National Park After Dark X Heart Starts Pounding

Episode 322 | September 15, 2025
Hosts: Danielle & Cassie (National Park After Dark), Kaylin Moore (Heart Starts Pounding)

Episode Overview

This special crossover episode features Danielle and Cassie from National Park After Dark teaming up with Kaylin Moore, host of Heart Starts Pounding, for a chilling deep dive into the unexplained and spine-tingling stories from America's wild places. Together, they explore the murky intersection where the natural beauty of national parks gives way to strange mysteries, true crime, missing time, and the supernatural—from serial killers to eerie encounters and alien abductions. The hosts share and analyze real accounts and Reddit stories, drawing on their own research, personal experiences, and expertise in outdoor safety as well as the uncanny.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Guest Background (00:19–03:19)

• Kaylin Moore’s Fascination with the Macabre: Kaylin grew up in a New England town with a dark history, which shaped her passion for mysteries. Her family’s past even includes her great-grandfather helping catch a serial killer. She’s worked on horror productions like those for Atomic Monster (The Conjuring Universe), adding depth to her exploration of real and imagined terror.
• Purpose of the Crossover: Combining their unique perspectives on national parks and horror, the episode aims to explore chilling, true accounts from the outdoors—both true crime and supernatural.

2. The Allure and Danger of National Parks (03:19–05:55)

• National parks are discussed as simultaneously awe-inspiring and fraught with peril, especially due to their remoteness.
• Alaska’s parks are highlighted as particularly treacherous due to wildlife, lack of access to help, and high rate of disappearances.
  • Danielle: “I think Alaskan national parks are in a league of their own.” (04:48)

3. True Crime in the Wild: The Devil’s Den Double Murder (05:55–15:29)

• Story Recap (Kaylin Moore): The Beck family is attacked at Devil’s Den State Park, Arkansas, with both parents killed in a shocking, random stabbing (July 2025).
• The killer, a schoolteacher with a suspicious history, targeted the park for its remoteness and lack of cell service.
• Discusses the horror of violence puncturing the strong sense of community in outdoor culture.
  • Cassie: “These parks are supposed to be a safe haven... to have someone take that away... is so upsetting.” (12:10)
  • Kaylin: “It is so shocking when we hear about these cases because…the community is so strong. It’s full of people who are very nice to each other.” (14:04)
• Precautionary Tips: Always leave your general plans in your car and with friends/family; carry devices like Garmin InReach in remote areas. (15:50–17:57)

4. Story: Unexplained Time Loss in New Mexico (19:50–27:27)

• Reddit Account: A hiker loses almost seven hours during what should have been a morning trip, experiencing malfunctions with his gas gauge and battery, yet with no sign of physical distress or memory loss.
• Discussion veers toward alien abduction theories, referencing famous cases (Betty & Barney Hill, Allagash Four).
  • Danielle: “That is a through line no matter what... is this loss of unaccounted for time that there’s no explanation.” (24:13)
• Cassie offers a rational mechanical explanation regarding car gauges, but the group agrees the event is deeply strange: “Losing a chunk of six plus hours is very strange.” (27:37)
• Kaylin shares a similar anecdote about time slips in Thompson Park, NY, involving possible interdimensional travel—complete with the local legend of a witch’s curse. (27:49–31:10)

5. True Crime: The National Forest Serial Killer (33:32–44:18)

• Reddit Account: At Apalachicola National Forest, two teenagers unknowingly encounter Gary Michael Hilton, later revealed to be a notorious serial killer. They recognize him from the news months afterward—he’d targeted campers at sites he’d told them about.
• Kaylin summarizes Hilton’s crimes, including a recent confession (2025).
• Discussion compares to similar cases on the Appalachian Trail and in Yosemite (Carrie Stayner case), illustrating the dangers posed by people in remote places, not just nature.
  • Cassie: “You don’t want to cause mass chaos, but at the same time, people need to know how to protect themselves.” (44:18)

6. The Supernatural: Glacier National Park’s Strange Phenomena (46:27–59:29)

• Reddit Account: Couple experiences disembodied clapping circling them at night, then encounters UFO-like lights; other visitors and a musician confirm seeing UFOs at the same spot. Local rangers report unmarked government vehicles in the area.
• Hosts analyze whether these events point to extraterrestrials or possible Bigfoot activity.
  • Danielle: “Erratic behavior by a light in the sky, it’s hard to go anywhere else other than UFOs in your mind.” (52:07)
  • Kaylin: “A really common theme...in folklore spanning every single country, spanning every single time period is creatures in the woods that no one can explain.” (54:58)
• Bigfoot is discussed as global folklore, with the Pacific Northwest as a hotspot but acknowledging regional variations like the Skunk Ape and Grassman.

7. Another Strange Experience: Night Terror at Mount Rainier (61:14–75:32)

• Reddit Account: Camper suffers an intense night of suffocating panic, destroys her own van in her sleep but has no memory. Only similar episodes ever happened at Mount Rainier.
• The hosts discuss wilderness-induced “hypnosis,” how sleeping outside produces vivid dreams (Cassie: “Whenever I’m sleeping outside on the ground, I have very, very vivid dreams.” 70:04), and parallels to mass delusion cases like Dyatlov Pass.
• Sleep terrors and the line between psychological/physiological vs. supernatural explanations are explored, noting camping exacerbates intense mental phenomena: “It’s something about camping regardless of if we had a particularly strenuous day...” (69:32)

8. Camping Safety and Final Advice (75:57–80:56)

• Despite the unsettling tales, the hosts encourage listeners to try camping—with friends, starting at established campgrounds, and using practical safety measures.
• Cassie’s trick: Sleeping with earplugs to avoid being scared by every sound (“Whatever’s happening outside my tent is none of my business.” 77:22)
• The value of self-reliance and confidence gained from outdoor experiences is emphasized.
  • Danielle: “Spending time in nature and whatever capacity you feel is best will definitely improve your life.” (80:39)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the wilderness resetting the food chain:
  Kaylin Moore: “When you enter the forest, you re-enter the food chain.” [02:02]

• On trust and danger in national parks:
  Cassie: “These parks are supposed to be a safe haven... to have someone take that away and ruin it... is so upsetting to hear.” [12:10]

• On lost time and extraterrestrial phenomena:
  Danielle: “That is a through line... in every alien abduction or encounter story... this loss of unaccounted for time…” [24:13]

• On the outdoor community’s response to tragedy:
  Cassie: “People really rally around the people who are affected and try to help in any way that they can.” [15:29]

• On the supernatural in folklore:
  Kaylin Moore: “Creatures in the woods that no one can explain… appear all over the world in every single time period.” [54:58]

• On confidence-building through camping:
  Danielle: “Recreating outdoors… gives you confidence. You rely on yourself... it just forces you to be independent… that will trickle out and touch other parts of your life.” [79:45]

Timestamps for Major Stories/Segments

• 00:19–03:19 – Introduction & Kaylin’s background
• 05:55–15:29 – Devil’s Den double murder
• 19:50–27:27 – Lost time in New Mexico (possible alien story)
• 27:49–31:10 – Time-slip/interdimensional story at Thompson Park, NY
• 33:32–44:18 – Gary Michael Hilton (National Forest Serial Killer)
• 46:27–59:29 – UFO & supernatural phenomena at Glacier National Park; Bigfoot and folklore
• 61:14–75:32 – Night terror/psychological horror experience at Mount Rainier National Park
• 75:57–80:56 – Camping safety, advice, and closing thoughts

Conclusion

The episode delivers an engrossing blend of the harrowing and the mysterious, reinforcing both the need for vigilance in wild spaces and the wonder still hidden behind their beauty. Whether recounting true crimes, lost hours, or “impossible” creatures, the hosts strike a tone that’s both chilling and encouraging—inviting listeners to go out, be prepared and alert, and embrace the untamed magic of the wilderness.

“Enjoy the view, but watch your back.” – Danielle (81:30)