Podcast Summary: National Park After Dark – Episode 339: Trail Tales 82

Podcast: National Park After Dark
Hosts: Danielle and Cassie
Episode: 339 – Trail Tales 82
Date: December 4, 2025

Overview

In this Trail Tales episode, Danielle and Cassie share a handful of listener-submitted stories ranging from chilling ghost encounters to near-miss tragedies in wild places, interspersed with their own reflections and anecdotes. True to the National Park After Dark style, the episode weaves together elements of the eerie and inspiring, highlighting the unpredictable nature of wild spaces, the mysteries that linger in historic sites, and the enduring power of personal intuition and community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Updates & Banter (00:20 – 05:01)

• Danielle celebrates her upcoming birthday and shares details about a unique, antique Victorian mourning ring she’s gifted herself. Both hosts reminisce about milestone birthdays and joke about inventing new adult rites of passage.
• Danielle describes planning an elaborate birthday party for her dog, Chaska, delighting Cassie with her attention to detail for canine guests and charitable twist (donations for a local shelter).
  • Tone: Light-hearted, playful, and friendly.

2. Trail Tale 1: "Third Man Syndrome with a Civil War Ghost" (05:03 – 08:16)

• Story by Z: After a serious car accident on a historic Civil War battlefield, Z recounts a surreal, life-saving experience: being guided by a faceless Civil War soldier to safety. Z later learns the house he entered was a former Civil War hospital and that his own mother—and the mother of a deceased friend—had powerful intuitions at the time of his accident.
• Z’s story touches on grief, fate, and the unexplainable, blending family, history, and supernatural elements.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “I do remember following a Civil War soldier to a house a half mile up the road... A Civil War soldier that had no face but an authentic Union uniform.” — Z (06:09)
  • “Sometimes life gives you ghosts, a premonition, and a new lease on life in a short amount of time.” — Z (08:12)
• Hosts React (08:16 – 09:46):
  • Cassie: “That is such a heart-wrenching story… and third man syndrome.” (08:21)
  • Danielle: “Mother’s intuition! It has it all.” (08:29)
  • Both hosts reflect on personal experiences with dangerous driving and fatigue, further emphasizing the story’s message about vulnerability and unexpected support in crisis.

3. Trail Tale 2: "Yes, I Got Haunted." (12:39 – 20:23)

• Story by Ashley: Ashley recounts moving into a seemingly ordinary double-wide home, only to encounter escalating paranormal activity—noisemakers turning on by themselves, objects flying across the room, and eventually, physical sensations at night. Determined to coexist, Ashley establishes boundaries with the spirit “Bob.” After leaving, Bob makes a dramatic final gesture by knocking over boxes before quieting.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “The next incident was in the kitchen… there was a coffee travel mug lid now on the floor, three feet away, like someone had just slapped it.” — Ashley (15:13)
  • “I started talking to it. I named it Bob… but set some boundaries and told him we did not feel comfortable with him touching us.” — Ashley (17:56)
• Hosts React (20:23 – 21:51):
  • Danielle: "Kind of makes me a little sad. Poor Bob left behind." (20:23)
  • Cassie compares Bob’s antics to the mischievousness of a cat, highlighting the spirit’s relatively benign, attention-seeking nature.

4. Trail Tale 3: "Point of Graves" (23:41 – 29:55)

• Story by Troy: Troy attends a Portsmouth ghost tour and, via a medium’s guidance, is led to a grave bearing his own last name—one he later confirms as a distant relative through research. The experience leaves him a believer in the paranormal and the importance of remembering those who came before us.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “The gravestone was marked with the name Sarah Sargent, the same last name as mine… Next to the gravestone, her sister, Mary March, the same spirit the medium was able to connect through.” — Troy (24:28)
• Hosts Discuss (26:20 – 29:55):
  • Danielle and Cassie reflect on genealogy, ancestry.com drama, and the power of connecting with personal history through cemeteries.

5. Trail Tale 4: "Childhood Tubing Trauma" (31:44 – 39:23)

• Story by Paige: Paige recalls a terrifying incident while tubing on Lake Powell as a teen. Caught in a sudden summer storm and ignored by adults in the boat, she rides out giant waves alone, only to later hear of another girl her age who drowned during the same storm. Paige emphasizes the importance of boating safety and respecting nature.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “After a couple minutes on the tube, the waves were the biggest I’ve ever seen… I was fearful that if I fell off, I’d drown.” — Paige (33:28)
  • “Please wear a damn life jacket.” — Paige (36:26)
• Hosts React (36:26 – 39:23):
  • Both share childhood tubing stories, recalling a mix of fun and fear, and underscoring the seriousness of water safety.

6. Trail Tale 5: "Cemetery Tales" (40:02 – 50:44)

• Story by Naomi: A college research project brings Naomi to Burr Oak Cemetery, a historic African American cemetery near Chicago. She recounts the site’s fraught history—segregation, grave desecration, the resting place of Emmett Till, and a more recent scandal involving the reselling and disturbance of graves. She highlights community activists and volunteers striving to restore dignity there.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Investigators discovered more than 200 grave sites had been dug up with their remains being dumped into unmarked mass graves…” — Naomi (43:53)
  • “With the work being done by dedicated people… Burr Oak Cemetery can be restored to a place of peace.” — Naomi (48:22)
• Hosts Discuss (48:22 – 50:44):
  • Danielle recommends related material (movie Till), discusses the power of exposing injustice, and notes the creation of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument as a national park tie-in.
  • Cassie acknowledges the emotional impact of these stories and the continued relevance of segregation’s legacy in cemetery history.

7. Trail Tale 6: "Fort George Island Cultural State Park Fail" (50:44 – 57:12)

• Story by Robbie: Sharing a cautionary tale from a kayaking trip in Florida, Robbie and her boyfriend become stranded in thigh-deep mud amid sharp oyster beds when tides drop unexpectedly. After injuries, panic, and accidentally trespassing onto protected historic property, they encounter both sympathetic and stern park authorities before escaping with only a warning.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “The water was gone, so we had to trudge through the mud, or should I say the near equivalent to quicksand… the oyster beds were much worse here.” — Robbie (53:08)
  • “She told us we were committing a felony… [but] let us go with a warning.” — Robbie (55:38)
• Hosts React (55:38 – 57:12):
  • Cassie and Danielle have fun with the escalating misfortunes, laughing about the unpredictability of Florida and the absurdity of being threatened with felonies while bleeding and muddied.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Sometimes life gives you ghosts, a premonition, and a new lease on life in a short amount of time." — Z (08:12)
• “Please wear a damn life jacket.” — Paige (36:26)
• “Kind of makes me a little sad. Poor Bob left behind.” — Danielle (20:23)
• “It’s never good. Interesting is never good. Just the level of bad differs.” — Cassie (51:40)
• “She told us we were committing a felony and when I tried to tell her that the ranger already let us go, she informed me that she was the law, not the ranger.” — Robbie (55:38)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:20 | Opening banter, birthdays, and dog party planning | | 05:03 | "Third Man Syndrome with a Civil War Ghost" (Z) | | 12:39 | "Yes, I Got Haunted" (Ashley & Bob the ghost) | | 23:41 | "Point of Graves" (Troy’s cemetery revelation) | | 31:44 | "Childhood Tubing Trauma" (Paige) | | 40:02 | "Cemetery Tales" (Naomi; Burr Oak Cemetery) | | 50:44 | "Fort George Island" kayaking misadventure (Robbie) |

Reflective Themes

• The Power of Intuition: From Z’s mother and his friend’s mom sensing danger to listeners’ respect for “mother’s intuition.”
• The Unpredictable Wild: Whether facing ghosts, deadly storms, or Florida’s tides and oyster beds, wild spaces require humility and respect.
• History’s Shadows: The ongoing importance of acknowledging injustice in public lands and cemeteries, especially relating to marginalized communities.
• Ghosts—Literal and Metaphorical: Spirits as guides, nuisances, or metaphors for the experiences, histories, and lessons we carry with us.
• Importance of Community and Remembrance: Through care of graves, family history, or just a friendly nod to a house ghost named Bob.

Closing

Danielle and Cassie reiterate the spirit of the show: enjoy the view, but watch your back. The episode closes by teasing bonus stories for Patreon/Apple subscribers, and encouraging listeners to share their own tales.

For more stories or to submit your own, visit NPADPodcast.com or email npadstoriesmail.com. Follow the show on all major social platforms @NationalParkAfterDark.