“It Snapped Like A Biscuit”: 40 Hikers Who Saw Something Truly Terrifying

I’ll start by saying, as a disclaimer, that I was 8 years old when this happened.

I joined my aunt, uncle and their 5 kids on a weekend “get-away” with their church group (I went for the woods, they went for the prayers). It was a beautiful place. A couple log cabins, a mess tent for food and meetings, and other than that, nothing but forest. Beautiful. So very beautiful. It was upstate New York, but I don’t remember where.

So, my aunt Heidi and I went out to pick flowers or, IDK, do something but we had small wicker baskets and we were walking through this semi-open area with woods and high grasses on either side. She went off to one side and I went off to the other to look for… whatever we were looking for.

After about 20–30 minutes or so, I started calling her, ready to head back. No answer. Headed back toward where she should have been. No answer. Called louder. No answer. Then, through a small opening in the thick grasses off the path, I saw her laying on the ground. I called her, but she didn’t answer. I took a step closer—not too close—probably still a good 25+ feet away—and that’s when I saw, through the opening in the grasses, that there was an arrow sticking out of her chest. A frickin’ arrow sticking out of her chest!!!!

My 8 year old, overly imaginative brain freaked out, I dropped my basket and bolted back to the cabins. And it was quite a ways. Maybe 1/4 mile? A little less? As I got there, the people saw the look on my face, and how out of breath I was, and all I could do was gasp out words like “Heidi” “arrow” “dead” and point in the general direction.

They sat me down while a group of men went to check out what was going on…. and were back in only a few minutes….

Yeh, so my aunt found an arrow in the grass and thought it would be “funny” to lay down and pretend to be dead so that her 8 yr old niece would come across her and see her like that. Never occurred to her that I might freak the heck out!!! She said as soon as she saw me take off, she tried to yell for me to come back, that she was okay, but I was running on pure childhood terror-adrenaline and didn’t hear her.

So, was I in actual danger? No. Was it one of the scariest things I came across in the woods that made my hair stand on head? Heck yeah! What a way to traumatize a kid. Gees.

Who stalks through the forest, tracking a young woman like prey? As someone who grew up in an isolated country town, I always felt safest in the forest. When I moved to the city I discovered a lovely riverside wilderness area where I could walk off my stress. The winding track was just big enough for one person and long enough to walk for an hour. One of the best things was that it was rather unknown, so most weekends I had the wilderness all to myself. In Australia the forest is very safe. There are no bears or wolves and dingoes are easy for an adult to handle. It’s heaven.

One sunny day I happily strolled along, stopping every now and then to listen to a wombat scurrying away through the dense undergrowth. But it was when I reached the furthest point from the car park that I realised I was not alone. Those scurrying noises? They stopped when I stopped. Again and again. And they were getting louder all the time.

At first I hoped I was imagining it, but then I had to face the fact that somebody was sneaking behind me, hiding behind the undergrowth. Heart thumping, I pretended I was unafraid. I bent down casually to fake-tie my shoelace, so I could look behind me. I could see nothing but dense bushland at first, then my eyes dropped to the ground.

Standing half concealed behind a shrub were two large men’s boots. In my shock I hoped they were empty, but as I looked a harder I could see legs inside the boots. Big muscular legs. A large man was there, watching me, sneaking up behind me as I walked.

Now I’m a small woman so a fight was out of the question. I quickly stood and kept walking, my muscles rigid with panic as I tried to work out an escape. If I ran I would quickly reach a dead end, and the man stood between me and my path to safety. As my terror grew it evolved into an angry mass of adrenaline. I vowed to put up a fight after all, do some damage to him even though it felt hopeless. I leaned down and picked up a stout branch, ripped the leaves off and held it like a baseball bat, then turned around quickly to look back at the man. I couldn’t see him now, but I could hear the crunching noise of a very heavy body running through the bush.

I think I had my eyes squeezed shut as I held my pathetic branch firmly, waiting for the a*****t. Then I realised he was running away from me. Tiny me! I don’t know what it is like to win the lotto, but I felt like I had won something massive. I was so thrilled and amazed. But I held my branch firmly as I walked quickly back to the car park on shaky legs. Sadly there were no more solo walks for me after that. But I still feel very very lucky.

A few years after my son died I was hiking in Aspen with my daughter and another man. I was feeling very sad and needed some alone time, so I walked down a path by myself and sat down and when I looked up I saw my son’s initials carved in a tree and his birth year. It really took me.

I was on a hiking trail at South Mountain, in Phoenix, and was climbing up some steps near the top of a ridge when a bicyclist exploded over the top, sailed right over my head, and landed on the steps just below me. He didn’t fall, and was able to control his downward progress and zoom out of sight pretty quickly. But if I had been one step higher on that trail, he would have plowed right into me and might have [unalived] us both.

In case you’re wondering, that segment of the trail was not approved for bikes. He was one of those extreme bikers out for a thrill, and he managed to give one to both of us.

My parents and I used to go camping in the Sierra Nevada mountains every year with some of our extended family when I was growing up. We would always end the night by roasting marshmallows. Before heading into our tents to sleep, everything would be put into their boxes and any food still out would be put into the bear locker - except once. One night my aunt was cleaning up and decided not to put the bag of marshmallows back in the bear locker. It was the only food still out and she was sure it would be okay since we’d never seen a bear close to the campsites.

That night a loud BANG woke us all up. My dad cautiously unzipped the tent door to see what was going on. Just a few feet from our tent was a brown bear rummaging through all our boxes! It paused to attempt eating a metal coffeemaker before finding the marshmallows. Then the bear circled around to an area with tall grass behind our tent to sit down and eat, leaving once it finished.

In the morning, you could see the impression the bear made when it sat and the remnants of the marshmallow bag right next to it. My parents kept the crushed filter from the coffeemaker - complete with holes made by the bear’s teeth (see below).

Once while hiking in the Great Smoky Mts NP, we spent the night at a shelter, that had galvanized fencing across the front, with a gate. The next morning we were the last to hit the trail. As we were about to step thru the gate, a large black bear strutted by within a foot from where we stood.

Needless to say, we kept the gate closed, and waited to see what the bear would do next. He retreated about 25 yards down the slope, and watched us. We finally got brave and went out, relying upon our walking sticks to defend ourselves. Luckily, he kept in place, allowing us to go in peace.

Looking back on it, I think black bears are smart animals. He timed his arrival expecting all hikers to be gone. He was just interested in finding some food scraps.

The danger happens by surprise close encounters, or by getting between a mother bear and her cub. If enough noise is made, a black bear will avoid contact.

The rules are different with grizzlies, when food is scarce. Overall, that backpacking trip thru the high Smokies was a wonderful trip of a lifetime, never to be forgotten, made on the summer solstice. The temperature was perfect, wild flowers and trees were in bloom at that elevation, with long daylight to arrive at the next shelter before dark. Happy Trails!

For about 15 years we lived in rural Claremont on a 15 acre parcel that had East Duffins Creek running through it. This is in Ontario Canada and just outside Toronto. It was morel season so I jumped on my ATV and headed over to the north side of our property where I had found morels in previous years. I hopped off and went for a hike down to the creek and up through some native apple trees. I had to part some cedar branches to get back to my ATV about 25′ away. When I climbed on the ATV a full grown Easter Cougar came out of the cedars in the same place I had just walked. Clearly he had followed me. I was afraid to start the machine as this would have required moving one arm and both feet and I was worried that the movement might trigger him to come after me. We stared at each other for a moment and then I jumped in the air and yelled BOO as loud as possible. Fortunately the big cat turned and ran. I went home and called the Ministry of Natural Resources to report this sighting and they weren’t too surprised. They said these Eastern Cougars are about 150 lbs, follow river corridors, have a hunting area of about 90 square miles and take a deer a week. Two months later my daughter-in-law captured this photo south of Barrie about 50 kms away. It was exciting but scary.

I wouldn't call it creepy, just a matter of bad timing. My wife and I climbed to the top of a local mountain. When we got there, there was a set of male and a set of female clothing on the rocks. I'm thinking there were two people who could not wait until we left

Years ago I was backpacking and sat under a tree to have my lunch.

some leaves and bark fell around me and as I brushed them off I tilted my head back and looked up

about a dozen feet above me was a she- bear and her two cubs.

I stood up slowly and walked away, leaving all my gear.

The wierdest thing i saw hiking was on a ridge on the Ouachita trail in Arkansas. We heard a large plane. As it got louder we started to scan the sky for it. It kept getting louder, and we couldn't believe we hadn't spotted it yet. When we were about to question our sanity, we finally spotted it below us. It was a C-130 practicing terrain following in the narrow valley.

I was living in the Pacific Northwest and my boyfriend and I went for a day hike. We followed an old logging road up the mountain and after a while we came out of the forest and the road dead ended. It was open country with an unobstructed view. The trail zigzagged upwards to a distant mountain ridge, it promised great views of the valley. We were used to hiking and being on our own, so nothing seemed creepy at first. We parked the car in the empty clearing at the end of road (no other cars or people around) and took off.

We got a later start to the hike than planned, so we doubted that we would reach the uppermost ridge that day. The hike was visually rewarding but slow. The steep ascent had switchbacks and the trail was open to the sun and wind. After hiking for several hours, we checked the time and the position of the sun. We decided to start down the trail. At a comfortable pace, we could reach the parking area before sunset.

A while later we noticed movement on the open trail far below us. It was the figure of a man hiking upwards. At first it didn’t seem creepy. I commented that he was getting a late start for a hike, as the sun was slipping lower in the sky. The guy hiked at a rapid pace, he was really covering ground. We guessed that we’d meet up with the stranger in less than an hour.

We hadn’t seen any other people all day so maybe this created a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Soon the man was close enough to see that he was dressed in dark clothes. He never stopped for a break, just kept quickly climbing. For some reason I felt nervous about our eventual contact on the trail. My boyfriend didn’t say anything but he hiked ahead of me and stayed in front.

So finally the stranger was in front of us. He was a thin pale man wearing ordinary street clothing (shirt and pants), no hiking equipment, backpack, or water bottle. He stared at us and didn’t respond when we said ‘how’s it going?’ I looked down at the ground because of the weird vibes and here’s what creeped me out…as the man’s feet passed I saw he was wearing a pair of black leather dress shoes. WTF? He kept powering up the trail, into the late afternoon sun.

We hiked down as fast as safely possible and got to the clearing where our car was. No other vehicle was there and there were no trees or bushes where a motorcycle or bike could be hidden. So how did the guy get there? We drove for at least 30 minutes up the mountain to get to the trailhead. There were no towns or campgrounds in this area, it was logging country.

Our old car gave rattling sounds but started, we gratefully took off down the road. By then the sun had set and the mountain was in shadows. The way back was filled with questions.

There was his choice of clothing, totally unsuited for hiking or late in the day hiking — no coat, water, etc. Yes, the leather dress shoes, too.

The guy was either super fit (he was so pale and thin though) or who knows on some kind of d***s, to hike so quickly. We were both in our early 20s and in good shape, he hiked the same distance as we did in about half the time.

I wondered if the man reached the ridge top that night. And if so, what happened next?

True story. Crystal Lake in Virginia Beach. Drove out with a girlfriend for a dose of nature and beauty before the sun set. As it started to get dark, we realized it was close to closing time and the park entry gate would soon be shut. There were no other cars or people around. We jumped in our car and started driving toward the gate to exit the park. On the way toward the gate, we passed a young girl sitting by the side of the road on a cement block. She was dressed in a conservative, long dress, like something from the turn of the century and was holding a large red ball. She was pale and thin, with long, brown hair. Strangely she didn’t look toward us or acknowledge us at all, just stared straight ahead, across from where she was sitting. What was she doing out there, with no urgency to leave the park? As we drove on, we saw a strange man ahead of us in the middle of the road, intentionally blocking our path. He, too, was dressed from a different era, wearing suspenders over a filthy, white shirt, and black pants. He was waving his arms for us to stop. As we got closer, we could see he wasn’t hurt or needing help—he looked angry and aggressive and his face was scary as hell, so we sped around him. He turned and started running after our car. We hit the gas and barely made it out of the gate before it was locked for the night. Never went back again.

This scared me even though I’m sure more experienced hikers would not have been thrown one bit. Several years ago my sister and I went hiking on a trail that looped around in a big circle, it was somewhere between Tucson and Bisbee, Arizona (I’ve forgotten the name of the trail). Maybe in Patagonia.

I love to hike but I don’t do it too often. I had my cocker spaniel Bu with me. After a bit I felt tired and decided to go back to the car and my sister went on. I sat down on a log and rested. When I felt ready to go I stood up and was about to start down the trail leading back to the car when I saw a pack of javelinas grazing on the trail.

There were so many of them and it looked like they had tusks (?) A couple of them were on the trail and the rest were spread out on both sides of the trail. I didn’t know what to do and I think I was most worried about my dog but I also had no idea if they would be provoked by my walking towards them or through them!

Seems like I waited for a long time before the trail finally looked clear even though the pack was still grazing around the area close to the trail. I picked up my dog and carried her and I just walked very fast down the trail not looking at the javelinas - as if they weren’t even there. When I got beyond them I put my dog on the ground and we ran! It was actually funny in hindsight but I was scared!

My sister later said the javalina must be my “spirit animal”! Haha Another time in the mountains I was hiking with my sister and her very tall boyfriend when a weird squirrel came out of nowhere and went straight for the boyfriend’s leg! It leapt up and landed on his thigh! I screamed and her boyfriend shook it off and we all hightailed it out of there!

Later we saw a sign about a nuclear waste station nearby and we spent the day joking about the mutant radioactive squirrel!

When we were teenagers we went to the woods after dark to hang out, drink and have some fun. There were about 8 of us.

Once we got into the thick part of the forest, my friend and I had the idea to run ahead, then circle around and scare-prank the rest of our group.

About half way of our circling path, I told my friend to freeze! Naturally he smiled at me and acted like I was trying to scare him too. “No, seriously!” I said. “Shine your flashlight over there.” He did and it confirmed what I saw. A pair of human legs extended out from behind a large tree. We quietly approached and found what appeared to be a person who had died against a tree. He appeared homeless from his tattered clothes and weathered appearance. His eyes were just slightly open, staring into nothingness and he was slumped back against the trunk at the base. This was right in the middle of the forest.

We trotted back to our group and told them there was something they needed to see. Rude and disrespectful, I know now as an adult. But as teenagers, we weren't thinking sympathetically to whoever this person was.

They didn't believe us and thought it was all part of some elaborate prank. The girls in the group were getting frightened and asked us to stop the bullshit but we persisted even explaining thay we had originally planned to scare you guys…but then this happened.

When we finally got everyone to buy in to the truth, we found our way back to this large tree….lo and behold, the man was gone!

All I can guess is he was terrified of being found in the middle of the woods and froze up until we walked away and then ran full speed out of there. Or maybe we saw a ghost…who knows?

Regardless, to this day, no one in that group believes a word of it. Only two of us saw the man lying against a tree in the middle of the woods that night and that's how it will remain!

I found human remains whist hiking in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. He was a man who crashed his plane into the side if the mountain. His remains were never recovered.

To tell you about my experience in detail would take a book, but here’s a summarization of the worst trekking experience I’ve had. It was the first rains of the season and I and my friends had gone to Mt. Kalsubai(highest peak in Maharashtra). The trek began with a bang, my friends were quite energetic about the whole peak, always looking up to check the amount of distance left to climb. A part of the peak didn't have a sturdy path and hence the guides had tied a rope which offered support to climbers on that path. Amidst the chaos of climbing a safe path, I and my friends traced steps of previous climbers to stick to the safe path. Just when we thought that all was good, It began to pour cats and dogs and we realized that the path we were climbing was a stream route from where rainwater gushed down to the foothills. We had the mountain wall on one side and deep valley on the other. In a flash, a small path turned into a gushing water stream which made the climb dangerous and unpredictable. In the pouring rain, it was difficult to get a grip on the path and by now our trekking worthy footwear had started giving up. Holding on tight to the support ropes, we made our way inch by inch above to get ourselves out of that location. We finally managed to reach an even plane where we heaved the best sigh of relief. This experience stays with me and till date gives me goosebumps, remembering the situation we were caught in.

1. A moose. Moose are more dangerous and unpredictable, and attck more people than do bears.

2. A rattlesnake. I’d accidentally just stepped across it, and it was rattling at me.

3. Wild boar when rock climbing near Finale Ligure, Italy.

I was doing a snowshoe hike by myself around Lost Lake, in Whistler, BC. Now, hiking alone is very stupid, but is was a busy trail and close to the village. It was my first time in Canada, it was february, so it was a cold but gorgeous sunny day. I was very curious and wanted to photograph as much as I could, and enjoy the prettiest views I could find. That’s when I learned my lesson. Never, ever, go off trail. Don’t be that idiot tourist. I was that idiot tourist.

I came across a large rock, with a steep slope, covered with snow, about 10 meters high. it was slightly less steep on one side so I wanted to climb up the rock to see if I could see above the trees and enjoy the view (the trail was in between the trees for the most part). So I made my way up, and the snow shoes gave me a pretty good grip. Or so I thought. I almost made it up, camera in hand… when I slipped. I fell on my back, and slid all the way down. Since it was a bit sloped, I didn’t really make a flat fall, but it hurt nonetheless. My first response was to try and slow myself down with my hands. I was constantly using my camera so I wasn’t wearing gloves. That hurt. When I arrived back on the trail I sprained my ankle a bit, but nothing serious. I got very lucky. As I did more hikes in Canada I never went off trail again. I came across different points on hikes with signs that said people had fallen to their death. No way josé, lesson learned. I enjoyed the rest of my stay safely on the trails! Oh, and always take people with you! Had I fallen to my death or had I gotten stuck somehow, no one would know I was there! (except maybe for the company I rented the snowshoes from, anyway, don’t take the risk)

I was sacred when we stopped for a breather and the guy with me said: “Why are those mountains moving? I said, “sit” (he did), I said “drink 4 big swallows.” 3 min later: “drink 4 big swallows.” After about 15 min the peaks were not rotating any more. I said, “good, drink some more.” I transfered more than half his load onto mine. After 30 min more we continued our down-slope hike “Still 12+ miles to our truck.” All turned out OK.

About 6 months ago, I had the idea to have some time to myself & camp in the woods. I set up camp, called my friends on the phone, and then started stargazing after we hang up. After a while, I heard shuffling in the woods. I looked, and I saw nothing. I shined a small light from my phone into the woods, and it illuminated a pair of glowing eyes looking right at me.

Reasonably, I got scared. I grabbed my stuff and ran. I heard whatever it was following me, but I was too scared to look back & figure out what was chasing me. As I hopped into the car, I turned it on & sped off. Only then did I look in the rear mirror to see what was chasing me.. it was a fox. 😐