“The scariest and most dangerous thing to encounter out in the wilderness is a person.”
By
Updated 4 years ago,July 4, 2021
1.
The torture chamber in the Rocky Mountains.
Amy Treasure
My boyfriend at the time and I were hiking up in the Rockies.
We came across what looked like a small silo.
The door on it had a padlock but was unlocked.
Like it had been busted off.
We were curious what it was inside of it because it was weird we came upon anything at all.
We werent on a trail and were wayyyy up there.
My boyfriend at the time opened it up and inside was what looked like a torture chamber.
Like full on chair with restraints and chains coming from the ceiling.
There was a trap door on the floor and no way were we opening it.
We hiked right back to our car and left.
Still feel creepy about it…
illuminitty
2.
When the forest goes silent, pack up and move along.
The unexplainable, though, are obviously not as cut and dry.
When the forest goes silent, pack up and move along.
SullenSolly
3.
The scariest and most dangerous thing to encounter out in the wilderness is a person.
I work at a summer camp taking kids on canoe trips for a few days at national parks.
One night after setting up campsite and quenching the fire I was doing last check of the campsite.
I looked at the lake and saw this lone man paddling a canoe.
He waved so being the polite Canadian I am I waved back.
Went to bed in the staff tent and everything was normal.
I exit the tent and see this man on our campsite, looking through our tarps and bags.
For what I dont know, maybe drugs or food but thats not important.
This stranger is by the campers I am responsible for.
We make eye contact and this guy stands up.
A can of bear mace.
We dont really speak just like Oh…I…didnt…see…you…guys.
when he is leaving I immediately wake up the other staff and we see to it he leaves.
Without a doubt the scariest moment I had on the job.
Ive learned not to fear animals, as for the most part they are predictable dumb and not malicious…
But people on the other hand.
The scariest and most dangerous thing to encounter out in the wilderness is a person.
timothy beans
4.
Someone was throwing bowling-ball-sized rocks at us from the underbrush.
A friend and I were out fishing on the river in a little John boat.
Were sitting there relaxing and the sun is starting to go down, the crickets are starting to chirp.
All of a sudden we hear a loud splash behind us and toward the opposite bank.
We see the end of the splash and watch for a few more seconds.
Then we see it.
This rock comes hurling down the river bank and into the water, near us.
Not tumbling, being thrown.
And these arent little stones either.
Theyre probably about the size of a bowling ball.
We could hear movement in the underbrush but couldnt see anything as there wasnt a lot of light.
We finally decided to call it a day when one of them got a little too close.
JackP133
5.
All I could see were two eyes about 3.5-4 ft in the air.
I was the lone recreation ranger in a small district in southern Idaho.
Nearest town from guard station was about an 1.5 hours away by car.
Now this district was known for its badgers and beavers…so I didnt think much of it.
When leaving the cabin at night, I always had an eerie feeling like I was being watched.
At the time, I did not have my shotgun in the vehicle.
All I could see were two eyes about 3.5-4 ft in the air.
To say I freaked out was an understatement.
I started yelling Get the fuck out of here but the eyes only crouched down and inched closer.
At this point I could tell it was a large animal of some kind, definitely not a coyote.
Tossed four or five more pieces and creature still inched forward.
At this point I fumbled with the keys, of course the fucking solar power was out again.
Went outside, creature was bit closer.
Still could not get a good look with my shitty headlamp.
Loaded shotgun and continued to throw pieces of wood with one hand.
Finally the creature walked back into the brush.
That night, I drank about four IPAs and slept with my shotgun.
Considering that it was always muddy up there it was weird to not find any tracks.
Ive been stalked by mountain lions before and never had that eerie feeling like I did in those woods.
CloudGod13
6.
They heard at least 20 people scream get out!
Well that night they heard footsteps and a lot of them outside their tent.
Then they heard at least 20 people scream get out!
Needless to say they got the fuck out and radioed it in.
DesertMermaid87
7.
The guy offers to let my friend watch the place while he goes to visit his son.
I have no fucking idea what to do.
Ive completely lost sight of her and shes naked in the woods by herself.
About five meters into complete darkness I look down and see a faint light from someones phone.
I never told them what really happened and she didnt remember in the morning.
But I did lock the door and wake up every hour just to keep an eye on things.
bystander007
8.
Not a ranger, but I lived on the outskirts of a national park in a cabin.
My roommate at the time was interning with the park service, but he is a…city kid.
Is it a pig?
Is it just the wind?
I started hearing those footsteps again.
He got robbed, not once, buttwiceafter I moved out!
So he finally put up motion triggered cameras… Teachtaire
9.
One lone desk in the middle of the woods attached to an electrical socket.
The first day and night was amazing.
Beautiful scenery and amazing air quality.
It really is so peaceful out there.
I love that area and wish I got to go up there more often.
We ended up traveling about 2 hours away from our actual path we had laid out.
That outlet is mounted on the side of a desk.
No chair, no building, no nothing, just this outlet and this desk.
That fucker then lit up and started blaring static.
The wire was being fed from somewhere.
And yet, there was a live outlet.
No spooky jump-scares or bodies, just one, lone powered desk in the middle of the woods.
I wish I had taken a picture of it.
Sand_Dargon
10.
To this day we are both convinced he was a ghost.
Was hiking in Andorra with a friend.
Long story short, we got lost off the trail and ended up inSpain.
Found another trail and were following it, without a map.
He looks young and is carrying climbing gear over his shoulder.
Were rushing down the trail to catch up with him and finally do.
He says theres another, smaller, town about 6km away and that he parked his car there.
We are over the moon and so we hike together for a while.
The dogs are nice and friendly, running circles around us.
lighthouse_queen
11.
The mystery harmonica player.
Ive only ever lived one place in my whole life.
I lived with my family up on a mountain in ruralAlabama.
Like, really rural.
Just trees, leaves, and pine straw.
So just a ~3 mile radius of private woodland.
So I decided it would be cool to go walk out to my favorite spot in the woods.
Fireflies and the sound of a small stream the whole shebang.
She seemed tentative at first because she was smart but ultimately caved to the thought of adventure.
So we start walking down the path I had cut out.
At first I really didnt think much of it.
So I pretty much ignored it.
Then after a bit of walking it was definitely getting to be more and more pronounced.
The sound of someone playing a harmonica had been gaining on us in the dark the whole way.
It was still out there, playin its harmonica.
And we listened to it pass the house and fade into the pines.
By far the most surreal, horrifying experience of my life.
Probably my most cherished memory too because that girl ended being the one that got away.
