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00:00Welcome to another terrifying tale from the depths of the wilderness.
00:03Today I'm bringing you one of the most disturbing camping stories I've ever come across.
00:07If you're fascinated by true crime, survival horror, and the dark side of outdoor adventures,
00:14hit that subscribe button right now and turn on notifications.
00:18Make sure to like this video too if you want more disturbing real life stories delivered straight to your feed.
00:23Now let's dive into this nightmare that unfolded in the remote woods of northern Montana.
00:27In the summer of 2018, four friends, Mark, Jason, Ellie, and Tara decided to embark on a week-long backcountry camping trip in Glacier National Park.
00:38All four were experienced hikers in their late 20s who had been friends since college.
00:42They'd done similar trips before, but nothing quite as remote as where they were heading this time.
00:46They planned to hike deep into the park's wilderness area, well away from the usual tourist spots, and establish campgrounds.
00:53The group had meticulously planned every detail of their trip.
00:55They had topographic maps, enough supplies to last 10 days, though they only planned to be out for seven emergency satellite phones and all the necessary gear.
01:04Mark, who had organized the trip, had even contacted park rangers beforehand to check trail conditions and obtain the necessary permits.
01:12Everything seemed perfectly in order.
01:14On July 15th, they set off from the trailhead after leaving Mark's car in the designated parking area.
01:19According to the trail register they signed, they planned to hike approximately 12 miles on their first day to reach a pristine alpine lake where they would set up their first camp.
01:28The weather was perfect, sunny with temperatures in the mid-70s, and the forecast showed similar conditions for the week ahead.
01:34The first two days of their trip went exactly as planned.
01:38The group hiked through stunning landscapes, took plenty of photos, and even spotted some wildlife from a safe distance.
01:44On the evening of the second day, they made camp near a small stream approximately 20 miles from their starting point, and now officially in the backcountry wilderness area where they would be unlikely to encounter other hikers.
01:55What happened next has been pieced together from various sources, the survivors' testimonies, search-and-rescue reports, forensic evidence, and the disturbing video footage later recovered from Jason's camera.
02:06The trouble began on the third night.
02:08According to Ellie, who later provided a detailed account to investigators, they had just finished dinner and were sitting around the campfire when they heard an unusual sound coming from the dense forest that surrounded their camp.
02:20It wasn't the typical sounds of wildlife they were accustomed to hearing.
02:23This was different.
02:24Ellie described it as a strange, rhythmic tapping, almost like someone was deliberately striking wood against wood.
02:30Initially, they dismissed it as perhaps a woodpecker or some other natural phenomenon.
02:34Mark suggested it might be another group of campers setting up nearby, though they hadn't seen anyone else on the trail for the past two days.
02:42As darkness fell completely, the sound stopped, and they thought nothing more of it.
02:45Around 2 a.m., Tara woke everyone up in a panic.
02:49She claimed she had seen a flashlight beam sweeping through the trees at the edge of their camp.
02:54Jason, who had taken on the role of the group's protector, grabbed his hunting knife and walked the perimeter of the camp, but found nothing unusual.
03:01Mark suggested it might have been the reflection of the moonlight on the stream water, and everyone eventually went back to sleep, though Tara remained uneasy.
03:09The next morning, they made a disturbing discovery.
03:11Someone or something had been through their camp while they slept.
03:15Their food bag, which they had properly hung from a tree branch to keep away from bears, had been cut down.
03:21Oddly, nothing was taken, but the bag had been methodically opened, and the contents had been arranged in a strange, almost ritualistic pattern on the ground.
03:29Additionally, small stacks of rocks had been placed around their tents in what appeared to be some kind of circle.
03:35This development deeply unsettled the group.
03:38They discussed turning back, but they were already three days in, and Mark argued that heading forward to their next planned site would actually be quicker than returning to the trailhead.
03:47They decided to continue, but agreed to take extra precautions.
03:50Jason began recording more footage on his camera, documenting the strange rock formations and the disturbed food supplies, just in case they needed evidence later.
03:59As they hiked that day, all four friends reported an overwhelming sense of being watched.
04:03Ellie later told investigators that she repeatedly saw movement in her peripheral vision, but whenever she turned to look directly, there was nothing there.
04:11The forest seemed unusually quiet, no bird calls, no rustling of small animals in the underbrush.
04:16Just an eerie silence that pressed in on them from all sides.
04:20They reached their next planned campsite around 4 p.m., a small clearing near a cliff edge that offered a stunning view of the valley below.
04:29As they began setting up camp, Jason's camera captured something that none of them noticed at the time, a brief glimpse of what appeared to be a human figure watching them from behind a distant tree.
04:39The figure was mostly obscured, but what was visible seemed oddly proportioned and unnaturally still.
04:44That night, things escalated dramatically.
04:47Around midnight, they were awakened by the sound of someone or something circling their tents.
04:52Heavy footsteps moved slowly around the perimeter of their camp, occasionally stopping as if to listen.
04:57Mark and Jason exited their tent with flashlights and a bear spray, calling out to whoever might be there.
05:01The footsteps immediately retreated into the woods.
05:05Unable to sleep after this incident, the group decided to maintain a watch system, with one person staying awake at all times while the others tried to rest.
05:12During Ellie's watch, between 3 and 4 a.m., she heard what she described as whispering voices coming from just beyond the tree line.
05:21She woke the others, but by then the voices had stopped.
05:24At dawn, they made another chilling discovery.
05:26Their backpacks had been moved from where they'd left them.
05:29Nothing was missing, but each pack had been carefully placed in a straight line pointing toward the forest.
05:33More disturbing were the footprints they found, barefoot human prints, that approached their tents from the forest, circled each tent, and then led back into the trees.
05:44At this point, the group unanimously decided to abandon their trip and return to civilization as quickly as possible.
05:49They hastily packed up their gear and began hiking back toward the trailhead.
05:53According to their original plan, it would take them at least three days to return,
05:56but they hoped to cover more ground by hiking longer hours each day.
06:00The strangest part of this story, and what makes it truly disturbing, is what happened next.
06:05Jason's recovered camera footage shows the group hiking at a brisk pace through dense forest.
06:09They appear tense, but determined.
06:11About four hours into their return journey, the camera suddenly jerks as Jason apparently turns quickly to look behind him.
06:17For a split second, the footage captures what looks like a pale, emaciated human figure ducking behind a tree.
06:23The camera then swings wildly as Jason seems to run forward to catch up with the others.
06:27The next segment of footage shows the group huddled together, speaking in hushed, urgent tones.
06:32They had clearly all seen something that frightened them enough to abandon the trail completely.
06:36Mark can be heard saying they should take a shortcut down a steep ravine that would lead them more directly toward the main park road,
06:42where they might encounter other hikers or park rangers.
06:46This decision would prove fatal for one of them.
06:49The descent down the ravine was treacherous.
06:50Loose rocks and steep terrain made for dangerous hiking conditions, especially with their heavy packs.
06:56About halfway down, Tara lost her footing and slid several feet before managing to grab onto a small tree to stop her fall.
07:01The group decided to rope themselves together for the remainder of the descent.
07:05The camera footage becomes increasingly erratic at this point, with Jason frequently turning to look behind them.
07:10During one of these moments, the camera captures something truly chilling,
07:13what appears to be multiple pale figures moving through the trees above them on the ridge they had just descended from.
07:19The figures move in an unnatural, almost jerky manner, staying just at the edge of visibility.
07:24As night began to fall, the group realized they wouldn't reach the main road before dark.
07:29They found a small clearing and quickly set up a makeshift camp for going tense
07:33and opting instead to sleep close together around a large fire.
07:36The mood was one of palpable fear.
07:39The camera footage shows all four sitting rigidly, staring out into the darkness beyond their fire's light.
07:45Around 1 a.m., according to the camera's time stamp, the whispering voices returned, louder this time and seemingly coming from all directions.
07:53The footage shows the four friends standing back-to-back, flashlights pointed outward.
07:57Lamarck suddenly points and shouts there, what is that?
08:00The camera swings wildly in the direction he's pointing, and for a brief moment,
08:04illuminates what appears to be a human-like figure standing just at the edge of the firelight.
08:08The figure is tall and unnaturally thin with pale, almost translucent skin.
08:13Its limbs seem too long for its body, and its face, what can be seen of it, appears distorted.
08:18What happens next is chaotic.
08:20The footage shows flashes of the friends running, the sounds of their panicked breathing and frantic footsteps filling the audio.
