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bookworm
Social climber
Falls Church, VA
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Jan 25, 2008 - 10:21am PT
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many years ago, i was probably 13 or 14, my father and i went squirrel hunting with my father's friend, john, in the gw national forest in virginia...we had driven way back on some logging roads with a pop-up trailer and were camped in a clearing--it was dark...i mean pitch
so, we're sitting around the campfire shooting the breeze when we hear this loud, weird, and (for me) terrifying screeching, which went on for about 30 seconds (at the time, it felt like several minutes)...my father and john didn't react, so i played it cool, too...then, after a couple minutes, john got up and casually walked into the camper...he returned with his shotgun, loaded it, and sat back down with the gun across his knees...nobody discussed it, but we went to bed soon after, and i watched my dad load his gun and set it within reach of the bed
at breakfast the next day, my dad and john decided it was probably screech owls (ever seen my cousin vinny?) coming off the roost...they grew up hunting and running around the woods and had encountered just about every creature in the mid atlantic region, and i could tell neither was fully satisfied with their explanation
mostly, i think there are logical explanations for most of these stories...our senses are so corrupted by modern life that we can't correctly process many of the natural sights and sounds and smells we experience in the wilderness...there are too many stories of hunters being shot accidently by experienced hunters who mistake them for animals--like deer, bear, or, yes, even turkeys...when you're deep in the wilderness and alone even the hiss of a domestic cat can sound terrifying
still, the world is way too big for us to be so certain that we know everything...i love these stories, especially the acknowledgement by most of the writers that they simply don't know what they saw or heard
my brother, very staid and not given to hyperbole, returned from a fishing trip on lake gaston...at dinner, he shared a story...he and his buddies were night fishing, probably 1 or 2 in the morning, in a small boat in the middle of the lake...when they saw a red light come across the lake and hover above them maybe a thousand feet up...no sound, just the round red light...it hovered for about a minute, then shot away at a 90 degree angle from its original trajectory...again, no sound and moving faster than anything they had ever seen...my brother saw a ufo, meaning he still cannot identify it
these stories make me want to get out there...way out there
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deano
Trad climber
sonora
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Jan 25, 2008 - 01:28pm PT
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I just realy don't think that it could have been a mountain lion. the noises were brought on by us startling something by the van. then only came back again once we investigated it with the head lamps. I dont think deer screem from being eaten based on whether or not they are being looked at by humans. plus, there would be no noise at all for quite a while and then a loud thumping followed directly by the Yeuuuutttt Yeuuuttttt in a large circle around our camp. it circled us twice before we packed up. I am toataly open to it being an animal that is already know, or a human which scares me more than anything but nothing has presented itself as reasonable so far based on what we each remember about that night.
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AllezAllez510
Trad climber
PDX, OR
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 25, 2008 - 02:23pm PT
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The thought of a person out there f@cking with us what really scared me. When we were up at Dardanelles I thought it could be some redneck defending his outdoor meth lab.
It's just wird how place can have such a creepy vibe. One other place that I always thought was super creepy was the Putah Creek bouldering area. It's a great boulder, but it is super creepy to be there by yourself.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Jan 25, 2008 - 02:36pm PT
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When I was 5 or six my grandad took me camping at Mt. Palomar. He styled me with an extra large box of dept store popcorn for the drive. We slept on pine needle beds and he made pancakes with beer. After breakfast, he showed me how he could take off his thumbs, Both of 'em! He also pulled a quarter from behind my ear.
That trip still amazes me.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Jan 25, 2008 - 02:49pm PT
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I've talked to a bunch of people who have experienced this mysterioso, and the stories are all similar, though people telling them don't necessarily know each other. Whatever it is, it is real and terrifying. Some described it as being from the spirit world. Nobody has been physically attacked, though the disappearance of a woman from Donnell Vista has never been resolved, to my knowledge. The old man who lives at the power plant above Beardsley said he had a gigantic mountain lion down there for years, but it had moved up canyon (toward direction of Donnell). Who knows what is? Mexican Mafia/pot growers?
Messner's book on the yeti is a good read, though when discussing it one night around a fire in the Desolation Wilderness, we were interrupted by what has been for me the most terrifying encounter in the mountains. We packed up camp, abandoned the fire and ran down the trail, hearing wild shrieking and crashing behind us. Perhaps it is best not to invoke the evil spirits by speaking of them in their own domain.
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BadInfluence
Mountain climber
Dak side
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Jan 25, 2008 - 02:59pm PT
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one night hanging in my friends apartment i was starring at his tapestry. all of the sudden the tapestry had all these Indians (kind of like the Indian on the 5.10 shoes) running around a fire and singing Wa Wa Wa Wa. after i puked the Indians were gone
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Jan 25, 2008 - 04:22pm PT
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That link to the Utah ranch is creepy...I'm kinda speechless.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Jan 25, 2008 - 04:43pm PT
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The link to that ranch reminds me of the whole Amityville thing. And you know how that turned out....
Funny shit!
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Jan 25, 2008 - 05:25pm PT
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Now this thread makes sense... To gain further understanding, read this
Lonely f*#kers! Go out to a bar and hook up or something already! Sheesh!
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micronut
Trad climber
fresno, ca
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Jan 25, 2008 - 05:41pm PT
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I got a great sasquatch story, I was just typing it up in a new thread. check it out.
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deano
Trad climber
sonora
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Jan 25, 2008 - 10:03pm PT
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hey Wade,
I don't give a f@ck about you or your grandpa's thumbs.
I would have called myself a idiot too before some crazy sh#t happened to me.
Like I said, I'm not saying that its bigfoot or a monster or a spirit or a ghost or an alien or chuppacabra or whatever.
I seriously think that its some person or a animal that has already been discovered.
I just said that I don't know which or what.
if you want to patronize people go to UFO.com or some other sh#t.
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Caveman
climber
Cumberland Plateau
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Jan 26, 2008 - 12:23am PT
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Deano, most folks are liable to raise an eyebrow when hearing of such stories. People have told me that the 'thing' I heard on Pigeon Mtn. was a deer, owl, bear, cat,etc. I've heard all of those and more and the first instinct I had was that it was human.......but that didn't compute because any human reaching those decibels would have to be huge!
I didn't hear that kind of call repeated until one evening about a year ago. I was in the kitchen and my wife was in the living room reading with the TV on. All of a sudden there was this vocalization on TV that brought me running into the living room.
The show that happened to be on was about the Texas bigfoot and the call was one man's rendition of what he had heard. I had never heard a duplication of the vocalization I experienced anywhere until that night and that dude nailed it! Then, as the subject was brought up stories started filtering out about many similar occurances in the same area.
The 'run away' story I found most telling is of some Johnny Rebs on patrol down along Glass Mill road the first night of the Battle of Chickamauga. They heard noise in the woods and went to investigate and exterminate. They
supposedly came face to face with a 10ft tall hairy thing that promptly chased them out of the area. Having somewhat of an idea as to the condition of Johnny I'd say it would take a whole hell of a lot to chase them away!
One thing I might add is that if any of you ever hear what I heard then the words 'might have heard' or 'may have experienced' will not be in your vocabulary. caveman
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Jan 26, 2008 - 12:42am PT
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WoodySt
Trad climber
Riverside
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Jan 26, 2008 - 11:49am PT
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It's been many years ago. My wife and I were driving through Death Valley down from Shoshone. It was dark and we were tired so I pulled off the road under some type of tree; we decided to pull out the bags and spend the night. Sometime later my wife screamed and we were both wide awake. We could feel a vibration in the ground and a loud scraping sound coming from the hill above us. We could sense something approaching from above; and even though dark, I could see something very large more or less undulating down toward us. We jumped in the car (VW Bug), and I tried to start the engine, but was so shook up, I dropped the keys and fumbled around trying to get the hell out of there. My wife was hysterical and crying, and I was freaking out. All of a sudden, I felt the car lurch a bit and the back end sink as something very big passed right over us. The Bug seemed like it was going to be pressed to the ground and crunched with us inside. I couldn't see anything; the windows were blocked. Suddenly, the car raised up and the front window cleared as whatever it was moved on in front of the car. It was in front of the car so we couldn't move out. I flipped on the lights and just about dumped in my pants. It was huge, but I couldn't tell what it was. It was moving up and down much like someone doing pushups. Then it clicked in my mind what I was seeing, and I knew we were okay. I jumped out with my flashlight and ran up next to it. Even my wife came out when I called her. Christ, it was the biggest damn Inchworm I'd ever seen.
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Cap'n Hook
Sport climber
Sonora, CA
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Don't know if anyone mentioned this before but the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center is right around the corner there with more than a few marines that no how to be invisible and scare the sh#t out of people?
A scout sniper is no joke, but I'm sure they'd love to pick on us up there.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
atlanta
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geeze I am glad I took up golf.
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lurxt
Boulder climber
San Francisco,CA
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In the early 80's I lived in Mi-Wuk Village and one summer my friend and I heard the most horrible screams in the middle of the night. It really sounded like a woman in distress but in hind sight I now really believe it may have been something else.
Also spotted an upright white thing walking in 1977 near Kingsbury Grade and I've been a bit obsessed with the subject ever since.
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
Castle Rock
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OK, I did the McLoud River one year and decided to camp out by myself at the back of the lake on private property since four hours of I-5 was not what I needed right then.
First weirdness, night time, a boat pulls into the distant cove, I watch the red and green lights change places, then disaappear.
Great. A landing party coming to use me for cat fish bait.
Nobody ever comes ashore, turns out they left, but the bank hid their lights, and I could not hear the motor.
Next up. Thump...thump...thump.
Three in the morning. Diving light reveals nothing.
Hours go by, thump...thump.
Turns out that dear were stomping in old fire pits to get coal dust on their legs to kill mites, go figure.
Long night. Would have been better off in tat the Cottonwood Truck Stop.
You want something real spooky?
Check this:
Flashlights
"It's night. We're out a fair piece. I'm not sure what language the locals spoke, but since we weren't with 'em, it doesn't matter a bunch. Probably one of the 'yard dialects, which were all outta my league, anyway. It's been a long, hot, miserable day. We're comin' out again. We've been in about five days, sneakin' and peekin', makin' with the low profile. Mostly 'cause this place is straight outta In Country, 3rd cut, 1st side of the tape - Six Clicks - and this is "Charlie's Land." Actually, it was big brother Chuck's, but you get the picture.
We'd been down in a valley with a goodly sized body of troops - not ours. They felt real comfortable there, not a lot of real tight security. We have some counts, some pics, a mail pouch some guy walkin' alone on a trail had been convinced he really didn't need anymore. We'd do that sometimes when it was time to go home. I'm told some people had use for this stuff. Don't know, don't read it any better than I speak it.
We'd moved a long way since then. We're about two klicks from our exfil point, where we're scheduled to be in the mornin'. Did a nice little fishhook, doublin' back to where we could overlook our own trail in case somebody is interested in recoverin' his mail. We move again one more time between sunset and last light, just to be sure. I have first watch. I always have first watch. I snore real bad and everybody wants to get to sleep before me. Whoever's got the watch will sit next to me for the same reason. Snorin' has its advantages - I'm always first to know.
I stand for two hours. It's dead out there. A few crickets, somethin' small movin' in the brush, some night birds about their business. We have mini-claymores out, and I make a last walk of the line before wakin' my relief. He's a "Bru," one of the northernmost tribe of 'yards; taller, heavier and darker than their southern kin. Still all of 5'4". He smiles, musta been dreamin' a good one. He takes the watch and I settle in for six or so hours of snooze. He too makes the rounds before sittin' down next to me. I'm still only in country for six months, and they're still checkin' me out. Okay, they have been doin' it for a lifetime, I'll take the crosscheck. Hell, they're better at it than I am, anyway. I drift.
Someone's shakin' my shoulder. Eyes fly open and I get ready to apologize - musta done it again. Isn't my Bru, it's Mr. Weet, the translator. His expression is not "anger-at-snoring." The rest of the senses come on line as he moves on to wake up the others. It's quiet now. Nary a cricket, bird or anythin' else. This is NOT good. Adrenalin begins to pump as the other rustle softly into wakefulness. It's been maybe two minutes since the first shake, and I'm in my web gear and recoverin' my pack. Weet comes back and points up slope in the general direction of our back trail. I don't, but I wanna scream. I also am glad for the cork, otherwise the place would be an advertisement with neon lights real fast.
A few meters below the crest of the ridge is a row of flashlights. They're movin' down slope, real slow, about five to ten meters apart, online, as dress-right-dress as the terrain allows. I've heard of this in war stories back at Kontum. Didn't believe 'em. Sh#t, flashlights, ridiculous! I'll figure out who I owe apologies to later. The one zero is up and looking, too. He looks distressed. Not at the flashlights, I think he's seen my face. I pick my jaw up, and my RPD. I'm straphangin', not a regular member of the team, and I don't want to look too bad.
The 'yards are up and ready to go. One of 'em hands Chief his CAR, and he starts makin' decisions. We get real close together and he speaks real soft. We're gonna cut and run. Don't look like we've been seen yet, though they damn sure know we are here. Don, our point (another Bru, couldn't pronounce his name, so settled on Don) starts puttin' timin' fuses on the mines. Chief makes sure everybody has grenades at hand. Directionless weapons - they go boom, and the other guys still don't know where you are. Real desirable tactic right now.
Its now about ten minutes after the first shake. Don's got everythin' rigged and we start movin' perpendicular to the approachin' line. Real slow-like. Think the phrase "excruciatingly slow" was made for this. We gotta try to be absolutely quiet in serious darkness and still make enough time to get past any flankers. There's only a few of us, and a good-sized squad could take us out. We're still too close to use the radio, too. Only got so much volume control on the damn things. We've got ten more minutes until the claymores go. That's supposed to draw attention, and when that happens we gonna run like all hell about forty-five degrees off course for the LZ. We'll hook in later when it quiets down again. We got an earlier than planned start, so we have the time. It's a good plan, the 'yards like it - so I like it.
We manage to get past the flank before time runs out. The mines go before the line gets to 'em. Seven of 'em, spaced by the time Don took to set it up. We hear startled grunts just about seven or eight meters straight uphill, where there are no flashlights. Lots of shootin' goin' on behind us, so it's "show time." The 'yards chunk grenades high thata way. I got green tracers, so I unload some of my ammo. This is prearranged, not like I'm thinkin' fast. Adrenalin dump is startin' to wear off. I'm gonna get another real soon now. One scream, maybe a grenade, maybe me. Lots of yellin'. Weet says we can cut a choggy now, they think we're confused "friendlies". We need no second invitation. There's a high speed trail about half a klick off in the direction we're goin'. No time to observe rules. Must have left a trail a blind guy could have followed. Ran the trail, too. Like I said, not a time for strict adherence to the rules.
About a half hour later, it's still dark. We set up in a bunch of rocks on a slope. We've put a ridgeline between us and the flashlights, and it's time for a little talkin'. The FAC won't be up yet, so Chief sets the radio for Moonbeam. Takes two calls, but they're home. He announces "deepshit!" and asks for a sunrise time at the LZ. Maybe some friendly air assets are in order? Damn straight! It's only two hours till dawn. So we get to humpin'. Hit the LZ early. Don and Weet leave us long enough to check it out. They come back with smiles. Good news, 'drenalin only carry you so far.
Sun begins to poke up about the time we hear a distant thunder that sounds like Phantom. Low down to the south we see the first snake comin' over a ridge line. Don sees movement on the far side of the LZ, bushes movin'. None of the rest of us see it. But we're tired. Chief has the fast movers and snakes tear up the real estate just to be on the safe side. A million bucks for a movin' bush. Whaddaf*#k! They can dock my pay.
We get on the slicks and make good time back to a friendly site where we use our bus transfers for the final leg home. Fire base somethin' or the other. Medic comes out on the firebase and paints the lacerations we got from the underbrush. Nobody's got any new holes, so we're in good shape. The guys at the fire base look at us funny. 'Sokay, we probably look a little harried. We sleep from there to Kontum. Door gunner has to wake us up. Didn't kiss the tarmac. Kissed the local equivalent of the porcelain god instead. Good enough, glad to be home.
We sleep for a day or so. Too much adrenalin is not good for you, y'know. We go to debriefin'. Doc (Recon Co. first shirt) is bent outta shape for the ordnance expenditure at the LZ. To a man, we tell him he can go do it his way next time. And what he can do with THAT. We go meet at the Recon Club and get knee-walkin', commode-huggin', snot-slingin' drunk. I apologize to the old timers. They can't figure out for what. One of 'em (Joe, I think) pulls out a flashlight and shines it in my eyes. They laugh their asses off when I sh#t gold bricks. Friends are priceless things. Have to be, who'd spend good money on 'em?
I still don't much like flashlights, even though they're handy when it gets dark."
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