National Park After Dark - Trail Tales 51

Episode Date: July 18, 2024

Today’s stories include lost and found hikers, eventful honeymoons, stranger danger and beyond the veil experiences. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers!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  or Apple Subscriptions to gain access to ad-free episodes, 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!BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Work your magic Everyone welcome back to another Trail Tales episode As always, thank you all for writing in We both have some very interesting stories today We do and can I go first Because I have one that I think you're really going to enjoy And I put it first It's just

I'm excited. Yeah. I think a lot of people will know of this story, which is also interesting. Oh, the anticipation. Yeah. So, oh, well, I guess before we get started, if you are new to National Park After Dark, Trail Tales is a section, is it a subset, a addition? I don't know.

Every other Thursday, we have a Trail Tales episode in which we read listener emails that are outdoor adjacent involved. It's not always in a national park, but they tend to be outside, which is great and on-brand for us. And if you have a story that you'd like to share, there are two ways in which you can do that and get them to us. The first is through our website, which is N-P-A-D-Podcast.com. There's a little submission form that you can utilize. And the second way is straight through email, which is Stories at N-PADPodcast.com. So if you have some things to share, that's how.

you can get them to us. We'll review them and select a few for our episodes. And if you are an outsider, which is our community over on Patreon and Apple subscriptions, you will get two bonus stories per trail tale episode. So that's our spiel. Here's my first story. It is titled, The Jenny Lake Rangers, a bear attack, a starstruck husband, and an eventful honeymoon. Oh, this is bringing me back to, what is it, episode 13, I think, where we do the Jenny Lake Rangers and the Lightning Strike. Yes, and you were just there. And I was just there. Yeah, that's that too. So here's the story. Hello, Danielle and Cassie. My name is Chloe, and I am a listener from Massachusetts writing to let you know that my husband and I have been listening to your podcast while on our

National Parks Adventure honeymoon. We have been married for two years and finally decided to go for it. We were driving from Yellowstone to Grand Teton National Park, so I put on the Jenny Link Rangers episode so we could hear some stories from the area during our drive. This was Sunday, May 19th of this year, 2024. I pulled over at Signal Mountain Summit Road because I'd heard we might see a great gray owl there. My husband, who is an amateur wildlife photographer, really hoped to see one on this trip. The road was closed to cars, but opened to pedestrians and cyclists, so we parked at the trailhead and headed up the road on foot.

Cadence, our seven-year-old Belgian Malinwa, was with us on this trip. So I thought this would be a great place to stretch our legs together while still respecting park rules. For those who are not familiar, you must stay within 100 feet of the road and stay off trails if you have a dog. I accompanied my husband about three quarters of a mile up the road when I realized I was really thirsty. I had only brought bear spray and dog bags on this short walk, so I turned around and my husband told me he was going to walk back at his own pace, looking for owls on either side of the road. He planned to meet me in the parking lot in an hour. There were many people out hiking and biking along this road,

some of which were doing so alone, and we felt safe briefly splitting up. I had been back at the car for a short while when I received a call from my husband. He had accidentally surprised a grizzly when he ran into her just off the road. Her cub was with her, so she instantly went into protective mode.

She was on him before he could ever use his bear spray. She bit him extensively and threw him around as he tried to remain face down with his hands protecting his neck, which was something he had remembered reading on signs in the parks. Eventually, the bear tried to bite his neck and ended up biting the bear spray canister still looped around his finger. This prompted her to run. My husband hurried in the opposite direction to where he had enough service to tell me what had happened. I called 911 and park rangers were soon mobilized to rescue him. I'm a WFR and EMT and was asked to stay in the parking lot by the Rangers, which is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, both as a wife and a first responder.

But it was necessary. It would have been no help if I found the angry mama bear instead of my wounded husband and made myself a second victim. Over the phone, I tried my best to calm and reassure him and reminded him to try and stop any bleeding with whatever he had on him. This was a very rare occasion that he didn't have a first aid kit, since he wasn't even a mile from the car when the attack occurred. occurred. His military training, adaptability, resilience and strength all served him well and he was able to slow the bleeding with improvised tourniquets and was able to stay conscious, blowing a rescue whistle until he was found. At one point, we had to hang up so he could try and call 911 from his phone so they could try to triangulate his location. The coordinates he had sent me via Google Maps were not accurate enough to locate him, and foolishly, our garment in reach was with me, not him.

It was really hard for me not being able to hear his voice and know that he was still conscious. However, having listened to your podcast on the way there, I reminded myself that he was an incredibly capable hands and that the best of the best were mobilizing to short haul him the heck out of there via helicopter. When his amazing rescue team located him, the first thing he said to them was, please don't hurt the bear, she didn't do anything wrong. Then he noticed that it said Jenny Lake Rangers on the uniforms of some of his responders. So naturally, the second thing he said to them was, I was just listening to a podcast about you.

Anyhow, I thought you might find the fact that in a moment of crisis, my husband was delighted. He just knew how badass the Jenny Lake Rangers are right as they arrived to extricate him via helicopter. Between the Grand Teton National Park Rangers, Search and Rescue volunteers, Jenny Lake Rangers, paramedics, hospital care team, and every other person who responded and helped us out in the aftermath, we are so impressed and so grateful. My husband is expected to make a full recovery. Thank you for telling such fascinating stories. We will surely be listening to a lot of National Park After Dark and Tooth and Claw,

which we found through your podcast, and helped us debrief from this harrowing encounter on the long drive home. Thank you again for doing what you do. of love, Chloe and Shane Burke. And I remember hearing this newsbreak because I was in New Hampshire visiting my family. And for Nitae's like Bachelorette party and bridal shower and stuff, remember I was home for like 10 days. It had happened when me and my mom were in Portsmouth. She's like, did you hear the news of this guy from Massachusetts who just got attacked in the Teton's? And I'm like, no, what happened? And when we read it, it was like, oh, he was only saved

because the bear accidentally bit into his bear canister and it exploded. Yeah, it's so funny because I remember this news article too. And I remember specifically after they decided not to harm the bear because she was protecting her cub and it was like a defensive. And apparently Shane advocated for her. Yeah, which is amazing. And also what a traumatic story. I'm so sorry that happened to you guys because that's really scary.

But man, I'm glad it worked out. I'm glad your husband's okay. and I mean, I'm just glad that it worked out for you guys and who would have known if you had been together and not split up? You know, like, things could have gotten a lot worse, and I'm glad that the Jenny, I mean, I'm sorry you had to witness the Jenny Lake Rangers at work firsthand, but glad that they were, glad you found a little comfort in knowing how capable they are.

After just hearing, you know, an episode about them, And it's just, it's so, it's insane because it's kind of like, it's just a full circle moment as far as like hearing for us something that happened and, you know, putting a lot of thought about it and being like, I hope those people are okay or whatever. And they were just listening to us. Yeah. Which is so weird. Yeah. What a. And also I will say my experience that I have with grizzlies in the Grand Teton's where I was in a tent sleeping at night and a grizzly was outside my tent sniffing around was in the same location. they were at at Signal Mountain Campground. So lots of ties there. Well, anyway, thank you, Chloe and Shane. I know this was Chloe writing in primarily, but hoping you guys have a good recovery

and smooth recovery because even though, you know, Chloe, you've got some things to deal with too. Like, that's stressful and especially on your honeymoon and all that. And what a honeymoon for the books? I hope you get back out there and have a smoother time next time. Next time. Yeah.

Well, next time. they're in the park, not next time there's mall by a group leave. No, I meant like, because they're on their honeymoon. You're like, next honeymoon. I don't think that there's a limit on the amount of honeymoons you can have. No one talks about that. I think it should be known that you can have more than one honeymoon. People are doing baby moods and stuff now. Like, who who's to say? Give me a honeymoon every year. Okay, what's your first story? My story is titled Hunter Missing for Almost Three Decades, Discovered in Capital Reef National Park.

Hey, NPA D crew. My name is Morgan and I'm a wildlife biologist in Utah, which comes with a whole host of its own crazy stories, covering the Boulder in Thousand Lakes Mountain ranges, plus the Khyperowitz Plateau, which all surround Capitol Reef National Park. Upon taking this job, I learned from a co-worker about a death in the park he was involved in back in the game warden days. In October 1971, a father and son duo John Father Ken the Sun went deer hunting on Thousand Lakes Mountain in Wayne County, Utah. For reasons unknown to me, the two had split up and John, who was in his 60s or 70s, if I remember correctly, left camp opening morning of the hunt in search of deer. As often happens on the Utah rifle deer hunt, an early snowstorm rolled in. Although familiar with the mountain and a knowledgeable outdoorsman, John became disoriented in the storm. He began hiking off a ridge that he believed would take him back to the vehicle, but unfortunately he wasn't on the correct ridge. but rather one ridge over that led him off the mountain and down into the remote Thousand Lakes Desert of Capital Reef National Park, the part of the park that almost has no visitation. Severely underdressed for the weather, John found a rocky overhang where he used branches and needles from juniper and cedar trees to make a makeshift bed.

Trapped in the intense storm and severely unprepared, John eventually succumbed to hypothermia while laying in his makeshift bed. In the following days and weeks, his son Ken and local law enforcement officers searched, tirelessly for him but to no avail. Despite intense efforts, the terrain, thick vegetation, and limited vehicle access of Thousand Lakes Mountain made it incredibly difficult to search. For nearly 26 years, John's family was left with no closure, forever wondering what happened to him and where he was. Then in 1997, a group of archaeology students from Brigham and Young University were on a school trip to document and study the ruins of the Fremont tribe of Native Americans, located in and around Capitol Reef National Park.

The area they were in is incredibly remote and difficult to access. But by a miracle, perhaps, a student came across bones near a rock overhang. Excited at their discovery, the group quickly realized from the nearby rifle and remnants of clothing that these were remains from recently, rather than ancient indigenous peoples. I'll link a news articles about the event, but this is where the story deviates a bit from what the news article states. as per my coworker who actually handled this investigation. The students didn't go through the remains, nor did they ID the body, or even know who John was to suspect the remains were his.

Local law enforcement was contacted, and they came to do their investigation and ID the remains. One of the Wayne County Sheriff's Don and my coworker Jim, who was the Wayne County Conservation Officer, Utah's official title for game wardens, at the time were those to respond, as the site was technical and difficult to access, and these two men were skilled horsemen. They also had a National Park Service ranger with them, if I remember correctly. Before visiting the site, there was already a suspicion that the remains likely belonged to John Jones. After finding his ID in his wallet and the firearm and clothing matching those described by his son, Ken,

Don and Jim were able to positively ID the remains. John's remains were mostly undisturbed by wildlife, but the article is correct that his head had been buried and had to be exhumed. but this was from sand and debris, brought in by wind rather than wildlife. His remains were still lying in his pine needle bed and his gun still propped up against a juniper tree. Jim and Don utilized their horses to pack out John's remains and belongings and did later take in John's family on horseback ride to see the site. Although remote and far from any road, there was actually a trail that led to the area John was located in. It has some incredible Fremont ruins there, but after the incident, Capitol Reef National Park rerouted the trail,

both out of suspect for John and to preserve the ruins in the area from being vandalized or destroyed by park visitors. Jim and I are two of extremely few people who know where these ruins are and how to access them. Although the technology didn't exist at the time, the story is a great reminder to always be prepared for all types of weather when recreating in the outdoors, and if you can afford it, satellite communication devices are lifesavers. Really love the podcast and enjoy listening to it while I'm out on the mountain working. $199 and $219 actually take place in my district. Wow.

That's a, I'm glad the family's got closure and it must be a very interesting experience to be so tied to something like that that happened within the park. 100%. And obviously getting some form of, I thought it was really beautiful that they offered to bring them on horseback to the site. You know, that's like such a healing sort of journey. And I'm sure it was filled with a lot of different emotions, but definitely. necessary. And I know a lot of people probably have like maybe some would be like I don't want to go. Like it, you know, but I think. I think it brings a type of closure though to know that your family member passed away in the way that they did. I think for me personally, I would want to know

where they were and see what they saw and be able to. I feel like it would almost be closure for myself, but also a way to feel closer to that person. A hundred percent. 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. Okay, so my next story is titled Missing Woman. in Olympic. Hi, Cassie and Danielle. Ah, I can't believe I'm finally writing to you. My name is Richie. I'm a

woman, woo-hoo, non-traditional names, and I have been listening to y'all for over a year now. Thank you for all you do and for being so open about your lives and adventures. I live on the East Coast and wanted to travel with my husband for our spring break last year, so we went all in and flew across the country to Olympic National Park. We land in Seattle and go to pick up our rental car, getting help from a very sweet woman in the airport. She excited. asks us about our plans for the trip, and I smile, saying, we're going to Olympic National Park, we've never been. Her smile immediately drops, and she starts saying, okay, please be careful. Expecting it to be the typical nature is scary talk, I hear from coworkers and family, I laugh and say,

yes, of course. Then she informs us that the last woman who she rented a car to was also going to Olympic National Park, but she never returned. She'd been listed as a missing person, and although they did find her rental car, she hadn't been found. At this point, it's my turn for the smile to drop from my face, and I say very genuinely, we will keep an eye out for her. It's our second day on the trip, and we opt to do the Lover's Lane Trail to Soul Duck Falls, even though we woke up to some hardcore snowfall. We put on our layers and pack our camelbacks for the trek. We, two fit adults in our mid-20s, struggled through this trail. The snow had seriously accumulated in the gaps between the tree coverage, and we ended up hiking through snow that came above my knees.

As my husband leads, I focus on stepping where he has, looking down as I walk. Suddenly, I hear a woman's voice and my heart clenches. My husband and I immediately begin yelling, hello, and walking around trees and logs off trail. After about 10 minutes, we failed to hear any responses and painfully made the decision to carry on, noting where we were on the trail so we could report the incident later. About 40 minutes later, I hear the woman's voice again and go to remove my hood so I can hear it more closely. Y'all, it was my Apple Watch.

Reading my mileage and split times as I hiked. I had just finished mile two, which I heard from my wrist as I removed my hood. The woman we heard earlier, just my stats at the end of mile one. I breathe a sigh of relief and inform my husband who laughs with me before we carry on. We saw the beautiful Soul Duck Falls and made our way back to camp, but that missing woman has never left my mom. So what happens when you start to mourn someone you've never met? Do you suppress the feelings because the family had the right to feel them and you don't? Do you pretend it didn't happen? For me, I follow the search and rescue page on Facebook and I regularly think of my sister in nature, sending her love as a wave

of sadness washes over me. I wish we had found her that day, but Laura Mackie was last seen on her way to Enchanted Valley in October of 2022. On the opposite side of the beautiful national park we were both so drawn to. While our paths never crossed, I feel that our spirits did. I'm not sure how to end this other than to say, please keep your eyes and ears open on the trails, not just for your own safety, but for the safety and well-being of your fellow nature lovers. Report any partial tents or loose shoes you find. You never know who may be looking for them. Enjoy the view, but watch your back, and look out for one another along the way. Oh, and maybe be aware that when you switch on your phone volume to pack it away, your Apple Watch volume kicks on too. Thank you for all you do and for taking

the time to read my tale. All the best, Richie. I really like the sentiment at the end of that just to look out for each other and you never know who might be out there struggling that you might be in close proximity to. Yeah, and the other thing of just like anything that you see on the trail, there's been so many times that I wouldn't say in national parks because it's more rare, but just on local trails and things like that, seeing debris, like trash or pieces of clothing, you know what I mean, or just litter and. Like you see a glove on a tree or something or a hat that someone hung up and you don't think anything of it.

Like your first thought is like, oh, someone's leaving their stuff behind. Yeah, or someone found this and is hanging it on the tree for someone maybe later to come by and grab and and nine point five times out of ten. That's probably the case. But stories like this make you think about, you know, there are so many missing people in the wilderness, as we are well aware, that have left some sort of trace. And it's kind of like just about who is keeping, like Richie said, their eyes and ears open for things like that that could be either easily missed or brushed off or whatever. Mm-hmm.

Such a good point. Okay, my next, we're definitely in the wilderness today with weird circumstances because my next one is titled, Did We Dodge a Serial Killer in the White Mountains? Hi, ladies, I honestly thought I'd never have an experience to share with you guys. I love the views of the outdoors, but my idea of camping is a marriot with a view. Sorry, but at 43 years old, I still cannot square the idea of even attempting to go to the bathroom in the woods. Add in the potential threat of a wildlife animal attack, no thank you, please. But your podcast lets me live vicariously through others. This experience just happened Monday,

April 22nd, and right after I said, well, now I have a story to share. Sorry if this is a little long. I was placed for adoption at birth through a closed adoption. It was only in 2019 that I located my birth mother when I was 39. It has been an amazing reunion better than I ever could have hope for. She lives in Alabama and I am in Kentucky. Since this year is the fifth anniversary of our reunion, we decided we would take a road trip up to New England, just the two of us. She had seen the Mount Washington Resort years ago and always wanted to stay there. And I'd never been to New England, other than Boston. We rented a car with a Tennessee plate and set out on our journey. We traveled 3,361 miles, 10 states and Canada, in nine days. It was an incredible trip. We booked a few nights at the

Omni Resort, but other than those nights, we had zero plans, opting to wing it and stop whenever something caught our eye. We headed out of Kentucky on Thursday with a tank of gas and an eclectic variety of road snacks. Monday morning, we found ourselves in North Conway, New Hampshire. We stopped at Zebs, buying an embarrassing amount of candy, and explored the town. The season hadn't started yet. We were a bit early, and many of the places were closed. No scenic rail tour, sad face. Oh, that is sad. That's fun. Everyone we met along the way, was so incredibly nice, giving us suggestions of where we should go next. Littleton was one such suggestion, and it wasn't far from our destination of the Mount Washington

Resort. We couldn't check in until after 4 p.m. anyway, so it was the perfect stop to explore. We were told there was a huge candy store there too, and we were drawn like moths to the flame. We got in the car, heading west away from North Conway. Our GPS routed us through this beautiful, winding road and before along I saw the sign now entering the White Mountain National Forest. As we're driving along, we are amazed at the scenery. The forest is just starting to wake up from its winter slumber. We are pointing out all the sites. I noticed a parking area right near a running stream. I just passed it. There was no one else on the road, so I stopped the car right on the highway, put it in reverse, and backed the van into the gravel parking area. We walked down to the water

and we're taking in the sounds of the water and the beauty around us. Shortly after we stopped, we noticed a silver SUV pull into the parking area as well. The driver got out of his car, but he stayed up in the parking area. He was doing something in his passenger seat and walking around his car. We figured he needed to stop for something other than the sights. So we continued on with what we were doing. When we'd taken enough photos and were too cold to stay there, we started walking back to the car. That's when the man at the other car started walking towards us.

He approached us and said, so are you ladies actually from Tennessee or is that a rental? Now, I will admit that our guard was slightly down. Everyone we'd met along our trip had been super friendly and eager to share their favorite local spots. We told him it was a rental, but that we were from Kentucky and Alabama, so Tennessee is the average since it's between the two. He told us, I've worked this area for years and that he was heading to Tennessee for work soon and asked us where he should go. I asked him where in Tennessee he was going since East and West Tennessee are.

of a drive apart. He said, time won't be a problem for me. He then proceeded to tell us all these hiking trails around the area where we needed to go in places he lived near Winapaki. I think this is supposed to say Winapaki. You say probably butchered that after that we needed to see. Then he stopped mid-sentence and asked, are you two related? I replied, yes, we are mother and daughter. He said, oh, I thought you'd be sisters. I would have never guessed. I really like the look of red hair and freckles. Um, awkward, but okay. He said he was 70s, so I first was thinking it was a generational thing, but he kept talking, and we are slowly inching back to our car, and he keeps talking. He tells us he's heading to North Conway. I said, yeah, we just came from there. We are headed to Littleton, so we better

get going. He held us up for 10 to 15 minutes talking, just couldn't shake him, but we finally said goodbye and got in the car, locking it, and took off west. We saw him take off in the opposite direction. As we were driving, we were both talking about how we'd both had an uncomfortable feeling about that man. He was being super creepy and what did he mean by he'd worked this area for years. He was going to Tennessee for work but didn't know where in Tennessee he was going and he wasn't exactly dressed for being out in a park. He'd been in gray slacks, dress shirt, sweater, expensive leather coat and Rayband Wayfarers, but his shoes were trail running shoes. The whole thing just fell off. and he'd parked in a way that we couldn't see his plate slash model of his car.

You know that voice that tells you something is off, but you can't put your finger on exactly what? We continued the drive. In about 10 to 15 minutes on our right, the Omni popped up with the Mount Washington in the background, and it was breathtaking. I noticed a parking area across the road, so I pulled in so we could get a scenic photo real quick

before continuing on to Littleton. I put the car in park, and another car pulls into the lot, a silver SUV. I said, oh my God, is that the same guy? My mom said, it can't be. I saw him turn around and head in the opposite direction. The car pulls up near our car and the driver gets out. It's the same guy. He had literally turned around and had followed us for the 10 to 15 minute drive. He walks up to the passenger side and I'm thinking, there's no way we're getting out of this car. I rolled the window down like a third of the way. He said, I don't want to sound creepy, but I can follow you ladies to

little tin and I'd love to buy you both lunch. I'm trying not to visibly freak out thinking how I can get rid of him without setting him off because this is not normal behavior. I turned on the Southern charm and said, oh, that's so sweet of you, but we had a bite to eat in North Conway, thanks for the offer. He made some excuses and tried to continue the conversation, but quickly he headed back to his car and sped off back in the direction he came from. Again, it happened so fast and he'd parked in a way that we couldn't get his plate number. We waited a few minutes to calm the shaking down and continued our trek to Littleton, staring in the rear of your mirror pretty much the whole time. I don't know what he was up to, but it can't be anything good. Who follows two out-of-town women for miles

with good intentions? We kept our eyes peeled for him and his car for the rest of our time in New England, but thankfully never saw him again. Potential murder aside, we had an incredible time running around New England and we are already planning another trip. But we will be extra careful about where we stop the car to get a better look. Thanks for listening to our story and keep up all the wonderful work you both do. All the best, Aaron. P.S., the Omni, Mount Washington is totally worth a visit. Yes, indeed it is. Yes, it's a very beautiful hotel. It's very, um, for people who are not familiar with the Omni, which is probably a lot of people outside of New England, it's very reminiscent of the Stanley. Yes. And it has huge, Mount Washington's

behind it. So there's these amazing views. behind it. It's this historic hotel. It has this really cool. It kind of like speakeasy-esque bar in the basement. It has this huge veranda in the back that overlooks Mount Washington with a big golf resort back there. They have horses on the property. It's just, it's a really beautiful spot. But all of that aside, sorry you went through that because that's, why are men so creepy? And it's just, it's so unsettling because obviously, like, you. you said, who does that with good intentions? And the person in me still wants to give people the benefit of the doubt. And I know that's dangerous. You know what I mean? Yes. And it's just it's this,

these types of stories not forces women, but really gives women reasons to be wary of every interaction they have with a stranger that is of the opposite sex. And it's unfortunate because I know I've been put in positions where I have felt similarly, but wish I didn't have to be rude or bitchy or whatever. But it's like, it's a survival instinct. It's like, I don't know what you're up to. And even if you have genuine intentions, like this, you don't behave this way. You, people should know by now to not put others in situations like this because it's uncomfortable. It's scary. We're vulnerable and it's just it's unfair is what it is. Yeah. And I think part of that, I mean, being so polite, you said you like put on the Southern charm for this. Part of a survival

mechanism for women is being polite because you don't know how men are going to react. And I think that it just, it's just so off putting that people do stuff like that. But it also ruins your whole day. It ruins your whole time. It makes you nervous. It's just like, don't do this. And if you are ever, if you're listening to this and you ever feel like you need to walk up to someone and say not to be creepy, but you're probably being creepy. Right. Don't do it. Yeah. I keep saying 100%. Stop in your tracks. Stop in your tracks. Turn around. Do not continue what you're doing. If you have to explain you're not being creepy. Right. Unless it's for something like in a joking way. Or like, I don't know, like in a helpful like maybe you drop something and you're trying to give it to them like not yeah i had

someone on the plane the other day and she's like i'm not trying to be creepy i just dropped my pencil and you're sitting on it right and i don't want to touch your butt like that's that that's an example of where it's fine yeah um but if you're a man and you're walking up to a woman and you're saying not to be creepy but and then you follow by asking her to do something it's probably creepy yeah and following someone for miles don't ever follow someone it's too often right no we have to say that. I don't know. I don't know. I don't want to, yeah. Stay safe out there, everybody. Well, my last story is a totally different direction. It appears paranormal in nature. It is titled, Witches, Lights of the Dead, and Beyond the Veil Through the Trees.

Hey, girls, you can call me M. I have hiked the North Conway. Oh, I almost said it. I thought it said North Conway. I'm like, wait, hold on a minute. Again. No, it's not. I misspoke. I have hiked the North Country Trail from Duluth, to Grand Portage, Minnesota backpacking the whole way. It is a beautiful view and an amazing hike. Doing this alone became a bit daunting and on day slash night three as I was in my tent, I kept swearing that I could hear something outside, not rustling, more like a whispering. Yet when I would try to listen harder, it seemed to go away. I finally must have drifted off to sleep because a few hours later I woke up having to pee. So I got out of the tent, walked about 30 feet from my campsite, and popped a squat. I could hear the whispering again. I turned and I saw a Native American woman from

around 200 years ago standing about 20 feet from me. We just stood there and stared at each other. Me with my headlamp, her holding a basket of something. Then I blinked and she was gone. I have never run so fast back to my tent, killing my headlight and diving into my sleeping bag so fast in all of my life. A couple days later, I made camp very close to the water of Lake Superior. I was with a group at this point, and we were all sitting up around a campfire, and one of the guys said, Hey, do you guys see that out on the lake? We all looked, and there was a green, bluish glow mist floating across the top of the lake, almost like a ship, but it wasn't a ship.

It was just a fine mist, almost like the northern lights, but on water. We watched it move across the water for about 15 minutes before it dissipated. We all made the decision that it was the low. lights of the dead that Lake Superior has never given up. Near Grand Portage, there is a tree that grows out of the rock called the Witch's Tree. When hiking up to Grand Portage, I made the decision to go see the witch's tree. Well, when I got there, it was pretty dark. I should have just made camp and gone to see it the next day, but I had hikers high. I get to the area where the witch's tree is, and that is when I decide I can't even see the damn thing. So I decided to turn around and go back to where I was

going to camp. I'm walking down the road and I make a right-hand turn around a corner and I run into an older woman. She looks up at me and says, sorry, dearie, do you need help? When she looked at me, her eyes were glowing a yellowish color, like she was staring into headlights, but it was just dusk, no sunlight, no headlights. I have never run so quickly with a pack on my back as I did in that moment. I must have run for close to a mile. I looked for a hotel and got a room that night because I was done. These were only three of the spooktacular things that had happened to me on that trip. I won't go into detail about being followed by a crow, my premonition dream about falling down a hill, which I later did, or buying a pair of mucklucks and finding out that my initials were already located

on the inside. Stay safe out there. Sounds like you've had quite the array of experiences. All at once. But that's a very interesting. Yeah. All in one trip. That's really cool. I mean, the Deary thing, like, oh, dearie, do you need help? That's probably my least favorite thing. Have you seen? It reminds me of, have you seen once upon a time the show. Yes, I have actually. And the guy, I forget it. Rumple-Still skin. Is that it? And he's like, hi, dearie. He calls everyone Deary. That's what it reminded me of. I'm like, you came across Rumpel's Dill's. I actually watched the first, I want to say I watched the first like three seasons of three seasons. of that show. And when I first moved to Colorado the first time in 2014. And then it kind of lost me. It lost me too eventually. But the first couple seasons were really good.

Yeah, they were. They were so good. And then I agree, it kind of like trailed off. Yeah. I got lost and there was two. It was, it's definitely over now, right? I imagine so. I haven't checked in in a while.

I don't even know what was happening, to be honest. I'm going to go watch the last. Okay. Yeah. Report back to me, text me later. I'll let you know. Okay. All right, well, my final story is titled The Voice in the Allegheny National Forest.

Hi, Danielle and Cassie, I found your podcast a few months ago and have been addicted. I travel a lot for work, so you two have kept me company during many long hours of driving between appointments. I have decided it's finally time I share my own story for your trail tales. In fall of 2022, a couple of friends and I went on a quick overnight backpacking trip in the Allegheny National Forest, hiking the Minister Creek Trail. I only recently got into backpacking in the last few years, but spent pretty much my entire childhood running around the woods and was a Boy Scout, so I'm no stranger to the outdoors. My friends were both Army Reservists and avid lifelong outdoorsmen. This was probably my third or fourth backpacking trip since I got into the hobby.

The Minister Creek Trail is a popular backpacking trail in the Allegheny National Forest. We decided to go on a late October overnight trip during peak leaf colored. It was a little on the colder side, so the train was a little on the colder side, so the train trail wasn't very crowded that weekend. The trail goes through a variety of terrain, up and down rocky cliffs, through old, heavy old growth forests, and along a large winding creek in the valley. With no cell service, it is a perfect getaway from the stress of the world as you feel like you're hundreds of miles away from civilization, even though Erie Pennsylvania is only about an hour drive away or so. The trail is a big loop that joins up with the North Country Trail for portions

of it. Wait, the one we just talked about. Are we in the same part of the, where is this? Well, This one's in Pennsylvania, like New York, Pennsylvania area. And mine was in Michigan. So it can't be the... It's just the same. I don't know how far the North Country Trail goes, to be honest. I'm not familiar. Interesting.

Interesting. Do you guys know each other? The trailhead is at the southern end of the loop, and most campsites are at the northern end. We hiked out on a Saturday afternoon not seeing any other hikers and had our pickup campsites along the creek. The area we set up camp looked something out of a fairy tale, with old-growth trees, and very little underbrush. The kind of forest where you can see far through the tree trunks,

kind of like the scene from the movie Braveheart where he sees the ghosts of his wife in the woods. But I wasn't thinking about ghosts at this time. We set up camp, made dinner, and hung out for the evening. My friend Ben decided to sleep in a bivisack under the stars next to the fire. And our friend Chad and I set up individual small tents on opposite sides of the campfire.

About 2.30 in the morning, we were woken up by a huge boom. It sounded like a cannon going off, and we heard it echoing through the valley. We got up, talked about it for a bit, figured it was some other campers screwing around with black powder or something, and turned back in. I had a hard time falling asleep,

and I started to feel uneasy. I started seeing things like silhouettes and shadows moving against the tent, but figured I was just freaking myself out and overly tired and went back to sleep. Next thing I know, I'm being woken up from a dead, dreamless sleep by a voice. Dad, daddy, dad.

It was a female sounding voice. voice. Sounded like a kid. So I'm wide awake now, heart racing. As I'm coming to, I'm thinking, okay, I was sleeping. I must have been dreaming. What do you call that? Hypnagogic or hypnopomic hallucinations or something like that, where you hallucinate as you're coming out of a sleep. Psych 101. Shout out to Penn State. Surely that must have been it. I check my watch and it's five o'clock in the morning or so. So still dark. I'm wide awake at this point and I hear the voice again. Dad, dad, dad, dad, more urgently. Yeah, I definitely heard that with my ears.

That was the thing that just happened. Okay, so I in fact am a dad, but my daughter, who was five at the time, definitely wasn't backpacking with us. I sit up in my tent thinking, okay, I heard the voice for real someone is out there. Maybe it's a lost camper who wandered back into the wrong campsite or something. Everything is pitch black, no moonlight, no light from the fire, no flashlights. I unsit my tent and look outside with my flashlight. That's when I saw it.

The ass end of a black bear sauntering off into the woods. I let out a huge, oh, fuck, which didn't even so much as startle it as it disappeared into the darkness. I hear my friends stirring, and they are up now. We gather in the center of camp and are shining our flashlights around the woods. We see nothing. Nobody around us. Ben, the one sleeping on the ground in his bivisack, said he was woken up shortly before hearing me yell, oh, fuck. As he thought he felt something brushed past him.

He did not hear the voice, though. We stayed up until it got light. We saw no other campers around us, no other campsites were occupied, and we hiked back to the trailhead that morning without seeing anyone. To this day, I can't help a wonder what I heard that woke me up. Was it the bear itself? Do black bears make noises that sound like a juvenile, fiend male human saying, Dad, Daddy, Dad?

Was it an auditory hallucination that continued as I was wide awake? Was it my subconscious warning me about the bear around? Or was it something else? After this experience, I did some more research into the location and found that several years earlier, a teenage girl was tragically killed in the exact same area of the trail when a tree fell on her as she was camping with her church youth group. This absolutely broke my heart to read. Was it her spirit in search of her dad? I truly hope it wasn't her and that her spirit has moved on. Or maybe it was, and she was warning me of the bear?

I guess this will just be one of those mysteries I live with for the rest of my life. I haven't been back to Minister Creek Trail since, but I am planning another trip this summer. I probably won't get any sleep as I'll be up all night waiting to hear for someone calling for her dad. Keep up the good work. You guys are awesome. Enjoy the view, but watch your back. You never know when a random voice in the middle of the night will warn you about a black bear in your camp. I am of the belief that it was a warning of some kind.

I would be really interested to hear if you experience it a second time. In general, I am interested in. Like, maybe it has ties to the location. But I was thinking before they even mentioned that was, yeah, I don't know. I just feel like it's some sort of connection type thing. Kind of like when you, I don't know if you've experienced this, I feel like a lot of people have, is when you're, you have a dream or you're thinking about someone a lot, someone's on your mind a lot one day and then the next day you wake up or you're going about your day. And then that person contacts you. Have you ever experienced that? Maybe. Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head. It happens to me kind of often. And it's about people that, you know, maybe I haven't heard from

in a while or haven't spoken to in a while. And I'll either, it's usually dreams. I'm a big dream person where like connections kind of come through or I'll dream about something and then the next day or two it pops up in life. And it's happened a lot with people. Gotcha. So I feel like, you know, kind of weird wavelength of, I don't know, that's just the first thing that came to my mind. I have nightmares a lot and really unrealistic ones, so I'm glad that none of mine are coming true. That's so interesting. I saw an article. I'll try and find it the other day about how they're doing studies on adults who have nightmares because it's not common. Ooh, so I'm unique. Yeah. I mean, something might be wrong with you. I don't know. Either way.

Either way, you're special. Okay, well, you can hear one more special story from each of us if you are on our outsider community, either on Apple or Patreon, because we have two more to share. Mine is titled, Bullied by the Bishop, question mark. Oh, interesting. Mine is titled, Leaving a Piece of Myself in California, literally. Okay. Well, we will see outsiders over. over there, everyone else. We will catch you next time. Thanks for joining us and enjoy the view.

But watch you're back. 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 NPADPodcast.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.

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