I still remember how excited I was when I got picked for that wildlife research project in the Grand Canyon a few years back.

I had just finished my biology degree, so getting hands-on experience tracking coyotes seemed like an amazing opportunity.

My two teammates, Dan and Jess, felt the same way. We were all

eager science nerds ready for adventure. When we arrived in Arizona and met our park ranger guide,

he warned us that spending two weeks camping deep in the canyon wasn't for the faint of heart.

The remoteness meant we'd be on our own if any emergencies happened to come up,

but we assured him we were up to the task.

We set off on the long trek down, lugging all our camping gear and research equipment.

On the first evening, we found a secluded site off the main trails to set up our base camp.

It took over an hour to get trails to set up our base camp.

It took over an hour to get the tents pitched and our supplies organized.

As dusk fell over the canyon walls surrounding us, we were all tired from the hike.

So after a quick dinner, we turned in early.

The night was calm and surprisingly quiet, with just the occasional hoot of an owl or

rustle in the bushes. Nothing alarming. I remember falling asleep fast, worn out from the day's exertions.

Sometime later, I woke up to strange noises right outside my tent. At first I thought it was just a

raccoon or coyote sniffing around

our food bags. But when I quietly peeked out the tent flap, I couldn't see any animals. The

moonlight only revealed the rocky canyon terrain. The grunting and odd sniffing sounds faded away,

so I assumed it was nothing. I settled back down and quickly

dozed off again. I was startled awake again later that night by the sound of heavy footsteps

tramping around the campsite. The crunching gravel and twigs snapping underfoot were

...