Many times over the years, as I was slogging along the trail out in the desert, I swore I heard footsteps behind me. But when I whirl around, there's no one there. I've heard plenty of other people say they've heard this "Ghost Hiker" too, and it seems like everyone has a theory of what causes it. Is there anyone here who has heard it?
Sometimes. I do my best to ignore this as it might start freaking me out too much. I don't think it is a bad thing. I had a guy ask me if I felt fear or peace was connected to this experience. He believed it was spiritual and not to be afraid as it cannot physically harm you. His views were Native American and made sense to me at the time.
Yeah, I used to think that too. But it happens even in places where there's nothing to create echoes, like out in the open desert.
Hi, interesting topic. I have never been in a dessert, since the next one is several thousand miles away from here. Are you hiking in a sand dessert? Do you feel that the echos you are hearing are coming more from a physical source (grains of sand can make interesting noises) or is it more caused by a mental factor? After walking in the woods for hours I myself can perceive little things I oversee or overhear in my daily live. Regards Gyro
something about being in nature makes it easier for us to be more intune with the natural world around us, as well as what is going on inside of ourselves.
Very true. I've heard this "ghost hiker" enough times that I don't question it anymore. It just makes me wonder what could be causing it. I've heard lots of theories over the years, but none of them can really explain it. Oh well. I guess some things just can't be explained.
Yeah, that's excatctly what I experience quit often when I'm hiking. I can get real scared of it, but when I calm down and I hear it again I ignore it. Mostly I get used to it after a while. Who knows what it is... I try not to think about it anymore. That story of the Big Grey Man frightens me a bit too. Not in the least because I'm going in the mountains this weekend. A trip on my own through the roughest part of the Wicklow mountains (in case somebody wants to know where I go). If I see a big thing, I'll tell you all later
I have had this happen to me many times over the years and it is actually a very real thing you are sensing, since whether it be a desert or deep woods, there are things out there not to be explained or understood by "modern science" and so called advanced society. It is important to note that these happenings say something about your innate sensitivities and places you with a very small minority of people who actually believe there is more to this world than meets the eyes. I'm not certain about it being a "ghost hiker" per se, since I used to hear all sorts of these types of spook stories in the boy scouts, but if you check out the writings of Carlos Castaneda it might give you a different perspective. I would humbly suggest you continue hiking, regardless, keeping an open mind and you may be surprised as to the results.
Yeah, there are lots of things that aren't explained by science. Maybe they'll never be explained. That doesn't mean they have some kind of supernatural origin, however. When I used the term "ghost hiker", I meant it in an offhand way. I don't really believe in ghosts. I still hear it, by the way. Earlier today, in fact, I was out on a trail by myself and heard it. I'm so used to it by now that it doesn't bother me. When I spun around to look, nothing was there, as usual. I don't have an explanation for it, but I know I'm not the only one who hears it, by any means. Whatever it is, it's fairly common and it's pervasive.
I don't think that I've heard footsteps when hiking. I like to hang out and just soak up the peace and quiet in Indian ruins and cliff dwellings and swear that I've heard the slap of sandals on the rock trails. Also, when the wind is blowing it seems like you can hear voices at times.
In the silence of the desert, audo misperceptions are the norm. I generally experience this phenomenon when I'm alone in the desert. I have a hypothesis: I spent the entire winter with my dog camping out in the Mojave and Colorado deserts, and I noticed that I only heard the "steps" when the dog was several hundred feet away from me. This leads me to suspect that those "steps" may actually be vibrations in my bones from the act of walking, something never noticed without extreme silence. (Ever walk down a lonely street and think you were being followed?) Such vibration would pass through my bones much slower than the speed of sound in air, hence the delay between my steps and the "ghost steps". One thing that tends to back this up is that the "steps" are never in advance of mine-- they are always "following". Also, I should add that I've hiked in those two particular deserts hundres of times, pretty much always noticing the sound, but this year I was walking on a broken leg and the noise was louder and sharper than ever.
Yeah, same here, although I've heard it in the forest too. Interesting theory. But why wouldn't you hear it all the time? I've wondered if it might be related to some bodily function, too ... some kind of stomach rumbling or something.
"Interesting theory. But why wouldn't you hear it all the time? I've wondered if it might be related to some bodily function, too ... some kind of stomach rumbling or something." It's generally lost in the background of white noise. The same way you can hear your heart beat, but generaly don't.
