NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Travel

Hikers share their most bizarre wilderness encounters

By Caroline McGUire
Daily Mail·
16 Jun, 2016 10:20 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

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***."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
One hiker came across the head of a decapitated stag, sitting in the middle of a trail. Photo / iStock
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."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

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.

Discover more

Travel

The lie tourists should always tell

16 Jun 04:51 AM
Travel

Woman gives birth on flight

15 Jun 11:34 PM
Travel

Bear opens car door at Yellowstone

16 Jun 04:00 AM

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."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

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
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.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"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'.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Travel

Travel

Why depachikas in Japan are the best place to enjoy the foodie scene

06 Jul 02:00 AM
Travel

How to spend a Dunedin weekend with your university-aged kid 

06 Jul 01:00 AM
Travel

3 Places to craft your very own gin in New Zealand

05 Jul 07:00 PM

One pass, ten snowy adventures

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Travel

Why depachikas in Japan are the best place to enjoy the foodie scene

Why depachikas in Japan are the best place to enjoy the foodie scene

06 Jul 02:00 AM

Skip the fancy restaurants; these halls are the perfect place to dive into Japan’s food.

How to spend a Dunedin weekend with your university-aged kid 

How to spend a Dunedin weekend with your university-aged kid 

06 Jul 01:00 AM
3 Places to craft your very own gin in New Zealand

3 Places to craft your very own gin in New Zealand

05 Jul 07:00 PM
'Covered with bites': Auckland hostel issued cleansing order for bedbugs

'Covered with bites': Auckland hostel issued cleansing order for bedbugs

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Your Fiordland experience, levelled up
sponsored

Your Fiordland experience, levelled up

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP