Summer 2013, somewhere in the Southern California camping spot.
I was ready to go to sleep when the herd of coyotes started to howl almost directly over my head. The sound seemed to be completely surrounding us, as if they were to charge down and eat us all. The scariest moment of my life!
Back in '04 or '05 my wife and I (well girlfriend at the time) were camped out at the Wild Iris in Wyoming. My wife wasn't raised camping like I was so I told her to make sure all food was left in the vehicle about 100yds from the tent and to bring nothing but water into the tent at night.
Fast forward to about 2:30am and we are both woken up by something big and breathing heavy lumbering around outside our tent. My wife's eyes looked about the size of dinner plates when she reached into her pack and showed me that she had brought some trail mix and sunflower seeds into the tent. I told her it was probably a badger and to go back to sleep, then I stared wide eyed at the ceiling of the tent all night listening to it move around the area.
Needless to say she hasn't taken any food into a tent since then and we went out and bought a bear keg and bear mace before our next overnighter.
My scariest moments in the woods have been encounters with people instead of animals. A few years ago, a buddy and I were hammock camping in the Big South Fork in Tennessee. We were at a primitive campground before heading out to the backcountry the next day. About 3 in the morning, a pickup full of good 'ol boys pulled into the campground, drunk as heck and blaring country music. I was positive it wasn't gonna go down well. But, after about five minutes of shining their headlights at our hammocks, they slowly backed out of the campground and left. The really funny part, my buddy slept through the whole thing.
https://www.youtube.com/user/outlan
My son and I were out camping about a year or so back. It was just us, and we were probably 2 miles in from the truck, nothing serious...but far enough to feel alone. We had just finished dinner and cleaned up, it was nice and dark and we were enjoying the fire. Suddenly, from across the creek, came a voice of a man saying "Hey you over there!". I look up, see no lights, nothing, just a voice from the dark. For a second I think I am hearing things, but then he says "Can I get a little help?". I grab my light and shine the light in the direction of the voice. There stands a guy, mid 60'd I guess, trying to cross the creek. Turns out, he had come walking in earlier in the day, maybe 3 or 4 hours before, to do his normal exercise (he lived in the area) and forgot about the time change, and had no flashlight. Ended up being nothing, but for about 20 seconds or so, I was a little startled to say the least.
Last edited by gmcttr; 04-20-2015 at 21:54. Reason: no firearms per HF TOS
"I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come." - Abraham Lincoln
Being woke up by the scream of a bobcat in the "Boogie Woods" in southeast Missouri. If you have ever heard one you know what I mean when I say every hair on my body was sticking straight out. Needless to say I remained awake till sun rise.
A beautifull starry summer night in the Catskills , not a chance of rain, I slept with just a ground sheet. Woke up to a "Bear" (a heavy, definitely live weight) stepping on my chest! Sheer terror! Thought I was a goner for sure. Turned out to be a very large Porcupine walking right over me.
I THOUGHT GETTING OLDER WOULD TAKE MUCH LONGER.
Nobody's voting you off the island. Just realize that in a community, it ain't about you. And if everything you post is about you, then perhaps people might gather that you're not part of the community. Stop looking in the mirror. Look at the world from someone else's point of view.Originally Posted by irondog
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Quote Originally Posted by irondog View Post
Okay, okay. If it comes to it, 2ply, I'll bow to majority opinion, gather up my rambling incoherencies, step away from the forum and retreat into the darkness of my madness. I don't want to wreck the great thing you've all got going here. Everything's not for everybody, right? And if you'd vote that the forum's not for me, well, that's one vote closer.
I'm sure you'd be a great addition to any group hang campfire. Bet you've got some great stories to tell that would rival even SilvrSurfr's adventures. Just looks like your padding the post count to get to that magical 50 posts.
Everyone ought to believe in something....I believe I'll go set up the hammock!
So back on topic: Scariest Moment in the Woods?
I guess realizing it's Sunday and I have to go back to work Monday doesn't count does it?
I always enjoy reading scary, creepy, spooky stories in the woods / camping / hunting etc before a good camping or backpacking trip to really get my imagination riled up! Hope by bumping this, we can get some new stories coming.
Mine was about a year ago, Cuivre River State Park in Missouri. Backpacking with 2 friends. The whole feel to the woods was a little eerie for some reason, but we couldn't put a finger on it. Didn't notice much wildlife, but you could see forever in the woods. *(side note, one friend and I first trip hammocking, untested, no underquilt, although I did bring a ccf, and it got into the teens!) After warming up and having some breakfast, we hit the trail. About 1/4 mile from camp, we rounded a corner, and EVERYTHING WAS CHARRED AND STILL SMOKING!! A million thoughts came over us, but after another mile, we came across a Ranger who was out checking the area. There was a controlled burn recently, (which they do yearly in different areas, which explains how "open" it felt) Apparently we were in no danger, as it was "out" days ago, but man, that was a shocker!
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