Trail Tales 88 ft. Creeps and Crimes

Summary

National Park After Dark – Trail Tales 88 (feat. Creeps and Crimes)

Episode 357 | February 26, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this special Trail Tales edition, Danielle and Cassie from National Park After Dark team up with Taylor and Morgan from the Creeps and Crimes podcast. Together, they swap listener-submitted stories ranging from hilarious prank encounters and paranormal brushes to experiences that blur the line between the real and the surreal. The episode is a lively blend of camaraderie, creepy storytelling, and heartfelt moments about personal loss, signs from loved ones, and the healing power of nature — all in the hosts’ distinctive, candid style.

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Meet the Hosts and Guests

(00:24–06:51)

• Danielle & Cassie bring their signature balance of dark fascination and deep respect for public lands.
• Taylor & Morgan of Creeps and Crimes deliver banter-heavy energy and a love of weird, true, and supernatural tales.
• The group dives into their show formats, origins, and playful self-deprecation.
  • Quote: “We are a very big banter heavy girl Chatter podcast. So if that's not what you're into over here, we won’t force that upon you…” — Taylor (03:49)
• Fun conspiracy chat: Hollow Earth, South Dakota Isn’t Real, and the lore of moose sightings.
  • Quote: “Our conspiracy theory is… half the state [South Dakota] is used as government laboratories. The real Area 51 is in South Dakota…” — Taylor (22:24)

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Notable Banter & Icebreakers

Podcast Origin & Style

(02:14–05:52)

• Taylor and Morgan forged their podcast from a desire to keep their friendship fueled, evolving from one episode a week to a full-fledged banter- and story-driven show—sometimes centered on conspiracies or paranormal phenomena, sometimes spilling tea about podcast production itself.

Adventures & Misadventures

(07:24–13:14)

• The hosts swap stories about wild trips: an Antarctica voyage gone awry (30-foot swells on the Drake Passage), moose conspiracies, and scary travel mishaps.
  • Quote: “At night you had to push yourself into the corner of a bed and hold on underneath… so you wouldn’t be thrown off the side.” — Cassie (10:01)

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Trail Tales: Listener Stories

(A mix of funny, spooky, and unexplainable reads. Each tale includes analysis, jokes, and tangents.)

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1. Close Call on the Cog Railway

(13:15–21:35)

• Summary: A hiker recounts a spring hike in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and faces down… a “moose” on the cog railway, only to realize (after much yelling and gesturing) it’s a target-practice decoy.
• Memorable Moment:
  • “I started yelling at the moose and clacking my poles overhead… for the longest 30 seconds of my life.” — Listener (17:39)
• Panel Reaction:
  • Hysterics over the prank, shared love of moose conspiracies, and regional inside jokes about hiking hierarchies and "cars that climb Mt. Washington.”

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2. I Saw an S-dub…

(26:38–35:35)

• Story: A group of Iowa teens spot a strange, shambling woman late at night, her features unsettling and her behavior bizarre—possibly a cryptid known as a “skinwalker” (often called S-dub or “flesh pedestrian”).
• Quote:
  • “She crept to the truck, wobbling… sweat on her wrinkly forehead, her eyes gray with a glowing red… it smelled like she was rotting…” — Listener (31:46)
• Host Response:
  • Lively debate over whether it was supernatural, a mimicking creature, or simply a very unfortunate (and possibly unwell) local.
  • “Just so we’re clear, thick thighs save lives.” — Morgan (32:16)

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3. Polter-Mom (Heartfelt Paranormal)

(37:53–47:49)

• Story: Listener Carrie shares her journey through grief after her mother’s death from cancer. Her family’s sign is the dragonfly, and a serendipitous apartment hunt leads her to a unit where the previous owner had also hung a dragonfly on the wall. The family now affectionately refers to unexplained phenomena as “polter-mom.”
• Notable Quotes:
  • “[The owner said,] ‘Oh, I used to hang a dragonfly there when I lived here 20 years ago.’ I immediately froze…” — Carrie (41:22)
  • “My family calls it a poulter mom… it makes us laugh and reminds us she's still with us.” — Carrie (41:37)
• Episode Tone: Sincere, connecting shared experiences about signs, spirituality, and mediumship.

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4. The Cabin in the Smokies (Classic Haunted Cabin)

(50:41–67:16)

• Written In: By Caitlyn (2021)
• Story: Caitlyn and her husband book a Smoky Mountains cabin after a cryptic and unnerving phone call from a “booking agent” who warns them there are no refunds. The night is full of chilling vibes, cold drafts, and an overwhelming sense of being unwelcome. The climax is the door unlocking itself with a beep, then slamming open — and a full refund with the company denying any such agent exists.
• Memorable Moments:
  • “We heard the deadbolt click… the squeak of the door as it swung open… my husband immediately racked the shotgun…” — Caitlyn (59:44)
  • “But that's not the end. Here comes the kicker… The company said they don’t have phone agents. Every aspect is handled online and through email.” — Caitlyn (65:50)
• Panel Analysis:
  • “I think it was someone else that had dealt with the spirit in the past… not the menacing old man.” — Morgan (66:04)
  • “It could have been mimicking a worker to try and get you not to come…” — Taylor (66:21)

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5. Was I Abducted or Just Delusional?

(68:56–84:24)

• Story: "Ellen" recounts—decades after the fact—a night in 1992 where she apparently underwent a medical procedure during sleep paralysis, watching through a third-person perspective as an implant was put into her eye. Years later, a new doctor finds an unexplained scar in the precise place described in the “dream.”
• Quotes:
  • “I saw, but thankfully did not feel, the round margin of my left cornea being cut… depositing what looked like a dark gray lentil-sized pellet within.” — Ellen (73:48)
  • “It wasn't until I was driving home that it hit me like a ton of bricks… did I just get confirmation that there really is, or was, something in my left eye?” — Ellen (80:15)
• Host Reaction:
  • “That’s the proof, you know… She had the receipts from the eye doctor.” — Morgan (92:31)
  • “I will never forget this for the rest of my life.” — Taylor (84:24)

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6. Statue Man & A Thirsty Campsite Ghost

(84:24–91:49)

• Story #1: Couple encounters a motionless “statue man” deep off-trail—who never responds or moves.
• Story #2: At an isolated, cash-strapped lakeside campsite, a water pump inexplicably cranks on by itself at night, showering a nearby site with water.
• Host Reaction:
  • “Something about having really normal things happen to you in those types of situations are almost even scarier than something crazy.” — Danielle (89:50)
  • Humor around Tennessee’s haunted woods and the terror of ordinary events in the wrong context.

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Noteworthy Quotes & Moments

• “Ellen's story… goes in the hall of fame.” — Cassie (92:02)
• “Plot twist: ophthalmologists are really the Men in Black...” — Taylor (81:02)
• “If you guys want to hear more… we're going on Creeps and Crimes next week and you can hear a lot more from us together.” — Cassie (93:00)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment | |--------------|-----------------------------------------------| | 00:24–13:14 | Introductions, Banter, Podcast Origins | | 13:15–21:35 | Cog Railway Prank Moose Story | | 26:38–35:35 | Iowa “Skinwalker” (S-dub) Sighting | | 37:53–47:49 | Polter-Mom and Spiritual Signs | | 50:41–67:16 | Haunted Cabin in the Smokies | | 68:56–84:24 | Alien Abduction with Eyeball Evidence | | 84:24–91:49 | Statue Man & Haunted Water Pump | | 91:49–93:59 | Wrap-up, Promos for Next Collaboration |

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• The episode masterfully balances warmth, gallows humor, and a spirit of shared vulnerability—hosts and guests bond with listeners over their creepier, stranger, and more heartfelt experiences in America’s wild places.
• The featured stories showcase the diversity of listener encounters: outright terrifying, weirdly funny, and deeply meaningful.
• Special attention is paid to personal signs from lost loved ones and how both podcasts have community spaces for processing grief, sharing scares, and asking big questions.
• The episode is peppered with memorable one-liners, regional quirks, and the joy (and fright) of things that go bump—or beep, or pour, or just stand too still—in the night.

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For more stories, catch the hosts’ cross-podcast episodes on Creeps and Crimes, and unlock bonus tales via Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.

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Signature Signoff:
“In the meantime, enjoy the view, but watch your back."

Transcript

[A]

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to National Park After Dark Trail Tales Edition. And it's a very, very special one because we have two of our best podcasting friends, Taylor and Morgan, from Creeps and Crimes.

[B]

Hello.

[C]

Hello, hello. Hello, girls. We're so happy to be here.

[B]

Yes. Thank you for having us.

[D]

We're so happy to have you guys here. And we're happy to dive into some creepy stories because both of our audience are showing up today for some stories. What are you guys bringing?

[C]

Okay, so we've got a little bit of a mix. We did do a call out in our last week's episode, and we said, basically, please, please, anything that happened to you. Creepy in the woods, we need it. If you were abducted on Lovers Lane by aliens, bears, a person, just send it in, please. Thank you, God. In the middle of a national force.

[B]

And they.

[C]

They did deliver. They showed up. And they showed up.

[B]

They really did.

[C]

They did. And we did bring you one extra one that we had done back in 2021. It was one of our first creepy account episodes, which is kind of what we call our. Our trail tail. Am. Hold on. I'm glitching. One second. Let me get my brain. Back in 2021, we did a creepy account, which is, like, our version of listener stories that you guys do too, and that we're on the episode right here, all doing. And it was so good. It was so creepy. It scarred everyone, all of us. And so we just needed to bring it to you guys and get your professional opinions about what happened in this crazy story.

[D]

Oh, now I'm very intrigued.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

I'm scarred easily.

[C]

Oh, no. Sor.

[B]

This was probably the first creepy account that, like, had genuinely scarred the both of us. So I'm glad we get to reread it. I don't even really remember it. We did it, what, in 2021 or so.

[C]

2021. So it was volume eight. So that was eight months into the podcast.

[A]

Wow. Well, speaking about the podcast, before we start sharing stories and stuff, tell us a little bit about, like, your origin story and how you created creeps and crimes and what the show's all about.

[B]

So Taylor and I were college roommates at the University of Tennessee. After college, we were like, what's a way that we could force ourselves to be together at least once a week, which then ended up into twice a week and then three times a week, and we were like a podcast. Taylor had always wanted to start a podcast, and I was the biggest. Yes. Fan, so she was like, do you want to start a podcast? I was like, sure. Why? Why not like absolutely sure. So we started, started in October of 2020. We both currently live in Knoxville, so usually we will record together in the studio that Taylor's in. We do two releases publicly a week. Thursdays is a paranormal conspiracy true crime. And then our Tuesdays are little like we call them the bestie bonus. So they are kind of a catch all between pop news and Reddit stories and everything and in between. So we are everywhere that you find your podcast.

[C]

You can come listen to us.

[B]

You can find us anywhere.

[A]

Please do. I personally have been, I'm one of those people who really loves chatter in the background of like my everyday life and most of the time it's an audiobook or something. But when I really need to like, I want to pay attention, but I also need to be focusing my mind on something else like researching for the show or whatever else. I have been just filtering through all your bestie bonuses and just like having you guys on.

[C]

I am so honored. Don't embarrass no way that you listen to us talk like crazy forever. Because we are, we are a very big banter heavy girl Chatter podcast. So if that's not what you're into over here, we won't, we won't force that upon you here. But if you do come over to our show, just be prepared. And I can't believe you could actually work while me and Morgan are just yap yap, yap.

[A]

Yeah, I just, I really enjoy it. And it's also not like a complete departure from Cassie and I because obviously we have our moments and stuff, but we don't have that type of segment where it's just chit chatting. I mean, we do a lot of stuff on Patreon and stuff with live streams and things like that that are more laid back. We have book clubs where we can just kind of like shoot the shit. But to have a segment of the show totally dedicated to that we don't. So I'm like, I need to go catch up with some other friends. And that's where I listen to that

[B]

art TVB segments was something that we wanted to do for years and years. Everybody kept telling us, don't flood the feed, don't do it, don't do it. Well, we did it anyway. We were like, everyone loves it and we love it. So if you're thinking about it, just pull the trigger and do it.

[C]

And a great place for them to start is you guys are going to be coming on our TVB in the intermission between this episode releasing and the part two that'll be on our feed. So you guys are going to get to dip your toe into our crazy, evil magic laboratory going on over there

[D]

with you guys.

[A]

Yeah. And before we. I know, like, keep not talking about yapping. Here we go. Can't stop. Just before we get into the trail tales for today, your main episodes. Not the tbb, but your main episodes. Do you guys do, like, one story or do split stories? Or is it like a Creep and a crime? Every main feed episode, like, tell everyone what the layout is.

[C]

So Morgan does every Thursday a creeps episode, and I do a crimes episode, and we. There are some times where we link up or they're like a big case that I do. I end up having to pull her into it because I'm like, hey, Queen, if you don't come in with me on this, it's not only going to be taking up four entire episodes, it'll take up 14. And before it'll be, yes, those are

[B]

my favorite texts to get, because I'm like, you mean I don't have to do my own notes?

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Or there's, like, a true crime case that sometimes has, like, a crazy conspiracy in it, and I pawn that conspiracy off to Morgan in a pretty little box under the guise of, like, I'm not doing this as a true crime host, but my conspiracy friend, she could do whatever she wants and talk about whatever she wants legally, because it's a conspiracy. So that's a really fun way that we do it too. But yes, every Thursday, primarily, is going to be a Creeps and a crime episode.

[A]

Cool. Awesome.

[D]

Can I ask, do you guys have any favorite conspiracies?

[B]

Oh, man, don't get me started. Okay, wait. Just a preface, though. I feel like we do need to, like, say that we are not, like, huge conspiracy theorists. Like, majority of the time, we will discuss a lot of things, and then sometimes we poke fun or, like, find the holes through them, but we also,

[C]

like, letting our minds go there. Like, we'll take it and just dip our toes in it and be like, okay, we. We all need to touch grass for a second.

[B]

We're like, yeah, let's. Let's get back to reality. But that's one of our favorite things to do. I think my favorite conspiracy theory is Hollow Earth.

[A]

Oh, I know little to nothing about this.

[D]

Do you?

[A]

What about you?

[B]

So it's basically that there is this. I don't want to sound like a crazy crazy, but one of my favorites, Admiral. I think his name was Admiral. Nelson Bird or Bird Nelson or something. He was a. A pilot in the United States Air Force. And he was on some mission like in Antarctica. I don't know what he was doing, or like down towards South America. And he had this. He comes back from this mission. He has this big journal and it's filled with like his experience that he flew into this hole in Antarctica and landed inside the earth. And it had like, just like this big glowing sun and there's these different kinds of people there. And he comes back and then the next like 15 years he's trying to tell a story, but he's like constantly getting discredited and like removing his titles and stuff like that. But yeah, no, it's basically a big theory that there isn't another Earth through Antarctica under inside of us.

[D]

It's so funny that you say that because I came home, my husband is really into conspiracy YouTube videos.

[C]

Oh, yes.

[D]

And I can vividly remember walking into the living room watching him watch this conspiracy theory. I'm like, what? What are you talking about? And then. And we actually as on a group trip, we went to Antarctica last year and we were like, are we gonna find. Are we gonna find this spot?

[B]

So you went through the Drake Passage?

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Was it bad or did you get like, good?

[A]

Oh, no.

[D]

Oh no. We got the worst weather of the entire season.

[C]

Guys. How did you make me out alive?

[B]

That's all I ever hear in my head. When I think of the Dr.

[A]

Passage, there's literally somebody, another person that wasn't even with our group. They just happened to be filming the dinner. Like when we're all like sitting for dinner. We're in over 30 foot swells.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

Everything is chained to the floor. But obviously like plates and dishes are going everywhere and they happen to just be like panning around. They catch me at the perfect time. I get flung from my chair. I get ejected from my seat.

[C]

No. Oh my gosh, no.

[B]

That's my biggest fear. Being in the ocean like that. I don't. Props to you guys. Yeah, but I'm gonna need a flight there first.

[A]

Yeah, no, it was. Yeah.

[D]

At night you had to push yourself into the corner of a bed and hold on underneath. So you would have to like strap yourself in with your arm so you wouldn't be thrown off of it because the boat would be rocking up and down and side to side and you would literally get thrown off the side I had to like wedge my leg into so I wouldn't roll over.

[A]

I mean, was it meanwhile literally Meanwhile, me and Cassie are sitting side by side getting, like, work back and forth and up and down. And I'm trying to read the Butcher Blackbird like this on my Kindle.

[C]

She had thrown that away at that point. It is out the door. We're not reading that today.

[A]

That is so. Yeah. Was it worth it? Yes, for sure. Yeah.

[C]

My God.

[B]

Cool. I mean, there's only a select few people that have, you know, get to go to Antarctica.

[C]

I mean, I truly think you guys, like, I respect the hell of your dedication to do the things that you love. I wish I had that much love and power to push through something. I would have jumped off the boat into the swells. I just wouldn't have been able to handle that. That would have just.

[D]

You saw the swells. You would not have. They were so scary to look at.

[C]

They are calling me home like they're. I see Els Moana. Like, everyone's out there. I'm going in with them. I cannot be on this boat anymore.

[B]

I'm.

[C]

Impending doom. Like, my. My past life from the Titanic that I don't even know about would come out in, like, full blown panic mode. Seriously, that would so make me so stressed out. But damn, y', all, that's a great story. Y' all are gonna be able to talk about that for the rest of your lives.

[A]

Yeah, it was very memorable, for sure, reading your Kindle.

[C]

Me and Morty don't have anything like that. We've been hungover in the Las Vegas airport once, and that was. Yeah.

[B]

And we thought there was a bomb threat.

[D]

Was there? Yeah.

[B]

Well, they, like, made an announcement and they were like, please evacuate the airport. And so I'm like, mid on the toilet and I jump up, I like, pull my pants up, I come sprinting out. I mean, my heart is beating out of my chest, and I run right to Taylor, who's casually sitting there with her headphones in, you know, scrolling her phone or whatever, looking outside, I'm like, dude, like, we have to go. She was like, no, you didn't hear the second one. They just said. Just kidding.

[D]

They literally came on.

[C]

No, we're good. Just kidding.

[D]

Yeah, false alarm.

[B]

I did not hear that one. They did not share that one in the bathroom. But yeah, that's the majority of it.

[D]

We're.

[B]

We're not. We used to be outdoorsy girls, but we're city ghouls.

[C]

We're city ghouls.

[A]

Yeah. Come hang with us. Will change your life.

[C]

Honestly, I would love to on a hike with you guys. It would have to be a small one, it would have to be really, really small. And, like, a lot of breaks where I can have, like, a granola bar and a little sippy poo and then keep going. But I used to be the president of my hiking club.

[A]

Oh.

[C]

In high school.

[B]

Outdoorsy.

[C]

That's why I belong here. I knew we'd be best friends.

[A]

So a queen in our midst.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You guys didn't know it. I had to force everyone to go on a hike.

[A]

Ye.

[C]

We would be so lost, we'd have to call dwra. Like, it would be so bad.

[D]

Get ready for it.

[A]

Let's get into the stories. Here we go. Let's do it. Before this episode's four hours long it will be.

[C]

That's our magic power.

[D]

Well, my first story that we have that our listeners wrote in is titled Close Call on the Cog Railway, which is exciting because that's in our home state in New Hampshire. On.

[C]

I was going to ask, do you guys know where that's at or what that is?

[A]

Oh, yeah,

[D]

we've been on it. It's a train that goes all the way to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, which is the tall. The tallest peak in New Hampshire and known for the worst weather in the world. And I think this was the first cog railway of its kind in the entire world.

[C]

Is it kind of like the incline type?

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

On Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, they have one. Oh, yeah, Yeah.

[D]

I haven't been on it, but I've heard of it.

[C]

Do not go on that thing.

[B]

That's so funny, though, because we have an incline in Pittsburgh that goes up to Mount Washington. I wonder if that was, like, a play on what's happening in Hampshire. Like, did they just steal that?

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

But anyway.

[D]

All right. Well, their story says. Hi, Cassie and Danielle. I've been thinking of writing in for a while, and your recent request for prank stories gave me the motivation I needed to send in this trail tale. This story takes place last spring in White Mountain National Forest. I wanted to take advantage of an unseasonably warm March day to have a peaceful hike up Monroe and Washington before the auto road and summit cog station opened for the season. And for people who don't know, Monroe is the neighboring peak of Mount Washington. And you can hike over to Mount Washington, and the auto road is the road that you drive up to get to the summit of Mount Washington.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah, there's, like, kind of a thing in New Hampshire. You'll see a lot of people with Stickers that says like this car climbed Mount Washington, but they just drove up it. And a lot of hikers and stuff kind of look down on that.

[C]

Oh, it's tea. I got it. It is?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Honestly, you guys should do TVs on this. Like on the tea within the hiking outdoorsy climbing up a giant mountain world. Like that's actual pipe and hot goss that you guys have on your hands.

[A]

Trul, we know a lot. We have a lot of secrets. Yeah.

[D]

My day started at 3am with a pre dawn drive from Boston to the cog railway parking lot. My plan was to take the Aminous Trail up tag Monroe, then go back across the ridge to the summit of Washington and take the Jewel Trail back down to the parking lot. I've done that exact same thing, so I know exactly what you're talking about. The beginning of the trail was the classic white mountain conditions of sticky wet snow with intermittent post holes. As many people know, the Presidential Range is famous for its wind weather, but this day was the polar opposite. As the sun came up, the temperatures quickly rose into the 50s with a refreshing gentle breeze above tree line. The snow suddenly gave way to a bare wind windswept boulder field. I made my way up Monroe as the sun lit up the surrounding peaks and then headed back towards Washington. The summit cone of Washington was completely bare and only had a handful of people. I tagged the sign like everyone does and hung around taking in the relatively warm weather on the summit. I got to chatting with a few fellow hikers who came up the Jewel Trail and they admittedly recommended against it. Apparently it was an absolute mess of hip deep post holes and downed trees and was just getting worse in the heat. Instead they recommended descending along the cog railway. I decided they were probably right, so I took their advice and started down the summit cone along the tracks. Very quickly the snow depth started to increase again as I descended. Rather than putting on my snowshoes, I opted to turn lemons into lemonade and glissade my way down by boot skiing. This was fun as hell. However, I worked up quite a sweat. I was down to my base layers in the beating sun and my sunglasses were perpetually getting dripped on by sweat. Eventually I gave up bothering to even wipe them and just resigned myself to looking through the greasy sunscreen streaks.

[C]

I've been there, same worst place to ever be.

[D]

It's like this is fine, I'm fine. I got into a rhythm and let myself just enjoy the moment. About a mile from the end, I was suddenly snapped back to Reality. I stopped dead in my tracks and my blood ran cold as I stared into the trees in front of me. There on the edge of the trail, 15ft from me, was a moose. I had seen a few moose in the whites, but never this small. I know how big they can get, so my only logical conclusion was that this one was young. Now, looking back, I definitely got my bear and moose wires crossed. Rather than trying to get space between us, I went into make myself known mode. I got to work trying to spook this thing back into the trees. Like an idiot, I was doing everything I could to scare this little guy away. I started yelling at the moose and clacking my poles overhead and it was not working. The moose just stood there looking at me, absolutely frozen. I kept shouting, hey moose. And flailing around like a car dealership wacky tube man for the longest 30 seconds of my life. Oh my God.

[A]

Perfect visual. Yeah.

[D]

Get out of the way, moose.

[A]

Get out of here. He's like, are you seducing me?

[C]

Like, what is happening?

[D]

Like, are you dancing?

[A]

Are we?

[C]

Do I need to get some bills?

[A]

Courtship thing.

[C]

What's happening?

[D]

Plot twist. He starts wiggling back.

[B]

He stands on his back legs and

[D]

his arms are up. Then it dawned on me. This moose is a little too still. I took my sweaty sunglasses off and took a few steps closer to my disbelief. In my sleep deprived sweaty state, I was yelling at a fake target practice move.

[B]

Oh my gosh.

[D]

After a second of dumbfounded silence, all I could muster was a quiet, what the fuck? Oh, I can picture this so good.

[A]

It's the only response that I could muster if I was in this position as well.

[D]

I just hope someone saw you doing this.

[B]

No, me too.

[A]

I pray if you're out there and you saw this unfold, we need your perspective.

[C]

Imagine this comes across like our tick tock or like reels algorithm here in a few days, it's like saw this person standing out in the middle of the woods, dancing like a noodle. I don't really know what was happening.

[D]

Then it clicked. I'm standing along the cog railway, one of the biggest tourist attractions in New Hampshire. Immediately, I could picture the train. I imagined a tourist who never goes into nature exclaiming that they see a moose in the woods. The whole train would crane their necks at the chance of seeing a real moose. Rush to snapping pictures while the cogstaff giggle amongst themselves about their moosey secret. Hats off to the cog railway pranksters. I don't think I was your intended target, but you got me Good. And yes. Maybe moose just aren't real. Drew.

[A]

So we have a joke. I don't know if it's a joke, actually. We're on.

[D]

I would take it pretty seriously.

[A]

Yeah. That moose aren't real. And we say that because we have never. Born and raised in New England, and especially up in the whites. This area is just kind of, like, renowned for moose, and moose are everywhere. And be careful driving, because you're going to hit a moose. And we have yet to encounter a moose in New England. We've seen them around the country and other places, but we've just never seen them here. So we're like, do they even exist?

[D]

Yeah, it's.

[A]

So anyway.

[C]

Hilarious. We have one equally. Just like, we know they're obviously real. This exists. But ours is that South Dakota isn't real. And that's because.

[A]

Wait, hold on. Okay. Please continue. But we might get into a fight. Okay, wait.

[C]

So here's my thing. I'm born and raised in, like, East Tennessee. My entire life. I've never lived anywhere else. I've traveled everywhere else. I've gone a million places, and I have never in my entire life, not once have I ever met someone from South Dakota. I've never seen a South Dakota license plate and all the places that I've ever been. And so I'm. My conspiracy theory that I came up with, like, years and years ago. And at this point, I'm, like, sticking with it.

[B]

Like, we had merch at one point.

[A]

We did.

[B]

We made merch.

[D]

We have.

[B]

We have listeners. We have listeners. Write in and be like, with me, hey, writing in from South Dakota, which is a real state, by the way. Like, they'll address us immediately. First sentence.

[C]

I mean, so many people in South Dakota have come out of the woodworks to, like, absolutely back. And we exist. Like, we're here. Like. But my conspiracy theory is, is that half of the state is used as, like, government laboratories. Like, the real area, Area 51, is in South Dakota. And there's, like, two little corners of South Dakota beside major highways that they have to have, like, a human population. So we think that it's real. Obviously, that is not a real belief of mine, but that is, like, the fake story I've taken in my head, and I've tried to convince everyone of it. It's my version of birds aren't real is South Dakota is not real.

[D]

Okay.

[C]

And your systems aren't real. So I'm glad we can agree on one thing, okay. About things not being real that we just stick with.

[B]

Are There moose in South Dakota?

[D]

No.

[C]

Period.

[B]

So there's no moose in South Dakota. So then they're both not real.

[C]

So they're not real.

[A]

Right. There's our overlap. There's our venn Diagr together right there. Right there in the middle. You see it?

[C]

Okay, me too.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. We love South Dakota.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

So have you guys dream. So have you been?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Is it real?

[D]

We have been.

[C]

Did you guys go to the mountains or what? Like, what have you guys done there?

[A]

We went to the badlands. Yeah.

[D]

Yeah. It was one of my favorite parks that we've visited. It was super underrated. And I actually saved South Dakota as one of my last states because I was like, like, what's in South Dakota?

[C]

It's not real.

[D]

You know, like, why would I go to South Dakota? And then I went there and I was like, why hasn't anyone told me about South Dakota before?

[A]

It's all front. There's just these weird little like towns by the highway and.

[B]

Yeah, my brother studied geology and he did like a semester in South Dakota also in the winter. Like, it was brutal. And then his girlfriend at the time, now wife went and visited him sometime around the spring and they were on the badlands, and she tumbled down one of the mountains. Not a scratch on her, but there's just like a video. You can see like her trail coming down like the dust path. And then she's just laying there and she's like, ow.

[C]

Gosh.

[B]

She was totally okay.

[D]

And so like you got like eroded rock thing. Yeah, I guess you could just like slip.

[C]

And she sure did she slip and slide right down that thing.

[B]

Yeah, she shared dead.

[D]

Well, one day, let's meet in South Dakota.

[C]

I'll bring a moose at the

[A]

great. I don't understand why this is. But my feet have two temperatures and two temperatures only. Ice cold or blazing hot. And I'm pretty sure that's like a thing my dad passed down to me. And I have been through the wringer with trying to find socks that get them to an even comfortable temperature throughout the day. I've tried synthetic cotton, even wool, but until hollow socks, nothing quite hit the mark. But hollow socks are the best. They're made from super soft alpaca fiber, which means they aren't only comfortable and soft, they are thermoregulating, breathable and durable. All the things I need, especially when I'm out hiking. I feel like we all tend to put a ton of effort into getting high quality shoes, but then don't give much thought when it to comes it comes to what goes underneath them and what's actually touching our skin on our feet. And then we wonder why our feet aren't comfortable. But with Hollow Socks, they'll ensure your feet are cared for all day and are built for every adventure. From socks that are soft and breathable for everyday wear to compression socks made for long travel days. Made in the USA. Trusted by athletes and over 2 million pairs sold. No matter what your days are looking like, whether you're working, training or relaxing, there's a Holo sock built for it. For a limited time, Holo Socks is having a buy to get to free sale. Head to Hollow Socks.com today to check it out. That's Hollow Socks.com for up to 50 off of your order. After you purchase, they're going to ask you where you heard about them and you can support our show by telling them we sent you.

[C]

Okay, so this one is titled I saw an effing. I saw an effing S dub and an S dub. Or is a. I don't know if you guys say it over years.

[A]

I feel like we said it once and people got really mad at us, so we try not to.

[B]

It's a skin jogger. Yeah.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

Ash and Elena call them flesh pedestrians.

[C]

Yes. Flush pedestrians. Yes. So S dub. Yes. And this is written in from one of our besties, which is what we call our listeners from our Reddit page where we do a lot of like like we do. Every submission you can ever do is on a Reddit thread as well. And this is from user professional underscore year underscore 39. And they did tell us in their email that they are using she her pronouns. So it says hi besties. I heard your plea for creepy Creepy accounts for March, so here is mine. I also emailed it for you if you want any more info. A little backstory. This story happened when I was an angsty teenager around 16. I would hang out with some not so great people in terms of their beliefs. Etc. I was the crazy liberal friend. Lmfao. We would constantly drive around on school nights as we do in Iowa. Hi Bessie from Iowa. I don't know if I've ever met anyone from Iowa. Maybe it's not real. H Could be.

[A]

I don't think I have either.

[C]

Let's add that one to the list of not real things in places. We would constantly drive around on school nights as we do in Iowa. But none of us had good working vehicles, so it would always be my friend's parents cars. We will call her D. D was my best friend at the time. A little over a year and a half younger than me, my sister's age, but I still loved hanging out with her for the sake of privacy. All names are fake. Now on to the story. It was late one night, probably around 11pm When D, her boyfriend Colin, our friend David, another random person that I can't even remember, and I were all driving around. We were in D's dad's truck, a big Ford F150. Real hick town of us. They said that. I didn't say that normally I was the driver, but because David was back in town he God forbid David comes back in town immediately. He gets assigned the driver. Like I hate that for you David. Yeah, that's fun. The DD driver, David. Normally I was the driver, but because David was back in town, he was the driver of the truck. To give you a visual, David drove. The rando was in the passenger seat. I was sitting behind David on the driver's side and Colin and D were next to me. As I said, we were driving around in the dead of night, specifically on a sketchy gravel road a little ways away from my house, which is in a small neighborhood in the middle of nowhere country. We were speeding fast, running the gravel road stop signs and having a good time until the high beams caught a glimpse of someone or something walking on the right side of the road. As we sped past them, we all stared and gawked. Did you guys see that? Someone had said and yep, we all sure did. Just another reminder. We were miles away from any houses in the bum of nowhere and there was just some random person taking a nightly walk in the pitch black. We were trying to reason what with why someone would be out for a walk, but we couldn't. No one could think of like a cousin walk that wasn't on anyone's radar guys that I could think of one reason. It was late August slash early September. It was either hot as or cold as, which is so true for Tennessee. I didn't know that Iowa was in Tennessee. I told David that we needed to turn around because whoever it was could have gotten in an accident or been hurt. But we never saw any vehicles or really anything for the past few miles. We ended up turning around in a bumpy in a bumpy tractor entrance and started slowly driving to approach the thing. As we got closer she came into view, a short, grayish haired, stubby, chunky old lady. We pulled up, David pushing on the brakes because we turned around. She was now on my oh because we Turned around, she was now on my side of the truck. I rolled down my window and said, hey, are you okay? The lady turned to face the truck and was about 10ft away. She just stared at me, sweat on her wrinkly forehead, mouth slightly open, either stuck like that or mouth breathing. I swear her eyes were a gray mixed with a glowing red. She crept to the truck, wobbling, crept. Is she crawling on the grounds? Only on her toes and fingers that I am freaking out.

[D]

She also never describe me with a wrinkly forehead.

[C]

Any of these descriptors, just so we're clear, should never be used when speaking about me. Sweat on her wrinkly forehead. Okay, I'm going to get Botox immediately. Like, just stop talking.

[D]

I'm embarrassed.

[C]

Oh God. So her eyes are gray mixed with a growing fucking glowing fucking red. She crept to the truck, wobbling on her thick legs. I'm sorry,

[D]

you are doing this woman dirty right now.

[B]

Imagine this is someone's meemaw.

[C]

Like, this is my grandma. This is literally my mama. So what is everyone talking about her like this right now?

[D]

Thick thighs save lives.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

And it's sounded like she was saying something. What do you Me?

[A]

What?

[D]

Do you need help?

[C]

I said again. As she got closer, I started to hear her clearer. At least I thought I did. It was like a low grumble, not human, like, almost like a sound someone would make if they had rabies. A low deep gurgle, like she was drooling. I could almost smell her. It smelled like she was rotting again. Another descriptor to never use on me, genuinely. But I'm terrified. Okay, so she's rotting, she's got wrinkly forehead, she smells horrible, she's gurgling and drooling, and our bestie that's writing this in says David Go. As I leaned out the other side of the truck, trying to roll at my window. I was scared shitless of whatever that was. A mimic, an S dub, a spirit, I don't know. But that feeling that crept over me was worse than watching the conjuring for the first time. We sped away, kicking up dirt beneath the beneath the tires. All screaming at the top of our lungs, not even believing what the hell we just saw. None of us even dared to look back. We just left that old lady or old thing in the dust. It was pretty hard to even breathe after that. We were all stunned, yet kept driving. We decided to go to the highway though a gravel road. We even called David's dad, someone from the area, and told him about it. We told him the name of the road that we were on, and he told us a long story of a little girl who had died in a tractor accident and how people claim to see things, feel things, or even accidentally get hurt when driving through that dark part of the road. He might have been just messing with us. That story might not even have been connected to that old lady. But something just wasn't right or human about that night. Even my friend, who did not believe in the paranormal knew that the piece of the puzzle was not fitting. To this day, I have no clue what we saw. Yeah, I may be dramatic about my storytelling, but I truly are crazy. You're me writing this. I. I may be dramatic about my storytelling, but I truly do think we saw an S dub there. No way that an old lady would be walking that late at night with no lights or houses in sight. Anyway, hope you read this on the pod. Love you, girls. Bestie.

[B]

I. Okay, let me just. Let me just say that if this is somebody's grandma with dementia and they, like, walked away from their house, like, I feel really, really bad.

[C]

Really, really.

[B]

However, the fact that there's no houses in sight or lights or car, it's like, that was a little concerning. I don't love that. That.

[C]

Don't love that.

[A]

I don't know. And the fact she had red eyes,

[C]

forehead, sweaty. Yeah, I mean, all the descriptors.

[D]

So many descriptors.

[C]

You crack me up, friend. Whoever wrote that in, we love you. You're hilarious. You can. You're welcome back anytime you want to come right in the story. I love the descriptors. Thank you.

[A]

And this for the record, that wasn't the one that was supposed to be traumatized.

[C]

No, that's not. No. Guys, Guys. No.

[A]

That.

[C]

Child's play.

[A]

Child's play.

[C]

Creeps over here.

[A]

Okay, okay. We don't. We don't dabble much in that world.

[C]

Welcome to it, friends.

[E]

Let's do the 60 Second Savings Challenge. Step one, download Rocket Money. Step two, link your accounts and see every subscription you're paying for. Tap one you don't use, and cancel it. That's money back every month. Step three, create a financial goal. $50 every paycheck. Or let the app automatically move small amounts of cash when you can afford it. In a week, you'll forget you set it up. In a month, you'll see real dollars piling up. In a year, you'll be shocked at how much money you've saved. Bonus challenge. Upload an Internet or phone bill and let Rocket Money try to lower it. You only pay if they find you savings. On average, Rocket Money members can save up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features. Users love the app with over 186,000 five star ratings. Make saving money the resolution you actually keep. Start the 60 second savings challenge at RocketMoney.com cancel that's RocketMoney.com cancel RocketMoney.com cancel

[F]

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[A]

All right, well, my story is titled Poulter Mom. Hi Danielle and Cassie. My name is Cari. Feel free to share. I found your podcast after starting my first full time job at an architecture firm and quickly became a daily listener. Even though true crime, nature and spooky topics were very much not my thing. I've always loved travel, documentaries and history. Still, your podcast became part of my workday routine and I'd call my mom every day to talk about the Internet. The episodes. Ironically, everything I avoided was exactly what she loved the most. Her favorite episode was about the Hot Springs in Arkansas with the ghosts and mob scene. A favorite destination for my parents.

[C]

Oh fun.

[A]

I did that one a long time ago.

[C]

A while ago.

[D]

Yeah, that was cool. Like Al Capone and Hot Springs, Arkansas with all of the mobster lore that's going on over.

[A]

Yeah. Have you guys been there?

[C]

We've never been, but I I Al Capone. Anything mobster is like my favorite thing on the planet. Like that's my drug of choice.

[D]

Well, you should go to Hot Springs because that was his Arlington Hotel stomping grounds over there. Maybe we will.

[C]

And any excuse to get to a hot springs.

[A]

Honestly, I really, really want We've revisited that park a couple times for various reasons, but that park is really unique because it's super small and it's in a we Just to preface, we have not been there. We actually did a live during COVID when like Moment House was a big thing for like live streaming live shows. We went to the Crescent Hotel and did a whole thing there, but we were just like just far enough away from Hot Springs national park to not make it during that trip. But the park is really cool. It's really small, but of course there's tons of like mob and wild history like that. But the bathhouse row of how they like repurpose a lot of their old historic bath houses are really cool. So if you're there, if you do have the time to go there, I would totally encourage it.

[C]

Well, I'll be there for sure.

[B]

Yeah, we'll be there.

[D]

Okay, back to the story.

[A]

Around that time, my mom was battling stage four breast cancer. She fought for almost four years and never lost her determination, spunk or humor. She passed away in April, and one of the first things I missed was calling her on my drive home. After a quiet few weeks, I wondered if there were new NPAD episodes, and when I started listening again, they brought more comfort than I ever expected. Danielle, your episodes about signs and grief especially meant so much to me. My mom was very spiritual and she always told me that our sign was dragonflies, something we'd associate with each other since I was young. Fast forward to May My boyfriend, now fiance, we're apartment hunting. Even during my mom's final weeks, we had been looking together, dreaming about where I might live next. After she passed, I didn't want to move. Too much had changed already and I couldn't imagine living somewhere she hadn't seen and loved too. Oh God, totally feel that. Just when we were ready to give up, we stumbled upon a 1960s townhome that somehow checked every box in budget, close to work and available exactly when we needed it.

[D]

It.

[A]

When we toured it, the owner turned out to be incredibly warm and walked us through every renovation, memory and quirk of the place. In the dining room, I saw a nail in the middle of the wall and casually asked what used to hang there. She said, oh, I used to hang a dragonfly there when I lived here 20 years ago.

[C]

Oh.

[A]

I immediately froze, turned to my boyfriend and started to tear up. I couldn't believe it. After years of tenants, even a brief stint as an Airbnb the nail was still there waiting for that exact moment. I'm usually pretty skeptic of mediums, but my mom saw one that predicted her death to the month and year, so I thought, why not? I asked that same medium if my mom had anything to say about the move. She said, you have her full blessing. She loves you and she's haunting all of us. We've lived here going on two years now and I love it. I see dragonflies constantly and anytime something strange happens, light, flickering, weird sounds, etc, my family calls it a poulter mom. Like a poltergeist. Get it? That's so good. I love that it makes us laugh and reminds us she's still with us. Danielle, maybe you have a poulter Ian or a poulter dad as well. I've attached photos of the dragonfly and my mom in Hot Springs, Arkansas climbing a staircase with her oxygen backpack. I told you she was determined. Thank you for making such an amazing podcast. You make me brave enough to go on my first ever hiking trip to Sedona and Grand Canyon last year. And I loved every minute it of it. All the best, Carrie.

[B]

Oh, I'm gonna cry.

[C]

That was such a beautiful story. Thank you guys for letting us be a part and hear that one too because, wow, that was such a powerful, beautiful story that. The dragonfly on the nail.

[A]

You're kidding. I would have flown after 20 years

[D]

polterm sign if I've ever heard one.

[C]

Yes. Guys, I think that you and your family. Carrie, right? Yeah, Carrie, I think that you and your family need to like make a logo for poer mom with a like dragonfly the back of it. And you guys put some merch out. Like truly, that is such a great. I love that you guys wear it to family reunions on her birthday. All the things.

[A]

That is such a little coin term. Yeah, we're big. So we selected these stories. We usually sprinkle in sign stories here and there. At first, when my partner passed away, it was like kind of full fledged. I kind of went balls to the wall because I. I am usually a the person who chooses the trail tales a lot of the times. And so I was like cheating the system a little bit. I'm like, oh, what? Another science story? That's crazy.

[D]

How'd that get in here?

[A]

I have no idea. But yeah, so we sprinkle them in and we know that you guys have like a resident medium.

[C]

We do.

[A]

That you work with.

[C]

We do. We are big.

[A]

Tell us everything.

[C]

So we, me and Morgan are very, very spiritual people. Like, that's kind of how we even got to the place that we are with the podc. Um, it was one of the bigger things that happened. We don't talk about the, like, the real origin story of it publicly part. Yeah. Because we don't ever want to speak that back into exist. In existence, what happened. But me and Morgan over the years have always been, like, very spiritual people. We've always had, like, signs and all the things. And when we. One of the things that helped us start the podcast was that I had a medium that I saw, and her name is Susan, and she became, like, one of our best friends. She comes on the podcast all the time. We love having her on. She genuinely has, like, changed our lives and changes so many people's lives when she gets to do readings with them. She is. So she's a angelic psychic medium. So that means she only works within white light, which we would never, ever recommend anything further than that, only because that's our expertise in anything in our experience. Anything beyond that we don't have any, like, comments on because we've never experienced it ourselves. But she's very protective about and careful about when giving you a reading, like, telling you the things that you are ready for and also listening to your higher self when they're like, that's enough. She's gonna lose it.

[B]

Yeah, don't blurt that one out.

[C]

Yes. And she. I recently went through a really horrible loss on my end. I lost my son. I was 20 weeks pregnant with him, and I found out I have incompetent cervix. And we talked about it in depth on the podcast that I had him on October 15. And so it just, like, kicked off this entire new grief journey for me. I actually got so many beautiful DMS about you guys after and coming over to your show and, like, just feeling like there was a community within people that have podcasted and gone through something like that and being able to come back onto it, because that was a harder part, too. But Susan, when she gets with me and Morgan, she's just.

[B]

Yep.

[C]

She'll tell us everything, you know, like, and we've told her you can tell us anything. But she does even such a good job with someone who. She's very comfortable with me. Like, there's things too where I'm like, hey, I'm not ready yet. I'm not ready yet. I'm not yet ready yet. And she, like, she does so well. And we. We only recommend her because we've experienced her, and she's phenomenal but if anybody would like a reading with her, she is our girl. We can give you guys her information because if you guys ever want to do one, she's phenomenal. She's the best.

[A]

Amazing. I'm all, I. I had a medium tell me once that I'm a medium junkie. She's like, I hear you're a medium junkie. And I'm like, yeah, I know. I've done too.

[C]

I've been talking to everybody.

[A]

Yeah. Because it's like, you know, as much as I believe and you know, like, I will die on that hill, that I am a believer in life beyond physical death, whatever that means. And I, I still though, like, like, it's like, okay, I don't want, I want to go to other people to make sure I'm getting kind of like the same thread of information. Like, I don't want to keep coming back to you because even though I do sometimes, I have two people in particular I really like going to. Yes. That like, know me now as a person, but especially early on when I'm like, I'm really seeking this information, I'm latching onto it. I don't want to just take their word for it.

[C]

Right.

[A]

I want to see if, if all these other people are also saying the same information because then it feels more validating and like, real. So I went on a rampage. Like, I saw so many psychics and mediums. Not so much psychic stuff. It's not like I really want to know psychic information. It's more of connecting with my loved ones. But yeah, so for a long time I, I was like, here they're in everywhere in the medium world. But I will happily connect with her for sure.

[C]

Yes, we. You should check her out. We. She's like our girl that we keep. I had seen like multiple other mediums, but I decided that I, me and her, I felt the most comfortable, like letting my gates open for her. And so one of the benefits that we get from going to the same medium is that we allow her to go deeper to places that we would never let other people. So we've done past life regressions with her. We've done, I mean, anything Woo woo. That could ever be done. Me and Morgan have done that thing we love doing, like hypno. We've done hypnosis, everything.

[A]

Have you done Akashic records?

[C]

No. No, we have not. And I'm scared.

[A]

Next. Do it.

[B]

Next.

[C]

That's like one of the things I've been wanting to build up my ex. The thing that I'm not going to overrule with my talking as much as

[B]

we get on these mics and like say all this. We're scurry girls. We're scared cats of everything, including like what's within ourselves. So yes, we really tiptoe around down with that kind of thing.

[C]

Like the other night we had something happen with this and we act like it never happened.

[A]

We literally were like oh, like the, the neon thing sign.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, it just she. I just keep watching my back while we're recording.

[A]

So yeah, we'll let you know if anything happens.

[C]

Please do. I'm like really scared of what's happening behind me. Actually. I've been watching like the Creeps and right above my head the entire time.

[E]

Let's do the 60 Second Savings Challenge. Step 1 Download Rocket Money. Step 2 Link your accounts and see every subscription you're paying for. Tap one you don't use and cancel it. That's money back every month. Step 3 Create a financial goal $50 every paycheck. Or let the app automatically move small amounts of cash. When you can afford it. In a week, you'll forget you set it up. In a month, you'll see real dollars piling up. In a year, you'll be shocked at how much money you've saved. Bonus Challenge Upload an Internet or phone bill and let Rocket Money try to lower it. You only pay if they find you savings. On average, Rocket Money members can save up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features. Users love the app with over 186,000 five star ratings. Make saving money the resolution you actually keep. Start the 60 second savings challenge at RocketMoney.com cancel. That's RocketMoney.com cancel RocketMoney.com cancel quick choose a meal deal with McValue.

[B]

The five dollar McChicken meal deal, the six dollar McDouble meal deal, or the new seven dollar Daily Double meal deal, each with its own small fries, drink and Four Piece McNuggets. There's actually no rush. I'm just excited for McDonald's for a limited time only. Prices of participation may vary.

[C]

Not Belgium delivery.

[A]

Okay, who's next?

[C]

Morgan with the big one.

[B]

So this one is titled the Cabin in the Smokies. And this is written in by Caitlin using she her pronouns and it says and this is from 2021. Lovely lovely ladies. My name is Caitlin. You can totally use it. I just found your podcast through TikTok and I am binging the heck out of it. You might Be done begging for stories by the time you get this email five years later, we're still begging.

[C]

We're still begging.

[B]

But it's always. But it' been the weirdest, most terrifying thing to happen to me, so I just had to share it with you. My husband Jamie and I Met in early 2014 after online dating for a few months. Immediately we hit it off and he moved in with me only after a few dates. He's an over the road truck driver and was living 45 minutes away at the time. And it didn't make sense to keep both home since all his home time was now with me. We live in northeastern Tennessee, about two hours away from the super touristy home of Dolly Parton, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

[A]

Oh, don't get me started.

[B]

Yeah, we're, we're with you.

[C]

We are on your side. 100.

[A]

I didn't know you got.

[C]

Yeah, you just came here blind, a

[B]

legit national park and you came into a tourist trap.

[C]

You came into a county fair on steroids.

[A]

It's like a Willy Wonka ass. Yeah.

[C]

With the scariest people you've ever been around in your entire life.

[A]

It wasn't even. I think I was still just in shock. I don't know. I really. It's a culture shocked.

[B]

Yeah, it is.

[A]

I've just never experienced anything like that. And of course. Yeah. Going in blind. Well, long story short, I went down there for one specific reason. I went there for my birthday to go to the Titanic museum because I'm obsessed. The Titanic, it's my Roman empire stick

[C]

your hand in the water personality.

[A]

Yeah, the whole thing. Well, the, the year before I went all the way, I went to Ireland to go to the Titanic museum in Ireland.

[D]

I've been there. I've been there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's amazing. So I was like, well, I'm kind of burnt out on like, big travel, so I'll just like go to Tennessee. And then a couple people were like, I told them and they're like, huh, okay. And I was just like, yeah, whatever. I just like, love the Titanic. I don't know what you're, like, weirded out about. Yeah, I figured out real quick as soon as I got there, it was alarming. But anyway, did you, did you live

[B]

or die on your Titanic? Panic in the museum.

[A]

Oh, died.

[B]

Yeah, I died too.

[C]

Maybe one day it's all right if

[B]

I ever go back. Okay. But don't get me wrong, we love it there. We decided pretty early on in our relationship that we would try to get away to one of the Many rental cabins in the pigeon Forge Gatlinburg area as often as we could. The first place we stayed for was it for us. A tiny one bedroom cabin with a hot tub set just outside of Ware's valley. We knew instantly that this is where we would always return every time we wanted to get away. But unfortunately, the second time we went to book it, it was completely booked for months out. So we had to find a different location.

[C]

Damn it.

[B]

Big mistake. We found another seemingly quaint cabin with a different company that looked to have everything. Our other cabin featured one bedroom, hot tub, etc so we decided to book it online. And we should have known better than to try and stay there by what happened next. Later on that same day, we received a phone call from a blocked number. It was a woman who stated she was a booking agent with the cabin company. My husb ask if there was a problem with our reservation. His cards declined all the time because he's all over the us using them and it often looks like fraud. And she said no, but wanted to know if we were totally sure that we wanted that cabin confused. My husband cross referenced the name of the cabin with her and assured her that that was the cabin that we had chosen. She then asked if we had ever stayed in that cabin before. And we told her no, that we had never even used their company before. My husband asked if there was an issue with the cabin and we got the awkward oh no, no, no, no, no, everything's fine. She then reminded us that they did not have a refund policy if we chose to leave early.

[D]

Weird, but okay.

[B]

And we let it go and moved on.

[D]

So many red flags in this lady.

[C]

Like no, this.

[B]

Too many red flags.

[C]

She needs to be fired from her position at this company because there is no way that she's doing good marketing for them.

[D]

Yeah, like there's no, no, no, there's nothing wrong with this cabin. But just so you know, there's absolutely no refund.

[B]

And you're sure, right?

[C]

You're sure that this is the right one?

[D]

Bun, it's like you really want to stay here?

[C]

Have you ever stayed here before?

[D]

No refunds.

[B]

Yeah, no girl.

[C]

And I'm not sure anymore.

[B]

Our trip was a little over a month away and by the time it arrived, we had long forgotten about the weird phone call. We received an email with instructions to our cabin in our unlock code since most cabins have keypad keyless entries. The problem with looking at cabins online is that you only see the cabin itself in the inside and not the surrounding property. When we approached our rental, we were shocked to see it looming high on the mountainside with an incredibly sharp behemoth of a driveway. To get to it, my husband drove a large GMC truck and the driveway was so difficult to maneuver that in order to go around the curves and the corners, I had to get out and tell him how far he could back up and pull forward as he made what felt like a 72 point turn.

[C]

Oh.

[B]

The sun had set behind the mountain. So even though it was only around 4:30 in the afternoon, the cabin in the road were shrouded in dark darkness. There was only a small red bulbed porch light which gave the cabin an ominous feeling. It literally felt as though this small rustic cabin was a large doom and gloom castle leering over us, daring us to go in. We finally made it to the front of the cabin and when we came to the stop, we both just sat there in the truck unmoving and stared at it. My husband has always been sensitive but chooses to ignore it as much as possible. He says quietly, I don't want to sleep here. I look over at him and he's staring at the front window. I asked him why, but he shakes his head and proceeds to get out of the truck and starts moving our bags to the door. Okay, pause. If, if Aaron looked at me and said I don't want to stay here and I'm like okay, why? And he's like getting out and on the car, I'd cry, I would crash out.

[C]

I, I think it'd be like a twofold reaction. It's like no, you're gonna tell me why before we move. Or I'm running out the door like in front of him like there's no in between of how I'm going to react in that moment. But also the me having to get out and tell him where to drive would have quite literally put us both off the edge of that cliff. At the way that we would have gotten an argument about the 75 foot turn that would have drive me drove me crazy. I literally would have been like we need to leave. This is what she was talking about. We need to go.

[B]

We put in our code in the door and we hear the beep, beep, beep beep beep from our 4 digit number and then the light turns green screen. We hear the deadbolt click over and we go inside. The first thing we notice is that it's cold. It's the Smoky Mountains in April. So yeah, it's generally on the colder side of the year, but not this cold. The cabin is literally see your breath kind of cold. We immediately flipped on all of the lights in the place, found the thermostat, cranked up the heat, and then we did the standard walkthrough of the space and looked at everything, turning on the lights as we went. And the next thing we noticed was that despite having nearly every light on, the cabin was dark. Corners on the bedroom and living room were still somehow left completely unlit. Normally on our getaways, we book the cabin for one thing and one thing only. I'm sure most people understand what I mean, but we had no desire to be together here. Neither of us tried to start anything while we put our items away. We quickly agreed to go out to dinner instead of cooking the food that we had brought with us. And we would only come back to sleep and then we would spend the whole next day away from the cabin out in town. For anyone who hasn't been to Gatlinburg, it's also Bear Cut country, like big time. It's the kind of place where if you leave your car unlocked, you're going to come back to find a BlackBerry in it. But we know this. So my husband always brings a gun with us just in case. It always stays by the door and we usually never need it. But when we arrived home late from eating and walking the strip, I noticed him grab the gun and put it next to his table by the bed. I remember making a crack about how useful a gun was going to be against a ghost. We didn't sleep that night. Night literally couldn't. It wasn't that there were noises or whispers, but just this constant feeling of being watched.

[C]

That's worse.

[B]

I told my husband while getting ready that I didn't even feel comfortable getting undressed for bed. We both ended up sleeping in our jeans, refusing to change or shower.

[C]

Y' all are committed to not getting undressed. And I'm going to sleep with my. My jeans.

[B]

Straighten the jeans.

[C]

Jeans and jeans. Oh my God.

[D]

God.

[C]

I'll never go.

[B]

That's when you know it's bad.

[C]

That's when you know it's bad.

[B]

I think I've done that one time in my life and I think it's because I was blacked out and didn't even know.

[C]

We couldn't get them off. They were skinny jeans. They were just, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

High waisted skinny jeans.

[C]

Good luck.

[B]

Exactly. When I faced him in bed, I could feel eyes burning into my back. And when we tried to spoon, it felt like a weighted blanket had been thrown over Us from head to toe. My husband finally admitted that.

[D]

Nice though.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[D]

At least they're cuddling you.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. My husband finally admitted that he could feel a very angry presence there. He said it felt like an older gentleman upset about the constant stream of people coming in and out of his home. We left the lights on and agreed to wait until morning before we left, not wanting to deal with the driveway in the dark again.

[C]

Right.

[B]

The sun was barely up before we were throwing our clothes and personal items into our suitcases. We stacked them in the kitchen by the door before returning to strip the bed and double check for any left behind items. I carried my phone charger back out into the kitchen and was tucking it into my pocketbook while my husband was watching me. I stood up when he remembered the gun by the bedside table. I then walked with him to the bedroom door and waited for him when I felt a whoosh of cold air blow against the back of my head. My hair moved. I felt it and my husband saw it. Exhausted nerves fried and terrified, I screamed, stop it. We're leaving already. Can't you see that we're leaving? And that's when we heard it. The sound that still to this day haunts my nightmares. Beep beep beep beep beep. The electric keypad. We froze. Me in the living room, him in the bedroom. Only the door frame between us staring at each other. We heard the sound of the deadbolt click over from locked to unlocked. Recognized the squeak of the door as it swung open and the bang from it hitting the kitchen counter. My husband immediately racked the shotgun and surged past me, fully expecting to round the corner and see a bear making its way into the cabin. But there was nothing. Just a wide open kitchen door.

[A]

Wait, hold on. They thought a bear.

[D]

Wait, don't think it's bear with its claw. You think? I said every day go pound

[B]

Honestly the they're so.

[C]

I've seen bears do crazier like in Gatlinburg.

[B]

The bears there are so. I don't know what they're used here.

[A]

They're habituated.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. I wouldn't even doubt it that they can pick up a cell phone and. And dial somebody.

[C]

Y'. All. My sister in law and her husband got married up and so they got married like on the edge of the national park because I don't know what the laws are but there was a law or something and we. It was just like really small and we drove home, did the reception and we're unpacking all the leftover like cake and food that we had and taking it upstairs and there's like a line of 20 people, you know, going up the stairs, going back to the car. We come back and my husband's grandmother sitting in the passenger seat of the car, the trunks open, there's a bare setting in the back of the trunk, eating the wedding cake. I'm not joking. I swear with on everything. That is exactly what happened at my sister in law's wedding. Thank God the wedding was over. So it was the leftover. So I'm not gonna get to have it on their one year. But like, these bears are crazy.

[B]

They are.

[D]

I was gonna say, if I had my wedding cake and I had just bought it and the wedding hadn't happened yet, and I saw a bear, I would go after it. I would go in for that wedding cake. Like, you know, effort I put into this. Yeah, like, you are not ruining, you

[C]

know, how many tastings I sat through. And you just did this to my cake? Like, are you joking?

[D]

How dare you?

[C]

I didn't even taste the buttercream. Oh my God.

[A]

Wait, and also one other question. This guy has a shotgun. It's not a handgun.

[B]

That's what I was confused too, so because yeah, now it's I'm racking the shotgun. But I think at the very beginning they said hand a handgun.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[C]

But they did say that he normally leaves it tilt leaned up against the front door, not bringing it to.

[B]

So maybe they just said gone at the beginning.

[C]

Yeah. Is shotgun or not? Sure, something like that.

[B]

Okay, so husband racks up the shotgun and he runs past her. But there was nothing there. Just a wide open door. Keeping the gun in his shoulder, I watched him quietly move to the door, out it and watch him search around outside. And I stayed where I I was. What felt like eternity passed before he came barging back in, yelling at me to get the bags. We each grabbed as many as we could, refusing to make a second trip, and threw them into the truck. He slammed the door behind us and we heard the deadbolt click back over again from unlocked to locked. I looked at his hand poised just above the button with the key emblem on it to lock the door. I didn't touch it. He said, who gives a shit? I said, let's go. We scrambled into the vehicle and he nearly floored it down the driveway. I still have no idea how he didn't crash or go off the side of the road while going down the driveway. But we made it to the bottom and we didn't look back. But that's not the end. Here comes the kicker. We were paid in full for four nights, almost a thousand dollars, and barely made it. One night my husband went to call the booking agent before the booking agent back before remembering that it was a blocked call, there was no return number. We made it home safely and after a few hours he shot off an email to the company's customer service and left a a scathing review of the cabin on its page. He explained everything. The menacing look of the place, the feeling, the door, even the weird phone call. We knew we weren't getting a refund, but we were going to stop anyone else from staying there. The next day my husband receives an email from the company apologizing for our troubles and they gave us a full refund for all four nights and comped us another four night stay at a different cabin of our choosing.

[C]

No thanks.

[B]

My husband was livid because they had also removed his review. He asked them why we were getting a refund. When the booking agent told him over the phone that it was against policy and to tell them to shove the additional free stay up their asses.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

It gives me shivers when I think about their response. They stated that they understood if we didn't want to use their company anymore, but that they didn't have phone agents and there was absolutely no way someone from the company contacted us. As every aspect of the company was handled online and through email, we still have yet to make sense of who called us and why. And no, we have never returned. We continued to stay at our first cab cabin multiple times a year up until covet hit and the owner sold it. We are now too scared to book anything else and haven't stayed in a cabin there since. Being a sensitive, my husband has always been involved with the paranormal and as much as he hates it, I usually tend to bring out that side of him. Since I'm a believer, please feel free to trim it down but I would love to hear you read on the show. I hope you guys are staying safe, healthy. Look forward to 100 more episodes. All the love and spookiness. Caitlyn.

[D]

That gave me actual chills.

[C]

I forgot about the ending.

[A]

Agent.

[B]

I forgot about the ending too.

[C]

I forgot.

[B]

I remember the beat beat beat be cuz I remember that I forgot about the ending. I hate that.

[C]

Oh so like it feels to me

[B]

like it's someone that like was living. Like that wasn't the spirit that was in the house that called them. I think it was like someone else that had dealt with the spirit like in the Past maybe. And I don't think they're, like, alive. I think it was a spirit, but it wasn't like the menacing old man

[A]

or who trying to warn other people about it.

[C]

It could have been mimicking a worker to trying to get you to not come, like, because it doesn't want you there. Remember, it was like, don't wor worry. We're leaving. Okay. The door's unlocked.

[B]

One, two. Yeah, literally. One, two, three, four, pound. There's a door. Like, there's the door showing you out. Yeah.

[D]

It's like, especially because it happened right after. She was like, we're getting out of here. We're leaving. And it was like, yeah, you are. And whip the door open.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[D]

Angry spirit.

[A]

I really do. I've had a couple of, like, paranormally things happen, and I always feel like I want more, but that's too much.

[C]

I know. Yeah, that's just.

[A]

That's just too much.

[C]

Where we gotta call it, you know?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Scary. Hate that. Hate that for you, Caitlyn. Glad to hear it a second time.

[C]

Oh, my God, it was so good. Felt like I was young again.

[B]

Felt young again.

[C]

Brings me back.

[G]

Five years ago, I was paying $65 a month for my subscriptions. Today, those Same subscriptions cost $111, and I don't even use half of them anymore. That's why now I use Rocket Money to manage my subscriptions for me. The app gives you a list of all of your subscriptions and reminds you of upcoming payments so you're not hit with any surprise charges. On top of that, it also sends you alerts when subscription prices can go up, so you always know the price you're paying. If you decide you no longer want a subscription, you can cancel it right from the app. No customer service needed. And the best part is, Rocket Money even reaches out and tries to get you refunded for some of the money you lost. On average, people that cancel their subscriptions with rocket money save $378 a year. And overall, Rocket Money has saved its members $880 million in canceled subscriptions. Stop wasting money on things you don't use. Go to rocketmoney.com cancel to get started. That's rocketmoney.com cancel rocketmoney.com cancel@vrbo, we understand

[A]

that even the best of plans sometimes

[B]

need a little support.

[A]

So we plan for the plot twists. Every booking is automatically backed by our VRBO Care guarantee, giving you confidence from the very start. Whenever you need help, it's ready before your Stay through the moments in between and after your trip, because a great trip starts with peace of mind and maybe a good playlist.

[B]

But we've got the peace of mind part covered.

[D]

Well, my next story is titled Was I Abducted or just Delusional.

[B]

I can't wait.

[D]

I'm very curious because I don't know how you confused being abducted or not. I guess abducted by aliens. Aliens abducted by aliens could be confusing. Okay. At first I was thinking abducted by a person, and I was like, I feel like you would know.

[B]

I. I hope we're leaning towards the alien track.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

Hello, ladies. I have been listening to your wonderful pod for about two years now, ever since a co worker put an episode on one day to help us pass a very tedious afternoon shredding mushrooms. Don't ask. I think I have fungi PTSD now.

[A]

Shredding.

[B]

Shredding them?

[D]

Yeah, like at the job, not eating that I like. At first I was like. Like psychedelics, but it sounds like they're just cutting up. No.

[B]

Yeah, first I was thinking, like shredding, like shredding the slopes. Like you're like.

[C]

I thought that was like slaying the idea. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But maybe, maybe, maybe they're a chef and they were just chopping up. Shredding up.

[A]

They did say don't ask.

[C]

Okay, we're not going.

[B]

They did.

[C]

We're just gonna speculate.

[B]

I have so many questions, though.

[D]

Anyway, suffice to say, I was hooked from the first listen. And your story. Stories, as well as your laughter and authenticity have become a very appreciated staple for long drives and lock work. Long work days ever since. Thank you so much. Thank you.

[A]

Thank you so much.

[D]

Yeah. I'll begin by confessing that this story does not take place in a national park or even out in nature. But as I know you both love a good paranormal or alien leaning tail. Yes. I thought there'd be no better people to share it with than you and all the other discerning NPAD listeners out there.

[A]

There.

[D]

I'll let you all be the jury on this weird 100 true and decade spanning mystery.

[A]

Well, you got a four person jury now.

[C]

Let me tell you something. I was born for this. Let's go.

[D]

Note that I'd love to share my real name, but I'm not entirely sure that'd be wise, all things considered. So for purposes of anonymity, let's call me Ellen. Okay, Ellen.

[C]

Okay, Ellen. Pop off at Ellen.

[D]

The year was 1992. I was 23 years old and working as an assistant manager at a Bookstore. I was single, kind of a nerdy loner, and living by myself in my own little apartment. It was definitely not an exciting life, but I was happy enough with it. And looking back, how amazing it was that I could afford my own little one bedroom flat on a retail clerk paycheck. How times have changed. One night I woke up. Woke or did I? Suddenly from a very deep sleep, lying on my back and seemingly suffering from sleep paralysis as I was unable to move at all. Besides my eyes. The worst I sleep paralysis is. Do. Have either of you experienced sleep paralysis? That's so scary to me.

[C]

It was the worst.

[B]

Have you ever had it?

[D]

No. I haven't either.

[B]

Neither have I. I've had it since I was a kid. Did every now and again, like at least once a year for sure.

[C]

But I've only ever had it one time. And it was after we did something we shouldn't have done in the house. And I didn't cleanse the house. After we did it and I had it and it was.

[A]

Oh, no. Horrible.

[B]

And.

[A]

But we.

[C]

I mean, my husband, he did it behind mine and Morgan's back. While me and Morgan were doing a scary case, he turned on a show that. Or a movie that I don't allow to be watched in my house. And I got attacked.

[A]

That.

[C]

So. Oh, yeah.

[A]

Have you done any.

[B]

Nothing to.

[D]

With.

[C]

No.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Have you guys done any episodes on sleep paralysis? Okay.

[C]

How old was it? It was like.

[B]

It was at the very beginning. However, we definitely, like, we come back to it often. Yeah. A lot of our creepy accounts deal with sleep paralysis from our listeners.

[A]

Okay, very interesting because I have to. 2. Not. I'm not going to get super into it, but two things that I'm like. I'm just very interested in the sleep paralysis world. Although I have never experienced it myself. I have two. So my dad and my partner passed away. But shortly before each of them independently passed away from one another, years apart, they both had sleep paralysis experiences. Very memorable ones. Like very shortly before their deaths.

[C]

Whoa.

[B]

Scary.

[A]

Scary.

[D]

Interesting.

[A]

Scary.

[B]

That is interesting.

[C]

We'll talk more.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Because I have questions about.

[B]

Yeah, me too.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

Well, moving forward in the story, they said I was filled with terror. The room was dark. So moving the space around my bed with my eyes revealed nothing. But I remember a decidingly horrifying feeling that I was not alone. Then everything went black back. The next thing I was aware of was being reclined in what felt like a dentist chair. I still could not move.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[D]

Strangely, I was no longer terrified, but Rather just oddly detached. The space around me that I could see with my mobile eyeballs was a uniform matte gray color with no light sources visible. About 5ft in front of my face, suspended from an unseen ceiling with was what looked like a flat screen tv. I could see myself on that screen, particularly the left side of my neck. There were two white tubes the thickness of a pencil and about three inches long, each extending out of my neck. One capped off with a red marble sized ball and the other capped off with a blue one of the same size. Then everything went dark again and I was told without audible words. So telepathy I get guess that a procedure was about to begin and to not be afraid. My vision returned as if I was a medical student observing my own operation. I saw, but thankfully did not feel the round margin of my left cornea being cut with a fine scalpel and peeled back and a shiny tool that looked like long thin forceps pushing into the opening into my inner eye, depositing what looked like a dark gray lentil sized pellet within. In I saw the forceps retract and my cornea being reattached. I should note that not once did I ever see what or who was using the instruments. After my eye was finished, I felt something akin to having a heavy bowling ball placed over my lower abdomen for a few seconds. Then darkness again. I awoke the next morning in my bed as if it was just another day. Of course it was just another day. Right? Night. But what a crazy dream I'd had, I thought to myself. A dream so vivid and intense that my left eye was even a bit red and irritated. Which I figured was because I'd been rubbing it in my sleep. Being an Occam's Razor kind of girl, it was the most logical answer, right? A few hours later I was at work and telling my boss, who was also a good friend, about my crazy dream. She being far more woo woo than me at this point in my life. Life looked at me across the table of discounted books and said with much gravity, are you sure it was a dream? I mean, what you've just described sounds like you were abducted by aliens.

[C]

I agree.

[A]

That'll take you aback.

[C]

I agree pretty quick.

[D]

Yeah, I feel like a lot of alien accounts, you're being tested and operated on and people talk about just kind of being experimented on.

[B]

The detail though, that this listener remembers is vivid. It's very vivid. And usually that's not the case. Yeah, like, usually it's like very foggy. And then a lot of people have to do like hip hypnosis to try to recall what had happened. So I wonder if that came like over time or if they like woke up and remembered everything.

[D]

Yeah, because I feel like a lot of accounts I've heard is they remember being on a table and then they remember being back in there and then they're back in their spot. Like it's very disjointed. Yeah, exactly. I didn't know what to do with that question. I was an open minded young woman, but had never spent much time pondering such stories or consuming literature or media about aliens or being kidnapped by them. It was just a dream, surely. Just a dream. Well, the rest of my life just bumbled along after this, as lives tend to do. I met the man I'd go on to marry a few months later. Jobs and adventures came and went. I became a mom, lost my parents, suffered through a divorce and then amazingly met my soul mate. And through it all, over the span of some 30 years, I'd have at least seven eye exams. The first few exams after the dream, I jokingly asked the optometrist, so you see my alien implant in there? And always I'd be met with an unamused silence, which I attributed to the weirdness of my question. And the doctor probably thinking, I'm not paid enough for this. It's like, just let me look at your eye.

[A]

Oh my God.

[D]

There's not an alien implant in there.

[B]

That is something that we go to the same Dr. Taylor and I do and he's just like so used to

[C]

our, our shenanigans that we come in

[B]

there with like, we would go in with something like, like this and he'd be like, really open your eye, let me see.

[C]

He's like, all right, let me look at it.

[D]

You, I'll check it out.

[B]

Do I need to call Taylor, tell her to come in, look at her eye too.

[C]

And he knows I sent you with your printed off Google sheet of everything to remind you to bring up to him. Cuz every time word goes to the doctor, I'm like, don't forget that you need to tell him about this thing that happened the other day. And she's like okay, that's so nice.

[D]

And printed Google sheet.

[B]

One time she's met me in the parking lot with seven pages printed out of things that we had discussed, discussed just like over time.

[D]

And I, these are your questions.

[B]

I just handed it to him and he's like, this looks like Taylor. I'm like yeah, yep, it is

[A]

the

[D]

last few exams I gave up on asking my silly questions, not wanting to get that scathing look. I feel like that's a fair question after your exam. I do too. In September of this year, my husband and I moved downsizing like crazy to transition from a three bread bedroom, a three bedroom house in the burbs to a tiny off grid cabin in the woods. In the flurry I lost my vision glasses as my prescription was expired. Anyway, a new exam was in order. Said exam was scheduled and was going just fine. I didn't ask the cringy question, didn't even think about it. The doctor finished and brought up images of the interior of my eyes, commenting on how healthy my macula was looking. You've got great circulation and it all looks really good. But I'm curious. Curious. See this back here? She asked, pointing out a small dark shadow among the spidery the spidery capillaries in my left eye. It appears to. It appears to be a scar. Have you ever sustained an injury to your eye that would cause this? Having completely forgotten about my abduction dream, I answered honestly, no. I've never had anything worse happen than an eyelash fallen or briefly lose a contact. Fact, I said, puzzled at what the cause of the scar might be. It wasn't until I was driving home that it hit me like a ton of bricks.

[A]

Holy.

[D]

Did I just get confirmation that there really is or was something in my left eye? After all these years, needless to say, it's still really weirding me out. So that's my story. Really curious what you guys think. Did I get haunted except by the little gray dudes instead of a ghost? And I was wondering if eye doctors are required to swear an oath before they graduate that they will dutifully report any bits of tech they see in people's eyes. That might explain why they were always so humorless about my alien implant.

[C]

Their mandatory reporters.

[B]

They're like, man, what implant? We see nothing here.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, we see nothing as they send it.

[A]

How do you say them?

[B]

Ops?

[C]

Optom?

[B]

Ophthalmologist? Is that.

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

Ophthalmologists are really the men in black in the doctor world.

[C]

They are.

[B]

They're like took it away.

[A]

No one would suspect.

[D]

Delete your memories. Yeah, yeah, maybe me and my scar have been on some weird watch list for decades. Well, thanks for reading. And remember, enjoy the view. But watch your back even when you're sound asleep in your own bed. Because maybe dreams aren't always always just dreams.

[B]

I love that.

[C]

Let me tell you. 100 take this to Reddit, our adopted bestie, because we're here with, with your residential friends. So we are going to recommend right now you take this to Reddit because there are entire Reddit communities. There's one specifically that Morgan covered a case on out of like the Stonehenge area where these people share the craziest stories like this, where they can remember more. And I wonder if the reason why this person remembers every detail is because. What if there's a camera? We're getting really crazy. Everyone. Hang on.

[B]

Oh wow.

[C]

Buckle in, Buckle in.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

What if that was a camera that's attached to their brain and so that's why they can remember every detail from above their body. Remember that's what they said that I could see everything from like a different, like a third party situation could be

[D]

interesting and they could never see that person because they were looking through the eyes of another person.

[C]

Whatever that John, is that see I'm

[A]

thinking of like because the ophthalmologist noted like, oh you're. This eye is like doing really well. Well, it's doing really well. It's really healthy. But what is this back here? So I feel like it's some advanced

[B]

tech that's like repaired some sort of like enhancement and. Yeah, yeah, that's, that's a good story.

[C]

That's a good. Thanks. Thank you for reading that, for sharing that with us.

[A]

That's a good one.

[C]

Loved every second.

[A]

That's a really good one. Yeah. Wow.

[D]

Plot twist. It's a microchip neuralink or whatever.

[A]

Yeah. And I love also that Ellen, you know, she's like, so this happened in 1992.

[C]

Ellen will never forget.

[A]

No. And then this development happened last year. It's like this has been the longest unfolding.

[D]

Yeah, I think something happened. I think, think aliens are involved in this for sure.

[B]

I do think you are. I think we need to protect in

[C]

the pro witness protection program.

[B]

Like yeah, for real eye doctors are.

[C]

Yeah, like this person's on you now watch list.

[D]

Yeah, I see why you used a fake name.

[C]

I would too.

[D]

Ellen, the aliens are listening.

[C]

They are.

[A]

It's just so interesting because it's like I feel like if they were to do that they'd be like coming back in to check in in of like how things are going.

[D]

Maybe they don't have to cuz they

[C]

can see they normally but they normally do come back and check in like the places I was telling you about near Stonehenge they would get multiple visits. But the fact that it's like a scar like there Was a surgery done? It's like you don't remember when they came and collected whatever is left. Like what if like it's kind of

[B]

like that was like your last visit. Like maybe as a child. Like they were coming in and out

[C]

and they had taken it out.

[D]

So that was them returning.

[A]

H. That was the return visit.

[C]

We're sending Ellen down a spiral. Sorry, bestie. Sorry babe. Tellen.

[B]

I'm going to be spiraling with you.

[C]

I will never forget this for the rest of my life. Just so we're clear, Ellen. Okay, so this last one is titled Statue man and a Thirsty Campsite Ghost. This is from Miranda using she her pronouns. Hello, besties, fellow UTK alum here go big Orange. Let me say I'm obsessed with you guys. Guys I came over from and that's why we drink and I have been binging every episode that you have put out ever since. I have two little mini creepy accounts about my camping SL hiking adventures around the exceptionally creepy in my opinion. Tennessee Wilderness So here we go. The first thing happened when my boyfriend at the time and I were hiking in middle Tennessee. We had the trails to ourselves and really didn't encounter anyone that day. Day still he decided nature was calling. I insisted that we go a ways off the trail for him to pee. So we walked about 40 to 50ft into the woods where to our shock, we saw a man standing still as a statue facing the other way. We both stood frozen for a second, really just shocked to see anyone at all, much less this far off the trail. We looked at each other as. As if trying to decide whether or not we should just get out of there or make our presence known. My boyfriend decided to call out to the guy so. So as not to startle him. The man still did not move. He was completely still. It's the moose from the cog or whatever it was.

[A]

The statue or the. What was it?

[C]

The moose.

[A]

Target practice.

[B]

The target moose.

[C]

We waited a minute and my boyfriend called out to him again. Still no movement at all. We looked at each other and I think it hit us at the same time that something was not right here at all. We took off running back to the trail and didn't look back. I still have no clue what to think about that day or what that man was doing 10 plus years later. It still gives me chills to think about it. The other happened the first week after our freshman year ended. So when I say we were right broke college kids, I mean we were baroque. We drove out to a lakeside campsite in the middle of nowhere outside of Cookville. Cookville's like where Tennessee Tech University is for anyone who doesn't know. And it's about not really the halfway point. It's closer to Nashville. Between Knoxville and Nashville, there's a lot of good trails there. Actually I don't know if you guys have ever been over there.

[B]

A lot of waterfalls.

[C]

Yeah. And good like lakes and like long flat. You can go forever and then they have some that are super hilly. Really it over there. Actually. When we arrived there, we had not a dollar to our names and less than an eighth of a tank of gas. Our plan was to stay until payday. What I don't think we thought about ahead of time is that being that it was 2012, our phones had absolutely no service at all. So no music, no calls, no text, no nothing. On top of that, we were the only people at the campsite. Needless to say, with no money, no gas, no service, and no witnesses, I was certain I was going to die. That camping trip, one way or another. One late late night, when we were sitting at the campfire in the silence of total isolation with no music or any other sound pollution, the sound of pouring water came suddenly, suddenly out of nowhere. We were so confused and began looking around for the source of the sound. With just our flashlights, we followed the sound to the next campsite over and found that the water pump had somehow been turned. Turned all the way on full blast. These were the kind of big old rusty metal pumps where you really had to crank the handle up in order to get the water to turn on. I don't think that there is any way that pump could have naturally been cranked on to all the way on on its own. And there was literally no one else at the campsite. Point blank period. So was it a ghost or a mass serial killer from the from out of the lake? All of Friday the 13th, I still don't know. But being that I live to tell the tale, I have to imagine that it was a ghost. Still, maybe the creepiest thing that has ever that I've ever experienced to this day. I hope you all enjoyed these little minis and more of the stories. Stay out of the creepy ass Tennessee forest babes.

[D]

Love ya.

[A]

Those things have something in common which is seemingly like unsuspecting kind of normal things, but happening in a time and situation that is just totally inappropriate. Like someone standing really still is not that they're meditating.

[C]

Yeah, they're doing their thing.

[A]

They're whatever what's happening, you know, who knows? But to have it happen in the middle of the woods off trail and not have any sort of response from them is creepy. And then having something turn on, on is like, whatever. But then just being like, out in the middle of nowhere.

[B]

By yourself.

[A]

Yeah, by yourself. And there's just. I don't know, there's. I think something about having really normal things happen to you in those types of situations are almost even scarier than something crazy.

[C]

Yes. Yeah, I agree.

[A]

Because it's like. Then you're in this weird mental. Like, what?

[B]

Like you're like, always walking. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Like, maybe that's okay, but it just seems really weird. And like, now I don't know what to think and I'm confused. And now I'm just ultra creeped out.

[B]

Well, yeah.

[C]

And it's like being in your house when, like, the something happens and you're like, oh, okay, well, I have cats. So I'm like, the cats must have done something. But then, like, what happened with me and Morgan in this light the other day? It was just going. We were looking at the remote anyways, and nothing was happening across the room from us. Across the room.

[B]

And it, like, doesn't have settings like on the thing. Like, it's only controlled by remote. And it was going crazy.

[C]

It was just going crazy. And like, we. The first thing we're naturally thinking is, oh, the cats did. Are we sitting on the remote? Like, what's going on? And then when you realize, like, oh, no, like that. Could there have been a shortage in the wall? Yeah, but like, it's even as simple as when you're like, faucets turn on or a light starts flashing in your house and it doesn't even blow. It just randomly decide. Like, everything about that is so eerie. And the fact that it was dead silent, no sound pollution. You're the only people out there. You're probably hearing some rustling around from like, a crazy squirrel or something, a raccoon who's looking about. But, like, then the water out of nowhere. Like, that's not the sound you're expecting.

[A]

No, it's kind of. It's like similar to the thing that, like, scarred me the most as far as scary movies. It'll just always stick with me. Is that scene in the Sixth Sense where all the cabinets FL are open up?

[C]

Yes, yes. The six inch movie period.

[B]

Like.

[A]

Like, yeah, in general, but just something about that moment of, like, everything was normal, it pans away. And then all of a sudden, like, every single cabinet and drawers open.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, again, having a Cabinet open isn't inherently scary, but that me up.

[B]

No.

[C]

Yeah, no, me too.

[D]

Me too.

[A]

Me too.

[C]

That whole movie, everything about it.

[A]

Well, thank you guys so much for joining us for trail Tales today. It was really fun, guys.

[C]

Thanks so much. We had such a great time.

[B]

Yes. Thank you for having us. I love these stories. I'm serious. Ellen's story. I'm gonna think about it.

[C]

It goes in the hall of fame

[B]

like I actually want. Ellen, if you hear this, can you send that to creeps in crime so I can read it again so we can relive it again a year from now?

[A]

Yeah, Ellen, give updates. Give like an updated version. Yes. When you send.

[D]

I would say that's probably the most we've gotten. Some alien abduction stories or question mark stories written in, but I think that that that is probably the most memorable one we've ever gotten.

[B]

That's the proof, you know.

[C]

It is.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

She came with the facts.

[C]

She had the receipts from the eye doctor that I cannot pronounce the real scientific name for ophthalmologists.

[B]

I don't know why I can't say

[C]

it either, but Dr. Op.

[B]

Dr. Op.

[A]

Well, the fun is not over for anybody on Apple subscriptions or Patreon. We do extended trail tale editions over there and. And this time around, we are hearing from you guys your personal stories, our. Our bonus stories. So we're really excited to hear them.

[D]

Well, thank you everyone for tuning in to this trail tales episode. If you are want to hear more and you want to hear more of all of us collabing together, we are going on creeps and crimes next week and you can hear a lot more from us all together. And we have two episodes that will

[A]

be coming out with you guys.

[C]

Yes. We're so excited for you guys to do a TBB with us. We got some juicy stuff that you. We want you or anything advice on for some of our best.

[B]

Some input.

[A]

Oh, we're doing an advice column, you guys.

[C]

Well, we're going to do an Ames slash advice column. So am I missing something? We've got some submissions for you guys that people sent in and then there's like three advice column ones that we pulled just in case we needed some extra time. Perfect.

[A]

Amazing block My whole day.

[D]

We're bl. Come hang out with us. We will see you soon. If you want to hang out and hear these bonus stories, you can find that on Patreon or Apple subscriptions. But we'll see you next time. In the meantime, enjoy the view, but watch your back.

[A]

See ya. Thank you for joining us again this week. If you have a trail tale of your own you'd like to share, you can write to us@npadstories gmail.com or visit our website at npadpodcast.com Bonus Trail Tales and content are available to Patreon members and Apple subscribers. Follow the show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X NationalPark After Dark, and if you prefer to watch our episodes, you can find us on YouTube at National Park After Dark. And as always, if you enjoy the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

[F]

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