Podcast Summary: Heart Starts Pounding – Ep. 136: Reddit Scary Stories: True Camping Horror Tales (feat. National Park After Dark)

Host: Kayla Moore
Guests: Danielle & Cassie (National Park After Dark)
Date: September 3, 2025
Main Theme: True, terrifying tales from Reddit about hiking and camping, exploring the intersection of real crime, supernatural mysteries, and unexplained phenomena in the wilderness.

Overview

This episode of Heart Starts Pounding dives into harrowing and mysterious stories from hikers and campers—true accounts sourced from Reddit and personally researched. With guest hosts Danielle and Cassie from National Park After Dark, the discussion ranges from real-life murders in isolated parks to chilling encounters with the unexplained, including accounts of time loss, UFOs, and possible Bigfoot activity. The overarching focus: The forest is both a place of beauty and profound, sometimes deadly, unknowns.

Key Discussion Points & Stories

1. The Most Terrifying National Parks

Timestamps: 02:26–04:56

• Question: What’s the scariest national park in America?
• Danielle: Alaska’s parks are both the most beautiful and most terrifying due to their remoteness, difficult access, and higher rates of disappearances.
  • "It's so wild. It's so beautiful. It has so much to offer. But there's a lot that happens there...missing persons to true crime. So that's my answer: Alaskan national parks are in a league of their own." – Danielle (03:46)
• Cassie: Even a small injury can be life-threatening in such remote areas.
• Kayla: Remoteness, not just wildlife, is what makes the woods truly scary; it’s the idea of being unseen and alone.

2. True Crime: Devil’s Den State Park Double Murder

Timestamps: 04:56–10:42

• Kayla recounts a recent, brutal double murder of the Brink family in Devil’s Den State Park, Arkansas.
  • Random attack by a stranger (later identified as Andrew McGann, a former teacher), who targeted the park specifically for its lack of cell service/seclusion.
  • “He specifically chose Devil's Den State Park because of its lack of cell phone service, thick vegetation, and secluded areas.” – Kayla (09:57)
• Discussion on how the remoteness of parks can become a danger and how similar crimes have occurred on the Appalachian Trail (AT).
  • Cassie: "There have been several different instances that have happened where people have been attacked on the trail...same thing where someone took advantage of the remoteness." (11:00)
  • Danielle: Sometimes attacks are random, as with the Jane Constantino case in Olympic National Park. “People are evil and do evil things, even in the most beautiful places.” (12:59)
• Kayla: Emphasizes that while these cases are rare, their randomness makes them deeply unsettling.

3. Outdoor Communities & Safety Precautions

Timestamps: 14:35–17:09

• Cassie & Danielle share safety tips for remote hiking:
  • Leave a note on the car windshield listing return plans (16:13).
  • Carry a Garmin InReach or other satellite communicator.
  • Always tell friends/family your itinerary and expected check-in times.
• Emphasis on the strong, caring outdoor community, both in emergencies and tragedies.

4. Lost Time: The New Mexico Mining Trip

Timestamps: 18:06–25:21

• Danielle reads a Reddit account (“puddles down”) of a rock hounder who loses ~7 hours during a short hike in New Mexico. Odd car behavior (battery and fuel anomalies), but no physical symptoms or hallucinations.
  • “I lost seven hours somehow and can't account for it.” (20:49)
• Immediate speculation about aliens and the connection with classic abduction stories (e.g., Betty & Barney Hill), citing lost time as a hallmark (22:00–23:16).
• Discussion on unexplained time slips in certain places, referencing other anecdotes and the possible role of environmental or supernatural phenomena.

5. Time Slips & Haunted Parks

Timestamps: 26:24–30:27

• Kayla shares a personal interview with a woman at Thompson Park, NY, who lost two hours in a small, haunted local park reputed to have a time-distorting curse from a 1970s witch.
  • Adds a dimension of folklore and the possibility of interdimensional time slips ("the Area 51 of New York").

6. True Crime: The National Forest Serial Killer, Gary Michael Hilton

Timestamps: 30:58–36:17

• Reddit story by “Dr. Jim Danger”: Two teenage campers unknowingly meet Hilton before he commits murder nearby.
  • “That man's name was Gary Michael Hilton and he was convicted of at least four murders… at that campsite that we were at not long after we left.” – Kayla (33:48)
• Kayla summarizes Hilton’s crimes: preying on hikers in Georgia, NC, and Florida, using remoteness to his advantage.
• Discussion of other notorious park predators such as Yosemite’s Cary Stayner and the ripple effect on potential victims who recall close encounters.

7. Supernatural: UFOs and Strange Phenomena in Glacier National Park

Timestamps: 43:07–56:41

• Cassie reads a Reddit story about recurring clapping noises in the woods (possibly encircling the campers) and group UFO sightings—some witnessed by an ex-Air Force camper.
  • “A single loud clap coming from somewhere behind us...This time, maybe 75 yards away. One at a time, loud and from different angles. It felt intentional, like something was circling us...” (43:52)
  • “That campground is beautiful. But every time I'm there, I see UFOs.” (47:11)
• Discussion: Is the clapping indicative of aliens, Bigfoot, or interdimensional activity? References Bigfoot lore, Pacific Northwest folklore, and the possibility of a “cryptid” connection.
  • Danielle: “Bigfoot is kind of like this umbrella term...and there’s all these different names and descriptions for creatures all over the world.” (54:25)
  • Cassie: “To believe that we know everything...is crazy. There’s so much unknown about the world.” (53:27)

8. Mount Rainier National Park: Night Terrors & Mystery

Timestamps: 56:47–69:32

• Danielle reads a Reddit account of someone experiencing night terrors so intense their van is damaged from the struggle—always near Mt. Rainier, never elsewhere.
  • “That night can only be described as hazy and disorienting. I have very little memory...but the evidence that something had definitely happened was everywhere.” (62:02)
• Discussion:
  • Kayla: Could solo wilderness experiences invoke hypnosis or unusual mental states? (64:26)
  • Cassie: Reports of extremely vivid dreams from camping—“Whenever I'm sleeping outside on the ground, I have very, very vivid dreams.” (65:58)
  • Danielle: Suggests comparison to Dyatlov Pass (unique outdoor panic with no clear external threat), perhaps due to internal psychological or physiological triggers.

9. Advice for Scared Campers

Timestamps: 72:55–76:47

• For people wanting to camp but feeling afraid:
  • Cassie: Go with a friend, start with campsites and amenities, and try earplugs to sleep better (blocks spooky animal/noise paranoia).
  • “Whatever's happening outside my tent is none of my business.” – Cassie (73:29)
• Danielle: "My advice is to just go for it...recreating outdoors gives you confidence...you have to problem solve on your own." (75:29)
• Both agree that the rewards of time in nature usually far outweigh the risks—most stories are cautionary but rare.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “When you enter the forest, you re-enter the food chain.” – Kayla Moore (01:51)
• “It's not the wildlife I'm afraid of, it's the remoteness: the things that can happen and you’re just...there by yourself.” – Kayla (04:56)
• "My thought with [the missing gas]...if you were on a hill...your car just in a weird position and then you got to the bottom it's flat and now it shows the right amount again." – Cassie (25:43, skeptical yet practical take)
• “I hear a lot of stories of people losing a lot of time in the woods.” – Kayla (22:00)
• "There are so many listener stories of people meeting 'someone off' who turned out to be a serial killer." – Danielle (37:00)
• “I’m all team UFO though, so I don’t have to say it again.” – Danielle (48:02)
• “There’s something to that, to believe that we know everything...is crazy. There’s so much unknown about the world.” – Cassie (53:02)
• “Your mind is on high alert...I think that through our experiences...it gives you confidence.” – Danielle (75:29)

Overall Tone & Flow

The tone is conversational, slightly irreverent (lots of banter between Danielle and Cassie), but respectful regarding true tragedies. It effortlessly moves between real crime, practical safety advice, and open-minded (but critical) discussion on supernatural possibilities, always rooted in firsthand experience and the real risks and wonders of the wilderness.

Useful Timestamps

• Remoteness & Safety in Parks: 02:26–04:56
• Devil’s Den True Crime: 04:56–10:42
• Outdoor Community/Safety Advice: 14:35–17:09
• Lost Time/UFOs/Aliens: 18:06–30:27
• National Forest Serial Killer Recap: 30:58–36:17
• Glacier Park UFOs & Bigfoot: 43:07–56:41
• Mt Rainier Night Terrors: 56:47–69:32
• Advice for Campers: 72:55–76:47

Takeaway

This rich, chilling episode weaves together the dangers and delights of wild places: real crime, unexplained mysteries, and survival wisdom. Whether you’re interested in true crime, curious about the unknown, or seeking reassurance as a budding camper, it illustrates one core truth: The woods remain one of humanity’s most awe-inspiring—and unpredictable—frontiers.