1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,319 Speaker 1: Hikers, park rangers off a dit. What is the scariest 2 00:00:03,359 --> 00:00:06,519 creepiest thing that you have seen in the woods serious 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,640 A few years ago, my brother and I were camping 4 00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:13,320 in Colorado. He heard a twig snap somewhere nearby and 5 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,039 he wakes me up. We scan with our headlamps and 6 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:18,519 see a huge pair of eyes staring at us through 7 00:00:18,519 --> 00:00:21,440 some willows. I figured it must be a bear. It 8 00:00:21,559 --> 00:00:24,160 kept staring at us for five minutes until we turned 9 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,760 off the lights. We were going to move camp back 10 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,000 towards some other groups. All of a sudden, massive moose 11 00:00:30,079 --> 00:00:33,600 comes charging out of the willows, luckily at Wierdorf before 12 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,600 it collided with our tent. Another time, I was hiking 13 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,200 a trail I hike regularly with my dog, but it 14 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,359 was totally deserted because of some rain. She was ahead 15 00:00:42,359 --> 00:00:44,679 of me maybe twenty yards, when she comes to her 16 00:00:44,719 --> 00:00:48,359 dead stop and belines it back down the trail, completely 17 00:00:48,399 --> 00:00:51,439 ignoring my calls. As I chase her, I notice an 18 00:00:51,399 --> 00:00:56,840 anmistakable mountain lion print. Smart dog. I was hiking in 19 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,399 the Adirondacks with my ex on a trail that was 20 00:00:59,439 --> 00:01:02,880 a loop around a lake with one trailhead exit. Early spring, 21 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,840 so a lot off trail cleanup hadn't begun yet. We 22 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:08,719 are walking about halfway to check out this waterfall and 23 00:01:08,799 --> 00:01:11,599 I hear this rumbling that sounds like an animal stomping 24 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,840 the ground towards us. I then hear this bizarre, rapidly 25 00:01:14,879 --> 00:01:18,200 increasing ground that sounds like what Hollywood uses for alien 26 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:22,599 noises and fricking boocket. My boyfriend X tells me to 27 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,640 hold up, but I am crapping myself. I'm out of 28 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,040 breath and refuse to go back the way we entered 29 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,760 the trail. We have to march through this thick bog 30 00:01:30,799 --> 00:01:32,879 that was pulling our boots off to get through to 31 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,319 the other side to exit the loop. We get to 32 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,319 the car and I'm crying at this point. The previous 33 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:42,000 day was spent vomiting from eating bad food. Next vacation, 34 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,599 we are going to a city. I moped. We had 35 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,040 been to the Adirondacks for the past four vacations, and honestly, 36 00:01:48,079 --> 00:01:51,719 this experience beat me down. Years later, I was listening 37 00:01:51,799 --> 00:01:54,560 to nature sounds on the Internet and I hear that growl. 38 00:01:54,879 --> 00:01:57,599 A chill went up my spine. I learned that's a 39 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,959 real thing. It was a mating call of a run 40 00:02:00,239 --> 00:02:03,840 grouse bearing its wings on its chest. Yup, I freaked out, 41 00:02:03,879 --> 00:02:08,639 beasy of a frisky bird. I was in archaeological field school, 42 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,319 living in a tent for six weeks of seven thousand, 43 00:02:11,439 --> 00:02:14,240 five hundred feet and the closest paved road was ten 44 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,360 miles away. One night I woke to a huffing, snorting, 45 00:02:17,439 --> 00:02:20,919 kinder sound right outside my tent. Next thing I know, 46 00:02:21,439 --> 00:02:24,759 whatever it was was bumping my head. I froze for 47 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,360 a second, then on pure instinct, I did an overhead punch. 48 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,639 Definitely felt contact. Whatever it was went away. This was 49 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,919 on US Forest Service grazing land, so it could have 50 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:38,319 been the cow with insomnia, but it could have been 51 00:02:38,319 --> 00:02:41,479 a mountain lion or black bear. Whilstn't even tempted to 52 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:43,960 go out and see what it was, I preferred the 53 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,319 safety of my tent. The trail side Color in northern 54 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,919 California late seventies, hiking with a friend, came across him 55 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,280 at a rock out crapping on empty tam He gave 56 00:02:56,319 --> 00:02:59,719 off a very discomforting viteband. We didn't hang around. We 57 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:03,080 both independently recognized him when he was finally captured a 58 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,439 few years later and his picture was in the paper. 59 00:03:05,759 --> 00:03:08,560 If I'd been with my girl friend, we might not 60 00:03:08,759 --> 00:03:13,080 be alive. He was a creepy looking dude. I was 61 00:03:13,159 --> 00:03:16,080 hiking in a national forest with my wife and my dog. 62 00:03:16,439 --> 00:03:19,280 The first couple's miles of trail led to a waterfall 63 00:03:19,319 --> 00:03:22,360 and swimming hole, so it was fairly well populated with people. 64 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,599 We decided to hike past the waterfall, which involved a 65 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,199 bit of a climb, enough at least to keep most 66 00:03:28,199 --> 00:03:31,639 people from going past the waterfall. We hiked another mile 67 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,840 or two without seeing a single person. This whole time, 68 00:03:34,879 --> 00:03:37,280 my dog was having a great time, happy to be 69 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:39,560 in the woods and happy to walk thirty miles. If 70 00:03:39,599 --> 00:03:43,000 we lit her suddenly in a particularly dense part of 71 00:03:43,039 --> 00:03:46,639 the trail, she stopped suddenly and stared straight ahead. She 72 00:03:46,759 --> 00:03:50,639 absolutely would not move another inch forward. We stopped and listened, 73 00:03:50,639 --> 00:03:54,280 but couldn't hear or see anything unusual. The dog, though, 74 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,120 started whining and trying to pull us on the leash 75 00:03:57,199 --> 00:03:59,879 back up the trail towards the swimming hole. I had 76 00:04:00,159 --> 00:04:02,560 never before or since seen my dog act this way, 77 00:04:02,879 --> 00:04:05,800 but I believe she was legitimately afraid of whatever was 78 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,719 ahead of us. Maybe there was a bear, on the trail, 79 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,080 or a coyote, or maybe a serial killer was hiding 80 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,199 in the woods. I'll never know, because we listened to 81 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,560 our dog and decided to get foe as fast as 82 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,199 we could. Who knows, maybe we avoided some gruesome death 83 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,680 deep in the woods. I worked as a tree planter 84 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:28,319 in northern Ontario, living in temps in very remote parts 85 00:04:28,319 --> 00:04:32,160 of the forest like ours, away from civilization, only accessible 86 00:04:32,199 --> 00:04:35,720 by logging roads. Strangest us from a fellow planter who 87 00:04:35,759 --> 00:04:37,759 found a backpack in the middle of his area with 88 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,160 shoes closed, the wallet with a school it and a 89 00:04:40,199 --> 00:04:43,360 film camera. How it ended up there is a total mystery, 90 00:04:43,399 --> 00:04:46,759 because this is no place for hiking or camping. Scariest 91 00:04:46,879 --> 00:04:50,079 for myself was waking up to my tent vestibule collapsed 92 00:04:50,079 --> 00:04:53,040 in a large bare claw rip, which I apparently slept through, 93 00:04:53,319 --> 00:04:55,600 as well as turning a corner to a large vault 94 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,600 about ten feet away and returning to a spot I'd 95 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,399 planted about five minutes earlier to fresh momma bear and cubprints. 96 00:05:02,759 --> 00:05:05,959 Realizing a bear family had sauntered behind me while my 97 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,839 back was turned was very unsettling, because you do not 98 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,879 want to frick with the bear and her cubs. Canadian 99 00:05:11,879 --> 00:05:16,959 wildlife is scary. Low people constantly underestimate how big wolves are. 100 00:05:17,319 --> 00:05:20,360 They are not just wild dogs. Those themm are huge. 101 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:23,920 I went to have All Sanctuary once and I was astounded. 102 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,160 My grandfather bred mastiffs, and it takes a lot to 103 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,839 make me impressed with the size of a canine, but 104 00:05:29,959 --> 00:05:34,720 holy crap, wolves aubig. The most surreal experience I had 105 00:05:34,759 --> 00:05:37,519 was during an off trail hike in the Rockies Coo. 106 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,920 I was extremely depressed and spending a day away from 107 00:05:40,959 --> 00:05:44,279 an awful ex. I wasn't really sure what my plan was, 108 00:05:44,319 --> 00:05:46,319 but I fell on my butt through ice into a 109 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:49,439 shallow stream I was crossing and just said, fricket, I'm 110 00:05:49,439 --> 00:05:52,079 not going back to my car. Well, just near the 111 00:05:52,079 --> 00:05:54,360 top of a steep hill, I almost stepped on some 112 00:05:54,439 --> 00:05:57,959 sort of leg bone. I was like, oh, crap, that's cool, 113 00:05:58,319 --> 00:06:00,879 until about three feet away I I saw several more 114 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,800 limb bones and most of a spine between a couple mounds. 115 00:06:04,199 --> 00:06:06,680 I didn't see fresh blood, but was certain that was 116 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,759 regular territory for something that could frick me up. I 117 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,199 kind of frozen looked around me since I hadn't heard anything, 118 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:15,920 so far so decided to get a few picks and 119 00:06:15,959 --> 00:06:19,240 then slowly left down the hill. About half way down, 120 00:06:19,319 --> 00:06:21,720 I turned back up the hillcouse. I figured I was 121 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,120 overthinking it and I really didn't want to go home. 122 00:06:24,519 --> 00:06:27,399 About five steps back up and I definitely heard some 123 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,720 animal walking around at the top of the hill, and 124 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,319 I didn't stick around to see it. I slipped in 125 00:06:32,319 --> 00:06:36,000 the water again on my way out. Bears were just 126 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:38,680 chilling out in our campsite and New Mexico in the 127 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,800 middle of the night, making sounds. One random guy wasn't 128 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,279 an our group. Literally just gets out, grabs a stick 129 00:06:46,319 --> 00:06:49,879 and chuses them out while screaming. Man, that was wild. 130 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:54,560 Random guy was Russian surrounded by me heads in an 131 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,680 Australian national park at night with no signal. They stopped 132 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,199 us in our car at the gate. Eight maybe five 133 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:03,920 of them hopped out and surrounded the car. Asked us 134 00:07:03,959 --> 00:07:06,160 if we knew where they could get any I had 135 00:07:06,199 --> 00:07:09,959 my big Becabque knife by my side. Thankfully they left. 136 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:14,120 That's not a knife. Working in a rain forest in 137 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,800 air Sea, Asia many years ago, one of the things 138 00:07:16,839 --> 00:07:19,439 we did was trap moths at night. You'd sit in 139 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:21,399 front of her a big white sheet with a lamp 140 00:07:21,439 --> 00:07:23,920 in front of it, powered by a generator, and then 141 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,199 periodically go and see what insects had been attracted to 142 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:32,360 the sheet. Incidentally, the insects attracted frogs, which attracted snakes, 143 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,879 which attracted bigger things. Due to the noise and light, 144 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,839 the trap was about a mile away from camp, so 145 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,480 you'd be there at three am, all alone, in the 146 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,399 middle of a jungle one cloudy night. There wasn't much 147 00:07:44,439 --> 00:07:47,399 happening on the one am to three am shift. I 148 00:07:47,439 --> 00:07:50,959 heard a russell in the woods beside me. This wasn't unusual, 149 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,040 but it was a bit bigger than I was used 150 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,800 to hearing. The russell got closer, and I started getting tent. 151 00:07:57,319 --> 00:08:00,240 It got closer still, and I was starting to think 152 00:08:00,279 --> 00:08:03,120 that I was going to get eaten by a tiger. Suddenly, 153 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,360 a disembodied face broke out of the tree line, screaming 154 00:08:06,399 --> 00:08:11,399 in an unintelligible language. I practically shat myself, screamed a little, 155 00:08:11,639 --> 00:08:14,639 and the disembodied face disappeared back into the woods, issuing 156 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,920 high pitched giggles. It was only after my heart slowed 157 00:08:17,959 --> 00:08:20,800 that I realized one of the local lumberjacks had given 158 00:08:20,839 --> 00:08:23,079 me a jump scale using a torch under their face 159 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:27,000 for spooky lighting. I wasn't even mad, it was hilarious. 160 00:08:27,519 --> 00:08:31,199 I'd be swoopy. Was on a camping trip in the 161 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:33,879 Boundary Waters in Minnesota and we woke up in the 162 00:08:33,879 --> 00:08:36,279 middle of the night to this incredibly loud slap and 163 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:38,759 to splash out in the middle of the lake. Sound 164 00:08:38,879 --> 00:08:42,200 carries really well across water. Our first fear was that 165 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,360 someone was shooting at us, and that was absolutely terrifying. 166 00:08:45,759 --> 00:08:47,919 Then we heard it again a bit closer, and one 167 00:08:47,919 --> 00:08:50,559 of the guides realized it was a fricking beaver slapping 168 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,399 its tail on the water before a dove below. My 169 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:55,919 last trip up there, I was awoken from a midday 170 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,559 map by my buddies sing songily screaming bear. Turns out 171 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:01,720 we made camp in the middle of a berry patch 172 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:03,919 and the bear was having a feist about ten feet 173 00:09:03,919 --> 00:09:07,840 from my head. Was camping with my boy scout troop 174 00:09:07,919 --> 00:09:09,840 at the time and woke up during the middle of 175 00:09:09,879 --> 00:09:12,759 the mic to footsteps and breathing. It got louder and 176 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,120 more footsteps started. My bunk mates were up too at 177 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:18,879 this point. Then we start to hear huffing at animal 178 00:09:18,919 --> 00:09:22,159 noises turns out the field our campsite was that it 179 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:24,879 was in the middle of an apparent cow crossing. Had 180 00:09:24,879 --> 00:09:27,600 to be at least thirty of them walking by at once. 181 00:09:28,159 --> 00:09:30,679 Definitely a scary moment to wake up to in the 182 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:33,960 middle of the night, hearing a million footsteps and animal noises. 183 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:38,159 For your information, cow pies everywhere. The next morning, Oh, 184 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,720 I love pie. A pack of dogs ran up on 185 00:09:41,799 --> 00:09:44,039 my wife and I while hiking out of the Grand 186 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,759 Canyon at about three am, a very very dark outside. 187 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,960 Her and I had headlamps. We stopped, they stopped. All 188 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:54,360 I saw was a bunch of glowing eyes and bushy 189 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,639 tailed silhouettes. After a beat, I realized they were working 190 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:00,919 dogs for the reservation, so I just went he I 191 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,360 puppers in the same voice I use for my dog, 192 00:10:03,399 --> 00:10:06,120 and they immediately went on their way. Ended up not 193 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:10,120 being dangerous, really, but I almost shat myself. I was 194 00:10:10,159 --> 00:10:13,360 camping at a B LM campground on the Navajo Reservation 195 00:10:13,519 --> 00:10:16,120 near a little town. I was grilling a steak and 196 00:10:16,279 --> 00:10:19,159 just hanging out when a pack of reservation dogs showed up. 197 00:10:19,399 --> 00:10:21,679 I threw another steak on the grill and shared it 198 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,879 with them, and they hung out four hours, all real friendly. 199 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:29,000 I went running through a trail near my house one afternoon, 200 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,279 headphones and under my mind elsewhere, just because I knew 201 00:10:32,279 --> 00:10:35,200 the path really well. I came around a bend and 202 00:10:35,279 --> 00:10:37,600 through the gap in the trees. About twenty feet in 203 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,159 front of me, I locked eyes with a dead and 204 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,720 rotting deer. Somehow it was postured in a way that 205 00:10:43,759 --> 00:10:46,200 made it look as though the corpse were staring through me. 206 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:49,080 I turned around and bolted out as fast as I 207 00:10:49,159 --> 00:10:53,639 possibly could. You should watch the movie The Ritual, A 208 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:57,200 sleeping fearal hog with piglets. God, I hope you booked 209 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,440 it away from there. My dad was stuck on the 210 00:10:59,519 --> 00:11:02,279 roof of is mute because of a pof pig once. 211 00:11:02,639 --> 00:11:05,399 It was scary because I was locked inside the car 212 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:09,320 looking at it. I'm not a ranger, but I've hiked 213 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:13,240 parts of the Appalachian Trail. This occurred in West Virginia. 214 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:17,000 I believe happened about eight years ago. Was hiking with 215 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,240 a group. We spread out naturally based on hiking speed. 216 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:22,759 I was in the middleish group of four of us, 217 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,519 and one person had to stop to pull the tick 218 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:29,039 off other two. One leader stayed with them but I 219 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:31,399 decided to hike on ahead and see if I could 220 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,120 catch up with the lead group. The yet is extremely 221 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,000 well marked with white places, so I wasn't worried about 222 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,000 getting lost. I knew the next landmark was an old 223 00:11:40,039 --> 00:11:42,840 logging road, and sure enough I hit it. About half 224 00:11:42,879 --> 00:11:45,639 a mile later. I decided I should wait for the 225 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:48,240 rest of the group to catch up, so while waiting, 226 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,279 I hiked a bit down the old overgrown road which 227 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,360 ran perpendicilar to the trail. There was a low stone 228 00:11:54,399 --> 00:11:56,879 wall along one side, and I was strolling along it, 229 00:11:57,279 --> 00:12:01,200 checking for anything interesting like artifacts stuff, when it was 230 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,399 like I crossed an invisible line. All of a sudden, 231 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,279 it was like sound cut off. No birds or insects called. 232 00:12:08,519 --> 00:12:11,399 When seconds that go there had been multiple birds singing, 233 00:12:11,759 --> 00:12:14,919 Even leaves on the trees around me stopped rustling. It 234 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:20,039 was just this sudden, unnatural, deafening silence. For whatever reason, 235 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,000 I took a few more hesitant steps forward until I 236 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,120 hit this invisible wall. It was like suddenly I was 237 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:29,159 barraged by this feeling. I can only describe it as 238 00:12:29,159 --> 00:12:31,840 intense and welcome, as if I had entered the house 239 00:12:31,879 --> 00:12:35,240 of someone I knew hated me, but multiplied by about 240 00:12:35,279 --> 00:12:38,759 one hundred. All the hairs on my body stood straight up. 241 00:12:39,039 --> 00:12:41,919 I stopped dead in my tracks. The feeling was so 242 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:44,519 strong that I didn't even want to turn my back. 243 00:12:44,879 --> 00:12:48,360 I couldn't see anything down the road threatening or otherwise 244 00:12:48,759 --> 00:12:51,080 that would give me this feeling. But I knew I 245 00:12:51,159 --> 00:12:53,919 had to leave immediately. I just knew I was not 246 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:56,200 meant to be there, and if I stayed, something bad 247 00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:00,000 would happen. So I walked backwards, slowly, never turning away 248 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,080 away from the road, and trying really hard not to 249 00:13:02,159 --> 00:13:05,840 even blink. Finally, I crossed that invisible line again, and 250 00:13:05,879 --> 00:13:08,320 I could hear the birds singing and the leaves rustling. 251 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:11,200 I didn't turn around until I heard the leader I 252 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,840 left earlier, asking me if there was anything called down 253 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:18,240 the road. I was like, nope, let's keep going. Looking back, 254 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,559 I figure it was a bear or cougar just out 255 00:13:20,639 --> 00:13:22,919 of sight that my instinct managed to pick up on. 256 00:13:23,279 --> 00:13:26,799 But at the time, dang, it just felt fricking creepy 257 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:31,320 and almost paranormal. I was working at a remote mountaintop 258 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:35,159 microwave radio site near Prince Rupert, BC in January. The 259 00:13:35,279 --> 00:13:38,039 road to the site was impassable even by snowcut ue 260 00:13:38,039 --> 00:13:40,679 to deep snow drifts. I had to be dropped off 261 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:42,639 by Helly in the morning and get picked up at 262 00:13:42,639 --> 00:13:45,919 the end of day. The building was small, single story, 263 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:50,559 maybe thirty x forty featuring windowless with a metal front door. 264 00:13:50,879 --> 00:13:53,759 I'm puttering away with music on but otherwise not making 265 00:13:53,799 --> 00:13:55,600 a lot of noise. When there is a knock on 266 00:13:55,639 --> 00:13:58,039 the door. I thought it a bit odd someone else 267 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,559 would be up here with me, but go answer the door. 268 00:14:00,759 --> 00:14:04,360 Nobody there. I go out and look around. Note nothing there, 269 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,840 no prince or tracks. I figured maybe some ice had 270 00:14:07,879 --> 00:14:10,840 fallen and made a knocking sound. Go back inside and 271 00:14:10,879 --> 00:14:13,960 resume what I was doing. A couple minutes later, there 272 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,840 is a knocking on the door again, but longer duration. 273 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:20,440 This time. I opened the door. Nobody. I go out 274 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,480 and look around nothing. Go back to work. A minute later, 275 00:14:24,559 --> 00:14:28,120 knocking again. This time it sounds like someone is angrily 276 00:14:28,159 --> 00:14:30,519 pounding on the door to be let in. This time 277 00:14:30,559 --> 00:14:33,240 I opened the door with my crowbar in hand. There 278 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:36,519 was no doubt someone was there. Open the door, nobody, 279 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,519 w tf. Step out and look around. No sign of 280 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,720 any one. Again. I get the feeling somebody is watching me. 281 00:14:44,159 --> 00:14:46,759 I'm peering into the bush around me and see nothing. 282 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,600 Something compelled me to look behind me, and that's when 283 00:14:49,639 --> 00:14:51,960 I met the amused gaze of a raven perched on 284 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,480 the roof edge, centered above the front door. They squawked 285 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:58,559 a happy roc rowc and flapped off to the tree line, 286 00:14:58,919 --> 00:15:03,759 buttole the silhouette of a massive humanoid figure round head 287 00:15:04,039 --> 00:15:07,919 no snout, at dusk moving through the foliage at ridiculous speed. 288 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:13,279 It was extremely loud, branches swinging, stick snapping. Instinctively, I 289 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,240 fled by foot, even though it wasn't coming in my direction, 290 00:15:16,679 --> 00:15:20,200 even left my ATV behind in the process. Was driven 291 00:15:20,279 --> 00:15:23,519 back later with others to retrieve it. Never saw it again. 292 00:15:23,919 --> 00:15:27,559 Still don't know what it was. Scary guest was in 293 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,679 the back country in the Canadian Rockies about a two 294 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:32,799 hour Hiken and my friend and I each had a 295 00:15:32,879 --> 00:15:36,000 dog on leash all around us and so close it 296 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,519 made me jump. At least four wolf started howling. It 297 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,480 was really cool, but I was a bit concerned about 298 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,919 our dogs. Never did see the wolves that they howled again, 299 00:15:46,279 --> 00:15:48,799 though not from was close when we walked back a 300 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:52,240 few hours later. I've had a similar moment when a 301 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,879 large at least twelve murder of crows was swooping all 302 00:15:55,919 --> 00:15:58,679 around and passed me from tree to tree after I 303 00:15:58,759 --> 00:16:02,399 tested my new croak. I had also scattered food for them, 304 00:16:02,799 --> 00:16:05,320 so I was pretty excited to be so close to 305 00:16:05,399 --> 00:16:08,799 my favorite animals. But to living idle concerned I said 306 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:13,759 something offensive. Recently walked across a deer leg. Nothing had 307 00:16:13,799 --> 00:16:17,080 decomposed yet, so I know it must have been killed recently. 308 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:20,720 Didn't see any other parts of it. Coyotes and cougars 309 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:23,320 are owned to be around the area. Just kept close 310 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:25,279 with the dogs and left back home as it was 311 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:28,080 a trail near the house. Another time was leaving a 312 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,360 trail due to thunder and lightning rolling in. Was taking 313 00:16:31,399 --> 00:16:33,799 some photos off trail of a river and had to 314 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,559 crawl through some bushes back onto the trail. Out of 315 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:38,919 the bush, I realized, I'm face to face with a 316 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:41,679 big bud mail moose. I mean, I knew these guys 317 00:16:41,679 --> 00:16:44,399 were big, but holy crap. We stared at each other 318 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:47,039 and the eyes for a good minute before he continued 319 00:16:47,039 --> 00:16:49,200 to keep eating and move on down the trail. At 320 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,000 his own pace, was grabbing around a tree the whole 321 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,279 time that was climbable in case he charged. Really wish 322 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,679 I got some pictures, but the rain was starting to 323 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,559 come down quick and didn't want to risk breaking the camera. 324 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:03,120 There's a video or the moose running next to a 325 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:07,400 car SUV and it's easily taller. According to Google, their 326 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,880 average height can go up to seven featuring tall. But 327 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,400 I know for a face big bull moose can be bigger. 328 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,839 They're terrifying huge. I like to call them the hippos 329 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:21,200 of Canada cause they can be fricking mean to park 330 00:17:21,319 --> 00:17:23,920 ranger here. Hope I'm not too late to the game 331 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,200 and someone can enjoy this. There's plenty of odd things, 332 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:30,200 but the scariest thing I've encountered tired was working at 333 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,839 a National Wildlife Refuge that was formerly US Army Labs 334 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:36,759 Soldier R and D site. There was about ten years 335 00:17:36,799 --> 00:17:39,559 worth of clean up of random things like barbed wire 336 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:42,119 barricades before it opened to the public in the early 337 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,599 two thousands. If you aren't familiar with the National Wildlife 338 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:49,599 Refuge system, you're not allowed to leave the trails well. 339 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:52,680 As a ranger, I often need to. One time when 340 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,400 I get deep into the woods a considerable distance from 341 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,960 any trail, I see a bunch of figures in the distance, 342 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,359 and my stomach drops. Could they be uns? Are they armed? 343 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:04,920 I wait, and they don't move. I announce myself and 344 00:18:05,039 --> 00:18:08,240 proceed on the figures. There were about six badly burnt 345 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,519 mannekins in military uniforms just standing there. It was a 346 00:18:12,559 --> 00:18:15,960 weird thing to stumble upon alone, and I felt shivers. Later, 347 00:18:16,039 --> 00:18:18,319 I dug deeper into the matter and found out that 348 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:21,960 they were part of flame retardant fabric tests. Go fig 349 00:18:22,319 --> 00:18:26,279 that's just one. I found a half eaten person, coyotes 350 00:18:26,599 --> 00:18:29,480 and busted up a sea head forth of July party two. 351 00:18:30,839 --> 00:18:33,960 Not while hiking, but I was fishing on the pond 352 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,559 on my grandparents' property in West Virginia. It's maybe a 353 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,880 quarter mile down the hill from the house, basically barely 354 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:43,640 within sight. It is backed up to an open field 355 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,519 between it and the house and surrounded by thick forest. 356 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:49,240 So I was sitting on the right side of tuesday 357 00:18:49,279 --> 00:18:52,559 little dock fishing and after about two hours of near silence, 358 00:18:52,599 --> 00:18:54,920 I heard something rustling in the woods on the left 359 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:58,039 side of the pond. I smiled and thought, I, oh, 360 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,559 it's probably a bear. I sort off joking to myself. 361 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,440 I look over to see that I was wrong. It 362 00:19:04,559 --> 00:19:08,079 was three bears, a mamma and two cubs, just walking 363 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:11,039 along the edge of the pond towards me and the dock, 364 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:14,720 about twenty feet away. Not believing my ey's eye was 365 00:19:14,759 --> 00:19:17,480 thinking ooh, ooh, or crap, this might be a good 366 00:19:17,559 --> 00:19:20,400 day to die. Having not moved since their appearance, and 367 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,079 remembering not to panic, I planned my options. I knew 368 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:25,880 not to run in that with a black bear you 369 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,720 can usually scare it off by yelling and looking big. 370 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,680 But I also knew that nine times out of ten, 371 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:34,240 if cubs were there, you were all but dead. The 372 00:19:34,319 --> 00:19:37,480 plans were probably shot, and you were about to get fuber. 373 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,880 The bears got closer, and finally I decided I'd rather 374 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,039 see if I could scare them off with them twenty 375 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,400 ish feet away instead of two feet away. Slowly, with 376 00:19:46,559 --> 00:19:48,799 my back still to them, I slowly got on my 377 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,519 feet and started standing. Half way up, I heard them running, 378 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:56,519 nearly p myself. I swung around all three bololted off 379 00:19:56,559 --> 00:19:59,279 into the woods. I stood still for a little bit, 380 00:19:59,319 --> 00:20:03,160 still on edge. Then I started walking, then sprinting back 381 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,000 to the house, laughing Monopoly and thanking God out. Loud 382 00:20:06,079 --> 00:20:08,519 for not letting me die to day. Then I went 383 00:20:08,559 --> 00:20:11,960 and told my family on the porch, purposefully in disorder, 384 00:20:12,319 --> 00:20:15,960 that I caught four fish, all about fourteen inches, and 385 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,279 oh yet I saw a bear. I was walking with 386 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,640 my family in the woods above our house and our 387 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,039 little dacks and puppy was sprinting up and down the 388 00:20:24,039 --> 00:20:27,000 trail between us, having the time of her life. After 389 00:20:27,039 --> 00:20:29,359 a while, she caught the scent of something and shot 390 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,079 off the trail into the undergrowth. We called for her, 391 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:34,599 but her interest was fixed on something away from the 392 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:39,039 path through the undergrowth. After squeezing past some trees and bushes, 393 00:20:39,079 --> 00:20:42,160 I followed her to a rocky overhang. She was barking 394 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,160 and barking at something laying in the soft dirt. At 395 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,000 first I thought it was a bundle of half buried clothes. 396 00:20:48,279 --> 00:20:50,799 Then I saw the patch of blonde hair sticking out 397 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,200 the soil at one end and realized what I was 398 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,039 looking at. There had been a lot of rain recently 399 00:20:56,079 --> 00:20:58,240 and it had washed some of the soil away from 400 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,680 a recently dug shallow grave. Freaked out, I grabbed my 401 00:21:01,799 --> 00:21:04,240 dog and backed up back to the trail. After I 402 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:06,640 much faster to hike home. The rest of the morning 403 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:09,599 was spent talking to the police, then talking to homicide. 404 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:13,680 I never found out what happened. A bear ripped into 405 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:15,720 one of our attempts to try to get to some 406 00:21:15,759 --> 00:21:19,119 food before it left. No one was hut but really scary. 407 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:22,519 I was headed up to a shooting spot with two 408 00:21:22,559 --> 00:21:25,119 of my brothers, an old quarry we had been to 409 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,319 several times That is located several miles up a logging 410 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,480 road in a national forest. Every time we had been 411 00:21:31,519 --> 00:21:35,119 there before, it had been totally empty, nothing other than 412 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,119 a little scattered trash and old shell casings to indicate 413 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:41,400 human presence, but not this time. As we round the 414 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:43,880 corner into the quarry, we see that a dozen or 415 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,880 so ratty rusted oar vies and a couple of large 416 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:49,440 tents have been set up in a circle. At the 417 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:52,319 far end of the quarry, a portable stage had been 418 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:55,720 set up beneath the tallest rock face forming the top 419 00:21:55,759 --> 00:21:58,400 of the circle. On the stage was a large piece 420 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:01,000 of charred wood that may have been the cross, though 421 00:22:01,039 --> 00:22:03,519 it was burned down pretty far and hard to tell. 422 00:22:03,799 --> 00:22:06,720 At this point, myself and my two brothers each have 423 00:22:06,759 --> 00:22:09,119 a handgun on our hips, and there is quite the 424 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,119 arsenal in the back of our suv. None of that 425 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:14,839 mattered or gave us an iota of comfort. I whipped 426 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:16,839 the car around as quick as I could to begin 427 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,559 hoping the frick right out there. Before I could finish turning, 428 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,200 a small child walked up to the car from one 429 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,839 of the tents. Against my better judgment, I crack the window. 430 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,240 My dad says, nobody should be here. The kid says, 431 00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:34,400 we're just leaving. I managed to respond. The second I 432 00:22:34,519 --> 00:22:37,920 closed my mouth, a gravelly slurred voice roared from the 433 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:40,519 same tent the kid came from. I told you not 434 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,480 to talk to the fricking cops. I drove quicker than 435 00:22:43,559 --> 00:22:46,119 was advisable all the way back to the highway, and 436 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,720 needless to say, we haven't visited that particular spot since then. 437 00:22:50,319 --> 00:22:54,359 Nothing like loosing a good shooting spot. Normally it's due development, 438 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:58,359 not crazy Hillbill is moving in and taking up residency intents. 439 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,119 I was on a fifty mile hike with my friends, 440 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:05,400 and we were fairly separated. A group of two about 441 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,799 five minutes up, a group of around five including me 442 00:23:09,319 --> 00:23:12,559 behind them, and a group of about seven five to 443 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,880 ten minutes behind. Us. We were hiking the mountains where 444 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:20,319 there was snow, and being the great Northwest animals, no 445 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:24,079 big deal, we had bare spreadth Something went south. My 446 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:27,359 group reached the snow and was immediately blown away by 447 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,960 massive cougar pawprints in it barely smaller than my hand, 448 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:34,160 if at all. I'm a big guy, so my hand's 449 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:37,599 unsmall by any means. Now, this was cool and a 450 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,599 tiny bit frightening, but whatever, there are big cougars nearby. 451 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,160 We knew that already. The truly terrifying thing is that 452 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,440 the pair five or so minutes ahead of us were 453 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,160 also watching the ground and reported seeing no such poor prints, 454 00:23:51,519 --> 00:23:54,039 meaning a big bus cougar showed up between the time 455 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:58,480 of my two friends and me reaching that point. When 456 00:23:58,519 --> 00:24:01,880 I was nine, my parents, sisters, and I had went 457 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,000 camping in a state park in southern Minnesota. It was 458 00:24:05,079 --> 00:24:07,440 really late that night and we were getting ready to 459 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:09,960 go to bed. I was looking into the darkness for 460 00:24:10,039 --> 00:24:12,920 a while, because I am absolutely terrified of the dark. 461 00:24:13,279 --> 00:24:15,319 I saw a shadow of the size of a crawling 462 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:17,880 four year old run into bushes that were about ten 463 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,720 feet away. That scared the crap out of me, and 464 00:24:20,799 --> 00:24:23,480 it took me approximately an hour to sleep. I was 465 00:24:23,559 --> 00:24:26,519 jumping at every little noise there was. I am still 466 00:24:26,519 --> 00:24:30,200 not happy. Probably just a fox or raccoon, maybe a 467 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:34,319 big pottun. I used to do a crap ton of camping. 468 00:24:34,599 --> 00:24:37,599 But one night, still early on, I was up with 469 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,319 two friends in the middle of the night, just hanging 470 00:24:40,319 --> 00:24:42,559 out in a field next to the camp sight, looking 471 00:24:42,559 --> 00:24:45,240 at the stars in the almost full moon. It was 472 00:24:45,279 --> 00:24:48,599 so bright outside it was almost like day. When suddenly 473 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,480 I noticed a faint whisper. I thought it was someone 474 00:24:51,519 --> 00:24:54,720 from camp, but no, it came from the other direction. 475 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,599 We all shut up and listened to the faintest of all. 476 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,839 Hey a a a her, to which we fought across 477 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:03,599 the field away from the camp. The whisper grew louder, 478 00:25:03,599 --> 00:25:06,880 but only ever so slightly, until we came across a road. 479 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,480 Across the road was a fenced in area, but it 480 00:25:09,559 --> 00:25:13,119 was a pretty crappy fence easily crossed. On the other 481 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,279 side of the fences was a small woods. The trees 482 00:25:16,319 --> 00:25:18,720 were spaced pretty far apart from each other there, and 483 00:25:18,759 --> 00:25:21,880 despite the bright moon, it was completely pitch black in 484 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:25,079 those trees. You could barely see past the first few 485 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,480 rows and now the voice was much louder, but still 486 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,480 as if someone trying to whisper, a voice that sounded 487 00:25:31,519 --> 00:25:34,680 like a little girl, Come play, aye, ir. No women 488 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:37,839 were with us on this trip, No girls, just the 489 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,079 sounds of a little girl calling out to us in 490 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:42,640 pitch darkness to play. At one in the morning, we 491 00:25:42,759 --> 00:25:47,599 decided not to investigate further. In around two thousand and five, 492 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:49,799 a friend and I were walking in Dorso through a 493 00:25:49,839 --> 00:25:53,160 small woodland. It was snowing and my friend, who was 494 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:56,279 slightly chubby, had fallen in a muddy stream trying to 495 00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:59,720 jump over it. Hilarious. We had been walking for a 496 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:01,920 cup hours when we saw something on a tree, so 497 00:26:02,039 --> 00:26:05,039 we approached. It was a deer's head. It had been 498 00:26:05,079 --> 00:26:08,119 impaled on a small branch protruding from the tree. The 499 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,519 branch went into the disnick and out on her eye. 500 00:26:11,799 --> 00:26:14,480 Was chilling around a campfire at my friend's house, who 501 00:26:14,559 --> 00:26:17,519 lives in the country. His house butts up to the woods. 502 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,799 Super quiet night. We were all kind of zoned out 503 00:26:20,799 --> 00:26:24,400 staring into the fire when these absolutely horrifying screams came 504 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,079 from the woods. It was sounded like it was less 505 00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:30,319 than fifty yards away. It sounded like a dog being 506 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:34,559 eating alive, yelping in pain, over and over. It lasted 507 00:26:34,559 --> 00:26:38,119 a good sixty seconds and then just stopped, just agonizing 508 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:41,640 screams piercing the silence. I still hear it in my head. 509 00:26:42,039 --> 00:26:44,599 Something died in the woods that night. I don't know 510 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:46,559 what it was, and I don't know what killed it. 511 00:26:46,839 --> 00:26:49,119 We called it a night and went inside after that. 512 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:54,599 Probably a rabbit. They scream pretty loud. Foxes too. Their 513 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:58,119 mating calls sound like a woman screaming like she's being murdered. 514 00:26:59,279 --> 00:27:02,440 While hiking yesterday, me and four other friends were at 515 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:04,759 a split in the trail and consulting a picture of 516 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:06,799 the trail guide on the phone to make sure we 517 00:27:06,839 --> 00:27:10,079 went the right way. We were practicing carrying back packing 518 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:13,079 packs with us, and one of my friends was getting tired, 519 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:15,359 so she and another dude were near the back. She 520 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,839 starts to hear a creaky violin sound start playing. She 521 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:21,480 looks back and sprints ahead, leaving the other guy in 522 00:27:21,519 --> 00:27:24,319 the dust. He catches up, and our group moves to 523 00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:26,880 the sides of the path for this new visitor. He 524 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:28,559 was an older guy I am told, who had a 525 00:27:28,559 --> 00:27:30,400 hoodie on in the hood up and the strings pulled 526 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,079 real tight so you could barely see his face. I 527 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,720 actually didn't even see his face. He was running while 528 00:27:36,759 --> 00:27:40,559 hunchbacked while playing the violin while holding it straight up 529 00:27:40,599 --> 00:27:42,920 and down, and the sound it played was on tune 530 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,039 but still creaky sounding. He ended up running through one 531 00:27:46,079 --> 00:27:48,440 split of the path and my group luckily was going 532 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,839 on the other split of the path and we didn't 533 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:55,119 see him again. TLDR. While hiking, an old guy playing 534 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:59,000 the violin vertically came running while hunchback behind our group 535 00:27:59,039 --> 00:28:03,960 and went off a trail split rampelstilts Skin. This was 536 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,119 a little over a year and a half ago when 537 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:08,799 there was a massive forest fire in the Columbia River 538 00:28:08,839 --> 00:28:12,319 Gorge in Oregon Washington. The Oregon side was ablazed, so 539 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,880 my friend and I decided rather stupidly to go to 540 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:18,799 one of our favorite peaks on the Washington side to 541 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,960 observe the flames. After dark, we march up the trail 542 00:28:22,079 --> 00:28:24,480 for a little bit as the sun slowly goes down, 543 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:28,240 and eventually we're hiking in complete darkness with nothing but headlamps. 544 00:28:28,599 --> 00:28:31,480 Then randomly, out of the pure darkness, we hear the 545 00:28:31,559 --> 00:28:34,240 sound of some animal. I assume it was an elk 546 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,839 screech loud as all heck, it must have been no 547 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,519 more than ten fifteen yards away from us, and we 548 00:28:40,559 --> 00:28:42,720 had no idea it was there. Then we hear it 549 00:28:42,839 --> 00:28:45,519 tear off into the woods. We both kind of just 550 00:28:45,559 --> 00:28:48,200 looked at each other in confusion and laughed it off. 551 00:28:48,519 --> 00:28:51,599 Still was a good scare by the elk, though, also 552 00:28:52,039 --> 00:28:55,200 seeing some of the most beautiful forested area in Oregon 553 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,640 burned down was scary too. I was living in Portland 554 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,000 at the time and I had to evacuate because of 555 00:29:01,039 --> 00:29:03,799 all the smoke. I miss hiking some of the trails 556 00:29:03,799 --> 00:29:07,480 that were compromised after the fire. I work on a 557 00:29:07,599 --> 00:29:11,359 USFS trail crew, and the scariest thing I've ever experienced 558 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:13,920 was just a night in the back country. We had 559 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:17,079 a big fifty thousand acre fire the year before, so 560 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,240 we were out clearing trail with crosscuts in the wilderness 561 00:29:20,279 --> 00:29:22,480 area in our district and we made it to night 562 00:29:22,559 --> 00:29:25,960 three of our trip. I had crazy strong winds like 563 00:29:26,079 --> 00:29:30,119 upwards of forty miles paragusts and could hear trees crashing 564 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,559 down all over. I was in a safe spot with 565 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:35,759 zero burned trees down, but some of the folks on 566 00:29:35,799 --> 00:29:38,319 my crew were being pretty dance stupid and set their 567 00:29:38,359 --> 00:29:41,799 tents up next to some pretty suspect trees. Nothing ended 568 00:29:41,839 --> 00:29:44,240 up happening to wear anything close to us, but I 569 00:29:44,359 --> 00:29:47,039 was up all night long wandering and waiting for anything 570 00:29:47,079 --> 00:29:50,359 to happen. I live in a valley on the edge 571 00:29:50,359 --> 00:29:52,359 of the city, and the hills around me were used 572 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:56,359 as commercial plantations for growing pine trees. I wasn't very 573 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:58,839 far from my home, but the trees and undergrowth were 574 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,559 thick enough that I could see the rest of the valley, 575 00:30:01,839 --> 00:30:04,440 so it had this seri feeling to it. I quite 576 00:30:04,599 --> 00:30:06,680 liked the quiet and listening to the sound of the 577 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,599 wind through the pines. Most of them were destroyed in 578 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,759 a storm in East of two thousand and thirteen. Quite 579 00:30:12,759 --> 00:30:16,319 surreal watching sixty featuring pine trees being snapped in half 580 00:30:16,359 --> 00:30:18,480 a dozen or so at a time. I would do 581 00:30:18,519 --> 00:30:20,599 a circuit through them that would take me about an 582 00:30:20,599 --> 00:30:23,160 hour and a half to two hours to complete, although 583 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:24,960 at a pinch I could do it in an hour. 584 00:30:25,319 --> 00:30:28,000 The scariest thing I experienced would have been when a 585 00:30:28,079 --> 00:30:31,119 dairy cow came crashing through the underbrush in front of me. 586 00:30:31,599 --> 00:30:33,680 A cow might not sound like the worst thing that 587 00:30:33,759 --> 00:30:36,759 could happen, but I heard they can be pretty aggressive, 588 00:30:36,759 --> 00:30:38,799 and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end 589 00:30:38,799 --> 00:30:42,359 of one if it charged. The creepiest things I experienced 590 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:45,720 came before and after the storm. On more than one occasion, 591 00:30:45,759 --> 00:30:47,960 I had this feeling that I was being watched in 592 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,640 the forest. I would stop and listen for a few 593 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:54,160 minutes and see nor hear anything. It would disappear after 594 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:57,359 a short while. Another occasion, I found a dead pig 595 00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:59,839 next to a dirt road on the edge of the forest, 596 00:31:00,279 --> 00:31:03,079 curled up like a dog or cat. After the storm, 597 00:31:03,119 --> 00:31:06,319 there were few patches of thick undergrowth that remained, although 598 00:31:06,359 --> 00:31:09,119 while walking through one of them, my dog kept staring 599 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,880 up the hill beside me and would whimper. She'd also 600 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,880 walk right beside me, which was unusual, as she was 601 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:17,640 always a minimum of five or six meters ahead on 602 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:20,079 the track of her lad. For what it's worth, I 603 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:22,720 came across a large wooden crate similar to the ones 604 00:31:22,799 --> 00:31:25,039 hunters and farmers have on the back of their youths 605 00:31:25,119 --> 00:31:27,160 to keep dogs in. Atop a flat part of the 606 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:29,880 dirt road on the opposite side of the valley, there 607 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:32,720 were a couple of tied up plastic bags next to it, 608 00:31:32,799 --> 00:31:36,319 and it smelled of rotting flesh. Disappeared after a few days. 609 00:31:37,559 --> 00:31:40,519 If you are mute of the channel, you can subscribe. 610 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:44,559 I publish new videos every day. Until then, check another 611 00:31:44,640 --> 00:32:19,720 video by for now