National Park After Dark - National Park Ghosts, Monsters, and Cryptids

Episode Date: October 30, 2023

Join us in South Dakota to witness the screams of the Banshee of the Badlands. Venture to Alaska where a cryptid lurks that disguises themselves as our favorite... otters?  Do you believe in the Lizard Man of South Carolina? Because the police sure do, and one sighting led to manhunts with bounties for his capture. Today we're taking you to several different parks to explore the creatures that lurk there.For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to this week’s partners!IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping.Miracle Made: Use our link and code NPAD to save over 40% and get 3 free towels.Quince: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.Beam: Use our link and code CYBER for up to 40% off.  For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Monday AI agents took over my work. And I absolutely love it. Chasing deadlines, writing status reports, updating stakeholders. Agents handle the daily grind now. They live inside Monday.com. So they see the full picture, my work, my team, the whole company. And I don't have to worry about the data. It's safe, which means I'm free to focus on the big stuff,

knowing everything runs smoothly in the background. It's completely shifted the way we work. Create your own AI agent in minutes on Monday.com. National parks preserve and protect some of the most beautiful parts of our world. We often travel to them to witness nature in ways we could not in our own backyards. We learn about their massive mountains, rivers, plant life, desert landscapes, and endangered species that reside there. But there are some things lurking in national parks that we don't often hear about. When we look behind the curtains of the beautiful and magnificent stage that has been presented to us,

we often find evidence of things darker or unexplainable. Some believe in the unexplainable, the cryptids, creatures, and lingering spirits, while others do not. Whether you believe or not, part of you must be at least curious about the eyewitness accounts of these interactions. Welcome to National Park After Dark. It's finally happening. I'm so excited. This episode is created for you. Dedicated and created solely for me. I know other people are listening, but.

But this is just for Danielle. Sure is. Her cryptid. Her cryptid heart. I'm excited because I feel like usually I'm the one who's researching it. And now I get to be like, I'm visiting home. So I'm not my normal like setup. I'm literally in bed.

Yeah. You look very comfortable by the. the way. So it's like I get to really like just sit back and relax. Dedicated, created all for me. It's about me. It's just me. All the cryptids we're talking about are Danielle. Yes. Well, where are we going? What park? I, well, I format this a little bit differently than we normally do instead of visit one park. I'm going to take us to a bunch of different ones. I kind of wanted this to be a more fun and lighthearted episode, especially it's Halloween. It's spooky season.

And while this isn't totally geared towards spooky season, it is, I was trying to get inspiration for Halloween when I found this episode that I'm doing today. And basically I'm going to take us through different national parks. And we're going to talk about weird things that have been found in them, ghosts that are there, cryptids that are there, like creatures, things like that in different national parks. And I decided to choose national parks that we haven't really covered on the podcast before because I wanted an excuse to visit them. Cool.

Yeah, that's right on. I just got actually, I'm curious if this person listens, but I just got back from Salem. This morning, I spent a couple days down there. And the last shop I went to visit today before I drove home was just like this random shop and the owner was asking like, oh, are you local or whatever? And I was like, I used to be, but now I live in Colorado. and he's like, oh, my daughter lives in Colorado. She's the, I'm probably going to mess this up.

But some, like, she's really high up there in, like, managing the northwestern units for the National Park Service. Oh, wow. That's really cool. I'm like, oh, that's really cool. I really love national parks. Didn't say anything else besides that. Yeah, and he was really, really nice.

Mysterious. Yeah, mysterious. But, yeah, it's just cool. And I'm just riding the. high of the spooky vibes that Salem has to offer. I mean, it's the best time of year to be there and everyone's dressed up best or worse, depending on who you ask, I guess. But it's just like, it's so nostalgic. It's the best. It's creepy. Everyone's dressed up for the parades and just to walk around and everyone's in their cool outfits. And I wore black, but I didn't really like lean into

anything else. But there was like kids wandering around like dressed up. It's like, Werewolves and witches and different, you know, Halloween outfits and stuff. It's like, it's the Halloween town. Yeah, sure is. So now I'm ready for your creepy episode. Creepy. It's definitely not fully Halloween vibes, but I was trying. I was trying to get there. So the way I found this episode is kind of funny and I want to mention it because I was just Googling Halloween-related National Park things. And things were coming up and I was looking into it and looking into it. and just not feeling that inspired by anything that I was popping up. Of course, there's cool stuff, but I was just like,

I don't know if I really want to write about this. And then I ended up on the Anderson Design Group store site, which I don't know if you've heard of, but you've definitely seen and everyone listening has. They are like the quintessential national park posters and postcards that you see whenever you go into visitor stores. And I was looking them up and they're a family-owned art and design business. that I didn't realize it was family owned when I looked it up.

But whenever you go into National Park Visitor Centers, you almost always see them. They're the vintage postcards of the national parks that you see. A lot of times they have different, like, posters. And they're just the vintage style. When you see it, you know exactly what it is. And I was on their website because they had an article that was completely dedicated to cryptids inside of national parks. and they actually created posters for each cryptid that's in the national parks. And they don't have all the national parks listed.

They just have a few. And then when you click the poster, it has a small blurb about each of the cryptids that are there and where they come from and a link to another article that talks more in depth about them. So I was like, oh, this would be really fun to get into these. So I didn't pick all of the ones that they talk about. But I did get a little bit of my research from them. Mostly I found other websites and dove a little bit deeper because they just have little short blurbs.

And then I researched the parks in depth too. So how I formatted this episode is I'm going to introduce you to the park so you know what it's all about. And then I'm going to introduce you to the cryptid that resides there or ghost or whatever it is. Cool. Well, the first national park stop on our list is the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. And I had to add this one because we haven't talked about the Badlands really. I know we've mentioned it in passing in some episodes, but I've just been dying to go here for an episode ever since our visit there. So I decided to talk a little bit about the banschie of the

badlands. And before I introduce you to this ghost woman who resides in the park, I want to introduce you to the park. The badlands are known as the land of stone and light because of its incredible geological features and was designated as a national park on November 10th, 1978 after a being designated as a national monument in 1939. It protects 24,000 acres of land and contains the largest remaining grassland prairie in the entire United States. The park attracts people from all over the world and sees upwards of one million visitors every single year.

The National Park Service manages the park along with the Oglala Lakota tribe, who have resided here long before settlers ever arrived. And one of the really cool things about the badlands is there. There is such a huge indigenous history here. And I mean, we learned to that when we were there. Yeah. There's so much going on. And I'm not going to get into it in this episode, but maybe in a future one.

But I think it's important to note that one, it's co-managed because of the extensive indigenous people history here. But also, there's a lot to know there. And this national park is home to massive beautes and geological features that make the park truly a magical and unique experience. It is also home to one of the richest fossil beds in the world, making it an incredible place for paleontologists to study. Catered to you, Daniel. It sure is. I know. I told you this episode is for me.

It's for you. Around 75 years ago, the badlands were... I wrote 75 years ago. Around 75 million years ago, the badlands were once covered by an inland sea known as the Western Interior Seaway. And today, paleontologists have discovered. the fossils of many marine animals. One of those includes an apex predator known as the Mossosaur. And I wanted to talk about it because I just thought it was so interesting when I was Googling the park. These giant marine reptiles could reach up to 50 feet or 15 meters in length

and were thought to be one of the top predators in the world that were in the ocean and would eat anything they could catch. Paleontologists have found preserved remains of the monosaur's stomach inside the Badlands National Park and their insides contain things like fish, sharks, birds, and even other mossosaurs. That's incredible. That's really, I was, do you know, you're actually probably not going to know this? I don't know why you're going to ask them. Like, now that you're talking about aquatic fossils, do you know how big it was compared to

like a megalodon? Like, do they eat megalon? I'm not sure. I didn't research that specifically. I had a feeling. Interesting. It's cool. Like, how much can be revealed just based on studying fossilized remains is so interesting. Like the stomach contents of something that's however many million years. What did you say? 75 million? It's wild. It's so wild. Yeah. And it's crazy because you go into the badlands today. And it is all desert. And then you find these fossils of aquatic animals that lived in the ocean. And it's like, oh, okay, this was very different at one.

point in time. So it's a little window to the past. And aquatic animals are not the only thing that paleontologists have discovered here. They've also found fossils of rhinos that once roamed inside the badlands. And they're thought to be the largest mammal that was inside the park. And they were about eight feet tall and 16 feet long, which is about two meters tall and four meters long. And while the banshee of the badlands is not on the list of fossils that are found inside the park, sightings of this ghost have been reported since the 19th century by indigenous people, cowboys, and settlers. The geological features are said to be haunted by a woman, but it is unknown who she is. Some believe she may be an indigenous woman who was killed there, and some believe that it was a woman who died after she fell off one of the beutes.

She is seen at night in the moonlight over the beutes with her arms stretched wide and tossing around in strange gestures. She's often reported shrieking so loudly that it echoes through the landscape. Some say she shrieks because her loved one died with her and she's looking for them. And visitors in the park continue to report hearing or seeing the bansie of the badlands. In some reports it said that she actually sings or she's almost like a, oh, what are they called? A siren? Sirens, yeah. She's almost like a siren and she lures people in.

And the biggest occurrence of it's less seeing her and it's more hearing her, but people definitely still report seeing her. And she goes back in a lot of indigenous history where she's been seen then and now and there's still reports today that happened for her. And I just had a small blurb on her for the banshee of the badlands. That's cool. That's really cool. Yeah.

Yeah. I didn't hear her when we slept there. No, I sure didn't think God. I know what I keep saying like I know what she looks like I don't but I know the illustration from the design group. Oh yeah. Yeah, it's kind of a pretty famous one I think. She kind of looks like it's not really, she's not really depicted like ghostlike in that illustration. It's more of like a like I don't want to say Frankenstein. Yeah.

I'll post pictures so people can see. Cool. Well, next on my list, we're heading to New Mexico to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park, which I know we did visit once before, but it was a long time ago. And we're going to talk about the mysterious cave sloth. I guess, well, I was like, we'll just add this one under the monster list, but it's really an extinct species. But people who hear this have been like, this can't be real. But it is real, and scientists have found evidence of it. So first, let's explore Carlsbad Caverns a little bit. It is located in southeastern New Mexico, and it is one of the most preserved and most accessible cave complexes in the entire world. In one section of the cave known as the big room, it is the largest cave chamber, North America, and the 32nd largest in the world. It's 4,000 feet long, or 1,200 meters, 625 feet wide, or 191 meters, and 225 feet long.

high or 78 meters. So it's massive. I could walk in it. I wouldn't be scared. Are you sure? Because you would still be underground. Yeah, there's that, which I don't love. Like, I feel like you would just be uncomfortable either way because you have to get there.

You know, it's not like. That's true. I don't know what it's like to get there. I've never been. Yeah. Cassie's having also a side note, hard time figuring out what she wants done with her body when she dies because she doesn't want to be buried. She doesn't want to be burned.

and she doesn't want to be like aquacremated or like anything like she doesn't all the options are not fitting and we're trying to figure it out yeah we're trying to figure it out but one i'm afraid of drowning and being in the water for all of eternity yeah so aquacremation aquacremation you know what i'm thinking of like in mean girls when they're like have the chalkboard and they like scrape like they scrape each thing off the list okay so aquacremation is like is off. Yeah. I do not want to be in a casket and buried because I'm claustrophobic. And or also not, it doesn't even matter if you're in a closet in a casket or not. You just don't want to be underground. Yeah. I don't also want to just be buried with dirt over my face either because that's really a tight space.

Right. So natural burial is off as well as regular. And I don't want to be lit on fire. Okay, so cremation and pyres are off. Like, what is going to happen? Well, what if I don't, I don't know. I know I'm not going to care, but like, what if I did? I just, from all I've learned, I just really feel like you're not going to care. You have bigger and better things to worry about your, you are not your body. Yeah. It's hard to let go of, you know? I just, I don't know. Am I claustrophobic in the next life? Am I going to be underground? What if my spirit haunts the tiny little piece of ground? And I just, I don't know. I'm not. Am I'm going to be underground? What if my spirit haunts the tiny little piece of ground? And I just sit there and fucking look at dirt for all of eternity. What ghost story have you ever heard of that? Well, no one's underground. So how would you know? What do you mean? No, no one's underground.

There's so many people underground. No, like living people underground. Like, if I'm just in that one little spot underground, like my spirit is just stuck in my casket. Oh, you're saying like, I thought you meant what if I just haunt that one piece of area, like directly above your grave? Oh, no. I'm still underground. I don't know. I just, I feel like you should probably, I'm not trying to rush you, but I feel like you should really try and figure it out because having a death plan is really important. Like this is that I would stress about this. Like if you, I'm so sorry, but if you were to die tomorrow, like, hopefully not. It'd be so bad for our brand. And it would be really difficult for a brand. Yeah. What would I do? Like what would anyone? I'd be like, well, does anyone have any ideas because these are all off the list? She told me.

Well, I will say, so I have had many brushes with death throughout my entire life from like the moment I was born until a couple years ago. And my mom visit a psychic when I was younger and the psychic said that she could, she envisioned and saw me as an old woman. So I think I have time going off of her. Okay, going off of that one lady's thing. That's good to know. Well, just think about it. That's all I'm saying. I forget even what we were talking about caves and I don't know how we got here.

talking about caves and you're thinking about underground because of how much I hate it there. Oh no. Oh, didn't we say like a mausoleum? You want like a mausoleum? A mausoleum, but I'm just there. Not buried. Right. Like you're not undergone. Put me in a really comfy couch above ground. Yeah, but then you're like, what about people visiting me? It's like, well, I mean, when we have time, I guess. Like, yeah. It has to be an open mausoleum, though. What do you mean? Like really lots of windows. Oh, spacious. Yeah, spacious.

I mean, even like a greenhouse. I know I would smell really bad. Yeah, glass ceiling. Well, you would smell bad for a period of time. Just something simple, you know. Just like a massive glass mausoleum. That like no one's going to want to go visit for a little while while you decompose. Because that's sick.

Because I'm also guessing you don't want to be involved. God, no. No, leave my body alone. Not judging. Not judging. Everyone can do what they will. No, I understand and I know people who have been embalmed and it's just, it's been tradition for years and years. But when I think about the nitty gritty and what's really done with it, it makes me personally uncomfortable having it done. But I understand why people do, especially if they want their families to view them. Yeah. There's just other options. After taking that death dula class and seeing it like in action happen. I always knew I didn't really want to go that route. Now I like really know. Anyways, let's learn about sloths or something.

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It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories,

and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L, every year after, The Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, Chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. Anyway, we're in a national park learning about Carl's Bad Caverns.

About half a million people visit Carlsbad Caverns, so they're not claustrophobic. And they come there to see these spectacular cave systems, but it also attracts people from around the world because of the bats that are there. From May to October, every evening, thousands of Brazilian free time. Bats exit the cave just after sunset and this event can last several hours. So a lot of people come here specifically to see that. And Carlsbad Caverns is a diverse place with many species of animals. There's 67 species of mammals found here, 357 species of birds and 55 different reptile species. Being a desert area, most of the species that reside here are relatively small. Although they

do have mountain lions and mule deer, the cave sloth that has been found in the caverns, is much larger. The cave sloth that was found was nine feet long and waved a quarter of a ton. And like I kind of alluded to before, this has been a bit of a mystery. An extinct species of sloth, the Shasta ground sloth fossil was found 400 feet below the earth inside of Carlsbad Caverns. Shasta ground sloths existed hundreds of thousands of years ago within the southwestern part of the United States. They had large muscular back legs, giant claws, and a head. heavy and powerful tail that was used to ward off predators such as dire wolves that were there in the area. They would feed off of various desert plants like cacti and yucca plants. However, as you may have

already known or guessed or thought about, 400 feet below the ground in a desert like Carlsbad caverns yields no vegetation and sloths are herbivores. So the question is, how did it get there and why was it there? And this has been a big mystery to scientists. Some speculated that, maybe many years ago when water used to run through the cave system, it was carried there after it died. That theory seems less plausible as there hasn't been any streams running into the caverns for well over half a million years. But other scientists have speculated that it is most likely that this sloth was alive when it entered into the Carlsbad Cavern system and got there after accidentally falling into it. Or with all the predators that were around in this period of time, especially when you have like these huge

predators that don't exist anymore, they think that maybe it went inside of these caverns, scared, maybe hurt, and then stayed there and died because this isn't its normal habitat. And this isn't the only ground sloth that has ever been found in the southwest. In fact, the most notable one and best known giant sloth was found in a lava tube at Aden Crater in New Mexico. When it was found, scientists found some of its hair preserved along with a tendon. There have also been a surprisingly large amount of ground sloth hair found preserved on the Arizona side of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. So basically what I'm saying is next time you're exploring the southwest, keep your eyes peeled for the remnants of any giant sloths that might have been running around millions of years ago. It's super cool.

Yeah. I thought that was so interesting because one, sloths are so cool and they're like small. Imagine a giant sloth. And two, just underground in a cave system, I never would have thought that that was out. there. Yeah, it's wild. It's kind of like sad to think about a little bit because clearly that sloth, I agree, obviously, like the first thing I thought of when you were describing it was for whatever reason it got in there and then just probably got lost. It turned around. It's fucking pitch black. Can't see. Yeah. Has no idea what's happening and just slowly starves to death or whatever. Or maybe

it was injured and it just died. I don't know. But to me, it's just like, its last moments were probably not the greatest. Let's all be sad for a 25 million-year-old sloth for a moment. Yeah, let's just take a moment of silence. Okay. RIP. Next up on the tour, we are headed to Big Bend National Park in Texas, and I know we went there too, but it was a while ago.

And we're going to learn about the canyon ghosts seen and heard by hikers and campers inside the park. But of course, I want to talk about the park a little bit itself. Big Bend National Park is in West Texas and borders Mexico. The park is also filled with massive geological features, desert landscape, and sea fossils. And also, lots of dinosaur bones have been found here. And when I was picking these parks to talk about, I'm like, wow, I've picked all deserts and they all have fossils on them. Like, I'm on a theme here.

You're on a kick. The park is a land of geological contrast with the Rio Grande serving as an international border within this park. the Chihuahuan Mountain Range, deserts and vegetation belts. It's not only desert, but woodlands, montane woodlands, and semi-desert grasslands. Over 500,000 people from all over the world come here every year to recreate within the park by participating in river trips, horseback riding, hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing. If you're a hiker or very experienced rock climber, you may find yourself heading to an area of the park known as Bruya Canyon.

It's this beautiful and intricate landscape of massive limestone walls. It is also one of the spookiest areas in the park, and Bruea translates to witch in Spanish, making it named Witch Canyon. And this area is very haunted. Big Bed National Park is known to be a spooky park in general because indigenous people, Spanish soldiers, and cowboys have all died within the boundaries of these parks, many in brutal or mysterious ways. One of the most famous deaths in the park was Chief Alcate, the last leader of the Chisos Apache people. He was killed in 1882 by a Mexican firing squad after being tricked into what he thought was signing a peace treaty. Now it is his spirit that is thought to be behind the Marfa lights in Big Bend, which are mysterious glowing orbs that reportedly hover, merge, twinkle, then split into two and float up into the air or dart away quickly. But there are more than orbs in the park and in Bruea Canyon, there are full apparitions of spirits reported from visitors.

People have reported seeing a man wearing a Serapi who then disappears. Another apparition is of a young girl walking the canyon who is believed to have been the daughter of a Spanish noble who drowned herself before being captured. But the most common ghostly appearance is that of the howling spirit of Bruea Canyon. Hikers report hearing awful wailing cries. that echo through the canyon walls. These are most often heard from people who are camping overnight. While there are many theories on who these ghost cries are from, one stands out the most. One theory comes from an indigenous woman who is known to have gone to Bruea Canyon

and drowned her own children in the river before settlers could come and capture them. Oof, that is rough. That is so rough. And now people who come and stay the night often hear wailing cries. like sounds of women or children that are screaming throughout the canyon. And it's a semi-common occurrence and people still are reporting, have been reporting it for many, many years at this point. I feel like I would probably choose another area to camp in. Yeah. With that knowledge, like if you don't know, obviously, before you go. Yeah. And I guess I was looking it up,

it's a big rock climbing area because I read this one article that someone had written and I don't really know because I'm not a rock climber or a rock climb in that area. But it was saying that Pruya Canyon is a really difficult climb and no one has actually ever climbed to the top of it before because it's so difficult. I don't know how true. It was a written article from a climber who was talking about like their experience and giving advice on it on the article I found. But I thought it was interesting and people hike out there or they'll rock climb in that area and stay overnight. And it's pretty, it's pretty far out there. Now we're on. onto another national park and accrypted that maybe you've never heard of before because I hadn't.

I don't know. You might have heard of it, but I had not. And this time we're heading to Alaska and we're going to go to Gates of the Arctic National Park. And we haven't talked about that park yet, right? I think maybe we just mentioned it because you have, you have physically been. I haven't physically been there, no. I thought you have. Okay, then I have no idea. We definitely have them. We've talked about it in passing, I think, but not like a full episode. And I think also maybe it's on my mind because I'm reading the wanderer, the book, that wolf book that I got when we were in Alaska. Oh, yeah. Is it in the gates of the Arctic? It's, well, that wolf has journeyed. I mean, his whole story is cool, but he's journeyed far and wide. And it's mostly centered in the Yukon-Charlie National Recreation Area. But it's up there. And I think he's gone through, like his GPS collar has pinged him going through parts of the gates of the.

the Arctic. So I think maybe that's what I'm thinking of. Maybe. Yeah, we haven't covered it at all for an episode. Well, I have a little bit of information on it because in this national park, we're going to talk about a mystical creature and folklore of the indigenous clinket people. And the mystical creature that we're going to talk about is the Kush Taka. Have you heard of them before? It sounds familiar, but I don't know if I could ever describe it to you. Like the name sounds familiar, but I don't know what you're describing. Maybe this will ring some bells, or maybe you've never heard of it, and I found one.

Well, the Kushchaka are shapeshifters, and for some, they are friendly and helpful, but in other legends, they are cruel and mischievous. And before we get completely into them, let's learn about the Gates of Arctic National Park and Preserve, and the 8 million acres of land that it preserves. This park is known to be a backpacker's paradise as it sits in a remote area of northern Alaska

with no roads leading. into it. The only way to get here is to fly or to hike. It is filled with massive mountainous landscapes, glaciated peaks and river valleys. When people travel here, they discover intact ecosystems where people have lived with the land for over 10,000 years. The summertime brings endless summer light and during the winter, the skies light up with the aurora. It is one of the least visited national parks because of its remote location, being the most northern national Park in the United States. And there are only about 10 to 11,000 visitors each year, which is just wild in comparison to others, because the other ones I've said have a million, five million,

you know, there's just so many and only a couple thousand. But the people who do visit are offered with the opportunity to visit the largest contiguous wilderness within the United States and the chance to see endangered species such as polar bears and peregrine falcons. The Inupiac and Athabascan people were the earliest people with the United States. And the chance to see endangered species, in the gates of the Arctic over 10,000 years ago. Today, there are 10 small communities with about 1,500 residents who carry on with the traditions and live off the landscape. And while indigenous Alaskan people hold an enormous importance and history in the area,

the local residents we are here to talk about today is the Kushtaka, who are said to still be found in the Alaskan wilderness, and these shapeshifters are said to mainly take form of an otter. A cute little otter. But they're like they can be bad, right? Oh, yeah. Okay. They're bad. They're disguised as cute little otters.

Oh, I see. Clever. According to legend, what makes them so dangerous is because people are drawn to their playful nature and it is easy to mistake them for otters and not the shapeshifters that they are. They are said to take form of a man or when traveling in groups as a group of men. And many depictions that I found when you look them up show them as half otter half man. And if you find yourself lost or injured in the Alaskan wilderness, a group of them may appear and claim to be there to rescue you. However, legend says, if you are to go with them, they will lead you deeper and deeper into the wilderness before they tear you to pieces.

Or they will turn you into one of them. They are also known to kind of be like sirens as well because they are known to lure people in by imitating the screams and cries of women and children, screaming for help. So if you're out in the middle of Alaska and hear women and children screaming for help, you should check it out because what if it is, but also be careful. What if it's an otter? What if it's a half otter, half an otter. Yeah. But some legends about them depict them in a different light and actually say they are helpful creatures. When people are lost in the cold Arctic temperatures, they will distract them with illusions of their family and friends because they can shape shift.

And it gives them inspiration to survive. or kind of along the same thing where they'll turn you into one of them, they will turn you into a Kostaka so you are able to survive in the cold weather. But it is reported that they are afraid of one thing, and that is dogs. So if you venture into their territory, having your furry best friend come with you is a huge advantage. And lucky for you, Gates of the Arctic National Park is one of the few national parks in the U.S. that allows dogs anywhere inside of the park. Oh, so you can't, they are permitted anywhere. Anywhere in the park.

Wow. Don't have to stick to trails, nothing. You can just go up there with your dog. If you can make it up there with your dog. Yeah. I mean, you got to fly them in. Yeah, you got to fly them in. And then there's polar bears and stuff, so be careful.

It's scary. Yeah, it's a little scary. But they are loud. That's cool, though. I don't think I've ever, now that you've explained it entirely, I don't think. I've ever heard of that. I thought it was funny. I found a couple articles about it that was saying, oh, they're really cute.

They can, they shape ship mostly into otters and you think like they're so playful and fun and they lure you in and that's not it. And they're river otters or they're also known to be on the coast of Alaska, not just in this national park specifically. But hanging out like in the water as the sea otter would and they're actually the Kushtaka's spooky, spooky. or not, maybe they're helpful, I don't know. You just described how unhelpful they are. Yeah, but sometimes in a couple legends it says that they will try and help you if you're lost in the woods, like for real. Well, basically you're rolling the dice. Yeah, it's a 50-50 shot.

I think it's more of like an 80-20 shot that you're going to be murdered. But if you believe in this stuff. Well, maybe just don't get lost. Yeah. How about just try not getting lost and you won't have to worry about it? And last but certainly not least, I'm going to tell a story of a monster that resides in Congaree National Park in South Carolina. And this is one that has the longest story to it that I found that I thought was really

interesting. So a monster that is so real if you've questioned the other ones I've talked about so far if you're like, that's not real, that's not real. This one was so real that in the 80s, police led investigations to find this creature and a $1 million reward was offered for its capture. And today, there are even festivals in its honor. Lizard Man has become a household celebrated name in South Carolina, but it wasn't long ago that it was a feared entity in the swamp regions of the state. And I see her face like, what in the lizard man? Have you heard of this one before?

No. Yes. This one was my favorite, my personal favorite because I thought it was a cool story. And it's very, it's very real in a lot of ways. But of course, before we fully dive into this investigation and the sightings and the interactions with Lizard Man, I want to tell you a little bit about Congaree National Park, because this national park preserves the largest intact area of old growth bottomland hardwood forests that remain in the southeastern United States.

And what makes these bottomland hardwood forests so important is that they are areas of forests that periodically flood and contain swamp lands. And because of this, they have a large number of unique and endangered species that can only survive in these regions. They also play a major role in preventing flooding on a larger scale and improve water quality through the filtration their plant life is able to provide. And Congare is specifically known for its giant hardwoods and towering pines. The National Park's floodplain forest is actually part of one of the highest forest canopies on the planet. Their tallest trees being the loblolly pine. That's just like when I heard the name, the Lobloat. It just reminded me of last of the really great wing doodles and all like the weird names they had for all of the forests and pines.

And I'm like, this is where they got it from. It reminds me of something Dr. Seuss would write. Yeah, something like that, just like a magical place. but they are called the Loblolly Pines and they stand up to 167 feet tall, which is the highest one that they have, which is just 18 feet shy of the tallest tree in the east, which is the Bougarman White Pine and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. So these trees are massive and they're in these swamplands. Despite how cool this park is and its proximity to major cities, only just over 200,000 people visit each year, making it one of the least visited national parks in the United States.

And I think I read somewhere that it was the 10th least visited National Park. It's also smaller than other parks because it protects 26,000 acres of land, but it does serve as a reminder of the once millions of acres of old growth bottomland hardwood forests that once towered along the southeastern rivers. So a lot of this area down south has been destroyed and isn't there anymore, but it is preserved here in Conquery National Park. It's also a very popular birding area with over 100,000. 91 species living in the area. It is possible to see larger animals within the park, including

bobcats, deer, coyotes, and the invasive species of feral pigs. So they have hogs like wild hogs there, which you have to be careful about. And there are also 45 species of reptiles within the park. And one of those reptiles is lizard man. They're very confident that this is a real thing, so I'm eager to hear the story. Good. Well, Lizard Man is a seven foot tall, Half man, half lizard with red glowing eyes who has been reportedly seen inside the boundaries of Congaree National Park. However, the first sighting and interaction with Lizard Man and most famous happened several miles away in a swampy area outside of Bishopville, South Carolina. And that's where I'm going to go into the story of the interaction and sighting of Lizardman. So the first one was not in the park, but he is.

Park adjacent, but he is seen in the park. In the park as well. Okay. It was in the early hours of June 1988 when 17-year-old Christopher Davis pulled his car over on the side of the road in Lee County, South Carolina. He had been driving home from a late shift at a nearby fast food restaurant. It was around 2 a.m. when he got out of his car and discovered that he had a flat tire. He got out his tools and began to swap it out with the spare he had in the back.

Just as he was finishing up and putting everything back in his car, he turned around to see a large figure about seven feet tall with red glowing eyes running in his direction. Frightened by the sight, he jumped back into the driver's seat and tried to shut the door behind him, but the figure had grabbed it and was attempting to rip it back open. Chris managed to shut and lock it and sped off, but this creature held onto his car. When he looked in the rearview mirror, he saw it clinging onto the back. The figure was dark green in color, and he saw three fingers. It wasn't a human, it looked more like a lizard, in a human form. It was so dark that he couldn't see the full details of the creature. He sped down the road and when he hit about 45 miles per hour, it finally let go and took off

into the surrounding swamps. The following morning, Chris called the police to report what had happened. He stated that he was attacked and his car was damaged by a, quote, green, wet like, about seven feet, 2.1 meter tall figure and had three fingers, red eyes, skin like a lizard, snake-like scales. This, of course, sounded insane to the sheriff's office on the other end, but they followed up on his call to check his story out. And to their surprise, when Chris showed him his car, he had clear evidence of an attack. There were toothmarks, scratches that look like possibly from claws, mud, and hair on his car. They suggested the possibility of a bear attack, but Chris denied it. He was adamant in his claims to police, and it was obvious that he was shaken up.

And surprisingly, they decided to believe his story of this lizard man. They decided it was too dangerous not to believe him. And word needed to get out about the incident in case this creature attacked someone's children. It wasn't long until the story reached newspapers and news stations all over the region. And I did watch a YouTube interview of someone. And it was like an old video clip of the sheriff who was in charge. And he said, I needed to investigate this. If this creature had attacked a child, he's like, I would have been kicked out of town.

on my ass, like I could never live it down if a child got injured in this, so I had to investigate it. Shortly after this hit news, more sightings of Lizard Man began appearing around the area and in Congaree National Park. In one instance, a pilot was taking off from a local airstrip when he reported seeing Lizard Man running in front of him across the airstrip. A local couple said that they saw him outside their house, and the following morning, there were clear claw marks into their vehicles. More and more sightings were being reported, and it was all over the news. Local shops in town began selling t-shirts with an image of what they pictured Lizard Man looking like with the words Lizard Man on it. The publicity of it all made the town a tourist destination for interested people and cryptid hunters. A local radio station even offered a $1 million reward for anyone who could capture Lizard Man.

On August 5th, a man named Kenneth Orr, a man stationed at the Shaw Air Force Base, claimed he saw, a lizard man, and he shot it before it ran away. He claimed he had wounded it and brought it scales and blood in as proof to the police. So he's like, I got a piece of it, here's some blood, here's some scales from it, it's real. So of course, newspapers go wild over this. The police investigations are kind of ramping up. But then only two days later, Kenneth recanted his story and told police that he had made it all up to keep the story of lizardmen in circulation. He was charged with filing a false police report. Following that, Chris was continually questioned about his encounter. While he never wavered on the fact that he saw the lizard man that night, his story did change over time. Details

changed, including what the lizard man looked like, later stating that it was packed in mud and not scales. Details on how close he was to the creature changed as well. Authorities questioned how he was able to see what he had given the time of night, and eventually he was even given a polygraph test, because they had doubted his story entirely. They're like, hold on, none of this is making sense. Take a polygraph. So he does. And it seems like he passed, but it was kind of, my research in that part was kind of like iffy.

Or one said it was more of a publicity stunt to be like, hey, it is real and you can't always trust polygraph tests. Eventually, one man did come forward with an explanation on what may have happened that night. Lucius Elmore, a butter bean farmer, which are lima beans, was there that night. He claimed that he had been out that night guarding a shed on his property from recent thefts that had been occurring at night. He had heard Chris's tire blow out and went to the road to investigate, thinking that it might be thieves again near his property. When he was running towards the car, Chris turned around, saw him, screamed and jumped back

in his car and took off. But Chris never admitted to that being a plausible answer. And then when you look further into the research of if there was damage to his car, some question if there actually was any damage or if the reports were wrong in what people had said the police had seen because some say there was just a scratch on his car. Others say that there wasn't. And then others question why there were no photographs ever taken of his car if there was that much damage on it.

But Chris was adamant in his story and it turned out he wasn't the first person to sea lizard man. A year prior, a cyclist had stopped in the same area for water when he saw a huge humanoid creature as well. Since Chris's citing, there have been a lot more reports over the years as well. Despite the question of lizard man being real or not, the town of Bishopville and surrounding areas have embraced him. In 2018, they had their first lizardman festival in town, and they have continued to keep the tradition alive every June since. They have named the festival the lizardman's stomp and over 2,000 people come out to celebrate. The most recent being this past June 23rd, and there are already plans for 2024 in the works. The festivals are equipped with Lizardman

merch, music, parades, and people in Lizardman costumes. The Lizard Man has been featured in books, movies, and documentaries. So next time you are in Congaree or Bishopville, keep an eye out because Lizard Man just might actually be real. Wow. This is what I love about cryptids. Well, one of the things I love about cryptids is regardless of the validity of their existence or the validity of people's stories, they bring people together in really fun ways. And like, what is it, the lizard stomp? Yeah, the lizard man stomp or whatever. Yeah, the lizard man stomp. Yeah, it's like that wouldn't be an existence if it wasn't for like those stories. And like obviously there's tons of Bigfoot festivals and Mothman. festivals and UFO festivals. I mean, I, well, UFOs aren't crypted. Let's just say that. They're real. We all know this. I mean, the government admitted it was real and we were all just kind of like, yeah. Anyways, yeah. But yeah, like even like years ago, I've been to, so I've never been to a

Bigfoot festival. I've obviously been to a lot of Bigfoot museums and chops and things like that. But Exeter, New Hampshire has a UFO festival every year that I've been to. And like, I, like, I was. in Colorado there's Bigfoot days and it's just like it's a fun like when people take it super seriously as far as like trying to like debunk the existence I don't know it's just kind of like chill out. Let me have my moment we're just trying to listen to some music and party and I want to wear a shirt that has a half man half lizard on it. Right. Leave me alone. Yeah. Let me fucking live. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm glad that. like you did kind of a lighter-hearted one because sometimes like Halloween time can get in like the

hauntings and scary. Obviously with hauntings, there's like very real a lot of times. There's very real deaths behind the stories and those can be kind of heavy. So this one's like a little lighter, fun. A little breath of fresh air before we hop back into the morbid stuff later. Yeah, that's right. Well, as far as like morbid stuff and everything, I think next week, oh, next week we're talking to John, which is fun. Yeah, next week we have a fun episode because we're talking to John Jerko. And we're actually, if you all remember, we did an episode about Rhino Man and the poaching that's happening in South Africa. And basically what goes into Rangers work out there and the dangers that are out there. And we are talking to John again to follow up on.

the efforts and what's going on out there. Yeah, it's going to be a good one. I'm excited to talk to him again. But cool. Well, thank you for sharing all of those. Do you have a face? So, oh, you said your favorite is lizard man. My favorite is lizard man for sure. Yeah. I don't know. They were all kind of cool. I think the fossil, the giant sloth fossil, is really interesting as well, but it's interesting in a different way. Yeah. I'm not really about like the screaming things. Yeah. Yeah, I don't like, I don't like that at all. I think it's interesting, but I don't want to ever be a part of wherever that's happening. Right. Even like a few months ago, remember when that fox was like going off in my neighborhood. Yes, they do. It was so fucking eerie, even knowing it's literally just a fox at night in the middle of the night when you don't know exactly where it is and it's coming from and the screams, it's trippy and it's unsettling.

You know, and I love Fox. Fox don't intimidate me or scare me. Like when I see one, I'm like, oh, this is great. But at night. But you don't want to hear it at night. And I want to hear it screaming in the middle of the night because it's super eerie. So I can only imagine in a canyon in the middle of, you know, the back country. Yeah, echoing. Alone at night in the middle. Yeah. Yeah. I still remember when I first discovered what a fisher cat was because it sounded like there was a woman screaming. Yeah. Outside. And I was like, it's someone dying. And my mom was like, no, that's a fisher. cat. I've heard it described as a woman screaming or babies crying. Like, both those things are bad. Both those things are bad to hear while you're in the outdoors alone. Yeah, exactly. All right, well, I guess if you find yourself in any of those parks, enjoy the view. But watch your back. Bye. Bye. Thank you so much for joining us again this week. If you have a trail tale or story suggestion, send us an email at Stories at NPAD Podcast. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at National Park After Dark and on Twitter at NPAD podcast. Join our Outsiders only community on Patreon or Apple subscriptions to listen ad-free, unlock monthly bonus episodes, and exclusive content. And remember, when you support our sponsors, you are supporting our show.

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