White Mountains Creature

The telling of supernatural tales is a long-held, cherished tradition among campers. As they sit around a crackling fire in the dark of night, chilling stories are told of vengeful ghosts and threatening monsters. But these stories, told and retold year after year, are just that - stories.

Yet unexplained things sometimes really do occur out there in the woods at night. Here are some true tales of the paranormal reported by campers. Ghosts, strange creatures, UFOs and mysterious phantoms - encounters that are sure to creep back to mind the next time you're camping.

K.H. was camping at a National Forest campground in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. On night, after his wife and daughter had falled asleep, he was sitting by the fire when he heard a noise...

• This was different than the usual bear grunt. It was more like someone sneaking in the trees. I immediately grabbed the flashlight. What I saw haunts me even now. I saw a being in the trees. It was naked. It looked gray. And this sounds crazy, but it looked like a person, but not really. It was hunched down, very muscular and its legs were backward, like a bird's. Then it quickly turned and bounded off down the hill. I couldn't even follow it with my light. We left the next day. We went back to the same campground this year. Back to the same site. Again, I stayed up late poking the fire and reading. It was maybe one or two in the morning when I heard a noise. I shined the light in that direction. That same creature, being, whatever, was there. It looked exactly the same as I'd remembered from last year. It just sat there, crouched at the small tree line that separates the campsites. I slowly walked toward it. I tried not to make any threatening moves or gestures. I got to within 20 feet when it just jumped backward and disappeared. It looked like it might be five to six feet high if it stood up. It was definitely gray. It had human features, but more leathery. And its face was very wide. Its eyes were so big, and, even though they reflected light, they still looked black, like two intensely black marbles. Its legs were very muscular, but turned backward. I know what I saw. It was real.