I have never understood the fascination with the outdoors.
Camping? In the dirt? In the dark?
Y'all have seen the "Friday the 13th" series yes?
Besides being under the thumb of nature, there is wildlife, reptiles, and serial killers.
Watch a few Dateline NBC episodes and you'll see how many hiking trails are nothing but burial grounds.
Stay home, rent a movie.
Redditor Legitimate_Eye_5382 wanted to know what we should be aware of when wandering out in nature. They asked:
"Hikers of Reddit, what has been the most f**ked up thing you’ve seen?"
I've always said hiking, camping, the wilderness, all death traps. Convince me otherwise...
The Fall
"This was two decades ago. They used to do donkey tours in the Grand Canyon. You ride the donkey and then hike. You can camp, but we did the day tour. A woman that was probably in her late 60's/Early 70's was in front of me and on an incline started to act strange."
"She was swaying left and right as on a steep cliff (which was very safe and wide). It swayed back and forth for maybe a minute and she was slumped over and then boom, it looked like she passed out and pulled the donkey to the left and fell over the cliff. I saw her tumble over and then they were just gone."
"I cant remember how far down the fall was, but it had to be over 100ft. Immediately the guide jumped off at the front ran over and let out and audible scream before stopping after realizing she had a tour with her. A few people got off their donkey and she stopped them from peering over."
"A few of the other guides looked over and they made some radio calls and then we proceeded. It was very obvious that something really serious had happened, but we never found out. I'm pretty sure I watched a woman and a donkey fall to their death in the Grand Canyon."
BenfoSherman
Can I Help?
"I was on a trail in MA when two teenagers on motorbikes came gunning through the woods. One hit a bump at speed and went flying one way and his bike went another. He flew right into a tree trunk. He wasn't wearing a helmet. (Neither of them were). I went over to see if I could help. I told him not to move and I'd get someone."
"He told me to go f**k myself and limped over to his bike, got on it and slowly drove off. His friend just looked at me and shrugged and drove off after him. A few days later I saw his friend in a convenience store. I asked him how his friend was and was told that he had died from his injuries."
AoiGyoshi
Clapping
"Hiking a trail in Sedona alone, I heard a strange sound like thunder clapping. I stopped hiking then a boulder the size of 3 basketballs comes bouncing down the mountain about 15 feet in front of me... F**king yikes!"
Huge_Strain_8714
"A large boulder the size of a small boulder."
backtheduckup
Downhill
scared tv land GIF by Teachers on TV Land
Giphy
"Someone casually lobbing grapefruit sized rocks downhill, directly where we'd been a few cutbacks prior. Didn't even think he might kill someone. This was Wisdom Tree in LA, so imagine a very steep traverse."
lurkherder
I knew the wilderness was nothing but a horror movie.
At the Bottom
Look Away Season 3 GIF by Paramount+
Giphy
"Someone’s backpack, jacket, and wallet left on the edge of a two thousand cliff in a popular national park. Rangers found the body at the bottom the following day."
alexd753
Not Pretty
"I was on a Mountain Rescue team for several years. Saw a lot of stuff, but one that stands out is a guy who fell over 2,000 feet off a cliff and onto rocks. Not pretty. Things get remote out in the Ruby Mountains… it’s nuts out there. Took me a few years to realize I still carry some of the emotional weight from SAR. Make sure you get help if you need it!"
uncontroversial_name
Farewell
"I was in the Frank Church wilderness in Idaho doing some biological survey work. We were 30 miles from the nearest trailhead and got an early start to avoid the heat. About a mile into our hike, we hear the bushes stir near the trail. Up pops a man wearing nothing but a loin cloth and nikes carrying a very small bag and a hunting rifle. He says mornin' and takes off sprinting down the trail. Never did see him again, so so many questions."
Illbeyourdodo
Climbing the Stream
"I was on the Matanuska glacier ice climbing, and before we started scaling the wall a tour guide walked up with a group he was showing around. There was a small waterfall, and he filled up his water bottle, explaining how this is the best water in the world, the most pure and blah blah blah."
"Anyways, we climb up like 20 feet, and there in the stream just above the waterfall is the dead and rotting carcass of some kind of bird or mammal, completely gray and directly feeding the waterfall he just filled up his bottle with."
Shoe_mocker
signs of human activity...
sheep bucket GIF by Qvisten Animation
Giphy
"A well-maintained 2-seater outhouse, numerous miles from any path or sign of human activity - just sitting there encircled by tall trees and dense overgrowth. The outhouse evidenced no sign of use or footprints in the area. Yet it was stocked with tp, magazines, freshly painted, and screens on the vents."
Back2Bach
Footprints
"Been hiking for 11 years and haven’t seen anything too crazy, but a couple concerning things have happened. I was hiking a trail that had recently been destroyed by a storm, and it was pretty easy to get lost. Eventually made it to the summit of the mountain, where we would camp for the night. It’s about 6:00pm and we set up our tent sight, and this guy coming from a separate trail passes us."
"He said he was day hiking, but the nearest hut or road was 16 miles away, and it was 6:00pm. He had no flashlight either. We advised that he turned around, as the trail would be nearly impossible at night, but he insisted that he would finish the hike. He didn’t even have a flashlight, so we gave him one of our headlamps. The morning came, and you could see his footprints lead to the destroyed trail, so I guess we didn’t change his mind."
"We went back the way we came, and eventually passed the nearest hut (can’t miss it, the trail only leads to that hut) and asked the workers if they had seen they guy, to which they responded no. No news ever came up of someone dying or going missing that week, so I presume he’s fine, but scary situation nonetheless."
Diabetes-Repair
"Eagle Creek Fire"
"A few years ago my wife and her friends were out east of Portland OR on a really really hot weekend and, on their way to Hood River, decided to stop at a place called punchbowl to cool off. They were going to be fast so they just brought bathing suits and flip flops and were just going to run up the mile +/- trail to jump in, jump out, and keep driving. They had just arrived at Punchbowl and were greeted by a fairly sizable crowd, maybe 75-100 people total spread out."
"They had just gotten out from swimming then they see a little trail of smoke. Within minutes the small trail of smoke is huge and noticeable smell is growing. A few folks get spooked and go to leave to the parking lot only to return panicked shortly after saying a fire wall had blocked the trail."
"They immediately call 911, within a few minutes a helicopter's over them and begins dropping notes on caution tape down to the group saying 'run! large fire spreading fast, head down...' followed very quickly after with 'trail consumed, stay put.' The fire is visible now and rapidly growing."
"A volunteer somehow got herself back there with a map and GPS and mapped out a possible route to escape as long as winds sustained their current models. Ultimately through 36 hours of terror. They hiked 15 miles+ on rugged terrain out barefoot in bathing suits in the middle of what later came known to be the 'Eagle Creek Fire,' that almost torched the whole one side of the Columbia River Valley, escaping with their lives but my wife still suffers some ptsd when she smells campfires."
"She said that for essentially 12-14 hours total of it they had zero idea of where they were going, if there was any remote chance of getting out, or even if they were going the right way following this group. All 75+ people made it out okay. Pretty incredible teamwork."
socibuddha
Water Issues
"I was in the Grand Canyon in 2008 during a huge flash flood that ran through there at the time. We were camping down in the bottom after a couple big days of backpacking around, and in the middle of the night it tore through. The waters went up 60 or 70 feet and everyone was fleeing up the cliff walls for their lives. A couple people were swept over the large falls. We saw bears running down and scrambling up trees before they fell over."
"But the craziest thing I saw was a woman with a baby strapped to her back climbing across one of those river-jumping ropes to get to a boulder on the other side before they got swept away. She was two or three feet over the water shooting down there at crazy speeds carrying massive trees crashing down along the way. We were terrified for them."
nomaddave
Human Waste
"We were about 8-10 miles into the Wind River Range when we decided to camp near a nice lake. We wanted to get off the trail and the lakeshore so we walked up beside the inlet stream. There we found AT LEAST 100 piles of human waste + toilet paper, not buried, and right next to a pretty stream. Disgusting."
Mentalfloss1
Stumbles
"I stumbled upon a meeting of Basque ETA separatists (terrorists?) near San Sebastián, Spain. Guards, guard dogs, the whole bit. It was a fairly terrifying 10 minutes as we played the role of dumb, lost tourists and they figured out what to do with us. Fortunately they escorted us away instead of throwing us off the cliffs into the ocean."
GuacChamp
A Second Mouth
"A few years ago a new hiking buddy climbed up a waterfall, slipped on some pine needles on the top and fell 40 feet down onto rock. I was the first person there, blood pouring out of head, broken spine, shine broke thru the skin. He bit below his mouth and pretty much had a second mouth."
"It took an hour or 2 for medics to get to us and another 2 hours to use ropes to lift him out of the valley to a helicopter. Miraculously, he was out of the hospital after a few months and eventually regained full movement. All medical experts were shocked he made a full recovery. Most traumatic event of my life by far."
wilfinator420
Intertwined
"Me and a friend were hiking in the mountains and heard what sounded like a hose bib running. We were deep in the mountains so there should not be water running. We tracked the sound to a large depression in the side of a hill and looked in and there was a mass of rattlesnakes mating. The mass was HUGE and there had to be at least a hundred of them all intertwined. Apparently that’s how they mate. Massive snake orgies."
mrsmith2929
Back at Dusk
Giphy
"My ex and I went for a little evening hike on the trails by our campground and it felt eerie and kept turning around bc we felt like we were being followed but never saw anything."
"When we got back to the trailhead we got chewed out by the park ranger because they had a lot of mountain lion activity and we weren’t supposed to be out at dusk. That feeling I hope I never feel again."
monsterber
Dead Dog
"I walked past a campsite with a ton of smashed alcohol bottles and trash. Started feeling uncomfortable and walked faster to where the trail looked over a canyon. Smelled something bad and looked down to see, like three feet from me, two bloated dead dog heads sticking out from a rolled up tarp. Immediately turned around and booked it to my car."
"I called the forest service to report it. I think some people got drunk and killed the dogs or maybe it was a dog fighting thing. There may have been more under that tarp but I was freaked out. I think if it was someone’s pets they would have tried to bury them."
abc-z
I am reaffirmed... I'm an indoors person, happily. The end.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
- People Describe The Strangest Thing They've Seen In The Woods ... ›
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- Long Distance Hikers Share Horror Stories From The Trail - George ... ›
- People Describe The Strangest Thing They've Seen In The Woods That They Can't Explain - George Takei ›
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
Giphy
Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
Giphy
See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
Giphy
Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
Giphy
Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
Disney World GIF
Giphy
The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.