Trail Tales 68

Today’s stories include paranormal protectors, New Jersey karma, close calls, ghost sailors and slip and slides from hell. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers! Listen to Watch Her Cook on Apple and Spotify! Follow us on Instagram For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:Instagram: @nationalparkafterdarkTwitter/X: @npadpodcastTikTok: @nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page! Thank you to the week’s partners! Relief Band: For 20% off your order, head to Reliefband.com and use code NPAD. Redacted: Declassified Mysteries: Follow 'Redacted: Declassified Mysteries' withLuke Lamana on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:28Speaker 01

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• 1:16Danielle LaRock?

  Hello, everyone, and welcome back to National Park After Dark: Trail Tales Edition.

• 1:22Cassandra Yahnian?

  Hello, hello. It's good to be back. I'm excited for today's episode. Thank you all for continuing to write in all the time. If you are interested in being featured on the show, you can go over to our website, npadpodcast.com, write in a submission. It can be anything, hopefully somewhat related to the outdoors or something spooky, but if you think it's interesting and we want to hear about it, you're probably right and you should tell us.

• 1:48Danielle LaRock?

  Okay. Well, on that note, my first story, let me look at my first. My first story does have to do with the outdoors, so.

• 1:56Cassandra Yahnian?

  So does fine.

• 1:58Danielle LaRock?

  Oh, we're at an impasse. I'm gonna go first this week, I guess.

• 2:01Cassandra Yahnian?

  I would love for you to go first. I'm ready.

• 2:03Danielle LaRock?

  Okay.

• 2:03Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, me.

• 2:04Danielle LaRock?

  The title of my first story is "Don't Fuck With Trains." "Hi Danielle and Cassie, I'm a big fan of the podcast but wanted to shout out my girlfriend Maddie and her friends Mariah and Leah, or Maria. Maria? Mariah? And Leah, as they are also obsessed. I also wanted to surprise them with a trail tale of my own. A few years ago, I was returning from a family reunion camping trip and had a long daunting drive ahead of me, essentially across the entire province of British Columbia. A few hours into the drive, it was time for me and my fur baby Toby, a 100-pound rottie lab mix, to take a break and stretch our legs. We were in Kamloops BC and a quick scan of all trails found many nearby hikes.

• 2:47Danielle LaRock?

  I settled on one called Battle Bluff Trail in Loch Du Bois, Loch Du Bois Grasslands Protected Area, which promised great views and appeared to be the perfect length before we had to continue on our way. The hike was relatively simple but was brutally hot with no opportunities for shade. However, once we got to the viewpoint, we were rewarded with a stunning view of Kamloops Lake, 300 meters below us. After a quick break to have a snack, drink some water, and take in the views, it was time to head back. I wasn't stoked to go back the way we came, definitely prefer to do loop hikes, so I made the decision to scramble down to the lake, have a swim, and then walk the shoreline back to the road and to my truck, and that was a big mistake.

• 3:32Danielle LaRock?

  There was no formal trail down to the lake and we ended up sliding down scree slopes right down to the water's edge. I got my boots full of gravel and Toby got many cactus spines stuck in his paws, but we finally made it." Oh, cactus. We, I have whiplash from last episode with the cactus spikes.

• 3:50Cassandra Yahnian?

  I'll never forget that story.

• 3:52Danielle LaRock?

  I removed the cactus from Toby's paws and we both immediately jumped in the lake to swim and cool off. After swimming for a bit, it was time to walk the shoreline back to the truck and continue on our road trip. Rather than walk the shoreline, we decided it was easier to walk along the- Train tracks that paralleled the shore and we were making good progress until suddenly we came to a tunnel. We had three options. One, hike back up to the bluffs and follow the trail. I vetoed this option because I did not want to hike uphill in the blistering sun and subject poor Toby to more cactus spines. Number two, swim around the cliff the tunnel went through. I also vetoed this option as I didn't want to change my clothes again and plus Toby wasn't actually the greatest swimmer. Thank you for thinking of your dog.

• 4:35Danielle LaRock?

  So this left option three, hike through the train tunnel. I stopped and pressed my ear to the track and heard nothing or sensed any vibrations, so I determined we should be good to go. We hadn't heard or seen any trains all day long, so I assumed the railway wasn't that busy. We went slowly through the tunnel as we quickly became enveloped with darkness and couldn't see anything. Feeling my way, we kept progressing and at one point could not see light from either end of the tunnel. Finally, a light did appear, but it appeared behind us. What the hell? If anything, we should be reaching the end of the tunnel and eventually see light in front of us. So what could possibly be this light behind us?

• 5:18Danielle LaRock?

  Oh, fuck. A train. How hadn't we heard it? I instantly bolted, thinking the tunnel must be over soon and called to Toby, encouraging him to follow. Around one bend and the light at the end of the tunnel appeared. We were close. We were gonna make it. The conductor must have seen us at this point and blew his whistle and started applying the brakes. The noise was dreadful and must have been ear splitting for poor Toby, but at least they were slowing down and giving us some more time. I cleared the train tunnel and jumped aside, but where was Toby? I peered back in the tunnel and he was nonchalantly trotting along. Run Toby, run! He must have been so tired from his hike and heat drained because he wasn't running.

• 6:00Danielle LaRock?

  He wasn't going to make it. In that instance, I knew I had to act. I ran back into the tunnel, scooped Toby up and slammed our bodies against the tunnel wall, sandwiching my one hundred pound dog between myself and the wall and hoped there was enough clearance. To not be struck by the train. Seconds later, the first train car whipped by and it was going a bit slower now. Phew, we may make it out of this one alive. But suddenly, I felt a tug. The straps of my backpack got caught on the train and were sucking me in. Thankfully, I was able to quickly remove my backpack with one arm and ditched it. I listened as the wheels of the train rolled over my backpack, destroying it and all the contents inside of it. Just glad that wasn't us.

• 6:45Danielle LaRock?

  It felt like an eternity and my arms were getting weak from simultaneously holding Toby against the wall and covering his ears from the awful sounds. But finally, the train stopped. The train had stopped in the tunnel and we picked our way past the stop train cars to the outside of the tunnel. We emerged in the light and I had never been so grateful to be alive. The moment was short-lived as we started to hear voices yelling and screaming at us and they were pissed. Oh shit, I jumped back in the lake and swam out of sight. I managed to blurt out a "we're okay", but I wasn't about to turn myself in. Instead, we swam back the way we came, around the tunnel, probably the move we should have done in the first place, and emerged back where we had began.

• 7:27Danielle LaRock?

  The train was super long and protruding from the back end of the tunnel and seemed to stretch for miles behind us. At this point, I was hesitant to cross over the train, so we backtracked and walked alongside the stop train for miles before the train ended and we were able to successfully cross. We then had to hike back up the scree and cactus slope anyways to reconnect with the original trail. When we finally made it back to the truck, we were tired and exhausted, but alive. I have since encountered wolves and bears in the bush, but that train encounter was by far the scariest thing I have ever experienced. I have definitely learned my lesson and will never fuck with trains again. That experience also taught me a lot about myself.

• 8:08Danielle LaRock?

  I am quick to act in the face of danger, I don't panic, and will always rush to help others, especially fur babies. Sadly, Toby has since passed away, but his spirit lives on in his baby brother Roy, who also seems to have a nonchalant attitude towards trains. In fact, Roy loves-

• 8:29Danielle LaRock?

  In fact, Roy loves to ride the tourist trolley in our town. I've attached a photo of Roy on said trolley for a cuteness overload factor. Cheers, keep up the great work and always remember to enjoy the view, but watch your back. And oh yeah, don't fuck with trains. Brian.

• 8:46Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, man. That gave me anxiety because as soon as they said that they hopped down and looked back and saw their dog not in a rush at all. I was like, oh, my God, get your dog. But then at the same time, I'm like, don't get, oh, what do you do? Like, my first, I think my first reaction would be obviously to run up and grab your dog. But then when they said they were smushed against the wall, like, did you just die for your dog? Even though they're riding it, I was still like nervous for them.

• 9:17Danielle LaRock?

  I think the scariest part is the backpack, like getting your backpack, because if that train hadn't already began stopping and slowing down, I would have just ripped you off the wall.

• 9:28Cassandra Yahnian?

  Right, yeah. A near death experience. For sure, a near death experience and just shows that you're willing to risk your life for your dog.

• 9:37Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah.

• 9:37Cassandra Yahnian?

  Which I think is beautiful and was really nice. But yeah, I don't think I would. That was brave to go into a tunnel that you couldn't see the other end of. I am, I've said this a lot in the podcast. I'm claustrophobic and I don't like small spaces, but I also don't like spaces where I can't see the end. And I don't know if I could have physically gone into a tunnel that I couldn't see the other side of.

• 10:01Danielle LaRock?

  I feel like I probably would have done it, especially given he was saying that, like, they hadn't heard anything all day. They hadn't seen it active. I probably, I probably would have ran, though. I would have put some hustle in.

• 10:13Cassandra Yahnian?

  It's not even, it's not even the train part. I mean, I mean, that would definitely be in my mind, but I would just look at that tunnel and go, no, I don't know.

• 10:21Danielle LaRock?

  Oh, I can't see, so I'm not doing it.

• 10:22Cassandra Yahnian?

  I can't see. I don't know where the other end is. There, what's in this tunnel? It's pitch black. Now, I would be way more concerned about what was in that tunnel than the train, which obviously was the wrong answer because the train ended up being the problem, but.

• 10:36Danielle LaRock?

  Even with a hundred pound dog with you, like, as backup?

• 10:40Cassandra Yahnian?

  Okay, what is in there?

• 10:41Danielle LaRock?

  I don't know. Dogs make me brave.

• 10:43Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, I guess they, you know, I do feel braver when I'm on the trail when I have dogs with me. But then when I really sit back and think about it, I'm like, what are they really gonna do?

• 10:53Danielle LaRock?

  What's Tucker gonna do?

• 10:54Cassandra Yahnian?

  What's Tucker gonna do? Actually Tucker puts on, I think Tucker would be more likely to do anything than Amber. Cause Tucker, he, when people come to the house that he doesn't know who they are, he puts on a really mean bark that I don't hear in any other circumstance. But Amber, she hears something loud and she hides behind me. So

• 11:14Danielle LaRock?

  She'd roll over and pee.

• 11:15Cassandra Yahnian?

  She'd roll over and pee, yeah, which maybe would help. I'm not sure.

• 11:20Danielle LaRock?

  Somebody would be like, ew, never mind.

• 11:22Cassandra Yahnian?

  Never mind. I'm not doing this anyway. Your dog's disgusting.

• 11:26Danielle LaRock?

  Now I just feel bad.

• 11:34Speaker 04

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• 12:04Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, it's me.

• 12:05Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, I don't know why you're looking at me.

• 12:07Cassandra Yahnian?

  And what else do you have to tell me today? What other stories are we gonna hear? Right, I'm going to help tell them. My story is titled, My Sierra Nevada Mountain Protector. Nevada, Nevada.

• 12:20Danielle LaRock?

  It's Nevada.

• 12:21Cassandra Yahnian?

  Nevada. My Sierra Nevada Mountain Protector.

• 12:25Danielle LaRock?

  Don't make people mad at us, please.

• 12:27Cassandra Yahnian?

  I'm not. It's, I'm truly, as soon as I said it, I was like, that's not the correct way. Hi guys, I'm a newbie to your podcast. I started listening about a year ago and you guys have been so fun to binge while my fiance and I go car camping, hiking and backpacking. It's been amazing to find a podcast that combines my love for the outdoors with the eerie and unexplainable. And now I finally have a place to share my own spooky mountain tales. I'm from Central Valley, California, the part of the state that most people forget exists. No beaches, no palm trees, just endless farmland, cattle and citrus groves stretching out for miles. But what most people don't realize is that just beyond The orchards and heatwaves, some of the most breathtaking mountains in the country rise up like a hidden world.

• 13:12Cassandra Yahnian?

  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were less than an hour from my hometown, and Yosemite was just under three. Growing up, I spent countless weekends and summers exploring these places, from deep glacial valleys to high alpine lakes. The Sierra Nevada Mountains were my backyard, my playground, and the place that has always felt most like home to my soul. My parents were avid backpackers and loved being outside. And my first camping trip happened when I was just two months old. I fully credit my absolute love for the mountains to my dad, who made sure that the wilderness was woven into my life from the very start. Our family has a family cabin built in the early 1900s in part of Sequoia National Park called Mineral King, a secluded valley that can only be reached by a single lane,

• 13:57Cassandra Yahnian?

  barely paved, 600-plus turn road that climbs deep into the mountains. For as long as I can remember, my summers growing up revolved around that cabin. We'd escape the sweltering heat of the valley and spend weeks surrounded by peaks, crisp alpine air, and the constant hum of the river behind our cabin. My days were filled with hikes to the alpine lakes, fishing for trout, swimming in icy snowmelt pools, and playing in the woods. It was a dreamlike childhood, one that shaped me in ways I still don't understand. But there was something else in those mountains, something unseen yet deeply present. And I've had more than one experience that makes me believe Mineral King is not just a place of beauty, but also one of spirits.

• 14:41Cassandra Yahnian?

  So I hope you bear with me while I share a few stories, ones that have stuck with me over the years and still send chills down my spine. My first story takes place when I was seven years old. Before I begin, I just want to preface that I have always been a little witchy. It's something that's followed me into adulthood. Spirits have always made their presence known to me in ways I just sometimes can't explain. It was the late afternoon, and my family had just returned to the cabin after an all-day hike to one of our favorite alpine lakes. We were all exhausted, the kind of exhaustion that settles into your bones after climbing switchbacks in the thin air. My parents Immediately wanted to take a nap before dinner, but I, as young kids do, suddenly had a second wind.

• 15:22Cassandra Yahnian?

  I begged to go outside and play. Fine, but stay in the backyard. Don't go wandering. Of course, what did I do? I don't listen. I started out by playing Bambi in the backyard, running through the trees, pretending I was Bambi, leaping through the woods. But soon, I got curious. I crossed the river behind the cabin and then, without realizing what I was doing, I went up into the woods. I didn't know these woods well yet. I wasn't old enough to recognize landmarks or navigate off trail like I can now as an adult. And suddenly, it hit me. I was lost. Panic rose in my throat and my eyes started to burn. I can vividly remember the gut feeling I had that I had no idea which way the cabin was.

• 16:03Cassandra Yahnian?

  I remember turning in circles, trying to retract my steps, but everything looked the same, just endless trees, rocks, and fading sunlight through the branches. And then, I felt it, the unmistakable sensation of being watched. But it wasn't a bad feeling. I turned around and there she was, a little indigenous girl, about my age, standing silently in the shadows of the trees a couple feet away. She was dressed in simple clothing, her dark hair hanging loosely past her shoulders. She just stood there, watching me. But instead of fear, I felt a strange, overwhelming calm. Without a word, she turned and began walking away. And I knew, I knew, I was supposed to follow her. I trailed behind her and she weaved gracefully through the trees.

• 16:48Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't know how long I followed her, but I slowly started to hear the familiar hum of the river and then it came into view. She stopped at the edge with the back of the cabin just beyond. I blinked and she was gone. If she hadn't appeared, I would have never made it back. I would have wandered deeper, hopelessly lost in the Suieira Nevadas. Who knows if I ever would have been found? And if I was, would I have been alive or dead? Even now, at almost thirty, when I return to Mineral King in the summer, I feel something I don't experience anywhere else. It's not just peace, it's protection. Like something, someone, is watching me. I believe she still is.

• 17:26Cassandra Yahnian?

  King is the only place my parents ever let me hike alone when I was in high school and my early college years. Maybe it's because we've been going there my whole life. Or maybe it's because it's so remote that the usual national park crowds don't make it up there. I've always loved my Mineral King solo hiking days. There's something about being completely alone in the wilderness that just makes me feel more like myself. Just you, the trees, the wind whispering through the pines, and the rhythm of your footsteps as you climb into the mountains. I also loved my solo days because I would be on the devil's lettuce and there's nothing like being high in the mountains. On this particular September day in two thousand and nineteen, I was planning to do an eight mile hike and then explore some off trail areas to collect whatever trinkets the forest decided to leave for me.

• 18:10Cassandra Yahnian?

  The trail was quiet, just the occasional rustling of animals in the underbrush. After about three miles, I noticed a group of men coming down as I was coming up. Not unusual, Mineral King attracts hardcore backpackers and hikers. But still, as a woman alone in the wilderness, you always stay on alert. There were four of them. I felt it immediately that something was off, that the energy was wrong, like a radio playing on a frequency that I wasn't supposed to hear. As I passed them, I made direct eye contact just long enough to assess, do they seem friendly? Do they feel safe? Their expressions were unreadable when most hikers you encounter on the trail are friendly. Two of them gave me the feeling, the one every woman knows. I kept my posture straight, my face unreadable.

• 18:55Cassandra Yahnian?

  I may be less than five feet tall, but I know how to carry myself in ways that say, don't fuck with me. I have years of suppressed feminine rage that is waiting to come out. I hiked past them without breaking a stride, my senses on high alert. After turning a couple bends on the trail and hiking for a little while, while turning around to make sure I wasn't being followed. I began to relax a bit, but that's when I heard a female voice out of nowhere, right behind me, say, hide. I froze. The voice was clear as day, firm but not panicked, just a simple commanding voice. I turned a slow circle, no one was there, just trees and now just silence, which is never a good thing when it goes silent. Then I heard it again. Hide now.

• 19:39Cassandra Yahnian?

  This time it was sharper, urgent. I have always learned to trust my intuition. When I feel energy shifts and just overall signs from the universe. I looked around and luckily, there was a big section of thick thicket down the slope off the trail. I headed down, making sure I didn't make too much of a noticeable disturbance in the earth as I made my way down. I pushed my backpack into the thicket and then myself crouching low. My heart was hammering so hard, I swore the whole forest could hear it. A minute later, I heard voices, men's voices. I pressed myself closer to the ground, barely breathing. Through the gaps and the branches, I saw them coming up the trail.

• 20:18Cassandra Yahnian?

  The same four men I had recently passed. They were walking slowly now, looking, with evil intention. They were ready for something. A cold wave of terror crashed over me, but I forced myself to stay still. I could hear them talking in a hushed tones, but a few statements did reach my ears. Where did she go? There's no way she hiked that fast. Do we keep looking? Then, after a moment of silence, "Let's go. I just wanna get home." They lingered, then slowly they turned and started their hike back down the trail. I waited and waited. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours before the forest finally exhaled and tensions lifting just enough for me to breathe again. And then, just like before, I felt a presence.

• 21:02Cassandra Yahnian?

  Not threatening, not terrifying, just a quiet unseen watcher. I knew it was her, the same girl from the woods when I was seven. A deep sense of calm washed over me, and I knew it was safe to move again. I slowly emerged from my hiding place, dusted off my clothes and took a deep breath of pine-scented air. And then, I kept hiking, because fuck those guys. They weren't going to ruin my day in the mountains. I had a pack of joints that deserved to be smoked with a sick-ass view at an alpine lake. I have no doubt in my mind that my spirit guide, whatever you wanna call her, saved me that day. If I hadn't listened, if I had ignored that voice telling me to hide, I don't think I would be sharing this story with you. The spirit guide has continued to appear

• 21:46Cassandra Yahnian?

  Throughout my life, she has spoken to me in moments of danger, guided me out of bad situation and even showed up in places far from Mineral King, while hiking in Mammoth, Yosemite, and even the desert. But no matter where she appears, I feel her strongest in Mineral King. That place is her home, just as it is mine. And in a few months, I'll be marrying the love of my life at my family's cabin, the place where she found me. I can't help but wonder, will she be there, watching over me once again? So if there's one thing I want people to know, especially the female listeners, it's this. Listen to your intuition, trust your instincts, and sometimes the voices in the woods are the ones trying to save you. Thanks for reading this long-winded story and I hope you enjoyed it.

• 22:31Cassandra Yahnian?

  Always remember, enjoy the view, but watch your back.

• 22:35Danielle LaRock?

  That should be a movie, don't you think?

• 22:37Cassandra Yahnian?

  That story?

• 22:38Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, like just this young girl and growing up with this watcher, this protective spirit, just like moving through life with her. Like, I think that would be so cool.

• 22:48Cassandra Yahnian?

  It's a really interesting story and I feel like there's definitely validity of what you're saying here. I mean, to have multiple experiences of this and then you have this really uneasy feeling of these people that you're with and then suddenly hear a voice clear as day saying hide.

• 23:05Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah.

• 23:05Cassandra Yahnian?

  I mean, that is definitely, there's something, there's something happening there. There's someone looking out for you and that's so scary. I mean, I think that that's my worst fear out in the woods is to encounter something like that, especially as someone who enjoys solo hiking and to have someone, to have that feeling and to have people out there with malicious intent like that. But I loved the end of that story where you said, fuck them. You know, I came out here to have a good day. I had plans and I'm not going to let this weird circumstance of these people who had bad intentions for me ruin that.

• 23:42Danielle LaRock?

  Yep.

• 23:42Cassandra Yahnian?

  And I really liked that sentiment to not be afraid and not let someone else ruin, ruin your plans in your day.

• 23:50Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, I loved it. Had everything, all the workings of a good story. So thank you. Okay, my next one is also kind of in the same vein.

• 23:58Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh no, I'm already scared.

• 24:01Danielle LaRock?

  Why are you scared? You said you loved that story. This one's a little spookier maybe.

• 24:05Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, I mean, I thought that was as spooky as it gets on a trail, so.

• 24:09Danielle LaRock?

  Well, yeah, there were scary elements.

• 24:15Cassandra Yahnian?

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• 24:58Cassandra Yahnian?

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• 25:38Cassandra Yahnian?

  This one is titled, "Ghost Sailor on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore." Hi, guys. I discovered your podcast a couple of weeks ago when I asked on Facebook if anyone had any favorites, as I needed something new to binge. I've listened to you every day since, and other than skipping the animal attack ones, which really aren't my thing, I've kept in line, and I'm on episode 99, "Unfinished Business in Crater Lake." That's fair. Is it fair? Those are my favorite, sir. I mean, they are also some of my favorite, but I can totally understand why. That's okay. I know people skip certain ones. Yeah, everyone has their own. A lot of people skip these. They're like, "I don't want to hear these stories," which is fine, but you're missing out. Yeah, I mean, we're not telling them because you're

• 26:23Danielle LaRock?

  They're not listening.

• 26:25Cassandra Yahnian?

  But these are some of my favorites, but they are missing out.

• 26:28Danielle LaRock?

  I really enjoy the casual chit chat and shit talk between you two. And it's obvious you, and it's obvious you have been friends for a long time and will stay so for a long time to come.

• 26:39Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, thank you.

• 26:40Danielle LaRock?

  I've lived on the Outer Banks of North Carolina my entire life in the area that makes up the majority of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. And while there is a huge amount of history here, like the lost colony and thousands of shipwrecks due to the sandbars, we really don't have that much paranormal stuff that goes on that I know of, other than my trail tale. I'm from a town called Avon, near the middle of Hatteras Island, which was historically named Kinnakeet. And the island is extremely narrow, just three and a half miles at the widest point and just a few hundred feet at the narrowest. So the beach is close no matter where you are. And we, of course, spent a ton of time out there fishing, surfing, or just chilling.

• 27:23Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't know what it is, but I am, I'm hating, I love winter so much and I'm so over it right now. And to hear stories of the beach and surfing right now are just like giving me life. I'm like, okay, that still exists. It's gonna happen again. I'm gonna be warm again one day.

• 27:39Danielle LaRock?

  Well, it's so funny that I'm reading this right now and you just said that because this morning I was out on a walk with Chaska. And I was kind of having, it's, I mean, it's a nice spring day. It's, you know, in the 50s, it's sunny. It's not awful. I know. Sorry. I apologize.

• 27:54Cassandra Yahnian?

  It's 35 here, but I'm glad you're enjoying it.

• 27:57Danielle LaRock?

  You chose to live up there.

• 28:00Danielle LaRock?

  Don't come at me. But, so I was out there and I was just thinking randomly, like, I don't, no one is stopping me from just going to Florida for a weekend and working on the beach. Why am I not doing that?

• 28:13Cassandra Yahnian?

  It's true. No one is stopping you. You could do that. We could do this job from anywhere.

• 28:18Danielle LaRock?

  I know, right? And I'm like, why didn't I, why am I not there right now doing that? And then I thought of you and I'm like, we could just, because anytime we travel, we're doing it for work at this point. Like, we don't, together, I mean.

• 28:29Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah.

• 28:30Danielle LaRock?

  You know, so I'm like, why do, why are we not taking a, a beach office week?

• 28:35Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, as a business expense.

• 28:37Danielle LaRock?

  It, we have to work.

• 28:40Cassandra Yahnian?

  We do have to work. And it's really hard in this cold climate.

• 28:44Danielle LaRock?

  And away from each other. People don't even understand.

• 28:47Cassandra Yahnian?

  It's hard.

• 28:47Danielle LaRock?

  It is hard. We live on our phones because we're always texting or calling each other because we're never together. Imagine the time we would save.

• 28:56Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, we deserve this. It's a

• 28:59Danielle LaRock?

  So it's just a thought.

• 29:00Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah.

• 29:00Danielle LaRock?

  It's just a thought. Okay, back to this.

• 29:03Cassandra Yahnian?

  We'll get back to that off, off.

• 29:05Danielle LaRock?

  Off air.

• 29:06Cassandra Yahnian?

  Video and off air, but you're on to something.

• 29:09Danielle LaRock?

  I'm forty six years old and the late nineties were a peak party time for me before I got into the long term relationship part of my life. Me and my buddy Jason were attached at the hip for most of these years and would spend a lot of time out on the beach north of town where there is an eleven mile stretch of uninhabited park service land. Side note, we have made the top ten best beaches in America list basically every year by a guy named Dr. Beach. Wait, okay, where is this going?

• 29:38Cassandra Yahnian?

  Sounds like a credible resource.

• 29:46Danielle LaRock?

  Oh, my God. Okay, hold on. So according to Dr. Beach, that list includes Florida and Hawaii, etc. So that's saying something. It is saying something.

• 29:56Cassandra Yahnian?

  That is saying something. And North Carolina has beautiful beaches.

• 29:59Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah.

• 30:00Cassandra Yahnian?

  And South Carolina.

• 30:01Danielle LaRock?

  It's like, and I don't know how much more we need to hear today about why we should go there.

• 30:07Cassandra Yahnian?

  If I ever heard a sign in my life, it was

• 30:10Danielle LaRock?

  This is it.

• 30:11Cassandra Yahnian?

  This is it.

• 30:12Danielle LaRock?

  Anyhow, one nice summer evening, Jason and I had met a couple of tourist girls and took them for a beach ride a few miles north of town on the beach for some stargazing and privacy where we got out and made a small bonfire. We sat and socialized for a bit, and then I saw one of the girls peer at something over the fire, looking south on the beach. And when I looked over to see what she was staring at, I saw someone walking up to us. Again, this was about four or five miles north of town with nowhere in the direction this person was walking from to access the beach, other than the ramp we took right outside of town. We were shocked to see anyone at all where we had parked, much less on

• 30:51Danielle LaRock?

  Foot. A few seconds later, the person came into view and it was an old man who looked to be in his late sixties or mid seventies with a long gray beard and some very old, no decals on them or anything, oil skins, which are what sailors used to wear back in the day as rain gear. He was also dripping wet, like he'd just been in a torrential downpour, or of course, walked up out of his longtime watery grave in the sea.

• 31:18Cassandra Yahnian?

  There's always that.

• 31:19Danielle LaRock?

  There's that to consider. He got about twenty-five feet away from us and just stopped and stared at the fire. We kept our cool because there's basically no crime here, but it was very creepy. And then Jason spoke to him, just saying something like, "Hey bud, how's it going?" But got zero response verbally or physically from the man as he just kept staring at the fire. This is when the two girls were starting to get visibly uncomfortable. I spoke to the man casually, trying to see what he was doing so far out of town, but still received nothing. He stood there less than five minutes, but it felt like so much longer due to the weird vibe this guy was giving off. But then, he just slowly turned around and started walking back the way he came.

• 32:01Danielle LaRock?

  But down into the wash, like basically in the ocean, until we lost sight of him entirely due to the glare of the fire. We all looked at each other with our what the fuck faces for a few minutes before anyone spoke. And then we all decided we had seen a ghost of an old sailor or shipwreck victim from long ago, because we didn't pass him on the drive up to this spot and hadn't been there long enough for him to walk the entire way from town. And even if so, he was totally committed all the way down to the period attire and getting himself soaking ass wet while wearing it just before he got to us. I mean, who does that? As I mentioned, there are so many shipwrecks here just off the beach

• 32:42Danielle LaRock?

  that a map showing them is basically an unbroken line of boat names from tip to tip of the seashore. So there is a huge chance he was just that, a random old sailor ghost coming up to have a gaze at our fire before returning to the sea to rest for a few more hundred years. That's my best creepy story that's happened on the actual beach slash national seashore. But I do have a couple more ghost stories from in town. And just across the sound inland, I will send in later as my shoulder is screaming at me to get off this laptop for now. So of course, take care and keep up the great podcast as I have a long way to go to get current and I'm content with that. Yours truly, Scott.

• 33:23Cassandra Yahnian?

  Thanks for adding us that story, Scott. I think that there's a couple of things that could have happened there.

• 33:28Danielle LaRock?

  That is not a ghost?

• 33:30Cassandra Yahnian?

  That is not a ghost. I think, I think that's definitely a reasonable explanation, especially with the history of shipwrecks that they detailed there. But I get a little bit concerned that especially because they said it was someone who is elderly, that it was like someone potentially suffering from dementia and

• 33:49Danielle LaRock?

  In full oil slicks soaking wet?

• 33:52Cassandra Yahnian?

  I guess I forgot about the oil slicks.

• 33:54Danielle LaRock?

  Like, that's the part for me that, like, yes, if you're soaking wet, but you're in normal clothing, that's very explainable. You're right next to the ocean. You could have gotten wet anyhow. Anyway.

• 34:04Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't, it just, the way they, they described it is it felt like a real person standing there, not an apparition. Which makes me think that maybe it could have been a real person. And then when I think of an elderly person, who showed up, I'm just like, was something, did they need help?

• 34:21Danielle LaRock?

  He also did say this, that he felt like they were in their sixties, which I don't think is elderly. But who am I, Scott? I'm trying to defend you. You're a new listener. I'm trying to make you feel welcome.

• 34:34Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't think sixties is elderly either, but I don't know. Just the way that they described it felt like a real person to me, which I don't know where that leads. I mean, if it was, imagine someone was just like, I'm gonna go fuck with these guys. And then they just bring their outfit up and go stand there and don't say a word and then turn around and go back to their friends and they're like, that was brilliant.

• 34:55Danielle LaRock?

  I mean, it would be, it would be a prank that, I mean, it reminds me of. You're not gonna know this, so I hesitate to even say it, but hopefully somebody out there knows. Um, do you remember Dane Cook, the comedian?

• 35:12Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yes, I know who Dane Cook is.

• 35:13Danielle LaRock?

  Yes. Okay. Well, he was talking about at some point how it would be just random things, like random harmless, seemingly harmless pranks that the person having the prank done on, they would remember it forever. And he was talking about somebody just sitting, enjoying an ice cream cone on a park bench, having a lovely time. And imagine if you just walked up to them, slammed the, the ice cream cone into their face and say, you remember me forever and then run away. Like that person is gonna remember that forever.

• 35:51Danielle LaRock?

  So like, it reminds me of that. It's like, it's harmless. Like you're not getting hurt. It just creeped you out. And it was so memorable.

• 35:58Cassandra Yahnian?

  You slammed my face into my ice cream. I wouldn't call that harmless because.

• 36:03Danielle LaRock?

  I mean, you're gonna be fine.

• 36:05Cassandra Yahnian?

  I'll be physically fine, but I'll be emotionally scarred.

• 36:09Danielle LaRock?

  Okay, well, that's the risk we run in this world.

• 36:14Danielle LaRock?

  But anyway, my point is, I can see a world in which this is an actual living person that decided to just do something completely weird to creep out somebody and just do a weird prank on them.

• 36:28Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, I don't know. It's weird. I mean.

• 36:30Danielle LaRock?

  Outlandish to me.

• 36:31Cassandra Yahnian?

  It feels outlandish to me too. And I do think, I mean, I think there's validity to the pirate story. Just the way they described it made it really feel like it was a real person standing there.

• 36:42Danielle LaRock?

  You know what? I'm sick of fighting with you. I'm tired of fighting.

• 36:45Cassandra Yahnian?

  Me?

• 36:45Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, we're in a fight right now because I'm trying so hard to keep this paranormal. And you just won't. Let's move on.

• 36:53Cassandra Yahnian?

  I'm just trying to debunk, just in case.

• 36:57Danielle LaRock?

  Okay, okay.

• 37:04Speaker 05

  I don't know what I'm doing. Need a break. Forget it, I quit. Escape to Pluto TV.

• 37:09Speaker 04

  This is objectively fantastic.

• 37:11Speaker 05

  Relax into the movies and shows you already know and love, all for free. Shwing! Even our news is uplifting.

• 37:17Speaker 06

  You stay classy, San Diego.

• 37:18Speaker 05

  Watch Tommy Boy, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The X-Files, Wayne's World, and so much more. We're not worthy! The best things on TV really are free. You just have to know where to look. Escape to Pluto TV. Stream now, pay never.

• 37:37Cassandra Yahnian?

  My next story is titled, "The Time I Ugly Screamed All the Way Down the Slip and Slide From Hell." Oh no, perfect. Dear Cassian Danielle, AKA my queens, I'm so excited to be writing into y'all and I hope you get a laugh out of this tale. My name is Elena and I am a nurse in Salt Lake City, Utah. I love my job as it surrounds me with people like me, ADHDers with potty mouths who think dinner is a few crackers plus 400mg of caffeine. That is the epitome of girl dinner. And I occasionally get to care for bear attack victims in the surgical unit I work at. This is at the University of Utah, which in conjunction with primary children's

• 38:18Cassandra Yahnian?

  across the street, sort of makes Salt Lake City a hub for some hardcore trauma patients. My city is also situated close to many national parks and tons of camping, hiking, rock climbing spots. It's definitely a vibe for the outdoorsy type.

• 38:33Danielle LaRock?

  Okay, we're just gonna glaze over the...

• 38:35Cassandra Yahnian?

  Just glaze over the bear attacks? Like, how often are you seeing bear attacks?

• 38:42Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah.

• 38:43Cassandra Yahnian?

  I guess you said occasionally.

• 38:45Danielle LaRock?

  Occasionally is still enough, it's still worthy enough to mention.

• 38:49Cassandra Yahnian?

  I'm occasionally bitten by a mosquito.

• 38:51Danielle LaRock?

  Right.

• 38:51Cassandra Yahnian?

  So, what does that mean? I started listening to NPAD in 2023 and became an outsider a few months ago. Y'all have inspired me to chase the adventures I've always wanted to have but was too scared to try. I think there's a lot of people like me where they want a big fun life, but one, don't know where to start, or two, don't know how to pump themselves up and lead... Areas of comfort. I don't really want to have to be my norm anymore, so I chose to make two thousand and twenty-five my year of discomfort and therefore growth. I love that. Having that goal in mind, I said, hell yeah, when my friend Bree, who also loves NPAD, invited me to last minute hike up Donut Falls today. This is big progress for me because all I

• 39:32Cassandra Yahnian?

  really wanted to do was rot on my couch watching Spirit, Stallion of the Samaran. You know that movie, right? The one where the Mustang can't be tamed and for some reason he is yellow and the soundtrack is all Bryan Adams. Yeah, that's one of my comfort movies. It's on Peacock.

• 39:47Danielle LaRock?

  I know it well.

• 39:50Cassandra Yahnian?

  You know, would have also been a good option for your day as well. Anyway, the hike is a very popular one in the area, known for being pretty easy. We brought snow pants and trekking poles, but both forgot crampons. Since it hadn't snowed in a while and others at the trailhead weren't wearing any snow gear, we decided we'd be fine without the crampons. Spoiler alert, we were not. It was only three-ish miles and we didn't have any trouble the whole way up. Besides the few times we had to pause and pull ourselves out of waist-deep snow. Near the end, it gets hella steep. I guess in the summer you are actually climbing up a river, but all the snowfall makes the river disappear and the snow packs and makes a good trail. To see the waterfall, you have to slip down into the hole in the ground, which opens up into a

• 40:32Cassandra Yahnian?

  nice and roomy cave. It is so beautiful and magical in there, as the water is basically falling from a hole at the top of the cave and landing at your feet. You have to go down into the cave if you have the chance. Cassie, you can do it. I believe in you. It's a roomy cave, I swear. I appreciate that very much, so.

• 40:52Danielle LaRock?

  She won't do it, but it's a nice thought.

• 40:54Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't know. I was thinking right before they said that, that this sounds cool if there's a lot of room. And then they said it's roomy.

• 41:00Danielle LaRock?

  You just said at the very beginning of this episode that you don't like things you can't see into. In a cave by definition, is that?

• 41:08Cassandra Yahnian?

  Is that, yeah.

• 41:09Danielle LaRock?

  I don't know. What cave were we in that was, um, was it Crystal Cave?

• 41:13Cassandra Yahnian?

  Jewel Cave?

• 41:14Danielle LaRock?

  Jewel Cave? I don't know, that, that the chambers were quite large.

• 41:18Cassandra Yahnian?

  So many caves.

• 41:19Danielle LaRock?

  I know, I'm losing track.

• 41:23Danielle LaRock?

  But there was one that you did like really pretty good on because the the chambers were so big. I don't know.

• 41:29Cassandra Yahnian?

  I mean, we did one in South Africa. Those had huge chambers and it wasn't a problem. Jewel Cave, we had to walk down these steep stairs where we had to duck and crouch through rock at points, but it was never too bad.

• 41:42Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, I don't know. I still want to bring you to Cave of the Winds in the Springs in Colorado. Oh, oh, yeah. When we go to Colorado this summer. We're actually going twice this year together.

• 41:54Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, yeah.

• 41:54Danielle LaRock?

  Well, it'll be our third. We're actually going to Colorado three times total this year. So, and we have two times left because we were there in January.

• 42:02Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, yeah, because that was in January. Wow.

• 42:04Danielle LaRock?

  Feels like a lifetime ago. I know.

• 42:06Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't listen track.

• 42:07Danielle LaRock?

  All right, hold on. Let me write it down in my notes tab.

• 42:09Cassandra Yahnian?

  We're just planning vacations in the middle of stories today.

• 42:15Danielle LaRock?

  Okay.

• 42:16Cassandra Yahnian?

  Like picking up things from each person. Okay. It's a roomy cave. I may or may not do it. Thank you for the recommendation. After we spent time in the cave, but before we even really started down the hill, I slipped, fell on my ass, and then slid into Bree, knocking her ass down like a bowling pin. After that, I decided that I was going to stay on my booty and inch my way downward for safety. I did the same thing coming down from Angel's Landing years ago, so I thought I was making a good decision. What I didn't account for was I had no traction as I had no crampons. Dumb. So when I started to slide, I quickly realized I could not stop myself. I was exponentially gaining speed as I slid down the trail. And while part of me thought

• 42:59Cassandra Yahnian?

  it was kind of fun, the rational part of me was so scared, knowing that I was out of control and would probably get hurt. The trail was long and a little curvy, and I remember going around a curve to see someone sitting at the bottom of the trail right in my warpath. This is when I started screaming. And it wasn't a demure or a cutesy scream like in the movies. This was guttural, pure terror, and my best attempt at a warning to whoever I was about to squish. I tried to articulate, get out of the way, but it just came out. As

• 43:39Cassandra Yahnian?

  I honestly cannot remember, can't describe what happened next, but I narrowly avoided this person because my body veered off the trail and I landed in a crevice, crevasse? Question mark, probably a crevice.

• 43:52Danielle LaRock?

  We know the difference now. We've learned, we've grown.

• 43:55Cassandra Yahnian?

  From like episode four.

• 43:57Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah.

• 43:58Cassandra Yahnian?

  It was a hole in the snow that was like five feet deep and the river was actually running down at the bottom. I landed hard in the water, shaken and scared, but alive and not in any pain. My Apple Watch started buzzing and when I looked down at it, it said, it looks like you've taken a hard fall and it had a big SOS button.

• 44:18Danielle LaRock?

  Oh, I don't have an Apple Watch, so I don't know these features, but.

• 44:23Cassandra Yahnian?

  And they have a similar one, um, like on your phone. If you get in a car accident, it will say the same thing. It will say, it looks you like you've been in a car accident and it'll say SOS. I didn't know it did it for falls though. I was frantically trying to exit out of the screen when I realized that I just ugly screamed down the trail, then disappeared into a hole in the ground, all in front of a complete stranger and they were probably hella uncomfy. I popped up and climbed out of the hole, then proceeded to try and make small talk like nothing happened. The girl stared at me incredulously, but reciprocated in the small talk and soon we were having a good chat. That's when Bree yelled down, are you alive? And I assured her I was. I had slid slash fallen about thirty feet down the trail and the only evidence that anything happened was my trekking

• 45:08Cassandra Yahnian?

  poles sticking out of the snow. One, ten feet above me, the other much higher, but I was okay. And psyched that I now have a trail tale to share. It was totally nuts and I definitely feel some pain and now that the adrenaline has worn off, but that's what you get when you're a clumsy bitch in nature. Next time I'll be sure to enjoy the view and watch my butt so it doesn't take me on a slip and slide from hell. Elena, Elena, you're hilarious.

• 45:33Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, that's a good one.

• 45:35Cassandra Yahnian?

  I'm glad that you're okay and I would love to know the story from the other girl's perspective.

• 45:44Danielle LaRock?

  Totally.

• 45:44Cassandra Yahnian?

  I was just on a nice little walk. Everything was good.

• 45:49Danielle LaRock?

  Speaking of people experiencing things they'll never forget.

• 45:53Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, right. Like, that girl will remember you for life.

• 45:58Danielle LaRock?

  Yep. You're always a character in somebody else's story. You know what I mean?

• 46:02Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah.

• 46:09Danielle LaRock?

  Okay, my next story is titled, "My Dad Sent Me A Dying Opossum." And this tale is a little bit different because it's mine.

• 46:18Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, I was like, wait a second.

• 46:20Danielle LaRock?

  It's like, that sounds oddly specifically similar to your life.

• 46:26Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, I wrote everyone a trail tale. And I did it because today, if you're listening on release day, April 24th, is my dad's birthday. He would have been turning 65 years old today. And for those of you who don't know, I lost him 16 years ago. And I know I speak a lot about losing Ian. And for the first few years, his death had kind of overshadowed the painful memories of losing my dad. But from time to time, that loss makes an appearance as it did recently. The night we got back from our Antarctica trip, I dreamt of my dad for the first time in years. It wasn't what I would categorize as a visitation dream, but it was very vivid in detail. So much so that I woke up thinking of how strange it was.

• 47:11Danielle LaRock?

  But about how seeing him after so long was a very welcome surprise. Shortly after I woke up, I left home to grab my morning coffee, made it down my front steps before glancing to my left to see an opossum curled up in a tight ball right at my feet. It was breathing, but not moving. I threw a few hellos at it and took a few tentative steps around it before picking up a stick and gently trying to rouse it. I wasn't sure if it was playing possum, and I was a little nervous it would pop up and scare us both. After gently inspecting it with said stick and paying closer attention to its breathing patterns, it was clear to me that this was an animal in distress.

• 47:52Danielle LaRock?

  As a former vet tech, I have seen more animals than I'd care to remember in their last moments. And I know agonal breathing when I see it. I ran to get my kit, you know, the one that I love. To talk about my box with gloves, blankets and supplies for animal emergencies. In hopes that I could get the little guy to the nearby wildlife clinic. I tossed some towels in the dryer to warm them up and gloved up, crouched down and did my best to gently lift it and swaddle it up in the freshly warmed towels. It roused slightly, opening its mouth, extending its legs and scrunching up its little hands. I looked it over for injuries, but I couldn't see anything apparent. No blood, visibly broken bones or wounds, no bruising to indicate internal bleeding. I lifted its lip and my heart dropped.

• 48:37Danielle LaRock?

  Its gums were painfully pale and its eyes were fixed with no blink reflex. I tinted its skin and it stayed rigidly up. Its fur was the only cushion I felt between its bones and my hands. Its breathing got slower, ragged, and within a few seconds, its breathing stopped altogether. Thinking back to what I knew about opossums and the degree to which they can get into their catatonic states, I was a little thrown. Did this animal just die in my arms or was it just very good at playing dead? To be sure, I placed it gently in the box and brought it inside my house. Watched and waited. I eyed it like a hawk for any signs of life.

• 49:18Danielle LaRock?

  Time passed with nothing, so I dug out my stethoscope from work ages of long ago and pressed it to its chest and then to its lungs. Minutes went by with nothing. No heartbeat, no breaths. Its gums had turned from pale to sheet white and its eyes started to glaze. There wasn't a question about it, it was dead. And I immediately burst into tears. Why? Why me? My house is on five acres of land and surrounded by woods. I had been gone for the last seventeen days. And the first morning I'm back, this opossum decides to walk, of all places, to the base of my front steps to die at the exact moment I walked out of my house.

• 50:03Danielle LaRock?

  I looked it over more closely. I held its tiny hand, examined its round, paper-thin ears and saw that it was a she. Looking her over, taking the time to admire up close how wonderfully beautiful these strange little creatures are, it hit me. This was actually, of all things, a sign. As I said, I had dreamt of my dad the night before. And the day before that, I was in Argentina on my way home from our Antarctica trip, when I decided, out of the blue, while sitting at the airport, to scroll back on my own Instagram profile to a post from 2019 to hear my dad's voice. I had recorded a clip of me playing an old cassette tape I had found years after his death, of him saying a few words about me and how much he loved me.

• 50:47Danielle LaRock?

  I felt overwhelmed with sadness, opened up my Notes app and started writing. My flight got called before I could finish, but it began, quote, "I've been posting a lot about the magic of Antarctica. And while it was spectacular, I am here, on the heels of one of the best trips of my life, alone at a coffee shop in Argentina, in tears, listening to my dead dad's words on repeat." On the last night of our trip, a couple of people shared that they began their journey in hardship, personal struggles that do not need to be elaborated on to be understood, and their words struck a chord in me. Social media has a sneaky way of making life look super cool, when in reality, it's super cool and also kinda sucky a lot of the time for a lot of us.

• 51:30Danielle LaRock?

  And traveling to amazing places has a way of bringing out, oh my gods, but also, a lot of what the fucks. I heard my announcement over the speaker, closed the app, and silently said, "I really miss you, Dad. I wish you could see me now." And that was that. So as a recap, in 48 hours, I had randomly thought of my dad, listened to his voice for the first time in years, wrote about him, and dreamt of him. So what does this have to do with an opossum? Well, one of my favorite memories of him had to do with, of all things, a dying opossum. When I was in high school shortly before he passed away, he called me excitedly to tell me he hadn't acquired an opossum. Long story short, it appeared to be a baby and had crawled onto his porch.

• 52:15Danielle LaRock?

  He let it be for a few hours, thinking it would wander off or be scooped back up by its mom, but it didn't leave. He gloved up and moved it off into the nearby woods. The next day, it was back in the same place on his porch, despite being one of dozens in his apartment complex, with a heart for animals that was all the convincing that he needed. He dove into online research about opossum care 101, cleared out his only closet, and made it a temporary home. I have no idea if he planned on taking it to actual help, but within two days, it had died, much to the disappointment of my dad. I remember how sad he was about it, but also the sense of happiness he felt at giving it some love and comfort in its last days.

• 52:58Danielle LaRock?

  This realization slammed into me as I looked down at my own recently dead opossum, and my heart about exploded. I chose a place in the front of my home, underneath my front window, to lay her to rest. I placed a dried yellow rose alongside her and wished her a peaceful journey to what comes next. It may be a stretch. It may not make sense to anybody but me, but in my heart of hearts, I know that this goodbye was also a hello, a way of my dad saying, "I do see you." Just like my dad, I was happy that I was chosen somehow, some way, by it or the universe or whatever, to do what I do best, to provide comfort, warmth, and care to those dealing with death. The end.

• 53:42Cassandra Yahnian?

  I love that. I knew the story of the possum, but I didn't know everything behind it. And I think, I don't think it's a far stretch sign at all. I think it totally coincides.

• 53:53Danielle LaRock?

  It was just too, there were too many coincidences going on that only made sense to me.

• 53:59Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, like you wouldn't put that from an outside perspective. You wouldn't put it together, but when you know all of that combined, it's like, hold on a minute. Yeah, this is, and it's nice that. Your why me, why this, why did I get chosen? Turned into something a lot more beautiful than that and not just a awful moment that you had to experience with a possum on your stairs.

• 54:26Danielle LaRock?

  And it was just funny because I was in such like care mode that in from the moment I saw it, I'm like, what is happening confusion? And then I was like, okay, let's handle this logistically here and logically. What do I need to do? What's actually happening to this animal? And can I help? And I had no other real emotion other than, oh my God, like what in the world? You know?

• 54:50Cassandra Yahnian?

  What's happening?

• 54:51Danielle LaRock?

  I wasn't sad. Like, yeah, it was kind of sad. I'm like, okay, obviously it's not well, but I wasn't having any sorts of other thoughts or emotions really. And then as soon as it died, I was like, you've got to be kidding me.

• 55:07Danielle LaRock?

  What?

• 55:07Cassandra Yahnian?

  Like the last straw.

• 55:12Danielle LaRock?

  I was hanging on by a thread and then it snapped.

• 55:16Danielle LaRock?

  And you know, after a trip, you're tired. There's so much, you're like, what is about to happen?

• 55:23Cassandra Yahnian?

  Like, I just need a break and then especially a trip to that magnitude too, where you're traveling for so long and then to come back.

• 55:32Danielle LaRock?

  So anyway, but had a happy undertone, I guess. So yeah, I just wanted to share, especially because it's my dad's birthday today and just been thinking about him. And I guess thanks for sending me a dying possum.

• 55:47Cassandra Yahnian?

  Like, thanks for the sign. Maybe we could pick some up.

• 55:50Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, let's, let's work on that. Let's.

• 55:52Cassandra Yahnian?

  When I saw it, I recognize it. I see it. I appreciate.

• 55:55Danielle LaRock?

  I'm picking up what you're putting down, but let's maybe think about the language that we're creating here and pivot.

• 56:02Cassandra Yahnian?

  Pivot slightly. I don't need any more dead possums.

• 56:05Danielle LaRock?

  Yes, thank you.

• 56:06Cassandra Yahnian?

  Well, thank you for sharing and for writing that because it was deeply personal, but I think also special. And I know that a lot of people in our listeners relate to your stories very much so, especially when it comes to signs and encourages them to write their own. So. I would not be surprised if we have more people who are inspired to write their science stories from yours.

• 56:29Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah.

• 56:29Cassandra Yahnian?

  Well, my last story before we get on to the bonus stories is titled Karma in the New Jersey Pines. Hey ladies, I was I was recently referred to your podcast after we had meetings with our customer and she said, I'd love it. She was right. Fun fact, your podcast is the first and only one I've ever listened to. I have to say that I'm absolutely in love with hearing these stories as well as the facts and histories you provide with each place. My story doesn't take place in a national park, but in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. A vast wilderness area and a diverse ecosystem covering over one million acres. The pines also offer several different camping areas, which is where our story takes place.

• 57:10Cassandra Yahnian?

  You know, I hear about the Pine Barrens a lot from listeners and it is really making me I New Jersey. Cause I only hear good things.

• 57:19Danielle LaRock?

  You know who anytime I think of Jersey, I think, well, now I think of two people. I think of our friend Danielle. And also as far as like advocating for Jersey, I think of Jess. I don't want to say her last name on here, but she's been on our trip. She's a vet tech.

• 57:33Cassandra Yahnian?

  Oh, yes, yes. I'm like, we know a few Jesses.

• 57:36Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, sorry. I had to be more specific. But she's like, she lives in Jersey and she's just like, Jersey's the best. Like, and she she goes on to talk about like all the different parts of Jersey that are often overlooked. And it kind of gets a bad rep because of the Jersey Shore, but like it's so much more than that. And I'm like, you're making me want to come.

• 57:55Cassandra Yahnian?

  And it's not that far. It's like a five hour drive.

• 57:57Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, we'll consider it.

• 57:59Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yes.

• 57:59Danielle LaRock?

  I gotta go to

• 58:00Cassandra Yahnian?

  Add it to the list.

• 58:00Danielle LaRock?

  The beach first and not the Jersey Shore. Sorry.

• 58:03Cassandra Yahnian?

  We're getting into the, we need a tropical vacation. So we're going to go to the Jersey Shore.

• 58:12Danielle LaRock?

  Two birds, one stone.

• 58:16Cassandra Yahnian?

  I always get a kick out of that meme where it's like, when you went home, uh, what's his name? John Donnie. I forget his name, but he would, he was making out with a girl and holding her hand and dancing with other girls.

• 58:30Danielle LaRock?

  Oh my God, no, Ron.

• 58:31Cassandra Yahnian?

  Ronnie.

• 58:33Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah. I said Donnie, I was.

• 58:36Cassandra Yahnian?

  You said like three other names. It's been so long since I've watched the Jersey Shore, but it has burned a hole in my memory for life. Forever. Yep. Dear Sam, you should know. Yes. The letter, the infamous note. Yes, that's the one I was trying to describe and failed miserably. I also saw another meme that I can describe a little bit better that also made me laugh recently. Okay. That was a picture of the Jersey Shore house. And it said, wow, I know my whole way around this house and I've never even been in it. God's country.

• 59:14Cassandra Yahnian?

  Truly. You met Polly D. So you're the closest that. I did meet Polly D. You probably, you touched him, right? Yeah, yeah, technically, not in a weird way. But I got a photo with him. Right. And I, there's still evidence of that existing, which will not be on social media. I posted it once. Okay, well.

• 59:37Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, it was back in the day when, uh, people, do people still go to clubs like they used to? There is this club called Club Universe in Worcester, and if anyone knows, they know. It's not the most reputable place to have been a part of. Um, and it is shut down now, probably for good reason, but Polly D went there and. It's like a DJ. No, just as an appearance. But isn't he DJ Polly D? He is, but it was like at the height of, it was at the height of Jersey Shore. Or at the beginning, I should say, before he was like crazy famous, but he was pretty famous. And I think he was just there to show face. Maybe he had some other things in Worcester he was doing or Boston or something.

• 1:00:21Cassandra Yahnian?

  As one does in Worcester, there's. He's from Rhode Island, so it wasn't like too far of a stretch. He had some fist bumps to do. Yeah. He had some shots to take. Yeah, as one does. As one does. I don't think club culture is the same, certainly not. I remember going to the Amber Room in Manchester, New Hampshire. I remember the Amber Room, wow. Remember they had, um, I don't want to say it was teen night, but. I thought it was in Nashua. Was it? Yeah, I think the Amber Room was in Nashua. Yeah, they had eighteen plus night. Yeah, which is so, such an awful idea. Yeah, because it's a, a bar.

• 1:00:57Danielle LaRock?

  And it's like, it's 18 plus, so you have these teenage-

• 1:01:01Cassandra Yahnian?

  Like 50 year old men-

• 1:01:02Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah, right.

• 1:01:03Cassandra Yahnian?

  18 year olds.

• 1:01:05Danielle LaRock?

  Oh my god. My mom should have been worried about me during that time.

• 1:01:09Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:09Danielle LaRock?

  Cause it was not good.

• 1:01:11Cassandra Yahnian?

  Bad stuff happened at the Amber Room.

• 1:01:13Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:14Cassandra Yahnian?

  Not for me personally. But-

• 1:01:18Danielle LaRock?

  You've seen some things.

• 1:01:19Cassandra Yahnian?

  I've seen some things that I could have gone my whole life without seeing.

• 1:01:23Danielle LaRock?

  Okay, let's go back to Jer- uh, whatever this is.

• 1:01:25Cassandra Yahnian?

  Sorry, back to Jersey, the lovely state of Jersey.

• 1:01:31Cassandra Yahnian?

  I really do want to see the Pine Barrens. Okay, their story takes place in the Pine Barrens, which is why-

• 1:01:35Danielle LaRock?

  We got it.

• 1:01:36Cassandra Yahnian?

  We went off onto this, um, other-

• 1:01:38Danielle LaRock?

  Just in case anyone needed reminding, we're in Jersey.

• 1:01:42Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yes.

• 1:01:44Cassandra Yahnian?

  My ex and their brother were notorious for pulling serious pranks on each other. And when I say serious, I mean, methodical, well thought out, and sometimes lasting several weeks. They took these escapades to another level. So when we heard that my ex's brother and younger sister were going camping at Wharton State Forest, my ex saw a golden opportunity to enact the ultimate prank and scare the crap out of him during his weekend camping. We told his sister the plan and set off on our trip. We drove out to the campground on Saturday afternoon and set up our own camp on the opposite side of where they were staying. We scoped out their site, ensuring we wouldn't be detected, and planned to throw small pebbles on the metal roof of the bathroom nearby, along with other tricks, like playing a Halloween CD filled with various screams.

• 1:02:29Cassandra Yahnian?

  Looking back now, it was incredibly diabolical, but that's brotherly love, I guess. It was still early in the season, so we were the only campers in the entire park, which at the time, I couldn't believe how lucky that was. By the time night fell, we waited until 11:00 PM to begin our debauchery. It was also a full moon that night, so once our eyes adjusted, we had no problem navigating without headlamps. My ex and I split up, surrounding his brother's campsite from both sides. We started small, breaking twigs, throwing pine cones near the tent, and running through the back of their tent site. Once we knew he was awake, we kicked things into high gear- My ex played the CD through pebbles on the bathroom roof escalated things to the

• 1:03:12Cassandra Yahnian?

  point where his brother turned on the car and hooked up his high powered spotlight. There was even a moment when we heard him say to his sister, fuck this place. At one point in the night, I ran through a patch of woods, pausing to catch my breath. When I heard a loud huff behind me, I turned around to see a buck, a white tailed deer, standing there, probably not too happy that I was in his space. We had agreed to meet back at our campsite no later than 1am. I made my way back to our campsite and I saw it was empty. So I stood there catching my breath, leaning on my truck and saw a large figure running fast through the empty campsites. Then it abruptly halted before stepping into the moonlit road, which was about 20 feet from where I was standing.

• 1:03:56Cassandra Yahnian?

  I stood there for a solid minute, thinking if it was my ex. In fact, I remember laughing and asking, what are you doing? But the figure didn't move. It was under the trees, so I couldn't make out any distinct features, but I thought it looked taller and wider than my ex, who was six foot two. I assumed my depth perception was off due to the darkness. Then I felt a wave of fear when it still didn't respond after I called out again louder, babe, what are you doing? At that moment, I heard a branch break behind me and I see my ex stepping out of the trees. I immediately turned back and the figure was gone. It had disappeared without making a single sound. When I thought about it, I don't remember it making any noise, even when it was running towards me.

• 1:04:40Cassandra Yahnian?

  We camp that night, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. The next day, we got a phone call from his brother saying the pine barrens were haunted. He proceeded to tell us about his terrifying night. We finally confessed that it was us and after he called us assholes, we all laughed and moved on, but I still couldn't shake the image of that figure from my mind. What the heck was it? The Jersey Devil? Bigfoot? An angry ghost? I don't know. What do you guys think? The only thing I do know is that when someone asks me to join in on a prank now, I usually say no. I've had the pleasure of witnessing karma in real time when the hunter became the hunted. Well, that's my little story. Thanks for the read.

• 1:05:23Cassandra Yahnian?

  Even if I don't make it on your show, I just want to say I love what you girls do. Keep speaking up for those quiet places. As always, Enjoy the view, but watch your back. Happy trails. Marissa G.

• 1:05:34Danielle LaRock?

  What do you think? And, okay, also, I'm kind of like eating my words because we were just talking about how weird it would be for someone to commit that hard to a prank in the other story.

• 1:05:46Cassandra Yahnian?

  That's true.

• 1:05:47Danielle LaRock?

  And here we are. Marissa just said, this guy's family used to commit week-long pranks.

• 1:05:54Cassandra Yahnian?

  That is commitment.

• 1:05:56Danielle LaRock?

  So.

• 1:05:56Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah.

• 1:05:57Danielle LaRock?

  Anyway, um.

• 1:05:59Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't know. I think it's definitely weird and it clearly wasn't, it wasn't your ex and it also wasn't like your ex's brother.

• 1:06:09Danielle LaRock?

  But there's other people in the campground, right?

• 1:06:12Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, and I guess if you were like doing a bunch of sketchy shit, maybe they were coming after you. Like instant karma, the hunted became, the hunter became the hunted, you know, I don't know. It is weird. Uh, and sometimes things happen in the woods at night, so.

• 1:06:30Danielle LaRock?

  I don't know.

• 1:06:30Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't know. It could have definitely been a person who was not a person that you knew.

• 1:06:35Danielle LaRock?

  It's just like the fastest person alive, just whipping through.

• 1:06:38Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, or.

• 1:06:39Danielle LaRock?

  It could have been a ghost. I don't think it was.

• 1:06:41Cassandra Yahnian?

  What do you think?

• 1:06:42Danielle LaRock?

  Uh, I don't think it was, from what I know of Bigfoot, which I feel like is more than the average person. I feel like that doesn't give Bigfoot vibes to me.

• 1:06:53Cassandra Yahnian?

  I don't think so either, especially because of how fast and, I don't know, there was just a lot. I feel like the Jersey Devil.

• 1:07:02Danielle LaRock?

  Isn't that hoofed, though?

• 1:07:04Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah, I don't.

• 1:07:05Danielle LaRock?

  And flies?

• 1:07:06Cassandra Yahnian?

  Yeah.

• 1:07:09Danielle LaRock?

  I'm taking this as a sign that we need to do like a Jersey.

• 1:07:12Cassandra Yahnian?

  Devil episode.

• 1:07:14Danielle LaRock?

  You can leave it.

• 1:07:20Cassandra Yahnian?

  It is true.

• 1:07:22Danielle LaRock?

  Great. So everyone look out for that soon.

• 1:07:27Danielle LaRock?

  And we'll, we'll maybe circle back to, once we learn a little bit more about like Jersey lore and like what's going on over there, other than just the Jersey Devil, maybe we can have a more informed opinion.

• 1:07:39Cassandra Yahnian?

  In all seriousness, we get New Jersey as a request for an episode all the time. So we are going to head there someday because we know that there's some hidden gems there and also some spooky lore going on there. So all jokes aside, we are, we are going to head there at some point.

• 1:07:54Danielle LaRock?

  Yeah. And we will talk about the Jersey Shore in it, the show.

• 1:07:58Cassandra Yahnian?

  We will dress like.

• 1:08:00Danielle LaRock?

  We'll talk a lot about Sammy Sweetheart and Ron. Ron, stop.

• 1:08:04Cassandra Yahnian?

  Stop. Cabs here.

• 1:08:06Danielle LaRock?

  Cabs here.

• 1:08:09Danielle LaRock?

  Okay, anyway, that's our cue to leave you here, unless you're an outsider. If you're an outsider, of course, you have two bonus stories coming your way. Mine is titled, What Came First, The Idea Or The Egg?

• 1:08:24Cassandra Yahnian?

  And mine is titled, We Got Haunted In The Most Haunted Pub In New York.

• 1:08:29Danielle LaRock?

  Okay. All right. So thank you, everyone for listening. You know where to submit your things if you have any type of story to share and otherwise have a good week. Enjoy the view.

• 1:08:41Cassandra Yahnian?

  But watch your back.

• 1:08:42Danielle LaRock?

  Bye, everyone.

• 1:08:43Cassandra Yahnian?

  Bye.

• 1:08:45Danielle LaRock?

  Thank you for joining us again this week. If you have a trail tale of your own you'd like to share, you can write to us at [email protected] or visit our website at NPADpodcast.com. Bonus trail tales and content are available to Patreon members and Apple subscribers. Follow the show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X at National Park After Dark. And if you prefer to watch our episodes, you can find us on YouTube at National Park After Dark. And as always, if you enjoy the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

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