Strange experiences?

[Quack]

What about a guide boat: www.adirondack-guide-boat.com

 

[erugs]

Spruce Grouse, Running Rabbit

Three of us were hiking in the Mahoosucs and stopped to sit awhile at a rocky ledge area. A spruce grouse came out of the woods, circled 'round us and nipped at Jerry's tee shirt sleeve. Jerry remained calm and the grouse hopped onto his boot and then up onto his knee and sat there for a few seconds before hopping down and going back into the woods. Another friend, Judy, told me about hiking up the Osseo Trail to Flume and near the end of it she was passed by a rabbit!

 

[rangermatt]

naked russians?

here one for ya,
a fellow ranger related this story to me one day, he had just gotten back from patrolling in the great gulf wilderness and encountered six naked russian dudes swimming right on the trail at one of the stream crossings , not a one spoke a word of english, through a variety of hand gestures and such he convinced them to put their clothes on and be on their way. aparently its normal in russia to sim naked en masse

 

[DougPaul]

What about a guide boat:

Looks like a narrow rowboat to me.

You can put oarlocks (or equivalent pivots) on any small craft or paddle any small craft. One could build a hybrid.

My original comment was a joke answer to an earlier comment that a guy carrying an oar on Franconia Ridge might be looking for a canoe.

This is wayyyyy off topic. Enough!

Doug

 

[moose_mckenzie]

Ahh, Bigfoot, Bears, Oars, the Gray man of Ben-Macdouhie.

I heard that there's a BF living near the Taconic Crest Trail. The thought of encountering it was bad, but that siren from miles off really scared me -- it was snowing that day on late April day the Crest. I had reached Snow Hole and heard this siren that just wailed for hours. I suspected that there was a major car accident on Petersburg Pass. When I reached the parking area, there was a NYS-DEC pickup truck in the parking lot. He knew I was hiking and was concerned because six inches of snow was predicted. He turned the siren on to bring me back to the trailhead. I guess in that part of Region 4, DEC have nothing better to do than play Big Brother.


While camping in Yosemite in '79, a bear and cub attacked the campsite, rolling a steel container with food and then bashing a car window and ripping out the backseat. It sent the cub to remove the suitcase with the food. The next night, everyone slept in their cars.

I was once coming off Whiteface on the Connery Pond side -- It's a nice traverse with two cars -- when I saw some younger people hiking up the mountain carrying oars and life jackets. Stoping to inquire, I discovered that they were City People who were afraid that if they left their gear inside their canoe, that someone would come along and steal it.

The Gray Man -- hiking in the Scoittish Highlands and seeing a figure in the mists. It's actually an optical illusion -- the sun comes from a certain angle and one's shadow is projected onto the clouds.

When you all finish your 115, why not set your sights to hike the Munro's? 283 peaks, tops and summits in Scotland. June and July are the best months to hike -- In July the sun rises at at 3:30 AM and doesn't set until 11 PM. One can also hike in the Lake District -- the pubs have the finast quaff that side of the pool.

Moose

 

[CatskillsYeti]

Catskills Yeti? Did somebody say Catskills Yeti?

 

[Raymond]

It wasn't scary, but back when I first climbed Mount Washington, three days after my 21st birthday, my friend Bob and I passed a group of guys on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, one of whom asked us if we had any "papers." Bob tersely replied "no," then, when we were out of earshot of them, explained that the person had been looking for rolling papers. I was glad I hadn't answered—I thought the guy had been inquiring about newspapers, and I was going to ask him if he wanted to know who had won the Phillies-Dodgers playoff game the night before.

I can remember being rather spooked during some of my early solo hikes: My first visit to Chimney Pond, when the campground wasn't yet open, comes to mind; as does my hike up The Owl. Nothing specific, just a sense that a bear was going to spring out from behind something at any moment.

When Susan, Cameron, and I climbed Esther, I saw a large cat print superimposed on a boot print during our descent along the herd path. As that was our first "trailless" peak I was jittery anyway, and became more so when I saw that track which Susan guessed had been made by a bobcat.

There was a guy with a high-powered-looking rifle just below the summit of Garfield. He descended to look for water.

On September 12, 2001, I met Adirondacks author Sandra Weber and two companions on the trail between Flowed Lands and Upper Works. She was dressed in turn-of-the-(20th) century clothes, as the three of them were headed to TR Mountain to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ascension of Teddy Roosevelt to the presidency.

The splashing footsteps explanation rings a bell with me, but I can't think where I may have experienced it. I haven't yet encountered anyone dressed in Civil War clothes or no clothes at all.

 

[Pat T]

strange experiences

On my first big climb in the ADKs, I reached the top of Marcy. It was a beautiful summer day with probably 20 or 30 people sharing the summit. There were two guys in fancy suits and top hats carrying a portable bar (like a briefcase with liquor in it). One of the guys had a fancy walking stick and used it to point out and name all the surrounding peaks. the other guy announced he wanted to get married and surveyed the crowd looking for a willing participant. He found a woman who agreed to be married and a man who said he was a minister and was willing to perform the ceremony--which they did. The wedding party then opened the bar and had drinks.

Pat T

 

[Mr. X]

On my first big climb in the ADKs, I reached the top of Marcy. It was a beautiful summer day with probably 20 or 30 people sharing the summit. There were two guys in fancy suits and top hats carrying a portable bar (like a briefcase with liquor in it). One of the guys had a fancy walking stick and used it to point out and name all the surrounding peaks. the other guy announced he wanted to get married and surveyed the crowd looking for a willing participant. He found a woman who agreed to be married and a man who said he was a minister and was willing to perform the ceremony--which they did. The wedding party then opened the bar and had drinks.

Pat T

Mr. X couldn't even come up with somthing as creative as that!

The weirdest thing I had happen to me was seeing some 3 dudes that seriously looked like the just jumped of some Harleys up at Chimmney Pond. They looked way out of place. Both had major ZZtop beards and were covered in tattoos. I remember one had a Sam Black Church knit hat on, to which I replied "S.B.C. Baby!" he then replied back, "Yeah, I like a little Sam Black!". The only thing that made them look like hikers at all were the Camel Back "Mule" they were each wearing. Weird.

 

[Brien]

I've night hiked Black Mountain several times over the years for sunrise shoots. One time as I was walking the early part of the trail about a mile in (fall, 5am - very dark, no moon of consequence), I heard a terrible screech from a distance away. The mind plays wild tricks on you in the middle of a pitch black woods with only the tunnel vision of a headlamp; I frooze and instantly turned off my head lamp. I thought it had to be an owl but it would have been the strangest sounding owl I've ever encountered. Then within a couple moments there was an answer but from still further away. It was too early for birds as there wasn't anything close to predawn light. I turned on my headlamp and continued when there was nothing more - besides, the cries were far away enough. I wasn't ten steps into the hike again, when I heard the screech again. Again, I turned my headlamp off and this time crouched down - instinct I guess. Then again, a few seconds later, there was an answer from further away. This time I waited several minutes - nothing. I continued my hike, reached the summit about a half hour before sunrise without incident. I never heard the sounds again that day or any other time I climbed the mountain. Like I said - i thought it had to be an owl - but it didn't ring right with me. I've heard owls and that was an odd owl(s) if there ever was one.

Subsequently I've come to find out that the Bigfoot Council (Bofro??) is doing some research in that area this coming fall.

 

[smh444]

My wife and I were hiking around North Lake campgound (Catskills) and decided to bushwack through the woods via a small creek. I was late afternoon - the creekbed was very dark and mossy...and creepy. We came upon a small stone "hut" (now known as the "witch's hut" in our family folklore). For some reason we both freaked and started running past it until we came out onto one of the campground roads.

To this day I can't explain why two adults would be so spooked by the place, but maybe some of you have seen this thing and know what I am talking about. Maybe I'll get up the nerve to find that place again!

 

[woodstrider]

Strange Experiences

I've had a few. Enought to write a book. Here are a choice few

Last summer I was taking a nap at the side of Turkey Hill Lake (Harriman St. Pk) and I woke up just in time to see a naked guy walking away down the trail. I'm glad I didn't wake up sooner, though it was a yummy butt. This is a popular swimming spot, and I wouldn't be surprised if one disrobed at the lakes edge, but to hike up to the lake naked during bug season...?

Harriman seems to attract alot of nudists- naked people seen at Pine Meadow and Lk Wankosink, as well.

Almost stepped on by a moose in camp while backpacking on the AT in Maine (I was in my tent at the time)

Had a deer leap over my tent in the Adirondacks in the middle of the night

Had a bear stick his head into my tent in the Adirondacks, also the middle of the night

Came across this old geezer with a semi-automatic rifle in the Adirondacks while hiking on the N/P trail. He kept insisting that I was lost, even though I was (obviously) backpacking on an established trail.

Had two tents damaged by mice chewing through the walls

Too many mystery sounds in the middle of the night of unknown origin to recount. Of course the first time that you hear a sound for the first time at night, it usually sounds mysterious and frightening. Well, even if you do know what it is it can still sound frightening - like deer snorting and stamping their feet outside of your tent. The worst sound was heard one night when I was bushwhacking and alone. I was sleeping in a hammock and I heard the most blood curdling sounds- only to be compared to the vocalizations of a demented ghost-coming from animals walking underneath my body. I was too afraid too move and too afraid to sleep.
Another time I was awakened by the death cries of some animal. It went on for many long seconds-horrible.

 

[ski_adk]

Hiking Saratoga Battlefield

One night I was snowshoeing Saratoga Battlefield while the very last light was fading. Just as complete night-time darkness set in, I was suddenly startled and paralyzed by a loud gunshot. I turned my head immediately to see what appeared to be a rebel soldier, in traditional blue garb, holding a smoking musket. The vision dissipated as quickly as it appeared. The goose-bumps still return to me whenever I think of this story, despite my suspicion that it was just my imagination. Regardless, this incident was definately real in my mind at the time and always will be.

Besides that, I was once spooked while hiking the woods near New Baltimore, NY a pheasant who decided to wait until I was 5 feet from it before taking off and crashing through the woods. Only about half an hour later, I came to a small, bushy clearing only to hear a rattling, click click noise. After some careful stalking, I was able to spy 2 bucks fighting over the honor of a doe. Of course I snapped a twig and the were off to the races. I continued on my way only to find the doe straddling the trail in front of me, snorting very loudly as if to say "thanks for ruining a nice date jerk!"

 

[DSettahr]

A few years ago, at night a friend and I were walking around in the woods near his house, and we thought we heard someone following us. We laughed about it, figuring it was either our overactive imaginations or some animal. About a year later, we found out that a hermit had been living in a shelter in those same woods, and when the state police came to evict him, they found a wide array of knives and machetes in his shelter. In addition to catching his own food, he was coming down out of the woods at night to steal food, supplies, and whatever he could get his hands on from the near by homes and buildings.

 

[forestgnome]

I had reached Snow Hole and heard this siren that just wailed for hours. I suspected that there was a major car accident on Petersburg Pass. When I reached the parking area, there was a NYS-DEC pickup truck in the parking lot. He knew I was hiking and was concerned because six inches of snow was predicted. He turned the siren on to bring me back to the trailhead. I guess in that part of Region 4, DEC have nothing better to do than play Big Brother. /QUOTE]

I feel sorry for hikers in NY. That is the most disgusting mommy-government episode I've ever heard of in the mountains.

My wife and I were near the summit of Mt Willard, in February, when we experienced a thunderstorm. A steady warm wind from the south-west started to bring rain, then we heard a few rumbles and thought "is it February or August?!" Then a very loud thunderclap followed a flash. We just stopped and huddled, knowing it would quickly pass.
Then a flash of lightning hit extremely close to us. The thunder was immediate and deafening. The air around us was an eerie pink for the moment, and I felt a tingle in my mouth. It was truely sureal.

 

[sweetguy5150]

footsteps & weird feeling in woods??

I read the above story of footsteps when hiking. Have you read these same reports from others and what do you think? Click & read links below...anyone who suggests this is seen as a nut, but read in these links and you will see that many, many people have had your experience, but don't say anything because people label them as a nutcase....

let me know what you think

[email protected]

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=1523

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=10289

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=1192

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=1603