National Park After Dark - Trail Tales 49

Episode Date: June 20, 2024

Today’s stories include stargazing gods, being naked and afraid, Holocaust surviving mountain climbers, Grand canyon voyeurs, knotty women, finding beauty in the mountains and ghost tricksters. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Limitless. Now open your eyes. Go to Monday.com. Start for free and finally. Breathe. Girl, winter is so last season. And now spring's 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. Hey everyone, welcome back to National Park After Dark, Trail Tales Edition.

Our favorites, some of our favorites. We have a lot of stories today that you all wrote in, so thank you so much. If you are one of them who wrote in, if you're interested in writing in a story, you can head over to our website, M-PADD podcast.com, and we have a submission link and tell us your stories. They don't have to take place in the National Park. They don't even technically need to be outdoors. They just need to be interesting. Excuse me?

Haunted places. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. Totally fair game. Okay. Yeah, absolutely. Sorry. I was just, we didn't discuss this. So I was like, where are we going? But yeah, definitely. Of course it has to be outside. As long as it's like you as a person telling it have been outside. In your life at some point. So there we go. I guess. But we would prefer it to be outdoor adjacent at the minimum. But who are we really to judge? Fair. So, okay, before we get started, a couple things. First of all, Happy birthday.

Thank you. It's not technically my birthday when we're recording this, but when this comes out, it is my birthday. How does it feel? How do you think it'll feel? I think it'll feel good, except for now. I like when we first started this podcast, I was like entering my 30s. And now I'm like heading towards my mid 30s. Yeah, I know.

Which is a little, like early 30s is fun, but well, mid 30s, almost 40. I don't know. I'm not having a good time. I'm at all. So I'm the wrong person to ask. Totally the wrong person to ask. But are you in the T-Tons during your birthday or after? After. Okay. All right. Well, that'll be fun. That's something to look forward to. It is. And I don't have any plans for my birthday right now, but I did ask Al to buy me a willow tree to plant in the yard. So I'm hoping that that's what I'll be. I've always dreamed of having a willow tree. and the last owner of this house, they, for whatever reason, decided that they would take all of their trash and burn it in piles in our backyard.

So we have this one big trash pile that we've been cleaning up. But it literally has, they smashed a toilet. So there's thousands of pieces of porcelain. There's an old mattress that has been in the ground for so long that it took us a really long time. And I say us, but Al, because I literally wasn't strong enough to move it out of the ground. but the mattress springs, there's like glass. It's just like horrible and it's at the ends of being cleaned up. And I just think that it would be really nice to take a trash pile and turn it into a really pretty weeping willow tree. There you go. I would love to see it. Those are my plans in my 30s.

I mean. That's the most 30s plan, I guess. I know. Very true. Not drinking or anything. That's okay. I don't even know what I did on my birthday last year. But I have a lot. I have a some like I went off the rails and for my birthday this coming up in December and like booked a ticket to Dublin to see Kygo but now I'm like see that is an exciting well see I'm I'm kind of like do I really want to do that anymore and I know I just I don't know I think it might be like just the moment right now with everything going on I just don't know if I really want to be like away more than I have to be So I'm kind of like spiraling a little bit with that. But I don't know.

That's like a, that's a birthday plan. That is a birthday plan. And Dublin is so cool. You should like think on it. Consider it for a while. Think on it because I think you would really like Dublin. There's a lot of very historic things there that you would like. There's definitely some ghost stories.

There's some really, really old cemeteries that you can visit outside of Dublin. And like there's. See, I feel like. I know I would like. like it. But in this particular circumstance, it would just, it would be a quick in and out, especially because I would be going with two other people. And it's like, like, it would be the very last trip of the year with, you know, for me. And it's like, you know, I already have a feeling like after Borneo, after our other trips. I just, as we record this, I just got into New England from

driving cross country, like literally today, this morning, this morning a couple hours ago. So my brain is just like a big no. But we'll see. We'll revisit it. Yeah. But anyways, moving forward, we have a reminder about an announcement that we dropped on Monday. And that is that merch is coming. Yes, merch is coming up so soon. It's our merch is launching on June 24th. And we're so excited because it's been a very long time coming. And we know that you've all been asking about it, which we super appreciate that you're so excited for it. But we've got hats. We've got sweatshirts. we've got sweatpants, we've got t-shirts, we have a bag. There's patches, which have been something that Danielle's been pushing for since before the podcast even existed.

And it's exciting. So we just want to remind you all that it is there. We're going to throw a link in the notes here so you can go to the website and check it out. There's nothing on there yet if you're looking before the 24th or we'll post some things before the 24th for you to shop on. But just hang tight over the next couple days while those get posted. Yeah. But yeah. That's the big reminder.

And I did want to, without going too far down this road, but I just had to say on the podcast, a big huge thank you to our community. I can you hear that? No. Choska, I think it is. Is snoring. Chosca always snores. And it's picking up. I can see it.

pigging up. So I'm sorry if anybody can hear a little like piggy snort in the background. But anyways, I really wanted to say thank you to our community for your messages of support. I didn't announce it anywhere else and you might have missed it on my socials. But my other dog blue was diagnosed with cancer as we record this a couple of days ago. And I just, the amount of people who have reached out to me that I haven't gotten back to because it's still like, you know, it hasn't even been five days. And it's just like it's been a lot. But I just wanted to say thank you here officially because just as with Ian, like the amount of support that people have shown and sharing your own bits and pieces of your own stories and your own struggles with, you know, losing a soul dog or animal is,

it's really comforting and I'm seeing them even though I'm not responding quite yet. So yeah, I just really wanted to say thank you before we got started and acknowledge that. Yeah. Our community has been so nice. There's so many things. I know. I'm so glad that you're receiving that support too. Yeah.

I don't want to say that like I don't want to receive it, but it's like, can I catch a fucking break? Quick question. These are great, but I wish that the circumstances weren't this. Yeah, quick question. Are you fucking kidding me? Yeah, so prayers for Blue. I don't know by the time this comes out if he will be with us anymore or not, but he is the bestest boy in all the land.

And I hope that anyone who is going through a similar situation feels love and support from their people because this is extraordinarily difficult. And I know we're all animal people. So, yeah. So that being said, before I fucking, before I have a breakdown, what? I was going to say, and just to say you have two beautiful paintings of your dogs right behind you this entire episode. And Blue's little face is just going to be staring at me, the whole, his little smiling face, just you staring at me the whole time. It's so funny because directly behind me, he's laying down.

And he just, because when I went, like, sometimes I do that to get him riled up. And he just kind of like looked and glanced over his shoulder. He's like, what are you talking about? But yeah, I did, um, these paintings are so, these paintings I did in 2015, I want to say, 2015 or 2016. And they're the, um, you know, how you can go and do you paint your, or paint night or whatever. Yeah, like paint and sip or. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, it was the pet version. So they're like, just send us a pretty basic photo of your pet, you know, like, a day or two before and they stencil it out for you and pencil. And then they'll have the photo like clip to your canvas and you can just paint it from there. So they'll give you like the outline. That's so cute. Yeah. And so yeah, I have one of Chaska and Blue and they're on these big canvases and they're framed and they're hanging on my wall. It's kind of like, you know, mansions and stuff of like times of old where like the family's portrait is painted and

hanging above the fireplace. Like that's the vibe. But with my dogs. And you painted them. Yeah. That's fun. Yeah, it's really fun. So highly recommend. Great job also. You're an artistist. Thank you.

Because you know when you go to paint and sip and it's like, oh, the picture's fun. But then like after you're done, you're like, what am I going to do with this? It's like a sailboat and you live in the mountains and it's like, okay, this doesn't even match my house. Not even good. You're like, what am I? I can't give this away. And I don't really want to look at it all the time. But when you have it, it's your pets.

It's like. Yeah. Yeah, but when it's your pets, it's like you can incorporate it and actually... It's special. Yeah. All right. Anywho. We've been talking for a while and I know that you guys want to hear some trail tales. So... Yes. Would you like to start? Sure. I can definitely start. 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. My first story is titled, I Got Voyered in the Grand Canyon. Ah, the Grand Canyon, you know the place, right? The Giant Hole in the Ground in Northern Arizona. Yes, that's the one. But in case you're not familiar, this breathtaking destination encompassing 1,218,375 acres on the Colorado Plateau, with its magnificent rocky walls descending more than a mile to the canyon floors, while the Colorado River continuously carves its way across 277 river miles, is pretty incredible, right? That's probably why it is considered one of the world's natural wonders. Visitors come to the Grand Canyon from all over the world for many reasons,

to take in the vast views of the layered canyon walls, to challenge themselves to the steep backcountry hiking trails, to raft down the tumultuous Colorado River, or to simply get away from the hustle and bustle of their life to enjoy the peaceful serenity of the canyon. A less common reason is to purve on a bunch of women, but I'll get to that. After moving to Arizona 13 years ago,

I naturally found my way to the canyon and fell in love. There is a mysterious allure that continues to draw both my partner and I back time after time. When hiking in the backcountry of the canyon, I feel like all of my worries melt away and are replaced with feelings of peacefulness and fulfillment. It's my happy place. Unfortunately, my story is about a creep who used my happy place to violate the privacy of a bunch of women for his selfish and perverted ways. This story starts in September of 2020 when myself, my partner, and our favorite adventure couple were doing a multi-day rim-to-rim trip. You see, myself and my partner are avid backpackers, and because of our love

for the canyon, we find ourselves in the canyon at least once or twice a year on both corridor and non-corridor trails. For this trip, we started on the north rim and spent three nights camping, one at Cottonwood Campground and two at the Bright Angel campground, as we made our way across the canyon with our friends, ultimately ending up on the South Rim. We couldn't have asked for a better trip. The weather was perfect, the company was amazing, the laughs were good, and the views were magnificent. We explored Ribbon Falls, checked outside trails, and sat in Bright Angel Creek with our crystal light and vodka mix. We mingled with other campers, soaked our legs in the super cold Colorado, and even had an overpriced but worth it steak dinner from Phantom Ranch. Mark it down as another

successful trip in the books. Fast forward to December of 2021 when I received a call from a criminal investigator with the National Park Service. Why the heck was the National Park Service calling me? I asked myself. I learned from the voice on the other end of the phone that they were investigating a voyeurism incident in the canyon that coincided with my permit date. My mind started reeling as I tried to think of a scenario during our trip where this could have happened. I was then asked if I would be willing to send photos of our group in order to assist in identifying victims. They didn't give too much more detail, but I was intrigued and of course willing to help. I sent over a few photos from our trip right away. That same night, my partner sent me a link of a news article

that was released about the incident. It stated that a man had recorded women in the corridor bathrooms and officials were looking for victims that may have used those bathrooms between November 2018 and September of 2020. Insert wide-eyed emoji here. Holy cow, that's a long time frame. I then did a little more Googling and learned that in September of 2020, a couple of women reported a maintenance worker after they believed they were being recorded. This worker was fired right away and an investigation was launched. Hearing the news, this had my mind spinning with questions. What images did he capture?

Did he get me? How did I not see a camera or phone in the bathroom? Why would someone want to see sweaty hiker lady bits? What did he do with those images? What if those women hadn't caught him? I remember when I was younger hearing stories about creepers that would put cameras and dressing rooms in retail stores, but never did I think it would happen at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

The very next morning, I received a call back from a special agent with the National Park Service. I knew it couldn't have been a good sign if he was calling me back that quickly. He cut to the chase and said he believed I was one of the victims identified in the photos. I sarcastically replied with, well, that's awesome. From here, we set up a Zoom call where I was shown a photo and asked to identify myself. Yep, it was me. You could even see my tattoos. The following few months, I was contacted by the investigator, the FBI's victim assistance liaison, and the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case.

During all of this, I couldn't help but wonder why he did it. What did he get out of it? How many others did he violate? Are they okay? What's scary is that almost six months after he was caught, I took my kids to the Grand Canyon. My 13-year-old daughter, at the time, used the same restroom in Bright Angel campground where the creeper had his camera. and that is what bothered me more than anything, the thought of him recording young girls. So what happened to the creeper, you may ask?

In March of 2022, Ray Skeet, 61 at the time, was charged with and pled guilty to four counts of voyeurism, a class E felony in the state of Arizona. In May of 2022, Skeet was sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by 12 months of supervised probation. Skeet must comply with additional sentencing conditions, including mandatory registration, as a sex offender. Note, according to investigators, there were a lot more than the four victims listed. I did not attend the sentence hearing, although I wish I had, because I still have not seen

the creeper that took a peek at my natural wonder without permission. I am thankful to the women who caught this creep and reported him and to the National Park Service for investigating him. I hope the other victims involved with this case find peace and continue to use nature as a positive outlet. At the end of the day, I still love the canyon and have returned my multiple times since, but I do now find myself asking, I wonder if there's a camera in here when using public restrooms. Thanks for reading my story. I've attached a couple of photos from that

particular trip, Tanya. Oh, so sorry that happened to you, Tanya. I have heard of this before, but man. In the Grand Canyon? No, not in the Grand Canyon, but just like people doing that. And I actually remember the first time I had ever heard of it was in real life, a Law & Order SVU episode had done it. And I remember I was young when I saw it. I was probably a teenager. And I remember for a little while after that, I was looking in public restrooms for a camera because they showed it in the show at least. It was like really concealed and really small and you could barely see it. So I was really worried about it. But I kind of forgot about that fear until right now. Until right now. It's so interesting that this story is like we're reading the story right now because like I mentioned,

I just got back a couple hours ago from a cross-country trip. And so long story short, I was planning on moving back east. We've talked about that, right? Yeah. I think so. Yeah. I was planning on moving back east like today. A few months ago, that was the plan.

But when Blue was diagnosed, I literally high-tailed it back east in case he crashed. I wanted him home with family and to be, you know, surrounded by, I didn't want to leave him behind, you know, as far as, whatever. You know what I mean. I would never leave him behind, but you know what I mean. Just like emotionally, figuratively, like I felt like, yeah. So I wanted him back here. So that being said, I usually, every time I've made this trip, I like schedule it. I have either hotels or I'm staying at campgrounds or BLM land or, you know, things like that. But this time, I just booked it and I just drove as fast as I could until I got tired and then I would just pull over at a truck stop and sleep. So for the last like three or four days. I've just been living basically out of my car and using truck stop restrooms.

Did you think of this when you were using them? I thought of this because like, I don't know, just not saying that every, I'm sure 99% of people that drive trucks for a living and like are in this space a lot are amazing and great. But you can't help as like a single woman driving alone cross country and utilizing these places. Like I was like, who's watching me? Because you know when at the side of a truck stop or like a rest stop, I should say, there's like the car section and then in the back there's where all the 18 wheelers are and things like that.

Because I had my camper, that's where I would go to where. Yeah. And like amongst all the tractor trailers and stuff. And I was just like felt like all these eyes were on me as I was coming and going and going to the bathroom or like going to brush my teeth or I've always walking the dogs. Truck stops. Yeah. I think that they're pretty known to be like sketchy too. Because I mean, I'm sure and not saying like all truck drivers are like this. I mean, my dad was a truck driver. So, and he's a wonderful person. So I don't, but I think that having all of these men from all over the country driving through and they're only there for a hot second and then they're on their way,

it just creates like this weird opportunity to not get caught, which I think is part of why it makes it so creepy is being in these places with. a bunch of truck drivers there is because even though a lot of them are probably fine, there's always... It's still a weird environment to be in as a lone woman. Yeah. Yeah. I've never like truck stops. And I've slept in them a couple times too and I felt really uncomfortable.

Yeah. And it's just like... And of course the kicker is so I have this camper that has locking doors, but I had packed it to the brim so I couldn't use it. So I was staying in the back of my car. and, you know, I don't have anything to block my windows out. And it's just, it was, I mean, obviously my two dogs were with me and they would have alerted me. And your door is locked, but.

Right. But it's like, I don't know, it's just still sketchy. So I was thinking of looping this back to the original point of like those little cameras and stuff. I'm like, I wonder how many of those I have encountered on this journey, at least one. You think so? Yeah. I don't trust. Way too many.

I know that, but I don't trust. I just assume that. The worst. The worst. You know what I mean? Well, I guess this is just like a reminder for everyone who's using public bathrooms just to be extra careful and check them. Lift the toilet seat up, look around a little bit before you. Even though it's gross, public restaurants are disgusting.

But just you can't. Yeah. It's worth just taking it. And that is such an invasion of privacy. Like, that is just the worst. Like, I don't want anyone to see that ink off me in those circumstances. Okay. Like, I just, not on the toilet, please.

Yeah. Yeah, so gross. I mean, yeah. Okay. Let's go. Let's move on because we'll keep talking about this somehow. Yeah. Okay.

Well, my story is titled Lady of the Mountain. Hi, Danielle and Cassie. I've been a listener of your podcast for a few years and have successfully made it through your podcast library. Thank you. I think we all can agree that you ladies have created a National Park niche podcast that we all needed. I have a trail tale story about an extraordinary young lady that lived right at the base of Mount Renier National Park. Her name is Branca Sundstrom and she is nicknamed Lady of the Mountain. I don't even think the word inspiring can capture what meeting Branca did from my

perspective of life. Years ago, I met and became friends with Sue and Phil Eshler, who are the first husband and wife team to summit all seven summits in the world. Their story is inspiring and amazing as well. And if you want to read about their story, they wrote a book titled, Together on Top of the World, about their journey to summer Everest. I would hike with Sue frequently as I was training to summit Mount Rainier in the summer of 2013. She often spoke of her dear friend Bronca, and as she talked about her, I knew I had to meet her. At the time, Bronca was in her 80s and was still lacing up her hiking boots and climbing up, down and around Mount Rainier. And the reason I say still was because she spent the last 50 years climbing the trails of Mount Rainier.

She was, in fact, the record holder for many years for the oldest person to summit Mount Rainier. She was nicknamed Lady of the Mountain by the press. Bronca summited Mount Rainier in 16 hours. To put that in perspective, most climbers on a guided climb do the summit in a three-day span. So here was this young lady, at the age of 77, climbing her way into the history books. And while we were on the subject of history, and what makes her story, even more incredible, unusual and heartbreaking, Bronco was a Holocaust survivor. Bronca had survived being imprisoned at the death camp Auschwitz during World War II.

She watched her father walk off to the quote-unquote showers. I can't articulate the horror she endured. The first time I met Branca, she invited Sue and I to dinner at her little cabin right outside the gates to Mount Rainier National Park. She lived in the cabin with her husband, Aki, before he passed away. When Auschwitz was freed during the war, Branca was sent to the rehabilitation hospital in Sweden. A Swedish nurse at the hospital went home to her brother, Aki, and told him there was a beautiful girl at the hospital she wanted him to meet. And so he did.

Aki met Branca and they fell in love. When there were murmurs that the Nazi might invade Sweden, Aki and Branca moved to the U.S. where they settled at the base of Mount Rainier. And so began their love of the mountain. They would often hike up Mount Rainier Base Camp Mure during the summers. The hike to Camp Muir is a grueling 4 to 5 mile climb and Bronco would push her little 4 foot 11 frame up the mountain with joy. The last time she climbed to Camp Muir, she was 91. Let that sink in.

91. She was a regular on the Muir Trail that if you were with her, you would have to stop when other climbers recognized her so they could chat with her. If she was in the car with you when you were passing through a ranger pay station area, they would just wave you through. She was truly a celebrity on the mountain. The night I went to dinner at Bronca's house, she welcomed me with kindness and warmth. She had prepared homemade turkey soup, you know the kind you simmer on the stove all afternoon, and it just flavors the whole house. We sat down to eat dinner, and I took my spoon and began eating the turkey soup.

I've been vegetarian since I was 16, but there was no way on God's Green Earth that I would tell my hostess that I didn't eat me. My hostess, who had lovingly invited me a stranger, into her home. She was a survivor of one of the most vile atrocities, and when she was rescued from Auschwitz, she was 50 pounds. So I ate all the soup, all of it. And I had a second bowl. And yes, I ate all the turkey. It took me years to understand how Bronca could be so kind and warm to humans. If I stopped by to see her and introduce her to a friend, she would welcome them with a smile, just like she had welcomed me when I first met her. I didn't understand how a human

could endure what she did. She had seen the ultimate depravity of humans, and she could still welcome a stranger. I remember hiking with her and she was in front of me talking about some of her experiences. I was behind her silently sobbing. The tears just ran down my face. What I realized was she chose to still see the beauty in the world. She chose to live a beautiful life. She chose to be outside in nature and kept putting her two feet on the trails. We all know how healing it is to be outside in the forest, in the trees and on the trails. If we can take anything from her story, it is exactly that she shows. We all know how haywire life can get and how it will throw you sideways, just obliterating us and we don't know which way is up or down. But if Bronca can do it, so can we. And that became my motto.

If Bronco can do it, so can I. And by that I mean, if Bronca can endure what she endured, then I can endure anything to. If life is lipping me too hard, I remind myself of how much worse it could be and pull myself back together, or at least I try to. Knowing someone who endured a concentration really puts your own life problems into perspective. A few years ago, I rescued a puppy who had been dumped. He survived when five of his littermates did not. It was only fitting that she was his namesake and I named him the male version of her name, Bronco. It's an honor for him to carry on her name. And just like her, Bronco and I are always outside on the trails and we are so grateful to be able to run free and wild. Bronca passed away this last fall in 2023. She was 98 years old. She was so loved

and impacted so many of us so deeply. She is now with her husband, Aki and Heaven, and they are climbing together, and she is forever free. So enjoy the view, eat the turkey soup, and if Branca can do it, so can you. Love from California, Sherston. Wow. How inspiring. It's a beautiful story.

It is. It really is. I feel like that came off really sarcastic. I'm like, beautiful story. But like it really was. No, that was so amazing. I mean, to hear of someone hiking the trails for that long. then knowing her backstory behind it. I mean, I feel like that had to have been a lot of why she was

pushing so hard and for so long as she really just was doing what she loved for the rest of her life after what she endured. Yeah. It's incredible what so many people have gone through and still, like, I just really liked the point of like she chose. Like, it's a decision that she made to keep choosing to see beautiful things and do positive things in life, despite the hard you're dealt. And I mean, there's not really a worse hand than living through Auschwitz. So there's that. All right. My second story is titled Grandparents, Science, National Parks, True Crime, naked and afraid, oh my. Hello, as you can tell by the subject line, there's a lot rolled into this story. I was raised by my grandparents since birth. My grandma instilled my love for all things nature,

books, and talking to everyone. My grandpa instilled my love for true crime and crime shows. Think major crimes or law and order on very loud, national parks, and living life to the very fullest. My grandparents were my biggest cheerleaders, and once I turned 18, I started taking them on vacations to their slice of heaven, Rocky Mountain National Park. We have so many memories there together on our travels. We even listened to you ladies as we had many hours in the car together. We live in Wisconsin, and although I would love to live out west, I stayed in the area to make sure I was close to my grandparents as they mean the world to me. My grandma was diagnosed with cancer in February of 2019. I was devastated. She was optimistic and I felt like I was

going to be able to go away for a few weeks that summer. I had the opportunity to go on naked and afraid. Obviously, I had no phone or communication with my family, but my grandma always believed in signs. I was laying in the shelter a handful of days in and there was this gecko that would not leave me alone. The other days, they wanted nothing to do with my partner and I, so I started to call it Grandma Gecko. would crawl onto my arm, lay on my hand, and it was all around very strange. The next day, I was talking on camera doing a check-in with the crew, and I told that story and explained how it made me think my grandma was thinking about me. The production manager's mouth dropped open and said, we aren't supposed to tell you this, but your aunt emailed yesterday to let you know that your

grandma's treatment is going well. When I got back home, that was my grandma's favorite story to share. 2021, things got worse and she was placed in hospice. I spent my days caring for her. I moved back in a few days a week and rotated with other family. She and I decided that she would send me an owl when she died. We discussed how I needed something obvious because I liked to challenge things. The night she died, I was there. She was surrounded by family, including myself. I went outside to cry on the porch and explain the gecko story and owl sign agreement to my cousin. As I'm finishing my story, were interrupted by an owl hooting. That owl stayed for hours. My grandpa was 89 when she passed away. He was heartbroken. I filled my weeks with constant visits, dinners weekly, lots of red wine and dark chocolate.

It became our routine for almost three years. He was hoping to make it to 100, but sadly, he passed two weeks ago at the age of 92. I'm sorry. He was aware of all of my sign stories, but sometimes I wondered if he was indulging me and letting me believe, as he was a Catholic deacon for over years. Don't start thinking strict Catholic. My grandpa loved everyone no matter what and always called God a she, LOL. We decided I needed a sign. And it is an indigo bunting, a small bluebird that's so rare to see in Wisconsin. Oh my God. I didn't, okay, I don't know where this story is going, but literally on my drive home, just now, a few days over the last few days. I have been, I obviously just talking to, like, I listen to maybe three podcasts for the 30-hour drive, a 30-hour drive,

no music, you know, I don't even really listen to music anyway, just talking to him. And his nickname is Birdie, like Blue Birdie, Bluebird. And I'm like, all right, this is the deal. Like, you need to send me Bluebirds. Like, that's our agreement. At one side, hopefully he gets it. He gets it. He gets it. So now that, oh, she wanted a Bluebird. God. Why? Why is this a coincidence right now? Okay. We talked about me needing something obvious. He passed suddenly and was brought back by EMS and taken into the ICU.

We all got to say our goodbyes and I told him again, please send me a sign that you're okay. That day, I went to his house to clean up his room. I was mopping the floor with my boyfriend and he was across the room. I take my eyes off the floor and look at the TV. I see it's on. I called him my boyfriend. Hey, did you turn the TV on? He replies.

no, it shouldn't be on. And I respond, get out here and see for yourself. The TV was on, and it was on major crimes, my grandpa's favorite show. And whenever I would walk into his room, he would hit mute on the remote and the mute symbol would flash on the screen. As I'm watching the TV, the mute button is flashing on and off. I call the rest of my family into his room to see this. I knew it was my grandpa telling me he was okay. I'm really struggling since he passed away. He was my favorite person and he always called me the fave, even though there are 27 other grandchildren. We have a special connection and I truly just loved being with him. I saw a medium the other day and my grandpa immediately came through telling me he has been sending me signs since he has left

and always will. She even described the major crimes show sign and the mute button. I know our loved ones are always watching and cheering us on. Thank you for reading Morgan. Also a beautiful story. Oh, God. The universe is testing me. Can you get through this? Can you get through this Trail Tales episode? You can do it. Oh, my God.

Yeah, that was really. And I'm sorry for your losses. I mean, and I hate that phrase. I'm sorry. But truly, you know, it's hard to lose people you love, especially people who you had such a close connection with. And like, I can't relate to that with my grandparents. You know, my grandparents didn't raise me. I barely knew them.

But, you know, to lose people that you. you're so close with is just difficult. Yeah, it's your parent, you know. It's just difficult. So I'm sorry. But cool that you were on naked and afraid. Yeah, we just like blipped by that fact. I know. We just, like, by the way, I was a naked and afraid. It's like, okay, which episode? She attached like her, what is the term? Headshot, like a headshot. Oh, I'm really much. I mean like, I know her. We're friends. I know her. All right. Well, my next. episode is titled Noddy Woman of the Woods. Okay, I remember this one. Okay. Hey Danielle and Cassie, longtime listener, first time writer. My name is Amanda and while on a hike with my then

boyfriend back in 2019, I was 24 and he was 31. We both share a love for the outdoors and Shibari. I think it's Shibari. Shibari means tight binding. It is the Japanese style of bondage, BDSM, which involves tying a person up using simple yet visually intricate patterns using several pieces of thin ropes. So if you haven't stopped reading yet, thank you. Now, me and my boyfriend, Kyle, were hiking on a trail in the Finger Lakes regions that we found on all trails. It was a six-mile loop trail and was part of the Finger Lakes Trail. It was a nice summer day, so I was in my short-sleeved shirt, sports bra, teal yoga pants, and hiking boots. About a mile into the hike, we came upon a beautiful waterfall.

It was amazing and we were alone in the lush green forest. Kyle suggested that this would be a gorgeous place to do some shibari knots on me and get some pictures. I recklessly agreed, seeing as no one was around at all. The trail where we were at was flat and rocky, so we'd see or hear someone in time to hide or put the ropes away. Fast forward, my hands are tied to my back and secured to my waist with rope wrapped around my waist and chest. He suggested a gag, and I agree, knowing he was my boyfriend of two years, I felt safe with him. He pulled out a bandana we had used several times for this purpose, and it had a knot in it. I opened my mouth and he secured the bandana behind my head with two knots.

Tight and unable to talk, clearly now he laughed, told me I look cute and said, let's hike for a bit. I smiled, whatever smile I could behind the gag and walked onward. We saw no one as my heart pounded the whole time. We went maybe another mile and found a nice, more secluded spot with fallen leaves that looked undisturbed. He sat me down on a rock and tied my knees and ankle. together and snapped a few photos of me on his phone. It was then we heard people laughing. Panic. I felt my face turning beat red as it did back then. Instead of dragging me off behind some brush,

what does Kyle do in typical Kyle fashion? You guessed it. He runs into the woods, leaving helpless me behind as all I can do is sit and wait. I stood up and quickly lost my balance and fell on my ass and laid down breathing heavily knowing I'm going to be found. What do I say? Uh, hi, my boyfriend ran away. Oh, this, don't mind me, I'm fine, I swear. Or worse, I did it to myself, I swear. I rolled around in the leaves trying to get free with absolutely no luck. I swear the knots got tighter as I can hear them nearing. My heart is beating out of my chest. They were talking about their ideal life. It was a couple younger than me. Imagine the look on their horrified faces when they saw me tied up and gagged on the

ground. The girl, probably in her 20s, screamed, oh my God, as the man stared in shock and awe, wondering if I was bait for an axe murderer maniac. She raced to the ground first taking off my gag, staggering and stuttering, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Once she fumbled and got the gag off and stared at me asking if I was okay, her boyfriend had started trying to untie my ankles. I finally found my voice and spoke up as she sat me up inspecting the ropes. I'm fine.

My boyfriend just ran away. Now dumbfounded, they both stared at me thinking I probably had a head injury. I explained how it was Shibari and we were doing it for fun because we saw no one on the trail and found the secluded spot to take some photos. They stared at me and she asked, So you're okay? With a strange look on her face, I replied, yes, I don't know where my boyfriend is, but I'm sure he'll be back soon. By now they sat me up and her boyfriend gave me water. Kyle came back slinkering through the brush. I shouted for him to get over here and show them I'm okay and everything else. He showed them the photos, which I've attached, of me smiling and hanging out,

tied up and gagged. They laughed at the weirdness of the situation. and left with some knowledge and an adrenaline rush they'll never forget. I'm sure I'm talked about somewhere to this day. The hike passed us and once they were out of earshot and Kyle couldn't gag me quick enough before I was ready to give him an earful. Once I calmed down and struggled a bit, he untied me and I reamed him a new one for leaving me alone like that and just bailing on me. He untied me and we finished the hike with me steaming mad, but looking back now, I have to laugh.

We split during the lockdown and I haven't heard from him since. I still practice Shibari, but in the privacy of my own home now. you for all you do and stay safe, watch your back, and look out for hikers if you're going to be doing weird stuff in the woods. And do not leave your woman vulnerable in the woods. Amanda, Amanda, you are most certainly talked about somewhere. You are, you have been the topic of dinner conversations since that time. And will be for generations. Generations to come. children will know about this. And now everyone else will do.

But, I mean, I would tell that story till the end of time if I was to come across that situation. I mean, they thought they were coming across a kidnap victim that was gagged and tied in the middle of a trail. And really, it was just some, like, kinky stuff between a relationship. Yeah, a consensual exploration of Shabari in the Finger Lakes region. Simply, that was it. Also, I'm glad you and your boyfriend broke up because that is messed up.

Like, I hope you're okay and that you're doing all with the breakup. The breakup. But like, red flag. Huge red flag. He has you tied and gagged. And you're supposed to be able to trust him while you're in this vulnerable spot. And he just leaves you. What if there were like two scary dudes that came across a vulnerable woman tied up and gagged in the woods?

Right. And he just left you there? Not a good look. Not a good look. No. Yeah, Kyle. Whoever you are. Yeah. Yeah. Hope you're having a bad day.

Yeah. Okay, my last story is titled Beauty is Found in the Mountains. My sibling recently introduced me to your podcast and we've been listening to The Trail Tales together. My sibling recently wrote to you as well and encouraged me to write in my own story. I'm not the best writer, so I'm sorry if I ramble. Anyway, here it is. When I was 17 years old, I had the opportunity to go on a school trip. with nine other students and two chaperones to Washington State,

and we took a hike in Mount Rainier National Park. The hike we were supposed to do ended up being closed due to snow, so the park ranger stationed there recommended another nearby trail, adjacent to our minimal skill level. This hike ended up being two elevation climbs with a gorge of sorts in the middle. When we had finished the first uphill, it was debated whether we wanted to continue on to the second portion or just turn around. Thankfully, we kept going, otherwise I wouldn't have expected.

experienced what I did. Growing up, I have always struggled with self-esteem and body image. I've been cursed with fairly debilitating depression and anxiety when not being treated with medication. High school, as for most people, I think, was not exactly the most glamorous years of my life, and I had not yet learned to cope with my issues. At this point, I was having a fight with my depression monster, and on top of that, I was going through a crisis of faith. I had been raised Catholic, but was suddenly questioning everything with my realization of being queer. As we hiked to the second portion of the climb, we reached a spot where the trail stopped, and so we were all taking a break when one of the chaperones noticed another smaller trail. Many of us were tired, so only me,

another student, and one of the chaperones decided to continue this path, since it didn't seem to go that much further. I think we only hiked about another five minutes before getting to the edge of a cliff that had a breathtaking view. It was panoramic and we could see the gigantic mountain range and were completely surrounded by nature. I suddenly became dizzy. Thank you, chronic illness, and decided to sit down. While I was sitting there, I was simply reflecting on the beauty surrounding me.

It was here that I had the thought, I am beautiful on top of a mountain. I know this is a small sentiment, but it was not something I had ever felt before. I also had not previously done that much hiking, so I was also really proud of myself for even making it that far. Something about the peaceful surroundings, a quiet moment, and my self-image came into question. This is not to say that I instantly realized I was secretly gorgeous and simply didn't see it before like you see in stupid teen movies about the shy girl turning popular, but it was honestly a huge turning point in my journey. I wanted to share this with you because although nothing outside of my thoughts truly happened, it's the message that I hope other people can

share the sentiment of. Self-love is an ongoing journey, and I hope that others are reminded that it can be something small that changes your journey. I'm now 22 years old and no longer think much about my appearance, much to my teenage self's dismay, and have been regularly receiving treatments for my mental health. That trip was so important to me, and I am forever grateful for what that mountain gave to me. I hope someday I can return and experience that trail again. I hope this reminds you today that you are both beautiful. Much love. Meredith. Oh, we're so full of beautiful stories today. I know. Thank you, Meredith. And I'm so happy you're doing well. And I love hearing stories of people finding healing in the mountains and that you've found

a place in your life to be more comfortable with yourself and that you're doing better and you're taking care of yourself. That's amazing. Yeah. And another Mount Rainier story. Also. It's a healing place. It is a healing place. I love it there. But yeah, Meredith, that was great. I just love that one because it's Like she said, you know, nothing really happened other than like externally nothing happened on that trip. It was all an internal thing. And that's just as monumental, I think. Yeah, for sure. Okay.

My story is titled or my last story, right? This is my last one for the. Yeah, we have the two bonus ones. Oh, yeah. And then we have our Patreon stories and our outsiders only stories. Perfect. So mine is titled Even Gods Like to Stargays. Hi, Cassie and Danielle.

Thank you so much for all the heart. hard work you put into your show. I found you while trying to stay awake during a 10-hour solo summer road trip, fighting heat exhaustion in my car without AC. You ladies, they're so refreshing to listen to and learn from. My story takes place just outside the Badlands National Park in 2016. My family had gone on a two-week trip from central Ohio out to the incredible South Dakota, Wyoming area. It was my first time west of the Mississippi, and the stark change in landscape is something I'll never forget. We had camped at a campground near the park, And our site was the farthest from the bathhouse and other amenities, as well as any other campers.

My parents were in one tent, while my two sisters and I shared another. On our first night, I woke up sometime around 2 or 3 a.m. to use the bathroom. My parents had told us to use the buddy system, but it was perfectly silent that night, and neither of my sisters can do anything quietly, so I went alone. As I walked the quarter of a mile or so to the bathhouse, I glanced up at the sky and stopped dead in my tracks. The sky was filled with more stars than I have ever seen in my life. I could see the Milky Way for the first time, complete with almost cartoonish swirls of purple and green space dust. I'm not sure how long I stood there open mouth, full bladder, completely forgotten, just staring into the cosmos.

I became aware of the feeling that I wasn't alone anymore and looked down to see a coyote sitting casually on the ground next to me. Close enough that I could have reached down and scratched him behind the ears. He was staring up at the stars just as I was. taking in the beauty of the world without light pollution. A few moments passed, and the coyote looked up at me directly into my eyes. I stared at him with the stars reflecting in his eyes and got the sense that the being next to me had forgotten more about the secrets of the universe than I could ever hope to learn. I didn't feel afraid or intimidated by his knowledge, just a feeling of serenity and security

and the vastness of the universe. Everything around me had been there for billions of years before I came along, and it would all be there billions of years after I was gone. As I, at the worldly age of 13, process this fundamental truth, the coyote smiled at me. Not a smile in the way dogs do when they drop their mouths open, but a real human-like upturn of his mouth. He dipped his head to me, almost in a farewell, and looked back up at the stars. I looked up to for a brief second, and when I looked back down to the earth, the coyote had vanished. He had disappeared somewhere into the flat landscape that offered nowhere to hide. I've never seen another coyote in the wild. I've never seen another coyote in the wild

sense then. Hold on. Do you want to see Birdie really quickly? Yeah. Darius. Hi, Blue. Darylis. You can do it too much. Hi, buddy. Cute. Bird? Michelle Bandana.

Yeah. Birdie. Birdie. Hi, buddy. Oh my goodness. The tallest boy that ever lived. Do you have anything to say? Blue, do you have anything to say?

He says... God, his legs are so tall. I know. Every time I see his legs, I'm like, God, they go on for days. Okay. Come on. Sorry. Okay.

He had disappeared somewhere into the flat landscape that offered nowhere to hide. I've never seen another coyote in the wild sense. And to be honest, I'm not sure my stargazing companion even was a coyote. I learned a little bit about the indigenous mythologies in the area while on the trip. But I didn't want to do much research. search in case I found no evidence of a god or spirit that took form of a coyote. I'm steering clear of any kind of confirmation bias at all costs. I've never considered myself a spiritual sort of person, but that encounter definitely had a divine sense that I will never forget. It came at a time

in my life when I was struggling in ways I wasn't even aware of until years later. And that small feeling of being exactly where I meant to be is something I'll always cherish. Enjoy the view and remember that there's no such thing as a coincidence. Oh, another beautiful one. Amazing. I have no explanation. Like I could picture that. Or envision, like envision that one. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. I have no explanation because I've never had a coyote that close to me ever in my life. And there's just something about like taking in something with another creature. You know what I mean? Like another soul like just another soul that's just here on this planet experiencing life. And their lives are. so different than ours. But when they intersect and you have moments of just kind of experiencing the same thing or taking in the same view or whatever, it's just such a moment of connection that you just, you will never forget, especially a wild animal. So I think that was really

special. And I hope that you keep that with you always. I mean, that happened when you were 13. And I don't know how old you are now, but older than 13 and it's still stuck with you. So, Well, I have, I mean, those stories were just so great. And my bonus story is a paranormal one. I don't know about yours. Fun. My bonus story is titled George Washington tried to steal my dog and gave me asthma. So take that for what you will. Paranormal, for sure. For sure. Okay. So I guess we're taking a left turn into that realm for our bonus stories, which are available to Apple subscribers and Patreon members. So we'll see all of the. view over there. Everyone else. We'll see you next week. In the meantime, enjoy the view. But watch you're 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.com. 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. For our exclusive discount codes and source information from today's episode, check out the show notes. For more information on our show, our book recommendations, merch updates, and more, visit our website at npaddpodcast.com. And please rate, review, and subscribe from wherever you listen to podcasts. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you may not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressives save over $900 on average. Pop over to Progressive.com, answer some questions, and you'll get a quick quote with discounts

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