Our merch store is back. Go to eeriecast.store to shop our small but growing collection of shirts,

featuring eerie cast and freaky folklore. A darkness prevails shirt and a window-go-coffee mug are

coming soon. Each purchase supports our shows. Thank you. If you hike alone on a wooded trail,

you've already made a grave mistake. If those dark and terrible things that lurk in the shadows

take notice of you, they'll see you only as an easy meal.

Welcome back to unexplained encounters. I'm your host, Darkness prevails, and you can follow me

on Twitter at Dark prevails to see a gnarly and terrifying picture of a 13-foot crocodile

with a massive bite taken out of it by something even bigger. Very weird. Today I've got a random

assortment of stories featuring terror in the mountains, scares on the trails, and more. Enjoy

and don't forget to send me your scary stories of the unexplained at darkstories.org. I'm looking

for a trucker's stories especially. Also, go to eeriecast.com for more free podcasts like this.

Now let's begin.

Never hike the Appalachian Trail alone. From Be Morrison.

Growing up, my thing had always been walking alone in the woods. I was a creative writer in school.

My attention span now was far too gone to finish much riding these days, but back then I would

take a stroll through the woods to get my riding done. Just me, a pencil, and a notebook.

Sometimes I'd even listen to Silent Hill and Parasite Eve OSTs. Some of those tracks were pretty

creepy too. Yet it never creeped me out. Being alone in the woods listening to music that could

be eerie, I never did feel afraid. This single experience, however, has left me with a feeling of

dread at the mere thought of going back in the woods alone. I still venture out there,

but that piece of mind I used to have just isn't there anymore.

I work at a call center. I have weekends off and I was single at the time, with not too many

...