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Monsters Among Us
S21 Ep18: Campfire Chronicles - The MAU Camp Out 2026 Part 2 (Sn. 21 Ep. 18)
01:21:42
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- [00:00]
Derek Hayes
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Derek Hayes
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Michael (Australia Caller)
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- [00:48]
Derek Hayes
Who knew ice cold drinks could be so fire six? All new drinks are here now at McDonald's. Refreshers contain caffeine. Good evening and welcome to Monsters Among Us. I am your guide, Derek Hayes. Welcome back everyone to part two of your annual MAU Camp out special. I'm glad you were able to find us here in the dark. Why don't you go ahead and grab a seat by the fire now there's just something unsettling about the woods after dark. The same trail you hiked all afternoon suddenly feels strange, unusual, or even unfamiliar. Every snapped twig sends your imagination into a doom spiral. Every shadow seems to dance with each step that you take. And for some, the thought of spending the entire night in these circumstances is enough to induce a full blown panic. Maybe that's why so many of our favorite stories began with the words we were camping one night. So tonight we're headed back into the wilderness. One more night under the stars. One more evening by the digital campfire. These are your MAU Camp out calls, part two. And to get things started here this evening, we begin with an unsettling installment from Anonymous out of the Sooner State.
- [03:25]
Anonymous (Oklahoma Caller)
Hello, this is Anonymous from Oklahoma. I over the weekend just finished a camping trip. I'm a big camper. I normally go solo camping. It's just my dog and I. I had invited two of my girlfriends and my boyfriend. It was his first time camping and the way this park is set up, it's Spavino park in Oklahoma. It is off the road a little bit and behind some trees and the only way you can drive through it is if you drive one direction in a loop. So it's pretty set off, not necessarily in the middle of nowhere, but it's pretty out there, especially for me, because I live in the city and it's not a super known state park. So when you do go out there and camp, it's pretty quiet. There's a few people that reserve spots, and then there's the park manager who lives on site and locks the gate at night. So once you're there, you're there for the night. And there's a little river that runs on the edge of it. And then there are bathrooms towards the end by the dam. Everywhere else in between is campsites and the front. And I remember last night specifically. I just got home this morning, it was 10pm and I told the group that I was going to go brush my teeth. So I took my dog and I. And I remember being in the women's restroom, which is pretty small, has a toilet, a shower, and then just the sink. And it locks. Well, when we first got there, we noticed some new locks welded on the outside of the bathroom doors. And it was like bar locks, the ones that you slide in and you push them down to, like, lock them in place. And I remember all of us thinking it was super weird. But yeah, that was whatever. It was. Like, I remember brushing my teeth and I heard someone knock on the door. So I finished, you know, told them I'd be a minute, step out. My boyfriend's standing maybe a little bit further than the bathroom, and he was, you know, scolding me. He was like, hey, you know, I could have come with you. It's late at night. You worried us. And I was like, oh, well, I told you guys I was gonna brush my teeth, whatever. So we walk maybe 10ft and we're holding hands. We're having a full conversation. And then I pulled my hand away to grab my dog's collar because another camper had their dog out. And I'm still actively in the middle of my conversation with my boyfriend. And I turn to him and he's not there, like, at all. And so I'm looking around and I'm like calling out to him, and I get really confused. And at one point I'm like, oh, well, he must have walked ahead of me. So maybe another two minutes of walking. I start coming up on our campsite and I see my two girlfriends sitting in their chairs, and I see him standing in the road ahead of me. So I walk up to him and I'm like, where'd you go? He's like, oh, well, you know, I've just been waiting here for you. And I was like, no, you like you came to the bathrooms, right? He goes, no. And so of course he sees that I'm a little, like, shocked. And he starts asking questions, obviously, because, you know, it's dark at night, area's not super safe. And I pretty much was like, oh, well, I kind of blew him off. And I was like, oh, you know, I probably just saw someone else. I thought that was you down there. But I. I swear up and down that he walked with me for, like, 10ft and held a conversation with me. But he swears up and down that he never left the campsite. But it was him. It was literally the same outfit he was wearing. I was holding his hand. I don't know how to explain how. He was right next to me. And then next moment he was, you know, over 200ft away at our camp spot. Yeah, even my two girlfriends were like, we were just waiting for you by the fire. And he never left. So this is not my first experience at Spavanaugh. That's been a little scary, but I definitely will be going back. But that one really creeped me out. I'm not gonna lie to you. But that was all. I absolutely love the podcast.
- [07:44]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, caller. What a way to get started here tonight. This might be the first doppelganger story I've heard in which the witness made physical contact with the entity. That's a barrier that probably shouldn't have been broken. But it seems like nothing ill came of it. At least not that her caller had mentioned. But I still wouldn't recommend touching these eerily familiar entities. Now, there is one element of this story that does surprise me. Not that the entire story didn't. But isn't it strange that the dog wasn't tipped off when the phony boyfriend arrived? The lore would have us believe that pets, especially dogs, can see and experience high strangeness on a level we don't yet understand. And if that is indeed true, why didn't our caller's dog react? Now, maybe the doppelganger was just that good. Or maybe there was something else at play here. Whatever it was, it made for a great submission. So thanks again, caller, for taking the time to call in. Alright, gang, we're just getting started. Plenty of stories yet to tell and plenty of wood for tonight's fire. But first, I need to take a quick break. If I'm not back in a few minutes, send a search party. And our newest addition, coconut oil.
- [09:23]
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- [09:27]
Derek Hayes
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- [11:10]
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- [11:15]
Derek Hayes
Now folks, sometimes the strangeness you experience in the outdoors is so wild that it covers two categories of the unexplained. Aaron from Texas knows exactly what I'm talking about.
- [11:29]
Aaron (Texas Caller)
Hey, what's up? This is Aaron. I'm calling from Lumberton, Texas. This story happened about 10 years ago, about 2010 in Coots, Texas. It's like a national forest. So it's real dark and there's a lot of woods. My nephew, my girlfriend at the time, and I went to my mother's house one night. We were staying the night. They live in a neighborhood where there's like one way in, one way out. We decided to walk around the block and it's real, real dark. It's all woods. My girlfriend at the time claimed that she could see dead people and talk to spirits and stuff. And me and my nephew were like, yeah, sure. So we started walking around the block and when it got real dark on the backside of the block, she claimed that she could see dark shadows walking behind us. So she turned around and started walking down the street behind us and me and my Nephew looked at each other like, yeah, right. Well, about that time, she was probably about 20 yards away from us and there's trees on either side of the road. Well, about that time, out of nowhere, a UFO came out of the sky and went right above her and was hovering in the air. I remember just looking at it. I couldn't believe what I was looking at. Well, my nephew pulled his phone out and started recording. And about that time, right out of the middle of the ship, some kind of a white roper line was dropping down towards Lenae. All I could think to say was, hey, watch out, they're dropping the tether line to you. And when that happened, I really can't remember too good. I guess she started walking towards us and I don't remember anything after that. My nephew said that we walked back to the house, which was about half a block away. I just talked to him yesterday. As a matter of fact, I had to text him to ask him if he remembered when we seen the ufo, just to make sure that he still remembered it and I wasn't imagining things. Well, anyway, he said when we got back to the house, he said he was so scared that he sat in the living room all night. He said somebody knocked on the door and he came and got me out of my room. And he said that I got a handgun and went outside and walked around the house to make sure nobody was out there. He said that I came back in and said there was no one out there. But I don't remember anything after seeing the craft in the sky. And I can't tell you when I started remembering things again. I do not remember. But he remembers everything. Like last night he told me that there were people following us back to the house after we'd seen the craft. On the walk home, I asked him if there were people or ghosts and he said there were ghosts. So I find that strange that I don't remember anything after that. I have seen one other occasion. Me and my friend seen two craft in the sky.
- [14:17]
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- [14:18]
Aaron (Texas Caller)
They were going one way, darting back one way, going the other way. Yeah, there's weird things out there in those woods. But anyway, I haven't told too many people about that story. I still can't believe it. Did it happen to me? It's 100% true. So yeah, man. Appreciate what you do. Awesome. Love listening to stories later.
- [14:40]
Derek Hayes
Thanks. Aaron. I wonder if your ex girlfriend might have been an alien because what the hell was that all about? The claim that she could see the dead. Then claiming that she could see them there then, and for the UFO to show up and for it to drop down some sort of tether. Add to it the entities following you home, the knocks on the door in the missing time, and this sounds more like the plot of a sci fi television show than it does a personal experience. But Aaron swears that it's the truth and let's take his word for it. Now, Aaron, if your nephew has a video of this event, of course we're dying to see it. See if he can send it in to us. Or maybe he can send it to you and you can forward it on. If it shows up, I'll be sure to update it in the shout outs. Wild doesn't even begin to describe it. Aaron, thank you again for the amazing story. Now folks, if you too have a story you deem amazing, give us a ring at 888-6089. That's 888608 NIG HT. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to us at monsters among us podcastmail.com remember to call from a quiet place like the middle of the woods, for example. One story per call only. Share your story one time. We're easily confused. Call back in if you reach our five minute limit. We typically can't use your story if it doesn't have an ending, which happens, unfortunately, a lot. And finally, true stories only. No fibbing, no lies, no big deal exaggerations. At MAU, the truth is on the line, and I think it's the truth we'll get from our next submitter. Becca from Oregon. Welcome to the program.
- [16:56]
Becca (Oregon Caller)
Hey Derek, My name's Becca. I'm from the Portland, Oregon metro area and like most folks up here in the Pacific Northwest, you can probably guess we're big fans of the outdoors. My husband and I love to camp whenever we can, so this experience takes place in May of 2020. We wanted a little weekend getaway. My husband had never been to Florence, the town I grew up in, so I thought, perfect, let's make this our trip. The drive over to the coast and down Highway 101 was totally uneventful, but but this was during COVID and most of the established campgrounds were closed. So after spending the day sightseeing and showing him around my hometown, we decided to head east on Highway 126 towards Eugene to find a spot to camp. We ended up pulling off towards the Whitaker Creek area. When we got there, the established campground was closed too, so we found a little turnoff. It had a flat Clearing in the trees that looked like people had used it for shooting and partying. There were all of these spent shell casings and bottles everywhere. Not exactly ideal, but it was getting dark and we didn't want to keep driving. So we decided to stay put there while my husband unpacked the tent. I started clearing a space right away. The air just felt off. It was May in the Coast Range, so it was not hot. It just felt thick, heavy and still. It was so weirdly oppressive, kind of like the whole forest was holding its breath. So we finished setting up the tent and started trying to get a fire going. Now, for context, my husband worked for the Forest Service for years and I grew up around here. So between us, we absolutely know how to start a fire with damp wood. But for whatever reason, no matter what, we tried fire, fire starters, twigs we had in the car, paper, nothing would stay lit. The fire just kept going out. After about a half an hour, we gave up and said, screw it, let's just make dinner in the dark. So we set up our stove and made dinner by headlamp. We hadn't really talked yet about how strange everything felt. We were both just trying to make the best of it. Chatting about the drive, complaining about the fire, you know, that stuff. We hadn't seen another car since turning off the main road. No one had driven by, no other campers. Just silence. And us. After dinner, my husband went down to the creek to rinse the dishes. And while he was gone, I suddenly felt like something or someone was watching me. It was that prickly feeling that crawls up the back of your neck and your intuition just kicks in and you just feel eyeballs on you. When he came back, I said, we're being watched. And the weirdest thing was he just said, I know. I didn't question him. We just left it at that. At that point, I didn't want to go anywhere alone, so he stood nearby while I went to the bathroom before bed. He ended up locking up the car by himself, and a few minutes later we both crawled into the tent. We chatted a little bit, tried to relax, and eventually we both fell asleep. Around 2:30 in the morning, I woke up to the distinct sound of footsteps circling our tent. Not shuffling, not animals scurrying, heavy, deliberate, bipedal footsteps. I remember my whole body going cold and sweaty, numb. I literally felt like my soul was rising out of my body. In that moment, we were in the middle of nowhere. No one had driven by since we arrived. I reached over and shook my husband awake Whispering, something's walking around outside our tent. When he woke up and came to and was coherent enough in reality, he said that he heard it, too. We never camp without protection. So within seconds, he had grabbed the case with the gun, took it out, and was out of the tent. And then I heard silence. No running footsteps, no snapping branches, no crunching leaves. Not even the sound of my husband's shoes moving around out there. It was like everything stopped. It was completely still. After what felt like forever, he unzipped the tent and came back in. He said there were no signs of anyone or anything around us. I was wide awake for hours. But finally I drifted off again. And, of course, he fell asleep very easily. Then the morning came. We both just wanted to get out of there. So we packed up that site faster than we have ever packed up any site before. As we drove towards Eugene, we finally started talking about what had happened. I was the first one that brought things up and told him that when I'd first talked about feeling that presence in the evening, I sensed that the presence was a woman. I don't know how or why, but it is just something that I knew. It's like my intuition knew it was a woman. He paused and said, I know I saw her. So he ended up telling me that while he was putting the dishes away. And locking up the car the night before, he saw an apparition of a native woman. Standing near the area that people had used for target practice. She was wearing full traditional dress and just standing there looking into the trees where our tent was. He didn't want to tell me at the time because he didn't want to freak me out, is what he said. I got full body goosebumps hearing that. I told him I didn't think she was what had been pacing around the tent, Though whatever that was, it was big. I couldn't even hear my husband's footsteps when he went out. And what I had heard was much heavier than a human. The more we talked about it since then, the more we've come to believe we encountered two things that night. The first being that spirit of a native woman. And the thing walking around our tent we think was a Sasquatch. Both, in our opinion, are guardians of that particular land. That clearing had been really disrespected. The trash, the bullet shells, broken bottles. And we think they were just checking us out, Trying to figure out if we were going to do the same or if we respected the place. Needless to say, I haven't been back. And since that trip, I only camp in established campgrounds. So that was our experience at Whitaker Creek. Love the show. Keep up the great work.
- [24:29]
Derek Hayes
Thank you. Becca. What are the chances a ghost and a Sasquatch in the same night? Now, there are many Sasquatch reports out there that also detail UFOs or orbs of light seen in conjunction with the creature, but not ghosts. At least not that I can recall. It does sound like a good buddy comedy, though. As for the ghost that the husband saw on Tuesday's installment, we shared another story, an entry from Pistol, who told a similar story from East Texas. Now I love the theory you throw out there, Becca, that since the area was trashed by humans, spirit guides came forward to aid in a its healing a Native woman and Sasquatch himself, or maybe herself. And to help sell that concept, I stumbled upon a documentary made by the folks at Oregon Public Broadcasting that takes a closer look at Sasquatch as a protector role and its connection to the indigenous people of that area. Here is a snippet that I think might perfectly sum up Becca's theory. I think it's important for us as
- [25:58]
Toma Villa (Yamaka and Seneca Artist)
natives to tell our stories and to pass them down to our children. And so they respect the land
- [26:07]
Will (Wyoming Caller)
and
- [26:07]
Toma Villa (Yamaka and Seneca Artist)
they show that there is something out
- [26:10]
Derek Hayes
there that we can't always explain explain,
- [26:13]
Toma Villa (Yamaka and Seneca Artist)
but we show respect for it. I think that's part of like what
- [26:17]
Derek Hayes
I feel Sasquatch is he lives out there.
- [26:21]
Toma Villa (Yamaka and Seneca Artist)
He doesn't take and take. He just takes what he needs.
- [26:24]
Michael (Australia Caller)
And I think that's something that we
- [26:26]
Derek Hayes
can all learn by. Now. The name of the dock is Guardian of the Land. And the voice you just heard was Toma Villa, a Yamaka and Seneca artist from the Pacific Northwest. There's a link in tonight's shownotes. If you have 25 minutes, I suggest giving it a look. It's completely free and it's an important message to deliver. Taking care of where we live, eat, breathe and drink. And if it takes Sasquatch to get the message across, well, I'm all for it. Thanks again, Becca. We appreciate you sharing your story,
- [27:15]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
and
- [27:15]
Will (Wyoming Caller)
not just in twos and threes and
- [27:17]
Derek Hayes
fours, but in
- [27:21]
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- [28:53]
Aaron (Texas Caller)
to
- [28:53]
Derek Hayes
New York or to other parts of the country. Now if you would please join me in Wisconsin for this next one by way of Tanya in Minnesota.
- [29:12]
Tanya (Minnesota Caller)
Hi, this is Tanya from Crosby, Minnesota and I've got a spooky camping story. Now this happened to a friend of mine, so it's not my story, but she did call me the next morning and tell me about it. She's a skeptic and a scientist and was working in geology at the time when she was camping there in Potato Lake, Wisconsin. And she didn't see this as much of a big deal, just a little creepy. But to me it was very creepy. So she was camping, set up a tent after a day's work, cooked some dinner and then a storm blew in in the evening there. So she ended up having to get into her tent kind of early because of the heavy rain. So the heavy rain had turned into a really intense lightning storm. Severe weather was going on and so she hunkered down from what she described. There was a lot of lightning lighting the sky, heavy winds and heavy rain. At this point the storm had finally passed, but the lightning and thunder was still happening. The rain and wind had calmed and all she could really hear now was the big raindrops coming down from the trees above her hitting the tent. If you can kind of imagine that noise. Now this tent is a two person tent, so we are talking very small square footage, very little distance between you and the outer world. Well, long story Short, she's lying there, turns on her light in her tent and is reading. And while she's reading and there's still lightning flickering in the distance from how I remember her describing this, there was a loud slap on the side of her tent. It really was distinct, as if a hand had walked by and slammed the side of her tent. So that obviously jolted her, filled her body with adrenaline and she shot up in her sleeping bag, put down her book and held really still.
- [31:11]
Alloy Health Advertiser
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- [31:12]
Tanya (Minnesota Caller)
So apparently she could hear footsteps, small footsteps, like an animal running around the tent to the other side. And then there was another hand slap, really hard and loud. She could hear running away. At that point she held perfectly still and could hear chattering and talking. Now when I've asked her, do you think it was raccoons? Cuz raccoons do make really funny creepy little noises. I've heard them before when I was camping and they broke into my marshmallows, said no, this actually sounded like actual talking, but just in a language that wasn't understood. And there was distinctly a few, probably two beings, creatures, animals, chitter, chattering and running around. And so I just thought that that was so spooky, the idea of possibly gnome or little people because of her description and how they sounded playful, as if they were trying to spook her by running around the tent, slapping the tent and then giggling, chatting off in the distance slightly. And what was interesting about it was the electrical storm that was happening. So I don't know if that contributes to anything, but sometimes I've always theorized that electricity of lightning and things thunderstorms can interact with giving more power to ghosts. If it was a ghostly thing or just, I don't know, like I said, she was a skeptic and she didn't really think much of it, I don't know, and kind of blew it off. But anyways, that's my camping story that really to this day gives me the creeps when I think about it. Thank you so much for everything you do. Bye.
- [33:00]
Derek Hayes
Thanks Tanya. It wouldn't be a Camp out episode without mention of the menacing little people. We shared a couple of them on last year's Camp out and they're downright creepy each and every time that we hear one. Especially when camping is involved, it's not comforting to know a millimeter thick piece of nylon is all that separates us from a troupe of one foot tall tricksters. Now when it comes to little people in Wisconsin, we've covered ground here before. Back on season 17, episode 13, I spoke of The Choga from up there in Wisconsin that are said to be a race of small humanoid nature spirits from Iroquois folklore. They're typically invisible, but sometimes reveal themselves to humans, particularly to children, elders and medicine people. They're described as knee high to around 4 foot tall. The Choga love games and playing tricks, which can be dangerous if they're disrespected. It's been claimed they've caused illness in homes and neighborhoods that are built on sites which they are attracted to. Now, as close as that match is, believe it or not, there is another Wisconsin little person legend that might be an even tighter fit. According to our research, Potato Lake in Rusk County, Wisconsin, was primarily Ojibwe in eastern Dakota or Santee land. So diving into the stories and folklore of those cultures, we uncovered yet another tiny tent terrorizer. They call it the Shonotila. Similar to pug, wudgies, joga and elves, these creatures are forest spirits of Sioux folklore, typically appearing as sprites or dwarves. Xanote literally means tree dweller and Xanotila means little tree dweller. They were considered messengers from the the spirit world and often appear to sue people in their dreams. Now, believe it or not, we actually uncovered dozens of separate gnome legends out of the Badger State. Creatures like the Hiroka Memegwezi and the Chenote are native in lineage. Others like the Kobolders, the Tommyknockers, Minor Elves, Luton, and the Mackie Wizag were brought in by European settlers to the area. Delaney found an art piece from the ancient order of the Revealing Society that shows all 28 different varieties of little folk. Go to the show notes, take a look for yourself. And if you find yourself camping in Wisconsin, keep your eyes and ears open. You just might add number 29. Thanks again, Tanya, for sharing your friend's tale. Now, folks, it's not just hiking and camping we're covering here tonight. I also aim to share calls from hunters and fishermen as well. So in line with that promise, please welcome Dylan from Alabama.
- [36:30]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
Hey, Derek. This is Dylan from Alabama. So when I was in my early 20s, I have a real big family, and at the time we had a bunch of hunting land maybe about 20, 25 minutes from where we all lived in town. I wasn't really into hunting growing up, but my cousins and uncles were. Well, in my early 20s, I decided to get into it. This would have been around 2007, 2008, one of my cousins was taking me out to the huntin land, kind of showing me the ropes, kind of showing me what to Do. The first couple times hunting, I sat in the same beer stand with him. But then on my first time in a stand by myself, I was sitting in this tripod stand looking at a green field. This would have been in late November, maybe December. Nice clear day outside, no bad weather at all. Sitting in the tripod watching a green field. The sun started going down. At that point, I was still, you know, early in my hunting days. I used to be a real impatient hunter, and I could never just sit long enough to, you know, until nighttime when it was time to get down from the stand. So as the sun was coming down, I hadn't seen or heard anything. And so I had an idea that I was going to get down from the stand, walk to the shooting house where my cousin was, which was, you know, not too far of a walk. So I sent him a text saying, you know, I'm coming to sit with you. Just, you know, it's me. As I'm coming down from the tripod stand, I lean my gun up against the seat and I'm coming out of the stand. I get down the first couple rungs of the ladder and I just happen to look over. And coming down the path to the greenfield was. I mean, it was a large, large black cat. The tail is something like you would see, like what a typical, you know, mountain lion, panther, lion tail. It was long, stretched up above the body, about as big as a, you know, healthy Labrador dog. You know, it was a big cat coming my way. I know I didn't have my gun on me. The gun was in the seat. So I just kind of hung to the ladder still. And I watched that thing come down the path onto the green field and just walk off into the woods. Large black cat. So I hung onto that story for years and years, and every now and then I'll tell someone. But finally, just recently, I was with my cousin, the one who kind of showed me the ropes of hunting. I told him about it. I said, man, you know, I don't think I ever told you this, but, you know, when you first got me into hunting, when I was sitting on that tripod field, I said, man, I was getting down, saw this large black cat come to me. I said, it scared me. I said, man, there's a panther living out there. And sure enough, he looked at me and he goes, man, I don't. I'm not going to call it that. He said, but I saw something through the scope of my gun one time, and he's like, I don't know what it is. But it was big and it was a cat. He said, I'm not going to call it a panther. So a couple days later, I told his dad, my uncle, the one who kind of ran the land, and he swore up and down to me that, so it was my step cousin's grandparents who really owned the land and they lived on it. The grandmother, the old woman who lived on that land, she had told him several times that she had seen this cat over the years. She knew that there was a big cat living on that land. I mean, she swore up and down to this. And so once I finally told my cousin and my uncle, you had started connecting stories that there was something living out there and something big, definitely a cat. So, anyway, I know you love those stories. I love the podcast, so I just thought I'd share. Thank you for all that you do, and hopefully I'll hear this on one of the episodes.
- [40:30]
Aaron (Texas Caller)
All right, bye.
- [40:34]
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Dylan. I do love these stories, and yours is very typical as far as ABC sightings go. And when I hear sightings like this from the southern reaches of our country, I'm quick to think of the jaguar, a big cat that at one point called Alabama home and still roams further into Mexico and places south. So could a few of them have remained all this time hidden in the darkest recesses of the most ignored spaces in the area, their black coat allowing them to blend in? Or could they be wandering in, looking for new range all the way from Central America? Maybe these specimens really like to walk. Of course, these could be escaped pets. But there is a fourth option here. There's something supernatural about these cats, not too dissimilar from the black dog phenomenon. These things slink in and out of existence, making it nearly impossible to identify them, let alone capture one. It's a fun experience, if you ask me, one that'll certainly spice up a slow day of hunting. So we appreciate you telling us all about the tale, Dylan. Thanks again for calling in. All right, gang, it's time to gather up a little more firewood before it gets too dark. So you sit tight and I'll be right back.
- [42:22]
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Moto Casino Social Casino prohibited Purchase necessary Visit Moto Us for more details. Download the Moto Casino app today must be 21/moto casino america social Casino arrested and less punched now tonight's next outdoor adventure comes to us from California. Please welcome Alan to the show.
- [44:10]
Toma Villa (Yamaka and Seneca Artist)
Hey Derek. Alan from Sub out here. This one's from an annual trip I take to Lake Don Pedro in California. Quick disclaimer. Earlier that night I had taken some psilocybin, but by the time this happened, I was coming down clear headed, really not hallucinating the whole night or seeing anything otherwise. So here's what went down for context. The campground road loops around all the sites in one big circle. I started walking that loop, trying to wind down and get myself tired enough to sleep. At some point I decided to stop in the middle road, away from some campsites and do some stargazing. Probably not the safest move, but no one else was up and I've been going to this campground since I was a kid. I know it well. I ended up lying there for about 30, 40 minutes, just staring up at the sky, totally coherent at this point, just taking everything in. To be honest, I was looking for something to see right as I was about to call it a night. That's when it happened. One second I'm scanning the stars and the next I see something I can only describe as a cluster of lights arranged in a way that immediately reminded me of a skyscraper at night, except in the black of the sky. Not just a single straight line, but multiple rows and columns even, but also imperfect, like windows in a high rise where some lights are on and others are off. It had structure to it some depth and some shape, almost like a floating building made of scattered lights. It appeared out of nowhere for a split second, then moved across the sky like a shooting star, but without any kind of tail. Just a clean, smooth motion. And then it was gone. Almost as if it rifted in and out of the night sky again. A split second. That was enough for me. I got up, went back to camp and called a night. Part of me knew I wasn't going to see anything else, but honestly, I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget what I'd seen. That was about three years ago, and it stuck with me since. Clear as day. I'm sure there's some kind of logical explanation, maybe a satellite formation or some kind of celestial event. But the way it looked, so uniform, yet uneven at the same time, so structured. It didn't feel natural in the moment. And to be clear, it didn't look like a string of satellites being tethered into space. I'll leave the explanations up to you guys and the experts. I appreciate all the years of great stories and everything you do. Thanks, Derek and the crew stay spooky.
- [46:42]
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Alan. You know, the team and I were discussing this this week. That Alan's story reminds us of the Terry Loveless alien abduction case, most especially the description of the craft. Here's a summary of the experience Loveless claims he endured. According to BlazeTV, in the summer of 1977, Terry Loveless was working as an EMT for the US Air Force at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. One weekend in June, he and a colleague, Toby, took leave for a couple of days to enjoy Devil's Den State park in the northwestern Arkansas Ozarks. As they ate over the campfire on the first evening, Terry and Toby suddenly saw a blue light whiz into view. Soon the craft from which the light emanated came into view. It was some five stories high, a black triangular prism. A laser beam shot out and bathed the men in light. According to Terry, the light slowly rotated as if on an axis. All the while, they maintained their perfect triangular configuration. The points of light grew brighter as they crawled upward. The triangular formation grew larger and sped up a little, blocking out entire fields of stars as it climbed. It came to a halt directly overhead. It was like someone cut a giant triangle in the sky. Both men awoke sometime later, the craft now hovering in the field next to them. Both men suffered quite severe burns and dehydration and were hospitalized for a couple of nights. They were soon interviewed by special agents from the U.S. air Force's OSI Office of Special Investigations Division. After that, for the sake of their jobs, reputation and sanity, the two friends decided not to talk to anyone else about what had happened to them. Like I said, two very similar looking craft. And as we always do here, we cross referenced Allen's sighting with any others that have been reported over the years. And surprisingly we sort of came up dry, save for this one report submitted to New Fork that took place over 50 years ago some 130 miles from the location of Allen's sighting. Take a listen, you tell me if these two entries aren't eerily similar. Sighting 197549 Rancho Cordova, California May 1975. I was apparently sleepwalking. Approximately seven years old, drawn to the park half a mile away from my house. In the early hours, I remember the sound drawing me closer. I looked up above my head at what look to be about a 30 story skyscraper sideways with lights both warm white and cool white colors and what appeared or felt to be life happening inside of this thing. At some point it was just gone. No more sound, no more object. So I walked back toward my home. Only I couldn't remember exactly where I lived. Luckily, I ended up knocking on the door of a neighbor that knew me and they took me home. Now I'll let you be the judge. Are all these reports describing the exact same craft? Thank you again Alan for sharing the entry and sending us on this little deep dive. Now it's time for another hunting story. So why don't you welcome Will, all the way from Wyoming. Just a word of warning here. Will goes into a few details about field dressing and animal. If you're squeamish, keep that in mind.
- [50:57]
Will (Wyoming Caller)
Hey Derek, this is Will. I'm living out in Wyoming and I have a story to tell you about a hunting incident that happened to me several years back. It was probably in 2018 or 2019 and I was kind of new to the area and I drew my first antelope tag in an area known as the Red Desert. And specifically the place that I was hunting in was called Bison Basin. The area is probably one of the most remote areas in the lower 48 and it's a great area for antelope hunting. But all that's really out there is like oil and gas production and some like uranium mining operations. So just one thing to note about the story is that like time and interval distances are pretty important. Specifically with antelope meat, it's important to get the animal cooled off as quickly as possible or else the Meat can kind of taste, like, funky. So, long story short, I shot an antelope about 150 yards away from me and 200 yards from my truck. And I walked out to where I dropped it, and I filled out my hunting tag and I attached it and all that. And. And that's when I looked up, and I noticed off in the distance on the horizon, there was a really bright light moving quickly. But it was hard to kind of gauge the speed because it was probably a good, like, nine or 10 miles off in the distance. And out there, you can see for miles in all directions. So I was in a rush to get the animal field dressed and, like, back to my truck and pack the body cavity with ice. And so, that being said, I had tagged the buck, and I looked up and saw the light on the horizon, Thinking nothing of it, and I quickly went to work field dressing. In a matter of 30 to 45 seconds, I opened up the body cavity and I removed the guts. And that's when I glanced up and noticed about a mile away or less, that the light that I had seen in the distance, it was approaching me with, like, an incredible speed. So in that 30 to 45 seconds, the light had covered a dark distance that I would estimate to have been, like, nine miles. And it was approaching me at, like, the same speed, like, just blasting across the desert. So I couldn't really tell what I was looking at as the light was, like, very bright, and it was flying just over the top of the sage brush, and it was making no sound. So as the light got to within, like, 200 yards of me, after observing it for a few seconds, I could kind of start to make out what it was. It was, like, in a rectangular shape of polished metal, and it was 5 foot tall by maybe 2 to 3ft wide, like, kind of like the shape of a dressing mirror. And it was reflecting the setting sun that was behind me, back at me. And it didn't have. As far as I could tell, there were no lights on it. It was just, like, reflecting the sun back at me. And the flying object. Then, you know, when it got to about, like, 2 to 300 yards of me, it dropped down below the stage into a wash, and I couldn't see it anymore, and it was making no sound the entire time, but it was close enough to me that I should have been able to hear, like, propeller noise or, like, engine noise. So, you know, at this point, like, I was pretty spooked, and I wanted to get back to my truck and leave, But I had to take the animal with me. So I bent over and hid below the sagebrush line and I quickly finished field dressing and I grabbed the leg and I took off like, kind of like running and dragging the antelope buck back towards my truck. And all this took like it had to have been a matter of one minute to a minute and a half before I was just completely gassed. Like I had to stop. So I stopped and looked back behind me to see if this thing was still approaching me. And I could see the light now and it was traveling off in the other direction back like 8 to 9 miles, like going towards the horizon. So it covered a distance of like rough terrain in a matter of like a minute to a minute and 30 seconds. And I, I just don't really understand how anything could possibly travel over that type of terrain that fast. You know, I don't know what I saw. I mean, I know that I saw like a metallic object flying towards me, but it wasn't a drone, it wasn't a side by side, it wasn't any kind of like dirt bike or low flying plane. I would have heard engine noise or I would have heard propeller noise. You know, I've operated pretty significantly sized drones that have maybe had that capability. And it wasn't that. I've even gone as far as to ask Fish and Game and their uranium mining operation out there if they operate drones for surveying. And they said they don't. So, you know, I don't know what I saw, but I, I definitely was spooked and I haven't been back to that area since. But anyway, I hope you can use my story. Man. Thanks. Have a good evening.
- [55:29]
Derek Hayes
Thank you. Will. Man, does that story sound familiar? It reminds me of these seldom mentioned. Carl Higdon abduction case from Medicine Bow National Forest there in the Cowboy State. On October 25, 1974, Wyoming hunter Carl Higdon set out into Medicine Bow National Forest expecting to bring home an elk. Instead, he claimed his rifle fired in complete silence. The bullet drifted through the air as if time itself had slowed and an unusual humanoid, calling itself also one, stepped out from the trees. Higdon said he was taken aboard a cube shaped craft, shown an alien world more than 160,000 light years away, then returned hours later with missing time, a strange deformed bullet, and a story that has remained to this day one of the most bizarre alien abduction cases on record. Now, it took some time for Carl to get his life back in order. That sighting really seemed to mess him up. Dr. Leo Sprinkles a psychologist and ufologist, helped get him back on track. Carl died in 2022, still claiming his story to be true. Now here's a clip of Carl from the 1970s television program in Search of talking about those that doubt his story. Don't make a hill of beans to me.
- [57:07]
Aaron (Texas Caller)
Whether anybody believes it or not, I
- [57:09]
Derek Hayes
know what happened to me. If people want to take it at face value, that's fine. If they don't, it don't make me any different. The only thing I'm saying is if this does happen to anybody else, what
- [57:22]
Aaron (Texas Caller)
they are to do is talk to
- [57:23]
Derek Hayes
somebody about it, not to hold it inside and try to conquer it themselves,
- [57:27]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
because it can't be done.
- [57:28]
Derek Hayes
I don't think. I don't think our mind can take it.
- [57:34]
Will (Wyoming Caller)
As far as the experience happening to
- [57:37]
Derek Hayes
me, I think if it hadn't been for Dr. Sprinkle, I probably would have been in the institution by now. I think the similarities here are pretty obvious. And if you add to this list the Cisco grove incident of 1964, you start to see a pattern. Check out the show notes for more on that story. So a big thanks, Will. I know you didn't actually see an alien here like Higdon did, but something tells me that you might have if you stuck around long enough. Or maybe you did and you just can't remember. Either way, an amazing story, and we thank you again for taking the time to share. Now, in my search for stories involving tents, I stumbled upon one that does indeed involve a tent. But it's probably not what you're thinking. And I'll tell you, the story is just too good not to share. Anyway, so from parts unknown, please welcome Ashley to the program.
- [58:49]
Anonymous (Oklahoma Caller)
Hi, Derek. This is Ashley from the Pacific Northwest. So I'm listening to season 21, episode two right now, and I just heard the story of the ghostly carnival, the sounds coming from the cornfield, and it sparked a memory. This isn't my story, but my husband described one of the eeriest situations that he ever encountered was when he was a little kid, he lived in a small town in West Virginia, college town, Marshall University. And he had a giant backyard that kind of just backed up into the wilderness. And he and his brother were playing basketball. And oftentimes the ball would roll over the hill and they'd have to go get it. They'd have to, like, you know, go through the weeds. It was kind of like an unkept area. And so one day the ball rolled over the hill. They couldn't quite find it. So they had to go pretty far to walk to get it. And they stumbled across a giant circus tent. Like the red and white stripe, you know, it gathers and points up in the middle. And they were so freaked out they didn't approach it. But this is an abandoned, you know, field area, just kind of like a woodsy area. You know, there's lots of trees, lots of foliage. So not only could they not understand how the circus tank got back there, being as large as it was, there were no roads or even really walkway or pathways that led to it, but they had never seen it before. And they had gone to get their basketball, you know, many times and they didn't investigate. They just got really scared, grabbed the basketball as fast as they could, ran back up the hill, told their parents, and their parents were just like, eh, whatever, it's dinner time. And then not too much time after that, actually maybe a few years. They were having like a slumber party and one of the siblings was in the kitchen making breakfast and a girl just walked through the door in a very like old timey kind of like long white nightgown in the kitchen was across the way from the main door. So they turned around, saw this girl walk in and I think the door may have been open to like let the dogs out. And they asked, can I help you? Because they were really freaked out. And she just stared at them and slowly turned around and walked out the door and he ran into the other room to like get a friend. And when they came back out, they couldn't find her, you know, in the street. They couldn't find her at the neighbor's house. She was just like nowhere to be found. But those are the only two creepy things that happened in West Virginia. Okay, thanks for your awesome podcast. Bye.
- [61:31]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Ashley. You know, best case scenario here, someone had their barn fumigated. I'm sure you've seen those large circus like tents covering homes that have some sort of insect infestation. I used to see them constantly when I lived in Los Angeles. But there is another option here. However, this might not have been a tent. Instead it could have been a spaceship of some sort. An alien craft that simply took on the ability appearance of a circus tent. And perhaps it was piloted by murderous aliens as well. Aliens donning stripes, polka dots, big noses, green hair, and bright red face paint. How many killer clowns from outer space fans might be tuning in here tonight? Now, in all seriousness, we did have one mundane explanation explanation to this strange conundrum. A winter camp. A winter camp served mainly as a seasonal home for circus animals as well as the employees associated with their care. The property contained houses for the animal trainers and their families, heated barns with circus rings for sheltering and training the animals, a large cleared field for grazing, and plenty of space for storing branded trailers, trucks, buses, and snakehouses during the off season. So maybe our caller's boyfriend came across the remnants of a long forgotten winter camp. Perhaps it was even a barn simply painted to look like a tent. Now, before you think northern West Virginia is a weird place to winter, there are actually similar winter quarters across the country in all various states of use in Florida, Utah, Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Indiana. So why not West Virginia?
- [63:30]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
No?
- [63:31]
Derek Hayes
I don't know what your boyfriend stumbled upon that day, Ashley, but I do know the results made for one hell of a story. Thank you again for calling in.
- [63:42]
Aaron (Texas Caller)
Let's switch gears.
- [63:45]
Derek Hayes
Feel like you can trust that you
- [63:47]
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Derek Hayes
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Aaron (Texas Caller)
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Derek Hayes
All right folks, things are about to get weird as we close things out here tonight. Super weird if you ask me. Beginning with a walk through the woods of Australia. Please welcome Michael to Tonight's airwaves.
- [65:48]
Michael (Australia Caller)
Hi, Derek. My name is Michael. I live in a small country town around 250k's northwest of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. This happened to both my partner and I back in 2017. We had a really strange experience on the way back home from having stayed at her cousin's place, which is on a rural block just outside of a little town called Anglesey on the coast. So there was a wedding and we stayed the night. The following day we decided to make our way home the long way by going camping for another night. Being a public holiday, all of the campsites were fully booked, taken up, but nonetheless we decided to have a crack. So we were driving through a bit of bush called the Otways. It's a state park and in this vast stretch of forest there are only a handful of campsites, one of which is dead center in the middle of the forest. So we decided to head there, only getting there at around 8:30 that night. We realised that there was no hope that we were going to actually stay there the night because people were camped on the side of the road down the road it was well and truly over capacity, so we about faced and drove in the opposite direction. Eventually I found a little side road, just a forest track. So on some tracks the authority, they'll actually close or gate off the tracks. This one was left open, which was a boon because we hadn't had any luck and it was getting late. So we drove through it and followed the road all the way down this valley and it was a really nice little bit of bush track. On either side of the track there was clearing, but I decided to just keep on driving and just try to find a really good spot with the knowledge that it's probably around 10, 10:30 at night now and it's getting late, so we really want to sort of doss down. Eventually we go down a valley and the ground opens up, so it's nice and flat. The road just kind of starts turning a little bit to the left and I just decided to press on and just see what was around the corner for maybe the next couple hundred meters. So keep on driving, keep on driving. Eventually the road sort of wheels a little bit more to the left and we're going deeper and deeper into the forest at this stage, all of a sudden the vibe in the cab of the vehicle between my partner and I just got tense and I felt a real heavy sense of unease. I had this feeling like that I was going to see something that I didn't want to see. It Was really weird, hard to describe. At that instant the road opened up. I went straight and I had the high beams on so things are pretty bright. And immediately within a flash I saw what I can only describe as a very pasty bald man's head with veins under the skin race across. And it was lightning quick. So quick that I doubted what I saw. My partner sitting next to me because we drive on the right here. So she's sitting to my left. Her perspective was more of a 45 degree. So what she saw was the other half of what I didn't see. She describes what she saw as a half man, half deer, half animal in line with maybe a minotaur or something like that. Or pegasus, more like that. And it was that quick that we really doubted what we did see. The road kept on going and I kept on driving. I needed to drive just to clarify what we had seen. So what we come across staring at us is a little deer. Really bizarre from what I thought that I'd just seen to a deer. Polar opposites. This deer looks at us and just bangs it through the bush. And this is really, really thick, dense forest here. I mean if you were just to walk into it you'd get stuck within half a meter. But this thing just disappeared. Darted straight in there and was gone. We looked at each other and just. I tried to reassure her that what we had seen was. Was just a deer in the headlights darting across. And she kind of agreed. You turned and back to the spot that I had seen. And we'd set up camp. Was pushing around quarter to 11, 11 that night. By the time we'd had dinner and settled down. Later on that night maybe at around 2:30, I awoke to the sounds of what I can only describe as leaves falling on the tent. In all my experience of camping in the past, I've never been rained on by leaves. It wasn't ridiculously windy or anything like that. But yeah, this is really odd. Odd enough to wake me up from a dead sleep in a very short period of time. After registering that sound, I heard another sound which was some God awful strange kind of howly cry sound that I've never heard before in all my years of camping and being out in the bush. Immediately after hearing that, it was too much for me. I didn't want to even think about it. I may have just chuckled and gone back to sleep. Dead sleep, but very odd. The following morning after having breakfast, a motorbike rider came past us and and was really, really surprised to see us. He had the air of a cop about him. Didn't really come across as one of these other sort of young dudes that just cruise around tearing up the joint and just asked how the night was, et cetera, et cetera, and how the camping was around there. And yeah, a bit of a funny vibe about him that still sort of sticks in my mind to this day. But in summation, just that whole night was really odd and we definitely both saw something that has freaked us out to this day. So much so that we don't go camping anymore.
- [72:21]
Derek Hayes
Like that.
- [72:22]
Michael (Australia Caller)
But love the podcasts. Thanks. Cheers.
- [72:25]
Toma Villa (Yamaka and Seneca Artist)
Bye bye.
- [72:29]
Derek Hayes
Thanks Michael what do you suppose that was folks? A veiny bald headed creature in the wilds of Australia. We've searched high and low but came up with nothing. We could honestly say felt similar to what Michael just reported. Was this just a one off something so few people have experienced that it doesn't even have lore surrounding it yet? Or was this indeed a misidentification of some sort of what? I don't know. If you're looking for Creepy Encounters from Victoria Delaney stumbled upon upon a Reddit thread filled with similar encounters. It's in tonight's show. Notes if you'd like to take a look. Creepy stuff, Michael. An experience that certainly tops our list, so thank you again for sharing. All right folks, real quick. Don't forget to do your part to support the show, visit monsters among us podcast.com and click the Shop tab to pick up some officially licensed Monsters Among Us gear today. Again, that's monsters among us podcast.com and click the Shop tab. Do you just want to see the bads come alive and not be so reliant on the homer?
- [73:55]
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This episode is brought to you by Alloy Health. Monsters Among Us is all about sharing stories that can feel a little scary or even isolating. Menopause can feel the same way, like you're facing something strange and unknown all on your own. Almost half of women wait three or more years before finding relief from symptoms like hot flashes, sleepless nights, and brain fog. Sometimes doctors say it's normal or rush you through an appointment. Alloy was built by women who have been there. It connects you with menopause, specialized doctors and proven treatments so you don't have to wait weeks for care. Most women feel better in just two weeks. Join the 95% of women who tried Alloy and saw relief in the first two weeks. Head to myalloi.com and use the code SUMMER20. Your menopause specialized doctor will tailor your treatment to your exact needs. Plus you get unlimited messaging with your doctor head to my a l l o y.com and use code summer20 to get $20 off.
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Derek Hayes
I need Moto Casinos, the social casino prohibited. Necessary. Visit Moto Us for more details. Download the Moto Casino app. Today must be 21/ Moto Casino America Social casino. That was his long way of saying. Now, folks, that takes us to tonight's final entry. From the state of Florida, please welcome Matt to the program.
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Hi, Derek. My name is Matt. I currently live in Florida, but this took place years ago in New Jersey. Stoke State Forest, to be precise. I was about 11 years old, and we went camping with a bunch of the families and, you know, husbands, wives, kids. We had a group of kids. One night, just before dusk, we all decided to leave the camp, go for a walk. We stumbled upon a abandoned barn. And as we're getting close, we see this creature standing in front of the barn, looking at us like we're dinner. It was maybe about, I don't know, three and a half, four feet tall. It had a long snout, pointy ears, hoofed feet, and bat wings. So we all got spooked, ran back to the campsite, told our parents. They said, oh, you guys are nuts. And then 30. So years later, my brother sends me an email, and he said, you'll know. And I scrolled down to the attachment, and it was the same creature that we saw that night. It sent goosebumps up and down my spine, all my hair raised up. It was just incredible. I was like, oh, my God, I almost forgot about that thing. Anyway, love the show, buddy. Have a good night. It.
- [78:07]
Derek Hayes
Another soundscape by our very own Connor Ryan, inspired by Matt's tale. Thanks, Matt. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you ran into the infamous Jersey Devil. A hoofed creature with a horse's head, a bat's wings, and the devil's tail. As off the wall as the description of this creature is, it has reportedly been seen for hundreds of years there in the Garden State. Hundreds of witnesses have come forward over the years, all explaining the exact same thing. And there have been many flaps involving the creature over the years. From January 16th to the 23rd, 1909, newspapers published hundreds of claimed encounters with the Devil from all over South Jersey. In the Philadelphia area. The widespread coverage created fear throughout the region, prompting a number of schools to close and workers to stay home. Vigilantes and groups of hunters roamed the pines and countryside in search of the devil. The reports came in in droves, and one such report described a situation that bears a striking resemblance to Matt's story. It occurred on January 22, 1909. At about seven that evening, a report circulated that at last, the Jersey Devil had been captured. CC Hill, case, saloon keeper of Lamberton street in Trenton, received a phone call that the Jersey Devil was locked in a barn on his farm across the Delaware river in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The caller informed the astonished Hill that the devil had been riding atop a wagon driven into the barn by a farmhand. Several men then slammed the door shut, trapping the beast. A number of eager and curious rode a boat across the Delaware to see the elusive creature. But a search of the barn proved that the Jersey Devil had once again vanished. That report was pulled from the 1976 book the Jersey Devil by James McCloy. And reports like this continue to this day. Farmers, folks driving through, hikers, hunters, fishermen, and even campers. So to close things out, I want to share with you a story I found while researching this call. It was posted on a Pine Barrens local Facebook page and goes as follows. I used to go camping with buddies in the pines when we were younger. One weekend, we were pretty lit. A ton of beers and some of the devil's lettuce. My buddy, let's call him Jimmy to avoid any unfortunate identification, wandered off. We figured he was collecting firewood or dropping a deuce or whatever. An hour or so goes by and we start to get concerned. So we start looking, calling his name, trying to cover all the ground nearby. Nothing. The next day was Sunday. We expected Jimmy to be laying there by the fire when we woke up, but he wasn't. We went to the local police and they organized a search. A week and a half later, one of my buddies calls me and says, jimmy showed up out by the hedger house. We all raced over there to see what had happened. What we found wasn't really Jimmy anymore, At least not the guy we once knew. Disheveled, torn clothing, crazy eyes mumbling, he's coming after me. Don't let him get me. Jimmy was unfortunately institutionalized not long after he came back. We tried to visit him, tried to get him to tell us what had happened, but he never really recovered. He was sent home after a long stay, but again, he was never the same guy. His parents asked us to stop coming by after a while. Said it was doing him more harm than good. I don't know what's in those woods, but I know it scared my buddy enough to destroy his life. So the Jersey Devil might sound like a tongue in cheek chimera, but keep in mind, even today that area is known as dangerous country. Maybe the Devil is to blame. A big thanks Matt, for sharing the entry, and a big thanks to all of tonight's callers. Now be very careful as you stumble back to your campsite. I heard there are snipes out tonight. And remember to put your food away. I saw a bear rip a door off a car up in Tahoe. Just a giddy Twinkie. At least I think it was a bear. All right, folks, thank you so much for joining us yet again at the MAU campout. Now make sure that fire is fully extinguished, and we hope that you join us back here next year. But in the meantime, get those camping stories into us now. 888608 or Monsters Among Us podcast@gmail.com Monsters Among Us Podcast is written and produced by me, Derek Hayes, copyright Red Crow Media. Additional support is provided by Sarah Carter Hayes, Delaney Bowers and Connor Ryan. All media used in a spreadsheet production has done so under the protection of fair use. Now be sure to like us on our social media pages, like us on YouTube, leave us a rate to review, join our Discord server and be sure to tell friends about the show. Word of mouth is the best way to help the show grow. Now don't forget, you can catch the show every Saturday evening at 10pm Eastern on the ON X Digital Network. Just Visit on on xnetwork.com to tune in. Don't forget, you can hear me read the audiobook I Saw It Out There. Terrifying true stories of unexplained encounters, cryptid sightings and paranormal horrors in the wilderness. Go to the Show Notes to find a link. And finally, tonight's score was provided by Iam Cthulhu Apocalypse Co AGP Music and Carl Casey at White Bat Audio. Go watch the film Shadows in the Desert, High Strangeness in the borrego Triangle. Visit borregotriangle.com to tune in. Be sure to listen to Monsters Among Us junior. Your kids are gonna love it and join us in the beyond. Visit us on Patreon Apple subscriptions or by going to monsters among us podcast.com and by clicking on the Patreon tab. Now folks, let's launch right into tonight's Beyond. Someone has to stay and watch the campfire. Now, I had two stories submitted for this episode that were simply too long to share on the main show. Sometimes that happens. So instead of putting them on a shelf, I decided decided to extend tonight's episode just a bit by playing them on tonight's Beyond. So get cozy, open another beverage if you want. And welcome Gary to the Beyond.
- [85:54]
Gary D. (Ontario, Canada Caller)
Hey there, Gary D. Here up in Ontario, Canada. Back when I was in my teens and throughout my 20s, I did a lot of fishing all across Ontario. This particular experience or encounter was the opening season for trout. So I'd be going for rainbow trout. So this was usually in the end of April of the year. I had gone to the same river many times and I usually went with my buddy and this time my buddy had to pull out at the last second. So I was just going alone, which is kind of scary because in order to get to the this river, it was on the back of a large farm and we had gotten the okay from that farm owner to fish on his property because usually we would give him a couple of our trout that he would cook up that they would eat in the house and they gave us a go ahead. But then there was a long stretch that was public land. We knew where those areas were because we had fished those areas many years. So fast forward, I get up there, I'm there alone, I pull up there and the opening season is usually at midnight on a Friday night. So the Saturday morning at, you know, 12:00am Sometimes there's. You hear a shotgun go off or something, depending on where you are, but it was before midnight, so I probably had to go almost a mile to get across that farmer's field, cows everywhere, and then go through a little wooded area to get down to the river. And the river was maybe 25, 30ft across. It wasn't a huge river, but it did have deep spots. They had some waterfalls and rapids. And so I made my way back there and I'm doing this probably at 9, 10 o' clock at night. It's already gotten dark out, so it's pitch dark out. I've got a flashlight, I've got my fishing gear and a backpack on my back, a couple of fishing rods, and I trekked back through this field and all you hear is owls and wind blowing. And I felt fairly safe knowing it was on private property of this landowner that we knew there shouldn't be anybody back there. So I worked my way back, went to the river and went to a regular spot which was close to a waterfall. The waterfall was pretty small. It was maybe 15ft high. And then it would come cascading down. There was a big plunge pool and a big hole. Right where the plunge pool was was probably a good 8 or 10ft right below the falls. And then that pool was like a large hole. Within 30ft down of that, there were rapids. So I set up, you know, got some wood together, I had some fire starter. I made a little bonfire and just sat there and waited. You never took a chance of fishing early because there were game wardens that would sneak up on you and you would be fine, thrown in jail, any number of things. So I got all my gear ready
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- [89:07]
Derek Hayes
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