1
00:00:05,759 --> 00:00:08,919
Speaker 1: My girlfriend and I always enjoyed going for weekend camping

2
00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:13,160
trips pretty frequently. We used to live right inside the

3
00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:17,559
Appalachian region in Virginia, so obviously we'd find new places

4
00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,760
on or near the Appalachian Mountains. Both of us had

5
00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,399
pretty stressful work lives during the weekdays, so getting out

6
00:00:25,399 --> 00:00:27,879
in nature and staying away from home on the weekends

7
00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,920
really helped us. At the time this happened, we had

8
00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,320
already been on dozens of camping trips in the Appalachian Mountains,

9
00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,359
but none of them had ever ended like this. It

10
00:00:40,439 --> 00:00:43,439
was Saturday morning, and we decided on a very small

11
00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:47,159
three mile trail that leads to a nice isolated camping

12
00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,520
ground on a flatter part of the mountain. We had

13
00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,600
never been to the specific spot before, but from the

14
00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,679
amount of reviews the trail had on Google, we assumed

15
00:00:56,679 --> 00:01:00,119
it was a pretty well known trail in campgrounds. We

16
00:01:00,159 --> 00:01:02,320
got our bags ready and packed the truck with our

17
00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,760
camping gear, and then we made our way out there.

18
00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,519
It was only a forty five minute drive from our house,

19
00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,480
but as we got closer, it began raining quite a bit.

20
00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,760
This was pretty normal around the mountains here, so we

21
00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:17,920
were used to being out in the rain and didn't

22
00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,359
bother us enough to turn around. We pulled up to

23
00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,000
the trailhead, which was actually just off the side of

24
00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,799
the road, and we saw one other car parked on

25
00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,439
the side. We actually expected there to be more people,

26
00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,760
considering the popularity of the trail, but we were glad

27
00:01:33,799 --> 00:01:37,599
it wasn't crowded though. As we started getting our gear out,

28
00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,280
my girlfriend pointed out that the parked car's passenger door

29
00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,680
was cracked open a few inches. We both looked around

30
00:01:45,799 --> 00:01:48,400
to see if the owner was nearby, but with no

31
00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,159
signs of them, I decided to go over and push

32
00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,000
it closed, as we assumed the owner must have accidentally

33
00:01:54,079 --> 00:01:57,959
left it open. The whole passenger seat was soaked from

34
00:01:57,959 --> 00:02:01,079
the rain already, but at least wouldn't get any worse.

35
00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,040
I came back to our car to grab my stuff,

36
00:02:05,159 --> 00:02:08,439
and then we both started making our way down the trail.

37
00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,039
We talked about how weird it was that the door

38
00:02:11,159 --> 00:02:14,360
was open, and how most people would probably notice that

39
00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,039
their car wouldn't even lock due to the open door.

40
00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:22,000
It's worth mentioning, too, that it was clearly a pretty expensive,

41
00:02:22,159 --> 00:02:27,280
newer car, which just made it more strange. Anyways, the

42
00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,159
rain started picking up at this point, so we began

43
00:02:30,319 --> 00:02:32,919
walking faster so we could get to the campsite and

44
00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,000
set up our tent. I want to say it took

45
00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:38,800
us about two hours to get to the end, as

46
00:02:38,879 --> 00:02:42,919
it was mostly uphill. Once we were there, the first

47
00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:45,240
thing we noticed was a tent already set up in

48
00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,919
the middle of the flat area. It was pretty small,

49
00:02:49,199 --> 00:02:52,919
definitely a one person tent. We figured they were probably

50
00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,919
in there sheltering from the rain, so we went to

51
00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:57,960
a far corner on the site and set up our

52
00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:02,159
tent there. Sat inside for an hour, eating some food

53
00:03:02,199 --> 00:03:04,680
we brought and laying some of our stuff out to dry,

54
00:03:05,159 --> 00:03:09,800
before hearing voices outside. The rain hitting the tent was

55
00:03:09,879 --> 00:03:12,240
too loud to hear what they were saying, so I

56
00:03:12,319 --> 00:03:16,080
unzipped the front and looked out. I jumped a little

57
00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,719
bit as there were two men kneeling down and looking

58
00:03:18,719 --> 00:03:22,080
at us from just a couple feet away, but then

59
00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,120
they smiled and introduced themselves. They said they were staying

60
00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,240
in the tent in the middle, and that they'd been

61
00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,319
here a few days. I quickly introduced my girlfriend and

62
00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:34,400
I and told them that we were just here for

63
00:03:34,439 --> 00:03:37,560
the night. Then they headed back and I zipped up

64
00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,759
our tent and looked at my girlfriend. The whole interaction

65
00:03:41,879 --> 00:03:44,439
seemed a little off, and they seemed to be acting

66
00:03:44,479 --> 00:03:48,319
a little strange. I noticed that both of the men

67
00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,960
were wearing tightly fitted jeans and regular T shirts, and

68
00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,479
their tent was way too small to be fitting two

69
00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:58,719
full grown men. It really just didn't seem like they

70
00:03:58,719 --> 00:04:01,960
were here camping or hike, and definitely not for a

71
00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,840
few days like they had said. We decided to leave

72
00:04:05,879 --> 00:04:08,240
the zipper partially open so we can keep an eye

73
00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,080
on them just in case. Another hour went by and

74
00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,800
we didn't see anything unusual. Actually we didn't see anything

75
00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,480
at all. I guess they were just cramped up in

76
00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:23,439
their tent the whole time. Anyways, it was pretty dark

77
00:04:23,439 --> 00:04:25,600
out at this point, so we decided to call it

78
00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,439
a night and get our sleeping bags ready. I zipped

79
00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,120
the tent back up and laid down next to my girlfriend.

80
00:04:32,879 --> 00:04:35,560
I must have fallen asleep pretty fast, though, because I

81
00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:40,079
didn't even remember anything after laying down, But I woke

82
00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,319
up a few hours into the night having to use

83
00:04:42,399 --> 00:04:46,439
the bathroom. It was still raining, so I put on

84
00:04:46,439 --> 00:04:48,879
one of my cheap plastic rain ponchos so that I

85
00:04:48,879 --> 00:04:51,800
wouldn't have to go back to bed soaked. Then I

86
00:04:51,879 --> 00:04:54,399
headed out a few feet behind our tent and behind

87
00:04:54,439 --> 00:04:57,920
one of the trees, but through the rain, I could

88
00:04:57,959 --> 00:05:00,959
hear voices. It was really hard to tell where they

89
00:05:00,959 --> 00:05:04,360
were coming from, though. I turned my head all around,

90
00:05:04,639 --> 00:05:06,800
looking in every direction as I started to get a

91
00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:11,199
little paranoid, but I didn't see anyone. Then I looked

92
00:05:11,199 --> 00:05:13,680
over at the small tent in the middle and noticed

93
00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,319
the front zipper was open. It was hard to see

94
00:05:17,319 --> 00:05:20,360
in the darkness and through the rain, but I was

95
00:05:20,399 --> 00:05:24,040
pretty sure that nobody was in there. I knew that

96
00:05:24,079 --> 00:05:25,839
the men had told me that they were staying the

97
00:05:25,959 --> 00:05:28,360
night in the tent, so they started to get me

98
00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,879
even more worried. I ran over to my tent and

99
00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,800
shook my girlfriend awake and told her about the situation.

100
00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,240
She was clearly tired, but I could tell that she

101
00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,800
was just as worried as I was. As we were

102
00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:47,199
discussing what to do, we both heard it voices coming

103
00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,920
from behind our tent. I wasn't sure what to do,

104
00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,519
but I knew sitting in the tent didn't feel very

105
00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,000
safe anymore. I told my girlfriend to pack the bags

106
00:05:57,079 --> 00:05:59,199
quickly and be ready to leave if we had to.

107
00:05:59,639 --> 00:06:02,600
Then grabbed a small pocket knife and quickly got out

108
00:06:02,639 --> 00:06:05,360
and looked over at the trees. I saw the two

109
00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,680
men from earlier standing there, just a few feet from

110
00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:13,720
our tent. I remember this moment very clearly, as both

111
00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:18,160
men looked at me with absolutely no emotion. They didn't

112
00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:22,360
make any facial expressions or even move at all. I

113
00:06:22,439 --> 00:06:25,120
knew at that moment that these men were planning on

114
00:06:25,199 --> 00:06:28,319
doing something horrible, and they were not scared of me

115
00:06:28,399 --> 00:06:32,600
at all. A second later, my girlfriend looked out of

116
00:06:32,639 --> 00:06:35,199
the tent, which took me out of my state of shock,

117
00:06:35,319 --> 00:06:37,680
and I yelled at her to go, pointing at the

118
00:06:37,759 --> 00:06:42,879
trail back down the mountain. I followed after her, leaving

119
00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,639
my bag in the tent behind. I looked back just

120
00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,480
as we made it to the edge of the campsite,

121
00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:52,399
and the two men were still standing there. They didn't

122
00:06:52,439 --> 00:06:55,279
even try to chase us or anything. They just stood

123
00:06:55,319 --> 00:06:58,240
and watched us as we ran away in total fear.

124
00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:02,000
I'd say we were full on sprinting for ten minutes

125
00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,199
before slowing down and walking quickly for the rest of

126
00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,600
the way. When we got back to the car, we

127
00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,160
saw the other parked car was still there, but the

128
00:07:11,199 --> 00:07:15,360
passenger door was opened again. I immediately drove us down

129
00:07:15,399 --> 00:07:18,120
to the nearest gas station, where we called the police

130
00:07:18,199 --> 00:07:20,160
and were met by them a few minutes later to

131
00:07:20,199 --> 00:07:24,120
talk about what had happened. A few days passed by,

132
00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:26,879
and then we get a lot more information, and it

133
00:07:26,959 --> 00:07:31,879
made everything even more terrifying. When an officer went down

134
00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,319
to investigate the area, they found that the car belonged

135
00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,240
to an older man who had recently been filed as missing.

136
00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,600
All of the belongings from the car had been stolen,

137
00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:43,959
and they were able to confirm that the tent on

138
00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,920
the campground was the old man's as well. They didn't

139
00:07:47,959 --> 00:07:50,720
find the two men, though, and they didn't find any

140
00:07:50,759 --> 00:07:54,600
real evidence other than their shoe prints. The old man

141
00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,279
wasn't found either, and as far as I know, he

142
00:07:57,399 --> 00:08:01,120
still has never turned up. Just made my girlfriend and

143
00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,000
I both feel sick knowing that we could have been

144
00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,560
just seconds away from something horrible. I guess we'll never

145
00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,000
know for sure what those two men were actually up to,

146
00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:13,439
but I think we can all make a pretty good

147
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,279
guess based on the whole situation. But what I do

148
00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,720
know is that the image of those two men standing

149
00:08:20,759 --> 00:08:23,759
in front of me still haunts my memories to this day.

150
00:08:30,639 --> 00:08:32,960
I was lucky enough to have a job that allowed

151
00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,200
me to travel a lot in my late twenties and

152
00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:39,000
early thirties. I would usually only spend a couple of

153
00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:41,960
days in one location, though for work, so I was

154
00:08:42,039 --> 00:08:44,440
limited to how much I could actually do when I

155
00:08:44,519 --> 00:08:48,240
was staying somewhere nice. But I had a job out

156
00:08:48,279 --> 00:08:51,440
in Pennsylvania for a week and ended up finishing a

157
00:08:51,519 --> 00:08:54,120
day early, which meant I'd still have to stay there

158
00:08:54,159 --> 00:08:57,799
for an extra day before my flight. Since I never

159
00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:00,279
got to get out much, I figured I should use

160
00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:04,320
this time to my advantage and do something fun. I

161
00:09:04,399 --> 00:09:06,720
decided on a long trail that went through some of

162
00:09:06,759 --> 00:09:11,159
the pretty forests and trees here. I've always really enjoyed nature,

163
00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:13,240
but I felt like my job forced me to be

164
00:09:13,279 --> 00:09:16,600
inside buildings or planes all the time, so this was

165
00:09:16,639 --> 00:09:18,759
a good chance for me to enjoy the nice weather

166
00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:23,240
and scenery. I woke up early, but I actually had

167
00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,600
to go to the store to buy some hiking clothes

168
00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,960
as I didn't pack any with me. The trail was

169
00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,799
about an hour away from my hotel and I ended

170
00:09:31,879 --> 00:09:35,559
up getting there just before twelve pm. It didn't look

171
00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,519
like anyone else was there, which I was pretty happy about.

172
00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,600
When I looked up the trail online, it said it

173
00:09:41,639 --> 00:09:44,399
would take about six hours there and back, so this

174
00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:47,799
was pretty much an all day thing. I had a

175
00:09:47,799 --> 00:09:50,799
little backpack with a water bottle and some snacks, so

176
00:09:50,879 --> 00:09:55,080
I brought that and started making my way down. The

177
00:09:55,159 --> 00:09:58,200
first hour was really nice. Just being alone on a

178
00:09:58,279 --> 00:10:01,399
path between the trees was really peaceful and a nice

179
00:10:01,399 --> 00:10:04,440
way to get some relief from my stressful work life.

180
00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,840
But as I was walking, I noticed a man sitting

181
00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,159
on the ground next to the path up ahead. He

182
00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,000
looked almost as though he were sleeping, with his head

183
00:10:14,039 --> 00:10:18,240
hanging down and a hoodie covering his face. As I

184
00:10:18,279 --> 00:10:21,879
started to get closer, he looked up at me, almost

185
00:10:21,919 --> 00:10:26,240
staring me down. As I walked past him. I had

186
00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:28,639
no idea what to make of him, but it was

187
00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:31,399
a little creepy, so I continued to check behind me

188
00:10:31,519 --> 00:10:34,559
occasionally for the next few minutes as I continued down

189
00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:39,000
the trail. After a couple hours, I got a little

190
00:10:39,039 --> 00:10:41,840
tired and hungry, so I found a small log on

191
00:10:41,879 --> 00:10:43,679
the edge of the path and sat down to have

192
00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:47,759
a snack. I was probably there for three or four

193
00:10:47,799 --> 00:10:51,080
minutes before the man that i'd walked past earlier appeared

194
00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,480
down the path, making his way towards me. He was

195
00:10:54,519 --> 00:10:57,240
still a good distance away, though, so I decided to

196
00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:59,960
quickly pack my bag up and continue down the trails

197
00:11:00,039 --> 00:11:03,720
so I didn't have to interact with them. Apparently my

198
00:11:03,799 --> 00:11:06,679
plan didn't work, though, as only a few minutes later

199
00:11:06,879 --> 00:11:13,200
I heard loud running footsteps coming up behind me. I

200
00:11:13,279 --> 00:11:16,399
turned around and saw the man jogging in my direction.

201
00:11:17,399 --> 00:11:19,679
I moved over to the side, hoping he would just

202
00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,240
pass by, but he ended up stopping right in front

203
00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:27,919
of me. I'll admit I was pretty nervous and felt

204
00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:32,159
really uneasy about this guy. He didn't say anything and

205
00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:34,759
reached into his pocket, and then he holds out a

206
00:11:34,799 --> 00:11:39,440
wallet and says, I think you dropped this. The wallet

207
00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,440
definitely wasn't mine, though, and I could tell it was

208
00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:46,559
completely empty too. I told him that he must be

209
00:11:46,639 --> 00:11:49,440
mistaken and that I didn't bring my wallet with me.

210
00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:54,080
He responds telling me that he knew this was my

211
00:11:54,279 --> 00:11:58,679
wallet and I needed to take it back. I honestly

212
00:11:58,759 --> 00:12:01,240
didn't know what to do or say, but I could

213
00:12:01,279 --> 00:12:05,320
see in his eyes that he was getting mad. I

214
00:12:05,399 --> 00:12:07,120
was pretty sure this guy was trying to do some

215
00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,600
weird trick in order to rob me or something. But

216
00:12:10,799 --> 00:12:13,240
I didn't know what other options I had other than

217
00:12:13,279 --> 00:12:17,320
to just listen to the guy, So I just said

218
00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:21,240
okay and picked up the wallet from his hand. Then

219
00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,759
he looked at me in the eyes, smiled, and said

220
00:12:24,799 --> 00:12:29,480
you're welcome. Then he began making his way down the trail.

221
00:12:29,879 --> 00:12:33,039
I stood there for a minute, processing the interaction I

222
00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,759
just had. Then I held out the wallet and looked

223
00:12:35,759 --> 00:12:39,000
at it more closely. It was one of those typical

224
00:12:39,039 --> 00:12:43,279
brown folding wallets and looked pretty worn and old. I

225
00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,919
opened it up and checked every pocket in it, but

226
00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:50,120
there wasn't a single thing in there. I was so confused.

227
00:12:50,519 --> 00:12:53,120
I had no idea what to think, but I knew

228
00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:55,440
I didn't want to run into this man again, so

229
00:12:55,639 --> 00:12:58,480
I just started making my way back to my car.

230
00:12:59,279 --> 00:13:02,159
It was four pew and I had a little over

231
00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:04,639
two hours to go before getting back to my car.

232
00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:08,159
I tried my best to enjoy the walk, but I

233
00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,080
couldn't stop thinking about what happened, and it kept making

234
00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:15,240
me more and more nervous. I was constantly looking around

235
00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,279
to make sure he wasn't following me. But finally I

236
00:13:18,279 --> 00:13:22,279
could see my car up ahead. The sun was just

237
00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:26,559
beginning to set, casting a long shadow on everything, and

238
00:13:26,639 --> 00:13:29,120
my car was parked facing the trail, so I was

239
00:13:29,159 --> 00:13:32,240
walking towards the front of it. Once I was a

240
00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:35,679
few feet away, that's when I noticed a man's shadow

241
00:13:35,799 --> 00:13:39,480
coming from behind the car, as if they were crouched down.

242
00:13:40,519 --> 00:13:43,879
I stopped in my tracks, staring at their shadow next

243
00:13:43,879 --> 00:13:47,639
to my car. I knew that running away would almost

244
00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,919
surely end badly, but I also knew that he was

245
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,320
probably going to try and steal my car and rob

246
00:13:53,399 --> 00:13:57,440
me once I tried to get inside. After a few seconds,

247
00:13:57,799 --> 00:14:00,759
I quietly reached into my pocket to feel for my keys,

248
00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:05,480
then started walking towards the passenger door. I quickly unlocked

249
00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:08,039
the car and got in through the passenger side. I

250
00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,679
could hear the man instantly jump up and run straight

251
00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,080
for the driver's side door, but I locked it from

252
00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:16,120
the inside just before he tried to open it. He

253
00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:18,519
started banging on the window. As I crawled into the

254
00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,679
driver's seat and turned on the car, I could clearly

255
00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,120
see it was the same man from earlier and he

256
00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,960
began screaming at me to give him the wallet back.

257
00:14:28,039 --> 00:14:30,799
I ignored him and reversed out of there and onto the

258
00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,679
main road, where I drove away as quickly as I could.

259
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:37,799
As I was pulling away, he ran back onto the

260
00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:42,120
path and into the trees. I guess my planet worked,

261
00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:44,480
assuming it threw him off by not going to the

262
00:14:44,559 --> 00:14:47,080
driver side door and gave me time to get in

263
00:14:47,159 --> 00:14:50,759
and lock it. There was a police station I remembered

264
00:14:50,759 --> 00:14:53,120
seeing on the way, so I stopped there and went

265
00:14:53,159 --> 00:14:55,919
inside to report the man and give them the wallet,

266
00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,480
and then I headed back to the hotel. I called

267
00:14:59,519 --> 00:15:01,279
one of my friend friends to tell them about it

268
00:15:01,279 --> 00:15:04,200
that night, as it was just such a crazy situation.

269
00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,159
It's pretty obvious he was either trying to rob me

270
00:15:08,279 --> 00:15:12,240
or steal my car, But I find myself still questioning

271
00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,000
what the purpose of the wallet was, as it didn't

272
00:15:15,039 --> 00:15:19,399
seem to have any real significance. Anyways, I'm just happy

273
00:15:19,399 --> 00:15:21,480
that I was able to make it out safely and

274
00:15:21,519 --> 00:15:26,159
without losing anything. I always carry a small pocket knife

275
00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:28,919
with me whenever I go for walks now, as you

276
00:15:29,039 --> 00:15:32,679
never know what crazy situations you can find yourself in.

277
00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,039
It was near the end of October last year, which

278
00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:44,519
always makes for the best hiking weather as it's not

279
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,320
too hot and not too cold. I had a group

280
00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:50,759
of friends that i'd go hiking with a lot, but

281
00:15:51,039 --> 00:15:53,919
most of them had jobs with no set schedules, which

282
00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:56,000
would make it hard to find days where we could

283
00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,039
plan a hike together, so often I'd go for some

284
00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:02,120
shorter hikes alone and just enjoy the peace and quiet.

285
00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:05,919
I had the weekend off, so I found a nice

286
00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:08,879
hiking and camping trail nearby and drove up there on

287
00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,519
Saturday morning. I had actually been on this trail a

288
00:16:12,519 --> 00:16:15,360
couple years before and had always wanted to go back.

289
00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:18,919
It was a loop trail, so it basically went into

290
00:16:18,879 --> 00:16:21,399
a big circle from the start, and it was around

291
00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,519
a day and a half long. I parked my car

292
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,159
in a small gravel parking lot and made my way

293
00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:31,120
up to the trailhead. The first few miles were flat

294
00:16:31,159 --> 00:16:34,840
and mainly just went through grassy fields before eventually leading

295
00:16:34,879 --> 00:16:37,240
into a forest at the bottom of a small mountain.

296
00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,559
At this point, it was probably midday and I was

297
00:16:41,559 --> 00:16:44,039
well into the forest when I saw a man walking

298
00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:47,600
up ahead. He was too far for me to tell

299
00:16:47,639 --> 00:16:50,200
at first if he was walking towards her, away from me,

300
00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,639
but as I continued forward, I realized he was walking

301
00:16:53,679 --> 00:16:58,600
towards me. This wasn't a very popular trail, and the

302
00:16:58,679 --> 00:17:01,799
last time I hiked it, I don't think I saw anyone,

303
00:17:01,879 --> 00:17:04,160
but it was the weekend, and I figured maybe he

304
00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:08,839
just had the same idea as me. As he got closer, though,

305
00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,799
I noticed he didn't have a backpack on, and this

306
00:17:13,039 --> 00:17:16,279
was pretty unusual, as I was probably six or seven

307
00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:19,240
hours down the trail and there was no way someone

308
00:17:19,279 --> 00:17:23,640
would go this far without even a water bottle. He

309
00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,119
waves at me once he's a few feet ahead. I

310
00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:31,680
returned the gesture to be polite, but still being cautious

311
00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:36,279
due to being in such an isolated area. As he passes,

312
00:17:36,599 --> 00:17:39,680
I hear his footsteps stop and the dirt crumble, as

313
00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:43,519
if he turned around. I looked back, and sure enough,

314
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:47,480
he's facing me, and then he asks me something really strange,

315
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,559
where's your group at? I wasn't sure how to respond,

316
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:55,400
as all I could really think about was whether this

317
00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,759
stranger knew that I usually had a group, or if

318
00:17:58,759 --> 00:18:02,200
he was just trying to figure out that I was alone.

319
00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:05,960
Either way, it was unsettling and made me really nervous,

320
00:18:06,839 --> 00:18:09,319
I responded, telling him that they were on their way

321
00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:12,880
a couple minutes behind me. I couldn't think of anything

322
00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:15,799
else to say, but I definitely didn't want this man

323
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:20,920
to think that I was alone. Good, he replied, then

324
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:25,519
smiled and began walking again. I continued on in the

325
00:18:25,519 --> 00:18:30,319
opposite direction, further down the trail. A few hours went by,

326
00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,160
and I spent most of the time thinking about that

327
00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:37,160
guy and how weird the whole situation was. The fact

328
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,680
that he didn't have a backpack so deep into the

329
00:18:39,759 --> 00:18:44,279
hike made the whole thing even more unsettling. I decided

330
00:18:44,279 --> 00:18:46,400
i'd find a good place a little ways off the

331
00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:50,359
main trail to set up my campgrounds, just to be safe.

332
00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:53,240
I found a nice flat area about half a mile

333
00:18:53,319 --> 00:18:57,279
from the trail and pitched my small tent. The sun

334
00:18:57,359 --> 00:18:59,880
was starting to set, so I sat outside my tent

335
00:19:00,079 --> 00:19:03,200
and just tried to stop thinking about the guy. I

336
00:19:03,279 --> 00:19:05,839
had a prepacked lunch made for the trip, so I

337
00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,480
got that out and finished it before laying in the

338
00:19:08,519 --> 00:19:12,039
tent to try and get some sleep. I was laying

339
00:19:12,079 --> 00:19:16,519
there for probably over an hour, unable to sleep, before

340
00:19:16,559 --> 00:19:19,799
I started to hear footsteps coming from the trees behind

341
00:19:19,839 --> 00:19:26,920
my tent. I froze listening to them moving towards me.

342
00:19:28,599 --> 00:19:31,000
I tried to reason with myself in my head that

343
00:19:31,279 --> 00:19:34,400
it was probably just some animal or something, but the

344
00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:39,240
steps were all too recognizable as a person's. It sounded

345
00:19:39,319 --> 00:19:41,839
like they were fifteen to twenty feet away when they

346
00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:47,079
suddenly stopped. I waited there for what felt like hours,

347
00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:51,480
laying still and listening intently, with my heart racing, but

348
00:19:51,599 --> 00:19:55,319
there were no more footsteps. I knew they had to

349
00:19:55,319 --> 00:19:58,240
be waiting nearby, as I would have heard the footsteps

350
00:19:58,279 --> 00:20:02,720
fade out if they had left. Eventually, four hours had

351
00:20:02,799 --> 00:20:06,279
passed and the sun was just starting to rise. I

352
00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:08,279
knew I had to get out of here at some point,

353
00:20:08,559 --> 00:20:11,240
and I was so tired that I was questioning if

354
00:20:11,279 --> 00:20:14,240
maybe i'd somehow just not heard the footsteps going away.

355
00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,200
I unzipped the tent and lifted the flap up a

356
00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,400
little to peek outside, but I didn't see anything, so

357
00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,000
I got out and looked around. It was very quiet

358
00:20:25,079 --> 00:20:27,839
and the trees were blocking most of my view, but

359
00:20:28,039 --> 00:20:31,839
from what I could see, nobody was there. After a

360
00:20:31,839 --> 00:20:35,319
few minutes, I cautiously packed up my tent, still looking

361
00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:38,799
around frequently, as I was definitely on edge and every

362
00:20:38,839 --> 00:20:42,799
small noise would make me jump. I attached my tent

363
00:20:42,839 --> 00:20:45,559
to my bag and started heading back towards the trail

364
00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,519
as quick as I could, but I only made it

365
00:20:48,559 --> 00:20:51,640
a few steps before noticing clear footprints in the dirt

366
00:20:51,839 --> 00:20:53,799
just behind a tree that was right by where I

367
00:20:53,839 --> 00:20:57,880
had my tent. I began panicking and didn't even look

368
00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,559
for any more footsteps as I sprinted towards the trail.

369
00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,359
I was terrified now as I knew there was someone

370
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,559
stalking me in the middle of an isolated forest, hours

371
00:21:07,559 --> 00:21:11,920
away from anywhere safe. Once I got back to the path,

372
00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,039
I quickly began walking back down the way I came.

373
00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:19,119
It was probably quicker at this point just to continue down,

374
00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:22,480
but I figured that whoever was watching me would probably

375
00:21:22,519 --> 00:21:26,359
be waiting for me to continue that way. Luckily, nothing

376
00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:29,000
else happened the whole way back to my car, which

377
00:21:29,039 --> 00:21:33,279
I didn't get to until nearly sunset. I told my

378
00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:36,839
friends about the strange man and what I heard and saw,

379
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,200
and they all said that I was lucky to get

380
00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:43,200
out of there without anything else happening. I contacted the

381
00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,240
police just to report the suspicious activity on the trail,

382
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,039
but not much was able to get done about it.

383
00:21:50,039 --> 00:21:53,519
I'm definitely more cautious when hiking and camping, though, and

384
00:21:53,599 --> 00:21:56,960
I rarely go without my group of friends anymore. I

385
00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,279
will never know what that guy's true intentions were, and

386
00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,440
I hope nobody else has to know either,