9 summers in our nations oldest national park. 3 of which I worked backcountry LEO, which involved going out for 9 days at a time alone. Stayed in cabins mostly, with the occasional backpacking trip when working boundary looking for poachers (these trips were generally not solo). “The oddest thing (that is, my unsolved mystery), was the abandoned camp next to the trail. Camping outside … Continue reading Abandoned Camp
I am a seasonal ranger for my local forest district. Despite the fact that I live in a fairly suburban area, the forest preserves still make up 12% of the county, with much of the property being heavily wooded…not far out wilderness but pretty secluded in some areas. Being a seasonal employee, I have been on the job for a bit over a month now … Continue reading Seasonal Park Ranger Stories
“Park ranger here. Another ranger and I were out on a search and rescue call once. The missing person was a man in his 20s. He had gone hiking and had not returned the day that he intended to. When we got the call, it was nighttime, but we hiked in a few miles and set up camp on a ridge that had a pretty … Continue reading Missing Hiker
“I’m a wildland firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service. This story is from an old supervisor of mine that I believe completely. The setting is 2004 or so, in the Hells Canyon area of middle Idaho. My supervisor’s crew had been working all day and were going to be working through the night as well. As assistant superintendent, he was out scouting ahead on an ATV. He … Continue reading Screaming Woman
“This happened in the desert of Utah. I was a wilderness guide and lived out of my truck, so I camped nearly every night. I was totally used to weird noises, twigs cracking, whatever. One night it was extremely calm and quiet, but there was a weird vibe in the air. A couple friends and I were on BLM land in Utah near Moab, and … Continue reading Jerked Around
“When I was doing trail clearing, there was a lot of strange shit. One night I was camped by a lake, miles from even the nearest road, when a boulder just flew into the lake from the other side. Then another, then another. The boulders looked to be several hundred pounds, and the lake EXPLODED when they hit. They looked wider and taller than me … Continue reading Flying Boulders
We were camping around different area of the US, hitting 13 states. It wasn’t a trip with a firm itinerary, and we drove through Amish country in Indiana despairing that we wouldn’t find a campground as it was late in the day. But in the middle of Amish country we found a lovely campground with a nice big pond for swimming. We were the ‘weirdos’ who do tent camping, … Continue reading Campers Beamed Up By Aliens
This happened about eight years ago when I was 21 and working as a camp counselor for Camp Tommy in Fishkill, NY. The place is basically a bunch of cabins in the woods on top of a mountain, each cabin a half-mile apart from the other, so you’re pretty isolated in the woods. One night at about 1am I was sneaking off to meet my camp GF (you’re supposed to stay in … Continue reading Small Humanoid Creature
I have seen weird lights, heard weird sounds, found weird stuff in the woods before, but the one that sticks out was years ago. I was camping at a friend’s property in South Texas. While asleep in my tent, I suddenly wake up in the middle of the night. One of those ‘from dead sleep to wide awake in a half-second’ things. I can feel something is outside the tent, … Continue reading Invasion Of Coyotes
Not a camper or ranger, but an archeologist. A few years back we were doing a massive survey in the middle of nowhere in the interior of British Columbia. All the crew had gone home and it was just my boss and myself left for a few days to follow up and confirm some coordinates and finish some mapping. We head out from the motel an hour … Continue reading “Let’s Go”
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