People Describe The Scariest Thing They've Ever Witnessed In A National Park
I'm going to be perfectly honest–I'm a city boy. I'm not a huge fan of hiking or camping. I happen to be a huge fan of running water. Have you heard of it? It's great. Highly recommended.
I admit, I do want to go and explore some national parks sometime. They're big, they're beautiful, and the United States is full of amazing swaths of gorgeous, federally protected land.
But going out there would mean dealing with nature and stuff I don't want anything to do with... to say nothing of the potential for creepy things to happen.
People shared their stories after Redditor DamageAcceptable1880 asked the online community,
"What's the scariest or strangest thing you've seen in a National Park or National Forest?"
"Several years later..."
"Once I was driving into Yosemite at 4 a.m., saw something in the road as I came around a corner, and slammed on my brakes. It turned out to be a wolf."
"Several years later, I mentioned this to someone offhand, and they said Yosemite didn't have any wolves. I looked it up, and they have exactly one wolf in the park."
"I realized I nearly plowed through Yosemite's one single wolf. I am very glad I managed not to."
turnpot
Something tells me that if you had done so you would have awakened a centuries old curse or something.
"One time I went up Yosemite..."
"One time I went up Yosemite with my cousin during a light rain and enjoyed the snow with my family. On the way down, on the same road we took up, there was a GIANT boulder in the middle of one of the now-closed lanes."
"It was about 1.5 times the size of the average vehicle. Now that was some scary s**t."
CousinFromCali
Imagine if it had fallen on you!
Or... perhaps not. Let's not imagine that.
"It stayed still..."
"Saw a toad that looked like it weighed 10 pounds. Illogically huge. It stayed still and just looked at me. I just carefully went on my way in silence. Over the night I could hear it off in the distance from my tent."
Dangercakes13
This had to have been a wild Pokemon in the flesh. I am convinced!
"A pair of female cops..."
"A pair of female cops fishing in a pond with a grappling hook on a line trying to drag in an arm that was sticking out of the murk."
idyllicmarsh
Yep, best to just forget what you've seen and keep on moving.
"We haven't been back to that spot."
"My friend and I would go camping pretty often near a pond and a big clearing that pretty much nobody knew about. We had never seen signs of anyone else being there and it's hard to get to. it is on the edge of a national park/forrest in California."
"One morning when we pull the truck up to the area we parked before the hike in we see two mountain lions having sex. That alone was enough for us to just call the trip a loss and turn back but we decided to stick around for a bit to watch the lions.
"They finished up their business pretty quickly and kind of just hung around the area so it was cool to see them. After about 10 minutes they perk up and are on alert. We have the windows up obviously so we can't hear anything."
"They get scared and run off and from the direction they ran away from 3 deer come running htrough with a big ass bear chasing them."
"We havent been back to that spot."
iamacannibal
Aww, so you're saying you didn't want to go camping in an area where several different types of wild creatures could spy on your every move?
"Scariest was a group of tourists..."
"Scariest was a group of tourists (I'm guessing) at the Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic National Park who thought it was a good idea to take pictures posing with huge elk."
"Some people were even making their kids go over and pose with these wild animals. I'm pretty sure it was during the elk mating season too."
"We and other people shouted at them to not get close to the elk but they didn't listen us. Luckily nothing happened."
dustbunnee
There are some people out there who think that when they are on vacation, the world only exists for their entertainment.
"Raccoons."
"Raccoons. They get up to all kinds of shit in the middle of the night. It's not quite so adorable when they're trying to break into your car and steal your bacon."
SirThatsCuba
Raccoons are bad enough in a big city. I definitely wouldn't want to deal with them out in the wild.
"I carefully walked away..."
"I saw a large, deep, rectangular pit in the middle of a national forest. It looked like someone was about to be buried. I carefully walked away as quietly as I could, afraid I'd fall into a different pit with a body in it."
"The mind can play some mean tricks on a person."
DatabaseSolid
This sounds like the beginning of a horror film. And you got out!
"Hiking a narrow trail..."
"Scariest thing? A chipmunk."
"Hiking a narrow trail cut into the side of a ridge in Ventana National Forest California. In the middle of the trail was a mangy chipmunk with only about half its fur still attached running around in circles. No way to get past."
"I threw a rock at it to try and scare it into running off the trail and the bloody thing ran straight at me. Nearly had a heart attack as it ran past and kept going down the trail."
"Area known for rabies and bubonic plague."
temmoku
Even the smallest critter can be a dangerous!
"Riding a bicycle..."
"Yellowstone. Riding a bicycle (fast) down a great curve. Cars are stopped. To look at a grizzly. Damn. Could have hit the cars. Could have hit the bear!"
PebbleBeach1919
So many different ways to get yourself killed, so little time!
So, what's up?
Still feel like hitting up a national park or commiserating with nature?
Rein that in, man. I'm staying indoors.
Have some stories of your own to share? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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The death of a loved one changes everyone in different ways.
For Mikah Meyer, the death of his father proved both tragic and inspirational.
When Mikah was only nineteen, his father passed away. Aside from the trauma of losing his father so young, Mikah was moved by a detail he found particularly heartbreaking.
His father passed away without taking any of the trips on his "bucket list" and seeing that regret changed something in Mikah.
He vowed he wouldn't wait until the end of his life to take the trips he dreamed of taking. It took a few years of savings, but when he was 30, Mikah set out on what would become a record-breaking road trip.
When he first set out, he didn't have much. Mikah traveled in his trusty van, with a map, a camera, some gear and only enough money to do a fraction of the trip.
Oh... and his undeniable swag...
Along the way, though, the trip garnered national attention.
Slowly, Mikah started picking up sponsors, speaking engagements and donations that allowed him to just keep going. Believe it or not, the van only broke down on him once.
National parks within the continental U.S. weren't all he wanted to do, though. In total, Mikah traveled to all fifty states, plus six US territories. The images he shared along the way truly highlight how diverse and beautiful the United States is and Mikah's sense of fun and humor.
His father inspired the trip, so Mikah decided to use his platform to inspire others, particularly members of the LGBT community who might hesitate to travel out of fear or shame.
Mikah shared his adventure, and message, on his Instagram: @mikahmey.
Mikah achieved his goal on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
There were plenty of fun, and wet, moments along the way!
Not just national parks, Mikah hit up places like Baxter State Park in central Maine.
It took him over three years, but Mikah finished his trip off back in his adopted home of Washington DC with a walk up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial.
Waiting for him were members of the media, friends, family, social media followers and Chris Calvert. Chris is one of a small number of people who have been nationally recognized for visiting all of the National Parks.
It took Chris decades to do what Mikah was able to do in just three thanks to the power of social media and marketing.
Though their timelines were very different, both men took similar lessons from the experience.
"The National Archives are the repository for our most important documents. The Smithsonian museums are our repository for our most important things. The National Park Service is the repository for America's most important places. These places define America. It's like the soul of the nation. It is our story, our land, our history. It defines who we are as one people." - Chris Calvert
"I really got to know the American story. More than just natural wonders, the Park Service sites tell our American story." - Mikah Meyer
If you have never visited your local state and national parks, maybe it is time to start a bucket list and hit the road this summer.
Safe travels everyone!
Anti-Poaching Ranger Poses For Hilarious Selfie With Some Of The Coolest Gorillas Around
The Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers of Virunga National Park work everyday to protect the many species of animals that call the park home.
Those species include the Mountain Gorillas who appear in a recent viral selfie with one of the rangers.
Ranger Mathieu Shamavu grabbed the snapshot during his rounds of the park.
In the photo, Shamavu stands in front of two mountain gorillas who are standing tall like humans.
He captioned the image:
"ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE"
The deputy director of Virunga National Park, Innocent Mburanumwe, explained the heart-wrenching story behind the gorillas' behavior in an interview wihlth BBC Newsday's Lawrence Pollard.
"That picture was taken in the enclosure of of the orphanage of those mountain gorillas."
Pollard clarifies:
"So these two gorillas are orphan gorillas that have been looked after by the rangers, am I right?"
Mburanumwe confirmed that they were indeed orphans.
Pollard goes on to ask:
"How closely do the rangers live with the animals?"
"Those Rangers, they live with those gorillas because they have grown up seeing those rangers taking care of them. So they are considering that those rangers are their parents."
The gorillas were orphaned because of poachers.
According to the park's website, a large part of the 600 rangers' jobs is protecting its animals from those poachers. They risk their lives daily to ensure that the poachers don't have easy access to those animals.
Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Facebook users were quick to thank the rangers for the important work they do.
Pernilla Winterskiöld/Facebook
Lynn Ward/Facebook
Caroline Green/Facebook
Niura Elizabeth Schwartz/Facebook
You can make a difference and help the conservation efforts of Virunga National Park by donating at https://virunga.org/donate.
As little as $8 is enough to buy a new pair of boots for one of the rangers working tirelessly to protect the creatures of the park.