Creepiest experience while camping or riding

Post your creepiest experience while riding or camping.

Years ago in high school. We were chasing bunnies in our jeep. Broke down in a cinder pit. Clutch issue. Years later, riding three wheelers in the same area. Clutch cable broke in the same pit. I stayed for a while so my buddy could ride back and get the truck. Lots of strange sounds, so I said screw it and rode out anyway.

Another one. A few years ago, I was riding with my boys out near Box Canyon east of the valley. One of my sons chain jumped off the rear sprocket. We didn't have tools so we opted to ride back to the truck, load up, and then drive back to the broken down bike. My youngest son volunteered to stay with the bike. Took us about an hour to get back to him. As we came around a bend in the road, we saw him with someone (shadow type figure) standing behind him. We both freaked wondering who it was. As we got closer, there was nobody there with him. We yelled at him as we got closer who that was. He didn't understand. We told him what we saw and he said he thought he heard some strange noises.

Last one. About one month ago, we are riding a favorite trail up near Camp Verde. Oldest son is leading, youngest is following him, a friend behind him and I am sucking up rear. Come over a hill and I see my youngest son with all of his gear off and his jersey. I came up asking what was wrong, thinking that he crashed, He said his back was burning. I looked and there were three scratches across his back. Looked like claw marks. No blood, but very distinct. He had a chest/back protector on so there is no way a tree branch or anything got him. We finally got him geared back up and headed out. About 30 minutes later, we reached a spot where we always stop for a break. I asked him to take the jersey off so that I could see the scratches again. They were completely gone!

Okay, I've got a repeat offender. We call it the phantom single. We and I say that because two friends have heard it as well. When camping on multiple occasions in many locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan we have heard this noise. It sounds like a single cylinder engine trying to start then run poorly for a few seconds and then dies. Then a few minutes later you will hear this sequence again. Sometimes two or three times in succession then it stops for a bit. But sure enough a little bit later we will hear it again. One of the strange things is none of us have ever heard it camping by ourselves, only when at least two of the three of us are present. This has been happening to us for at least the last 5 years in locations many hundreds of miles apart. We have thrown around all kinds of ideas about what it might really be, but no firm conclusions other than we all agree what it sounds like.

I used to work as a RiderCoach for Patriot Motorcycle Training in Green Cove Springs Florida. Our training site was the runway of an old, decommissioned Navy base, Naval Air Station Lee Field, named after a pilot who died in England during WWI. It had been a destroyer base, mothball fleet location, and a flight school until it was decommissioned in 1960. Our training site was at the middle of the runway.

During the summer we used to get out there pretty early to get the bikes set up for the students, so we could ride while it was still a little cool out. One morning, probably 5:30-5:45 in the morning, I drove out to the runway, pulled up to the back of the trailer, parked so my headlight was aimed at the lock, and walked over to the trailer to open it. Just as I reached the trailer I heard a Bos'n Whistle, that distinctive multi-tone note, absolutely clear as day and loud enough to make me jump. I was probably 500 yards from any building, in the middle of a runway.

Ruffed Grouse drumming?

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Wow, that is a dead ringer for what he described!

That's got to be an ADV mascot right there. That's awesome!

Freeze it around 12.20 for the blood in the snow. Urine along the edges from canines large enough to wiz 4 feet up and there isn't a human footprint for 200 kms.

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That's actually really close. Can I ask if you know how loud this really is in the field? Seems like I have some more investigating to do.

Just the other day, went for a little dirtbike ride up my local tracks with a friend. About 20kms from anywhere, and in a completely random spot, there was a man in his mid 40's with a full picnic setup and a young girl (about 5yo) right in the middle of the track.
I slowed down to suss it out, i can only hope she was his daughter.

Wow what did that?

did you watch the video at all?? wolf pack country....

The creepiest thing that I have ever had happen was in January of 2007. I was only 16 at the time and my friend who I was riding with was 19. We raced together all the time, but today we were just hanging out riding up and down the mountains in Mammoth, CA.

I was following him down the mountain and out through a flat area with a river. At this time he was about 60 feet in front of me as he started to round a large rock formation. As I come around the rocks and saw the scene, I freaked out. His bike was up against a tree and he was laying flat on his back. As I stop he gets up and yells " WTF was that man, wtf man. Let's go!". I had no idea what he was talking about. I laid my bike up against the tree his bike was on while he was trying to pick his up and leave. I said "just to hold on a second, what's going on?"

It's at this time as I am watching him pick up his bike I see his back. There were claw marks that went completely through his jacket and cut his skin. The claw marks were about an inch apart and only 2 of the 4 reached his skin. I start to lose my mind and I tell him to chill out and listen. We don't hear or see anything and we can see for about a mile or two. I asked what happened? He said "something hit me off my bike and I'm about to freak out, you didn't see nothing?" "no man, I just saw you laying there." I told him lets just check it out since whatever it was is now gone, but keep your head up and shut the fuck up.

As I investigate where this thing came from I was surprised not to find any tracks in the area. It hasn't snowed since last night and its about 3 PM. Surely there should be some prints in the snow right? No, not until I investigated further. At the top of the rock formation was the tracks from where this thing launched itself, but no tracks leading to it. It must of been sitting here for hours I thought. This is where shit gets real. It landed about 25-30 paces away form where it jumped and about 30 paces after that the tracks disappeared at the base of a tree. Needless to say we immediately left and we told a ranger about what happend 2 days later. He said that he didn't have an answer.


Sup with that?

That is what you are hearing, I have been camping in the Midwest all my life and always hear these. It reminds me of a 3-wheeler I had when I was younger that always cold started just like that sound.

You can hear them for quite the distance and if you try to get closer to them they stop. If one is close to you and doing it, it is quite loud.

As soon as I read your post I knew exactly what you were hearing.

In July 2009, I was riding the CDR, south to north, solo, stealth camping. I normally look for a spot to camp just before sunset, ride a little further up the road, check out traffic, and go back to spots I had noticed. Typically, I try to camp in national forest, but sometimes I'll miss. Low impact, no fire, no mess, quite.
This was my second day of a two week trip. My wife had dropped me off in Deming NM and I was headed north on the KTM 525 EXC. First night was in the Gila NF, fierce thunderstorm, it was great. Second day was working my way north through the lava overflows.

Going down Zuni Canyon road, south of Grants NM, I had eye balled a couple of spots. Checked the parameters and it all looked clear, so I ride the bike about 200 yards up a hill in the trees and pick a place that looked flat, with few rocks. Pitch the tent, check out the bike for loose bolts or missing parts, killing time until it gets dark enough to fall asleep. During the night, I had to get out of the tent to take a wiz. Mostly asleep, I crawl up and out of the little tent I have, step a few feet to the right of the tent, and swoooooosh!! Took off my balaclava. WTF?? Scared the piss out of me. LOL.
Once I calmed down and thought about it, I realized it was probably an owl swooping in for a varmint kill. I felt very lucky not to have talons taking my scalp off.

I did some poking around the web and found out it can be heard for a quarter mile or more. I also found various other recordings which convinced me that's what I was hearing, and why I would hear it so many places year after year. Admittedly I don't really know much about birds, so I was skeptical until I did some more research. The idea that a bird made this sound would never have occurred to me. But without you guys I wouldn't have even known where to start looking. Thanks, seriously this noise has been a mystery to me for over 20 years. Now it's a mystery no more.

One more,,,
This was Sept. 2010 riding the TAT. I was on Wheeler Mt. Outside of Baker NV.
This was a cold night, I had to wiz, put on my little red headlight so I could see where to place my feet. Crawl up and out of the little bicycle tent I use. Step out to the right of camp, and I picked my head to shine the light out. Wow, must of been six pairs of animal eyes looking at me. Shitballs. Did my biz, jumped back in the super safe tent and went back to sleep.

LMAO, every time I think about this, I recall "Pee Wee Herman's BigAdventure". In the dark and all he could see were the big animal eyes starring at him.

The eyes I saw in my camp were all deer.

But this picture came to mind.

Not riding, but somewhat similar. I was out hiking, it was late, and heard this sound, it sounded exactly like when you try to kick start a thumper and it doesn't start, the sound of the air coming out of the exhaust. I was like "WTF? There's no riding out here?" Then I heard it again, but it sounded closer. "How did it move if it didn't start?" Then I heard it again and realized it had a distinctly animal sound to it. And all of a sudden the bushes in front of me start shaking and something took off about twenty yards to my left. "WTF!?" I got a little closer to the bush and heard a chorus of the same sound, in miniature. I leaned down and shined my flashlight under the bush and there were three baby javelina under the bush barking at me. I heard the louder sound again getting closer behind me. I hauled ass. Javelina can be mean, especially when it's a momma naking at an intruder to get away from her babies.

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Amazing video.

Back about 1986 or 87 I was sleeping way up on a mountain in Virginia on my sister's property in the back of my 1978 International Harvester Scout II (God I miss her!). It was pitch black, no moon and the Scout was black too. I'm dead to the world when suddenly something slams into the side of the Scout bringing it up almost on two wheels! I got my flashlight and shined it around through the windows and didn't see anything staring back at me so, I went back to sleep. I figure it was a black bear in a hurry and didn't see the Scout and did a face-plant and ran off.

I just remembered another one. It was right around the same time period. I was with a friend in the aforementioned Scout (did I mention how much I miss her!?) We were riding around on a mountain road in TN. with cameras mounted on the mirrors filming for a short film. This was probably after midnight. We stopped to get out and pee. While we were peeing, we heard this huge crack and boom! It was obvious it was a tree falling but, we felt we should get out of there quickly! We jumped back in and hauled ass back the way we came! As we rounded the next corner there was a tree across the road. About a 10" diameter tree that was green and healthy and snapped off about 6' from the base! It didn't fall on it's own! I did not stop to investigate!! On the video, you could see the tree and then it goes all wonky when we hit it and jumped it! Good times...good times!

Not really creepy but, on that same mountain in VA., I had what I assumed was a bobcat pace me as I was hiking to the peak. When I walked, it walked. When I stopped, it stopped. It kept about 75 yards or so to my right but, I never saw it.