A friend and I once hiked a portion of the AT for a week in Vermont. About 4 days in, we had not planned very well and were stuck camping not at a shelter off trail in the random woods.
No big deal, we were prepared for it, just a minor inconvenience. We start up a fire as it's getting dark just for some light.
At what was probably about 8-9pm we were just sitting around the fire talking when we both kinda just stopped talking and looked at eachother. At first I didn't know why, then my friend said "there is something out there" and he's looking over my shoulder. I realized I knew what he said was true, we both sensed it at the same time.
I didn't respond right away, I immediately felt very vulnerable, creeped out, and like I was being watched. We just sat there not talking staring in the direction of it for a few minutes. I don't know how we knew what direction it was in, I don't remember hearing anything at this point, and we could not see far enough into the dark.
Abruptly footsteps started, not coming closer but circling us, just out of the light of the fire. I though to get my headlamp at this point and shown it all around and as I did this the steps stopped. Still couldn't see anything. When I turned the light off it started again right away, so I turned my light right back on and they stopped again.
At this point I was completely on edge, I felt so awake heart pounding, hair raised. I just left the light on in the direction we though it was. After what seemed like forever we heard the footsteps start again, but away from us. We didn't hear anything else that night, neither of us slept.
I don't know what the fuck it was, but the steps were loud and heavy, it did not sound like a four legged animal, but I just don't understand what a person would be doing out in the middle of the woods walking around at that hour. We were well off the trail.
I'll never go that deep into the woods without a gun again.
