film still seeking new and old Pine Barrens stories

dskessler

Scout
Nov 14, 2011
35
8
49
Hi. Pines, the film is still going strong. We've been out here shooting and meeting lots of great people but we would still love to hear more stories from the really great people on this forum. Our idea is to shoot a series of people simply telling their Pine Barrens stories, campfire style.

What's the strangest thing that ever happened to you in the Pines? When did you most fear for your life? What was the most startling realization you had while in the woods? Who taught you about the Pines? How have your feelings about the Pines changed over time? How did the Pines change how you see yourself? These are just a few suggestions.

I've created an easy way to submit stories here. I'll be posting all your stories on the film's blog and for the ones we like the most, we will come out and film you telling it.

follow on facebook for a weekly story challenge facebook.com/PineBarrensFilm
 

pineywoman

Explorer
Aug 24, 2012
427
48
Dude I'm sorry to say that not much happens in the pines. It is peaceful, lovely, and refreshing. It brings me back at least twice a week and live at least 45 minutes away, but it's my heaven and piece of paradise. I will treasure it always. Yes, I am being gay.
 
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manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,678
2,593
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Dude I'm sorry to say that not much happens in the pines. It is peaceful, lovely, and refreshing. It brings me back at least twice a week and live at least 45 minutes away, but it's my heaven and piece of paradise. I will treasure it always. Yes, I am being gay.
I would have never taken you for Gay! Do you have high heeled hip waders? I do! Oops that is another story:)
 

pineywoman

Explorer
Aug 24, 2012
427
48
Haha!! I'm totally gay, a nerd. It is what it is. Well, as to the above with the questions about the pines. It seems to be a make out spot and I have witnessed or have been of witness to some almost Piney porn. I guess people take it literally... About pitching the pine.
 

kingofthepines

Explorer
Sep 10, 2003
268
7
the final outpost
I suppose in reference to your first three questions I can offer a happening that occurred way back in time, seems like one of my first memories of the pines and has had me going back from time to time until I recently arrived for the final reward. But that’s another story.
It was Christmas Eve as I recall, unfortunately I don’t remember the year but I do know that most of us were first hearing of somebody named VeeEight Nam on the radio quite a bit. A little later we learned it was Viet Nam. So as memory recalls we were whistling down 539 trying to top 100mph on the straight sections. Windows were down and everyone was enjoying the sound of 6000 rpm echoing of the pines. It must have been the arid air of the barrens that caused everyone to have a cotton mouth. The pilot and copilot up front said we should chew on these little squares of newspaper to get rid of the dry mouth. We did but I don’t recall it doing much good but I do recall that after a short time we sort of didn’t care anymore. Pilot thought he was getting a flat so he pulled off the road onto a little two track to check it out. As it turned out everything was fine, but we couldn’t help notice a very old man with a large bundle of sticks strapped to his back further down the road. He was all bent over from the weight and he turned and gave us a look and then proceeded on. One of the guys began to follow him but he seemed to disappear in the heat waves coming up from the road. Anyway everyone started wandering off and I headed down a deer trail with toot close behind. (she was someones younger sister and my backseat co-rider) No No nothing like that..At least I don’t think..I am sort of fuzzy about that. Wasn’t until years later when she threw me a wink and a nod did I start to seriously consider the possibility. Blew my mind until the day I died.
It only seemed like moments, not hours, that we were stumbling through the short pines. Increasingly tired and thirsty we sat down in a small clearing on a rise and sort of caught our breath. Now here is where the story begins to turn bizarre. I had to have nodded off a bit because I awoke to the sound of sort of yelling somewhere off in the scrub. It was hard to tell from where because the voices seemed to come in waves. Anyway toot was gone and for the first time I was plenty anxious. Up to that point, everything had been happy go lucky but now things started coming in to focus. And I swore I was witness to a small but increasingly larger sort of gang war between the keebler elves and black leprechauns that was taking place at the clearings periphery. And at first unnoticed, our friend with the sticks on his back had returned. Only this time he was much closer than our last encounter and he did not look happy at all. It suddenly seemed that no one was happy that I was in their space. And evidently during my slumber all these green and purple mushrooms seemed to have sprouted all over the clearing. I knew a little bit about mushrooms and what the wrong ones could do but I kept convincing myself that I was ok. I mean I hadn’t eaten any or anything like that. And like in a dream or rather a series of dreams where one dream seems to melt into the next with no similarities, no rhyme or reason I found myself being shot from a cannon by the irate husband of the bearded lady. Go figure. Thrilling and terrifying at the same time, the only thing I recognized as I hurled through time and space was the Bomarc missile site and the Coyle airfield. Weird.
It was getting late on Christmas Eve and I thought to myself that what it must look like to Santa as he pays his visits to the Pineys. Around the same time I could hear the voices again only this time much closer and increased clarity. It was the crew including the toot. They all had that bedhead wild and bewildered look. At first I thought they hadn’t seen me even though I was right in front of them. Then someone from the back said “Hey Mr Leeds is back!” They meant me though I didn’t know why. The smell of salt water was strong now though none could be found and evidence of horses was everywhere. It was twilight now and we all knew we should head back to the car. As we walked down the trail, toot on point and I tail end Charlie, my cohorts seemed to vanish in the haze. And me? Well I am still walking.
This should help.
 

pineywoman

Explorer
Aug 24, 2012
427
48
Think it was the acid at the time.. Hahahaha. I'm surprised in this story he didn't state that the car actually flew at 100 mph. I was waiting for that.
 

Pine Baron

Explorer
Feb 23, 2008
480
25
Sandy Run
The pilot and copilot up front said we should chew on these little squares of newspaper to get rid of the dry mouth. We did but I don’t recall it doing much good...
...but we couldn’t help notice a very old man with a large bundle of sticks strapped to his back further down the road.

I sorta remember similar experiences when I used to "chew on these little squares of newspaper" and listen to Led Zep IV. However... it is an interesting story, nonetheless!

LedZep.jpg

John-
 

pineywoman

Explorer
Aug 24, 2012
427
48
Pine Baron, I just hope it wasn't to the awful..."Stairway to heaven." The most overplayed Led Z. song. I literally want to gouge out my eyeballs whenever I hear it.
 

EffinGenius

New Member
Aug 27, 2012
13
1
Medford Lakes
The only Pine Barrens story I really have is from about 1983 and the summer day camp I worked at (as a CIT) had an overnight trip in the pines. We were dropped off by a bus at the Batona Trail on 532 and we hiked past Apple Pie Hill to the Batona campsite near Carranza where we set up camp and spent the night.

That night, one of the female campers thought she saw her friend through the mist across a small footbridge (which no longer exists there). She walked across and encountered a youngish man with long blonde hair who tried to engage her in conversation and show her some "tricks" with his pocket knife. She screamed and ran away, back to the campsite. From what we surmised, this startled him and he took off in a different direction. All of the campers (about twenty 12-14 year-olds) piled into my 8-person tent with me standing guard outside. The older counselors thought it a good idea to spread out through the area looking for the intruder. The NJSP at the Red Lion Barracks responded when they were called and joined the search, which turned up empty. It was finally determined that it was probably just some local guy who was likely intoxicated and walking through the woods.

I just remember sitting quietly with a few other counselors around a campfire the rest of that night, as the mist floated around and the woods were dead silent.
 

EffinGenius

New Member
Aug 27, 2012
13
1
Medford Lakes
Should also point out that someone at the campfire had a radio and the only song I really remember playing was Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It?" ... kinda random, I know, but it's what I remember.
 

pineywoman

Explorer
Aug 24, 2012
427
48
I was 2 in 1983. Haha. You guys aren't old...just young at heart. However, I think you listening to Tina Turner's song, "What's love got to do with it?" Is kind of creepy. I'd rather prefer, "Private dancer."

I know how those Lenape District kids are...well because I was one of them. You are absolutely right in that they are probably rushing to get a parking spot.

They should train the kids, but I think we were the last class to go through drivers ed training in the district. AND NOW THE PARENTS HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR KIDS TO LEARN HOW to DRIVE.

Guess it isn't working out. Have they thought about lowering the speed limit or speed bumps?
 
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