Spookdaddy
Cuckoo
- Joined
- May 24, 2006
- Messages
- 7,963
- Location
- Midwich
Slightly old news, but intriguing – and, unless I’ve missed something in the mean time, I don’t think there’s been a resolution. I’ve had a quick shufty around the MB but can’t find that the following story ever made it here – which kind of surprises me. Bump me if I’m wrong.
Full article here.
I was in Scotland at the time and first became aware of this the weekend after it happened - after overhearing a conversation in Tiso’s outdoor gear store in Edinburgh. I later found out that a friend was climbing up there at the time and actually heard the screams. The area was busy with ice climbers at the beginning of the year – apparently the conditions were particularly good at that time – and, if the chatter on the net is anything to go by, the sound was heard by a surprising amount of people. (It’s worth pointing out that the BBC article is first hand – the BBC producer who wrote it was actually there at the time.)
Various culprits have been put forward, some obvious, some not so: foxes, Sika deer, even Bear Grylls (yep, seriously – someone from his production team actually responded).
It’s worth checking out the whole thread on this at UKClimbing, What happened today on the Ben?!. Remarkable for the number of witnesses, the odd scary experience, and how civilised everyone is.
Myself - I’d discount all the options listed above. That amount of outdoors types are going to, between them, recognise a fox call, or the cry of a sika deer, or an eagle. I tend to think that if enough of those witnesses thought they heard a human scream, then that’s what they heard.
I don’t have much of an alternative, though. The one story that does come to mind was told me some years ago by a guy I was training with (and the subject is mentioned in passing by at least one of the UKC posters). He’d been called out to help in the search of a moorland area after screaming had been heard by several witnesses – after an extensive, expensive and fruitless search it was discovered, that night in the pub, that a bunch of New Age types on some sort of overpriced self awareness course had done a primal screaming session up in the hills.(Funny how many people who want to be at one with themselves and/or nature - seem to forget about everyone else; clearly no regard for the effect that screaming their lungs out on a lonely hillside might have on locals, walkers, tourists, the emergency services - or even the sheep.)
Full article here.
I was in Scotland at the time and first became aware of this the weekend after it happened - after overhearing a conversation in Tiso’s outdoor gear store in Edinburgh. I later found out that a friend was climbing up there at the time and actually heard the screams. The area was busy with ice climbers at the beginning of the year – apparently the conditions were particularly good at that time – and, if the chatter on the net is anything to go by, the sound was heard by a surprising amount of people. (It’s worth pointing out that the BBC article is first hand – the BBC producer who wrote it was actually there at the time.)
Various culprits have been put forward, some obvious, some not so: foxes, Sika deer, even Bear Grylls (yep, seriously – someone from his production team actually responded).
It’s worth checking out the whole thread on this at UKClimbing, What happened today on the Ben?!. Remarkable for the number of witnesses, the odd scary experience, and how civilised everyone is.
Myself - I’d discount all the options listed above. That amount of outdoors types are going to, between them, recognise a fox call, or the cry of a sika deer, or an eagle. I tend to think that if enough of those witnesses thought they heard a human scream, then that’s what they heard.
I don’t have much of an alternative, though. The one story that does come to mind was told me some years ago by a guy I was training with (and the subject is mentioned in passing by at least one of the UKC posters). He’d been called out to help in the search of a moorland area after screaming had been heard by several witnesses – after an extensive, expensive and fruitless search it was discovered, that night in the pub, that a bunch of New Age types on some sort of overpriced self awareness course had done a primal screaming session up in the hills.(Funny how many people who want to be at one with themselves and/or nature - seem to forget about everyone else; clearly no regard for the effect that screaming their lungs out on a lonely hillside might have on locals, walkers, tourists, the emergency services - or even the sheep.)
