Any spooky stories to go with this time of year?

I haven't had much happen to me in the wilds that can't be explained by my overactive imagination, but it would be interesting to hear what some of you can come up with.

ETA: Oh, wait, I take that back. There was that time I saw this guy in a kilt doing a bikini pose...or trying to do one, anyway. It kinda looked more like a Superman pose. Still mystified and kind of scared (terrified) by that one.
 
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Rockskipper said:
I haven't had much happen to me in the wilds that can't be explained by my overactive imagination, but it would be interesting to hear what some of you can come up with.

ETA: Oh, wait, I take that back. There was that time I saw this guy in a kilt doing a bikini pose...or trying to do one, anyway. It kinda looked more like a Superman pose. Still mystified and kind of scared (terrified) by that one.
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You get used to it........,
 
Maybe someone will have a good story from the Superstition Mountains. Not wilderness, but the most uncomfortable I got was alone on the 2nd floor of the old hotel in South Pass City. Didn't stay long.
 
Rockskipper said:
I haven't had much happen to me in the wilds that can't be explained by my overactive imagination, but it would be interesting to hear what some of you can come up with.

ETA: Oh, wait, I take that back. There was that time I saw this guy in a kilt doing a bikini pose...or trying to do one, anyway. It kinda looked more like a Superman pose. Still mystified and kind of scared (terrified) by that one.
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I bet you're still having nightmares about the kilt dude doing the bikini pose. :D
 
Okay, I've got three stories that kind of had me a bit worried when they happened.

Story 1 - Roughly 35 years ago in the fall, I did a two week trip into Yellowstone. I started on the east side of Yellowstone Lake, made my way down into the Thorofare, and then exited along the South Boundary Trail to the south entrance of the park. One of my campsites was at Mariposa Lake on the Two Ocean Plateau. Back in the day there were two campsites at Mariposa: one was set in stone, and the other was an open site as long as you camped 100 feet from the lake. I think the Park Service only has one campsite at the lake these days. Anyway, I was staying at the open campsite and the other campsite at the east end of the lake was unoccupied, and in the middle of the night I could hear something outside my tent. I listened intently as it kept moving around. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably about 10 seconds, it began to make a noise that was unfamiliar to me at the time, but have since come to know as a grizzly popping its jaws. I suspected that it might be a bear, but at the time was unsure. I'm convinced today that it was a grizzly that was curious about my tent that night.

Story 2 - As most of you know, I have a healthy infatuation with the Howard Eaton Trail. :thumbsup: And one October many moons ago, I started out to find and hike a section of the old trail. The section that I was interested in was the one that runs from north of Lower Geyser Basin to Gibbon Falls. This section of the trail actually is an old stagecoach road too, and it made a "U" turn above Gibbon Falls. Riders on the stagecoach would hike down from the turn to get a view of the falls. In order to find the old trail, I had to hike along the old Mesa Road before off-trailing it to find the Howard Eaton. Seemed pretty straight forward to me at the time, but what I didn't know was that there was a carcass dump along the old road! The Park Service has a few carcass dumps located in the park that they don't really advertise. So as I made my way up the old Mesa Road, I ran into a sign that said, "WARNING! Due to Bear Danger Area Beyond This Sign Is Closed To All Travel." Well, for those who know me, a bear sign wasn't going to deter my finding the Howard Eaton, so I continued up the road. I should add that it had snowed about an inch the night before and the snow revealed all of the bear tracks that were heading up and down Mesa Road. As, I got closer to the actual dump site, I ran into a severed elk leg in the road, and then what looked like a piece of cooked chicken. How that got there I've often wondered. :thinking: At this point I had taken my bear spray out of its holster and had it aimed directly in front of me. As I continued down the road, it had become deathly silent, and then a large raven flew right over the top of my head. The only thing I could hear in the stillness was the woosh, woosh, woosh of its flapping wings. One of the most eerie times I have ever experienced in my life. I continued on and soon ran into a circular clearing that was clearly a carcass dump. Besides all the grizzly tracks, there was a good sized bison carcass near the middle of the clearing, and various piles of bones throughout. It appeared to me that bears had taken some of the remains and dragged them into the surrounding trees around the clearing. Deathly silent, but no bears that I could see. I didn't stay for long and left the dump to continue along the road. This might be the bravest, or stupidest thing I have ever done. Eventually, I ran into a telephone line cut that crossed the road, and there was a telephone on one of the poles. I so wanted to pick it up and order a pizza. :) Anyway, soon after the telephone in the middle of nowhere, I cut off the road and bushwhacked until I found the old Howard Eaton Trail. Definitely a day to remember. Oh and by the way, I lost my bear spray on the way down the rocky cliffs on the east side of Gibbon Falls. If anyone finds it could you please return it to me? :D

Story 3 - My first hike to Perkins Peak along Parley's Ridge here in Salt Lake City caused me some concern back in the day. It was mid April and I headed to Perkins from the valley floor. Just before reaching the summit a storm rolled quickly in from the west and the next thing I knew I was in a whiteout. Needless to say, I didn't make the summit and I started making my way back slowly along the ridgeline. To get to Perkins, you essentially were following a game trail near the ridgeline. Of course, I had no idea where the game trail ran at this point, so I just stayed at the top of the ridge and headed west towards the valley. This required a lot of bushwhacking on my part, but I eventually made it back down, and as I neared trail's end, the sun popped out and it turned out to be a beautiful rest of the day. Definitely the scariest I have been on a local hike.
 
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My spookiest memory comes from a deer hunting trip about 30 years ago. We were in a very remote backcountry area up above Rangely, CO. and my part of the morning hunt was to circle a large, mostly open drainage. I'd never hiked this area and was alone but unconcerned as it seemed pretty straightforward. About midway through my hunt a storm rolled in and it began to snow. As I began the return route to my truck the snow got heavier, and eventually it was near whiteout conditions with visibility down to about 30'. By now I was getting cold and just wanted to be out of there. I navigated a couple miles to the area where I felt my truck should be, but no such luck. Every fiber in my being was telling me I was up too high and my truck was somewhere down below me, but I was definitely concerned-not a good situation to be lost. As I assessed my predicament it popped into my head that if I was above my truck it was likely that I would have crossed the road I drove in on at some point. So after ruminating for a few minutes I decided to overrule my initial feelings about where I was and head uphill. As someone who has always been able to rely on my instincts it was an unnerving decision fraught with uncertainty, but ultimately it was the right move.
 
I used to like to night hike, as it was the only way I could get any exercise when the days were short, having an office job at the time. I knew it was sketchy, but oh man, the night sky, seeing beautiful meteorites, etc. made it worth it. I usually hiked the same trail, which was fairly open, going mostly though sagebrush (W. CO) and I could often see pretty well. One night, I decided to hike an old logging road around the other side of the mountain that went through deep timber. I got about a mile or so up the road when I had the most terrifying feeling from nowhere. I knew there were bears and mountain lions in the area, but I'd hiked there many times (but only in the daylight) and had maybe a false sense of safety.

I stopped and listened and could hear something coming my way, mostly from the breaking of twigs and such. It was a dark night, and I usually tried not to use my headlamp, as I liked having my night vision. I thought about turning it on, then decided against it, as it would tell whatever this was where I was standing. I stepped off the trail, even though I had a strong urge to run.

Something walked down the road, right past me, and all I could tell was that it was big. A big buck? A bear? Who knows? In retrospect, it probably knew I was there from its sense of smell.

I waited for awhile, then turned and slowly walked back to my truck, hoping not to outpace whatever it was, still fighting the urge to run. I jumped in my rig and locked the door. There were no other vehicles around. I really can't recall ever being so terrified. I once had a pack of coyotes follow me down a mountain, which I found more amusing than scary. Whatever it was, my terror was unfounded as it never even acknowledged my presence.
 
Rockskipper said:
When you look at it just right, everyplace was once wilderness, so I changed the thread title. Tell us the details, @OldBill
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I enjoy pioneer history and stopped by South Pass City when driving to the other side of the Winds. Only a couple of staff and an elderly couple were in the entire town. Nice, sunny day exploring the old buildings. Went into the hotel and was surprised that you could go upstairs. Got about halfway up the stairs when I got a distinct feeling that I wasn't wanted. Stopped a moment, listened, looked around but I was alone. It got harder to climb the rest of the stairs. Just a heaviness in the air. The feeling intensified as I got to the top. Looked at the rooms but didn't go further. Just felt uneasy. Went back down the stairs and the feeling left by the time I came to the first floor.

Probably an overactive imagination, though I keep an open mind. Did a little research and found out that the Carissa Mine is said to be haunted and the Bartlett Inn (separate from the hotel) was home to a serial killer:

The Old Mining Town In Wyoming With A Sinister History That Will Terrify You
 
OldBill said:
I enjoy pioneer history and stopped by South Pass City when driving to the other side of the Winds. Only a couple of staff and an elderly couple were in the entire town. Nice, sunny day exploring the old buildings. Went into the hotel and was surprised that you could go upstairs. Got about halfway up the stairs when I got a distinct feeling that I wasn't wanted. Stopped a moment, listened, looked around but I was alone. It got harder to climb the rest of the stairs. Just a heaviness in the air. The feeling intensified as I got to the top. Looked at the rooms but didn't go further. Just felt uneasy. Went back down the stairs and the feeling left by the time I came to the first floor.

Probably an overactive imagination, though I keep an open mind. Did a little research and found out that the Carissa Mine is said to be haunted and the Bartlett Inn (separate from the hotel) was home to a serial killer:

The Old Mining Town In Wyoming With A Sinister History That Will Terrify You
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That was an interesting read.

"You can tour the Carissa Mine and visit the South Pass Mercantile shop, but as you stroll the town's main street, be sure to keep in mind those who were never able to leave."

Yikes - no wonder your intuition told you to leave!
 
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