Weird/Creepy things you've found on the trail

[Hardcastle]

carry on!!! I like these stories

Not sure I have any more that would be considered creepy. I have a few animal incidents that were pretty scary. Combine those with a bunch of run ins with naked hippie folk and i have a few good stories to tell around the camp fire.

The only one that might be considered weird is last summer while hiking we bumped into a couple completely naked from head to toe. Not even wearing shoes. Keeping in mind they both were dreadlocked hippie types it might not be too strange to think they'd be naked in the wild but there wasn't even a swimming hole or hot spring around. They apparently just enjoyed being naked while hiking with their dog. They even stopped me and we exchanged trail pleasantries.

 

[UNSTUCK]

Not sure I have any more that would be considered creepy. I have a few animal incidents that were pretty scary. Combine those with a bunch of run ins with naked hippie folk and i have a few good stories to tell around the camp fire.

The only one that might be considered weird is last summer while hiking we bumped into a couple completely naked from head to toe. Not even wearing shoes. Keeping in mind they both were dreadlocked hippie types it might not be too strange to think they'd be naked in the wild but there wasn't even a swimming hole or hot spring around. They apparently just enjoyed being naked while hiking with their dog. They even stopped me and we exchanged trail pleasantries.

"Naked and Afraid"?

One of the best-worst shows on tv right now.

 

[Hardcastle]

Ha... the naked mention reminds me of a guy we built a house for. He was really big into producing his own movies about bow hunting. One day, during lunch, he was chatting to us about sitting up in his tree stand, recording, when a guy walks past (remember, this is in the middle of nowhere) with a cup of coffee and shoes and NOTHING ELSE on. He sat up in the tree's quietly laughing.

Ha. Thats a good one. Apparently some folks really like being naked in nature.

 

[Hardcastle]

I remembered another good one. This one is a few years old from Area BFE near Moab and I think it was a weekend we had an RME BBQ so there may be others who remember. If I remember any details wrong please chime in.

We were on a trail that we did not access from BFE and I do not recall the name. A guy in a Samurai was having some truck issues so we decided to take a shortcut and end early. The shortcut lead us to BFE. As we approached we kept running into guys and girls who seemed really out of place. They weren’t hiking or wheeling. They seemed hipster-ish and ill prepared for being in the desert. Eventually we came to a stage being powered by generators. Around the stage people were lounging in couches, there were hookas/bongs on tables, and the one weird dude on stage playing dj/rave/party music really intensely while wearing nothing but green whitey-tighty style underwear. Super weird but from there we climbed a steep hill that lead to the BFE playground area. I was taking up the rear and right as i crested the hill I blew a bead on my FJ40. I quickly radio’d for some help. If I recall most of the group was quickly being ushered out of the area as we were not invited to this party. One guy (Toby?) with his two young sons in a large JK was right in front of me and helped me swap tires. In those few minutes we really got a good view of this party. I think I later found out it was called “desert rocks”. Some type of music festival held out in the middle of nowhere. There were lots of bloodshot eyed shirtless folk everywhere with a bunch of stages setup for performances. 2 topless girls watched us swap tires but most just walked on past. As we finished I hopped in my cruiser and a girl joined me in my passenger seat. She explained she was selling feathers but gave me one because it looked like I needed to be cheered up. Thanks weird hippie girl, I did need to be cheered up. She later helped herself out of my moving car and went frolicking on her way. It was definitely a weird experience. As we left BFE I remember seeing a bunch of cop cars and ambulances lined up.

 

[Kiel]

They had that music festival a couple memorial day weekends years around rme bbq's. We could get into bfe through strike ravine in the bottom of the wash, but couldn't use the main road. All I ever saw was some guy get outta a subaru with the longest dreadlocks ever, literally to the his ankles. Never any topless chicks

 

[jackjoh]

Found this last year well off the beaten path and a billion miles away from anything. There were animal bones and fabric bags containing polished rocks all over hanging from trees. Random salt piles here and there. I'm guessing the circle represents the solstices and equinoxes.. Kinda weird I guess.

Was that north and west of Cedar City?

 

[jackjoh]

Many years ago a friend and I decided to go out and explore the area between the sand dunes and topaz mtn. We drove into the Desert Mountain range out there that is like a circle of mountains you are in the middle of. We had our wives and kids and were playing on some of the rocks as you come into the mountains from the main road, my wife was videoing my friend and I was spotting him up this ledge and all of a sudden it got Extremely loud, and there was an Apache Helicopter about 30' above our heads watching us.. you could see the turret gun moving back and forth, It was crazy, because we didn't hear him at all until he was right there. I got a little nervous and told my wife to stop videoing him and he sat there for a couple minuets and then took off. We kept on seeing him in the distance popping up from behind little hills and always facing us. I'm guessing he was using us as a target, and I was a little freaked out about it. He stayed there for about a half hour and then took off, it was pretty crazy.. Somewhere I still have the video tape, but im sure I don't have anything to play it on. Sense then I have spent a ton of time out in that area and never have had anything like that happen again. It was totally crazy how quiet that thing was just hovering there.

Had one like this in 1978 on a dirt road between area 51 and Death Valley. We kept seeing a light behind hills following us about midnight. We were speculating a UFO and after about an hour it was getting creepy until we saw a helicopter rise up and pull away when we hit the highway.

 

[jackjoh]

We ran into the Manson family in Saline Valley at the Lower Hot Springs they were naked and the kids said they sure have small bathing suits and the girls do not have tops.
This was about 1966 or 67 before they were captured by the Sheriff from Shoshone for burning a Park grader.
Got stopped by a old guy with a rifle at a gated fence and said we could not go through. After we retrieved our various and sundry weapons from our vehicles and had a short discussion with him he said we looked ok and could go through and he would close the gate behind us for us.

 

[Marsh99]

I remembered another good one. This one is a few years old from Area BFE near Moab and I think it was a weekend we had an RME BBQ so there may be others who remember. If I remember any details wrong please chime in.

We were on a trail that we did not access from BFE and I do not recall the name. A guy in a Samurai was having some truck issues so we decided to take a shortcut and end early. The shortcut lead us to BFE. As we approached we kept running into guys and girls who seemed really out of place. They weren’t hiking or wheeling. They seemed hipster-ish and ill prepared for being in the desert. Eventually we came to a stage being powered by generators. Around the stage people were lounging in couches, there were hookas/bongs on tables, and the one weird dude on stage playing dj/rave/party music really intensely while wearing nothing but green whitey-tighty style underwear. Super weird but from there we climbed a steep hill that lead to the BFE playground area. I was taking up the rear and right as i crested the hill I blew a bead on my FJ40. I quickly radio’d for some help. If I recall most of the group was quickly being ushered out of the area as we were not invited to this party. One guy (Toby?) with his two young sons in a large JK was right in front of me and helped me swap tires. In those few minutes we really got a good view of this party. I think I later found out it was called “desert rocks”. Some type of music festival held out in the middle of nowhere. There were lots of bloodshot eyed shirtless folk everywhere with a bunch of stages setup for performances. 2 topless girls watched us swap tires but most just walked on past. As we finished I hopped in my cruiser and a girl joined me in my passenger seat. She explained she was selling feathers but gave me one because it looked like I needed to be cheered up. Thanks weird hippie girl, I did need to be cheered up. She later helped herself out of my moving car and went frolicking on her way. It was definitely a weird experience. As we left BFE I remember seeing a bunch of cop cars and ambulances lined up.

I think I was ahead of you in the group, and I was driving my 85 4runner with no top and had 2 random guys catch a ride with me back to the DJ wearing underpants. I vividly remember a guy running down the hill from the playground with the biggest eyes I have ever seen.