A hiker who was camping in the area of Rabbit Valley west of Grand Junction and near the Colorado and Utah border recently shared a creepy story about their experience that's sure to raise hairs on the skin of outdoor recreation enthusiasts.
In the post , Redditor u/Slight_Highlight_120 told of a time when they were tent camping in a remote and "desolate" area about 15 to 20 miles from the highway. Only one other camper was in the general vicinity, but they were "pretty far away," thus the situation was setting up to be a peaceful and quiet night of rest.
That all changed, however, when the camper was awakened from their slumber to the noises of odd sounds on their tent – "like someone was dragging their fingers up and down the nylon walking around the tent."
The camper responded as many would, sitting in silence and hoping the situation would end. And in 10 minutes, it did end – the noises stopped, leaving the camper to lay in-wait.
The encounter wasn't over quite yet though, when the camper's tent suddenly collapsed around them. At that point, the camper reports that they pried open the zipper and ran for their truck, grabbing a firearm and locking themselves inside of their truck topper, waiting for the night to end.
Campers who have been in a similar eerie situation before know all-too-well the feeling of trying to 'wait it out,' hoping that suspicious happenings are merely that of a curious animal or some other natural origin.
In this incident, however, that proved not to be the case when the camper emerged from their truck at sunrise.
Walking back to their tent, the camper reports that distinct shoe prints were found in the dirt and snow around their site, circling their tent – a sign that almost certainly pointed to another human being present in the area.
Upon sharing their story, another Redditor, u/hereandlost, chimed in to mention their own creepy encounter that took place in the same area near the Colorado state line.
That camper told the tale of arriving to a dispersed camping area with a small group that included children and noticing an abandoned site with moldy food and no signs of humans nearby.
They left the site to report what they found to local law enforcement via phone and later returned to hunker down for the evening.
Later that night, the camper reports that something sounding like a coyote seemed to be in the area of their campsite. Their group, too, opted to stay in their tents and hope the situation would pass. The next morning, same deal – boot prints and dog prints that weren't theirs all around the area.
Both of these encounters shared on Reddit highlight the importance of being on the lookout for suspicious behavior while in the backcountry. Most people entering public land are likely there for the same reason you are – to enjoy a natural landscape. That being said, while crime is relatively rare in nature, it can occur.
One safety tool that can be important when camping in remote areas can be a GPS-based satelitte emergency communication device that allows for a line of communication to be established in the event that cell phone reception isn't available. While this can be used to report suspicious situations, it can also be used to report any other incident, such as illness or an injury.
Other safety items might include battery-powered motion-sensor lighting, a safety whistle, bear spray, and other personal defense items. And if you're car camping, don't forget – the car alarm button on your keys can be a good way of attracting attention to your area if other people are around and may end up scaring off a suspicious person or overly-interested animal.
Nature tends to be safe, but it's always important to proceed with caution and have a plan in place for when something goes wrong.
How would you have reacted in the situation described by the campers above? Let us know in the comments.
Find the full Reddit thread here .
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