Weird things in the woods

Matt B said:
Notable things I have found on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie:

A realistic looking fake grenade rigged up with paracord attached to a stick to look like some kind of booby trap.

A fully functional three man Sevylor raft floating in the eddy next to a favorite fishing hole. It was full of leaves and fir and hemlock needles. I still have it and occasionally use it with the kids.

An intact, only slightly beat up PBR tall boy that floated right to me, and which I felt obligated to open and drink immediately. Just barely downstream from where I found the raft, come to think of it.

People doin’ the nasty.
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Dude, the Middle Fork is wild. At least it used to be.
I was walking to the river one day and the trail forked. I went left towards the river and just after making that left I look over to the right trail and there's this dude walking the other way with a rifle on his shoulder. He's like "Hi man". I was like "hey..." and just kept walking. I looked back and the dude was just in tennis runners and old, dirty jeans. It was late July. No hunting seasons were open. Pretty sure this dude was hunting for food and was probably one of the several "campers" out there during those days. This was not very far upriver. I was just glad that he kept on walking like it was no big deal.
I definitely kept my eye on shore that trip though and got out well before dark.

The other MF story isn't mine, but I'll tell it. My buddy had just parked in one of the more popular pullouts. Again, not very far upriver. He was still sitting in his truck, checking his phone or something when 2 big cougars just walked out of the trees and casually walked across the road, all while totally watching my buddy. He said the cats didn't take their eyes off him all the way across the road. In fact, they sort of cut diagonally across the road closer to his truck as they crossed. He is positive they could see him through the windshield and then the side window.
And then they went down by the river. He did NOT go fishing that day. Haha!

Probably 2 bachelor males with empty bellies. Maybe they were attracted by gut piles from my buddy "camper". Who knows... He knew cougars don't usually act that way so he was OUT.
 
I used to fish Ebey Lake solo in the early 90s. On one of those trips...damn, I just realized that was my last trip to Ebey. Dang. Anyway, you had about a 150-200 yard walk through the woods to get to the lake. I got there after work one day to fish the evening caddis mayhem. Had a great time fishing, caught a few gnarly cutts like this one.
Ebeycutt.jpg

When I heard a truck driving out at the road. I heard him stop at my truck. It was getting pretty late so I was doubtful that someone would try and hustle in this late. So I listened intently and heard his door open and shut. Heard my door open and shut. And then heard his door open and shut and then he drove off. Now, if you are familiar with Ebey, you are probably wondering if I heard banjos. No, I did not. Haha! But as many may know, Ebey had lots of poachers and evidently a lot of neighboring poor people that don't like to pay to dump their garbage. I had seen plenty of sketchy dudes in their "how is that even running" trucks up there.
So I was relieved that nobody hot-wired my truck, but I was also in a panic once I realized I didn't have my keys. They weren't in my pocket, not in the waders and not on or in the tube. But hey, you can't miss the crazy October caddis action right before dark, right?. Haha!

So I fished nearly till dark and then made the nervous walk back to the truck. While my brain was trying to rerun what I might have done with the keys, I suddenly had that weird feeling I've only had 2 times in my life. I felt like I was being stalked by a big cat. In fact, there was no mistake of that feeling. If you've had it, you know.
It was pretty much dark by this point and I'm thinking "Okay, throw the tube at him and when he pops it it will scare him away." Haha! I slowed my walking and would stop every few seconds and point my crappy & tiny flashlight every direction. I was also singing nervously in a pissed off tone. I finally made it out of the woods and felt relief that at least if the cat got me here someone would find me.

Once I got to the truck I tried the door and it was unlocked. And, the keys were in the lock! So the guy that I thought was a killin, car stealin, no good redneck dipshit was actually a very nice fellow that must have seen my keys on the ground and put them in the lock for me. There's still some good guys out there!

I started my truck, turned on the lights, honked the horn about 5 times, tied the tube down and got the hell out of there. Man I miss that lake! :ROFLMAO::mad::unsure:
 
skyriver said:
I used to fish Ebey Lake solo in the early 90s. On one of those trips...damn, I just realized that was my last trip to Ebey. Dang. Anyway, you had about a 150-200 yard walk through the woods to get to the lake. I got there after work one day to fish the evening caddis mayhem. Had a great time fishing, caught a few gnarly cutts like this one.
View attachment 81811

When I heard a truck driving out at the road. I heard him stop at my truck. It was getting pretty late so I was doubtful that someone would try and hustle in this late. So I listened intently and heard his door open and shut. Heard my door open and shut. And then heard his door open and shut and then he drove off. Now, if you are familiar with Ebey, you are probably wondering if I heard banjos. No, I did not. Haha! But as many may know, Ebey had lots of poachers and evidently a lot of neighboring poor people that don't like to pay to dump their garbage. I had seen plenty of sketchy dudes in their "how is that even running" trucks up there.
So I was relieved that nobody hot-wired my truck, but I was also in a panic once I realized I didn't have my keys. They weren't in my pocket, not in the waders and not on or in the tube. But hey, you can't miss the crazy October caddis action right before dark, right?. Haha!

So I fished nearly till dark and then made the nervous walk back to the truck. While my brain was trying to rerun what I might have done with the keys, I suddenly had that weird feeling I've only had 2 times in my life. I felt like I was being stalked by a big cat. In fact, there was no mistake of that feeling. If you've had it, you know.
It was pretty much dark by this point and I'm thinking "Okay, throw the tube at him and when he pops it it will scare him away." Haha! I slowed my walking and would stop every few seconds and point my crappy & tiny flashlight every direction. I was also singing nervously in a pissed off tone. I finally made it out of the woods and felt relief that at least if the cat got me here someone would find me.

Once I got to the truck I tried the door and it was unlocked. And, the keys were in the lock! So the guy that I thought was a killin, car stealin, no good redneck dipshit was actually a very nice fellow that must have seen my keys on the ground and put them in the lock for me. There's still some good guys out there!

I started my truck, turned on the lights, honked the horn about 5 times, tied the tube down and got the hell out of there. Man I miss that lake! :ROFLMAO::mad::unsure:
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That was a gem of a lake! All that wood made for some fun fights with the cutts.
 
Print 2-1.jpgPrint 2-2.jpg

I found this one the San Juan River in NM back in maybe 2011? There were some more prints in the trackway but they weren't as clearly defined.

I could be a prank, but it was also in a pretty out of the way area of the river where it seems like the prints would be unlikely to be found. Kind of a weird find
 
Brian Miller said:
Mid 70s while Grouse hunting somewhere near Alder Lake; can't remember exactly where, hearing tenor flute-like whooops with a pitch I'm guessing starting near G3 (with a deeper resonance) up through C4 to around E4, seemed kind of a low pitch for a bird.
Mid 80s, on a trip up Little T, camped on a rocky "island" in the Emmons, heard loud yelling-screams coming up from the Fryingpan Creek valley.
June 28 2015, just off NF23 about 20 mi NNE of Trout Lake. The tree was ~12' tall.
View attachment 81803 View attachment 81801
Near the tree was what appeared to be impressions of footprints in hard packed soil (size 12 sandal).
View attachment 81802
The previous night about 11 miles away a friend's truck had been hit with small rocks as he was driving into camp. Nobody in the area besides us.
My nephew has some stories from up above the Teanaway - Liberty that are pretty compelling. There's some weirdness goin' on in 'dem 'dar woods.
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Continued...
I thought of a couple more...
June 27 2015
This tree was next to where I hung my hammock at the camp I mentioned in my previous post.
1694552400588.png
Beginning at 0100 hours I woke up to something making a steady, unwavering monotone (no harmonics) sound (too low pitched for me to call it a whistle) echoing through the trees that was at about a C6 pitch that lasted 2-4 seconds. It went on for awhile, several minutes at least. Maybe a coyote??? Maybe not... :confused:
Then at 0400 hours as I could just see the dawn light I heard this sound that was like bears roaring at each other from different directions, and pretty darned loud. And here I am hanging between two trees like a bear burrito! 😨
Later one of the guys I was with who was actually an ornithologist and said it was Common Nighthawks doing their dance.😌


Sept 30 2016 Indian Heaven Wilderness trip fishing various lakes and pots. We were camped in a stand of trees. I woke up sometime after midnight to hear a barking noise o_O . It was a ways off, likely in a meadow about 100 yards away. Then I heard a big quadrupedal animal running fast towards us. It ran right through our camp. And it kept running and barking, I'm guessing along the nearby trail past the other side of the East Crater cinder cone with the barking and running noise gradually fading out in the distance.
1694555585225.png

I figured it was an elk, and as I was hanging there like a burrito, I became a little concerned about what might be chasing it that I didn't hear 😨.
Maybe you hunters out there know something different, but I did later read that barking sound means danger! in elk speak.
 
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Last year I was driving down a very long, dirt road, south of the Skagit River. You can drive a regular vehicle for hours into the forest on this dirt road. I was far away from any campers, homes or paved roads, when I see this guy on an electric unicycle (yes "unicycle") going in the opposite direction. The dude had a big smile, and a beard that was over two feet long... just riding along on his electric unicycle. I said to myself "What the hell?" and kept on driving.
 
mcswny said:
after reading all these I’m thankful I now camp with ear plugs in. If I’m gonna die, might as well not hear it comin’!
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My wife uses ear plugs every night.
She loves the dead silence.
 
Brian Miller said:
Mid 70s while Grouse hunting somewhere near Alder Lake; can't remember exactly where, hearing tenor flute-like whooops with a pitch I'm guessing starting near G3 (with a deeper resonance) up through C4 to around E4, seemed kind of a low pitch for a bird.
Mid 80s, on a trip up Little T, camped on a rocky "island" in the Emmons, heard loud yelling-screams coming up from the Fryingpan Creek valley.
June 28 2015, just off NF23 about 20 mi NNE of Trout Lake. The tree was ~12' tall.
View attachment 81803 View attachment 81801
Near the tree was what appeared to be impressions of footprints in hard packed soil (size 12 sandal).
View attachment 81802
The previous night about 11 miles away a friend's truck had been hit with small rocks as he was driving into camp. Nobody in the area besides us.
My nephew has some stories from up above the Teanaway - Liberty that are pretty compelling. There's some weirdness goin' on in 'dem 'dar woods.

To be continued...
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I nominate that fir tree lifting that deer (or elk?) skeleton up, as first prize for weirdness in the woods!!!!
 
Otter said:
I nominate that fir tree lifting that deer (or elk?) skeleton up, as first prize for weirdness in the woods!!!!
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Well, if you say so, but maybe not... :sneaky:
 
I was asleep in my tent deep in the North Cascades on a long solo trip when... near dawn... I heard foot steps nearby. Feeling groggy, I thought I was dreaming. Then I heard more steps and a horrible lip smacking slobber. Close, very close. OMG! That monstrous munching and sucking and foot stomping. After awhile it became a loud crunching sound, like big molars eating a bowl of extra hard Grape-Nuts. My horror spiked when a splat noise hit the ground, like elephant afterbirth landing on the savanna. I grabbed my knife, bolted up and slapped the side of the tent while making my best Schwarzenegger predator roar. I heard quick stomps of retreat fading into the distance. Whatever it was, it was gone. A few minutes later I opened the tent door and looked around camp. That's when I saw it there lying on the ground. At first I thought it was an enormous pile of shit, like a huge cow pie coated with dust and flecks of gravel. I carefully poked it with a very long stick, surprised it held together. It didn't seem to smell, so I took it to a nearby stream and rinsed it off. The icy water revealed the blue fabric of my favorite hiking shirt. A salt hungry mule deer had licked and chewed the shit out of it. Even the plastic buttons were broken!
 
I have a keen interest in "Indian rock art". One interesting type of rock carving is called a "yoni". Essentially, it is a depiction of the vagina. These are easy to find in Anza Borrego CA. but are spread out all over the southwest (pun intended). A quick google search " The vajayjay- The ancient Southwest." will lead to many photos ( believe it or not). At first it might seem comical, but these rock carvings hold deep meaning both spiritually and scientifically, as they often align to the stars. Some are especially interesting during rainfall. I have found and photographed many of them.
 
Jim in Anacortes said:
Last year I was driving down a very long, dirt road, south of the Skagit River. You can drive a regular vehicle for hours into the forest on this dirt road. I was far away from any campers, homes or paved roads, when I see this guy on an electric unicycle (yes "unicycle") going in the opposite direction. The dude had a big smile, and a beard that was over two feet long... just riding along on his electric unicycle. I said to myself "What the hell?" and kept on driving.
Click to expand...
DimeBrite said:
I was asleep in my tent deep in the North Cascades on a long solo trip when... near dawn... I heard foot steps nearby. Feeling groggy, I thought I was dreaming. Then I heard more steps and a horrible lip smacking slobber. Close, very close. OMG! That monstrous munching and sucking and foot stomping. After awhile it became a loud crunching sound, like big molars eating a bowl of extra hard Grape-Nuts. My horror spiked when a splat noise hit the ground, like elephant afterbirth landing on the savanna. I grabbed my knife, bolted up and slapped the side of the tent while making my best Schwarzenegger predator roar. I heard quick stomps of retreat fading into the distance. Whatever it was, it was gone. A few minutes later I opened the tent door and looked around camp. That's when I saw it there lying on the ground. At first I thought it was an enormous pile of shit, like a huge cow pie coated with dust and flecks of gravel. I carefully poked it with a very long stick, surprised it held together. It didn't seem to smell, so I took it to a nearby stream and rinsed it off. The icy water revealed the blue fabric of my favorite hiking shirt. A salt hungry mule deer had licked and chewed the shit out of it. Even the plastic buttons were broken!
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Mule Deer? Damn.... I thought these stories were going to segue one to the other, with ZZtop electric unicyclist causing all the ruckus
 
I highly doubt I’ve ever go fishing or foraging in the woods with @Jim in Anacortes solely based on how many odd things he’s told us he has encountered or experienced in this thread…. 😂
SF
 
Years ago I was saving money on hotel bills by sleeping at the beach in my truck's camper shell in Mendocino CA. Before dark, a car pulls up with two guys (Nappy and Edie) and two "ladies". I briefly introduced myself and went about collecting firewood and cooking my dinner. Not long after, the "ladies" left in the car. They did not return. Nappy and Edie were in serious trouble as the damp, cold of night left them stranded without firewood. I quietly packed up and proceeded to leave, (desperate men do desperate deeds). I will never forget them chasing my truck in total desperation as I floored it through the sand.
 
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