A young North Carolina woman is in Pisgah National Forest taking photographs for a school project. She soon realizes that she is not alone, even though she observes nothing.
I recently came across the following account:
"Yes, weird things do happen in the Appalachian mountains. They’re old as time itself and people who have lived there will be the first to tell you that it can be otherworldly and sometimes you just have to turn a blind eye for your own sanity or just be like, “Yep, this is just how it is.” I grew up in a small town outside of Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. Lots of waterfalls, great hikes, and beautiful views. It’s an amazing place to be, especially in summer. But what happened to me was in the dead of winter, when I was about 17.
Before I write all this let me preface by saying that at the time, I had just gotten my very first prescription for glasses and was still not used to keeping them on me 24/7. But although my vision was blurry, I know something was there with me the day this happened.
I decided to do my senior project on nature photography. What better place to take some photos than the forest? So I asked my mother if she’d drive me into Pisgah and let me take some pictures as we winded through the woods.
It was winter, so the trees were bare and the sky was grey. It was still a fairly pretty day and I just wanted some pictures of the local flora. So my mom pulls over to let me walk down a trail I had been to hundreds of times. After a short little walk through the woods, you’d end up on the river bank (a great swimming hole in the summer), and the way the bank curved, you could walk along the little stony shore a little ways past the trail. Mind you, I was wearing a bright orange raincoat, so I was INCREDIBLY visible.
So I’m crouching down to take a picture of a cool old railroad spike that had been sticking out of the earth for years and all of a sudden I realize there’s no noise. Like scarily silent, no birds chirping no nature sounds, nothing. It’s like I didn’t even hear the sound of the water flowing. As this is happening, I suddenly realize exactly how visible and vulnerable I am. If you’ve experienced that primal sort of fear you know what I mean. It was like alarm bells went off in my head going, “DANGER! DANGER!” As I’m sitting there with this feeling wash over me I start to hear crunching footsteps.
Again all the trees were bare so there wasn’t any foliage to block any view. I hear these footsteps that sound like 2 feet getting closer and closer to the river from the opposite side of the bank and I’m watching very closely. I couldn’t move. Whatever I saw was all grey, and not a human, but tall and appeared to be on two legs. It was getting closer and closer and right as it was about to reach the river bank I snapped out of my trance and turned and hightailed it. I have never been more scared or run that fast in my life. I booked it back to my mom's car and was obviously out of breath, so she asked me what happened.
After I had explained to her, she looked very worried and said that while I had been down the trail, she got this weird sudden fear that something was wrong, and was about to come to find me when I ran back. We left after that and to this day sometimes we will talk about it but with no real explanation.
I’ve told my boyfriend this story and he insists it could have been a skinwalker. I have no idea what it was and although I wish I had gotten a better look, I’m glad I ran away when I did." T
NOTE: Since this incident occurred in western North Carolina, I truly doubt that it was a skinwalker. Forest spirit? Possibly. Cloaked cryptid? Again, possible. Maybe the presence of a portal? Who knows? The infamous Brown Mountain is located in Pisgah National Forest and is known for unexplained lights, UFO activity, and cryptids. The Cherokee and Catawba Indians fought numerous battles in the area, and there are several legends associated with this native lore. Lon
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Welcome to Phantoms & Monsters 'Personal Reports' - cryptid & unexplained accounts directly from the archives of Phantoms & Monsters. Narrated by Lon Strickler. Join us in the chat, discuss, and ask me questions about the account.
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The witness states that he and a friend were driving near a location where another humanoid was previously reported to us in Waukegan, Illinois. They saw someone walking wearing a yellow raincoat. As they passed, the person looked up. This being's face looked completely deteriorated, nearly melted. They remember seeing red sores and disfiguration...and the eyes were fully white.
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Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' - Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map - Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.
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