National Park After Dark - Trail Tales 11

Episode Date: August 1, 2022

Today’s stories include misleading boy scouts, guiding hands, clap backs, near death experiences and cautionary tales. All tales shared with consent.We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you’re listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon to gain access to ad-free episode, bonus content and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website.  Thank you so much to our partners, check them out!  Modern Fertility: Use our link and get $20 off your fertility test.Hello Fresh: Use code NPAD16 for 16 free meals across 7 boxes and 3 free gifts.BetterHelp: Get 10% off your first month of online therapy by using our link.Microdose: Use code NPAD to get free shipping and 30% off your first order. 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. Girl, winter is so last season. And now Springs got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders. That perfect hang on the patio sundress.

Those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear up on that envelope. It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic. Hello everybody. Welcome back to National Park After Dark, a trail tale episode. Spen a little bit, but we have a huge backlog, so we have tons to choose from, but we always want more.

So send them in. Yeah, send them in. Go to our website, NPADPodcast.com. Go to our submission link. You can write it in there, or you can email us straight at NPAD Stories at gmail.com. But we do have a big backlog, and we picked a handful for today, and we have a a couple extra ones that will be featured on Patreon. So if you are interested in hearing the Patreon ones, which are pretty cool, you can find our Patreon from our website or the link is on our Instagram at National Park After Dark. Can I go first because, sorry to cut you off. I just want to go first because I really, really enjoyed this one, especially because I have like my own little tail at the end

that has to do with the email, but like not really. Okay. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Tell us. So this one is titled, Watching My Mom Nearly Fall to Her Death. Oof. Nearly, nearly, is the key word. Less anxiety-inducing. I grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley. My parents worked very hard and have been very successful, and they were able to provide a young life of adventure for me and my sister, racing cars and motorcycles with my dad and getting

drug through the Cierras with my mom. I was 12 or so when this story happened. We had always hosted Thanksgiving. It's my mom's favorite holiday and it's her Super Bowl. She goes hard and isn't content until everyone. at the table is painfully full and regretting their decisions. It was a lot of work and prep, which typically started the week before. This particular year, she had decided to take a break and didn't need the stress of family and food and everything that comes with the holiday. So we went

camping in Yosemite for Thanksgiving. We had a great time. I think grandma even came with and slept under the stars and probably got licked by a few black bears. They certainly came through camp looking for smores since it was the 90s and no one had $500 Yeti coolers. As usual, the mountains were calling so my mom and I set off to climb half dome because we have only done it in the summer when the trail is packed with people. We took the opportunity to hike through Yosemite practically alone. We took the John Muir Trail approach as nearly everyone does. My dad and sister dropped us off just before dawn, thinking back, that might have been my

first alpine start. We hiked along in our 1990s colored gear, my trusty Jansport backpack on my pack. Flashback, I had a transport backpack in the first. like elementary school. I can already picture the logo just when you say that. Yeah, it's like, wow, blast from the past. Having a great time, as we approached the fork, we decided to take the switchbacks to Nevada Falls as we had heard the stairs in the Vernal and Nevada Falls area may be closed. As we got closer, we encountered a couple women hiking back down, stating that they needed crampons to continue the hike. They asked my mom if we had crampons and being the friendly person she is,

she pulled out a couple tampons and said, yeah, of course, whatever you guys need. We all had a good chuckle and they had warned that we would need crampons to pass the ice flow that was on the trail. But mom's prepared for everything. And willing to share when it's needed. We carried on and it was vacation and we wouldn't have a ride from the trailhead until later anyway. As we rounded the top of the switchbacks, we saw Nevada Falls and the ice wall section of the trail. The trail was iced over, but there was some dry spots that you could carefully walk on. But like, real careful.

because if you slip, you'll either slide down the trail or over the edge. And that edge is about 300 feet of ice and granite. We pressed forward, me asking, hey, mom, this feels dumb. And other hikers saying, yeah, lady, probably not a good idea. But we were in the, this is fun and you're all wimps mode. You can probably guess what happens next. She missed the rock she was hopping to. We were probably 25 meters apart.

I had just started on the traverse. There was a man probably 15 meters from me following her lead. When she fell, she landed feet forward with her back to me, and she started to slide. I don't remember much of the details, but I definitely remember thinking, huh, I guess this is where I'm going to watch my mom fall to her death. She was sliding towards the edge and viciously clawing at the ice and rock. She clawed with such ferocity that she lost a couple of her fingernails. I'm like grabbing my fingers.

She was able to spin around with her feet towards me, still on her back. As she slid past the man between us, he was able to grab her back and swing her a bit further from the edge. This bought her a bit more time and saved her life. Her ride stopped right in front of me. I remember the wild look in her eyes and her bloody fingertips. That's when we decided that maybe we wouldn't make it to the top of half dome that day. We tucked tail and headed back down the trail. A warning to our fellow hikers as we descended.

I don't remember how we got picked up, but we wound up back at our campsite. and we went on to have a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at the lodge. That experience impacted me in a few ways. I've learned that I like mitigating risk and I like to do dangerous things. I became a medic in the army, went on to be a firefighter, and I'm now a nurse. I'm an ice climber and a member of S-A-R in a huge outdoors community. Watching my mom nearly died shaped who I am today and has probably saved a couple of lives along the way. So that's the end of that story.

That's a scary story. But sorry. Can you imagine? Can you imagine? Like such a close call. Watching your mom and then the fingernails and then you're just later, you're all just sitting around eating some turkey and her nails are all like bloody and everything's just like. Yeah, just a day out on the mountain. No biggie.

It's like, enjoy your mashed potatoes. Almost didn't make it to dinner. Yeah. So there was a PS on here. It's totally unrelated to the story. And it said, P.S. loved the Wolf episode living in the Greater Yellowstone. ecosystem gives me the chance to be an amateur wolf chaser. I'll attach another photo that I snapped in the Lamar from the trash can area on Mother's Day. It's a little tradition that we have going into

the park for a big photography and hiking adventure. A few young members of the Molly Pack tried to snack on a junction Butte pack kill. A fight ensued and this young wolf was seriously injured. He was cut off from his pack and thrashed jumping into the Lamar River to escape. Nearly drowning and bleeding profusely, he walked into the sage to lay down and die. We watched for two to three days. He was being harassed by coyotes and ravens. This particular moment was when he got up to say, I'm not dead yet. I'm a big bow hunter as well. A few years ago, I had wolves come through my spike camp. I typically hunt alone and had set my tent up right next to a creek figuring it got some running water and a decent view. Late night, they came to in to drink and sniff around and it was one of the coolest and scariest

encounters I've ever had in the woods. They were sniffing my tent and I could see their shadows from the pale moonlight. To this day, it was the coolest experience I've ever had in the woods. So I'm going to, when we post on Instagram and Facebook socials, I'm going to post a picture of him and his mom from the actual story, but I'm also going to take the picture he posted of the wolf that they watched because it's a beautiful photo and it's so cool. Very cool. And okay, one more thing. And, I'm like, I know at the beginning, you said you had a part to this, so I want to hear it. Okay. So if you're listening, Nick, you, like, inadvertently totally made my day the other day when I was picking these out.

So Nick sent this story in, I don't know, well over a month ago. It was kind of, like, in the backlog. And just as kind of, like, not to make this about me, but I'm going to tell you guys anyway. A few, like, over the last few weeks, Cassie obviously was here, like, a month or so ago and we recorded a ton of episodes and that way I just could take a mental break from everything going on with Ian. So I haven't worked really in the last couple months. Like Cassie's been keeping this show alive. A couple nights ago, I was taking the dogs on a walk and I was talking to Ian, as I always do. And I asked him for a sign. And I've learned to be

very specific and blunt about what I want, even if it sounds ridiculous. And I asked him for a moose, random but I was like okay if I see a moose in the next few days in some way that will be my answer so I'm walking along it's like eight o'clock at night and I all of a sudden had this huge urge to go home and start working which I have not had for months like I've wanted to do nothing yeah and so I get home and I sit down I'm like well I'm just going to start reading some of the trail tales and I was texting Cassie I was like texting you I was like, remember that story from a few months ago? Like, I remember briefly reading it. It had to do with like a wolf or maybe someone with like falling. And Cassie's like, I don't know what you're talking

about. I did though. I went on to our email and I typed in Wolf in the search engine. And I was like, where is she talking about this email? Yeah, which one? Because the story's not about a wolf, really. Yeah. You know. So I was like, I don't know. For some reason, I'm just being really drawn to finding the story. Out of the hundreds we have and out of all the days to just randomly be like, I need to work right now. It's like 9 o'clock at night. And I almost gave up because we have so many emails and I could not find this one. And finally, I do. And I'm like, yes, this is the one I was thinking of. And my heart about stopped when I read the sign off. It says Nick and then his last name, his phone number, and then mooseheartphoto.com. And if you look at his logo on the picture of the

wolf that I'm going to post, his logo is literally a heart with moose antlers hang off of it. An hour after I asked for a moose. It's a sign. And I'm just like, I just like, I still like have the biggest smile on my face two days, three days later. It's all I think about. I mean, I've had a signs that I haven't shared on here before. But this one, because it had to do with the podcast, I had to tell you guys because, like, I was just blown away. It could be a coincidence, but we all know my stance on coincidences now. So we're just going to. There's no such thing as coincidences. Yeah. So cool story, Nick, but that part of it was like really, really sold it to me. And you inadvertently gave me a sign that I really, really needed. So thank you. Okay, now you go. Follow that one

The episode's over now. We'll see you guys next week. 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. I have some really cool stories, not in that capacity at all, but I'm excited to hear nonetheless. Yeah. This one is titled Ghostly Push on the Stairs from Hell, New River Gorge National Park. Hi, Cassie and Danielle. NPAD is the first podcast I've ever listened to and needless to say I'm hooked, keep rocking it. This past weekend, my wife and I visited New River Gorge National Park and Preserve for the first time and had plans to do two separate smaller hikes. Upon arrival, we checked into the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, had a brief conversation with a park ranger to ask for directions to the trailheads, which I didn't really need. I just wanted to make an impression.

Our first hike was the Long Point Trail, which is a moderate hike to a beautiful rocky overlook of the bridge. This view was amazing and I would highly recommend it. As someone in a same gender marriage, I could not help but think of Lolly and Julie and send out some positive vibes. The real story comes from our second hike, the K-more Miner's Trail. This hike is rated as hard on all trails and is, quote unquote, only two miles round trip. About a quarter of a mile down the steep rocky incline, you are submerged in this really cool historic coal miner's site. And to continue the hike, you are greeted with. with what I have now coined, the stairs from hell.

821 steps total. The starting descent down the stairs was fun. You passed by a lot of old mining equipment, and although a little eerie, it was really neat. We stopped a few times in our descent because our legs got so shaky we could hardly stand up, which led us both into hysterical laughter. Finally, getting to the bottom of the stairs, we briefly explored some old decrepit mining buildings, giving our legs a break, knowing the only way to get a little way to get us. back up was, well, 821 steps.

The worst feeling. I've done a long, I did, in Hawaii, I did like the Cocoa Head stairs, which is just straight upstairs. So I'm just getting flashbacks to this whole thing because I was the same way. I'm like, oh my God, my legs, I can't do this. It reminds me of the Manitou incline. If anyone is in Colorado and is looking for the workout of your life. The Manitou incline is very, it's brutal.

Yeah, stairs just straight up with a fall summit and everything. It's great. Oh, God. You're like, I'm done and then it's not. Nope. They continue to say, I would like to point out that I am pretty active and consider myself to be in pretty good shape. It had just stormed and the temperature was in the high 80s with 90% humidity.

So needless to say, the air was thick. I knew this hike was going to be a challenge and believed I was well prepared for the physical demands it entailed for the return trip. So onward and upward, we go. Each step I take, I get more tired and winded, and at first our tired legs were met with some laughter, between the two of us asking whose idea this was. Spoiler, it was all my idea. What I believed maybe a quarter of the way up, I began to feel extremely nauseous and dizzy. I pushed through it, sipping on some water, but my exhaustion was taking over. I could barely put one foot in front of the, the other and began bear crawling up these stairs. My wife was a few steps above me and when she

turned around encouraged me to get to where she was and we could take a break. We sat on the steps while fighting my nausea, trying everything not to give up. My wife pulled out some beef jerky from our packs and we snacked while we rested. I choose not to voice how sick I was feeling because I knew if I did, emotions would take over and uncontrollable crying and probably throwing up would never end. We've been together for 11 years, so I knew she could read my face, though. I started to feel better, and we continued on. The moment I stood up, the nausea and dizziness overcame me again. My dad always taught me while growing up, no matter what situation you find yourself in, do not panic, because if you do, it makes things worse. Well, sorry, dad, I panicked.

I began having the biggest internal debate with myself at this point while trying to keep trudging up these steps. I really don't know if I can do this. I don't have a lot. I don't have self-service and nobody else is down here with us. Oh my god, I am going to become an episode of that podcast. This is so embarrassing. I'm going to have to get rescued from these damn stairs, but how would they even get me, carry me? Surely no helicopter can come with how thick these trees are. You were panicking. Yep. It's like, don't panic, but I'm going to think of all of the panic-inducing thoughts that I can't. To be fair, you did end up on this podcast. That's true. To some of my relief, a couple in their dog passed us going down, so at least I knew we were not alone anymore.

My wife was so supportive and would give me goals like, just get up to this next section and we can take another break. You're doing great. She knew how much I was struggling and just when I thought I could not go anymore, I felt a slight push on my back, as if someone was trying to help guide me and give me momentum. My wife was in front of me, and with how weak I was feeling, I did not think much into it at the time. But I do now wonder if this was a spirit on the minds helping me up the last bit of stairs. Once at the top, we sat on a rock catching our breath before beginning the rest of the small trek to our car. While there, the couple who passed us came flying up the stairs only a few minutes behind us. Slightly embarrassed because I'm sure they saw me looking like a hot mess,

but also in the mindset of no fucks given. Their dogs stopped at the top of the stairs, looked over at me with this tired look as if he was asking if he could just rest with us, but his owners ushered him on. He hesitated and while still watching me, kept on going while I told him, I know, bud, that was tough. Anyways, thanks for reading my novel. I think this is a great example, even if you think you are prepared, the elements can alter your abilities quite drastically. I know now that I was fighting pretty severe heat exhaustion, which more likely was brought on due to the high humidity and could have ended much worse. My embarrassment has now turned into feelings of achievement for being able to complete the small but mighty hike on two feet.

Enjoy the view, but do not panic because you never know who else might have your back. P.S. My wife has had to deal with me talking about MPAD for months. but never wanted to listen. On our way home, we drove right past Janandoah, and I asked if I could tell her Lolly and Julie's story. She agreed, and I gave her my broken up version and how this might be linked to the Colonial Parkway cases, which is where we live, Williamsburg, Virginia. I was so excited when she finally said, okay, put it on and let me listen to it. I fumbled with my phone to turn on episode one before she could change her mind. We listened to NPAD for the remainder of our drive. You got her. You got her. She's in. She's hooked.

Hey. Good to have you here. Yeah. Welcome. Fun. Not fun fact, but after reading this story, when I had done my New River Gorge episode a while ago, I had been reading into things that happened. And specifically in the Kamoire mining place that they were hiking in, there has been a lot of deaths. And, And during like the early 1900s, it was the worst mining deaths. There was a certain year that had the worst mining deaths of all time because of explosions. But Kymour was never a mining place that had explosions. It did have a lot of caving roofs and people getting stuck and suffocating inside the cave.

So between 1904 and 1940, there's like 20 odd deaths that have been reported. in that mind. So that feeling that you had of someone touching your back is not super far-fetched. That just gave me goosebumps. Should we start a like guardian angel and coincidence slash sign podcast? Because that's all I'm into recently, you know? Well, let us know everyone because. Or just send us stories that have to do with it because I will never, ever get sick of hearing them. Yeah. Just send them to. our new trail tales, we'll just have a whole new section of just those stories. It's a niche, you know.

It's a niche. Okay, my next one is called Tautra Mountain National Park Rescue Mission. Hi, Cassie and Danielle. Just wanted to share a story from my recent trip to Tautra National Park in the south of Poland. My husband and I did a nine-mile hike hoping to get to the valley of the five lakes. We ended up turning around right before we got to our destination once we got to the Sikwala waterfall because there was a storm rolling in. I'm pregnant and my husband has a spine full of titanium screws, so we decided that descending

a steep rock scramble in the rain wasn't the best idea. Even after we turned around and the thunderstorm started, there were still tons of people heading up. I was shocked that it seemed like we were the only ones trying to get out of the weather. We got back as fast as we could and saw only one lightning strike on our way out. The next day, we went to dinner at a beautiful restaurant with views of the Gaiavant Mountain. This mountain has a huge metal cross in the top of it and was not too far away from our hike the previous day. The local legend about the mountain is that it is a sleeping night.

You can kind of see it, it looks like a person laying on its back, that will wake up and protect Poland if the nation is in trouble. If you know anything about Poland's history, you know that that is not true. But that's irrelevant to this story. Anyways, right after we sat down, a helicopter flew to the top of the mountain. We saw them drop a rope and lift someone away. This happened four to five more times over the course of an hour, and honestly, we started to lose count. We asked the restaurant staff if this could be a training exercise, but they, completely unfazed, told us, no, that's a rescue mission. Apparently, they see it all the time from there.

We were furiously searching the internet and social media to find out what happened, and eventually the story was published. It was a hiker from Ukraine, who was a few feet from the metal cross as it was struck by lightning. He passed away at the hospital. He was with his girlfriend who was okay. It sounded like the helicopter kept returning to the top to take everyone else out that was at the summit at the time. In our Google searches to find out what happened, we came across the story from August of 2019 when a lightning strike on the same mountain killed five people and injured over a hundred. According to the news article, the metal cross was struck and the current continued along the chain section of the ascent, striking everyone along the way.

So much for that sleeping night, right? While this isn't exactly the type of story I was hoping to be able to share from this trip, I am so grateful that I was able to experience this beautiful place safely. I think it serves as an important reminder of how quickly weather can turn and knowing when to bail. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, Anna. Wow, that's so sad. And it reminds you of the Jenny Lake Ranger story. I know.

That's the first thing I thought of when I read this. It's so scary. and there's a giant conductor in that metal cross, you know? Like, it's like why everyone just hold the metal pole and hike up here in a lightning storm. Like, that's, well, it sounds like it came in really quick. Yeah. But to have just like obviously a chain section and a huge metal cross and then to be, you know, just stuck there if the weather comes and turns. You know what this kind of reminds me of?

And I don't know if the, I'm assuming it'll be a giant metal pole. but they've approved a project in Maine to put the largest flagpole in the world there that will be taller than the Empire State Building in Maine. And it's to put an American flag. And I don't know if it's in like hiking trails or anything like that, but it's just like reminding me of that. It's just like no good. I mean, I'm all for flagpoles, I guess. But. And giant metal crossings.

I don't know. It's costing billions of dollars. And I just feel like there's a lot. of billions? Are you sure? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's like a billion dollar project to do. I read an article about it recently and don't quote me because I haven't like significantly researched this, but it's cost like a billion dollars. They're raising the money to get it done, but they're pretty close to their goal. And I think the sentiment behind it is supposed to be for soldiers coming home when they're crossing into the U.S. It's going to be close to the tip of Maine. And it will be like

an American flag welcome home thing. But there's been a lot of controversy around it because a lot of people have been like, well, a billion dollars could go towards like veteran care after their home from the U.S. and things like that. So, but the giant metal pole in the middle of the woods just kind of reminded me of that project that's going to be happening in Maine. Very interesting. I have not heard of anything like that. I'm also very out of touch with goings on at home. So true. You're on the other coast. Yeah. Guess can't wait to see it.

Yeah. I'll do my next story. It is titled Never Trust a Boy Scout. Hi, Cassie and Danielle. I started listening to your podcast when you had only released eight episodes and I've been a diehard NPAD nerd since then and have even joined Patreon outsiders. Aw, that's like the best. An OG fan.

An OG fan. You were listening when we sound a good guy. like we were underwater in all of our recordings. So we appreciate you. Yeah, like sticking with it, that takes some, that takes some dedication. Yeah, we appreciate you. I know everyone says this because we all sincerely mean it, but thank you so much for all the hard work you two put into this podcast and community.

It gives me a sense of belonging and comfort in a very big world. I can just end the trail tail right there. I'm like, okay. It's like, and that's it. And that's it. Thank you. No, but I really will read the story. story. I'm not sure if this would ever make it on trail tales. Hello. But I thought it would be fun

to share my first ever hiking experience with you two. When I was 16, I was invited to a youth group leadership retreat in the middle of West Texas at a little ranch, I'll keep the name anonymous, nestled in the Fort Davis Mountains. Our group of around 10 kids ages 12 to 16 arrived at the ranch around 6 p.m. and we planned on doing a night hike with our youth. youth pastor up to a cabin located at the top of the mountain. The whole hike was planned to take two to three hours and we would sleep at the cabin, wake up at sunrise, and then head back down to the base of camp early the next morning. Two moms who joined the adventure would take a four-wheeler up to the cabin and get it all set up for us to arrive a couple hours later. One of my friends who was a Boy Scout and

had been to this ranch before was quote-unquote elected to lead the way. So we took off with our backpacks, flashlights, and cheery demeanors. This was my first hike. I was so excited and the night contained perfect conditions. The moon was full and lit the path in front of us, so the flashlights weren't even needed. It casts a bright glow on the deep green shrubs and yucca surrounding us. The stars were still peeking out in the dark night sky. The crickets and cicadas were singing in symphony, and the night air was warm with a light, cool breeze. The group was talking about everything. The group was talking about everything from life experiences to spirituality, Bigfoot, and the best radio songs of all time. It was perfect. I could have kept hiking forever. So I got my wish. After three hours had passed,

we all started to exchange questions like, are we lost to the youth pastor and my friend, the alleged Boy Scout, replied, nah, we're just taking the scenic route. Okay, fine with me, I guess. Then four hours passed, then five, then six. After our legs started aching and we were running low on water, my scout friend finally said, okay, guys, I think we're lost. Six hours for a three-hour hike. Surprisingly, there was no panic. I don't know if we were high on excitement at the idea of being lost in the wilderness, because kids are a weird man, or if we were just so tired and we didn't care at that point. But alas, our suspicions were confirmed that we were indeed lost. At this point, you may be asking yourself, did you all not have a map on you? To which I will reply, nah. Evidently, there was

way too much confidence instilled in this 15-year-old Boy Scout who claimed to know the trail well enough to lead a group of 10 kids and one adult through it at night. You may also be asking yourself, why did the youth pastor not pay attention to the trail or stop the group earlier on? To which I will reply with, what a thought-provoking question. Anyway, we kept going on the trail to locate a main road or any type of signage, picking and choosing which fork in the road to take. An hour or so later, we see headlights coming our way. Thank you, Lord. A staff member from headquarters approached us on a four-wheeler and said, There you are. We've been looking for you for hours.

Apparently, the two moms up at the cabin radioed in that we hadn't arrived, and they were getting really worried. So the staff took off in search of us. They explained that we were horribly off course, which like we knew by that point. And that if we had taken a left at the last fork, we would have been on private property and could have been lost for a week. A week? That's very specific. It's like it's a big private property. The staff member gave us some extra water that he brought, guided us back to the main road, and we eventually landed back on the path we were supposed to take originally. However, this path took us to the beginning of switchbacks that led from the bottom of the canyon to the top of the mountain.

I had never encountered switchbacks before, but after ascending these ramps from hell, I was fairly certain that they were the devil. Luckily, at the top of the switchbacks was the cabin. We stumbled in and everyone dropped on the floor like flies at 4 a.m. Our youth pastor really wanted us to experience the sunrise, so we got two hours of sleep, woke up and watched the sunrise. All of the vigor we mustered the previous 12 hours had dissipated completely. We didn't really care about the beautiful sunrise or the magic of the mountains

with a warm orange sheet of light splayed across it. We were exhausted and done with nature. at that point. And we had to trek another two to three hours back down to base camp, starting with those double ramps. So a four to six hour round trip hike turned into a 13 hour hike with two hours of rest in between. I had never been more sore in my entire life. I had never been so desperate for a bed in my entire life. I've hiked some intense trails since then, but this was still one of the most taxing hikes I've done. But I learned a couple of things on this trek. I am stronger than I seem. I love hiking. Fortunately, the turn of events didn't deter me from this joy

that I discovered. And finally, never trust a Boy Scout without a map. Sorry for the long story. This was my first experience in the world of hiking and it was a doozy. I'm so grateful that it all ended well and that I can still enjoy a good long hike to this day. Thank you for listening. Sincerely, Camry. Well, I was going to say it was certainly a memorable one. Imagine that's just your first experience and you're still like, I love this. You're a hiker. You're a hiker. You're a hiker.

Yep. I mean, I've only had one experience like that and it was with you. I was just going to say, are you going to talk about the one with me? Yeah. Musilock, right? Yeah, it was supposed to be like an eight mile hike and we turned it into a 16 mile hike somehow, some way. We're like, we're just, I mean, we're just going to go up.

That's, that was our, was it up or down that we got lost? I think, I thought it was on the way. I think it was on the way up. We don't even know where we got lost to this day. I just vividly remember when we finally at the bottom of the mountain, there's this lodge that wasn't open. And we just sat on a rock. We both sat on a rock.

And we're just like, call the police. No, Cassie's like call an ambulance. We're like 10 feet from our car at that point. I know. Yeah, that was brutal. Okay, my last one, well, Patreon gets another, but my last one for here is titled Bears Don't Clap. Hey, you guys, insert praise and love for the podcast here. Like many, I found your show at the start of COVID and have been looking forward to new episodes every week since.

Unlike other spooky nature podcasts, I really like how you tell stories about a lot of different topics, not just people getting lost or survival stories. Keep doing what you're doing. Now onto the story, my name is Evan and you can use it if you'd like. A little background before diving in. I'm a 24-year-old cis male, stand six and a half feet tall, have a degree in environmental science and fire ecology, and I spend a lot of time in the woods, especially the backcountry, alone. Although I am still young, at this point, I have had at least a decade of backcountry experience through hunting, backpacking, and doing research. All this to say that I am very comfortable in the deep woods and have had many bizarre experiences. Usually after a weird event, I can rationalize it with science or some other experience that I've had. But this time was different. I recently moved to Missoula, Montana for wildland firefighting. Oh. In order to break... What? I said, ooh. Big shout out to our wildland firefighters. Thank you. I know Cassie always perks up with that. In order to break in my new boots, familiarize myself with the new forest structure, and to stay in shape, I have been doing lots of long day hikes with extra weight.

One of these hikes was to Boulder Lake, a 10.6 mile out and back trail in the Rattlestick National Wilderness area, about an hour outside of Missoula. I arrived at the trailhead just before 1 p.m. so that I would be hiking in the heat of the day to train for fire season. When I arrived, there were two other cars at the trailhead, but before I started the hike, one of the groups returned and left me in one other car. I took off, excited to be out in the woods again. The first four miles were amazing. The trails cut through the aftermath of a large fire that burned. in 2003. Seeing the fire mosaic as I moved through the trees kept me in awe. As I reached the final mile to the lake, a group of three fly fishers walked past me in the other direction. I assume this was the group from the remaining car and I was likely alone on the trail now. Score. Most of the last mile is downhill, working its way down the alpine basin to the lake. Along this stretch of trail were some of the

thicker stance of trees and underbrush similar to the old growth I grew up with in Washington. While hiking alone and grizzly country, I constantly clap twice every now and then so that I don't sneak up on any bears. I clap more frequently when I'm walking through prime real estate for bears. The hike down to the basin had a lot more bear habitat than the rest of the trail, so I was clapping a little more often. While heading down this section of trail, I was brought to a halt when something clapped back. At this point, I was tired and hungry and ready to make it to the lake for some food. I had one air pod in, playing a podcast at a low enough volume that I could still hear my surroundings. I decided that I listened to too many spooky podcasts and probably didn't hear anything. I enjoyed a nice break at the

lake, eating my lunch and my hammock and going for a swim. As I packed up to head back with plenty of time before dark, I was hyping myself up for the steep incline I had to traverse to get out of the lake basin. I decided the best thing to do was to go as fast and hard as I could for as long as I could. Then I would rest for a few minutes before going again. This time, I had my phone playing a podcast out loud from my pocket, thinking that no one else was on the trail and extra noise for bears. I reached a point to rest, and before I sat down on a log, I clapped twice loudly. I reached a point to rest, and before I sat down on a log, I clapped twice loudly. But before I could sit down, two loud claps came from the forest. Too long after for an echo, I paused my phone and looked all around me,

but never saw anything. I get ready and push on up the hill before pausing to take another break 50 yards further up the trail. I clap again since I am surrounded by thick underbrush and become stiff when two loud claps come from

the otherwise silent woods. This time I yelled out asking if anyone was there. No response. I clap again. Nothing. At this point, I pick up the pace and made it back to the car in great time.

When I got there, only my car was left in the parking lot and it was about an hour from getting dark. I don't know what was clapping, but I know what I heard, clear as day. I like to think that Bigfoot is out there and he was just cheering me on as I struggled up that hill, Evan. Creepy. Someone was, it was either Bigfoot or someone was messing with you.

So hard. Like this, he's alone right now. We're just, we're just, yeah, fucking with him. So this reminded me of not that it's anything similar, but growing up, I listened to Dane Cook a lot. And he has like this bit about just like doing something completely random that will just stick in the mind of people forever. And he's like one of the skits was like if there's a kid eating an ice cream cone and you just walk by and smash it out of his hands. It's like you remember me forever. Because it's like a random thing that like it didn't hurt anybody, but it definitely.

left a lasting impression because you'll know that kid will never forget that. I would have PTSD for ice cream cones. I would just be holding every time I ate an ice cream cone, I'd be like ducking and cover waiting for someone to hit it out of my hand. Yep. Well, I, maybe I shouldn't share that on the podcast. Never mind. I had a story of doing something to like mess with somebody. Again, totally not like harmful. Okay, I'm just going to tell it really quick. This is going to be a long one. a long episode. So when I was in high school, my cousin and a couple of my high school friends were obviously little shits. And we decided in the middle of the night one time to get into my like

little 95 Mazda and go around and we collected just like random things that we'd find like on the side of the road like a soccer ball, a discarded plant, a gnome, like just different things that were just like left scattered around. And we loaded up my car and we picked a random house and just scattered all the stuff all over their driveway. So when they woke up in the morning, they would just see like a total, like, could you imagine you wake up and you open your door and you're just like, what the hell is all of this? You're trying to go to work and there's a gnome behind your tire. Well, it was everywhere. It was like the whole driveway. It wasn't just like a single thing. It was like completely covered. You ruined someone's morning. I know, now thinking

it. I'm like, oh my God, imagine like they're late for work. They've had the worst day or morning. They're in a bad space mentally and they like have to go and there's just shit all over their driveway that they have to deal with. My friends did something like that to me one time and it was all good fun. It was my birthday. I think it was my birthday. No, it wasn't my birthday. But I was in class and when I was walking back to my car, we had running pranks that we would do on each other all the time. And my car was parked at my driveway. I was walking back from class. My boyfriend had just broken up with me, like minutes before this. I'm like very sad. And this is a long time ago, not current. And I walk up to my car and it's completely wrapped in plastic wrap. And my keys are wrapped inside of the plastic wrap

way down, like, so you can't get them. And also, every pair of scissors that we have in the house are also wrapped in the plastic wrap. Oh, shit. And I just, it's cruel. It was so cruel. And of course, they didn't know that my boyfriend had just broken up with me. And I remember I just stared at it. And I just started crying. And I just went into my room. And they like, they felt so bad. They cut it all off. And they took it off and were like, we're so sorry. We thought it would be funny. And I was like, my boyfriend broke up. It was just like, yeah,

It was a whole. It's like horrible timing. Horrible timing. But it was looking back on it, it's hilarious. And hopefully the people you did that to look back on it and it's hilarious, even if they were having a bad day. Here's the thing. They won't forget that.

Yeah. They'll never forget that day. And that was the goal. They're on their toes every morning. They wake up and they're like, it's today. Well, here's the thing. I couldn't have gotten away with that now because everyone has like ring doorbells or security cams.

Like this was back in 2000. probably 2007, 2006. So I struck while I could, you know, one and done. All right, tell me your last one. This one is titled, My Brother, My Hero. Hello, ladies. My name is Kara. Feel free to use my name. First, I want to tell you both how much your podcast means to me. My goal in life is to see all 63 national parks while seeing the rest of the country. Right now, I have seen 26, mainly thanks to my parents taking my brother and I on many trips, and boy, oh boy, I have some stories. My favorite park besides Bryce Canyon has to be Yellowstone. My family went to Yellowstone in 2005 when I was only 11. It will be important to note later that my brother is eight years older than me because this is a

cautionary tale. Let us start from the beginning. My brother Tony had just graduated high school and instead of a party, he wanted to go on a family trip. So on the last day of school, my parents packed little me and my brother into the back of a Saturn view. Now this trip would take us to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Yellowstone. Then up to Banff and across Canada. So we were going to be on the road for about three weeks. That's right, 11-year-old me and 19-year-old Tony and a small backseat of a mid-size SUV for three weeks in the heat of summer. Tony hates being touched, so he stacked all the pillows in the center of the seat, which led to many fights. That reminds me of my brother and I on road trips.

It's like don't even look at me. My parents literally put all of our bicycles between us in a van because we were like punching each other. So we had the wheels of bikes between. Yeah, it was bad. Pillows are a lot nicer. By the time we had reached Yellowstone, we were done with each other. Like not speaking or looking at each other.

We had stopped to eat the usual feeding of the 100th P.B&J at the trailhead of Mystic Falls. Tony was absolutely determined that we were going to hike to the falls, but my mom had been feeling ill. So my dad suggested that the two of us go. Yes, the now nonverbal siblings who would probably murder each other in the woods were being sent alone into the woods. My brother and I grabbed our packs for no reason other than bear bells attached since we knew that we were not going to be talking to each other. Now anyone who hikes knows that you want to be allowed on these trails since you never know who or what you might run into. I'm sure we can see where this is going. I also want to note that we were the only cart there.

It was just going to be Tony and I, which at the time I thought was weird. We were in a busy park and no one was here for the falls. Weird. So Tony and I and our little bells set off down the trail silently. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. I remember the trail being beautiful with only the sound of our bells. Now my brother is an Eagle Scout and has done multiple backcountry trips. We were walking side by side when my brother stops.

me and finally speaks. He mentions it's weird that there is no sound, no birds or bugs, just our bells and footsteps. He said we should turn around. I remember distinctly rolling my eyes at him and saying, fine. As we turn around, I almost shit my pants. There, in the middle of the trail, most likely following us, was a fucking grizzly bear. Sorry for swearing, but I feel the F word is the only word for a fucking grizzly bear. It was a cinnamon-colored bear and for sure a full-grown female. Now is a good time to note, at the time I was only 4'9 and my brother is only 5 foot 6. Both of us skinny.

The bear proceeded down the trail walking towards us. Tony at this point whispered, do not move and do not run. As the bear beginning to close the gap, sniffing the air, my brother did something. I will never forget. He steps in front of me, blocking me from this bear, holding his jacket above his shoulders and hopes to look bigger, yelling, hey, bear, over and over. It was at that moment I realized this might be the last time I see my brother. The bear walks right up to my brother and starts to sniff his bag that he had shifted in front of his body. Let me tell you, bear breath? Jesus, that smell is just unholy. I thought I was going to

vomit. On to the best part. The bear walks around us. That's right. The bear decided we were not worth it and walked past us. We slowly turned to watch the bear continue up the trail as if nothing happened. My brother and I quietly backed up the trail back towards the trailhead and my parents. Bearbell's still jingling. Once we felt we were far enough away, we ran out of there as fast as possible. Once we reached the car and my parents, we were sobbing. We immediately went to the ranger station to report what we saw to find out that the bear had been spotted earlier and the ranger had been advising people all morning to avoid the area. That's my tale. My brother and I still go hiking with each other and even did parts of the Grand Canyon together, but nothing will

ever make me appreciate having a brother more than that bear. Remember, always check with rangers when you plan a hike before going, even if it's a short trail and stay vigilant. P.S. That's not my only Wild Life Tale and I'm happy to share more. Pinky promise none of them would end up on torons of Yellowstone. You know, just as much as you feel like your sibling is the bane of your existence, they'll come in and save the day. Yep. Anytime. I mean, my sister and I are six years apart and just recently have started becoming close. You know, like despite living 3,000 miles away, we shared the same house for however many years. And it's just, just your siblings come in for you when you least expect it and might astound you even if you

want to kick the shit out of each other in the car. Oh yeah, I grew up with a twin brother and let me tell you the amount of times we physically fought each other. I could not even count, but we love we both love each other very dearly and we would do. We get along great now, but it was a rough 18 years. It's weird. Like you could want to just like strangle them and then the next moment you're throwing yourself in front of a grizzly for them. Like just sibling dynamics, I feel like, are kind of similar in that way for I think everyone with a sibling can attest to that feeling. Would you throw yourself in front of a grizzly bear for your sibling? That's the question. That's the real question. Just ask yourself that.

Okay, that's it for Trail Tales. Except if you're on Patreon, because this episode will continue. you do want to join our Patreon. The link is on our Instagram, National Park After Dark. You can find our Patreon on our website, NPADPodcast.com. Yeah, so we'll see you guys there. We'll see the outsiders in a second. Yeah, everyone else, enjoy the view. But watch you're back.

You bye. Bye. Thank you for joining us again this week. If you have a trail tale you'd like to share, send us an email at NPAD Stories at gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at National Park After Dark and on Twitter at NPAD podcast. Become an outsider by joining our Patreon where you'll gain access to monthly bonus stories and exclusive content. And remember, when you support our partners, you're supporting our show. To access our special discount codes along with source information from today's episode, check out the show notes.

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