Your Most Frightening Event In The Pine Barrens?

[bobpbx]

I’ve always felt safe in the pines but there was a bizarre and somewhat unsettling encounter involving one of the park police 2 Aprils ago.

I do recall that, maybe 25-30 years ago, Devil or Witch Worship meetings in the woods were a thing. I came upon at least one site where you'd say "well, maybe, but amateurish". Perhaps some 20-something people got the idea in their head to 'let's go out in the pines dressed up with painted faces and scare people'.

 

[manumuskin]

View attachment 25413

View attachment 25414
These are the only two I have.

Is this the bridge over the Mullica down near batsto?!!!

 

[slingblade]

I’ve always felt safe in the pines but there was a bizarre and somewhat unsettling encounter involving one of the park police 2 Aprils ago. Three of us were doing a little backpacking loop out of Batsto. On the 2nd night, we were camping at Lower Forge and were the only ones there. I was in my hammock, testing out my new windsock (which meant an extra zipper and less visibility). We all went to sleep but then I was woken up by voices and the sound of a car running. I could hear my one friend talking and a man responding to her as I was still trying to get my bearings. By the time I found my way out a minute or so later (dang windsock) the vehicle was pulling away and now my other friend was also awake in her tent. We’re like- “Kim what’s going on? Who was that?” She told us she was walking back from the privy to her tent when the park police vehicle came driving up. The officer rolled down his window & asked her if she’d seen anyone hiking through camp. She told him that she hadn’t seen or heard anyone because she had been asleep until just a few minutes prior when she got out to use the bathroom. She said, “why? Is everything alright?” And he responded, “I think so. We had a call come in a little while ago that some people were hiking at night with face paint on” Again, my friend goes, “No…haven’t seen anyone.” Then the officer says- “okay, try to stay safe”, rolls up his window, and pulls away. She tells us and we’re like- okay, yeah…a group of people wearing face paint walking through the woods at night is kinda creepy. The officer provided no helpful follow-up info like how recently the call had come in, if these people were reported to be headed in our direction or not, just goes “TRY to stay safe” and drives away. Needless to say, the 3 of us didn’t fall back asleep quickly after that.

Seen some crazy clown face painters in Philly one night. It was explained to me that they are called Jugalos and are fans/followers of the rap group Insane Clown Posse. Don't know where they all come from or why they do it.

I do know that you can spot fans/followers of Neil Young because they're wearing flannel work shirts and flashing peace signs.

 

[DashRyan]

I was returning from an out and back hike near Cedar creek when I saw a large 10 foot long snake crossing my only path. I had no idea if it was poisonous or not at the time.
It seemed lethargic and injured after watching it for a while so, I took a chance that I would be faster than it could react and jumped over it.
After I made it past, I figured it was time to leave the woods for the day.

 

[Teegate]

Pine snake. They don’t get 10 feet long but some of them can sure make you think they do.

 

[manumuskin]

the record for a pine is slightly over eight ft but the biggest I have ever seen was a couple that measured 6.5 ft and I know of a biologist who claimed he measured one at slightly over seven.

 

[DashRyan]

Pine snake. They don’t get 10 feet long but some of them can sure make you

 

[DashRyan]

This one sure did. It's larger in my memory than real life.

 

[DashRyan]

the record for a pine is slightly over eight ft but the biggest I have ever seen was a couple that measured 6.5 ft and I know of a biologist who claimed he measured one at slightly over seven.

Still, its the largest snake I've seen in the pines.

 

[manumuskin]

Still, its the largest snake I've seen in the pines.

Pines and Black rats compete for the Longest snakes in South Jersey

 

[bobpbx]

Still, its the largest snake I've seen in the pines.

Where is the tail? Something is wrong, even though I zoomed in.

 

[DashRyan]

Where is the tail? Something is wrong, even though I zoomed in.

It had been injured before I crossed it. There were flies all over the tail nub.

 

[Pan]

I camped and hiked and canoed in the remote parts of the Barrens hundreds of times starting in the late 1960s and I've had plenty of scary enough things happen to me in other places, but I can't think of any in the Pine Barrens, except getting a lot of ticks on me, and in the year 2000 when i was back visiting from the west where i now live, having my rented car bog down in the sand in a really remote area where I don't think anyone had been in over a hundred years and i was unable to get out and i had almost nothing with me, just one bottle of Mackeson stout and a big seashell that I had collected on the beach which is what I used to try to dig myself out. (I carry a load of survival gear in my own truck).

I finally had to hike out in the rain the next day, 8 miles, thru a bombing range - "All persons are strictly forbidden entry". I marked the spot where the rented car was on my old Garmin 176 GPS, but then the batteries died.

I marked each turn i made carefully in the sand as best icould so i could find the car again, but it was raining. I finally made it out to the road and I saw a gas station in the distance and I hiked there only to find out that it was out of business. A police officer finally came by and he got a tow truck for me, and the tow truck driver barreled right in through the gate that said bombing area no entry and he blasted down the trail so fast that I lost track of where my carefully marked trails were. I had it the spot marked on the GPS, but like I said the batteries were dead and he had no cigarette lighter plug in his truck for me to plug it in. Meanwhile his truck was getting busted up by the branches and his mirror got broken and I was afraid that any minute he'd say the heck with this, but eventually we did find my car - the GPS battery was coming alive a bit every now and then - and he towed me out of the sand easy as pie and i followed him out. So does that count as being scary?

Once many years ago I hiked way in on trails and I thought I was far away from everybody and I set up my tent, but it turned out That unbeknownst to me I was right next to somebody's back yard, and he came out and saw me. That was more stoopid than scary. Something rather similar to that happened to me also years ago up north in Fahnestok State Park in New York and that one DID turn out scary - but all's well that ends well!

PS I still have saved the exact location where I was bogged down that day in the year 2000.

I"d say the scariest thing to ever happen to me in the barrens would be several encounters with swarms of yellow jackets when I inadvertently disturbed their nests.I'd say I came out the worst in every battle.

A few years ago we were hiking out here in Arizona and we heard a low roaring sort of noise. It was the biggest swarm of bees I had ever seen. Luckily they just kept going on their way because there was no place to hide and I couldn't even run fast because of my injured leg. The scariest part was just the week before I read about a hiker that was killed by bees in the Superstition Mountains a little way north. My worst encounters with insects out here, tho, has been getting bitten by ants.

 

[Pan]

I’ve always felt safe in the pines but there was a bizarre and somewhat unsettling encounter involving one of the park police 2 Aprils ago. Three of us were doing a little backpacking loop out of Batsto. On the 2nd night, we were camping at Lower Forge and were the only ones there. I was in my hammock, testing out my new windsock (which meant an extra zipper and less visibility). We all went to sleep but then I was woken up by voices and the sound of a car running. I could hear my one friend talking and a man responding to her as I was still trying to get my bearings. By the time I found my way out a minute or so later (dang windsock) the vehicle was pulling away and now my other friend was also awake in her tent. We’re like- “Kim what’s going on? Who was that?” She told us she was walking back from the privy to her tent when the park police vehicle came driving up. The officer rolled down his window & asked her if she’d seen anyone hiking through camp. She told him that she hadn’t seen or heard anyone because she had been asleep until just a few minutes prior when she got out to use the bathroom. She said, “why? Is everything alright?” And he responded, “I think so. We had a call come in a little while ago that some people were hiking at night with face paint on” Again, my friend goes, “No…haven’t seen anyone.” Then the officer says- “okay, try to stay safe”, rolls up his window, and pulls away. She tells us and we’re like- okay, yeah…a group of people wearing face paint walking through the woods at night is kinda creepy. The officer provided no helpful follow-up info like how recently the call had come in, if these people were reported to be headed in our direction or not, just goes “TRY to stay safe” and drives away. Needless to say, the 3 of us didn’t fall back asleep quickly after that.

Was that in a public campground? I do not like public campgrounds. Once I was talking to a a canine officer at a rest stop on the way to the Barrens. He told me that someone had just been murdered at a public campground in the Barrens (where is there public campgrounds in the Barrens?). When I worked briefly at the Grand Canyon, 3 ppl were killed the very first weekend i was there. 2 were struck by lightning while riding their bikes on the rim trail. The 3rd was also murdered at the public campground. They also told me about a maniac that was hiding in the bushes along the rim trail and attacking lone women. They informed the tourists about none of this.

I always preferred camping in the wilderness - which is often illegal in places like the Barrens, but I don't make a sound or make a fire and I leave no trace and i never have trouble, but the rare times i stay at a public campground there's almost always trouble, tho not as bad as the ones above.

 

[manumuskin]

Was that in a public campground? I do not like public campgrounds. Once I was talking to a a canine officer at a rest stop on the way to the Barrens. He told me that someone had just been murdered at a public campground in the Barrens (where is there public campgrounds in the Barrens?). When I worked briefly at the Grand Canyon, 3 ppl were killed the very first weekend i was there. 2 were struck by lightning while riding their bikes on the rim trail. The 3rd was also murdered at the public campground. They also told me about a maniac that was hiding in the bushes along the rim trail and attacking lone women. They informed the tourists about none of this.

I always preferred camping in the wilderness - which is often illegal in places like the Barrens, but I don't make a sound or make a fire and I leave no trace and i never have trouble, but the rare times i stay at a public campground there's almost always trouble, tho not as bad as the ones above.

he may have been referring to Wading Pines on the Wading or the one on the east side of the wading off of 679 down near the wading River bridge 542.I forget the name.Looked it up Chips Folly there is also one called Timberline resort across the street from it.

Also I feel for you with the ants.Been tore up by Fire Ants in Florida and Mississippi.Do they have Fire ants in Arizona too?

 

[manumuskin]

Was that in a public campground? I do not like public campgrounds. Once I was talking to a a canine officer at a rest stop on the way to the Barrens. He told me that someone had just been murdered at a public campground in the Barrens (where is there public campgrounds in the Barrens?). When I worked briefly at the Grand Canyon, 3 ppl were killed the very first weekend i was there. 2 were struck by lightning while riding their bikes on the rim trail. The 3rd was also murdered at the public campground. They also told me about a maniac that was hiding in the bushes along the rim trail and attacking lone women. They informed the tourists about none of this.

I always preferred camping in the wilderness - which is often illegal in places like the Barrens, but I don't make a sound or make a fire and I leave no trace and i never have trouble, but the rare times i stay at a public campground there's almost always trouble, tho not as bad as the ones above.

I used to camp a lot the same way. No fire and I had some really nice places to hide my vehicle quite a ways from camp site and I would erase tracks where I would turn off the main drags.If I stayed more then a couple days I"d move the vehicle or sometimes I would get family to drop me off and pick me up at prearranged times and places.No cell phone back then

 

[MuckSavage]

There was a murder at Chips Folly years ago

 

[RJG]

I camped and hiked and canoed in the remote parts of the Barrens hundreds of times starting in the late 1960s and I've had plenty of scary enough things happen to me in other places, but I can't think of any in the Pine Barrens, except getting a lot of ticks on me, and in the year 2000 when i was back visiting from the west where i now live, having my rented car bog down in the sand in a really remote area where I don't think anyone had been in over a hundred years and i was unable to get out and i had almost nothing with me, just one bottle of Mackeson stout and a big seashell that I had collected on the beach which is what I used to try to dig myself out. (I carry a load of survival gear in my own truck).

I finally had to hike out in the rain the next day, 8 miles, thru a bombing range - "All persons are strictly forbidden entry". I marked the spot where the rented car was on my old Garmin 176 GPS, but then the batteries died.

I marked each turn i made carefully in the sand as best icould so i could find the car again, but it was raining. I finally made it out to the road and I saw a gas station in the distance and I hiked there only to find out that it was out of business. A police officer finally came by and he got a tow truck for me, and the tow truck driver barreled right in through the gate that said bombing area no entry and he blasted down the trail so fast that I lost track of where my carefully marked trails were. I had it the spot marked on the GPS, but like I said the batteries were dead and he had no cigarette lighter plug in his truck for me to plug it in. Meanwhile his truck was getting busted up by the branches and his mirror got broken and I was afraid that any minute he'd say the heck with this, but eventually we did find my car - the GPS battery was coming alive a bit every now and then - and he towed me out of the sand easy as pie and i followed him out. So does that count as being scary?

Once many years ago I hiked way in on trails and I thought I was far away from everybody and I set up my tent, but it turned out That unbeknownst to me I was right next to somebody's back yard, and he came out and saw me. That was more stoopid than scary. Something rather similar to that happened to me also years ago up north in Fahnestok State Park in New York and that one DID turn out scary - but all's well that ends well!

PS I still have saved the exact location where I was bogged down that day in the year 2000.



A few years ago we were hiking out here in Arizona and we heard a low roaring sort of noise. It was the biggest swarm of bees I had ever seen. Luckily they just kept going on their way because there was no place to hide and I couldn't even run fast because of my injured leg. The scariest part was just the week before I read about a hiker that was killed by bees in the Superstition Mountains a little way north. My worst encounters with insects out here, tho, has been getting bitten by ants.

I have had to be the bearer of bad news to a few people who got their vehicles stuck in the pines over the years and inform them that their roadside service does not cover a tow if you get stuck off road.

 

[Pan]

he may have been referring to Wading Pines on the Wading or the one on the east side of the wading off of 679 down near the wading River bridge 542.I forget the name.Looked it up Chips Folly there is also one called Timberline resort across the street from it.

Also I feel for you with the ants.Been tore up by Fire Ants in Florida and Mississippi.Do they have Fire ants in Arizona too?

I don't know what kinds of ants they were. I've suffered 4 ant attacks by 3 different kinds of ants. The worst was the two last year both by the same type at the same place.

The first was 18 or so years ago. I was doing trail building on the Arizona Trail when I felt what felt like cactus thorns in my legs. Since there were women around I couldn't pull down my trousers to see until I got to a bit of privacy. When I did, I saw a bunch of giant sized ants with huge pincers hanging on my leg and I brushed them off. That night I got almost unbearable itching on the spot where they bit me.

Then not too long after I crawled under my truck to lube some cables (I was more diligent about such things back then) out in the desert on bare dirt ground. But then I found that my back had been bitten up by very tiny ants this time. Later that evening I got itching that was even more unbearable than the first time. I had recently read about cyclists in Thailand who got such itching from an insect bite and went to the hospital and were immediately cured by an injection, and it itched so badly that I went to the emergency room. After waiting a few hours in agony they finally gave me a tube of the useless anti itching gel they sell over the counter. It's not useless for ordinary itching but it is for such insect bite reactions.

And then, again shortly thereafter, I was bitten by a bee and had a bad reaction to that which i never had before to a bee bite. I was afraid that I had developed a sensitivity to insect bites and the doc gave me a waddyacallit, epipen I think, to carry around, but I never needed it or had any trouble until last year.

Last year some medium sized ants this time - big ones, little ones, then medium sized - bit me - and they seemed to aim right for my injured foot. It immediately became almost unbearably painful and my foot swelled up. Then at night came unbearable itching. Nothing helped it, same as the other time, until I put something on that I bought years ago, little packets of "Cymillium" which luckily hadn't dried up over the years. It was the only thing that worked on the dreadful itching. Unfortunately it's not available anymore. I showed the ingredients to the doc. He said maybe a compounding pharmacy can make it. If anyone is interested I'll tell u what they are. The swelling etc. lasted a couple of days.

Then a month later, like a total idiot, I stopped in the same shady spot and the very same ants bit me again, and again aimed only for my bad foot. This time it hurt even much worse and swelled up even worse than before (I have photos of it). And this time there was no itching just terrible pain. My bad foot is actually chronic nerve pain nerve injury in my leg and foot and one of the ineffective anti-pain drugs for that i've been given for that was a fentanyl patch which I had still saved. That stuff didn't work on my nerve injury but it was a life saver for the horrible new foot pain from the ant bite.

So that's more about my fights with insects than anyone is interested in I'm sure. So far this year - knock on wood head - I've managed to avoid getting attacked . So far.

What are fire ant bites like? Yes, a couple of species of them r in AZ. I guess the "medium sized ants" might have been fire ants, but most of them look red and my assailants were, I believe, black - but then I am color blind and the color red is not as prominent to me as it is to normies. Do fire ants cause terrible pain and itching and swelling?

This is a very dangerous planet. If one thing doesn't get u something else will. Sorry for droning on...

 

[Pan]

There was a murder at Chips Folly years ago

It was years ago when that officer at the rest stop told me that so maybe that was it.