelings all day, but I do know I am glad I decided to go home. Sometimes you just have to know when to call it a bust. Not exactly a ghost story but let me tell you, had you been there, you would of seen just how scared this girl was that night.

[Pedaling Fool]

This guy claims to have seen a bigfoot at the beginning of his AT thru-hike, but sounds kind of like a silly story.

BTW, there is no video, just audio, but there's a still photo of a shelter. It looks a little like Black Gap Shelter...anyone agree? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS7cuqxLY2k

[dervari]

I saw a shadow person at Sweetwater Creek State Park a few years ago. I was out geocaching on a section of trail that was not in use because of a washed out bridge. The remains of the bridge contained a clue to a puzzle geocache, so I was there looking around trying to find it.

I had the feeling that I was being watched, and when I looked up the hill there was a completely black figure, devoid of any shading or discernable features. That was one of the few times in my life that I was truly frightened.

At that point, I took off on to the trail that ran by the creek headed toward civilization. The road that the shadow figure was on was at a right angle to the creek. This was in January, so there was really no leaves or foliage. About 40 to 50 yards into the trail, I looked back through the woods and so absolutely nothing.

I'm absolutely sure that I saw something standing on the road up the hill. I took three or four good looks. If it hadn't spooked me so much, I would have taken time out to take a photo.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

[Pedaling Fool]

^^^^^Interesting story, reminds me of a fearful event that use to haunt me, but no more...

There seems to be something about our emotions, especially fear that some things seem to feed off. I use to (years ago) experience sleep paralysis. (btw, I do believe there's a paranormal and a conventional -- or medical form -- of sleep paralysis, but I'm not really sure what I experienced).

These bouts I had were of your typical scenario where I could feel a presence and I just couldn't move and it was terrifying, like I was completely vulnerable to whatever was present. However, over time I started to somewhat enjoy these experiences; I'm not exactly sure how conscious I was vs. in a dream-like state, but regardless I was very aware of the situation and knew I was entering into another sleep paralysis episode, but like I said I started focusing on what was preventing me from moving and fight it and I actually liked that feeling from it -- sort of like a jolt of liquid electricity would shoot thru me, that is the best I can describe it.

I got to the point where I would kind of look forward to these experiences and I ended up only having a couple more and then they just stopped. It's been years and still haven't had one.

You hear this a lot in the paranormal world about there possibly being entities that feed off our emotions, especially fear and while I don't believe much of what I hear from many of the paranormal types, I do think there is something to that.

[dervari]

My cousin thinks it could have been the troubled spirit of a slave who died constructing the nearby manufacturing plant or mill race,the ruins of which still are there today.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

[RADHiker]

Two years ago near Lost Mountain shelter, we were snug in our tents after a hard rain when a hiker came down the trail. I assumed s/he was looking for a pitch site because the light from a headlamp was bouncing back and forth. This went on for a while. I could hear the footsteps in the leaves - we had two tents about 100 ft off trail - and this person walked round and round. Then the footsteps came towards us and into our camp. When I heard them walk right next to my tent, I said (as threatening as my Mom voice could muster) "are you lost?!" At that, the footsteps stopped and totally went silent. Not another sound, no more light. Just disappeared. It was the strangest thing and I struggled to sleep the rest of the night wondering what had just happened. In the morning, there was no sign of another hiker nearby. Creepy.

the next year, we were hanging near Siler Bald shelter - also totally creepy - when I heard what I assumed to be a bear foraging uphill. I listened as it moved across the ridge line. It was pitch black outside and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. All of a sudden I heard what sounded like the animal was running down the hill straight for me! Just as it got near me, I clapped my hands loudly and said "NO!" and it came to a dead stop. No more sound, no more movement. It was probably a rock or something that rolled down the hill, but needless to say I didn't sleep much that night either. 8-O

[Pedaling Fool]

Damascus gets a mention here, little more than 19-minutes into the audio and it's accompanied by a story from the AT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTLsvWBaWgQ

[Pedaling Fool]

Some claim Bigfoot is more a spiritual entity than a flesh and blood animal. Les Stroud investigating in the Appalachians thru the Smokies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5TmzfRMvHw

[Pedaling Fool]

Some claim Bigfoot is more a spiritual entity than a flesh and blood animal. Les Stroud investigating in the Appalachians thru the Smokies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5TmzfRMvHw^^^Sorry, wrong video, here's the one with Les>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUW3NKL5PZw

[LIhikers]

Wasn't there a book of ghost stories either along the AT or in Appalachia in general?
For the life of me I can't remember the author.

[FooFooCuddlyPoops]

While this isn't on the at, I witnessed something odd off a blur blaze from the Appalachian trail at apple orchard mountain.

A group of freinds and I were car camping at the trail head of the blue blaze. There was one other car, but no sign of the owner. Well, right around the time it usually finally got pitch black, we all heard what sounded to be like doors opening and closing. The spot we camped was down an embankment where we couldn't see but the tops of the cars in the parking lot.

at first we thought the second owner came back so we ignored it. The dogs were nervous, but not in a way that alerted us to danger. Well, not far after the first door bang, we heard a second. This time the dogs started to stand up and growl towards the car lot. Me being the dumb blond of the murder club got up to investigate.

I walked up the incline towards the car lot and found...nothing. Not a soul. Not a single extra car. I walked back and everyone was on high alert. My Freind wanted to pack up and leave. I just shrugged it off.

The scariest thing...the dog that started to growl...was a seeing eye dog for my Freind. They are trained to come across every obstacle and he is a seasoned hiker.

[OCDave]

I first heard the story of the Monkey-wolf at my first Cub Scout camp.

We Cubs were being guided/hosted by older Boy Scouts. They were very kind about giving us the "lay of the land" about a lot of things a maturing male would need to know. We felt extremely privileged when, despite strict orders from the Camp Management, the Boy Scouts told us the secret of the Camp.:eek:

Around the dying embers of our first night's campfire, we learned in gruesome detail about the Monkey-wolf attack that occurred, ironically on that same date, 2 decades prior to our stay. Monkey-wolf, lured by the scent of snacks in a tent, emerged from the woods and...... (too gruesome for a public forum)... The morning after the attack, the light of the rising sun revealed a shredded canvas tent, one missing scout and 2 others mauled but alive. Any doubt of this story was put to rest as there were medical records available at the local hospital detailing those scouts' injuries if only we cared enough to go see them. Of course, as the camp had paid the local newspapers to suppress the story, we should also refrain from leaking our knowledge of the truth.

To be safe, it was suggested that if there were any chance that we have the scent of snacks on our breath, we should brush our teeth vigorously before retiring for the night.

It has been more than 40 years since I first heard the story of the Monkey-wolf. I just recently started to question its veracity. There are those medical records after all.

[Water Rat]

Wasn't there a book of ghost stories either along the AT or in Appalachia in general?
For the life of me I can't remember the author.

Is this the one you are thinking of - "Walkin' with the Ghost Whisperers Lore and Legends of the Appalachian Trail," by J.R. "Model T" Tate?

http://www.modelt.net/Our_Products.html

[Sarcasm the elf]

Well it's that time, almost Halloween again. Anybody have any good stories (whether true or otherwise) to share?

[MuddyWaters]

True story
When we was chilluns, my pappy and uncle told us stories about a hermit who lived in the woods. This hermit was always out to get us younguns in the stories, but he was a real character from their childhood suspected of killing a boyscout.

Seems this old hermit, lived in da woods near their scout camp in rural mississippi. No one actually knowed him, he kept to hisself. But people would see him, at different places an time, watching them. Then hed just dissapear. Hed appear in the edge of woods near scout camp sometimes just lookin. The local folk called him a name which I dont remembers no more. He had a reputation as violent mean fellow so no one ever tried to visit him or learn anythin bout him.

Well , seems one time bout 5 years before my pappy and uncle was scoutin age, a boyscout dissapeared from da camp area durin a campout. The scout got up to pee in the night apparently, exited tent, and never came back in. In the mornin he was missin.


They never found a trace of him. The woods was searched high and low, even by hounds. Nothing was found. Since scouts had been running around playing games, and hiking in woods , his scent was everywhere and hounds couldnt foller it for long.

The law went to investigate at the hermits shack, a ways away, but the hermit was gone too. Funny thing, was inside his shack looked like it hadnt been lived in.....in years. People supposed hed done killed the child and then run off, but couldnt explain why. Or why the old shack looked like it was abandoned for long time.

5 years later my pappy and uncle was scoutin, and camped at the scout camp with da troop. Since they was brothers they shared a pup tent. Theyd camped there half dozen or more times, never had anything unusual like happen. In the evenin this one day they thought they saw someone lookin at em from the trees. They told the scoutmaster, who took a couple men and went investigaten. They didnt find no sign of no one. After normal dinner and campfire , they went to bed. They zipped up their tent, as always.

They was awakened in night sometime by a loud scream. They both heard it . It woke them both up at same time. And they found their tent flap.....unzipped. It was wide open. They went to the scoutmasters tent and woke him up. Nobody else in the camp had heard a thing.

To the day they both died, they swore to me somethin happened in their tent that night they couldnt explain. Neither was superstitious or believed in ghosts.

[blue indian]

So this literally just happened to me (blue indian) and my girlfriend (momma bear) on a section hike in southern Virginia....

It was day 2 of a week long hike. Momma bear and I had hiked 12 miles that day and were looking for a good place to camp. We had a rough afternoon (especially momma bear who isnt use to long distance backpacking) with 2 long climbs. We wanted to call it a day and Awols guide said there was camping and water at the next gap. After a long, slow decent into the gap with a major road crossing we decided we didnt like the vibe of the area and would push on to the next shelter (old orchard shelter) which was about 2.5 miles away.

We took a quick break before heading up the next hill and to the shelter. We were moving slow and had been for the past 2 hours due to some sore legs and knees. We calculated that it should take us 1.5 hours to get to old orchard. We passed a small family coming NOBO and I asked about the shelter and the climb ahead. The older gentleman said we has a good climb ahead of us which he said it took him over an hour to come down. I reassured momma bear that we would get there soon and tried to keep her morale up. So we kept walkin.

About 20 minutes later I look up and notice a trail intersection. It should have taken us over an hour to get to this point but some how we were there. I took out my guide to double check mileages and location. It made no sense. Its like time got compressed and we were at one place one moment and in another place the next. I was pretty confused but didnt say much about it.

We made it to camp a few minutes later. Once set up, we started talking about the seemingly compressed hour and a half and we both got creeped out. I got chill bumps.. .It made no sense. One minute we were in the gap, the next we were standing in front of the shelter. Its like we went through a worm hole or something. There were a few other strange things that happened to us on this trip but this one was the weirdest.

[rmitchell]

Two years ago I worked on Rocky Top Trail Crew in GSMNP. Our area to work was from Inadu Knob to Mt. Black installing steps, water bars and crushing rock for turnpikes. The basecamp that we worked out that week was within the crash zone of the F4 that went down on the 80's. The crash was so violent that debris are scatter over 20 acres. One of the larger pieces near our latrine trench was nicknamed R2D2. But there were lots of small shards of metal and pieces of electrical wires all around. Even one piece embedded in a tree.
Our hike up Snake Den trail was fast paced and I was the last one into camp. So I got last pick of sites and wound up at the very top of the ridge, technically on the state line. Even up there I had to move two small pieces of metal so as not to puncture to floor of my tent.
After supper I went to my tent and immediately fell asleep. At some point during the night I was woken to a loud roa

[rmitchell]

(unintended dramatic pause)
I was woken by a loud roar and very bright light. So bright that it illuminated the fallen leaves on the tent's fly.

A few days later we recounted our story to the backcountry ranger supervisor. She said no rescue flights were on record. And commercial flights are subject to altitude restrictions.

I content that it was the ghosts of the Phantom.

[Grits]

Uncle Nick Grindstaffs Memorial 3 miles south of Cross Mtn Road. http://www.hauntmastersclub.com/places/johnson_co_tn/shady_valley/uncle_nick_grindstaffs_grave.html


Along the Appalachian Trail in Shady Valley on Iron Mountain, the dividing line between Shady Valley and Stoney Creek, there is the chimney-shaped grave of Uncle Nick Grindstaff, a man who, as the tombstone says, "Lived alone, Suffered alone, and Died alone.”
According to Carter County, Tennessee and Its People, 1796-1993, when he was 26 years old, he was attacked and robbed at a saloon on his way to Johnson County from Missouri, where he had went in hopes of finding fortunes. The money he had hidden in his boot secured him land on top of the mountain, but he became a recluse and was seldom seen in Stoney Creek. The only company he had was a dog named Panter, a steer and a rattlesnake. In 1923, a man went up to visit Nick and found him dead in bed in his shanty. Panter would not allow anyone to touch his body and had to be chained to a tree to allow the man’s body to be buried at the base of the chimney. After it was released, the dog pined away over the grave, mournfully howling long into the night. The house was eventually dismantled, but the chimney was respectfully left as a memorial.

According to J. R. Tate’s book Walkin' with the Ghost Whisperers: Lore and Legends of the Appalachian Trail, some hikers believe that in this place has a history that is more alive than most places. Tales have circulated for years that if someone camps at this site, they can hear a spectral dog howling late into the night. Perhaps Panter’s grief still hangs around the old homestead?

[Sarcasm the elf]

Halloween is on the horizon and I thought I’d bump this again.

While not about the A.T. I recently listened to a great podcast about the “Bridgewater triangle” in Massachusetts including the native American folklore and reports of very strange encounters in the area. Best part is there is a hiking/biking trail of decent length that goes straight through the area and that has been host to some of the strange events :dance

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/lore/id978052928?mt=2&i=1000350436394

[NY HIKER 50]

I seem to be a ghost magnet,. you can try yo read my postings somewhere else on this site. Just search. Have not had any creepy run ins yet though. Jest seems a part of life.

[Nanashi]

The story of Betsy as told to me, and a group of about 10 13 year olds, by a member of the hut croo:

Years ago a mother, father and their young daughter Betsy (about 6 years old) were camping near the Mizpah Spring Hut. A storm blew in, temperatures dropped and heavy rain caused a flash flood. Betsy fell into a raging stream and was whisked away. Someone ran into the hut and called for help, perhaps one of Betsy's parents. A search ensued, and sadly, Betsy's cold, dead body was found half a mile down the mountain side in the stream bed.

Croo members carried Betsy's lifeless little corpse back to the hut, and placed it in a body bag, and put on a table in the cold cold storage area under the hut, to be brought down to Crawford Notch the next day. That night the wind howled with the last remnants of the storm, and Betsy's parents thought it sounded a bit like little Betsy's voice murmuring for their help.

In the morning the croo went down into the basement to retrieve the body bag and start the sad journey down the Crawford Path. When they walked into the room, they were surprised to see that the body bag was no longer on the table, it was on the other side of the room. When the bag was opened, they discovered that it had been clawed at and scratched - and material from the body bag was under Betsy's fingernails.

Eventually, everyone came to realize that Betsy had not drowned in the flood, but had been hypothermic and unconscious. During the night, she warmed up and became conscious enough to try and call for help while clawing at the body bag. Slowly, she suffocated and died in the early hours of the morning.

In the room where the croo sleeps there are a series of bunks. In one specific bed, said to have belonged to the croo member who zipped the body bag closed, people who now sleep there awake late at night, unable to breathe. It is as if someone is pushing the air out of their chest. Now, no croo member will sleep in that bed which is said to be haunted by the ghost of Betsy.

After hearing this story, several of the kids, including my daughter, had a hard time getting to sleep that night. Once my daughter dosed off, I went back to the hut's library area to get my water battle. As I returned to my bed, I passed by the door to the croo's room and saw that someone was sleeping on the floor below an empty bunk.

The story can be found in an edition of Appalachia from the early 70s - a copy is in the Mizpah hut's library.

I'll have to walk up there again and check it out ;)

[Five Tango]

Are we telling ghost stories in general or only those that happen on the trail?

[gpburdelljr]

Are we telling ghost stories in general or only those that happen on the trail?

In post #1 by the OP it says:

“....if you have a good Appalachian Trail ghost story please share it.....”

[Five Tango]

In post #1 by the OP it says:

“....if you have a good Appalachian Trail ghost story please share it.....”
Yep,we have a true one in our family that really happened,just not on the trail so now nobody will ever know.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Yep,we have a true one in our family that really happened,just not on the trail so now nobody will ever know.

Oh come-on then, we both know I want to hear it! :D

[JNI64]

Oh come-on then, we both know I want to hear it! :D

Makes three come on 5 tango let's hear it.

[gpburdelljr]

Yep,we have a true one in our family that really happened,just not on the trail so now nobody will ever know.

Ghost stories are a dime a dozen. Ghost stories on the AT are slightly rarer.

[JNI64]

Yep,we have a true one in our family that really happened,just not on the trail so now nobody will ever know.

Or you could post your story on the thread I started Boo-trail tails

[slowdive]

Its been 2 years, Halloween is around the corner, something has to have happened to someone. Unfortunately, not me.

[psyculman]

Wasn't there a book of ghost stories either along the AT or in Appalachia in general?
For the life of me I can't remember the author.

I got a copy of this book with an order from the DIY supply people at Thruhiker a few years ago. The exact same story about the Lake of the Clouds incident was related by Willm Lang on a NH PBS show. The book has quite a few WMNF site incidents.
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/haunted-hikes-of-new-hampshire-2nd-edition_marianne-oconnor

[psyculman]

[QUOTE=psyculman;2290125]I got a copy of this book with an order from the DIY supply people at Thruhiker a few years ago. The exact same story about the Lake of the Clouds incident was related by Willm Lang on a NH PBS show. The book has quite a few WMNF site incidents.
Correction:
Haunted hikes of New Hampshire by Marianne O'Conner
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/haunted-hikes-of-new-hampshire_marianne-oconnor