Speaker 1: The Appalachian Trail is more than just a footpath. It's
Speaker 1: a twenty two hundred mile artery of dirt rock posting
Speaker 1: through the heart of the oldest mountains in America. For
Speaker 1: those who walk it, it becomes a world, and to itself,
Speaker 1: a green tunnel, if you will, of whispering leaves, grueling climes,
Speaker 1: and breathtaking visitas. But beneath the worn earth and beside
Speaker 1: the iconic white blazes lies another path, one woven from
Speaker 1: centuries of whispers, warnings, and strange encounters. This is the
Speaker 1: Trail of legends. These ancient mountains have been home to
Speaker 1: countless generations, each leaving its own ghosts and stories etched
Speaker 1: into the landscape. From the deep hollows of the South,
Speaker 1: where the Cherokee tolltales of life stealing witches and benevolent
Speaker 1: little people, to the misty peaks of New England by
Speaker 1: the spirits of colonial settlers and protected by powerful nature gods.
Speaker 1: The trail is saturated with folklore. In this collection, in
Speaker 1: no particular order, we'll step off the physical path and
Speaker 1: onto the trail of legend. We'll seek out the creatures
Speaker 1: that defy explanation. Listen for the lonely ghosts of pioneers
Speaker 1: and soldiers, and feel the unnerving presence of entities born
Speaker 1: from the modern hiker's deepest spheres. So quite your footsteps,
Speaker 1: Listen to the wind, and look closer at the shadows
Speaker 1: between the trees. The trail of legends is all around you,
Speaker 1: and the first story is just ahead. Join me, I'm
Speaker 1: Steve Stockton. Let's take a walk and see these legends
Speaker 1: of the Appalachian Trail. First up, the Wampus Cat. I
Speaker 1: fear some half way A woman half cat creature of
Speaker 1: Cherokee origin. The wampas cat is set to stalk the
Speaker 1: remote woods of the Appalachians. Legends tell of a woman who,
Speaker 1: after spying on a sacred tribal ceremony, was cursed to
Speaker 1: roam the mountains as a monstrous, supernatural Panther descriptions vary,
Speaker 1: but she is often depicted as having glowing eyes and
Speaker 1: immense power. Hikers have reported hearing her blood curdling screams
Speaker 1: echoing through the night, and finding unnaturally large beeline tracks
Speaker 1: along the trail. Next the moon eyed people. According to
Speaker 1: Cherokee lore, the Appalachian Mountains were once inhabited by mysterious
Speaker 1: race of fair skinned, blue eyed people who were unable
Speaker 1: to see in the daylight. These moon eyed people were
Speaker 1: said to live in underground tunnels and only emergent night.
Speaker 1: Legend has it that they were eventually driven from the
Speaker 1: region by the Cherokee. Now some theorists have even speculated
Speaker 1: that these tales could be a distant memory of pre
Speaker 1: Columbian European explorers. Ancient stone structures found in the region
Speaker 1: are sometimes attributed to this enigmatic group. Next, the Brown
Speaker 1: Mountain Lights. For over a century, mysterious ethereal lights have
Speaker 1: been witnessed dancing above the peaks of Brown Mountain in
Speaker 1: North Carolina and are visible from parts of the Appalachian Trail.
Speaker 1: I've seen these myself, and they are very, very strange.
Speaker 1: These ghost lights very in color and intensity, often appearing
Speaker 1: as floating orbs that hover and then vanish. While scientific
Speaker 1: explanations have been proposed, from trained lights and cars to
Speaker 1: swamp gas, the Cherokee have their own legend. They believe
Speaker 1: the lights are the spirits of ancient warriors their torches,
Speaker 1: still searching for their well and comrades from a great battle.
Speaker 1: Next the Mothman, though his infinous debut was in Point
Speaker 1: Pleasant Way, Virginia in the nineteen sixties. Sightings of a
Speaker 1: winged humanoid creature with glowing red eyes have been reported
Speaker 1: throughout the Appalachian region. Described as being as large as
Speaker 1: a man with a massive wingspan, the moth man is
Speaker 1: often seen as a harbinger of doom, its appearance preceding
Speaker 1: tragic events through hikers who have shared tales of unsettling
Speaker 1: red eyed figures glimpsed in the twilight hours in the
Speaker 1: more remote sections of the trail. Next the gray Men
Speaker 1: of the one hundred Mile Wilderness. The one hundred Mile
Speaker 1: Wilderness in Maine is the most remote and demanding section
Speaker 1: of the entire trail. It is here that hikers push
Speaker 1: to their physical and mental limits. Speak of the gray Men.
Speaker 1: These are not true ghosts, but personification of the extreme
Speaker 1: caloric deficit and exhaustion hiker's face. The legend says, these silent, gray,
Speaker 1: spectral figures walk at the edge of a hiker's vision
Speaker 1: when their presence is felt as a supernatural drain, making
Speaker 1: food feel less nourishing than miles feel twice as long.
Speaker 1: They are the spirits of overwhelming hunger, are unique haunting
Speaker 1: born of pure physical depletion. Next the Snarly Yow. German
Speaker 1: immigrants to the Appalachian region brought with them tells of
Speaker 1: the Schnellerjack or snarly Yow. This creature is described as
Speaker 1: a massive black dog with glowing eyes and a terrifying
Speaker 1: howl that can be heard from miles. It's said to
Speaker 1: be a shape shifter capable of disappearing and reappearing at will.
Speaker 1: Encounters with the snarly Yow are often reported in the
Speaker 1: more isolated stretches of the trail in Maryland and West Virginia.
Speaker 1: We're just said to stalk lone hikers. Now we have
Speaker 1: the flat Woods Monster. In nineteen fifty two, in the
Speaker 1: town of flat Woods, West Virginia, a group of children
Speaker 1: and a local woman encountered a terrifying creature that has
Speaker 1: since become a local legend. Described as a tall, metallic
Speaker 1: figure with a spade shaped head and glowing eyes, the
Speaker 1: flat Woods Monster was said to emit a sickening, misty vapor.
Speaker 1: While the original sighting was not directly on the Appalachian Trail,
Speaker 1: the story has permeated the folklore of the state, adding
Speaker 1: to the roster of strange beings. One min encounter in
Speaker 1: the West Virginia Wilderness portion of the trail. Next the
Speaker 1: Ghost of Addie Powell. In the late nineteenth century, a
Speaker 1: four year old boy named Ottie Powell wandered away from
Speaker 1: his schoolhouse in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and
Speaker 1: was never seen alive again. His body was eventually found
Speaker 1: by a hunter on the slopes of Buff Mountain, near
Speaker 1: the present day route of the Appalachian Trail. Since then,
Speaker 1: hikers have reported seeing the ghostly figure of a small
Speaker 1: boy in the area, sometimes hearing his faint christ for
Speaker 1: help carried on the wind. Next, another chilling figure from
Speaker 1: Cherokee mythology. Spearfinger was a shape shifting witchlike creature with
Speaker 1: a stone finger that she used to pierce the livers
Speaker 1: of her victims, primarily children. She could take on the
Speaker 1: appearance of a loved family member to lure a prey.
Speaker 1: Her stony skin made her nearly invincible, though legend says
Speaker 1: she was eventually defeated. Her terrifying story serves as a
Speaker 1: cautionary tale for those who wander too far into the
Speaker 1: deep woods. And how about the mysterious tunnels of the trail.
Speaker 1: Whispers and online forums among Appalachian Trail hikers speak of
Speaker 1: a more modern and unsettling legend, the existence of secret
Speaker 1: man made tunnels that intersect with the trail. These stories
Speaker 1: often involved strange, pale, human like creatures emerging from these
Speaker 1: hidden entrances, sometimes described as escaped experiments from clandestine underground labs.
Speaker 1: While there is no concrete evidence for such tunnels, the
Speaker 1: tales add a layer of contemporary paranoia to the ancient
Speaker 1: mysteries of the mountains. Next, the Spirit of Pamola. At
Speaker 1: the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail looms the formidable
Speaker 1: Malcatoden in Maine. According to the Panobscot nation, this sacred
Speaker 1: mountain is protected by a powerful and fearsome spirit known
Speaker 1: as Pamola, described as having the head of a moose,
Speaker 1: the body of a man, and the wings and feet
Speaker 1: of an eagle. Pamola is the god of thunder and
Speaker 1: the master of the mountain. He is said to be
Speaker 1: intolerant of mortals who venture into his domain, capable of
Speaker 1: conjuring fierce storms and blizzards to drive them away. For generations,
Speaker 1: the Panobscot people have treated the mountain with deep respect,
Speaker 1: and many hikers who have faced the notoriously unpredictable weather,
Speaker 1: Acotodden can attest to a palpable wild power that seems
Speaker 1: to emanate from the peak itself. Next the ghosts of
Speaker 1: Gathlan State Park. The Appalachian Trail passes directly through Gathlan
Speaker 1: State Park in Maryland, a site steeped in Civil War history.
Speaker 1: The park was once the mountain home of George Alfred Townshend,
Speaker 1: a journalist and war correspondent. During the Civil War, he
Speaker 1: erected the War Correspondent's Memorial Arch, a unique and imposing
Speaker 1: structure dedicated to journalists who died in conflict. It is
Speaker 1: around this arch and the restored ruins of towns in
Speaker 1: the state that hikers have reported ghostly encounters. The apparitions
Speaker 1: of Civil War soldiers are said to appear in the
Speaker 1: midst still marching along the old mountain roads. Others have
Speaker 1: claimed to see the spectral figure of Townshend himself wherever
Speaker 1: bound to the monument he created to honor the fallen
Speaker 1: story tellers of a nation's bluiesst convict. The area's heavy
Speaker 1: history lends a somber and erie atmosphere for those passing
Speaker 1: through on the Appalachian Trail. Next up the haunted Van
Speaker 1: Deventer's Shelter, located in northeastern Tennessee. The Vandavinter's Shelter is
Speaker 1: known among THRU hikers for more than justice rustic accommodations.
Speaker 1: It's widely considered to be one of the most haunted
Speaker 1: locations on the entire trail. According to legend, a young
Speaker 1: woman died in or near the shelter long ago. Her
Speaker 1: spirit is said to remain, and her tragic story is
Speaker 1: sometimes found scrawled in the shelter's logbook. Hikers who have
Speaker 1: spent the night have reported slew of paranormal activity, including
Speaker 1: hearing disembodied whispers, feeling an unseen presence, and finding strange,
Speaker 1: unsettling entries appearing in the logbook Overnight, allegedly written by
Speaker 1: the ghostly inhabitant herself. Next the Ghosts of Sidling Hill Tunnel.
Speaker 1: While not directly on the at, the abandoned Sidling Hill
Speaker 1: Tunnel is a popular and chilling side quest for hikers
Speaker 1: passing through Pennsylvania. Part of the abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpipe, this massive,
Speaker 1: decaying tunnel is infamous for its oppressive atmosphere and paranormal claims.
Speaker 1: Visitors and ghost hunters report hearing the disembodied voices of
Speaker 1: workers who died during its construction, seeing shadowy figures darting
Speaker 1: in the gloom, and experiencing sudden, inexplicable drops in temperature.
Speaker 1: For at hikers looking for a truly terrifying detour, this dark,
Speaker 1: echoing remnant of the past offers a potent dose of
Speaker 1: local ghost lore. Now we have the Jersey Devil. As
Speaker 1: the Appalachian Trail winds through the northwestern corner of New Jersey,
Speaker 1: it enters the periphery of territory claimed by one of
Speaker 1: America's most bizarre encryptids, the Jersey Devil. For over two
Speaker 1: hundred and fifty years, tales have circulated a bizarre winged
Speaker 1: creature with a horse like head, leathery wings, and a
Speaker 1: blood curdling scream. While its primary stomping grounds is in
Speaker 1: the pine barans to the sightings have been reported in
Speaker 1: the state's northern forests and highlands. Hikers on this stretch
Speaker 1: of the trail have sometimes reported hearing unearthly shrieks in
Speaker 1: the night, or catching fleeting glimpses of a dark winged
Speaker 1: shape moving through the dense canopy, a chilling reminder that
Speaker 1: some legends have very long legs and wings. Now the
Speaker 1: Haunting of Blood Mountain, located in Georgia. Blood Mountain is
Speaker 1: the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in the state,
Speaker 1: and its name carries a heavy history. The mountain is
Speaker 1: said to have been the sight of a fierce and
Speaker 1: bloody battle between the Cherokee and Creek nations. Legend holds
Speaker 1: that the souls of the slain warriors never left, and
Speaker 1: their spirits still halt the slopes. Hikers climbing the mountain,
Speaker 1: particularly in the fog and at dusk, report hearing war
Speaker 1: cries and phantom footsteps on the trail. Some have even
Speaker 1: claimed to see fleeting, shadowy figures darting between the trees,
Speaker 1: rever locked in their ancient conflict. Next the Nunnahe. Now,
Speaker 1: not all legends of the Appalachians are terrifying. The Cherokee
Speaker 1: people tell stories of the Nunnahe or the Little People,
Speaker 1: a race of benevolent human like spirits who live in
Speaker 1: the mountains, said to be invisible unless they choose to
Speaker 1: be seen. The Nunnah are known to be friendly helpers
Speaker 1: and protectors of the Cherokee. There are many tales of
Speaker 1: them guiding lost hikers, especially children, safely out of the
Speaker 1: woods or leading hunters to game. While an encounter is rare,
Speaker 1: a hiker who finds themselves inexplicably back on the right
Speaker 1: path after being lost might just have the nunnahe to
Speaker 1: thank next. The White Lady of Raven Rock in North Carolina,
Speaker 1: near the town of Lynnville, falls as a tower and
Speaker 1: cliff known as Raven Rock. This landmark is home to
Speaker 1: a classic Appalachian ghost story, that of the White Lady.
Speaker 1: As the tale goes, a young woman, distraught over a
Speaker 1: lost love, either fell or threw herself from the precipice.
Speaker 1: Now her spectral white road figure is said to appear
Speaker 1: on the cliffs on misty nights forever wondering the spot
Speaker 1: of her demise. Hikers on the nearby trail have reported
Speaker 1: seeing a faint, luminous shape and hearing the sorrowful cries
Speaker 1: of a woman carried.
Speaker 2: On the wind.
Speaker 1: Now the Ghost of Mount Greylock. As the Appalachian Trail
Speaker 1: crosses its highest point in Massachusetts, its summits Mount Greylock,
Speaker 1: this peak has a resident ghost with a particular affinity
Speaker 1: for hikers. Known colloquially as the Old Coot, he is
Speaker 1: said to be the friendly spirit of a farmer who
Speaker 1: once lived on the mountain. He often appears as a ghostly,
Speaker 1: old fashioned hiker near the summit, particularly at Bascomb Lodge.
Speaker 1: He is sometimes seen as a harbinger of the mountain's
Speaker 1: notoriously foul and sudden weather, appearing just before a storm
Speaker 1: rolls in, perhaps as a final spectral warning the fellow travelers.
Speaker 1: Now we have the Dueyo. While the Snarly Yao stalks
Speaker 1: parts of the trail, Maryland has another monster in its woods.
Speaker 1: The Dueyo, first reported in the nineteen sixties in Frederick County,
Speaker 1: a region the at passes through. The Dueyo is described
Speaker 1: as a bipedal wolf like creature with shaggy black fur
Speaker 1: and a bushy tail. Often considered a counterpart to the
Speaker 1: Snarly Yoo, with which it was said to have had
Speaker 1: a legendary battle. The Dueo is Maryland's unique version of
Speaker 1: a werewolf cryptid. Local reports and hiker tales speak of
Speaker 1: strange howls and encounters with a fast moving, upright canid
Speaker 1: in the deep woods. And now what about the punk Wedgies?
Speaker 1: Especially relevant to hikers in Massachusetts. The punk Wedgies are
Speaker 1: creatures from the folklore of the Wampanog and other Algonquin peoples.
Speaker 1: Described as small, gray skinned, troll like humanoids about two
Speaker 1: to three feet tall, they are known to be masters
Speaker 1: of magic and trickery. While some tales paint them as mischievous,
Speaker 1: others describe them as malevolent, capable of luring people off cliffs,
Speaker 1: shooting poison arrows, and disappearing at will. Their traditional territory
Speaker 1: is the forests and swamps in New England, and hikers
Speaker 1: on the Massachusetts portion of the at have reported feelings
Speaker 1: of being watched, hearing strange chattering, and seeing small figures
Speaker 1: moving just at the edge of their vision. Next up
Speaker 1: the Bennington Triangle. As the Appalachian Trail merges with the
Speaker 1: Long Trail in southwestern Vermont, it passes directly through the
Speaker 1: heart of an infamous window area known as the Bennington Triangle.
Speaker 1: This region, centered on Glastonbury Mountain, is notorious for a
Speaker 1: series of at least five mysterious disappearances between nineteen forty
Speaker 1: five and nineteen fifty, including that of an experienced hiker.
Speaker 1: None of the missing wherever found a vast array of
Speaker 1: supernatural explanations have been proposed, from a man eating creature
Speaker 1: and interdimensional portals to UFO abductions. Hikers in this section
Speaker 1: often report a disorienting, weird atmosphere, strange lights in the sky,
Speaker 1: and an unnerving sense of being utterly alone, even when
Speaker 1: with a group. And then there's the ghost of the
Speaker 1: leather Man. In the late eighteen hundreds, a very real
Speaker 1: and enigmatic figure known as the leather Man endlessly walked
Speaker 1: a three hundred and sixty five miles circuit between the
Speaker 1: Connecticut and Hudson Rivers, a route that crosses the modern
Speaker 1: day at in both Connecticut and New York. Clad in
Speaker 1: a crude, sixty pound suit of stitch together leather scraps,
Speaker 1: he was a silent wonder who slept in caves and
Speaker 1: was so punctual that locals would set their watches by
Speaker 1: his arrival. Though he was a real person, this strange
Speaker 1: life is more into legend since his death, His ghost
Speaker 1: is now said to continue walking the old circuit, and
Speaker 1: hikers have reported seeing a silent, leather clad figure on
Speaker 1: the trail who vanishes when approached, forever, sticking to his
Speaker 1: unending schedule and Then there's Hexenkoff Rock. Near the Appalachian
Speaker 1: Trail in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley lies a large stone outcrop
Speaker 1: known as Hexenkoff or Witch'shead Rock. For centuries, this place
Speaker 1: was a legendary gathering spot for practitioners of powllowing, which
Speaker 1: was a form of Pennsylvania Dutch folk magic and witchcraft.
Speaker 1: It was said to be a place of immense power,
Speaker 1: where curses were cast and rituals were performed under the
Speaker 1: cover of night. Local lore is built with tales of
Speaker 1: strange lights seen dancing around the rock, and farmers blame
Speaker 1: the hexankof witches for sick livestock or bad crops. The
Speaker 1: area around the rock maintains a deeply spooky reputation, charged
Speaker 1: with the energy of its magical history. Next, the feuding
Speaker 1: Ghosts of Rice Field Shelter. Another of the trails famously
Speaker 1: haunted shelters, the Rice Field Shelter in Virginia comes with
Speaker 1: a story of brotherly hate. According to the legend, two
Speaker 1: brothers who owned the land where the shelter now stands
Speaker 1: got into a bitter argument over the property line, a
Speaker 1: dispute that ended in a violent, murderous confrontation. Now, Hikers
Speaker 1: who stayed the night report being woken by the sounds
Speaker 1: of phantom arguing, angry shouts echoing from the surrounding woods,
Speaker 1: and the palpable feeling of rage and resentment that seems
Speaker 1: to have soaked into the very ground next The not deer,
Speaker 1: a product of modern folklore that has found a home
Speaker 1: in the Appalachians. The not deer is particularly unsettling creature.
Speaker 1: Reports describe an animal that looks almost like a deer,
Speaker 1: but is fundamentally wrong. Its legs may be in the
Speaker 1: wrong direction, its eyes may face forward like a predators.
Speaker 1: It may move with an unnerving fluidity, or it may
Speaker 1: stand on its hind legs. Often, it shows no fear
Speaker 1: of humans and evokes a primal sense of dread. Hikers
Speaker 1: who shared chilling tales have been countering these creatures on
Speaker 1: remote sections of the trail, suggesting an animal that is
Speaker 1: either a malformed species, a skin walker, or something else entirely.
Speaker 1: Now we have the ghosts of Cattalucci Valley. Before it
Speaker 1: was part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Katalucci
Speaker 1: was a thriving community. In the nineteen thirties, residents were
Speaker 1: forced to sell their land and leave their homes for
Speaker 1: the creation of the park. Today, the Appalachian Trail passes
Speaker 1: near this valley of preserved homesteads, schools, and churches. It
Speaker 1: is said to be haunted by the spirits of those
Speaker 1: who were displaced. Visitors report seeing ghostly figures looking out
Speaker 1: the windows of empty houses, hearing the faint laughter of
Speaker 1: children near the abandoned school, in fitting a profound, lingering
Speaker 1: sadness that permeates the entire valley. Next the Ghost of
Speaker 1: the Great Gulf in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Speaker 1: Now the White Mountains of New Hampshire contained some of
Speaker 1: the most beautiful and treacherous terrain on the entire Appalachian Trail.
Speaker 1: The Great Gulf wilderness of vast glacial cirque east of
Speaker 1: Mount Washington is home to its own ghost history. According
Speaker 1: to legend, the spirit of an early explorer or hiker
Speaker 1: who died in the rugged landscape still roams the gulf
Speaker 1: on quiet nights. Hikers camp near the area had reported
Speaker 1: hearing plaintive cries for help echoing from the ravine's depths,
Speaker 1: a chilling sound in such a remote and unforgiving place.
Speaker 1: Next the Dover demon. While not directly on the trail,
Speaker 1: one of massachusetts most famous cryptis was cited just a
Speaker 1: short distance away in the town of Dover. In nineteen
Speaker 1: seventy seven, several teenagers had separate terrifying encounters with the
Speaker 1: bizarre creature that became known as the Dover Demon. It
Speaker 1: was described as small and thin, with a large watermelon
Speaker 1: shaped head, glowing orange eyes, and long, spinly fingers. It
Speaker 1: was seen creeping along walls and roadsides for two nights
Speaker 1: before vanishing forever. For hikers passing through Massachusetts, the tail
Speaker 1: is a reminder that the state's woodlands have a history
Speaker 1: of producing their own unique and baffling monsters. And then
Speaker 1: there's the moodest noises. The Appalachian Trail runs through the
Speaker 1: western part of Connecticut, but one of the state's oldest
Speaker 1: and strangest legends emanates from the east in the area
Speaker 1: around East Todame. For centuries. The region is then plagued
Speaker 1: by the moodest noises, strange booming and rumbling sounds that
Speaker 1: seem to come from deep within the earth. Native Mriicans
Speaker 1: bleet it was the angry voice of a god named Hobomach,
Speaker 1: but colonists blamed it on witches, covens, or gas from
Speaker 1: subterranean gems, while modern science points to shallow micro earthquakes.
Speaker 1: The sheer history and the unsettling nature of the sounds
Speaker 1: have cemented the Moodest Noises as one of New England's
Speaker 1: most enduring paranormal mysteries. And what about the Whispers of
Speaker 1: Mohusacks Notch? Located in Maine. Mohusack Notch is famously known
Speaker 1: as the most difficult and for some, the most fun
Speaker 1: mile on the entire Appalachian Trail is a deep, dark
Speaker 1: chasm built with a jumble of gigantic bowlders that hikers
Speaker 1: must navigate by climbing over, under, and through the cave
Speaker 1: like passages. The notch is difficulty, isolation and year round
Speaker 1: ice pockets have given rise to legends. It's said the
Speaker 1: place itself is alive, and hikers report hearing disembodied whispers
Speaker 1: and strange echoes that have no source, as if the
Speaker 1: rocks themselves are speaking. Others have felt the unnerving sensation
Speaker 1: of being watched from the deep dark crevices between the boulders. Next,
Speaker 1: the Curse of the Old Man. For generations, the Old
Speaker 1: Man of the Mountain, a natural rock formation resembling a face,
Speaker 1: was the symbol of New Hampshire. The Appalachian Trail passes
Speaker 1: through the Franconian Notch, where the Profile gazed out from
Speaker 1: the cliffs above Profile Lake. Native American legend tied the
Speaker 1: stone face to a great spirit who watched over the land.
Speaker 1: Though the formation collapsed in two thousand and three, its
Speaker 1: legend endures. Some believe a curse was unleashed with its fall,
Speaker 1: while others claim the spirit of the old Man now
Speaker 1: resides in the misty waters of Profile Lake. Hikers passing
Speaker 1: through the notch still feel the weight of its history
Speaker 1: and the presence of the mountains lost Guardian. And what
Speaker 1: about the phantom hiker now? This legend does not tie
Speaker 1: to a single location, but is a widespread piece of
Speaker 1: trail folklore shared from Georgia to Maine. Numerous hikers on
Speaker 1: the at have told stories are encountering a phantom hiker.
Speaker 1: This figure often appears on a lonely stretch of trail,
Speaker 1: sometimes looking tired or wearing old fashioned gear. They might
Speaker 1: walk with you for a few minutes, sharing a bit
Speaker 1: of trail wisdom, or simply offering a silent covering presence,
Speaker 1: only to vanish without a sound when you turn your
Speaker 1: back for a moment. Now, whether these are spirits of
Speaker 1: past hikers, projections of loneliness, or something else, they are
Speaker 1: an accepted part of the trail's mysterious human tapestry. Next
Speaker 1: up the ghosts of the Parisburg Bridge. In Parisburg, Virginia,
Speaker 1: true hikers must cross a long, swinging pedestrian bridge over
Speaker 1: the wide New River. This specific crossing point is the
Speaker 1: subject of a local ghost story. According to reports from
Speaker 1: hikers and locals, the spectral figure will Woman can sometimes
Speaker 1: be seen on the bridge late at night, often gazing
Speaker 1: down into the dark water. The most common tale attached
Speaker 1: to the sighting is that she is the grieving ghost
Speaker 1: of a mother whose child drowned tragically in the river below,
Speaker 1: for ever, waiting on the bridge that crosses over the
Speaker 1: side of her loss. And now we have the Woody's
Speaker 1: Knob abduction. While ghosts and cryptis are common, this legend
Speaker 1: introduces a different kind of visitor to the at In
Speaker 1: the nineteen seventies, two hikers on Woody's Knob in Virginia
Speaker 1: claim to have a terrifying UFO experience. They reported seeing
Speaker 1: a bright metallic craft land nearby, from which strange non
Speaker 1: human entities emerged. The encounter was followed by a period
Speaker 1: of missing time, a classic element of alleged alien abduction scenarios.
Speaker 1: The story has since become a fixture of Appalachi and
Speaker 1: Ufo lore, suggesting that those who walk the trail should
Speaker 1: keep an eye not only on the woods around them,
Speaker 1: but on the skies above. Next up the Raven Mockers.
Speaker 1: Of all the figures in Cherokee legend, none are more
Speaker 1: feared than the Raven Mockers. These are said to be
Speaker 1: the most powerful and malevolent of witches, who can steal
Speaker 1: the remaining life force from the sick or dying. They
Speaker 1: often travel as fiery, shadowy shapes, and when they travel,
Speaker 1: they are said to make the sound of a raven's cry,
Speaker 1: hence their name. According to the lore, they are invisible
Speaker 1: to most people, except for certain medicine people. If their
Speaker 1: true identity is discovered, they are doomed to die. For
Speaker 1: hikers in the southern Appalachians, especially North Carolina and Tennessee,
Speaker 1: the cry of a raven near a shelter at dusk
Speaker 1: can take on a terrifying new meaning. Now the legend
Speaker 1: of the Blowing Rock. Near the Appalachian Trail in North
Speaker 1: Carolina is the famous cliff known as the Blowing Rock,
Speaker 1: which overhangs the Johns River Gorge. A unique local legend
Speaker 1: gives is the spot its name. The story tells of
Speaker 1: a maiden from the Chickasaw tribe who fell in love
Speaker 1: with a brave from the rival Cherokee. When her lover
Speaker 1: was called by duty to return to his tribe, he
Speaker 1: leaped from the rock into the gorge below rather than
Speaker 1: be separated from her. The distraught maiden prayed to the
Speaker 1: Great Spirit every day until one evening a tremendous gust
Speaker 1: of wind blew up from the gorge, returning her lover
Speaker 1: to the cliff side and into her arms. To this day,
Speaker 1: the winds in the gorge are known to defy gravity,
Speaker 1: blowing light objects back up.
Speaker 2: To the top.
Speaker 1: And then there's the Ghosts of the Hudson Highlands. As
Speaker 1: the Appalachian Trail dips into New York, it crosses the
Speaker 1: Hudson River and winds through the rugged and strategic Hudson Highlands,
Speaker 1: a landscape critical during the Revolutionary War. This section of
Speaker 1: the trail, particularly in Harriman and Bare Mountain State parks
Speaker 1: is said to be haunted by the spirits of the
Speaker 1: soldiers who fought and died. Hikers have reported seeing spectral
Speaker 1: figures in Continental Army or British Redcoat uniforms, marching silently
Speaker 1: through the woods, smelling phantom pipe smoke, and hearing the distant,
Speaker 1: ghostly sounds of musket fire or military drums echoing through
Speaker 1: the foggy hills. Next the thunderbird of Hakamack Swamp. While
Speaker 1: the eight skirts this area, hikers in Massachusetts are not
Speaker 1: far from the infamous Bridgewater Triangle, a two hundred square
Speaker 1: miles zone of intense paranormal activity. One of the most
Speaker 1: spectacular legends from this area is that of the thunderbird.
Speaker 1: Numerous reports, some dating back centuries, describe encounters with gigantic
Speaker 1: pterodactyl like birds with immense wingspans. These creatures are often
Speaker 1: seen near Hakamack's Swamp, which the Wampanoag people called the
Speaker 1: place where spirits dwell. The proximity of such a paranormal
Speaker 1: hotspot adds another layer of mystery to the Massachusetts woolness.
Speaker 1: Next the haunted site of Glastonbury Shelter within the heart
Speaker 1: of Vermont's mysterious Benington Triangle, at the foot of Glastonbury Mountain,
Speaker 1: once stood the Glastonbury Shelter. While the structure has since
Speaker 1: been removed, the site remains a popular camping spot on
Speaker 1: the trail and is considered a focal point for the
Speaker 1: area's strange energy through Hikers who have camped at or
Speaker 1: near the former shelter have reported experiences that go beyond
Speaker 1: the general weirdness of the triangle. These include hearing distinct,
Speaker 1: disembodied whispers just outside their tents, seeing shadowy figures moving
Speaker 1: at the edge of the clearing, and being overcome with
Speaker 1: a sense of profound dread that compels them to pack
Speaker 1: up and hike into the night. Next up the melon Heads.
Speaker 1: As the Appalachian Trail dips into its southernmost stretching Connecticut,
Speaker 1: it passes through a region associated with one of the
Speaker 1: state's most disturbing urban legends. Heads stories describe a reclusive
Speaker 1: community of small humanoids with massive, bulbous heads are said
Speaker 1: to live deep in the woods. Origins of the legend vary.
Speaker 1: Some say they are escape to silent patients, others that
Speaker 1: they are the cursed descendants of a colonial era family
Speaker 1: accused of witchcraft. They're said to be fiercely territorial, occasionally
Speaker 1: emerging from the woods to attack cars or people on
Speaker 1: lonely roads. For hikers, they represent a uniquely creepy piece
Speaker 1: of local Connecticut folklore. And then there's the Sasquatch of
Speaker 1: the Rhone Highlands. While tales of a large, hairy, bipedal
Speaker 1: ape man exist across North America, the Roone Highlands, on
Speaker 1: the border of North Carolina and Tennessee are legendary hotspot
Speaker 1: for sasquatch and counters along the Appalachian Trail. This stunningly
Speaker 1: beautiful section of the trail, known for its grassy balds,
Speaker 1: is also known for its eerie, bog shrouded quiet. Over
Speaker 1: the years, mus hikers and locals alike have reported strange
Speaker 1: guttural holes echoing across the highlands, finding massive, unexplainable footprints,
Speaker 1: and catching the fleeting glimpses of a massive, fur covered
Speaker 1: creature moving with incredible speed just along the tree line.
Speaker 1: Next the ghosts of Dartmouth College, in a truly unique
Speaker 1: section of the trail. Through hikers walk directly through the
Speaker 1: center of Hanover, New Hampshire and across the campus of
Speaker 1: Dartmouth College. In doing so, they trade the solitude of
Speaker 1: the woods for one of the most haunted campuses in
Speaker 1: all of New England. Dartmouth's rife with ghost stories, from
Speaker 1: the specters of Native Americans in Webster Hall to the
Speaker 1: ghost of a heartbroken student in the attic of the
Speaker 1: Alpha Theta fraternity house. Wilson Hall, the college's former natural
Speaker 1: history museum, is considered the most haunted of all. Hikers
Speaker 1: passing through the town can quite literally walk from the
Speaker 1: haunted wilderness into the haunted halls of act Kademia and
Speaker 1: next the ghostly trail Angel. Now trail magic is a
Speaker 1: term for unexpected kindness found on the trail, and trail
Speaker 1: angels are the people who provided This has given rise
Speaker 1: to a uniquely hopeful and supernatural piece of trail folklore,
Speaker 1: the ghostly trail Angel. These are stories of hikers who,
Speaker 1: at their absolute lowest point, out of food, injured or
Speaker 1: hopelessly lost, receive sudden, inexplicable help. A full water bottle
Speaker 1: might appear on a dry stretch of trail, a perfectly
Speaker 1: placed piece of fruit might be found sitting on a log,
Speaker 1: or a mysterious silent stranger might guide them back to
Speaker 1: the path before vanishing. These spirits are not scary, but
Speaker 1: are seen as the benevolent souls of past hikers, still
Speaker 1: looking out for those who tread the path. Next up,
Speaker 1: the Great Speckled Snake, rooted in the deep woods of
Speaker 1: the Southern Appalachians, particularly Georgia, is a classic tall tail
Speaker 1: legend of a monstrous serpent. Stories tell the Great Speckled
Speaker 1: Snake a king of all snakes that is said to
Speaker 1: be as wide as a stovepipe as long as a log.
Speaker 1: Is not just its size, but its supernatural cutting that
Speaker 1: defies the legend. Snake is said to be an ancient
Speaker 1: creature that knows the woods better than any human and
Speaker 1: is a master of camouflage and ambush. While sidings are
Speaker 1: almost non existent, the tail serves as a quintessential Appalachian
Speaker 1: warning about the dangers that lie hidden in the deepest,
Speaker 1: oldest parts of the forest. I have an example of
Speaker 1: a sighting in my book Strange Things in the Woods.
Speaker 1: Next up the Ghost of Emily's Bridge. While not directly
Speaker 1: on the Appalachian Trail, one of Vermont's most famous and
Speaker 1: chilling ghost stories comes from the town of Stow, a
Speaker 1: town hikers often visit. Emily's Bridge is a covered bridge
Speaker 1: said to be haunted by a violent spear of a
Speaker 1: young woman named Emily, who died there in the mid
Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds after being jilted by her lover. Visits report
Speaker 1: terrifying phenomena, including their cars being scratched, hearing a girl's screams,
Speaker 1: and seeing a white apparition. For hikers passing through the
Speaker 1: Green Mountains, it serves as a creepy reminder that some
Speaker 1: of the region's most aggressive spirits reside just a few
Speaker 1: valleys over. And then there's the White Lady of Union Cemetery.
Speaker 1: The Appalachian Trail in Connecticut passes just a few miles
Speaker 1: from what is often called the most haunted cemetery in
Speaker 1: the United States. Union Cemetery in Easton. The grounds are
Speaker 1: famously haunted by the White Lady, a spectral figure in
Speaker 1: a white gown and bonnet who is seen floating among
Speaker 1: the tombstones.
Speaker 2: She's even been.
Speaker 1: Caught on film by paranormal investigators. For hikers braving the
Speaker 1: Connecticut Woods at night, it's an unsettling thought that the
Speaker 1: spirit of the country's most famous cemetery ghost might just
Speaker 1: wander into the rounding forest. Next up Jeudhicoula Rock, In
Speaker 1: a valley south of the Great Smoky Mountains and near
Speaker 1: the rout of the Appalachian Trailer in North Carolina, lies
Speaker 1: a massive soapstone boulder covered in mysterious ancient carvings. This
Speaker 1: is Judicoula Rock, and it's a sacred site in Cherokee lore.
Speaker 1: Legend says that the carvings were made by a powerful,
Speaker 1: slant eyed giant named Judhicoula, a master of game who
Speaker 1: could control the weather. The markings are said to be
Speaker 1: a map he created as he left from his mountaintop farm,
Speaker 1: landing on the rock. It's not a ghost story, per se,
Speaker 1: but the tale of a powerful being whose presence is
Speaker 1: literally etched in stone. Next the Agropelter. As the Appalachian
Speaker 1: Trail pushes into its northernmost sections in Maine and New Hampshire,
Speaker 1: it enters the territory of classic lumberjacked folklore. One of
Speaker 1: the fearsome critters from these tall tales is a agropelter,
Speaker 1: an ape like beast known for its unpleasant disposition. It
Speaker 1: was said to live in hollow trees and amuse itself
Speaker 1: by breaking off tree limbs and hurling them with great
Speaker 1: accuracy at any lumberjack or hiker who passed underneath. While
Speaker 1: likely just a story to explain the very real danger
Speaker 1: of falling logs known as widow makers, it personifies the
Speaker 1: random hostility of the deep woods. And, lastly, white blaze fever.
Speaker 1: This vinal legend is not a creature or a ghost,
Speaker 1: but a strange psychological phenomenon known to virtually every long
Speaker 1: distance hiker. White blazed fever as the hypnotic trance like
Speaker 1: state that can occur after staring at the trails white
Speaker 1: blazes for days on end. Hiker's report feeling an obsessive
Speaker 1: compulsion to follow the blazes, sometimes walking past their intended
Speaker 1: shelter or water source without even realizing it. It's described
Speaker 1: as a kind of enchantment or call of the trail,
Speaker 1: where the path itself seems to take control. This shared
Speaker 1: disorienting experience has become a unique piece of trail folklore,
Speaker 1: a testament to the profound mental and spiritual effects of
Speaker 1: walking the long path. Well, friends, our journey is complete
Speaker 1: for thousands of miles from the haunted southern peaks of
Speaker 1: Georgia to the spirit guarded summit of Mount Kataden. We've
Speaker 1: followed the whispers and warnings of the Appalachian Trail. We've
Speaker 1: collected fifty strange and unsettling legend a heavy pack filled
Speaker 1: with ghosts, monsters, curses, and mysteries. These stories, taken together,
Speaker 1: tell a truth that every long distance hiker comes to understand.
Speaker 1: The Appalachian Trail is more than just a physical challenge.
Speaker 1: It's a living repository of memory, fear, and wonder. The
Speaker 1: legends transformed the landscape. A strange sound in the night
Speaker 1: is no longer just an animal. It might be the
Speaker 1: wampus cat. A fleeting light in the distance isn't a car,
Speaker 1: but the brown mountain lights. A sudden chill, and a
Speaker 1: dilapidated shelter carries the weight of a hundred campfire tales.
Speaker 1: The official trail may end, but the trail of legends
Speaker 1: has no terminus. It continues on in the warnings share
Speaker 1: between hikers, in the scribbled entries of shelter logbooks, and
Speaker 1: in the profound, frickling feeling of being watched with your
Speaker 1: miles from another living soul. The stories become your unseen companions,
Speaker 1: a permanent part of your pack. There are a timeless
Speaker 1: reminder that when you walk in these ancient mountains, you're
Speaker 1: never truly alone. Thank you for listening. I'm Steve Stockton,
Speaker 1: and I'll see you a little farther on down the trail.
Speaker 1: Tere your animals, I.
Speaker 2: Any him one of help and resited on her home