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Fortean Hiking Adventures

tastyintestines

tastyintestines

Justified & Ancient
Joined
Jan 28, 2002
Messages
1,610
I'm about to spend some serious time on the Appalachian Trail and would like to hear about anybody's experiences and encounters. I know there are some ghost legends in the small towns along the way. Cryptids include the carolina lizard man and the nj devil. Bonus points for any abandoned and ruinous sites. Thanks in advance!
 
Look out for the Moon-Eyed People!

I'm sure I've read a short story which contains elements of this legend - in fact, it's what made me think of it at mention of Appalachia - but I can't for the life of me think of where it came from. I'm actually wondering now if it's something I've read in a James Lee Burke novel: I think I'm right in remembering that To the Bright and Shining Sun is set on the Cumberland Plateau, and Burke often mentions elements of folklore and legend in his work.
 
Which particular sections / stretches of the AT are you planning to visit / hike?

Or are you scanning for options anywhere along the trail's entire length?
 
tastyintestines said:
I'm about to spend some serious time on the Appalachian Trail and would like to hear about anybody's experiences and encounters. I know there are some ghost legends in the small towns along the way. Cryptids include the carolina lizard man and the nj devil. Bonus points for any abandoned and ruinous sites. Thanks in advance!
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Take a banjo.
 
We are starting in Shenendoah and hope to make it up into New England. Any stories along the trail would be cool and this thread could stay open for anybodies experiences on any trail. That's why i tried to keep the title a little generic.

Thanks Yith. I do like big eyed women for some reason so that could be a double bonus. :cooll:

We have heard a lot of banjo and Burt Reynolds jokes. ha Amazing how ingrained that movie is in our culture.


My buddy has a gofundme site but I'll try not to spam it here, since this is as close as I get to s*cial media. Any rich baronesses may pm me for a link. :D
 
tastyintestines said:
We are starting in Shenendoah and hope to make it up into New England. ...
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Thanks for the clarification ... I have nothing to offer, because your planned adventure will be entirely north (and distant ... ) from any of the Tennessee / Carolinas locations I might have recommended.
 
EnolaGaia said:
Thanks for the clarification ... I have nothing to offer, because your planned adventure will be entirely north (and distant ... ) from any of the Tennessee / Carolinas locations I might have recommended.
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Shoot, my buddy has already done most of the smokies and we are trying to avoid the hiker bubble that comes through the trail.
 
tastyintestines said:
We are starting in Shenendoah and hope to make it up into New England. Any stories along the trail would be cool and this thread could stay open for anybodies experiences on any trail. That's why i tried to keep the title a little generic.

Thanks Yith. I do like big eyed women for some reason so that could be a double bonus. :cooll:

We have heard a lot of banjo and Burt Reynolds jokes. ha Amazing how ingrained that movie is in our culture.


My buddy has a gofundme site but I'll try not to spam it here, since this is as close as I get to s*cial media. Any rich baronesses may pm me for a link. :D
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I seem to recall there's a species of large salamander in that part of the world, it might pay to keep your ear to the ground for reports of any very large ones.
 
I have little to add except - have an amazing time!

I wild-camped in the Appalachians in 1998 for a couple of weeks. Had an absolutely wonderful time. Such a beautiful and a remote landscape.

Eric Rudolph was, I suspect, not too far from us.
 
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Coal said:
Take a banjo.
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...and some vaseline!!

tastyintestines said:
...We have heard a lot of banjo and Burt Reynolds jokes. ha Amazing how ingrained that movie is in our culture...
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Yep - despite the fact that the movie was set and filmed in Georgia, any mention of time spent out of doors in any area in the temperate zone that has more trees than people and a river running through it will inevitably involve discussion of the movie.

We should call it Boorman’s Law:

As any online interaction concerning camping grows longer, the probability that the discussion will involve being tied to a tree and buggered by a dentally challenged cretin in a truckers cap increases.

(Distinct from Carpenter’s Law, for the arctic circles - and Kurtz’s Rule, for the tropics.)
 
I take it you've read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.....remember the Black Bears have NOT signed a "No attacking people" treaty !.
I am incredibly envious, I mean the South Downs Way is really nice, but it dos'nt really compare.And yeah, Missing 411.
 
Bullseye_v2_0 said:
I take it you've read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.....remember the Black Bears have NOT signed a "No attacking people" treaty !.
I am incredibly envious, I mean the South Downs Way is really nice, but it dos'nt really compare.And yeah, Missing 411.
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My friend made me watch it , mainly so he could use it to make fun of me. ;) I've been looking into some of your trails and i'm jealous too. That 600 miler in the southwest looks cool and def the highlands trails.
 
Oregon hiker could face charges for bringing 'malnourished' bear cub to wildlife center

Animal officials in Oregon are reminding the public to leave wildlife alone after a hiker who discovered a bear cub in distress brought the animal to a wildlife center himself.

On Monday evening, Salem resident Corey Hancock, who could face charges for his actions, was hiking the Santiam River Trail outside the city when he came across the 3-month-old cub about two miles down the trail, he told ABC News today.


Hancock, who said he has been hiking the trail for more than 20 years, described the bear as "motionless" when he found it.


"I thought he was dead," he said. "He did kind of twitch a couple times so I knew he was dying or going through the motions of death when I found him."


Hancock said he moved back about 50 yards in case the bear's mother turned up and watched the cub. When the cub didn't move for about 10 minutes, Hancock said he decided to take his flannel out and "wrap [the bear] up and make a run for it."


Hancock said he then raced back to his car and drove toward Salem. Once he got back in cell service range, he posted a photo to Facebook asking for help.

more at...
https://tinyurl.com/l65ll5w

Misleading title, more than likely he won't be charged.
 
tastyintestines said:
My friend made me watch it
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Read the book, so much funnier.

Done bits of the Southwest trail when on holiday down there,really nice.

In the UK we don't have the Wilderness like North America, some bits of Scotland and various moors are bloody impressive. But we do have fantastic Public Footpaths, it's a wonderfull system,you can freely walk any Public Footpath over farmland, woodland, moors,levels,private land, there are 10's of 1000's of miles of them. As well as the long distance paths, which are just lots of PF's joined together.All you need is an Ordanance Survey map (marvalously detailed), a good pair of boots and a backpack with a little something to munch on, binoculars and camera always a good idea.
Start walking at 4 or 5 am on a spring or summer Sunday morning and you won't see another person for 4 or 5 hours,wonderful.
Then as the world wakes up you'll hear church bells and high powered motorcycles being driven by middle aged men and women trying to regain their youth !.
 
tastyintestines said:
Oregon hiker could face charges for bringing 'malnourished' bear cub to wildlife center

Animal officials in Oregon are reminding the public to leave wildlife alone after a hiker who discovered a bear cub in distress brought the animal to a wildlife center himself.

On Monday evening, Salem resident Corey Hancock, who could face charges for his actions, was hiking the Santiam River Trail outside the city when he came across the 3-month-old cub about two miles down the trail, he told ABC News today.


Hancock, who said he has been hiking the trail for more than 20 years, described the bear as "motionless" when he found it.


"I thought he was dead," he said. "He did kind of twitch a couple times so I knew he was dying or going through the motions of death when I found him."


Hancock said he moved back about 50 yards in case the bear's mother turned up and watched the cub. When the cub didn't move for about 10 minutes, Hancock said he decided to take his flannel out and "wrap [the bear] up and make a run for it."


Hancock said he then raced back to his car and drove toward Salem. Once he got back in cell service range, he posted a photo to Facebook asking for help.

more at...
https://tinyurl.com/l65ll5w

Misleading title, more than likely he won't be charged.
Click to expand...
Well worth getting arrested for .. well done Mr Hancock.
 
Oregon hiker could face charges for bringing 'malnourished' bear cub to wildlife center...
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Moral: Always leave a bear behind.

Although...on second thoughts – and given previous references to a certain movie – a bear behind in the North American wilderness can lead to chafing and social embarrassment, so one needs to be cautious.
 
We had to get back to town for a job but knocked out about 110 miles through the park. Most Fortean thing we came across was a Weird Virginia book at a hostel. Have to keep my out for that series.
 
Yithian said:
Photographs?
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My buddy has them on his site but I think he has to accept you as a friend to see em.
link broke

The hike was also a tribute to Loki who was our best friend that we had to put down this winter.

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cell%20phone%20pics%20(1).jpg
 
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Drat: me no Facebooky.

You look like the kind of chap that will have extra stuff packed and pull it out at that perfect moment.

I like 'terrain' from other locales.

Am planning a hike here when like permits.
 
I was the only one on the trail that lugged a 2 liter of mt. dew around all day but, it tasted awesome at the camp at night. :revelry: A lot of nicknaming going on out there. We are lashers(long ass section hikers) so the thru hikers considered us tourists. I earned the nickname earthquake. Because at a hostel I slipped in the shower and when I landed the entire house shook.

Good luck on your Hike Yithian. It def is the cheapest way to get out and enjoy the world.
 
My files are to big to load directly so I will have to find a site to host em. This video is a thru hike(Berry not ours) of the section we did for the time being. (Also pic added to old post three up)

 
tastyintestines said:
My files are to big to load directly so I will have to find a site to host em. This video is a thru hike(Berry not ours) of the section we did for the time being. (Also pic added to old post three up)

Click to expand...

So sad about Loki. Beautiful dog.
 
Not hugely Fortean, I'll grant you, but something I spotted on yesterday's hike amused me somewhat.

I went for a trudge on the South Downs way around Cheesefoot Head (just outside Winchester).
I hadn't been there for several years and was hoping to spot a crop circle or two. Cheesefoot Head used to be renowned for some intricate patterns.
Unfortunately, the crops that used to grow in the valley are no more and have been replaced by grass for grazing animals.

pic4.JPG

I carried on along the rather overgrown path, beset by Heracleum Mantegazzianum on both sides (not to mention lots of stinging nettles):

pic1.JPG


I pushed on a little further, through some old woodland, with a curiously Lord of the Ringsy feel to it and recalled Gandalf's sage advice to stay on the path:

pic2.JPG


Then reached an open area once more and a sign someone had fixed to a fencepost caught my eye:

pic3.JPG


Teleport? Teleport!!

With visions of Scotty beaming me up, I hastily scanned the QR code, only to get a page not found error.
Curioser and curioser!

On Googling it though, the truth was far more mundane.
Teleport, as well as a sci-fi term also refers to a satellite uplink station and the one located at Morn Hill is one of the largest in the country.

The small white smudge in the background, to the left of the post is the white satellite dish.

So, not Star Trekky at all.
At most, slightly Quatermassy.
 
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