Forests are stunning places where people have flocked to for moments of serenity from their chaotic lives.
The looming trees and lush vegetation provide a sense of tranquility and protection.
Yet, something about forests are ominous. What is it about being in the shadows within nature's deafeningly silent domain that is so unsettling?
There are reasons why fairy tales feature malevolent entities like ghosts and witches who reside in the woods.
As much as forest are atmospherically breathtaking, they can also hide something sinister.
Redditor qpwoeiruty00 wanted to explore what people experienced in their explorations in nature by asking:
"[Serious] What is the creepiest thing you found in a forest?"
Unpalatable BBQ
"A dead raven skewered on a stick that was sticking up from the ground like a sign post. It had it's wings spread wide and beak and eyes open."
– jemdamos
Grave Discovery
"Found a tomb stone in the woods when we were kids. The area in front of it where the casket would be was sunken in about 6 inches. Looking around there were other similar sunken in areas but no other tomb stones. It was a woman's name on the tomb stone and she was born in the 1800's and died in 1914."
That Sinking Feeling
"This place we called the 'tar pits.' They were these deep ruts in the ground, maybe 3-4 feet deep, and they were filled with this purple/green muck that acted a lot like quicksand. It sucked whatever stepped in it in. If a small vehicle got stuck in it, it normally took a bulldozer to pull them out, with significant damage to the vehicle in the process. The stuff would rip the bumper right off of a vehicle while being pulled out."
"One summer, we had a brutal drought, and the tar pits dried up. The bottom of the holes was a giant pile of bones. Animals that I figure stepped in it and couldn't get out. A lot were clearly deer, with some squirrels, possums, and some that could've been foxes or dogs."
"I would still love to know what that sh*t was. I haven't been over there in years, I don't know if it's still like that."
Abandoned Jewelry
"A silver women's ring that had 'it's too late' etched into it. I still have it to this day. The weirdest part is that it was laying on its edge...perfectly, when I came across it."
Elements Of A Horror Film
"My mother's story- she had gotten out of the car to stretch during a long drive, and she came upon a clearing maybe five minutes into the woods. On one side of the clearing was a tent with someone moving around inside of it. Inside the clearing was a pile of deer carcasses ( maybe 20 in all) and one dead golden retriever on top. She was so freaked out that she ducked behind a bush-only to find a set of women's lingerie and a pair of high-heeled shoes crammed under the bush. She ran and never looked back."
"I still get the creeps from this story."
– dlhammer
That Time Tanta Kringle Texted During Flight
"A sled caught in a tree branch about 30 ft in the air."
Groomed For Combat
"Caged dogs, used for dog fighting."
"Was both brutal and terrifying. They were vicious, barking their heads off, and ready to rip my throat out, but covered in scars, missing chunks of their body, and without ears (I believe the 'owners' sheared them off to prevent competitor dogs from having something to grab hold of)."
A Waste Of Surprise
"This happened about 15 years ago where my friends and I went walking in the woods in West Michigan during early spring when there weren't any leaves on the trees and the ground was pretty matted down after the winter. We were having fun and taking a long walk when I spotted a small sealed jar so I picked it up and there was something inside. I got excited because it looked really old and it seemed someone either lost it or they wanted someone to find a time capsule or something cool. Anyways, I opened it up and it was poop. That was the highlight of the day."
– Trogglus
The Marinade
"When I was around 12 years old, I was in the woods across from my house with my cousins. There are a few spots with random junk strewn around (country folks love dumping garbage places for free), so we were poking around. We found an old fashioned milk can and tipped it over. A bunch of liquid spilled out - followed by a dead baby pig. We completely freaked out and ran home. Probably should've told our parents..."
Random Man In Bushes
"I had woods behind my house as a kid. I used to go back there by myself all the time and explore. One day when I was 12 or so I stumbled across what looked like a little campsite under dirt and tree outcropping. There were towels, clothes, and some car parts scattered all about. This is fairly odd for a small stretch of woods in a regular neighborhood. I didn't think anything much of it then cause there was plenty of junk like tires back there anyways."
"Two days later, all of the kids in the neighborhood played a nightly game of hide and go seek tag. While my sister was looking for a hiding spot, a random man jumped out from a bush and ran into the woods. My sister ran home to tell our parents that a strange man was hiding around the neighborhood. The cops were coincidentally in the neighborhood at the time investigating car break ins. Turns out the guy my sister came across was stealing car parts and hiding them out in the woods behind my house..."
The Hanging
"One of my friends was amongst those who found a half decomposed hanging in the woods behind my high school in 2000. The school offered the services of a counselor anytime they needed one. What does Sam do? He Starts wearing a sign that says I see dead people. Administration was not happy. But no students complained and humor is a legit coping mechanism. One of many smartass things he pulled."
The Stabbing
"When I was about... I would say 12 a dog of ours went missing, at the time we lived in an area with a pretty big forest behind it. My dad and I decided to search for her about a day after she went missing. We came to a small clearing in the woods, we smelled something horrid and looked around. There we saw her lying down with what looked like a large knife of some sort basically propped up on her stomach. The brief glimpse I got of her still haunts my dreams. This was about 7 years ago."
Head
"A raccoon head. Just the head, pretty fresh. I checked it out pretty carefully and it hadn't been decapitated with a knife or anything, so I figure an owl had sat in a nearby tree picking it apart and just dropped the head. But it was... unsettling."