>Forest in the morningBlissful >Forest in the afternoonCool and safe refuge>Forest at sunsetEtherial and calming>Forest in the black of nightAbsolute terror and fear How do I overcome this? Exposure therapy? I was so tired by the second night of my hike it didn't matter as much but every little sound freaks me the fuck out. I'm a 28 year old 200 pound man, why does it scare me?
I lost all forest tranquility since I met a bear not one mile from my house. It's ruined for me. The terrain is very thick with short visibility and you can run into them willy-nilly. I have to bang shit all the time just passing through. Ruined.
fear is good. it keeps you alive.
>>2839476To at least solve the sleep problem try a white noise app or something or camp next to a rushing creek
>>2839476theres nothing to be afraid of in darkness (besides the mountain lion thats been stalking you for 2 miles straight)
>>2839476it scares every 200 pound 28 year old man that has ever existedyou can learn to cope with it and work under it's pressure but the fear of dark is primal because we were not designed for it, even in the modern era most people are at their most vulnerable in the dark. I guess you can invest in $12,000 of night vision combat shit technically (if you are american) but not every person alive is gonna be ready able or willing to drop money like that just to feel better at night innawoodssee >>2839481
>>2839476Don't be alone. Having other people around, even if they're sleeping, makes the woods a lot less terrifying at night. Human beings were not meant to be alone in the wilderness. We are a social species that, at our most primitive level, lived in close-knit groups. The more able-bodied men you have with you, the less you have to fear. Very few predators can take on a group of humans, most won't even try. Especially a group of humans around a big bright fire.
>>2839476Get ear plugs. What you don't hear cannot harm you.
>>2839476You don't. >gunsThe best you can do is hedge your bets. Know what's out there (at least what is known) bears, wolves etc. Arm yourself to have something resembling a chance. A hunting rifle or 10m pistol is a good option. >lightBuild a fire, learn how to arrange it to burn all night. Even a low ember is usually enough to keep most animals away.>spiritual This is the easiest and hardest. Ideally Carry a rosary. At least pray over your camp site. Ask the lord to watch over you and protect you. >enjoySit back and enjoy it. We go to the woods to get away from everything, you've done what you can for protection, no need to live in fear.
>>2839476I just carry a pepper spray and tell myself it will save me
>>2839476The exposure never got rid of the fear completely for me, it does however make it a lot easier.
>>2839476>>Forest in the black of night>Absolute terror and fearStop being a Millennial manchild. Basically nothing in the night is going to hurt you. And a heavy stick is going to scare off anything that could.
>>2839476>why does it scare me?Kinda normal, you have to be extra alert when you can barely see shit. Just accept it and get used to it.
>>2839509This, also wear a blindfold, then you won't notice that it's nighttime
I love tromping around the woods at night looking for witches and such. It's the core pastime of my hometown years.I would say exposure therapy, but also don't go it alone anon. It's easy to have fun with reckless abandon when you're with a friend. Once it becomes mundane then it's easier to go on your own
That fear is in your DNA. Probably from wolves.
>>2839948Dinosaurs
>>2839476It’s 100,000 years of evolution and almost no exposure in the modern world that leads to that fear. Get out more and get use to it but listen to it when it’s deafening.
>>2839546>Ideally Carry a rosary. I don't think OP is afraid of vampires.>>2839476The dark hides things, you as a human have a pretty weak night vision.Those two facts kinda shaped humanity's relationship with the dark.Also, thousands and thousands of years of "cave-" animals.Cave-lionsCave-bearsCave-wolvesCave-hyenas...You get the idea.The dark hides things and they see way better in the dark than you.
It will always be a bit spooky, best you can do is get a grip and not panica gun helps me sleep even if I would be impotent bear snack if it came down to it
>>2839476just carry this with youhttps://youtu.be/-JVqRy0sWWY?feature=shared&t=151
>>2839476>I was so tired by the second night of my hike it didn't matter as muchthis is the ticket. I'm normally so exhausted that I don't care if a bear is waiting to rape me.
>>2839476Animals are nocturnal. The sounds you hear are probably just deer feeding. Predators are silent so you won’t hear them. Hiking in the dark gets extremely dangerous if you can’t navigate and don’t know the area. I’ve hiked out at dark many times hunting and the worst is navigating thick timber deadfall. Getting poked in the face with a branch isn’t fun either. I’ve had coyotes and elk approach my tent and bark at night. Annoying when trying to get some shut eye. Just carry a gun and be done with it.
>>2839934Where do I go to find witches?
>>2840692New England, moastly. If the town was settled by about 1680 and still has the same large geography and still the same paltry population for 300+ years you're in a good spot. Olde woods, stonewalls everywhere, overrun by bears and coyotes, woods everywhere speckled by farms in their like 10th generation of operation, and no real urban center, and there be witches. Often in the woods. In my hometown they're often found in the Witches Woods™ which is a very special dark place far away from anything save for an underdeveloped country road and some old ruins.
What some of the others saidExposure therapyFirst just camp in your backyardThen camp in your car at a nearby camp siteThen camp in a tent by your car at a nearby campsiteCamp in a tent by your car at a national forestTake as many babysteps as you need or dont.I ended up working at a job site where I had no choice but to camp on my days off in a forest so got thrown deep into itAfter a few months I remember watching Blair witch and realizing I wasnt really afraid anymore even of sitting out in a forest.At night I just had a revolver at my side and pepper spray. I knew where they were and how to use them and they gave me some comfortPlus I did a little research and found out most animals dont just charge your tent. The bears in my area usually aren't even nocturnal unless theyre running from something and theyre the ones that might scout around if they smell something.The best you can do to avoid them is seal your food tight and stow it in your backpack or some people even just cold soak dry food and then rinse out in a creek after to prevent food smell from your tent. Im too lazy to get a bear box or throw over a tree or any crap like that.
>>2840754How bad are the ticks?And what state specifically do you recommend?And are the women there cute?Im from Oregon which is beautiful in itself but the women are ill here and not in a witch like kind.
>>2839476I mean, there is no reason not to be afraid.>You can't see shit>You can hear stuff, but you can't easily identify it nor estimate the range accurately.>You're isolated and vulnerable.>Large predators (if there are any) can easily ambush you.There is a reason why we don't live in trees any more. That being said, exposure theraphy will surely help to numb the fear, but you shouldn't become too relaxed either.
What are you even afraid of? I night hike about 5 days a week in the winter (it gets dark early where I am). I remember in the beginning it was kinda spooky but it was really just the atmosphere. >spirits/ghostsThese things aren't real get over it>animalsAnimal attacks are stupid rare>getting lostSkill issue>PeopleThis one is fair. Carry a knife and be in good shape. They should be afraid of you if you're night creeping properly. 99% of the people I run into at Trailheads are just kids smoking weed. OK so on to the legitimate issues/things you should be scared of:>Falling/trippingFlashlights can screw up depth perception on rough trails. Just be careful.>Driving to the TrailheadDrunks are out at night and visibility is limited. Statisticcally, the drive to the trail is always the most dangerous part, yet since we are used to the risks of driving we are numb to this.
>>2839476>be me>get it in my head that I should do some overnight solo camping in the wild at least once in my life >the hiking was nice but the nights not so much>got on average 1-2 hours of sleep each night because of animal sounds or the wind or tree branches, leaves, etc. >first night get woken up in the morning by a horny deer hitting the ground and making guttural sounds >second night get woken up by a boar (he was just chilling but the sounds still startled me)>third night is spent awake listening to coyotes and their infernal screaming >never again>6 months later>still instantly bolt awake in the middle of the night whenever there's the slightest sound in the apartment, neighbors doing anything, girlfriend moving through the house, etc. How long until it gets better? When does my body realize it's not in the wilderness anymore?
>>2839476>Exposure therapy?That's all that can be done. Bothered me for a long time too, since my home turf is wide open, but you get used to it after enough midnight pisses and shits exposed from the comfort of your shelter.
>>2839546>(at least what is known)kekekek
>>2840847>third night is spent awake listening to coyotes and their infernal screamingThis is the best. Little buggers have killed like one person ever but they keep other noises away.
>>2840692When I lived in north Georgia, there were a couple of covens in the area but I think they were mainly lesbians preying on the young girls at UNG.
>>2839546You're a retard if you do anything but this
>>2839546>hunting rifleSorry not bringing a 7lb rifle with me hiking>rosaryGhosts aren't real retard>10mmIf you're in grizzly country yeah sure. Otherwise just quit being a pussy, wolves + black bears won't fuck with you if you hang your food away from where you sleep and don't cook in camp.
>>2839476honestly the fear is part of the fun. i've been camping my whole life and still every time as soon twilight comes around that same unease sets in. everyday life is a little too cushy you need to get freaked out every once and while. nothing like laying in your bag having your heart rate spike at every sound. and when an largeish animal gets close to your to your tent, oh boy...
>>2839482>white noise appphenomenally retarded
>>2839501only good answer in this thread. works especially well in groups with 4+ people
>>2840786The ticks are bad man. I think Massachusetts is the best overall New England state for New England vibes. Central and Western MA especially, wonderful stuff. But also, VT and NH are great and parts of Maine although Maine is better for the vast wilderness up nawth and less witchy †bh.Also eastern and upstate New Yock are pretty good with some vibes, especially around the MA border.CT and RI are cunty and not good for witches things, although nice for pizza and seafood (the latter especially RI). And women aren't attractive anywhere anon so don't worry yourself with that.
>>2841200I was warned about new England women. Are they all like vvitch?
>>2839476Bring a gun and either night vision or one of those flashlights that turn your entire county into midday.
>>2839494The Chinese have blessed us with sub $800 digital night vision set ups. The future is now, spooky wood monsters be damned.
>>2839476Do people have a greater chance of hallucinating in the woods at night? I remember one time I got lost in a state park after dark, I decided to play music on my phone while using it as a flash light to calm my anxiousness and help me find my way through the dark. Coming up upon a road back to the city I heard a woman whisper my name as if trying to get me to turn around, I never ran so fucking fast in my life.
>>2841559That's spooky as fuck anon. I've never experienced a hallucination like that but HOLY SHIT MY CURTAINS JUST MOVED just the wind nevermind. I've never experienced a hallucination like that but it happens. When you're paranoid your brain is working overtime and it can make mistakes sometimes. Especially if you're exhausted or sleep deprived. Don't fucking listen to music though, you want to be aware of your surroundings. Also I've heard that wild animals don't recognize sound from speakers as like, noise, so to speak. Meaning a bear won't run away from a little dinky phone speaker playing music. It doesn't sound like voices to them, its just white noise. They'll just investigate it and then you turn the corner and you're face to face with a black bear or a coyote or a mountain lion even. You'd be much better off talking to yourself or singing because animals recognize that as a human precense and you can STFU much quicker and easier without needing to use your hands on the phone. I've spent plenty of time hiking in the dark alone and I always whistled or sung. Or listened to old stand up comedy but that was when I was comfortable with the trail and just wanted to pass the time. If you've got the heebie jeebies, lock in. Pay attention. Don't freak yourself out.
>>2841557I got myself one of the lower-priced FLIRs from which nothing can hide (aka the eyes of god), and I got a decent little Bushnell IR night vision scope which illuminates everything with a pretty powerful IR spotlight. It's fun stuff
>>2841493they're all like the mother in the movie anon
>>2841573They even wear clothes like that. Zoom out and she's wearing uggs
>>2841574
>>2841575See I told you. She probably drives a really nice car too
>>2839476>face hiding in OP's photofunny, you almost made me flinch.
>>2841579the only thing I can see upon enhancement is someone was clearly smoking a durry while taking photos
>>2841559That was just the Blair Witch
>stayed for the woods>lived with the lyme>left cause the women>now a rocky mountain refugee>and gay in Menver
>>2841559literally this >>2841597you're very lucky anon for having a survival instinct stronger than your curiosity instinct. that's how she gets you
I like this thread, does anyone have more blair witch stories? Spooky woods thread? I've never had any crazy encounters like that despite many night hikes in the woods
>>2842243I've spent many hours innawoods recording soundcapes and I've never managed to record the shrieking witch. It's like she knows when she's being recorded and goes silent.
>>2839476I went out on the back deck a few nights ago and didn't know what I was hearing. It honestly sounded like someone had a boombox in the woods and was playing rap. As my brain made sense of the noises, I decided it must have either been a bunch of coyotes having a fit or some kind of deer mating noises.
>>2839482>block out the danger noises
>>2842449could be squatters
>>2842449could it have been this playing faintly in the distance? I hear that happens sometimes.https://youtu.be/c2CpvK-ryPs?si=WdYJQPByaDOv42fu
I dunno anon. I'm probably both weaker and less used to the outdoors than you but I go out walking full nights all the time. It's comfy. Peaceful, beautiful. What spooks me is actually mainly social anxiety because I think I hear someone turning over in their tent or something and I don't want to deal with the awkwardness of being found accidentally creeping up on them in the woods while they're sleeping (again). I think part of what makes me able to chill out is the knowledge that I am much scarier than anything else out there. That one comes with experience though lol, just go out a bunch and you'll soon have scared critters and hikers halfway to death to know and feel that -you- are the thing that goes bump in the dark, literally.
>>2842471*scared enough critters
>>2842449>>2842458:Ohttps://youtu.be/QSTV4hfUHe0?si=NobelgUm4CCqoz5D
>>2841575i think i saw her at market basket yesterday
>>2839476it's not the forest that scares you, it's the possibility that something or someone may be out there. what you fear is the unknown and potential death. death is inevitable. you must learn to not fear it. the only way to achieve that is to live your life as if it is real, meaning that it will end in death and this death can come without notice. enjoy your life, drop the fear of missing out, and actually live. check off your bucket list. once you are ready to die, you will no longer fear death. besides, we're all on borrowed time anyways.
>>2839934if you are the danger in the woods suddenly the unknown danger that lurks out there isn't so terrifying, because it's you.
>>2844660exactly. I had to keep reminding my friend of this. that we have become exactly what we feared second-most when we were kids. ain't nobody gonna want to be found by 2-3 drunk middle aged redneck men with hatchets and smackin' sticks
>>2840056i remember in a yt video some africans saying that they hunt at night and the worst ones are those with a full moon since the animals will see them before they dohumans have shit night vision compared to pretty much all other mammals, but i guess we have other things going for us
>>2839476It should scare you. Sasquatch is real and it's dangerous
I have a rosary. I'll be fine.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/space-news/sunlight-on-demand-the-satellites-that-could-brighten-our-nights/1825758Nighttime isn't going to be scary for much longer :-)
I know some of you have to worry about bears, wolves and such. But aside from this unlikely threat you are also blessed, because how likely are you *really* to be disturbed by other people out there?Here in Europe where it's closed in and populated that is my concern - bad people stumbling across my tent/set-up at 2AM and either stealing all my stuff or doing worse, the type of malice that seems to be more common than ever. I'd take a few howls in the distance and a gun to protect me over being rumbled by wild minorities and no gun. Wouldn't you say?
>>2841559You shouldn't have been scared of her, perhaps just a the spirit of an ancestor who was lost and needed your help to get to the afterlife? Just because you're scared it doesn't mean you're actually in danger the spirit might never do anything to harm you. Have you ever thought about going back and perhaps seeing if it occurs again? If I were you I'd probably go alone as you did the last time you were here so you recreate the exact conditions for the phenomenon. Perhaps spirits get shy or frightened by multiple people or they just want some one on one time.
>>2846174I would say so indeed. Great perspective.
Unironically jacking off or teasing your genits til you get a little horny, can reset your fear centers.Not sure its the real explanation, but you can imagine it from an evopsych perspective.Sex is older than fear.Sex is primitively more important than most non-immediate dangers.Sex has higher cognitive priority.
>>2841559When something calls your name in the woods, anon, you don't answer. Remember, the further away it sounds, the closer it actually is.Good job getting out of there.
>>2839934Why do you seek witches? If you're just looking for spooky supernatural phenomena I can recommend a couple graveyards in southeastern NH. Might save you and the witch some trouble, they're a... violently isolationist sort.
>>2846196Get caught jerkin' it in the woods on a trail cam lmaoEh for me I like the woods at night, I carry a gun since I have my CCW. I go with a buddy and we have a fire, smoke and cook out in the wilderness. I find it peaceful and serine, but that's with a flash light. Pitch black is a fuck no from me.Walking alone in the woods at night is another vibe too, being with someone that fear melts away because you're both armed.
>>2846196It's true, cranking your hog in the darkness scares away the skinwalkers.
>>2839476>How do I overcome this?Exposure therapy>Exposure therapy? Exposure therapy>I was so tired by the second night of my hike it didn't matter as much but every little sound freaks me the fuck outIt gets less spooky with exposure. >I'm a 28 year old 200 pound man, why does it scare me?Because you need exposure therapy and hike the AT like I did. You get used to it, and hiking every day like that gets your T up and you get more confident. Nothing is out there, dude. Just get used to relying on your ears, and if you hear something, check it out. It's like walking through a long hallway to the bathroom after a while. And, you get used to sounds, so you don't get spooked as much.
>>2846217>If you hear something while you're alone in the deep woods at night, go check it out!
>>2846222Checked. Cause I wouldn’t worry about it.
>>2846201We live in post-modern times anon, which (pun intended) causes a particular kind of yearning when you live in colonial New England, surrounded by the wilderness and ruins of deeply superstitious people who waded helplessly into a vast and inhospitable world. Sometimes you just seek adventure, and if you're an /out/ lover it only makes sense to retread the same land with the same worries and superstitions of those who were right there hundreds of years before you. Witches or not, that same inhospitality is tangible.
Carry a gun. Your instincts are telling you it is dangerous for a reason.
>>2839546Doesn't necessarily have to be a rosary. Just whichever symbol is powerful in your faith. As long as you believe in it it generally seems to have power
>>2846270this is the literal definition of a pleçebo
>>2846322>LIDDURALShut up cunt haha.
>>2846328well it's not the figurative definition now is it you dropkick
>>2846329placebos are placebos because they work, ya cynical faggot
>>2846329It's not the literal definition either you just had to have a little orgasm with your favourite buzzword. A placebo is when you're not sure if you have the real thing, or if it's simply a dud that your brain is tricking itself into benefitting from. I am going to attempt to leave it at that and hope that you don't marinate in retardation/miss the point, and then return to me saying "duuuhhh dats what I wuz saying about the focus of veneration, it's liddurally a placebo" but think you will.We live in a world of nuance especially where complex ideas exist, you can't just compare one thing to another and then hit it with your favourite word.
>>2846332you are a literal bore
>>2846337kek
>>2839476Just came back from an unintended night walk, darkness caught up with me. No flashlight or anything even.The scariest thing is honestly the prospect of tripping hitting your head and dying. Difficult paying attention to spooks when all your focus is where to put your feet.
>>2846394I've done this before, not fun. Ever since a particularly difficult incident I carry a flashlight or headlamp in my bag if there's any risk at all of me being held-up or late.Fun fax: I live at the edge of a long branching national park that sprawls many miles of a river valley and is surrounded by suburbs, so sometimes if I'm out at the pub or shopping at opposite suburbs it's much easier for me to hike through the park 30mins to get back and forth, rather than deal with going all the way around via busses etc. I got hung up at the pub with some friends once and by 2am the busses weren't coming so I bushwalked home with just the little lamp on my phone which had like 10% battery so I had to use my night vision mostly and just occasionally check for giant spider webs blocking the path. I almost walked into about 5 garden orbs which build their nets across the entire trail at night
>>2846174i hate stumbling over your tents at 2AM. makes me paranoid that every little rock and mound might be a tent with another person. very disturbing. please stop setting up on trails and the easily-accessible scenic spots.
