The Campfire
Reader Stories
True Tales and Commentary From Our Odd Subscriber Family
This was weird.
In the early 2000’s, my friends and I were hiking at Bear Mountain State Park in NY. One of us came up with the brilliant idea that if we went off-trail and straight up the mountain, we would save some time and see some things that nobody ever does. He was right… About halfway up the mountain, we encountered three men arguing, standing around a metal industrial barrel. They were not dressed in Ranger or hiking gear; in fact, they all had dress shoes and one had a blazer on! Startled at seeing us, they got quiet and just stared at us as we moved past them. It felt very unnerving and we kept looking behind to make sure that they were not following us!
We reported the incident to a Ranger later, and she scolded us for leaving the trail and then dismissed us.
Tom in FL
About 12 years ago I was hiking with my family on a popular trail, Ravens Cliffs Falls, in NE GA. It was a weekday and off-season, so we had this gorgeous trail mostly to ourselves. As we were heading back, a mile or so from the parking lot, the forest got noticeably quiet, and we started smelling a pervasive, terrible, almost musty smell. We quickened our pace in hopes of getting through it, but I had the strange feeling that we were being watched. The smell subsided and the forest sounds came back. My wife was worried that we may have been close to a bear, but I suspected something a little more… “Squatchy”.
Definitely Not REI Shoppers...
Tom in GA
Smells... Squatchy
In the early 1980’s I lived in the Hudson Valley.
For a time we were seeing lights in the sky on a semi-regular basis, which became widely known as the Hudson Vally UFO Incident. These were allegedly debunked, with authorities saying that it was stunt pilots out of Stormville Airport flying Cessnas with blacked-out wings and lights. However, I know what a Cessna sounds like and these had no sound (not to mention that no photos of those planes or names of the pilots have been recorded). Furthermore, one night I went out to check on my barking dog and saw, right above me, a large cigar shaped craft with several glowing lights on one side hovering a few hundred feet above my backyard! I froze in terror and watched as it slowly moved away. I ran into my house to tell my parents, and when they went outside, it was gone.
TC in NY
That Ain't No Cessna
I just saw the trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero. Damn! Minus One was such a great movie, I can’t wait to see this one!
4 Months Until the BIG GUY Returns!
TC in NY
Tom in FL