Sometimes a hunter will seek a trophy that teases. It will remain elusive, while leaving just
enough clues to entice the hunter to continue the pursuit. I call this ‘chasing ghosts.’ Not because it is a ghost mind you, but
because I might as well be looking for ghosts, as the chess match between the
two of us edges forward to either a checkmate, or a draw.
I have one of those games going on now. A large buck that has kept a regular pattern
has proven to be elusive. I have found
when he hits the stand site, and I have remained determined and patient in the
quest. Even if it means going to the
stand at 3:30am in order to beat him to the area, I do. I sit, and I wait.
Not everything involving the outdoors is hunting or fishing
though. Even when participating in those
two activities, the communion with nature is the real reward. Sometimes I try desperately to involve as
many family members as possible. But
there is just so much room in a stand or boat, so I have to think of
interesting expeditions that can be shared between us all. Last year I convinced my wife that a camping
trip in Pisgah National Forest with the kids and dogs would be fun. Luckily it was.
We also made a trip to the zoo last October. My family, with my mother, met with my
cousins and my aunts and toured the exhibits.
Everyone enjoyed the trip, as well as seeing each other. We reminisced about our trips to the zoo with
my grandparents when we were kids.
When we left though, I had a surprise up my sleeve. It was the weekend before Halloween, and my
family enjoys the paranormal televisions shows.
So I figured I would take a detour and visit a site I have heard about
since my pre-teen years, but was never able to go to.
We headed down a back road out in the middle of
nowhere. In the road we spotted a large
cross painted in white. I knew we were
near. I located a small path and pulled
over to the side of the road. We had
found the Devil’s Tramping Ground. What
we found there made me uncomfortable so we didn’t hang around long. Inside the mythical circle of barren ground
was a small fire. Just outside of it was
what used to be a very nice and expensive tent, ripped to shreds. I never found out what happened; I didn’t
care to.
This year, I decided to knock off another of my bucket list
adventures in North Carolina. We ditched
the kids and my wife and I found a small cabin (REALLY SMALL!) to stay in over
the weekend. The quest: The Brown’s
Mountain Lights.
The legend goes that there was a war between neighboring
Indian tribes many hundreds of years ago.
After the slaughter and bloodshed, the widowed took torches through the
valley near Linville and up the Brown’s Mountain in search of their perished
loved ones.
The United States Geological Society even tried to find
explanations for the lights. The common
belief was they were reflections from a train that would travel nearby. During the survey, a great storm came through
and washed the train tracks out, yet, the lights again appeared.
Other common theories such as swamp gases were also ruled
out, in large part because there is no swamp.
My goal was to just see the lights. How could there be no explanation if they
appear so regularly? So on our second
evening, we drove a long and winding path past Linville Falls and headed to the
Wisemans View. The best time to see the
lights is between September and November according to reports. Talking to locals, they can be seen just
about any time, although shortly after a storm and in the fall they are more
prevalent.
We arrived just before dusk.
There was a slight chill in the air.
Many people had gathered at the view, and we went beyond a fenced area
to sit atop a flat boulder ledge near the main overlook. At first, the people that were near us would
shout and point “there’s one!” I looked
at my wife and thought it may truly be a myth as we didn’t see anything.
Then, I spotted a red light, dancing down the
mountainside. Then another a few hundred
yards away. Then another.
As the night embraced the area, we saw more and more. Many of the lights seemed to flicker in response
to other lights maybe a half of a mile to a mile away. One greenish hued light worked its way up
from the river all the way to the side of the cliff where we were.
A rational man would say the light was from someone
below. Usually I am rational. However, when the light would appear below the
tree canopy below and then float above the trees in other spots, rational is no
longer a state of mind.
Is it ghosts of long ago?
Is it reflections? Is it swamp
gases or somebody down below in the valley trying to get their own closer look
or even fool all the viewers above?
My answer is I just do not know. I intend on pursuing the answer again. The intrigue grips me. But for now, I have my other ghost to chase.
Note: Brown Mountain
Lights can be seen about 4 miles from Linville Falls, NC. The lights have supposedly been seen since
the 1600’s.
The Devils Tramping Ground is located near Bennett, NC. The ground is reported to be sterile of
vegetation and is located about 100 yards from the roadside.
Wow! That's a creepy yet amazing experience. I also heard stories of light orbs flickering in some of the hunting lands in Texas. Very cool!
ReplyDeletepublic land, maps, wildlife