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Kingbee
04-09-2012, 23:24
Anyone have a good story/experience of weird creepy happenings on the trail?

The only one I heard about was on a PATC work trip many years ago, that my Dad was told about. The cabin that was used as a base was full, so several folks slept outside in tents. One man woke up in the middle of the night with what felt like strong hands gripping his hair and shaking his head back and forth. This was accompanied by a deep, wordless muttering. Needless to say, he spent the rest of the night indoors.

That was many years ago, and I don't know the location.

ljcsov
04-11-2012, 12:06
This is why I shave my head.

Incahiker
04-11-2012, 13:35
Hahah... sounds like one of his friends was drunk... but I have heard the screams of demon women in the woods that sounded like something from hell... oh wait those were cougers, still scary though and they do sound like demons from hell. Also, I heard the strangest noise on cowrock mountain once... sounded like something from a science fiction movie, very hard to explain, like a laser being shot, but reverse that sound and you have something of what it sounded like. It sounded like it was coming from the air about 2 feet from my head, but there was nothing there. It was crazy. Could never figure out what it was.

FlyPaper
04-11-2012, 13:59
This happened to the friend of the sister of someone I know. (Close enough chain of acquaintance that I believe it, but not so close that any of you are going to believe it).

Anyway, this woman was hiking alone, and although she observed nothing overtly wrong during the hike, she had this vague sense that someone was nearby and perhaps trailing her. She made it home okay and then developed the film in her camera. Every night she was on the trail, someone had sneaked into her camp and taken a picture of her while she was sleeping.

Datto
04-11-2012, 14:53
One man woke up in the middle of the night with what felt like strong hands gripping his hair and shaking his head back and forth. This was accompanied by a deep, wordless muttering.

On my AT thru-hike I woke up one morning in a crowded shelter in New York with the adjacent female hiker snuggling up on top of me. I don't mean that in a bad way, Ha.

She was very apologetic -- didn't know what had come over her. I was going to ask here which shelter she was headed to for the following night but I didn't think of it fast enough to get the laugh at the shelter.

I can tell you this -- it beats the heck out of having a skunk run up the top of your sleeping bag and look in the breathing hole at you eye-to-eye on a very cold AT night. I will take a snuggling girl thru-hiker any night of the week.


Datto

Capt Nat
04-11-2012, 17:38
This happened to the friend of the sister of someone I know. (Close enough chain of acquaintance that I believe it, but not so close that any of you are going to believe it).

Anyway, this woman was hiking alone, and although she observed nothing overtly wrong during the hike, she had this vague sense that someone was nearby and perhaps trailing her. She made it home okay and then developed the film in her camera. Every night she was on the trail, someone had sneaked into her camp and taken a picture of her while she was sleeping.

That made the hair stand up on the back of my neck!

Pedaling Fool
04-11-2012, 20:28
In 2007 I was at Watuga Lake shelter and the next morning two people (who didn't know one another) claimed to have seen orb-like lights all around the shelter that night (in front of the shelter).

I was in my tent behind the shelter, so I didn't see anything, but they were adamant about what they saw.

Chaco Taco
04-11-2012, 20:30
This happened to the friend of the sister of someone I know. (Close enough chain of acquaintance that I believe it, but not so close that any of you are going to believe it).

Anyway, this woman was hiking alone, and although she observed nothing overtly wrong during the hike, she had this vague sense that someone was nearby and perhaps trailing her. She made it home okay and then developed the film in her camera. Every night she was on the trail, someone had sneaked into her camp and taken a picture of her while she was sleeping.

Thats f***ed up right thar

Heard a hog in the Smokies get chased and slaughtered in the middle of the night by a pack of coyotes.

moytoy
04-11-2012, 20:58
Many years ago (I was about 12 yo) I was with a group of BS and some leaders in the GSMNP. We were hiking along either Eagle Creek or Hazel Creek I don't remember which but we were all in tents except for one adult who was in a hammock. Sometime in the night we woke to a great commotion and came out to find a bear had slapped one on the boys packs out of a tree and was heading up the mountain with it. We did get most of the pack back and were heading back to bed when my dad just casually remarked to the guy in the hammock that he hoped that the bear could tell the difference between a pack and a hammock. My Dad told this story for years. He said that everytime he looked out of the tent the rest of the trip that Mr. Childress had his flashlight shining out into the woods. Mr Childress never went on any camping or hiking trips with us again.

Chummin' for Bear
04-11-2012, 22:15
A couple of years ago, a couple of friends and I were backpacking from Sams Gap to Carvers Gap. They were sharing a tent and I was in my Bibler Bivy Sack. About 2:00 am, I awoke to heavy breathing on the back of my neck. I knew it was a bear. I had to make a decision of either lying there and take the attack or fight back and try to scare him away. With lightning reflexes, I grabbed one of my trekking poles, sat upright, whirled around to face my attacker and shouted "Get out of here!"

Much to my surprise, it was a hunting dog with a radio collar around his neck. He calmly lifted his leg, pissed on a bush, and disappeared into the night. I don't remember getting much sleep the rest of the night.

chiefduffy
04-11-2012, 23:35
My first night camping after about a 30 year haitus, I walked about 6 or 7 miles into Shenandoah and set up my tarptent about 50 yds off the AT. Finally fell into a nervous sleep after hours of hearing things. Was awakened explosively by a coyote or something(wolf?) right next to my tent that suddenly cut loose with a blood curdling other worldly howl at the moon..at about the volume of a jet taking off. No more sleep that night....

vamelungeon
04-12-2012, 00:25
My first night camping after about a 30 year haitus, I walked about 6 or 7 miles into Shenandoah and set up my tarptent about 50 yds off the AT. Finally fell into a nervous sleep after hours of hearing things. Was awakened explosively by a coyote or something(wolf?) right next to my tent that suddenly cut loose with a blood curdling other worldly howl at the moon..at about the volume of a jet taking off. No more sleep that night....
Might have been an owl. I was on a hike last year in the Jefferson National Forest, all alone and in the middle of nowhere in my tent. I had read a book for a while and everything was nice and quiet and was just about asleep when a damned owl that was in a tree a few feet away screamed like a panther getting shoved feet first into a woodchipper. I almost died right then and there. I've had the same experience deer hunting, getting to my stand in the pitch dark and sitting there quietly and then an owl screeches a few feet away. I'm sure owls have a great sense of humor and laugh their butts off about it. I personally have never found it that funny.

James GAME2009
04-12-2012, 00:26
I was camping on my own in California, staying in a small one man tent. I hung my food a good distance from my tent as I knew there were bears in the area. I also had no food or anything that smelled like food in the tent. At some point in the middle of the night a bear decided to check out my tent. He nudged it, rubbed up against it, but thankfully did not rip it open. I didn't move and hardly dared to breathe. The bear finally left and I went back to sleep. It was an interesting experience, but one I would rather not have again. It was certainly unnerving having a bear's head less than a foot from my head in the pitch dark with no one else around.

Bronk
04-12-2012, 03:33
The first time I ever went camping alone I was car camping in Allegheny National Forest. I woke up around midnight to a snorting noise right outside my tent. I had seen signs around the park all day warning to hang your food because of bears, but ignored them...mostly because I couldn't figure out how to hang a cooler in a tree and my car was parked at the top of a hill...I had carried all of my gear down a steep hillside so I could camp near the water. So I lay motionless for an hour listening as the animal opened my cooler and proceeded to eat all my food and make a huge mess. I was too frightened to open the tent and look. Eventually I drifted off to sleep...when I exited my tent the next morning it was just as I had imagined it. I cleaned up the mess and went back into town to replace the food I had lost. When I returned to my campsite later that afternoon I found a porcupine nibbling on a bit of food that I had overlooked. It didn't seem too frightened of me as I approached...in fact, I had to chase it with a stick to get it to run away...it got about 25 feet from the campsite and stopped running, turned around and looked at me in disguist, and then it snorted. It was the same sound I had heard the night before when I was awakened by the "bear" feasting on my food.

Mrs Baggins
04-12-2012, 07:02
Check out Amazon.com. There are several books on the subject of "Haunted Hikes."

lunchbx
04-12-2012, 07:05
I was camping near Delaware water gap the weekend before last with two of my friends. At around midnight I looked up and witness a very strange point of light in the sky. My first thought was "dang Venus is extremely bright tonight" I pointed out to my friends and the three of us watched as the light danced around in a weird fashion while blinking on and off and emitting a full spectrum of light. As we watched it was apparent that this was no celestial object and seemed to be no more than a mile away from our camping spot and under the cloud cover. My one friend had a laser pointer and decided to shine it at the object, shortly after doing this the light vanished and was not to be seen again. The spookiest part of this incident was the very strange presence that the three of us felt while the object was visible. The best way to describe it is the feeling you get when your looking at someone in the distance and you know that they are looking back at you even though you are not making direct eye contact. The feeling was gone as soon as the object was out of sight. My one friend had never believed in the whole UFO thing but was made into a believer that night. The whole experience was a little frightening but at the same time oddly comforting. Personally I have seen a few strange lights in the sky in my life but never had an experience such as this where there was absolutely no explanation for what I was witnessing..... I still tell myself that this had to be something that can be explained since I try to analyze experiences like this with a critical eye, but deep down inside I know what I saw that night was not of this world.

MyName1sMud
04-12-2012, 14:16
^^^^ I've seen a few "lights" like that myself. I don't what it is about me but "they" seem to love showing me "they" are up there.

Whats crazy is every time i go out to look at the night sky and bring a camera I never see any. The times I think about grabbing my camera and don't always end up being the times I do see them.

Odd.

louisb
04-12-2012, 14:58
getting to my stand in the pitch dark and sitting there quietly and then an owl screeches a few feet away.

lol, I had the same thing happen while turkey hunting one time. Thought I had found a roosting spot under some trees for a flock of turkeys. Snuck in before daylight and got set up only to realize it was owls and not turkey roosting there when about a half dozen owls cut loose at the crack of dawn. It was deafening but funny as 'ell.

My friend's granddad swears he saw Indian spirits while out camping near some burial mounds one night but we are pretty sure the only spirits he saw were in a bottle. :D

--louie

Wise Old Owl
04-12-2012, 15:19
Might have been an owl. I was on a hike last year in the Jefferson National Forest, all alone and in the middle of nowhere in my tent. I had read a book for a while and everything was nice and quiet and was just about asleep when a damned owl that was in a tree a few feet away screamed like a panther getting shoved feet first into a woodchipper. I almost died right then and there. I've had the same experience deer hunting, getting to my stand in the pitch dark and sitting there quietly and then an owl screeches a few feet away. I'm sure owls have a great sense of humor and laugh their butts off about it. I personally have never found it that funny.

Yes we dooo.....:D

I have noise reduction on our windows to knock road noise...and yet we had a tall tree out front one night I had a "woman" scream so loud it woke me and it was in the tree above the bed!

Pedaling Fool
04-12-2012, 15:21
Might have been an owl. I was on a hike last year in the Jefferson National Forest, all alone and in the middle of nowhere in my tent. I had read a book for a while and everything was nice and quiet and was just about asleep when a damned owl that was in a tree a few feet away screamed like a panther getting shoved feet first into a woodchipper. I almost died right then and there. I've had the same experience deer hunting, getting to my stand in the pitch dark and sitting there quietly and then an owl screeches a few feet away. I'm sure owls have a great sense of humor and laugh their butts off about it. I personally have never found it that funny.


lol, I had the same thing happen while turkey hunting one time. Thought I had found a roosting spot under some trees for a flock of turkeys. Snuck in before daylight and got set up only to realize it was owls and not turkey roosting there when about a half dozen owls cut loose at the crack of dawn. It was deafening but funny as 'ell.

My friend's granddad swears he saw Indian spirits while out camping near some burial mounds one night but we are pretty sure the only spirits he saw were in a bottle. :D

--louie

I had the same thing happen to me in 2005 on an east coast cycling tour. Stopped and stealth camped somewhere along the Blueridge Parkway, was really tired and got in my tent soon after sundown when all of a sudden there was this blood-curdling scream from above me, not more than 10 feet. I could have swore it was a female (human), never before this had I ever heard of an animal making such noises. All I could think of was the Blair Witch Project:o

MyName1sMud
04-12-2012, 15:33
^^^ HAHA! I haven't thought about that movie in FOREVER!

left turn
04-12-2012, 15:51
This happened to the friend of the sister of someone I know. (Close enough chain of acquaintance that I believe it, but not so close that any of you are going to believe it).

Anyway, this woman was hiking alone, and although she observed nothing overtly wrong during the hike, she had this vague sense that someone was nearby and perhaps trailing her. She made it home okay and then developed the film in her camera. Every night she was on the trail, someone had sneaked into her camp and taken a picture of her while she was sleeping.

We must know some of the same people then. I went to school at App State and met my fiance there and i believe this event took place during 2002-2003 maybe earlier??? well, she had a roommate whose friend is the person this happened to. I heard the story from the girl it happened to, so it's true and really happened or they were just joking around but she was pretty serious about it when she told the story and for some reason i want to say she had her dog with her but i would have to ask my fiance to back that up. I don't know if i've ever had that many goose bumps in my life when she told that story.

Mrs Baggins
04-12-2012, 17:20
Another great book on this subject.

http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Hikes-Collection-Bizarre-Absolutely/dp/0762725869/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334265597&sr=8-2

cknight
04-12-2012, 21:49
My wife and I had wolf's come into our camp sight just after dark in Yellowstone. They prowled around for about 5 minutes and moved on, needless to say, we were up for a while.

FlyPaper
04-13-2012, 11:27
We must know some of the same people then. I went to school at App State and met my fiance there and i believe this event took place during 2002-2003 maybe earlier??? well, she had a roommate whose friend is the person this happened to. I heard the story from the girl it happened to, so it's true and really happened or they were just joking around but she was pretty serious about it when she told the story and for some reason i want to say she had her dog with her but i would have to ask my fiance to back that up. I don't know if i've ever had that many goose bumps in my life when she told that story.

I never got the date that this happened, and if I was told the woman's name, I've completely forgot it. But 2002-2003 sounds very reasonable. I first heard this story probably around 2006. And stories like this get told and retold. (My own stories from the trail probably are completely forgotten by those to whom I tell them). This sounds like it could be urban legend, but since my source personally knew the person it happened to, I am confident it is not urban legend. The one other detail I recall is that the woman was a very heavy sleeper. And since my source also lives in NC, App State sounds very plausible.

Creek Dancer
04-13-2012, 11:36
So someone took pictures of her with her own camera and she never realized something weird was going on? I mean, wouldn't she have noticed that her camera was not exactly where she had left it when she went to sleep, and wouldn't she have noticed while still on the trail that additional pictures had been taken without her knowledge?

imscotty
04-13-2012, 12:04
Read down a ways. Snopes discusses the sleeping hiker pictures story.

http://www.snopes.com/risque/caught/snapshot.asp

imscotty
04-13-2012, 12:12
If you ever heard the cry of a Fisher Cat, it would make your spine curl.



I had the same thing happen to me in 2005 on an east coast cycling tour. Stopped and stealth camped somewhere along the Blueridge Parkway, was really tired and got in my tent soon after sundown when all of a sudden there was this blood-curdling scream from above me, not more than 10 feet. I could have swore it was a female (human), never before this had I ever heard of an animal making such noises. All I could think of was the Blair Witch Project:o

FlyPaper
04-13-2012, 13:37
I stand by my confidence that this happened fairly recently as I described. The fact that there might be similar folklore that preexisted the events neither prevents it from happening again, nor alter how I would evaluate the credibility of the person I heard this from. This might even be where the creep got the idea from. I've heard many urban legends, and they generally start "I heard about this guy...". I was given far too much specific detail from someone I know to be reliable that I'm convinced I'm not talking urban legend.

And about the camera not being where it was left, I can tell you from my own experience with cameras on the trail, if someone used my camera and merely approximately put it back where he found it, there is no way I'd notice. And going back before digital cameras, if I spent 4 or 5 nights on the trial, took one additional picture per night, there's very little chance I'd notice. And if I did, I'd assume I had made a mistake. One can judge for themselves though. The question is not whether or not there's no chance anyone would notice a few extra pictures taken. The question is whether or not there is a reasonable chance that someone might not notice. I can just ask myself whether or not I would notice and answer that question for myself.


Read down a ways. Snopes discusses the sleeping hiker pictures story.

http://www.snopes.com/risque/caught/snapshot.asp

beaudetious
04-13-2012, 14:26
Great post and interesting topic.

Tom Murphy
04-13-2012, 14:36
I camp solo and off-trail a lot in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

While all by myself, after sundown, in a secluded corner of the forest, I have heard all kinds of weird noises that sound like something it couldn't possibly be....people talking, children playing, and once, a crying baby.

And noises you recognize like coyotes yipping and howling and chasing game can be pretty scary too.

Also much of the Wilderness up here was onced habitated so I have come across cellar holes, shacks, the remains of logging camps, and an overgrown cemetery. Those finds are always spooky

Kingbee
04-13-2012, 18:16
Many times when people hear whispers or voices, I think it's their mind trying to put chaotic noises in order. The sounds of wind in trees and bushes, or a rocky stream is confusing to our minds. So the mind tries to put these noises in order, and voices are easily created. My personal theory btw, not sure if anyone's ever done a study on that.

rocketsocks
04-13-2012, 19:47
Many times when people hear whispers or voices, I think it's their mind trying to put chaotic noises in order. The sounds of wind in trees and bushes, or a rocky stream is confusing to our minds. So the mind tries to put these noises in order, and voices are easily created. My personal theory of, not sure if anyone's ever done a study on that.Right you are!And visual compartmentalization as well.There is a tile floor in my home that has kinda of a wispy pattern to it...and faces,animals,and even obscure things like one of those apple slicers with the 6 wedges.Always finding something new.And for the concerned few,my appointment is on Monday.:D

Kingbee
04-13-2012, 21:45
So anyone see the Virgin Mary on a shelter floor?

louisb
04-13-2012, 21:49
So anyone see the Virgin Mary on a shelter floor?

Maybe, what was her trail name?

--louis

Different Socks
04-13-2012, 23:46
very strange, but interesting experience on the PCT: As I walked along, I became aware that a ghost image of myself was 4--5 feet in front of me and maintaining the same pace as I. Now when and if something like this happens, the moment i am conscious of it, the occurrence goes away. It didn't this time. Since nothing bad was happening to me, but I could clearly sense and see and feel this image in front of me, I simply enjoyed the happening and continued walking down the trail.
BTW, I do not drink, smoke, or do drugs, so don't try to use that one on me.

rocketsocks
04-14-2012, 00:30
very strange, but interesting experience on the PCT: As I walked along, I became aware that a ghost image of myself was 4--5 feet in front of me and maintaining the same pace as I. Now when and if something like this happens, the moment i am conscious of it, the occurrence goes away. It didn't this time. Since nothing bad was happening to me, but I could clearly sense and see and feel this image in front of me, I simply enjoyed the happening and continued walking down the trail.
BTW, I do not drink, smoke, or do drugs, so don't try to use that one on me.Cousin Diff,you wanna take my Monday appointment?;)

BlakeGrice
04-15-2012, 22:25
This happened to the friend of the sister of someone I know. (Close enough chain of acquaintance that I believe it, but not so close that any of you are going to believe it).

Anyway, this woman was hiking alone, and although she observed nothing overtly wrong during the hike, she had this vague sense that someone was nearby and perhaps trailing her. She made it home okay and then developed the film in her camera. Every night she was on the trail, someone had sneaked into her camp and taken a picture of her while she was sleeping.


Come on dude this story has been around for YEARS AND YEARS. Lol. Usually is told about a NOLS solo night

left turn
04-19-2012, 10:31
Come on dude this story has been around for YEARS AND YEARS. Lol. Usually is told about a NOLS solo night

this story may have been around for years and technically if you look at the time we both said the story was then yes it has been around for years, but that doesn't mean that this story didn't/couldn't have happened. i don't see others trying to discredit other stories or experiences shared here, besides they are just stories and experiences with no evidence provided by anyone, but i find it funny that 2 people who don't know each other or have ever met, know the same story told from people in the APP state area around the same time the event happened, a coincidence maybe. i heard the story first hand from the girl it happened to, now is it a true story i don't know she did not provide evidence that it really happened other than when she told the story she was very uncomfortable talking about it, she could have been a drama major and was practicing her skills. basically she went out camping, woke up in the morning discovered the pictures and high tailed it out of the woods. i spend a lot of time in boone and all my friends are outdoors people and spend tons of time camping in the area and on the AT in that area and they had never heard the story and i've not heard the story repeated in boone since i first heard it in 2002-2003 and matter of fact this is the first time i've heard some one talk about it since then, so obviously the story left with the girl which leaves me to believe there is some truth to it, but regardless true or untrue, it's freaky.

bfayer
04-20-2012, 13:32
Come on dude this story has been around for YEARS AND YEARS. Lol. Usually is told about a NOLS solo night

No kiddng. I have heard various versions of this story going back to the 1970s. It kind of losses its effect with digital cameras these days. No waiting to look at the pictures.

One time years ago I was awakend to the sound of what could only have been a bear sniffing around my tent. Being not the brightest individual, I figured I wanted to get a look at it, so I grabbed my flashlight and slowly opened the door of the tent only to find myself nose to nose with a chipmunk.

It is amazing how your brain can take information that would mean nothing to us during the day and turn it into monsters at night. We must be hardwired that way for survival against nocternal preditors, because it is almost a universal human trait.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

rocketsocks
04-20-2012, 13:55
No kiddng. I have heard various versions of this story going back to the 1970s. It kind of losses its effect with digital cameras these days. No waiting to look at the pictures.

One time years ago I was awakend to the sound of what could only have been a bear sniffing around my tent. Being not the brightest individual, I figured I wanted to get a look at it, so I grabbed my flashlight and slowly opened the door of the tent only to find myself nose to nose with a chipmunk.

It is amazing how your brain can take information that would mean nothing to us during the day and turn it into monsters at night. We must be hardwired that way for survival against nocternal preditors, because it is almost a universal human trait.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2We deffinently are hard wired that way;Fight ,Flight or Hike Your Own Hike I always say;)

FlyPaper
04-20-2012, 14:09
I may try to back track to the specific person. I don't want become a creep myself though.

Regardless, I can understand people's skepticism. While this story sounds very believable based on the credibility and the proximity of the person I heard it from, I realize that those reading this thread are in a very different place. e.g. "My very honest friend's sister's friend" is actually quite convincing. Whereas "This guy on WhiteBlaze with the handle 'FlyPaper' has a friend, whose sister's friend...". I fully realize how different these sound. And as I said when I first posted that this was close enough in proximity to me, that I believe it (in spite of the urban legend angle), but not close enough that any of you are going to believe it.

rocketsocks
04-20-2012, 14:33
I may try to back track to the specific person. I don't want become a creep myself though.

Regardless, I can understand people's skepticism. While this story sounds very believable based on the credibility and the proximity of the person I heard it from, I realize that those reading this thread are in a very different place. e.g. "My very honest friend's sister's friend" is actually quite convincing. Whereas "This guy on WhiteBlaze with the handle 'FlyPaper' has a friend, whose sister's friend...". I fully realize how different these sound. And as I said when I first posted that this was close enough in proximity to me, that I believe it (in spite of the urban legend angle), but not close enough that any of you are going to believe it.No worries mate,still a good bump in the night story.Who cares what others may or may not think,Not me,Don't give one tater tot,not one.While the thee old "Tale Tale Heart story is not a true story,it's still good and fun to think about below those shellter floors.

bfayer
04-20-2012, 17:02
I may try to back track to the specific person. I don't want become a creep myself though.

Regardless, I can understand people's skepticism. While this story sounds very believable based on the credibility and the proximity of the person I heard it from, I realize that those reading this thread are in a very different place. e.g. "My very honest friend's sister's friend" is actually quite convincing. Whereas "This guy on WhiteBlaze with the handle 'FlyPaper' has a friend, whose sister's friend...". I fully realize how different these sound. And as I said when I first posted that this was close enough in proximity to me, that I believe it (in spite of the urban legend angle), but not close enough that any of you are going to believe it.

I am not saying your friend is not telling the truth. It could be a case of some guy that heard the story and decided to act it out for real. Who knows, I have seen people do a lot of crazy stuff, and that would not be the craziest.

This is not a backpacking story, but I was sound asleep in my cabin with my wife and kids and I kept having a dream about a butterfly fluttering around my head, and I kept trying to swat it away, I woke up and could still hear it flapping its wings, it turned out to be a Bat that had gotten inside somehow and was circling us right over the bed, my wife woke up and totally flipped out, waking up the kids who totally flipped out. If anyone would have been in hearing distance they would have thought a mass murder was taking place with all the screaming. It took me a half hour with cardboard box folded flat to get it back outside. To this day my wife shudders when she sees a Bat.

Spokes
04-20-2012, 17:18
Anyone up for S'mores?

I mean if we're gonna tell ghost stories.......

Pedaling Fool
04-20-2012, 18:28
Another great book on this subject.

http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Hikes-Collection-Bizarre-Absolutely/dp/0762725869/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334265597&sr=8-2I checked my local library and it was located in a branch out on the westside, so I put in a "hold" request; I just got it today and I'm on the first story, "The Lady in the Woods".

Pedaling Fool
04-22-2012, 21:04
Never heard of the Bennington Triangel.... http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/b/bennington-triangle/


Resources:
1. “ Rural Legends.” The Cracker Barrel. 2004. Appalachian Mountain Club 2006. 24 Oct 2008 <http://www.outdoors.org/publications/outdoors/2006/northeast-rural-legends.cfm>.
2. Deborah Elwell Arfken. “Ethan Allen Biography.” Dictionary of World Biography: The 17th and 18th Centuries. Salem Press, 1999. 24 Oct 2008 <http://www.enotes.com/salem-history/ethan-allen>.
3. “The Bennington Triangle.” Virtual Vermonter n.d . 24 Oct 2008 <http://www.virtualvermonter.com/almanac/benntriangle.htm>.
4. Davy Russell. “The Bennington Triangle.” X Project 8 Aug 1999. 24 Oct 2008 <http://www.xprojectmagazine.com/archives/paranormal/benningtontriangle.html>.



The Bennington Triangle

The Appalachian Mountain Club calls it the "Triangle of Doom"1. But, while the happenings in the Bennington Triangle remain a series of unsolved mysteries, can they be classified as paranormal phenomena?

Nestled between the Taconics and the Green Mountains, its rich history and scenic beauty make Bennington a favorite spot for hunters, hikers, and historians.
One of the earliest chartered towns in Colonial America, Bennington is also the site of Vermont's first church, aptly named the "Old First Church", its cemetery the final resting place of poet Robert Frost. Bennington is also the place where Ethan Allen formed the Green Mountain Boys, a group of three hundred woodsmen that were instrumental in helping the American Colonies win the American Revolutionary war1.

Bennington was a quiet town, quite near mysterious Glastenbury Mountain. Native Americans shunned the mountain, believing that the four winds "met" at the top of it and they used the mountain only as a burial ground. European settlers told tales of strange lights over Glastenbury Mountain. Unsourced odors and tales of Bigfoot (http://www.whiteblaze.net/bigfoot/)-type sightings permeated the mountain woodlands2, 3, 4.

Yet, the real mountain mystery began in 1945 and lasted for five years.

Seventy-four year old, Middie Rivers was familiar with the area wilderness. An experienced hunting and fishing guide, on November 12, 1945, he escorted a party of four hunters into the mountain woodlands. Leading the way back to their campsite, Middie disappeared from view and vanished leaving only one clue. After an extensive search, investigators found a single bullet beside a streambed but no trace of Middie was ever found.

Rivers's disappearance was the first in a series of missing persons over the next five years. A year later, on December 1, 1946 Paula Weldon, a sophomore at Bennington College vanished while hiking along Glastenbury Mountain's "Long Trail". A couple behind her reported they had seen her turn a corner, but when they reached the corner, Weldon was gone. Although the ensuing manhunt brought in the FBI and even used a clairvoyant, as in the case of Middie Rivers, no trace of Paula Weldon was ever found.
Exactly three years later, on December 1, 1949, James E. Tetford, a resident of Bennington Soldier's Home disappeared from a commercial bus. Although he was seen boarding the bus and at the stop before Bennington, when the bus reached its destination, Tetford was gone. Although his luggage was found in the luggage rack and a bus timetable lay open on his seat James E. Tetford was never again seen.

On Columbus Day 1950, eight-year-old Paul Jepson disappeared from the family farm. No trace of the child or his bright red coat was ever found, although hundreds of volunteers combed the mountainside in search of him.

Not quite three weeks later, 53-year-old Frieda Langer slipped into a mountain stream while hiking with her cousin. Promising her cousin that she'd catch up with him after changing into dry clothes, Frieda disappeared on the walk back to camp. Hers was the only body found, but not until the next spring. On May 12, 1951, Frieda Langer's decomposed body emerged near the Somerset Reservoir, although the area had been thoroughly searched at the time of her disappearance. Oddly enough, the one "solved" disappearance was the final disappearance on Glastenbury Mountain.

Because four of the five disappearances remain unsolved, rumors and theories are plentiful. Indian legend tells of a "rock that swallows" those who step on it. Some folks believe that the Bigfoot-like "Bennington Monster" is responsible for the mishaps. Of course, others cite alien abductions (http://www.whiteblaze.net/a/alien/abduction/) as a possible cause and some speculators talk about a gateway to some new dimension. Were these five autumn disappearances the work of a serial killer or just a string of coincidental misadventures? For now, mysterious Glastenbury Mountain hides the secrets behind the Bennington Triangle.

rocketsocks
04-22-2012, 22:08
Well that's it....cancelling my trip to Bennington,till all this clears lol,good find John.Incidentally I like very much the Robert Frost quote on that paranormal home page link."The woods are lovely dark and deep,but I have promises to keep,and miles to go before I sleep,and miles to go before I sleep.~Robert Frost

pajarito
04-23-2012, 01:50
one rainy night while camping alone I awoke to a thunderous earth shaking crash. The next morning I discovered a huge fir tree had fallen right next to my tent, it's roots had apparently been loosened by the rain.

MyName1sMud
04-23-2012, 11:22
Whoa. Guess I better cancel my trip to Robert Frost's grave.

Prada
04-24-2012, 13:31
This happened to me two weeks ago...Solo trip from Unicoi to Dicks Creek Gap.

I just had lunch and I started coming down from Powell Mountain. I had come to an area that was a nice flat run. I was even able to look around a little while I walked because the trail was nice and clear, a softly winding dirt path. I was looking down to my left side, admiring a beautiful flat, grassy area that someone had recently used to camp when I heard it.

On the mountain next to me, at about my same elevation, came an extremely loud, horrid rumbling gutteral noise, like an alligator but deeper and more masculine...almost oozing with testosterone (if you can imagine that). It was a powerful noise with it's strength almost vibrating my very insides and making every hair on my neck and arms stand on end. I froze in my tracks, not even breathing, and stared intently in the direction of the noise, waiting to see or hear any possible movement. Then, to my left, just around the ridge, came a noise very much like the first, but it sounded feminine????

There are NO ALLIGATORS in the mountains, and there sure aren't male and female sounding ones for sure. What the heck were those things? I don't know. I didn't hear them again. I stood there for several minutes, wishing my camera wasn't deep in my pack. I really hoped I wouldn't regret it being inaccessible! But nothing else happened and I saw nothing of interest relating to these noises. It actually was strangely silent on the trail after that. Not even birds. It was strange in a way I can not begin to explain. I wasn't the least bit afraid. That was even stranger.

Creek Dancer
04-24-2012, 13:34
Well, that was most definately a sasquatch. :confused:

flemdawg1
04-24-2012, 17:02
Bigfoot Booty Call.

KidKool-Aid
04-30-2012, 19:55
I think I would have eaten that porcupine. I hear they are really good eating!

KidKool-Aid
04-30-2012, 20:04
I was camping alone at the base of Mt. Shasta one fallevening and when the sun went down I noticed a campfire about 100 yards away,so I decided to meet my neighbor. I met two really nice guys who said they hadbeen called to the mountain by aliens and wanted to know if I had received themessage as well! Of course, I did not believe them and I thought they were puttingme on, but after an hour of conversation, it was obvious they were serious! Ireturned to my camp and went to sleep. I have no idea if the Mothership evershowed up or not……..

Newb
05-01-2012, 09:51
A few years ago a funny story was told at the NOC. A guy decided to hike up past the railroad tracks and cowboy camp right off the trail. About 2 am he ran into the bunk room in a bit of a panic and woke everyone up. They asked what had scared him so bad...he said that he was awaken by something licking his face. He never did figure out what it was...

wookinpanub
05-01-2012, 16:37
While on my southbound thru-hike, staying at Spalding Mtn. Lean-to alone, a fisher cat killed a hare on the snow behind the shelter while I was asleep. It sounded like a lady screaming. In a sleep stupor, I stumbled back there with my headlamp in time to see the fisher cat slink into the woods. Being from Florida, I had no idea what I had just seen. I described it to a local when in town and he told me what it was. Funny thing, though, I didn't get really scared until after it happened. Then I thought "Why in the world did I go back there?" Fisher cats are vicious. There was blood everywhere on the snow.

wornoutboots
05-02-2012, 23:32
Great Thread & Nice Legs Spokes : O D

Cameldung
05-03-2012, 07:37
While camped out one night in Big Bend NP near Mariscal Canyon, actually had the tent bumped a few times. Scared the _ out of the wife. Next morning checked it out. Checked out the ground in the morning. Figured out it was Javelina checking us out during the night.

flemdawg1
05-03-2012, 16:29
What's a Javelina?

Wise Old Owl
05-03-2012, 16:45
http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4899359929925699&id=8c33763930aafc5d3609b20524483a10&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hisway.cc%2fdonandbev%2fphoto s%2f2005%2fjavelina.jpg

Derek81pci
05-03-2012, 17:10
My imagination is probably the scariest thing I can think of put in the woods alone, at night!

Pedaling Fool
05-03-2012, 19:08
This happened to me two weeks ago...Solo trip from Unicoi to Dicks Creek Gap.

I just had lunch and I started coming down from Powell Mountain. I had come to an area that was a nice flat run. I was even able to look around a little while I walked because the trail was nice and clear, a softly winding dirt path. I was looking down to my left side, admiring a beautiful flat, grassy area that someone had recently used to camp when I heard it.

On the mountain next to me, at about my same elevation, came an extremely loud, horrid rumbling gutteral noise, like an alligator but deeper and more masculine...almost oozing with testosterone (if you can imagine that). It was a powerful noise with it's strength almost vibrating my very insides and making every hair on my neck and arms stand on end. I froze in my tracks, not even breathing, and stared intently in the direction of the noise, waiting to see or hear any possible movement. Then, to my left, just around the ridge, came a noise very much like the first, but it sounded feminine????

There are NO ALLIGATORS in the mountains, and there sure aren't male and female sounding ones for sure. What the heck were those things? I don't know. I didn't hear them again. I stood there for several minutes, wishing my camera wasn't deep in my pack. I really hoped I wouldn't regret it being inaccessible! But nothing else happened and I saw nothing of interest relating to these noises. It actually was strangely silent on the trail after that. Not even birds. It was strange in a way I can not begin to explain. I wasn't the least bit afraid. That was even stranger.
This reminds me of an encounter I had in Maine.

When I was 16 I did a SOBO thru-hike of Maine starting June/July ‘81. This encounter happened on the first day of the hike, we (father, uncle & me) were going up Katahdin from the north to Knife-edge, starting from Roaring Brook Campground, going up the Helon Taylor trail (IIRC).

I’m not sure how long into the hike we were, but I know we were still a good way from tree-line, in the dense foliage. All I remember was hearing this deep sounding roar, sort of like hearing an African lion in the zoo. It caused us all to stop dead in our tracks. Never saw anything, but heard some rustling in the brush and a second growl, then it was gone. It was scary as hell, now when I hear the term, "freeze in your tracks" I think of that moment. I was – we all were – stopped in our tracks with great concern for whatever that was.

At the time we just assumed it was a black bear. However, now I'm not too sure. I’ve read a lot about bears and the sound they make and from what I gather they don’t make the sound we heard, at best they make a weak roar/growl, this was no weak roar/growl, it was a very powerful roar. I’ve heard recordings of mountain lions and this was no mountain lion, too deep of a sound, that’s why I say it reminds me more of an African lion, but not quite.

I even saw a video of two male bears fighting (I think it was on Bear.org) and they were making weird sounds, but nothing coming close to the sound of a roar, much less the roaring sound we heard that day.

Pedaling Fool
05-03-2012, 19:28
...
I even saw a video of two male bears fighting (I think it was on Bear.org) and they were making weird sounds, but nothing coming close to the sound of a roar, much less the roaring sound we heard that day.


Here it is: http://www.bear.org/website/bear-pages/black-bear/communication/64-do-black-bears-growl.html in the below video two bears fighting.

And when you read the page it talks about growling as a sound one may attribute to black bears, doesn't sound much like growling to me. But as I said before this was a roaring sound, not growling.

It was loud and very threatening sounding, very primal sound. And we thought it was a bear :o

MJGreen
08-06-2014, 11:54
I think I would have eaten that porcupine. I hear they are really good eating!

I wonder if that's true. At least you'd have plenty of toothpicks available.

Gambit McCrae
08-06-2014, 15:13
Janice Balza messed with me at Vendeventer Shelter last winter. My friend in another tent had the same experience later in the night

Gunner1776
08-09-2014, 01:07
While on my southbound thru-hike, staying at Spalding Mtn. Lean-to alone, a fisher cat killed a hare on the snow behind the shelter while I was asleep. It sounded like a lady screaming. In a sleep stupor, I stumbled back there with my headlamp in time to see the fisher cat slink into the woods. Being from Florida, I had no idea what I had just seen. I described it to a local when in town and he told me what it was. Funny thing, though, I didn't get really scared until after it happened. Then I thought "Why in the world did I go back there?" Fisher cats are vicious. There was blood everywhere on the snow.


What the hell is a fisher cat? Those sound vicious. Is it a bobcat?

Hikes in Rain
08-09-2014, 08:51
What the hell is a fisher cat? Those sound vicious. Is it a bobcat?

Member of the weasel family, not really a cat.

Theosus
08-09-2014, 10:20
Had a screech owl go off down the valley from us one night. Sounded like someone getting murdered slowly and painfully.
The coolest one was when we did an out and back night hike along a ridge line. Something was trailing us on the way back. It was pitch dark and we were using headlamps, and for about 100 yards, something sounded remarkably bipedal was about 40 yards off trail paralleling us. The side of the trail was a steep downhill grade with some brush and a blanket of leaves. No way it was a human moving through that terrain with NO light, keeping up with us. Sure, it could have been a bear or something, but it sure sounded like something big with two feet.

Dogwood
08-09-2014, 12:58
Does having a skunk put it's wet nose on your cheek while in your sleeping bag count? or being awakened by a black bear pushing in on your tent with it's snout? or being awakened by a marauding inquisitive foraging band of coatamundi with one standing on your legs while in your sleeping bag?
I so enjoy connecting with Nature while cowboy camping.

Dogwood
08-09-2014, 13:03
What the hell is a fisher cat? Those sound vicious. Is it a bobcat?


Member of the weasel family, not really a cat.

Looks like a ferret, also in the weasel family, but usually a bit smaller. I don't see that many of them at all but I did see one carrying away a squirrel that was larger than itself.

rocketsocks
08-09-2014, 13:46
Looks like a ferret, also in the weasel family, but usually a bit smaller. I don't see that many of them at all but I did see one carrying away a squirrel that was larger than itself.
Minks have made quite a come back in NJ.

Pedaling Fool
08-09-2014, 14:02
What the hell is a fisher cat? Those sound vicious. Is it a bobcat?They can be mean little bastards http://www.wcvb.com/news/boy-12-attacked-by-fisher-cat/26744016#!bzXYHx

Rocket Jones
08-09-2014, 14:06
Had a screech owl go off down the valley from us one night. Sounded like someone getting murdered slowly and painfully.

Had a screech owl living in the woods behind the house. Every time he let loose, I would jump, even though I knew it was coming. LOL

lemon b
08-09-2014, 14:29
Good eating

TrippLite
08-09-2014, 16:22
This reminds me of an encounter I had in Maine.

When I was 16 I did a SOBO thru-hike of Maine starting June/July ‘81. This encounter happened on the first day of the hike, we (father, uncle & me) were going up Katahdin from the north to Knife-edge, starting from Roaring Brook Campground, going up the Helon Taylor trail (IIRC).

I’m not sure how long into the hike we were, but I know we were still a good way from tree-line, in the dense foliage. All I remember was hearing this deep sounding roar, sort of like hearing an African lion in the zoo. It caused us all to stop dead in our tracks. Never saw anything, but heard some rustling in the brush and a second growl, then it was gone. It was scary as hell, now when I hear the term, "freeze in your tracks" I think of that moment. I was – we all were – stopped in our tracks with great concern for whatever that was.

At the time we just assumed it was a black bear. However, now I'm not too sure. I’ve read a lot about bears and the sound they make and from what I gather they don’t make the sound we heard, at best they make a weak roar/growl, this was no weak roar/growl, it was a very powerful roar. I’ve heard recordings of mountain lions and this was no mountain lion, too deep of a sound, that’s why I say it reminds me more of an African lion, but not quite.

I even saw a video of two male bears fighting (I think it was on Bear.org) and they were making weird sounds, but nothing coming close to the sound of a roar, much less the roaring sound we heard that day.


My guess would have been a mountain lion which you have already ruled out. Leopards have a pretty ferocious roar. Could it be possible you actually heard a African Lion? Here is a thought, sounds way out there, but what if inbreeding occurred back during that time era like what is currently happening now in NY as dictated in attached video and an African Lion or leopard was accidently released in the wild and never reported.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh2RCAoJ9Q0

Gunner1776
08-09-2014, 17:12
They can be mean little bastards http://www.wcvb.com/news/boy-12-attacked-by-fisher-cat/26744016#!bzXYHx


Oh man! Google'd some pics of it too! I am 33 and never even knew that animal existed. LOL

Learn something new every day.

Dogwood
08-09-2014, 17:30
My first night going SoBo on the LT there was a screech owl only 20 ft up in a tree next to the shelter. It would let out such a loud screech for hrs throughout the night just when you'd think it had left and you had begun falling back asleep. Finally the other hiker in the shelter got it to leave by throwing rocks and sticks near it. For such a small animal they are LOOOUD.

Pedaling Fool
08-09-2014, 18:39
My guess would have been a mountain lion which you have already ruled out. Leopards have a pretty ferocious roar. Could it be possible you actually heard a African Lion? Here is a thought, sounds way out there, but what if inbreeding occurred back during that time era like what is currently happening now in NY as dictated in attached video and an African Lion or leopard was accidently released in the wild and never reported.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh2RCAoJ9Q0
That's always a possibility, I wouldn't rule out an African lion, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=20020924&id=-dNOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9P0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5250,3460827 nor would I rule out a grizzly bear. All I know it was a very deep guttural-like sound. For years I always just assumed it was a black bear, but since retiring from the navy and doing my thru hike I always checked out info on animal encounters and I noticed that no one ever reported hearing a black bear roar. That's when I started researching it and found the site in post #64, which seemed to confirm my growing suspicion that it was not a black bear.

So that leaves a lot of stuff on the table, but only one animal I know of that is known to live in the area that supposedly can make that noise is interestingly enough a moose. Apparently a moose is reported to make a sound of an African Lion, but of the sounds I listened to the moose "roar" sounds more like a large volume of air being forced out instead to the deep guttual-like sound, but I don't entirely rule out a moose. BTW, from what I can tell it's generally only the female moose that makes this sound, especially when protecting her calf.

But then again I got time against me and the encounter was so short, followed by it thrashing thru the woods to get away. We never saw anything thru the dense foliage, but it was very close; I got the impression we startled it. It will forever be a mystery.

78owl
08-09-2014, 19:15
Bigfoot? Bigfoot!

ChuckT
08-09-2014, 19:43
Nothing weird ever happens to me

rocketsocks
08-09-2014, 22:41
Bull frog.

Dogwood
08-09-2014, 22:52
Here's what I've seen and thought were fisher cats. Am I wrong?

http://cf067b.medialib.glogster.com/media/c0/c06a07aaa317459ecdaffb8e508270982521742b9e0377bfe5 132c333a26e7b1/baby-fisher-jpg.jpg

Dogwood
08-09-2014, 22:58
I've seen larger ones with this coloring too.

http://www.massaudubon.org/var/ezdemo_site/storage/images/media/ma-assets/images/fisher-at-irws-phil-brown/35985-1-eng-US/fisher-at-irws-phil-brown.jpg\

But never this large or with this large a face.

http://www.damnedct.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/FisherCat.jpg

http://www.raising-chickens.org/images/chicken-predators-fisher-cat.jpg

They are feisty and sometimes vocal.

Wise Old Owl
08-09-2014, 23:12
Nothing I could not fix with a couple of talons... :cool:

NY HIKER 50
08-10-2014, 00:06
Ok, here goes and I don’t think anyone can match these. As for safety I would not worry. I don’t go looking for these they just happen.

One night I was set up and it seemed kind of ready to storm. It seemed very humid and oppressive. I either fell asleep or was dreaming or was I awake? I know there was a small cemetery below and who knows, maybe she was not from there. I suddenly heard a woman’s voice say “you know it’s raining heavy down in _____. Be careful! I woke up and nothing was happening for about a half hour. Then a heavy thunderstorm rolled in. I was stealth camping and no one else was around.Was I being warned?

Another time in New Jersey I saw what looked like a black and white picture of another backpacker coming at me. I just stood aside and he passed me by and disappeared. Nothing was said. Ghost? Imagination?

I also have camped twice in a place that’s considered the most haunted place in America but nothing happened. I also camped at a shelter but Little Ottie never showed himself so I guess I’m safe there.

I’ve had a lot more encounters over the years and I think these two are more than enough to reveal. I never freaked like most people, I just kept my composure.
I already have an idea of what the comments will be.

NY HIKER 50
08-10-2014, 00:08
Oh, and one time there's a cemetery that had a water spigot near the road as yo pass on the trail. As I was going to it I heard a voice say"the waters off". There was no one around. I should have listened since I tried the faucet, and indeed it was off. I just went into town and got water in a park.

Dadburnet
08-10-2014, 08:14
Owls have butts? Panther screams are really scary!

Pedaling Fool
05-01-2015, 07:38
This reminds me of an encounter I had in Maine.

When I was 16 I did a SOBO thru-hike of Maine starting June/July ‘81. This encounter happened on the first day of the hike, we (father, uncle & me) were going up Katahdin from the north to Knife-edge, starting from Roaring Brook Campground, going up the Helon Taylor trail (IIRC).

I’m not sure how long into the hike we were, but I know we were still a good way from tree-line, in the dense foliage. All I remember was hearing this deep sounding roar, sort of like hearing an African lion in the zoo. It caused us all to stop dead in our tracks. Never saw anything, but heard some rustling in the brush and a second growl, then it was gone. It was scary as hell, now when I hear the term, "freeze in your tracks" I think of that moment. I was – we all were – stopped in our tracks with great concern for whatever that was.

At the time we just assumed it was a black bear. However, now I'm not too sure. I’ve read a lot about bears and the sound they make and from what I gather they don’t make the sound we heard, at best they make a weak roar/growl, this was no weak roar/growl, it was a very powerful roar. I’ve heard recordings of mountain lions and this was no mountain lion, too deep of a sound, that’s why I say it reminds me more of an African lion, but not quite.

I even saw a video of two male bears fighting (I think it was on Bear.org) and they were making weird sounds, but nothing coming close to the sound of a roar, much less the roaring sound we heard that day.

Apparently there's a little bit of a history of these things in Maine. New book out, but as I understand it, there's nothing new in the book, but for those that don't know about this obscure history of Maine, it is new. http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Woods-Chronicle-Bigfoot-Maine/dp/1616462841

And more on Maine here... http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Maine-True-Tales-State/dp/1596299363

BirdBrain
05-01-2015, 10:24
Two stories from me. Neither spectacular.

1) Climbing down Moody in Maine going SoBo, I could not shake the feeling that someone was inches behind me. Asked my brother-in-law if he had the same sensation when I caught up to him. He said no. I have searched the net many times and can find nothing about that spot. I stealth alone in the middle of nowhere often. I am never nervous about it. That hill freaked me out.

2) Bump in the night story. A bear went tent to tent waking people up when I stayed at Garfield Campsite. It bumped my tent a couple times too.

By the way, Fisher's are not small. They are one of the larger weasels. The female is larger than the male. I caught a few as a trapper as a young man that did not love animals as I do today. Think of an animal fast enough to catch a squirrel and tough enough to kill a porcupine. Don't be afraid though. They are ghosts of the woods. You will walk by many in Maine and never see them. They have zero interest in us ever seeing them.

fastfoxengineering
05-01-2015, 15:02
Two stories from me. Neither spectacular.

1) Climbing down Moody in Maine going SoBo, I could not shake the feeling that someone was inches behind me. Asked my brother-in-law if he had the same sensation when I caught up to him. He said no. I have searched the net many times and can find nothing about that spot. I stealth alone in the middle of nowhere often. I am never nervous about it. That hill freaked me out.

2) Bump in the night story. A bear went tent to tent waking people up when I stayed at Garfield Campsite. It bumped my tent a couple times too.

By the way, Fisher's are not small. They are one of the larger weasels. The female is larger than the male. I caught a few as a trapper as a young man that did not love animals as I do today. Think of an animal fast enough to catch a squirrel and tough enough to kill a porcupine. Don't be afraid though. They are ghosts of the woods. You will walk by many in Maine and never see them. They have zero interest in us ever seeing them.

Fisher males are larger than their female counterparts. Everything else I agree with. They are a pretty serious predator. However, a non-threat to humans... but there's always one lol! They like their solitude and will avoid humans.

http://www.defenders.org/fisher/basic-facts-about-fishers

http://www.nationaltrappers.com/fisher.html

BirdBrain
05-01-2015, 15:16
I stand corrected. All I know is the females I caught were larger than the males. I got $180 on average for the females and $150 for the males on average. I was told the females were preferred. I put one and one together and got three. Never read anything on them. What I knew was from trapping them. I did not know it was the hair that made the price difference. Learn something old every day. ;)

rickb
05-01-2015, 16:43
Here's what I've seen and thought were fisher cats. Am I wrong?

http://cf067b.medialib.glogster.com/media/c0/c06a07aaa317459ecdaffb8e508270982521742b9e0377bfe5 132c333a26e7b1/baby-fisher-jpg.jpg

Beautiful shot.

I think that is a Weasel -- probably a long-tail weasel if that is black at the tip of his tail. I wouldn't be t my house on that, however.

The most fun weasel experience we had was one that was tame as city park chipmunk which was hanging around well-traveled path around a small lake in RMNP that every tourist visits.

He was cool, but what made it magical was that my wife and I had spent a few nights prior torturing each other with plastic recorders-- and Pop Goes the Weasel was my weapon of choice. Naturally I read more into his appearance than a rational man should.

Deer Hunter
05-01-2015, 17:10
Beautiful shot.

I think that is a Weasel -- probably a long-tail weasel if that is black at the tip of his tail. I wouldn't be t my house on that, however.

The most fun weasel experience we had was one that was tame as city park chipmunk which was hanging around well-traveled path around a small lake in RMNP that every tourist visits.

He was cool, but what made it magical was that my wife and I had spent a few nights prior torturing each other with plastic recorders-- and Pop Goes the Weasel was my weapon of choice. Naturally I read more into his appearance than a rational man should.


I agree. That's a weasel.

Jake2c
05-02-2015, 00:14
Nothing really interesting but once I was bedded down and someone else was bedded down about 50 yards away. He and his buddy had been drinking so when he got up to pee, he tripped over his cooking gear making a ton of noise. Scared the hell out of something big that ran past my site, within a few feet of me. Not sure what it was but I was awake for about an hour.

Woodturner
05-02-2015, 20:19
Here's what I've seen and thought were fisher cats. Am I wrong?

http://cf067b.medialib.glogster.com/media/c0/c06a07aaa317459ecdaffb8e508270982521742b9e0377bfe5 132c333a26e7b1/baby-fisher-jpg.jpg

Looks like a regular weasel to me

Sarcasm the elf
05-02-2015, 21:58
Looks like a regular weasel to me

How can you tell that it's not constipated?

BirdBrain
05-02-2015, 22:03
How can you tell that it's not constipated?

Close examination.

Capt Nat
05-02-2015, 23:03
I truly believe this, If you feel like you are being watched, you are...

Woodturner
05-03-2015, 15:46
How can you tell that it's not constipated?

The eyes are clear and he isn't squinting.

virginiagunny
05-04-2015, 12:28
July 2014
Location: Price Mt. Approximately 5 miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway.




While hiking the AT, I had crossed the creek at the base of Price Mt. I had turned my angle while doing so. By the time I reached the top of Price Mt. I was losing the light and made the decision to camp in a clearing just off of the trail.


I setup a trap shelter and had a light dinner. I then settled into my shelter and fell asleep. At approximately 0200hrs. I heard a sound that I have never heard before. It was a VERY LOUD howl, scream. It had an almost human quality to it. All of the other forest noises stopped. I then heard something walking about 60 to 80 yards away from my camp. I then heard what sounded like a 100 turkeys beating the wings. What every was there then howled again and the what sounded like a very big log was slapped against a tree for maybe 30 seconds.


I stayed in my shelter and did not make any sound. I could hear what ever was there walk close to my camp, maybe within 30 yards of me. It was then that I could smell a very musky odder, very similar to a wet animal with a hint of sunk. It then moved away from my camp and howled again.


I did not sleep the rest of night at daybreak I got up and packed my gear. I then hiked south to the BRP.


I can tell you what this was not, it was not a bear, coyote, bobcat or turkey. It was not any animal that I know of and it was not a human. But I could also tell what ever it was walked on two feet. I wish I could tell you what it was.

BirdBrain
05-04-2015, 12:54
July 2014
Location: Price Mt. Approximately 5 miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway.




While hiking the AT, I had crossed the creek at the base of Price Mt. I had turned my angle while doing so. By the time I reached the top of Price Mt. I was losing the light and made the decision to camp in a clearing just off of the trail.


I setup a trap shelter and had a light dinner. I then settled into my shelter and fell asleep. At approximately 0200hrs. I heard a sound that I have never heard before. It was a VERY LOUD howl, scream. It had an almost human quality to it. All of the other forest noises stopped. I then heard something walking about 60 to 80 yards away from my camp. I then heard what sounded like a 100 turkeys beating the wings. What every was there then howled again and the what sounded like a very big log was slapped against a tree for maybe 30 seconds.


I stayed in my shelter and did not make any sound. I could hear what ever was there walk close to my camp, maybe within 30 yards of me. It was then that I could smell a very musky odder, very similar to a wet animal with a hint of sunk. It then moved away from my camp and howled again.


I did not sleep the rest of night at daybreak I got up and packed my gear. I then hiked south to the BRP.


I can tell you what this was not, it was not a bear, coyote, bobcat or turkey. It was not any animal that I know of and it was not a human. But I could also tell what ever it was walked on two feet. I wish I could tell you what it was.

I have lived long enough to not make wild assumptions. As a child I saw something that I can't explain. No, I am not going to elaborate. My point is that I am not going to dismiss you. I don't know what was there. I fully believe there are bizarre creatures yet to be discovered. However, I seriously doubt that Bigfoot lives anywhere near the AT.

virginiagunny
05-04-2015, 15:46
Like I said I WILL NOT SAY what it was just that I can't say what is was, I know I did not want to meet it.

BirdBrain
05-04-2015, 15:55
Like I said I WILL NOT SAY what it was just that I can't say what is was, I know I did not want to meet it.

I heard you. Not accusing. It is just the obvious assumption most reading that would make. If I told my story, many would make obvious assumptions about what I was saying. I am not as brave as you to put my story out there for scrutiny.

rickb
05-04-2015, 22:19
I am not as brave as you to put my story out there for scrutiny.

Come on BB. If one can't look like an idiot on WB, then where?

If you are worried about losing your security clearance, or no longer getting big bucks as an expert witness, just start your post with "An old acquaintance once told me". We will know.

BirdBrain
05-04-2015, 22:44
Come on BB. If one can't look like an idiot on WB, then where?

I do not need to tell my tale to accomplish that. I believe I have established that characteristic long ago. :D

tiptoe
05-05-2015, 09:29
Well, this is probably not the best thread to read before a long section hike, but then again, adventures, if they don't kill you, are highlight moments.

One year I was hammocking at home on the back hill, and about 4 a.m. a deer bumped right into my hammock. It wasn't too surprising for me, as I knew deer often spend the night there. I heard it coming toward me and told it to scram. The deer, though, was quite startled and jumped away, snorted, and ran off.

LoneStranger
05-05-2015, 10:18
Had a pretty good bump in the night Friday on the back side of Hancock in the Whites. Was dreaming I was in a tent being pushed around by a bear and woke up to a very real sensation of being pushed hard in the small of my back. I checked the tent for claw marks and seeing none assumed I hadn't been attacked by a bear. I said Hey! just to see if anything replied but it was quiet so I had a chuckle and went back to sleep.

No foot prints to be found in the morning so I'm guessing it was either a dream or a chipmunk. Unless it was that thing that BB won't warn us about :)

BirdBrain
05-05-2015, 10:43
Had a pretty good bump in the night Friday on the back side of Hancock in the Whites. Was dreaming I was in a tent being pushed around by a bear and woke up to a very real sensation of being pushed hard in the small of my back. I checked the tent for claw marks and seeing none assumed I hadn't been attacked by a bear. I said Hey! just to see if anything replied but it was quiet so I had a chuckle and went back to sleep.

No foot prints to be found in the morning so I'm guessing it was either a dream or a chipmunk. Unless it was that thing that BB won't warn us about :)

I will give you a few clues. It made no sounds. It never touched me. It never looked at me. It did not appear to even know I was there. I watched it clearly for what seemed like an eternity (likely 30 seconds). Never saw anything like it before or again. I know that whatever it was, it was real. I got a really good long look at it. It scared the crap out of me. I have told only a handful of people about it in my lifetime and they were all people that love me in spite of me. I do not have strong opinions about what I saw. It serves only one purpose. It has caused me to not laugh at other people. I might chuckle at their conclusions and I think a good percentage are just stories. However, because of that event, I do not assume the stories are all just stories. That is my last word on my story.

mikec
05-05-2015, 11:33
I was section hiking in March,2000 and was sleeping alone in Wapiti Shelter, VA. I was aware of the fact that 2 people were killed at this shelter in the past and that the local individual that had done the crime was recently released from jail. I was wearing ear plugs. However, around 3:00AM I was awakened by what sounded like a vehicle close by. There was a dirt road about a half mile south of the shelter. I thought to myself: Don't be scared. If something happens, it happens. I laid awake for awhile and did not hear anything else so I went back to sleep. Was I dreaming since I knew the history of the events that unfolded at this shelter? Was it supernatural? I don't know. All I know is that the next night, when I slept at Doc's Knob shelter, I kept a candle lantern that I had going all night.

BirdBrain
05-05-2015, 11:37
I would like to add some perspective to this discussion. Our hearing is a horrible judge of objects in the woods as anyone that has ever hunted can attest. Imagine the following:

You have been hunting deer all season. It is the last day. It is the last hour. You are sitting in a tree stand. You hear something coming. Snap! Crash! Stomp! Stomp! SNAP!!! You are ready. Your heart is pounding. This is it. It is your last chance. You can't miss. The noise keeps getting louder, but you can't quite place the direction. You start to wonder. How big is this thing? Then you see it! It's a huge... gray squirrel.

Sound silly? It happens all the time. If you never see the squirrel, you are left wondering if it was a moose. The same thing happens with fish that get away. It is not a fake story. The unknown is always bigger and scarier than reality. I wear earplugs at night because chipmunks sound like moose. Can you imagine what a moose would sound like?

LoneStranger
05-05-2015, 12:19
Sorry if it seemed I was goading you to tell your story BB. Not my intent at all. I was just poking fun at the unknown because I prefer to laugh than be afraid if I can help it.

I do have a good sound not equal to threat story though. Once laid in my tent half asleep realizing that I could hear something approaching slowly and with great stealth through the underbrush. Intermittent rustles punctuated with snaps and crackles. As it grew louder I came full awake and felt my heart begin to pound. Carefully peeking through the net of my tent to see if I could spot what it was I saw it; A tiny beetle scraping through the dry leaves right next to where my head was laying.

After that and the dinosaur attack I pretty much stopped being afraid in the woods. Easier to deal with whatever is trying to scare you that way.

tiptoe
05-05-2015, 12:20
virginiagunny, I'd venture a guess that you heard foxes. I have foxes living in the back field in old groundhog holes, and late winter/early spring is mating season. The shrieks are loud and unearthly; it sounds like someone is being murdered. For most of the year, there is also a faint and sometimes not-so-faint skunk-like odor around the foxholes. Just a couple of days ago, my neighbors heard an unearthly shriek midmorning, and when I walked through the field shortly after that I saw a kit really struggling to walk. It managed to drag itself to a spot between a fence and a fence section and died a couple of hours later. Most likely a hawk got it and dropped it, breaking its back. That night, we heard a lot of barking, and by morning, we saw just traces of fur. Raccoons or coyotes had dug out the carcass.

Studlintsean
05-05-2015, 12:25
virginiagunny, I'd venture a guess that you heard foxes. I have foxes living in the back field in old groundhog holes, and late winter/early spring is mating season. The shrieks are loud and unearthly; it sounds like someone is being murdered. For most of the year, there is also a faint and sometimes not-so-faint skunk-like odor around the foxholes. Just a couple of days ago, my neighbors heard an unearthly shriek midmorning, and when I walked through the field shortly after that I saw a kit really struggling to walk. It managed to drag itself to a spot between a fence and a fence section and died a couple of hours later. Most likely a hawk got it and dropped it, breaking its back. That night, we heard a lot of barking, and by morning, we saw just traces of fur. Raccoons or coyotes had dug out the carcass.

That was my guess also. My neighbor once told me she thought she heard a girl get killed in our neighborhood. I told her to look up the sound of a a fox (we have them in our neighborhood) and she confirmed that is what it was.

Pedaling Fool
05-05-2015, 12:59
I have lived long enough to not make wild assumptions. As a child I saw something that I can't explain. No, I am not going to elaborate. My point is that I am not going to dismiss you. I don't know what was there. I fully believe there are bizarre creatures yet to be discovered. However, I seriously doubt that Bigfoot lives anywhere near the AT.
Your story somewhat reminds me of an unknown animal the author Art Bernstein says he witnessed on one of his hikes. It's documented in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Hikes-Collection-Bizarre-Absolutely/dp/B007K5G95I/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

BirdBrain
05-05-2015, 13:07
I do have a good sound not equal to threat story though. Once laid in my tent half asleep realizing that I could hear something approaching slowly and with great stealth through the underbrush. Intermittent rustles punctuated with snaps and crackles. As it grew louder I came full awake and felt my heart begin to pound. Carefully peeking through the net of my tent to see if I could spot what it was I saw it; A tiny beetle scraping through the dry leaves right next to where my head was laying.

That is hilarious. A beetle! You win the prize for showing how your ears are lousy judges of the creatures around you at night.

Sarcasm the elf
05-05-2015, 13:22
I stumbled across this on youtube, thought it would fit in here. This is one of the rather eerie sounds that a fox can make:


http://youtu.be/Az80KVbVUSs

http://youtu.be/Az80KVbVUSs

tiptoe
05-05-2015, 13:34
http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Fox_Sounds_audio

These are good, too.

virginiagunny
05-05-2015, 13:57
LOL, Sounds good to me. I just know that what ever I heard It got my attention.

wormer
05-05-2015, 14:08
I remember hearing old time Mainers say, "if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger"

BirdBrain
05-05-2015, 16:06
Here is another story of how our hearing can mess with our reality.

In the spring of 1996 we had an ice storm that knocked our power out for about a week. The family stayed in he house that first night. As it dragged on, I stayed alone to make sure pipes did not freeze.

That first night, my 7 year old daughter started screaming for me. I ran to her room. She was crying and claiming someone was breathing in her bed. I did not dismiss her. I knelt at her bed and prayed that God would reveal to me what she was hearing. I told her to move over and let me listen. Immediately I could hear a deep inhale and exhale. This went on and on. So I laid on the floor. It went away. I walked around the room. It was gone. I laid back in the bed. It came back. My daughter whispered, "Do you hear it?" I did not know what to do. I prayed again. Then it hit me that deep tones can travel. I jumped out of bed and raised her bedroom window. Off in the distance, I could hear a generator cycling. That was the culprit. I had my daughter listen as I slowly closed the window.

How many parents would dismiss their child over such a thing? Can you imagine if I told her to go back to sleep? We do not always know the answer to strange sounds. We should not dismiss people with stories of strange sounds. They might be made up. They might not be made up. Strange noises can freak a person out. Often we never find the source. Regardless, ears are not good indicators of what is out there.

rickb
05-05-2015, 17:14
I always sensed BB was a good egg, but now he has gone and removed all doubt.

As such, I will not ask again for him to expound upon his strange encounter. I would like to take the opportunity to note that perhaps the most famous of all alien abductions took place very near the AT -- in Franconia Notch.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_and_Betty_Hill

canoe
05-05-2015, 21:48
I always sensed BB was a good egg, but now he has gone and removed all doubt.

As such, I will not ask again for him to expound upon his strange encounter. I would like to take the opportunity to note that perhaps the most famous of all alien abductions took place very near the AT -- in Franconia Notch.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_and_Betty_Hill Thats a story right there

rickb
05-05-2015, 22:56
Thats a story right there

A few years ago the state of NH erected a historical highway marker to mark the history of this important event along Route 3 in Franconia Notch.

Looks just like the one in Crawford Notch marking the site of the Bretton Woods Monetary Conference, but different copy of course.

http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=74571

August W.
05-05-2015, 23:50
I have never seen any aliens or sasquatch but one of the most startling bumps in the night hit me in the head as I walked under some pine trees. It knocked my hat off and flogged my shoulders and head as it flew away. I would like to think it was an owl with a sense of humor but I was too preoccupied with flailing and spinning to get a look at it. I didn't laugh nearly as hard as my friend did.
This next event didn't happen at night but it's memorable enough; and those of you who have spent countless hours stealthily wading in creeks and rivers should get a chuckle. It was Sunday morning shortly after sunrise and I was alone on the New River flipping flies. I was working very slowly upstream in water that was over my knees. It was summer so I was in shorts and wading boots. I had the whole river to myself and was totally absorbed, in the zone, just me, my rod,the water, the sunshine , and more bass than trout. I had been standing still a while to change flies and just as I took a cautious step forward something big hit the inside of my leg about at my knee, and just inches in front of my knees the water splashed violently as a beaver thrashed it's tail trying to swim away from me. Not only did it ruin the serenity it nearly ruined my shorts! I never wanted to walk on water but that darn beaver taught me how to!

Bigfoot86
05-06-2015, 04:03
7Bowl
Bigfoot? Bigfoot!

what? I've never been up that way

Kerosene
05-06-2015, 17:03
My last night of a section hike from Atkins to Damascus, June 6, 2007, at the end of a 24-mile day (my 3rd consecutive 20-mile day, and the last time my knees will let me do that) I tented outside Saunders Shelter. I had sampled a bit of whiskey with Drunk Warren and Big Dave from Alabama, and Otay on his first night out. We had chatted about recent bear sightings in the area. From my journal:

I was emptying my bladder by the tree-line over the side of an embankment just before I headed to bed. It was now quite dark, with crystal clear stars directly overhead. Gradually my eyes adjusted to the darkness, but just before I finished I caught sight of something glowing in the trees below. There were at least two “objects”, but they were far enough apart that they didn’t seem like the eyes of a single animal. I tried to get a better view by moving to one side, but they disappeared, almost as if something had turned away. I tried not to think about it, but as I zipped up my tent I kept an eye out toward the tree-line and eventually saw a single object moving. So now I’m wondering what it could be, when suddenly it appears not 10 yards away and heading straight towards the tent! I let out a loud exclamation that seemed to scare away the object and attracted the other campers, who scurried over thinking it was a bear (we had been talking about the rumors of a mother bear and cub frequenting this shelter). I never did figure out what I was seeing, but figured it was small enough that I could forget it.

Definitely qualifies as eerie, in that I still can't figure out what it was unless is was a chain of coincidences with a pair of photo-luminescent bugs. They/It didn't make any noise that I could discern, and I only had a sip of whiskey (or was it moonshine?) and hold my liquor well. Definitely weird. Didn't keep me from sleeping soundly once I got to sleep however.

MuddyWaters
05-06-2015, 23:58
I find great comfort in the fact that, despite all the frightening things that people see, hear, or even imagine, ive never heard of anyone being harmed by any of them ( except other people). So i put my earplugs in, and just go to sleep.

Not talking about on the trail, but ive been startled awake many times from deep sleep by loud noises, feeling things, etc that were just......imagined apparently. Its incredible how real some things can seem.

Another Kevin
05-07-2015, 15:23
I stand corrected. All I know is the females I caught were larger than the males. I got $180 on average for the females and $150 for the males on average. I was told the females were preferred. I put one and one together and got three. Never read anything on them. What I knew was from trapping them. I did not know it was the hair that made the price difference. Learn something old every day. ;)

I've seen the odd fisher or two. You're right, they're very shy. They are also incredible predators. A fisher can bring down a porcupine.

About 35-40 years ago, I had a shapka ushanka (Russian trooper's hat) made of fisher, which turned up in a thrift store, of all places! Wow, that hat was warm. Alas, it didn't go into cold storage when I moved to the Southwest in 1978, and silverfish got into it.