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Comment by Sandra on July 21, 2010 at 7:58am

It's funny, but the times when I've been outdoors and a little uncomfortable - cold, wet, whatever - are the times I remember the most fondly. It isn't necessary to be totally comfortable when you go camping in order to have a memorable time.

Comment by WildernessWillie on July 20, 2010 at 6:09pm

The Summer Storm of Echoing Thunder

The most memorable and oddly most enjoyable camping trip I had was in the summer of 1977 or 1978. It was that long ago I don't remember which year it was. It was one weekend during the summer when Jeff (my best friend) and I had my wife drop us off on the back side of Pikes Peak. We only had one car in those days. It was Friday afternoon and the weather was great. I told my wife to pick us up at 3pm Sunday afternoon. Friday night was your normal average camp in the mountains.
Then Saturday afternoon a thunder storm moved in and it poured. Jeff and I took shelter with our sleeping bags the best we could under some rock outcroppings. It wasn’t much help, and we listened to the thunder echo off the mountain and canyon walls. It was the coolest storm I’ve ever camped in. I have only heard thunder echo once since. About midnight we awoke from our nap and started a fire with what was now soaked firewood. It took awhile, but we finally got the fire going after lots of smoke. We got everything dried out and got something to eat.
My wife picked us up at the prescribed time and place. And to this day that was one of my most memorable and enjoyable camping experiences/trips.

Comment by Sandra on October 5, 2009 at 10:20pm

lol -- great story!!!

Comment by Lon colvin on October 5, 2009 at 3:15pm

Note: Props will definitely add to the effect! Take a ping-pong ball. Cut it in half. Color a small dark pupil on each half. These will be your "eyes". Keep them concealed in a closed hand. When the time is right, pop them on over each eye.


There on that side of the lake (point) is where this story took place. As you all may know, the Interlakes area was a busy place 100 years ago due to the Goldrush. Miners turned this whole region upside down in a quest for GOLD!


Greed can be a dangerous thing, especially where Gold is involved. To find more gold meant faster production, and digging deeper underground. It also meant sacrificing safety, but that was OK ‘cause there were lots of foolish men around looking to make a quick buck.


Well, one day an underground mine collapsed with 16 men still waiting to come up from a full day’s work. Hour after hour went by as they awaited their rescue. The conditions were terrible. It was pitch-black dark, and very hot, dry and dusty down deep in that shaft. The men collected droplets of water that seeped down the tunnel walls in an attempt to satisfy their dying thirst. Days went by and still no rescue. To stave off hunger, they ate rats, mushrooms, and eventually… their dead co-workers.


(Throw a log on the fire for dramatic effect! Poke away at the embers.)


Despite their hopelessness, they scraped away at the rock and debris to try and dig their way out, confident that others would be digging from the surface as part of the rescue attempt. They dug and they dug, day after day, frantically hoping to see daylight from the surface. The days stretched into weeks, and then from there, the few men left alive lost track of time, and started losing their minds (coyote howls or loon laughter for effect).


An eternity later, the survivors finally broke through, and made two very surprising discoveries. One: there was no search party. The mining company had abandoned the mine, and simply walked away. And two… all that time underground had affected their eyes… Their eyeballs were all white, except for an itty bitty black pupil. And they could no longer tolerate sunlight.


Being left for dead was bad enough. Turning into some sort of White-eyed freak was too much. They snapped. In their rage they made a pact to hunt down every man who abandoned them in that old mine. And soon after, mysterious instances of men being killed in the mountains ‘round here started.


The locals at first thought it was a bear or a cougar doing all the killing. The victims were usually found mauled, bloody and torn. But; Closer examination showed the teeth marks on the bodies… were from human teeth!!


(Throw log on the fire!)


One by one, those white-eyed freaks killed off every miner, and any other man they could find in this area. And to this day, you won’t find any mining around these parts. Keep in mind this all happened 100 years ago. You’re probably wondering what happened to those white-eyes?? They should all be gone now due to old age, or at least that’s what they thought… until a few weeks ago. I heard on the radio, they found a hiker mauled on that trail on the backside of the lake. And on that dead man’s neck… human teeth marks!!!


Heed my words, kids: As long as you’re close to the fire, the light will scare ‘em away, but if you need to go into the dark… (pop in the ping-pong ball props)


BEWARE of the WHITE-EYES!!!!

Comment by Sandra on October 3, 2009 at 3:19pm

Anyone have any good spooky campfire stories for Halloween or a link to one?

Comment by Sandra on September 25, 2009 at 1:11pm

Please share your best campfire stories with us here!