Morbid Network | Wondery
Episode: 684: Listener Tales 99: Campfire Tale Edition!
Release Date: June 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In Episode 684 of Morbid, titled "Listener Tales 99: Campfire Tale Edition!", hosts Ash and Elena delve into spine-chilling camping stories submitted by their listeners. This episode focuses on eerie overnight experiences at abandoned amusement parks and haunted lakes, blending thorough research with the hosts' signature humor and camaraderie.

Addressing Listener Concerns: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Confusion

Early in the episode, Ash and Elena address a misunderstanding stemming from a recent video by Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Gypsy Rose mistakenly referred to "Sir Morbid," which many listeners interpreted as a reference to the Morbid podcast. The hosts clarify:

Elena (03:31): "We're not going to cover her case. We've never done any Gypsy Rose Blanchard content, and we don't plan to ever do it."

Ash (03:54): "Sir Morbid is different from Morbid. We're not going to cover her case."

They express gratitude for their listeners' support and emphasize that any negative comments Gypsy Rose may have directed their way were based on a misunderstanding.

Listener Tale 1: April's Lake Shawnee Experience

April, along with her husband Wesley and their dogs Ozzy and Toccoa Goose, embarked on a daring overnight camping trip to Lake Shawnee, an abandoned amusement park in West Virginia. Their adventure unfolds with escalating supernatural encounters:

• Arrival and Tour with Chris (07:38): Upon arriving, they meet Chris, the self-proclaimed caretaker, who provides a comprehensive history of Lake Shawnee but abruptly departs, leaving April and Wesley to explore on their own.

• First Explorations and Setting Up Camp (09:20): After a quick dinner of gas station bologna and cheese sandwiches, they decide to set up camp in a shed near the cornfields, despite a looming rainstorm.

• Supernatural Incidents (12:00 - 15:59): As night falls, Elena explores the campsite alone, encountering strange phenomena like a pinwheel that responds to her commands and witnessing ghostly shadows near the graves of the Mitchell Clay children. This heightens their sense of unease, culminating in unexplained rapping at the shed's door throughout the night.

Elena (14:35): "People who camp with their dogs are particularly magnetic."

Ash (05:28): "To be honest, I get it. I want to go. I want to go so bad."

• Surviving the Night (16:00 - 16:58): Despite the terrifying events, the couple manages to endure the night and escape the haunted grounds by dawn.

Elena (16:38): "Lake Desolation, fall in with their sadness, lose a ton of humans from sight, and can never explain it again."

Ash (16:39): "I want to see it, but I don't want to see it all at the same time."

Hosts' Commentary: Ash and Elena commend April for her bravery and express interest in exploring more abandoned places inspired by her tale.

Listener Tale 2: Megan's Lake Desolation and the Randonautica Incident

Megan, a listener from New Hampshire, shares her unsettling experiences at Lake Desolation, an eerie, deep, and cold lake in upstate New York known for its haunting history and sightings of a serial killer.

• Haunted Lake History (20:31 - 22:10): Megan describes Lake Desolation's dark past, including serial killings in 2003 and 2009, where young girls with red hair were victims. The lake's ominous name and history set the stage for her horrifying encounters.

• Randonautica Adventure (24:00 - 25:35): Megan and her 17-year-old sister used the Randonautica app, which led them to an abandoned insane asylum 13 minutes from their camp. Their experience was fraught with fear, reinforcing the lake's sinister reputation.

Megan (21:03): "The lake is literally sick. 68 acres of blackness."

Elena (24:07): "The app supposedly manifests something you'd like to see and then chooses a random point of longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates."

• Realization and Conclusion (29:00 - 51:59): After recounting her terrifying night, which included eerie sounds and the disappearance of fellow campers, Megan reveals that the noises were later identified as a mountain lion, not supernatural forces. This revelation provides a rational explanation for the night's horrors, though the psychological impact remains significant.

Ash (64:08): "The sound of very fast increasingly loud running starts towards me from where the thought I had heard was."

Megan (67:15): "The lake we camped on is said to be haunted by the Native Americans that once lived on the land."

Hosts' Commentary: Ash and Elena empathize with Megan's experience, highlighting the thin line between rational explanations and the allure of the supernatural in true crime storytelling.

Additional Listener Submissions

Throughout the episode, listeners submitted additional tales, including:

• Katie's Shadow People and Spooky Headlights Story (53:00 - 73:58): Katie narrates a harrowing experience at a haunted lake where mysterious headlights and shadow figures led her and her boyfriend, Cody, to believe they were being stalked by a malevolent presence. The ordeal culminates with the discovery that the noises were caused by a mountain lion, shedding light on the true source of fear.

Katie (64:08): "What was Chad trying to tell us? Did something happen to us after the ferry?"

Katie (73:04): "But per your instructions, leaving was always an option. Our car was right outside."

Hosts' Commentary: Ash and Elena commend Katie for her detailed and terrifying account, praising her for ultimately learning that the fear was rooted in a natural predator rather than the supernatural.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Elena on Polarizing Topics:
  "Nicholas is a hot topic. Polarizing."
  (02:13)

• Ash on Abandoned Spaces:
  "I have ruined the couch. It looks like somebody got killed on this couch."
  (04:41)

• Megan on Fear and Realizations:
  "I hate being in the lake alone. I always feel like some dead body is going to come up and grab me."
  (22:37)

• Katie on Overcoming Fear:
  "We survived the night... Dawn broke to a beautiful blue sky."
  (16:38)

Conclusion

Episode 684 of Morbid masterfully intertwines listener-submitted tales of haunted camping trips with the hosts' engaging dialogue and insightful commentary. By addressing listener concerns and exploring the thin veil between the supernatural and natural explanations, Ash and Elena provide a captivating and immersive experience for both avid fans and newcomers to the podcast.

Listeners are encouraged to submit their own spooky stories for future episodes, continuing the tradition of sharing and unraveling true crime and eerie experiences from around the world.

Stay Connected:
For more chilling tales and true crime stories, subscribe to Morbid on the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Share your own experiences by emailing morbidpodcastmail.com and become part of the Morbid community!