Are These Woods Really Haunted?

in #nature7 years ago

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There is a 215-acre park just 7.6 miles south of my home town that I have never visited until yesterday.

It's amazing I have never been to Sockum Ridge County Park, considering I have gone camping everywhere else in this county. I suppose the reason I never went there is because I thought of it only as the local drinking hangout for high school kids, and nothing more. When I was in high school I heard rumors of parties out there, but I didn't go.

I happened to find some stories online of people having supernatural experiences while visiting the park, particularly those who chose to camp overnight. Growing up here I never heard anything about the woods being haunted. But there were several accounts from people who who heard moaning, crying, and disembodied voices throughout the woods. Some claim to have seen a dark figure with glowing red eyes lurking among the gigantic tree trunks. Some accounts described a misty apparition that moved about in the woods, and even glided across the surface of the pond. Some people even claim to get an uneasy feeling of being watched by something malevolent. One account even stated that local law enforcement rarely patrols the park because of terrifying nighttime sightings and strange interference with their vehicle electronics.

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On my visit yesterday, I can't say I felt uneasy or saw anything strange. The limbs on the oak trees do, however, seem to reach out toward the road as if to snare a passerby. But in general, I found it to be a very beautiful, relaxing place. It's a shame I haven't visited until now.

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I hiked down the path to the pond to get some photos. The water was perfectly still. At least two of the stories I read about the park being haunted referred to this as the "dead pond". I'm not certain why it is called dead, but the water did have an unusually dark, murkiness to it, much like coffee. Typically ponds surrounded by woodlands are crystal clear from the natural filtration by tree roots and undergrowth.

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Although I wanted to stay in the park after sunset to see if there is any truth to these claims of hauntings, I knew it was supper time and my wife didn't know where I was, so I decided to head home in my trusty rusty Ford Ranger, my faithful truck that has gotten me everywhere I've wanted to go for 14 years.

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My conclusion is that the park isn't really haunted. I am somewhat of a skeptic when it comes to the supernatural. Some people have a natural fear of the woods and likely allow their imagination to run wild. I only want to go back with my wife and boys and let them experience the seclusion and tranquility of the park. Maybe some day I will go there and camp for the night, too. I will be sure to post about my future visits.

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I'm more scared of bears and wolves than ghosts :P

Im so lucky to live in Ireland where we have nothing that can kill you :-)

Well, apart from the odd human on human killing there is nothing :-)

St Patrick's, whose day is this Sunday :-) was the one who banished all the snakes from Ireland so we have him to thank.
We have no bears or cats to worry about and definitely no poisonous spiders.

The only thing we get here is Rain :-)

Spooky. Yea spend the night alone in a hammock, that'll be spookier. haha It could be haunted, you never know. Maybe some people practice black magic or Wicca there, i saw it on X-files more than once.

Those are really cool shots of the pond, perfect mirror. You should find a steemit photo contest to take part in.

I agree, im sure all the hunted stuff would happen at night :-)

One person said they saw strange things during the daytime.

Yeah, I will likely reuse the photos of the trees reflecting on the water in another post. I don't think I will be sleeping in a hammock. I will sleep in my bus. It is practically a tank. And I will keep a 20 gauge and a 9mm pistol with me.

You have been able to demystify the woods. Just like some dread dark rooms. My little cousin woke up terrified one lowly morning, when asked why she was panting, she said she woke up in the night and saw that a pyjamas hung behind the door looked like a man gazing at her in the dark. Figment of imagination! Nonetheless, i will like to read your experience in the haunted park at night.

I want to take my bus and camp there soon before the heat of summer arrives.

Great find. That is what I have been doing, exploring the local County parks in my area using the "walkwithme" tag by @lyndsaybowes. '' Here is my last one.

https://steemit.com/walkwithme/@manorvillemike/sears-bellows-county-parklands

Well some would find it haunted just being there !

Well you are right !Some people have natural fear as to say !

While I do have to say ,those are some nice images you captured !

You are lucky you have a reliable truck, you don't want to be getting stuck in those haunted forests over night while your wife is expecting you home for supper :-)

I love my truck! It never lets me down. I did have my phone with me, so I would't have been completely screwed if it didn't start, however.

I would love a truck like that, but gas prices are so expensive over there that I would never be able to afford to keep it running.

Those are really died trees

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