Hiking can lead to some strange encounters. Photo / iStock
Hiking can lead to some strange encounters. Photo / iStock
Hiking is a chance for humans to have some time to think, breathe fresh air and catch up with Mother Nature.
But taking a stroll in the countryside doesn't always work out that way, as the following horrifying accounts from seasoned walkers show.
Hikers have come together online to share the creepiest encounters they had while out exploring and they include drug farms, decapitated animals and perhaps the strangest... a circle of hundreds of teddy bears.
In the forum on Reddit, users also exchanged numerous tales of near-death experiences with predatory animals, as well as dangerous encounters with criminals.
One of the most regular themes among the accounts was of dead animals in eerie situations, including one story by a user called ZeahRenee, who said: "Once while travelling at night, I found a deer head left sitting upright in the middle of the path.
"Literally a beheaded buck. Still had the eye shine and everything. Creepy as f***."
One hiker came across the head of a decapitated stag, sitting in the middle of a trail. Photo / iStock
Another user called ThisIsAlreadyTake-n said: "Some buddies and I were hiking in Arches National Park and we decided to go off the beaten path for a bit when it started raining [heavily].
"We found an alcove in the small gulch we were hiking and after a few minutes we turned around to find a mountain of bones and animal carcasses behind us.
"We [ran]right out of there, only to find a notice posted at the trail head warning of several mountain lion sightings in the park that day. Thankfully we avoided being eaten alive to hike another day."
But while encounters with dead animals can be a strange moment for any hiker, live ones can sometimes be even more bizarre.
A user called ak-doug revealed they had seen a talking bird on one trip.
He revealed: "[It was] a raven saying "Hello!".
"It would say it once or twice, then stare and followed me for a while. I'm pretty sure someone trained it to do that, and it was waiting for a treat, but d*** that was creepy."
Another user called itsfoine had a memorable walk that must have coincided with mating season, because they couldn't avoid catching animals in the act.
They said: "Hiking the Appalachian Trail, I saw two bears mating, then a few days later, I saw two foxes fornicating.
"Towards the end of my trip, I saw two people making the beast with two backs - I had never seen so much sex in my entire life."
Another user shared their weirdest experience, which centred around a giant teddy bear's picnic.
The user called Flac said: "I was hiking near Kelowna BC walking down a pretty leisure trail.
"A little bit up the trail there was a wide open exposed area about 10m in diameter just surrounded with teddy bears all the way around and no sign explaining why they were there.
"All looking in towards the centre - there was literally hundreds of them."
One style of encounter that is never likely to cause a laugh is a meeting with criminals in the middle of nowhere though.
Hiking is a relaxing chance for humans have some time to catch up with Mother Nature, but the walkers in these stories all headed back to civilisation in a hurry. Photo / iStock
Like when user hyolie came across a cannabis farm in California.
They said: "I went hiking in a national forest in northern Cali and walked right into a pot farm and there was a Mexican guy with a rifle guarding it.
"He didn't speak much English, but told us to leave and kept gesturing for us to go back. Since he kept looking around, I think he wanted us to leave before someone else saw us.
"We walked away and the whole time I was scared we were going to get shot in the back."
Another user called mudsockmtbadded: "While on a remote hike in the Smokies, we encountered two guys smoking meth.
"They proceeded to follow us until we neared the trailhead where more people were present."
Even more creepy was the encounter MollieMilieux's friend had while camping, revealing: "My roommate and his friends were out on a hike when they come across an old, very abandoned looking trailer in the woods.
"My roommate decides to go up and check it out and there's cages inside - big, torture device looking cages, then he hears an engine, and this truck from earlier starts up the drive.
"He and his friends hide of course, then book it out of there and call 911. It turns out later that apparently, someone had actually escaped from this f***** up torture trailer, and the police were actually looking for its whereabouts."
Meanwhile, one male camper experienced a whole new meaning to the word 'wild' when he took a solo camping trip and stumbled across 'an amateur porn shoot by a river'.
