The unsettling truth

imported
#1

there is an unsettling truth that experienced thru-hikers don’t want to share with you. i know. because i’ve been there. and i have seen what i have seen.

you know the movie ‘the blair witch project’? well it was in fact inspired by experiences many (if not most) thru-hikers have had.

hauntings occur at many points in the trail.

i still get shivers to think of how ‘the one legged hiker’ ghost manifested itself in front of me at the privvy.

this is one creepy trip. and it is best to approach it knowing what you’re getting into.

yours in shivers,

fearful

ps: it was fortunate that i was at the privvy given what i did on account of the fear and all.

fearful

#2

The truth finally came out.

I guess it was inevitable.

hm

#3

and for evening reading, don’t forget to bring along a volume of ghost stories by M.R. James.

Ardsgaine

#4

somewhere in southern virgina is a blair witch like house, completely empty and run down, with little black handprints everywhere. me and wonderboy climbed upstairs and was checking out all the old newspapers and soda cans with the old style pull of tabs… definately creepy.

jacelor

#5

just outside of Damascus near a dirt road crossing… creepy house… sarvers cabin… and many more spooky spooky spots.

aswah

#6

Hey, I LIVE near Burkittsville, Maryland (where the movie event was supposed to take place). It’s only fiction - never happened; no haunting; no nothing.

What you really have to watch out for is the “Roller Coaster Rambler” further north on the trail. In between Ashby and Snickers Gap. You see, right nearby is Mount Weather - a top-secret (used to be) government installation that has the equivalent of an “underground city.” It’s where they planned on taking the President in case of a nuclear war. The trail actually used to go right by the installation until security required a re-location. That’s why you know have the renowned “Roller Coaster” portion of the Trail instead of gentle “ridge-hiking.”

Turns out that back in the 1960’s the government conducted some really wild and hairy LSD experiments on mental patients at Mount Weather - some of them apparently escaped and still ramble on the trail.

Be careful - be very careful . . .

Brutus

#7

Fearful, what were you smoking when you were at the privy? Can I have some?

Fearless

#8

Brutus, are you talking about the area around Valleyville VA? I’ve tried forever to get more information about that area and run into serious dead ends, never get anywhere or anything. If you have more info I’d love to hear from you or hear any great stories. Now THIS is a great book for AT hikers/readers…wonder if there’s any books written that center around this topic. :girl

AquaAllie

#9

I think you mean Berryville instead of Valleyville. Yes, Berryville is a small town in Virginia on Route 7 - a few miles east of the Trail. Mount Weather is the installation on Virginia 608 between Snickers and Ashby Gap.

If you ever drive on VA 608 you can see the above ground portion of Mount Weather. It is enclosed by fencing and barb wire. As you drive by, the road actually makes a sharp 45-degree turn one way and then another - almost as if they want to force you to slow down so you can’t get up enough speed to crash through the gate (although I’d imagine this isn’t why the road is formed that way).

Mount Weather is run by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). You can do a Google-search on the web and get more details. I think National Geographic did a tv special about it a while back. Mount Weather is where the Executive Branch (President’s folks) would go during a national emergency. The Legislative Branch (Congress) has another location in nearby West Virginia at a resort (also underground). During 9/11 I believe some VIPs initially were taken to Mount Weather - not by helicopter because of the FAA initial flying ban, but by car. By the way, this is all public info - not classified.

Back in the cold war days, supposedly another Super Power (Russia?) found out that some property that neighbors Mount Weather (on VA 608) was for sale. Apparently they considered buying the property so they could monitor what happened nearby, but don’t believe the sale ever took place (or, perhaps, was discouraged by the U.S.?).

Brutus

#10

Need to correct a couple of mistakes I made:

Berryville is to the West, not East. Mount Weather is on VA 601, not 608.

Okay, I think I’ve gotten far enough off the Trail on this subject. I’ll put a lid on it.

Brutus

#11

If we never hear from Brutus again, we’ll know just how public that information was supposed to be.

C-Giddy

#12

there’s the homestead (with a shelter now) right after the Keffer Oak I believe. I was there alone… felt like someone was watching me

Tha Wookie

#13

They SAY there is a scary monster that lives atop a mountain in the Appalachians…Its name is SCUZZLEBUTT! It kills anybody that dares climb to the top of the mountain because it loves the taste of blood and likes to add pieces to its deformed body…

Where his left hand should be he has a piece of celery…and walks with a limp…becuase where his right leg should be…there’s nothing but Patrick Duffy!

Hmmm…kinda makes ya wonder eh?

Andy Brown

#14

Ya wanna talk about spooky places on the trail? On our '98 hike Yogi and I pulled into Antitiem Creek Shelter after dark. Yogi and I are Civil Wars buffs just like our dad is so we know the significance of Antitiem Creek. The Battle of Antiteim happened up stream from there and history records that Antitiem Creek ran red with the blood of the dead and wounded from the bloodiest day of fighting in American history. Now that was spooky… It was also very sobering to sit there and look at the stream and think of all those brave men whose blood stained the creek red.

BooBoo

#15

As a follow-up to BooBoo - perhaps it would be nice to keep in the back of our minds an appreciation for those guys and gals in our military who are currently overseas. Besides putting their butts on the line, they are protecting our luxury to do the things we perhaps take for granted in America - for example, hiking the Trail.

Semper Fi.

Brutus

#16

Yes. Semper Fi. When and where did you serve?

Wolf

#17

74-78
MOS: 0341
San Diego MCRD (6/74)
2/9/3rd MarDiv (74-76)Okinawa
Koh Tang/Mayaguez (05/15/75)
Quantico (77-78)

Brutus

#18

Dude I was freaked out about a mile south of Overmountain, somthing just wasnt right. I was by myself and it was well into a windy cold night. I never felt freaked out like this in my life and never felt anything like it before or after. If you ask me Overmountain is got a presence of some kind.

bono

#19

77-81 MOS 3521 MCRD Parris Island.3rd Cbt. Engineer Bn. Camp Hansen, Oki and 8th Eng. Support Bn., French Creek, Camp LeJeune.:cheers

Wolf

#20

Camp Hansen - I remember it well. Had to pass it to get to Camp Schwab, where I was stationed. Weren’t the 4th Marines at Hansen? 9th Marines at Schwab. Fondly remember the bar town outside the gates - Henoko. Lucky I survived all that. Did they still have a 13-month tour of Oki when you were there?

Brutus