Appalachian Trail Hauntings

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#1

It will be at least a year until economic circumstances allow me to undertake a thru-hike, till then I’ll have to be content with just reading about others hiking. There is a subject that has only very lightly been alluded to, I’ve noticed (at least on the sites I’ve seen). That subject is supernatural, paranormal, or ghostly phenomena. One of my many amateur intrests is ghost hunting and I noticed the AT companion lists many places as being “supposedly” haunted. I would love to hear any stories, tales, legends, etc. from past hikers on the AT concerning ghosts, unexplainable happenings, ufo’s, whatever…

Jeff

#2

Well, here’s another reader who’d be interested to hear about any experiences involving that, too! If any of you have the time please post! Some of the shelters are supposed to be haunted, right? But by whom???

AquaAllie

#3

I would definitely love to hear about any hauntings along the trail…:girl

Dizzo

#4

Many people have reported feeling “creeped out” near areas and/or shelters where murders have taken place. I always stayed over night in these places, out of curiosity. I never saw or felt anything, I assumed the hikers who were killed just moved on. I did however see shadowy figures in the woods near Birkitsville (spelling??), Maryland. There are Battlefields before and just after the little Civil War Museum at the road crossing. By the way, the Blair Witch runs the Art Gallery in town. If you have the money go in and buy a TShirt, she’ll mail it home for you. She loves thrus, they don’t often carry video equipment, but not that many come through any more. Hollywood and those three stoges in the movie ripped her off.

Blue Jay

#5

The two main places that I a have heard to spooked are Sarver Cabin and Punchbowl Shelter. Sarver Cabin is spooky and I didn’t wan’t to stay the night there. punchbowl is said to visited by little Ottie whose memorial you just passed on Bluff Mt. Those are the only two I remember offhand.

Yahtzee

#6

There’s one place in NC that local lore dictates is haunted by ghosts of Native Americans. The place is Wayah Bald… the locals there, mostly high school aged boys will try to spend the night there and seem to never be able to last the whole night up there… I’m talking actually sleeping on the bald, in or in front of the old watch tower- which I might add is not so strictly verboten. Anyhow… I’ve lived in the area myself at times whilst working at a camp in the area and a bunch of us girls- all staff at the afore mentioned camp- spent a night there last summer. About half of us slept up in the top of the tower and the other half (which i was in) slept on the grassy bald in front of the tower. It was a bit spooky- particularly inside the bottom of the tower… there are high winds there year round (which makes it quite chilly, even in summer!) and i think something about the elevation makes the trees grow funny… inside the bottom of the tower haunting “moans” can be heard- a little creepy like i said. it’s most certainly just the wind… but then again wind doesn’t usually have that tone. Anyhow… we made it the whole night and I must say… when i go out this year (i’m hiking southbound) i will stay a night on the bald- even at the risk of being caught- just for old times sake… not to mention the place is just amazing… so windy that the dew dries before it hits you and the view, ah… incredible.

LarsyParsy

#7

Mouse tales from the dark side
A true story from the AT.
After a long twenty-five miler to Paul Wolfe Memorial Shelter, Raindog, Bramble and yours truly set up shop and had a welcomed dinner and some chitchat about who put in that nasty re-lo back there. We ate and read for a few and then crashed, freezing cold and dehydrated. Moans from the sick and dying filled the woods…oh that was yesterday. Some where around 12am I heard Raindog calling me, “Jon”….”What?”…JON!”…WHAT?!”, “Something bit me”. “Okay?!?”. “No, something bit my hand and it’s all wet”. “You’re dreaming”. Bull@#$%, my finger is wet, turn on a light. I slowly rolled over, it wasn’t like I was warm and asleep or anything and turned on my headlamp. Raindog was sitting up with this red faced freaked out look about him. He was obsessively squeezing his right index finger and watching the gushing blood running down his hand. “Vampire bat?”, I said, amused at what my friend had gotten himself into this time. “ Oh God, now I have rabies!”. Raindog squeezed even faster and harder. “Seems to me you cleaned your pot with your finger didn’t you…and you didn’t wash your hand after?” I poked at him. “That would just waste time and energy, give me an alcohol swab and shut up.” We cleaned his boo-boo and saw two tiny teeth marks. “You know, right before this happen I was like having this dream that my family was dying what’s up with that?” Dogboy looked more confused than normal. We all looked at each other. Bramble then sat up and said the same thing. We looked at each other again and then slowly got back into our bags and lay there the rest of the night listing to the blood sucking mice and wondering what nasties were crawling over us. In the morning we read the register and would you believe that other hikers that have stayed here had the same weird dreams and odd supernatural goings-on? The Shelter of the Dammed. Stay here one night and maybe live to tell about it. Walk away and turn your back and it’s gone

Bushwhack

#8

I just finished a book, Walking Home, by Kelly Winters. She mentioned Vanderventer Shelter on Lake Watauga being haunted. I stopped there during the day on my thru hike and never heard this before. In her book, she recounts how whip-poor-wills only call in the evenings but this shelter had one that showed up at 5:30am and did its call- something to do with a dead woman from somewhere near there. Sure enough on her thru hike, she was awakened at exactly 5:30am, looking into the red eyes of a crying whip-poor will. First time I ever heard of this.

Lucky Laura

#9

A woman was murdered at Vandeventer years ago and thrown over the cliff in back of the shelter.

Lone Wolf

#10

I read the same book and remember that story about Vanderventer. Didn’t she also refer to other various shelters without naming them? Something like it was known that a bunch of them are haunted. This is a great idea for another book if you could get everyone to remember stuff like dreams, creeped out feelings, etc…and also link the stuff to actual events that happened in the area. It’s rather fascinating! Hmmm, maybe I should start this project… :eek:

AquaAllie

#11

on 4/27/01 at Old Orchard Shelter,
After breatfast, As I went to add water to my SS pot to rinse it out… the clear drinking water turned a deep dark blue instantly right as it was pourd into the pot …
It was dumped and several more ounces again turned a deep dark blue instantly as it was pourd into the pot.
The third time nothing happened… this was plain Ol drinking water and my same Ol plain SS pot everything the same as any other day. It was very strange!

Freighttrain

#12

on 4/27/01 at Old Orchard Shelter,
After breatfast, As I went to add water to my SS pot to rinse it out… the clear drinking water turned a deep dark blue instantly right as it was pourd into the pot …
It was dumped and several more ounces again turned a deep dark blue instantly as it was pourd into the pot.
The third time nothing happened… this was plain Ol drinking water and my same Ol plain SS pot everything the same as any other day. It was very strange!
FreightTrain :boy

Freighttrain

#13

Spent a very sleepless night at the Punch Bowl Shelter. listening to the sounds of something splashing in the pond below the shelter. Did shine the light all over the pond but there was nothing there. Then My friend and I listened as footsteps approached the shelter. As the steps got closer we expected to see someone there but nothing materialized. Neither of us slept until the sun came up. Many stories about this shelter. Would not care to spend the night there again.

Super Mom

#14

Anyone interested in this topic should do a little research on Dudleytown which is near the old AT and present Mohawk trail (i think) near Cornwall Bridge in CT. It is private property now owned by the Dark Entry Forest Association. How’s that for creepy?

Goldbond

#15

you guys are creeping me out!

Margie

#16

Had one of the spookiest times on the trail one rainy, dreary day walking through Dudleytown ruins. The ruins date from the 18th century. Supposedly a relative of King George was disgraced and took his family and, oh, but that’d be telling the tale. Foundations, mill pond dam still there. An interesting archiological site, even if it doesn’t chill you as you walk through.

Jim2

#17

Here’s an interesting site about all the murders on the AT. No wonder all the stories of hauntings!
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about/history/background.html

just Cherry

#18

Had the water you used been treated with iodine? It gives a blue color when added to starch.

Groucho

#19

Wow, I didn’t expect to get this many responses. A lot of people don’t like to talk about this subject. I think Ghost stories of the AT would make a great book, Aqua. I’ll help do the research. Thanks for telling your story in more detail, Bushwhack. I read a post you had made a while ago where you mentioned the occurance. Thats what inspired me to ask about this topic. Supposedly anyone who stays in Dudleytown alone goes insane, and they all rave about wierd green spirits that flicker through the trees, and giant animals with cloven hooves…sounds like my kind of place.

Jeff

#20

Does anyone know of any websites I can find information on this stuff???:eek:

Rebecca & Bennett