The great outdoors can be beautiful, but it can also be dangerous as heck. Seasoned hikers and campers know – the moment you step into the woods, you have to be extra careful. A strange sound, a suspicious-looking person, or a surprising encounter with the wildlife – anything can be on the table.
Some reports show that around 4,661 people in the U.S. get lost in the woods per year and need some kind of assistance. That's roughly 13 people a day. Search and rescue teams also perform around 50,000 missions each year, so even the most knowledgeable never know what's going to happen.
We recently came across a thread where people shared their scariest experiences while out in the woods. When one netizen asked, "Rangers, forest workers, hunters, and other woods-people of Reddit, what is your scary experience in the woods that you still can't explain?", people flocked to share their creepiest and most unsettling forest experiences. So, we're sharing the most unhinged with you below!
#1
Not my story, but my younger sister's (early 20s). She was in Colorado last year and went hiking with her friend. The plan was to hike up the mountain, stop midway and camp, then finish the hike the next morning. They started their hike and stopped for camp midway. She said it started dumping rain that night which meant the top would most likely be snow. The next morning they continued their hike, but it started getting complicated. Her friend only wore Chaco sandals and not proper hiking boots as they didn’t expect the snow.
They stopped at a creek and were deciding if they wanted to turn back on account they weren’t prepared properly when they heard a faint “help me”. They both stood still. They heard it again. They decided to follow up the creek to the woman’s voice. They got to a clearing that was covered in snow and found a woman laying in it in basic athletic clothing (leggings, light pull over jacket, and athletic shoes).
My sister said her legs were swollen, discolored and had nasty cuts on them. My sister asked her how long she had been out there and the woman said only a few hours. My sister was like okay we need to get you down this mountain. The woman was like “no I need to go up the mountain that’s where my car is parked”. My sister was like, no, there is no driving access at the top of the mountain which was a sign that this woman was confused.
They get her down the mountain and my sister just kept saying how confused this woman was. They get to the bottom and they find this woman’s car. My sister couldn’t get cell service to call 911 during this btw. Anyways, my sister tells this woman she’s going to drive her to the hospital but the woman is standing strong that she would just like to go back to her bed and breakfast. My sister takes her there while driving this woman’s car.
Once the woman is at the bed and breakfast she thanks them and goes in. My sister spoke to the owners and was like you have to call a medic, she is severely confused and not acting normal. They call a medic and transport her to a hospital. Turns out this woman is from Chicago, has low blood pressure and it was her first time ever hiking a mountain - she was also alone. She had passed out during her hike, then it dumped snow on her. She was hypothermic and only thought she’d been out for a few hours - she was out overnight in the dark, cold and alone. I couldn’t imagine the terror she must have felt. Anyways, my sister went and saw her at the hospital and the woman thanked her for saving her life. They still lightly keep in touch.
They stopped at a creek and were deciding if they wanted to turn back on account they weren’t prepared properly when they heard a faint “help me”. They both stood still. They heard it again. They decided to follow up the creek to the woman’s voice. They got to a clearing that was covered in snow and found a woman laying in it in basic athletic clothing (leggings, light pull over jacket, and athletic shoes).
My sister said her legs were swollen, discolored and had nasty cuts on them. My sister asked her how long she had been out there and the woman said only a few hours. My sister was like okay we need to get you down this mountain. The woman was like “no I need to go up the mountain that’s where my car is parked”. My sister was like, no, there is no driving access at the top of the mountain which was a sign that this woman was confused.
They get her down the mountain and my sister just kept saying how confused this woman was. They get to the bottom and they find this woman’s car. My sister couldn’t get cell service to call 911 during this btw. Anyways, my sister tells this woman she’s going to drive her to the hospital but the woman is standing strong that she would just like to go back to her bed and breakfast. My sister takes her there while driving this woman’s car.
Once the woman is at the bed and breakfast she thanks them and goes in. My sister spoke to the owners and was like you have to call a medic, she is severely confused and not acting normal. They call a medic and transport her to a hospital. Turns out this woman is from Chicago, has low blood pressure and it was her first time ever hiking a mountain - she was also alone. She had passed out during her hike, then it dumped snow on her. She was hypothermic and only thought she’d been out for a few hours - she was out overnight in the dark, cold and alone. I couldn’t imagine the terror she must have felt. Anyways, my sister went and saw her at the hospital and the woman thanked her for saving her life. They still lightly keep in touch.
72points
#2
About 20 years ago I had just finished my degree and was bummed because I couldn't find a job. A former roommate/good friend and I went on an overnight backpack trip near Burr Oak State Park in Southeast Ohio. About 2 am we were awoken in our tent by the sound of dozens of horses being ridden all around us. We could hear muted conversation, harness jingling, hoofs clopping and we could feel it shaking the ground. We laid in our tent and the sound just kept on, like a whole convoy was passing right beside us. After a few minutes we unzipped the tent and the sounds immediately ceased and nothing was there. It was freaky, we were afraid they were going to ride over us it was so intense. I have no idea who or what it was but we're camped on a trail that had been used by John Morgan Hunts Confederate raiders during the civil war. Not a logical explanation but it was deafening there were so many horses. I can still hear men's voices murmering as they rode by. Next morning not a single hoofprint to be found.
Eleventy_Seven:
Yeaah, I think this one's pretty easily explained.
Ghosts, dude. It was ghosts.
Eleventy_Seven:
Yeaah, I think this one's pretty easily explained.
Ghosts, dude. It was ghosts.
49points
#3
We have a camp that we visit during the hunting months and about every other weekend in between that. To get to our camp, you have to turn off of a major road onto a gravel road, drive about a mile, then turn onto another gravel road for about a half mile. It’s set between a few other camps, plus some residents that live out there. It’s quiet, for the most part. There are some coyotes and bobcats. Bobcats are the worst due to their terrible scream. It sounds like a woman crying for help. There has also been a black panther and wild dogs.
2013 we were at the camp for Thanksgiving. We hunted, fished, cooked, drank, all that good camp stuff. One night, we’re sitting around a fire, swapping funny stories and just listening to the silence of the woods. As we’re talking, we all hear, “Help me!”. At first, we thought it was a bobcat. We listened some more and heard it again. It was a man’s voice yelling “help me!” repeatedly. Now, our first instinct was to grab our guns. Second was to go towards the voice, BUT you never know what you will encounter in the woods. It was dark and cold. The hunters knew the area very well.
We called the police, and explained everything to the responding officers. The weird part was that we NEVER once heard it while the officers were with us. Not once. The officers left and we heard the man again, repeating “help me”. About half an hour later, the officers came back and we didn’t hear any call for help. Again, silence. We all decided it was best to go inside our camp for the night. We never did find out anything. I’ve only been back to the camp once since then. Really freaked me out.
t_skullsplitter:
What is freaky about being in the woods like that is, people can be watching you, and you would never know... Just beyond the light of the fire.
2013 we were at the camp for Thanksgiving. We hunted, fished, cooked, drank, all that good camp stuff. One night, we’re sitting around a fire, swapping funny stories and just listening to the silence of the woods. As we’re talking, we all hear, “Help me!”. At first, we thought it was a bobcat. We listened some more and heard it again. It was a man’s voice yelling “help me!” repeatedly. Now, our first instinct was to grab our guns. Second was to go towards the voice, BUT you never know what you will encounter in the woods. It was dark and cold. The hunters knew the area very well.
We called the police, and explained everything to the responding officers. The weird part was that we NEVER once heard it while the officers were with us. Not once. The officers left and we heard the man again, repeating “help me”. About half an hour later, the officers came back and we didn’t hear any call for help. Again, silence. We all decided it was best to go inside our camp for the night. We never did find out anything. I’ve only been back to the camp once since then. Really freaked me out.
t_skullsplitter:
What is freaky about being in the woods like that is, people can be watching you, and you would never know... Just beyond the light of the fire.
Report
48points
Stories about people getting lost and never returning from the woods abound. Perhaps the most well-known is the tragic story of the American adventurer Chris McCandless, which was turned into a movie, Into the Wild, in 2007. McCandless aspired to live Thoreau-style – simply living off the land in the Alaskan wilderness.
Soon, however, he discovered that the wilderness was harsher and more ruthless than he had thought. Those who met him on his way said he had minimal supplies and wasn't prepared to survive the Alaskan bush. He hunted for game: squirrels, ptarmigans, other birds, and even a moose (which he wasn't able to preserve properly), but he wasn't exactly eating a well-balanced diet.
#4
When I was younger, around 14 or 15 years old. My family used to camp at a state park. Every night my friend and I would walk through the woods. We called this "the ritual" this particular night we decided to walk further into the woods than usual. We had flashlights be we liked to try and navigate through the woods with them turned off. We were about half a mile from the nearest camp site when we heard soft whispering behind us. Obviously we hit the flashlights and spun around. Didn't see anything. So we kept walking and we hear it again. This time we stop and look around a bit before we decided to head back to our campsite. Then we see what's whispering. It's a lady crawling on the ground whispering just random words. She was wearing dark clothes and was covered in dirt. When she sees that we notice her she stands up and declares that she is looking for her campsite. We ended up walking her back to the campground and tried helping her find her group. Turns out she was just super drunk/high and got lost trying to find a bathroom. Her friends didn't even notice she was missing and if we didn't go that far into the woods she would have been lost all night. It was pretty creepy.
Anon:
I’m picturing a witch crawling on the ground calling you “my pretties”.
Anon:
I’m picturing a witch crawling on the ground calling you “my pretties”.
48points
#5
Friend and I were hiking in the woods. He was at the camp and I went to check on things about half a mile away. Suddenly, as if someone flipped a switch, the woods became silent. No wind, no russling leaves, no birds.. Just the most eery silence I've experienced. After a few minutes, it suddenly went back to normal forest noises.
Thinking I must have had a seizure or temporary deafness or something I hurry back to camp, only to see friend standing there with a confused/scared look on his face.
I must have had a similar look because he immidiately asked if I heard the silence. We tried to come up with an explanation, but absolute silence in the woods seems impossible. Even more so that it was so sudden.
ThatDamZoomer:
Sometimes, the woods will become silent when a predator is nearby. But what happened to you and your buddy I can‘t explain. The fact that it went dead silent so quickly and happened over such a wide area is quite bizarre.
al4crity:
An earthquake can do that to animals, even ones we can't feel. The waves coming from a quake travel through the air and supersonic speeds and animals will sense that before the ground moves, IF it moves at all. Just a thought!
Thinking I must have had a seizure or temporary deafness or something I hurry back to camp, only to see friend standing there with a confused/scared look on his face.
I must have had a similar look because he immidiately asked if I heard the silence. We tried to come up with an explanation, but absolute silence in the woods seems impossible. Even more so that it was so sudden.
ThatDamZoomer:
Sometimes, the woods will become silent when a predator is nearby. But what happened to you and your buddy I can‘t explain. The fact that it went dead silent so quickly and happened over such a wide area is quite bizarre.
al4crity:
An earthquake can do that to animals, even ones we can't feel. The waves coming from a quake travel through the air and supersonic speeds and animals will sense that before the ground moves, IF it moves at all. Just a thought!
46points
#6
I spent a few nights in a lean-to. I fit snugly inside, underneath a widowmaker, falling asleep atop a bed of pine foliage.
In the middle of the night I hear and see this long black appendage impact, and then slide down the tarp. I had no weapons, save for the hatchet, and I wouldn't make it out undetected so I watched the entrance intensely for a few hours. Turns out I had leaned my bow against the shelter, and the wind blew it over in the night.
Anon:
When I was a boy scout(back in 1985), we spent a night in lean tos while earning our winter camping badges.
In the middle of the night, we awoke to the sounds of rapid fire gunshots right outside. We couldn't see any muzzle flashes or anything like that, just bang bang bang, over and over again. There was nothing to be done about it but cower together and wait for the sun to come up.
It turns out the cases of pop we had outside did not fare too well in the deep cold of the Canadian winter. The gun shots were cans of pop exploding.
In the middle of the night I hear and see this long black appendage impact, and then slide down the tarp. I had no weapons, save for the hatchet, and I wouldn't make it out undetected so I watched the entrance intensely for a few hours. Turns out I had leaned my bow against the shelter, and the wind blew it over in the night.
Anon:
When I was a boy scout(back in 1985), we spent a night in lean tos while earning our winter camping badges.
In the middle of the night, we awoke to the sounds of rapid fire gunshots right outside. We couldn't see any muzzle flashes or anything like that, just bang bang bang, over and over again. There was nothing to be done about it but cower together and wait for the sun to come up.
It turns out the cases of pop we had outside did not fare too well in the deep cold of the Canadian winter. The gun shots were cans of pop exploding.
Report
43points
Today, many people believe that the reason McCandless passed away was that he was malnourished. People have proposed different theories, but the most popular one today is that consuming wild potato seeds (or Hedysarum alpinum, as botanists call it) contributed to his becoming so weak that he eventually starved.
Writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, proposed in 2015 that the antimetabolite L-canavanine (that's found in the wild potato seeds) contributed to McCandless's passing. As multiple studies note, "L-canavanine is highly toxic to a wide range of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, yeast, algae, plants, insects, and mammals."
Krakauer suggested that the seeds may not be toxic for healthy individuals who are consuming a well-rounded diet. But for someone like McCandless, who was on the brink of starvation, a small dose of the seeds might've been enough.
#7
I was once canoeing the boundary waters between Minnesota and Canada. These aren't your normal backyard ponds. The boundary waters are thousands of enormous lakes interconnected with each other (think mini-great lakes). We had been canoeing and camping along the lakes for about a week at this point. We didn't really have an itinerary, just planned to boat and camp, fish, and live off the land two weeks. We had a GPS and a sat phone to call a helicopter for pickup whenever we were done.
Anyway, about a week in and we were set to canoe a few hours to the next lake. An hour or so in and we are in the center of a extremely long and narrow lake. Unfortunately, a storm started to blow in and the waves on the lake swelled to 2+ feet. Too much for our dinky canoes. We pull off to a random clearing on the shore and setup camp in rush to avoid being totally thrashed by a rainstorm. We just setup camp and hunker down for the night.
By the next morning it had cleared up. We started walking up the coast of the lake about 200 feet from our camp looking for a good fishing spot. What we actually found was another campsite. However, it was ABSOLUTELY wrecked. Trash strewn everywhere, tent collapsed and torn, clothes on the ground. At first we were just like disgusted like what a******s did this? or left their s**t out to be bear food?
The more we looked around though, the weirder things seemed though. For one, their garbage was still hoisted into a tree to keep it safe from bears, but the whole bag was ripped open despite being 30 feet in the air. Second, literally everything except the canoes were still at the campsite. Clothes, packs, food, rope, pans, like a serious set of hiking equipment. Enough for 2 or 3 people. Half of it was trashed and torn open, mostly the packs, tent, and clothes. The other half was totally untouched but thrown on the ground. Like somebody NOPE'd the hell out of there in nothing but their long johns ditching hundreds of dollars of gear in the process. We waited a couple hours and eventually called it back to our helicopter crew-- but they hadn't been aware of anybody else or gotten any distress calls. We eventually just left everything and moved camp. Everybody was pretty upset by it and a day or two later we ended the whole trip early because it seemed like nobody wanted to be out anymore.
It was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. First thought was bear attack, but there was food left uneaten, and I've seen bear attacks on camps before, but nothing like this. Bears rip open packs and go after food, and are generally pretty easy to scare away. What still sticks with me is why all their clothes and packs were still there with half being totally destroyed and half being untouched. I still don't get it.
I've done a lot of other camping and hiking, rafting and biking, all around the country and I've never had any other weird experiences like that.
Historical-Regret:
I mean, the fact that the canoes were gone just makes it sound as if it was a camping party that just left their stuff behind rather than deal with packing it up. Some combination of wealthy+drunk+lazy+not liking the camping experience = leave your stuff behind. Unfortunate, but it happens.
The random destruction was just because animals destroyed some of it after the fact, but not all.
Anyway, about a week in and we were set to canoe a few hours to the next lake. An hour or so in and we are in the center of a extremely long and narrow lake. Unfortunately, a storm started to blow in and the waves on the lake swelled to 2+ feet. Too much for our dinky canoes. We pull off to a random clearing on the shore and setup camp in rush to avoid being totally thrashed by a rainstorm. We just setup camp and hunker down for the night.
By the next morning it had cleared up. We started walking up the coast of the lake about 200 feet from our camp looking for a good fishing spot. What we actually found was another campsite. However, it was ABSOLUTELY wrecked. Trash strewn everywhere, tent collapsed and torn, clothes on the ground. At first we were just like disgusted like what a******s did this? or left their s**t out to be bear food?
The more we looked around though, the weirder things seemed though. For one, their garbage was still hoisted into a tree to keep it safe from bears, but the whole bag was ripped open despite being 30 feet in the air. Second, literally everything except the canoes were still at the campsite. Clothes, packs, food, rope, pans, like a serious set of hiking equipment. Enough for 2 or 3 people. Half of it was trashed and torn open, mostly the packs, tent, and clothes. The other half was totally untouched but thrown on the ground. Like somebody NOPE'd the hell out of there in nothing but their long johns ditching hundreds of dollars of gear in the process. We waited a couple hours and eventually called it back to our helicopter crew-- but they hadn't been aware of anybody else or gotten any distress calls. We eventually just left everything and moved camp. Everybody was pretty upset by it and a day or two later we ended the whole trip early because it seemed like nobody wanted to be out anymore.
It was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. First thought was bear attack, but there was food left uneaten, and I've seen bear attacks on camps before, but nothing like this. Bears rip open packs and go after food, and are generally pretty easy to scare away. What still sticks with me is why all their clothes and packs were still there with half being totally destroyed and half being untouched. I still don't get it.
I've done a lot of other camping and hiking, rafting and biking, all around the country and I've never had any other weird experiences like that.
Historical-Regret:
I mean, the fact that the canoes were gone just makes it sound as if it was a camping party that just left their stuff behind rather than deal with packing it up. Some combination of wealthy+drunk+lazy+not liking the camping experience = leave your stuff behind. Unfortunate, but it happens.
The random destruction was just because animals destroyed some of it after the fact, but not all.
Report
35points
#8
I've spent a lot of time in fairly wild places and never had an incident that I couldn't explain.
Doesn't make them much less scary, though. When you figure out it's a cougar, bear, moose, or strange human, it's not like you exhale and relax.
Scariest moment for me, to date, was the grizzly that was circling our camp in the dusk at about 20 meters. Packed my family into the car as fast as we could move but it wouldn't have been fast enough if the bear had attacked. I really regret it - I feel that I failed as a parent, because it's only luck that nothing horrible happened. I don't think I'll ever forget seeing its green eyes bobbing and swaying in my headlamp. It briefly rushed our vehicle as we left, too. Scary as f**k.
The closest I ever came to an inexplicable moment was when I was walking though trail-less black spruce up north in the fall and suddenly hit a wall of odor the likes of which I'd never smelled before. Stopped me in my tracks. Some instinct told me that it was a bull moose, and sure enough, in about 20 more meters, there was a clearing with a massive bull. It was rutting season so I got the hell out.
LookAtMeImAName:
Bro, I know the feeling. Had a run in with the biggest black bear I’ve ever seen in a remote area in Canada, while taking a nature walk with my wife and newborn daughter. Scary as f**k.
Doesn't make them much less scary, though. When you figure out it's a cougar, bear, moose, or strange human, it's not like you exhale and relax.
Scariest moment for me, to date, was the grizzly that was circling our camp in the dusk at about 20 meters. Packed my family into the car as fast as we could move but it wouldn't have been fast enough if the bear had attacked. I really regret it - I feel that I failed as a parent, because it's only luck that nothing horrible happened. I don't think I'll ever forget seeing its green eyes bobbing and swaying in my headlamp. It briefly rushed our vehicle as we left, too. Scary as f**k.
The closest I ever came to an inexplicable moment was when I was walking though trail-less black spruce up north in the fall and suddenly hit a wall of odor the likes of which I'd never smelled before. Stopped me in my tracks. Some instinct told me that it was a bull moose, and sure enough, in about 20 more meters, there was a clearing with a massive bull. It was rutting season so I got the hell out.
LookAtMeImAName:
Bro, I know the feeling. Had a run in with the biggest black bear I’ve ever seen in a remote area in Canada, while taking a nature walk with my wife and newborn daughter. Scary as f**k.
34points
#9
I come from a big country family. We live on a farm, we raise our own food and meat animals, and we hunt and process. My dad’s first cousin is even a licensed taxidermist. So we get a lot of hunting in. For a bit more backstory, on the homestead I grew up on (and still live on), it was my parents, my Pops’ first cousin and his wife, me and my four sisters, and my four female second cousins. So four adults and nine kids. And sometimes my Pops’ brother comes to stay with us too, especially when hunting season is starting up.
So hunting season (deer) is going on, and my Pops, his brother (Uncle K), and the cousin we live with (Uncle V) are all getting ready to go hunting. Some of us kids decide to tag along: me (12), my sister S (15), and my cousin A (14). We go out further into the woods than we normally do, set up camp, etc.
Important fact: during the time we’re setting up, my pops and uncles are being quiet, while the three of us kids talk. My voice hasn’t changed. This is important.
Us kids keep chattering away, while the adults are just letting us get our energy out while they check the survival equipment, make sure the guns are clean and working, etc. Strong silent Southern types hahaha.
There’s a rustling in the thick brush around us, and suddenly three creepy looking guys enter the clearing. They stop dead. One of them has a hand on his knife on his belt. They are clearly drunk as f**k. They keep looking between A and S and my pops and uncles, like they're debating something.
My pops and uncles stand up. Last bit of backstory: every dude in my family is f**koff huge. I'm 19 now, and I'm 6'5". My dad is the biggest at 6’10”, 280. Just deeply intimidating man, and so are Uncles V and K. The guys laugh nervously as my Uncle V picks up one of the freshly cleaned rifles and points it at them. These dudes start running out the clearing like the devil was after them.
My Pops immediately says we’re clearing out. My uncles don’t even question it, and neither do us kids. We’re freaking out, and we totally take things down sloppy but my pops doesn’t say anything about us messing up his camping equipment. We get back into cell service and my dad calls the cops about seeing those f*****s but the cops don’t seem to think it’s serious since nothing happened.
It’s at that moment I realized: A, S, and me with my unchanged voice were the only ones these guys could hear talking. They thought they’d come across a camp of three girls by themselves.
I don’t want to even think about what would have happened if my dad and uncles hadn’t been there.
yuhboy_matt:
That’s f**ked. Where was this?
raleighwh2001 (OP):
We're from Louisiana, but apparently, my Uncle K got approval for us to hunt on a friend's land in Mississippi. These guys were not friends of the land owner; we checked.
Had to text my dad to get confirmation that I remembered it correctly. He wanted me to add that they did tell the owner of the land about this, and he took it more seriously. But since the landowner is a friend of my Uncle K and not my dad, he doesn't know what the dude did about it.
So hunting season (deer) is going on, and my Pops, his brother (Uncle K), and the cousin we live with (Uncle V) are all getting ready to go hunting. Some of us kids decide to tag along: me (12), my sister S (15), and my cousin A (14). We go out further into the woods than we normally do, set up camp, etc.
Important fact: during the time we’re setting up, my pops and uncles are being quiet, while the three of us kids talk. My voice hasn’t changed. This is important.
Us kids keep chattering away, while the adults are just letting us get our energy out while they check the survival equipment, make sure the guns are clean and working, etc. Strong silent Southern types hahaha.
There’s a rustling in the thick brush around us, and suddenly three creepy looking guys enter the clearing. They stop dead. One of them has a hand on his knife on his belt. They are clearly drunk as f**k. They keep looking between A and S and my pops and uncles, like they're debating something.
My pops and uncles stand up. Last bit of backstory: every dude in my family is f**koff huge. I'm 19 now, and I'm 6'5". My dad is the biggest at 6’10”, 280. Just deeply intimidating man, and so are Uncles V and K. The guys laugh nervously as my Uncle V picks up one of the freshly cleaned rifles and points it at them. These dudes start running out the clearing like the devil was after them.
My Pops immediately says we’re clearing out. My uncles don’t even question it, and neither do us kids. We’re freaking out, and we totally take things down sloppy but my pops doesn’t say anything about us messing up his camping equipment. We get back into cell service and my dad calls the cops about seeing those f*****s but the cops don’t seem to think it’s serious since nothing happened.
It’s at that moment I realized: A, S, and me with my unchanged voice were the only ones these guys could hear talking. They thought they’d come across a camp of three girls by themselves.
I don’t want to even think about what would have happened if my dad and uncles hadn’t been there.
yuhboy_matt:
That’s f**ked. Where was this?
raleighwh2001 (OP):
We're from Louisiana, but apparently, my Uncle K got approval for us to hunt on a friend's land in Mississippi. These guys were not friends of the land owner; we checked.
Had to text my dad to get confirmation that I remembered it correctly. He wanted me to add that they did tell the owner of the land about this, and he took it more seriously. But since the landowner is a friend of my Uncle K and not my dad, he doesn't know what the dude did about it.
34points
McCandless went into the wild with a purpose. But some people simply go for a hike and never come back from the woods. In 2023, 29-year-old Jonathan Van Deursen went hiking with his dog Bagho in the Wentworth Valley, Whangamata, New Zealand, and never came back. His disappearance was reported by a campground employee who noticed that his silver Toyota was parked in the lot overnight and found it suspicious.
#10
We lived on the Hopi/Navajo reservation growing up. My mom and I were feeding the horses very early in the morning before I went to school- it was still almost completely dark out- when we hear this low, dim humming noise. The horses start acting really nervous, ours included. Sweating, pacing, nostrils flared, eyes showing white- the works. We feed them and walk out from the barn/shack trying to figure out what’s happened. We look up after scanning the horizon for anything (squinting as best as we could) and there is a black triangle like thing hovering right over us. It was almost completely silent. It was perfectly over us so you couldn’t see it unless you looked straight up and it felt like it was so close I could touch it. It was pretty d**n large too- like a long triangle. Smooth and black. Thinking back, it was actually quite impressive and beautiful.
Mom mom grabbed me and ran back into the shed. This was before cellphones were really a thing so she just clutched me and told me not to make a sound. We waited for what felt like ages but was probably only 2-3 more minutes. The horses weren’t even eating, they just paced the shed inside back and forth. Finally the horses started settling down to eat and my mom went outside. It was gone.
We felt like we had the flu the rest of the day and I stayed home. We never told my dad. I think it was some sort of military aircraft since around the reservation there are quiet, secret military set ups but who knows.
Anon:
Definitely military, I know people want aliens but the military is big on triangles for their aircrafts. Which makes sense, obviously, because it's aerodynamic. Stealth bombers and stuff that literally look like a flat black triangle in the sky. And they're quiet too. And that's only the ones that we know about, we don't know about the crafts that haven't been released into public knowledge yet.
Still scary obviously. Always gotta be the military being a***oles and scaring the s**t out of people.
Slartibartyfarti:
I've spent a lot of time researching UFO on the internet, not for the past 6 years though, but the triangle shape is very common in sightings.
Mom mom grabbed me and ran back into the shed. This was before cellphones were really a thing so she just clutched me and told me not to make a sound. We waited for what felt like ages but was probably only 2-3 more minutes. The horses weren’t even eating, they just paced the shed inside back and forth. Finally the horses started settling down to eat and my mom went outside. It was gone.
We felt like we had the flu the rest of the day and I stayed home. We never told my dad. I think it was some sort of military aircraft since around the reservation there are quiet, secret military set ups but who knows.
Anon:
Definitely military, I know people want aliens but the military is big on triangles for their aircrafts. Which makes sense, obviously, because it's aerodynamic. Stealth bombers and stuff that literally look like a flat black triangle in the sky. And they're quiet too. And that's only the ones that we know about, we don't know about the crafts that haven't been released into public knowledge yet.
Still scary obviously. Always gotta be the military being a***oles and scaring the s**t out of people.
Slartibartyfarti:
I've spent a lot of time researching UFO on the internet, not for the past 6 years though, but the triangle shape is very common in sightings.
32points
#11
Backwoods hiking/camping trip up in Maine. Trail intersected overgrown logging road. Checked topo map. Saw logging toad lead to isolated pond. Hiked to pond. Found small clearing. Perfect spot to camp. Went to bed shortly after sunset (8:30pm-ish) woke up around 1:30am to distant but loud noises coming from all angles around us. Up the logging road both directions, across the pond and in the woods. Deep bass-y groans and hoots, occasionally hitting higher pitched noted. Been in the woods for most of my adult life. Have come in contact with just about all the larger mammals of the North East and have never heard those noises before. Haven’t heard them again either. Will never forget that sound.
biglebowshi:
If I'm not mistaken, this had been a phenomenon all around the world, if it's the same sounds. Kind of like large pieces of metal moving?
TalesFromThe (OP):
Yes, very similar. But at the time, it just sounded like many different creatures all communicating around us.
biglebowshi:
If I'm not mistaken, this had been a phenomenon all around the world, if it's the same sounds. Kind of like large pieces of metal moving?
TalesFromThe (OP):
Yes, very similar. But at the time, it just sounded like many different creatures all communicating around us.
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30points
#12
I've lived in the Smokies most of my life. Anywhere I've lived in the Smokies, I've been completely surrounded by woods, naturally. One night at like 1 AM I was sitting on my porch drinking a beer. If you haven't lived out here, during the summer time, nature is loud. It isn't quiet. Cicadas humming, frogs belching, etc. Its like the ultimate white noise. While I was drinking my beer, I had noticed that everything in the woods had gone quiet. Which is pretty easy to notice when you live here because that doesn't happen.
Suddenly, I heard the most terrifying noise I had ever heard about, mmm, I think maybe a good 30 or 40 meters away from me. It was a loud, shrieking, literally blood curdling scream like shrill. It sounded...non human. It wasn't a mountain lion because I've heard them before, and they're rare in the area I lived. I stood up, audibly said "nope.", and walked the f**k inside. That was the one and only time that ever happened. I still live in the same house, and still drink the same beer on the same porch.
Mattitude75:
Possibly a barn owl?
Dreazzzy (OP):
Dude. I think you actually just solved it. Explains why everything went quiet. That's spot on, thanks!
walnut_of_doom:
I had one of those make that exact noise directly outside my open bedroom window one time.
I may have pissed myself awake.
Suddenly, I heard the most terrifying noise I had ever heard about, mmm, I think maybe a good 30 or 40 meters away from me. It was a loud, shrieking, literally blood curdling scream like shrill. It sounded...non human. It wasn't a mountain lion because I've heard them before, and they're rare in the area I lived. I stood up, audibly said "nope.", and walked the f**k inside. That was the one and only time that ever happened. I still live in the same house, and still drink the same beer on the same porch.
Mattitude75:
Possibly a barn owl?
Dreazzzy (OP):
Dude. I think you actually just solved it. Explains why everything went quiet. That's spot on, thanks!
walnut_of_doom:
I had one of those make that exact noise directly outside my open bedroom window one time.
I may have pissed myself awake.
Report
29points
Nine weeks after his disappearance, a twist occurred: Van Deursen's dog Bagho came out of the bush in a rural area 6.5 km from where the pair entered the trail. The dog had bloody paws and had lost some weight, but was otherwise okay. Unfortunately, he didn't provide investigators with any clues about Jordan. The rescue team even tried to take the dog back into the bush, hoping he would track Jordan down, but the search was fruitless.
#13
Stumbled across some some kind of...witch circle? Backpacking off trail in the Colorado Mountains.
Cobblestone circle, bones hanging from the trees, burned out candles and creepy pictures in a tree trunk that my family didn't let me get a good look at before they dragged me away. Never did figure out exactly what was going on there.
That was a fun trip.
Metalbass5:
If it means anything: Most Wiccan/Pagan/Modern Druidic rituals only look creepy.
Anon:
Yea thats what I was thinking. If it's just their usually meeting spot, no point in cleaning up bits that arent straight up trash and will be used again. I wonder if it becomes more popular and accepted people will start posting signs so they dont creep random hikers out. Like "Blank Covens witch Circle, please don't touch!" And "we dont grafitti and steal from your church, please dont desecrate ours."
Cobblestone circle, bones hanging from the trees, burned out candles and creepy pictures in a tree trunk that my family didn't let me get a good look at before they dragged me away. Never did figure out exactly what was going on there.
That was a fun trip.
Metalbass5:
If it means anything: Most Wiccan/Pagan/Modern Druidic rituals only look creepy.
Anon:
Yea thats what I was thinking. If it's just their usually meeting spot, no point in cleaning up bits that arent straight up trash and will be used again. I wonder if it becomes more popular and accepted people will start posting signs so they dont creep random hikers out. Like "Blank Covens witch Circle, please don't touch!" And "we dont grafitti and steal from your church, please dont desecrate ours."
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27points
#14
Inventory arborist tech here. I've found a cow tongue sliced open down the middle, wrapped in different vibrantly colored bands, and stabbed to the trunk of an oak tree with a knife.
banditkeithwork:
Sounds like a spell to silence someone or something. most folk magic isn't exactly subtle. Where was this, I'm curious about the culture the curse-user comes from.
banditkeithwork:
Sounds like a spell to silence someone or something. most folk magic isn't exactly subtle. Where was this, I'm curious about the culture the curse-user comes from.
25points
#15
Couple good friends of mine fight fires and in WA state summers business is usually booming. This year a fair sized crew of about ten of them are miles and miles deep into the Cascades doing dig lines. I'm talking like 60 miles away from anything, middle of nowhere.
As they're hiking through they come to a clearing and there's two landed Blackhawk helicopters and about 7 fully armed military personnel. They all point their rifles at the fire crew and demand to know what they are doing there. My friend tells them they're doing fire digs and they're scheduled to be up there. They are told to turn around and forget that they saw anything up there. My friend says, "But this is government work, we have to do this, this is our job". Military guy says, "Not today, you're done, get the f**k out of here now". Some serious Chronicle type s**t. I've never wanted to know so badly about what the hell was going in out there.
Deadmanglocking:
Could have been a Blackhawk that had mechanical trouble and was set down there. They flew a team out to provide security for it while waiting on the mechanics to get there to prep it for a sling load flight out back to joint base McChord.
downwiththechipness:
Washington State is home to survival (SERE) training for most branches of the military, esp West and East WA. It was probably a specialized ftx.
As they're hiking through they come to a clearing and there's two landed Blackhawk helicopters and about 7 fully armed military personnel. They all point their rifles at the fire crew and demand to know what they are doing there. My friend tells them they're doing fire digs and they're scheduled to be up there. They are told to turn around and forget that they saw anything up there. My friend says, "But this is government work, we have to do this, this is our job". Military guy says, "Not today, you're done, get the f**k out of here now". Some serious Chronicle type s**t. I've never wanted to know so badly about what the hell was going in out there.
Deadmanglocking:
Could have been a Blackhawk that had mechanical trouble and was set down there. They flew a team out to provide security for it while waiting on the mechanics to get there to prep it for a sling load flight out back to joint base McChord.
downwiththechipness:
Washington State is home to survival (SERE) training for most branches of the military, esp West and East WA. It was probably a specialized ftx.
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23points
Such stories just emphasize how careful and on guard we have to be when out in the wilderness. Even a simple hike can turn into a scary or even deadly experience if we're not prepared and careful enough. If you're a beginner at backcountry activities, take this advice for your own safety. And if you're a seasoned backpacker and camper, reflect on them with us!
#16
I love to share a story my uncle told. TLDR at the bottom.
In 1992 he owned about 150 acres in a remote area of East Tennessee. On this land he had a large fishing pond and a stream running through it and he used to leave lines out at night to pull in big catfish. This pond was accessible by 2 small game trails through thick patches of woods and he would need to drive to the trail entrances from his house near the front of the property and walk about a half mile in with his gear and nothing but a head lamp for light. This was something he did pretty often and my uncle was a lover of the outdoors so this was business as usual for him. Vietnam vet as well.
Anyway this particular night in July 1992, he went down to the pond at about 9:30pm to check his lines. As he was doing so, he heard a loud splash and assumed it was a fish jumping. He carried on with what he was doing and then heard a low, gutteral groan and what he described as "monkeys flighting" just on the other side of the pond (it was about 70 yards across). Multiple loud splashes occured and he also heard a loud crash in the woods just yards away to his left. He talked about how he immediately felt a sense of panic and was attempting to get visuals using his head lamp but whatever was producing these sounds was behind tree cover.
He said that the woods then erupted in continued sounds of "fighting monkeys" and he opted to drop his gear and run down the trail toward his truck. Apparently, even in his adrenaline fueled state, he could hear foot fall on his left as he was being "hunted". He got to his truck and hauled a*s out of there to the road and back to his home (which mind you, sits on the property about 6 miles away). He went inside and locked every window and door, grabbed a gun, and stayed up and vigilant the entire night but nothing more occured.
He called my dad the next day who sort of just laughed it off. Well, for my uncle whatever he experienced scared him so badly that he put his land up for sale and sold it a few months later. Until he died in 2017, he would maintain that he believes that he walked into a group of Sasquatch and they erupted in territorial displays to get him out of there. He never enjoyed the outdoors after that. This wasn't a man who I took for a liar.
TLDR; my Vietnam vet/outdoorsman uncle claims he was chased out of the woods by a clan of Sasquatch and it scared him so badly he sold the property.
In 1992 he owned about 150 acres in a remote area of East Tennessee. On this land he had a large fishing pond and a stream running through it and he used to leave lines out at night to pull in big catfish. This pond was accessible by 2 small game trails through thick patches of woods and he would need to drive to the trail entrances from his house near the front of the property and walk about a half mile in with his gear and nothing but a head lamp for light. This was something he did pretty often and my uncle was a lover of the outdoors so this was business as usual for him. Vietnam vet as well.
Anyway this particular night in July 1992, he went down to the pond at about 9:30pm to check his lines. As he was doing so, he heard a loud splash and assumed it was a fish jumping. He carried on with what he was doing and then heard a low, gutteral groan and what he described as "monkeys flighting" just on the other side of the pond (it was about 70 yards across). Multiple loud splashes occured and he also heard a loud crash in the woods just yards away to his left. He talked about how he immediately felt a sense of panic and was attempting to get visuals using his head lamp but whatever was producing these sounds was behind tree cover.
He said that the woods then erupted in continued sounds of "fighting monkeys" and he opted to drop his gear and run down the trail toward his truck. Apparently, even in his adrenaline fueled state, he could hear foot fall on his left as he was being "hunted". He got to his truck and hauled a*s out of there to the road and back to his home (which mind you, sits on the property about 6 miles away). He went inside and locked every window and door, grabbed a gun, and stayed up and vigilant the entire night but nothing more occured.
He called my dad the next day who sort of just laughed it off. Well, for my uncle whatever he experienced scared him so badly that he put his land up for sale and sold it a few months later. Until he died in 2017, he would maintain that he believes that he walked into a group of Sasquatch and they erupted in territorial displays to get him out of there. He never enjoyed the outdoors after that. This wasn't a man who I took for a liar.
TLDR; my Vietnam vet/outdoorsman uncle claims he was chased out of the woods by a clan of Sasquatch and it scared him so badly he sold the property.
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23points
#17
Not my story, but my dad's. When my dad was in his 20s, he was staying with my mom at a small cabin in the woods of Colorado. It was fairly remote (there was another cabin about a mile away and a camp ground maybe 3 miles down the valley.) Late one afternoon, he was out fishing on a nearby river by himself.
As the light started fading, he decided to call it a day and head back to the cabin for dinner. As he was walking back through the woods, he got an eerie feeling that he was being watched, but he couldn't see anyone or anything. He kept walking back, and then suddenly he heard a stick break behind him. He stopped, looking back for the source of the sound, but still didn't see anything.
He nervously kept walking back, a little quicker, and then heard another stick break, whirls around and still - nothing. This happens like three or four times, but every time he stopped to listen and look, there was total silence and nothing else moving. By the time he finally made it back to the cabin, it was nearly dark. He never did find out what was following him, but whatever it was left him alone after that. His best guess was a mountain lion stalking him or something. Really unsettling though.
magiccigammagic:
Mountain lions are the worst. I was talking to a group of guys at Philmont(boy scout camp) and they said they felt like they were being stalked. They turned around a few times and saw nothing. Turned around again and a lion was just walking behind them. Spooky s**t. They were a Christian group and prayed so hard. Luckily nothing happened.
As the light started fading, he decided to call it a day and head back to the cabin for dinner. As he was walking back through the woods, he got an eerie feeling that he was being watched, but he couldn't see anyone or anything. He kept walking back, and then suddenly he heard a stick break behind him. He stopped, looking back for the source of the sound, but still didn't see anything.
He nervously kept walking back, a little quicker, and then heard another stick break, whirls around and still - nothing. This happens like three or four times, but every time he stopped to listen and look, there was total silence and nothing else moving. By the time he finally made it back to the cabin, it was nearly dark. He never did find out what was following him, but whatever it was left him alone after that. His best guess was a mountain lion stalking him or something. Really unsettling though.
magiccigammagic:
Mountain lions are the worst. I was talking to a group of guys at Philmont(boy scout camp) and they said they felt like they were being stalked. They turned around a few times and saw nothing. Turned around again and a lion was just walking behind them. Spooky s**t. They were a Christian group and prayed so hard. Luckily nothing happened.
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22points
#18
Not anything like this myself, but a friend told me this story.
So he goes with a buddy to hike a trail near our town. Northern Washington state, so lots of woods and trees. When they get to the trailhead, there is one other car there, and he remembers seeing a person in that car. The person in the car was just staring at them, with what he described as a really white unchanging face. He kept staring right at them without trying to hide it or look away. My friend got creeped out, and decided to leave.
In the next week or two after that, a couple of hikers and a ranger turned up dead in that same area. Pretty sure they caught the guy, but I don't remember if his photo was posted.
Super creepy.
So he goes with a buddy to hike a trail near our town. Northern Washington state, so lots of woods and trees. When they get to the trailhead, there is one other car there, and he remembers seeing a person in that car. The person in the car was just staring at them, with what he described as a really white unchanging face. He kept staring right at them without trying to hide it or look away. My friend got creeped out, and decided to leave.
In the next week or two after that, a couple of hikers and a ranger turned up dead in that same area. Pretty sure they caught the guy, but I don't remember if his photo was posted.
Super creepy.
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22points
U.S. national parks experts stress the importance of planning ahead. Doing your homework on these three things might even save you from life-threatening situations:
- Know your way around beforehand. A map is a must in the wilderness. Whether it's print, digital, or GPS, be sure to know where water sources and campsites are and plan accordingly.
- Know how to call for help. If you'll be in an area with cell service, a phone will suffice. Just make sure you have a battery-operated charger. If you'll be in a remote location, get a satellite messenger.
- Inform someone about your whereabouts. Tell a person or multiple people about where you're going and how long your hike or journey will take so that someone back home knows when to expect you.
#19
Two stories.
First was the year I met my wife (ten years ago) we were 17 and I was a hunting nut. Decided to go camping in the sand dunes behind my suburb, just off the beach. We live in rural west Aus, so nothing happens. Anyway, pretty local area, lots of people around, we decided to just hang around the beach, go walking and settle down for the night. A few hours passed and we had a small campfire going, jumped into our shared sleeping bag and went to sleep. Woke up to thudding all around us and a huge 'grock grock grock noise". Ok, it freaked us out because I was half asleep. It was an emu that basically stood on us and honestly the big fella was as shocked as we were and he took off. So we settled to sleep and hear it. People everywhere. They walked past us, we didn't see them though. They weren't talking, we could just hear them walking. They broke into a run and started laughing. We heard them run over the dune to the sea side, and then the chanting started. People weren't taking the p**s, they were chasing someone and loving it. There were a group of people running up and down the trails around us, with a group chanting. At that stage we noped the f**k out. Called my partner's parents and the came with their rottweiler and gun to pick us up. We walked back to the parking lot that lead to the trails with our fog snarling at everything. We could hear people running out of the darkness behind us laughing at us, some of them even taunted us to come back to the dunes.
Never figured out what it was about but it wasn't the local Aboriginal people (my wife's extended family) and it wasn't the local m**h heads, but it was over 50 people at around three AM.
The second tale.
We were homeless for a while at around 20. We rescued mastiffs and I had an opportunity to train in Melbourne and represent a gym for MMA. We drove across the Nullarbor with our three dogs and my wife's mother. Halfway across we got tired and saw a dilapidated roadside stop. It was just some younger woman's house with a shop attached. We pulled up and talked to the female owner and an older bloke. They looked at us and asked if we were tired. I said yeah and they asked us if we wanted to park around back. Sure, stop for a rest cause these folk seemed nice. Drove around the back to a carpark equivalent of car bodies. Ok sure, that's odd already, because you know... The nearest town is a days drive. Anyway, one of our dogs was unwell and needed a strict diet and to poop regularly. I get her out of the car and the other dogs jump out too. The rottweiler takes off to explore. The dogs poop and I call our big girl back. No response. That's pretty normal she was ignorant sometimes. I go to look for her and she is sniffing a sleeping bag. Ok fine, the place is a wreck with s**t everywhere. I didn't give it a second thought. Then I looked up and saw a massive tarp wrapped up around.. something.. and it is strung up between a few trees. Completely suspended. And behind it a few sleeping bags suspended between some trees. Bout ten in all including the big one. Then I noticed the absolute swarm of flies. Got the dogs back in the car and left. Saw the woman and old bloke on the way out. Waved at them and acted natural. Nothing. No smile or wave, all former charm was gone. We dodged some Ivan Milat level s**t because my dog was picky about where she pooped.
Never reported this because we honestly have no idea where on the Nullarbor it was. We just kept heading east on the biggest road we could. I am sure as day we were going to be k**led by some hillbilly mother f*****s.
First was the year I met my wife (ten years ago) we were 17 and I was a hunting nut. Decided to go camping in the sand dunes behind my suburb, just off the beach. We live in rural west Aus, so nothing happens. Anyway, pretty local area, lots of people around, we decided to just hang around the beach, go walking and settle down for the night. A few hours passed and we had a small campfire going, jumped into our shared sleeping bag and went to sleep. Woke up to thudding all around us and a huge 'grock grock grock noise". Ok, it freaked us out because I was half asleep. It was an emu that basically stood on us and honestly the big fella was as shocked as we were and he took off. So we settled to sleep and hear it. People everywhere. They walked past us, we didn't see them though. They weren't talking, we could just hear them walking. They broke into a run and started laughing. We heard them run over the dune to the sea side, and then the chanting started. People weren't taking the p**s, they were chasing someone and loving it. There were a group of people running up and down the trails around us, with a group chanting. At that stage we noped the f**k out. Called my partner's parents and the came with their rottweiler and gun to pick us up. We walked back to the parking lot that lead to the trails with our fog snarling at everything. We could hear people running out of the darkness behind us laughing at us, some of them even taunted us to come back to the dunes.
Never figured out what it was about but it wasn't the local Aboriginal people (my wife's extended family) and it wasn't the local m**h heads, but it was over 50 people at around three AM.
The second tale.
We were homeless for a while at around 20. We rescued mastiffs and I had an opportunity to train in Melbourne and represent a gym for MMA. We drove across the Nullarbor with our three dogs and my wife's mother. Halfway across we got tired and saw a dilapidated roadside stop. It was just some younger woman's house with a shop attached. We pulled up and talked to the female owner and an older bloke. They looked at us and asked if we were tired. I said yeah and they asked us if we wanted to park around back. Sure, stop for a rest cause these folk seemed nice. Drove around the back to a carpark equivalent of car bodies. Ok sure, that's odd already, because you know... The nearest town is a days drive. Anyway, one of our dogs was unwell and needed a strict diet and to poop regularly. I get her out of the car and the other dogs jump out too. The rottweiler takes off to explore. The dogs poop and I call our big girl back. No response. That's pretty normal she was ignorant sometimes. I go to look for her and she is sniffing a sleeping bag. Ok fine, the place is a wreck with s**t everywhere. I didn't give it a second thought. Then I looked up and saw a massive tarp wrapped up around.. something.. and it is strung up between a few trees. Completely suspended. And behind it a few sleeping bags suspended between some trees. Bout ten in all including the big one. Then I noticed the absolute swarm of flies. Got the dogs back in the car and left. Saw the woman and old bloke on the way out. Waved at them and acted natural. Nothing. No smile or wave, all former charm was gone. We dodged some Ivan Milat level s**t because my dog was picky about where she pooped.
Never reported this because we honestly have no idea where on the Nullarbor it was. We just kept heading east on the biggest road we could. I am sure as day we were going to be k**led by some hillbilly mother f*****s.
21points
#20
I was hiking through the remnants of a remote, long-abandoned town and the surrounding area. To get to as far into the woods as I was, you had to cross fallen trees over a creek three times. I had just crossed the third "bridge" and was about five miles in and something blue caught my eye just ahead of me.
There was a man, in his sixties at least, wearing blue satin pajamas, sitting in a tree. The closer I got to him the louder he laughed; it wasn't a maniacal laugh, but it set off all the alarms in my head nevertheless. He also wasn't wearing any shoes and looked well-groomed/cleaned.
I gave him a friendly nod as I passed and he just kept laughing. Then it stopped. I turned and he was gone. There was no branch cracking, plants rustling, nothing... He was just gone.
Still rubs me the wrong way. The area I was in was a pretty rough hike, very secluded. Not very many people venture as deep as I was that day. No idea what was going on there.
There was a man, in his sixties at least, wearing blue satin pajamas, sitting in a tree. The closer I got to him the louder he laughed; it wasn't a maniacal laugh, but it set off all the alarms in my head nevertheless. He also wasn't wearing any shoes and looked well-groomed/cleaned.
I gave him a friendly nod as I passed and he just kept laughing. Then it stopped. I turned and he was gone. There was no branch cracking, plants rustling, nothing... He was just gone.
Still rubs me the wrong way. The area I was in was a pretty rough hike, very secluded. Not very many people venture as deep as I was that day. No idea what was going on there.
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20points