Creepy experiences in the backcountry

Went on a solo backpack elk hunt in September in CO this past season. Was woken up night 1 to the sounds of something BIG sauntering through camp maybe 15-20 yards away from my tent, this was followed by some the most bizarre noises I'd ever heard... sounded like something either moaning or casually dying. Could not for the life of me place what I was hearing...

So I peaked out the tent and shined my headlamp and what's staring back at me? A big ol cow moose.

Which in the end made a ton of sense because I had glassed up a bull moose in that drainage that morning but in my half asleep stupor a moose traipsing through camp wasn't even on my radar.
 
Here’s a good one, upper pine river above Vallecito res.
I was about a mile in mid summer fishing. Beautiful day and catching a few fish. There is a well used trail right next to the river, and I saw some movement on it from 100 yards. Looked like a hiker at first. Well, it was, and he was naked except for shoes.
Then he gets 15 yards away, and is covered in dirt and scratches.

All I could do was blurt out you ok man? He says yeah, just a little lost. I said almost there, trailhead is about a mile. He takes off, I keep fishing. Whatever.

Then I realized I was the only vehicle back there. Hmm.

Finished my day, got back to the truck and my fire dept radio, called dispatch and reported what I saw. That guy had been reported missing, and he hiked 25 miles to Vallecito. Sheriffs dept picked him up by the lake. He had taken mushrooms, lost all his clothes and his way.
 
Saw a video of Michael Phelps visiting an elementary school. He was huge. Then Shaq showed up, and Phelps was suddenly ... small.
"Boo"
 
kthomas said:
Cant's say I have any weird encounters from the wild, beyond a mild ghost story from a bar/restaurant in Greer AZ.

However, one of my secret guilty pleasures I've taken up recently is listening to Sasquatch Chronicles - people have some outright insane and weird encounters in the woods. There have been some hunters that have come on to the podcast that have told some pretty incredible stories, that I'm not sure what to make of.

Between SC and Missing 411, I have no doubt some strange stuff happens in the woods. Perhaps some that can't be explained by our contemporary understanding of the world, IDK. There's also a lot of crime in certain areas of national parks and forests (and other secluded areas), that I always think its worthwhile packing.
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I can`t for the life of me fathom someone going off into back country/ deep forest unarmed. It just doesn`t compute to me, yet there are those who will grab a backpack, couple of hiking poles and head out completely defenseless. I have a SIL who will do that and if you were to even hint at perhaps she should be giving some thought to SOME sort of protection, she`d look at you like you had two heads and three arms! She`s a latter day hippie anyway, so.....
 
Turkeytider said:
I can`t for the life of me fathom someone going off into back country/ deep forest unarmed. It just doesn`t compute to me, yet there are those who will grab a backpack, couple of hiking poles and head out completely defenseless. I have a SIL who will do that and if you were to even hint at perhaps she should be giving some thought to SOME sort of protection, she`d look at you like you had two heads and three arms! She`s a latter day hippie anyway, so.....
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Predators (2 & 4 legged) love prey that think like that.


Eddie
 
Turkeytider said:
I can`t for the life of me fathom someone going off into back country/ deep forest unarmed. It just doesn`t compute to me, yet there are those who will grab a backpack, couple of hiking poles and head out completely defenseless. I have a SIL who will do that and if you were to even hint at perhaps she should be giving some thought to SOME sort of protection, she`d look at you like you had two heads and three arms! She`s a latter day hippie anyway, so.....
Click to expand...

Lots of weird sh*t happens in the woods, and no one is coming to save you.

A sidearm is cheap insurance.
 
11boo said:
All I could do was blurt out you ok man? He says yeah, just a little lost. I said almost there, trailhead is about a mile. He takes off, I keep fishing. Whatever.
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Was in Dolly Sods Wilderness in WV a number of years ago. It’s only about 17K acres with a few trails throughout but big enough to get lost. Was with a couple college buddies and out for a five day hike and camp. About the middle of day 3 we were quietly moving along a trail and there was a rustling in the thick rhododendron bushes beside us. We stopped and looked at each other fully expecting a black bear to step onto the trail right between us.
After about ten seconds the bushes parted and a young woman steps out into the open. She looked a little rough but had a full backpack and a walking stick. She was as surprised as we were…but she smiled and said hello. Then she promptly asked us what day it was, and what the date was, and what trail this was that she had stepped out onto. We answered her questions and then asked how things were going for her, was she lost or in need of any help. She said all was fine, turned and walked away…..not sure whose experience was “creepier” ours or hers….
 
ArrowForester said:
Was in Dolly Sods Wilderness in WV a number of years ago. It’s only about 17K acres with a few trails throughout but big enough to get lost. Was with a couple college buddies and out for a five day hike and camp. About the middle of day 3 we were quietly moving along a trail and there was a rustling in the thick rhododendron bushes beside us. We stopped and looked at each other fully expecting a black bear to step onto the trail right between us.
After about ten seconds the bushes parted and a young woman steps out into the open. She looked a little rough but had a full backpack and a walking stick. She was as surprised as we were…but she smiled and said hello. Then she promptly asked us what day it was, and what the date was, and what trail this was that she had stepped out onto. We answered her questions and then asked how things were going for her, was she lost or in need of any help. She said all was fine, turned and walked away…..not sure whose experience was “creepier” ours or hers….
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Oh man!! Freakazoid!!
 
kthomas said:
Lots of weird sh*t happens in the woods, and no one is coming to save you.

A sidearm is cheap insurance.
Click to expand...
You`re not kidding it`s cheap insurance. For me though, it`d probably serve as the backup to the rifle I`d be carrying! Night around a campfire by yourself? Man oh man! I`d be wishing for a set of claymores with accompanying trip flares! So....I`m a ninny!!
 
When I did facebook, the "gun" topic came up on hiking, backpacking pages I was on.
Still surprises me the people that won't even consider carrying spray as a form of defense. Dude on the app trail gutted 2 or 3 people a few years back.
My GF lives in a super liberal town with a former railroad thats now a bike/walking path. The amount of weird bastards I have seen over the last year makes me nervous

I was walking our Doberman, armed. Me not the dog :p
Two scrawny meth head looking people are coming towards us. Dog alerts, as they get closer its a guy and a girl. Hes holding a book and I can hear him talking. She has her arms up and out stretched. They get closer, the dog has his mohawk standing straight up now. then I see the log haired guy is reading out loud from a bible and the chick is praying.
They never ever noticed us once. Seen these 2 around town on occasion, him reading, her praying. Haven't seen them around a year now.
 
tony said:
When I did facebook, the "gun" topic came up on hiking, backpacking pages I was on.
Still surprises me the people that won't even consider carrying spray as a form of defense. Dude on the app trail gutted 2 or 3 people a few years back.
My GF lives in a super liberal town with a former railroad thats now a bike/walking path. The amount of weird bastards I have seen over the last year makes me nervous

I was walking our Doberman, armed. Me not the dog :p
Two scrawny meth head looking people are coming towards us. Dog alerts, as they get closer its a guy and a girl. Hes holding a book and I can hear him talking. She has her arms up and out stretched. They get closer, the dog has his mohawk standing straight up now. then I see the log haired guy is reading out loud from a bible and the chick is praying.
They never ever noticed us once. Seen these 2 around town on occasion, him reading, her praying. Haven't seen them around a year now.
Click to expand...
God works in mysterious ways and mere mortals can never hope to comprehend.


Eddie
 
tony said:
When I did facebook, the "gun" topic came up on hiking, backpacking pages I was on.
Still surprises me the people that won't even consider carrying spray as a form of defense. Dude on the app trail gutted 2 or 3 people a few years back.
My GF lives in a super liberal town with a former railroad thats now a bike/walking path. The amount of weird bastards I have seen over the last year makes me nervous

I was walking our Doberman, armed. Me not the dog :p
Two scrawny meth head looking people are coming towards us. Dog alerts, as they get closer its a guy and a girl. Hes holding a book and I can hear him talking. She has her arms up and out stretched. They get closer, the dog has his mohawk standing straight up now. then I see the log haired guy is reading out loud from a bible and the chick is praying.
They never ever noticed us once. Seen these 2 around town on occasion, him reading, her praying. Haven't seen them around a year now.
Click to expand...
Well, while certainly an unusual encounter, there`s far worse things they could be doing, I suppose. A little more bible reading and praying wouldn`t hurt, although the Big Guy ( the REAL Big Guy, not Biden ) said something about the advisability of praying in one`s closet instead of making a spectacle of it.
 
As a kid I grew up spending most of my time in the Kiamichi mountains of southeast Oklahoma. We had 17 acres and three cabins along the Kiamichi River. (Still have 10 acres and one cabin where we're going tomorrow.) When I was about 13, we were standing on my uncle's porch a little after dark looking at deer in his garden. All of a sudden, the deer took off and something big come into the garden. My uncle shined a light on it and the only thing I can describe it as is big foot. This thing looks at us then takes off running the other direction. Shook us all up pretty bad. I still go down there and since haven't seen anything like it. This is in the small community of Big Cedar and about 20 mins from the Honobia the big foot capital.
 
Sooner said:
As a kid I grew up spending most of my time in the Kiamichi mountains of southeast Oklahoma. We had 17 acres and three cabins along the Kiamichi River. (Still have 10 acres and one cabin where we're going tomorrow.) When I was about 13, we were standing on my uncle's porch a little after dark looking at deer in his garden. All of a sudden, the deer took off and something big come into the garden. My uncle shined a light on it and the only thing I can describe it as is big foot. This thing looks at us then takes off running the other direction. Shook us all up pretty bad. I still go down there and since haven't seen anything like it. This is in the small community of Big Cedar and about 20 mins from the Honobia the big foot capital.
Click to expand...

I lived in Talihina and Hodgen for about 6 years as a kid back in the late 70’s/early 80’s, but the only Bigfoot I ever saw was my dad’s boot in my ass when I got out of line. Actually, I take that back, I don’t think I ever saw it coming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don’t want my little “story” to come across as a religious nut case.
I think it’s one of those you had to see it to understand it type stories.
 
I was up in the Oregon Cascades with two of my cousins during the High Cascade buck season. We were spiked out on a little butte that overlooked a massive burn. We had spent a couple days glassing with nothing to show for our efforts. It was ridiculously hot that year and animals were holding tight until absolute dark.

On the third night I was awakened by wolves howling on the ridge a couple miles away. Mind you, ODFW claims no wolves live in this area at the time. Regardless, I was pretty excited since it was the first time I’d heard them.

I got out of my tent and sat on my little chair where we had been glassing from. It was a beautiful night with the slightest orange haze from distant fires that is typical for this time of year.

I sat admiring the landscape in the moonlight and faint blue of the upcoming dawn. As I sat I noticed a little white light down in a bowl below us. It was odd. The only thing in the bowl was a deep pile of blow downs. I’m talking nearly impassible, extremely dangerous, half burned blow downs. The bowl was maybe a half mile from our camp and fairly visible due to the ambient light.

The little light kept moving around erratically and looked to be floating over the blowdown timber that littered the area. As I watched it moving around I spotted two more little white lights in different areas of the burn and they to looked to be floating around erratically over areas I would deem nearly impossible to traverse in the day, let alone partial darkness.

I watched them slowly bob around until dawn when they disappeared with the arrival of daylight. I was able to glass them with my binoculars but they were literally just little, dim, white floating lights. My only thought about what it could be was maybe fireflies? As I’ve never seen fireflies I definitely don’t have any experience to compare them. Also, supposedly we don’t have fireflies in Oregon but supposedly we didn’t have wolves in the area either…
 
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