I'm posting this pretty much right after getting home from the trail, both because it'll be fresh in my mind and because it's probably going to be better than trying to sleep.
So, as the title says, I went out for a hike at around midnight. First time in a couple of days, just because I've been busy with work and really haven't had anyone to give me a lift. See, most of the places I like to hike are closed down at night. What can I say? They've almost always got nicer trails, and it means I'm pretty much certain to have the trails to myself. Most of the time, the road to the parking lot before the trail is gated, so I can't park my car. Instead, I'll have a friend drop me off, and then pick me back up a couple hours later. Dan's usually pretty good about this, but he's been busy so I haven't really been able to head out for a hike in a few nights, at least not anywhere I'd prefer to go.
Sorry, kinda rambling again. Anyway, I just got home from my first hike in a couple nights. Dan dropped me off at one of my favorite haunts, told me he was going to go loiter at a Waffle House for a while, and left me to my business. He never really comes with when I hike- says the woods creep him out at night. That's honestly fine, I prefer to have the trails to myself. Like I said, that's half the reason I go hiking at night.
Usually, I have the trails all to myself. On occasion, if I'm on one of the longer trails, I might run into a backpacker or two doing a night hike. Sometimes it's a bunch of teenagers who decided to sneak into the woods to get drunk and hang out by a fire. More often than not, though, I'm alone.
Honestly, it's the sounds I enjoy the most. Wolves or Coyotes howling, owls hooting or screeching, and, when all the animals are silent, just the wind blowing through the trees. Sometimes I even hear cougars scream. Dan's always said it creeps him out- it sounds like the background noise to a horror movie, he says- but I've always had a fondness for it.
The noises tonight weren't ones I liked, though. Someone else was on the trail with me, and I think once they figured out someone else was out there, they decided to screw with me. At first it just sounded like conversation off in the distance, at the edge of hearing. It was quiet enough that I couldn't understand what was being said, but I wouldn't really call it a whisper, just indistinct. I followed the sound for a while, trying to see if I could find whoever else was on the trail- I might not want to share the trail with people, but I'd rather not surprise someone accidentally. I think they noticed me after a bit. I had my headlamp on, so I was pretty easy to spot. The talking stopped after a while, and I lost track of the other person (or maybe people). After a bit, though, I heard what sounded like laughter, not on the trail, but off in the woods. This would go on for a minute, then silence. A few minutes later, it'd pick back up again, somewhere else. That's why I'm convinced that whoever it was was screwing with me. Why else would they be going off the trail and snickering in the woods?
Honestly, I almost lost the trail a few times trying to keep track of where the laughter was coming from. I figured, if I found whoever it was, I could ask them to cut the crap, but I never saw them. The whole thing made me uneasy, so I called Dan up a bit earlier than I normally would, and we headed home.
Normally, the hikes help relax me, but tonight I'm just tense. Thanks for that, guy. Hope you had fun creeping around the woods and snickering at me.
Maybe next time will be better.
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