The two men stared at the phone screen and couldn’t believe what was lurking behind them in the background of their hiking selfies. How could they have missed it?
What was supposed to be the usual adventure for the guys quickly turned into a nightmare scene. When the two friends went hiking that day, they got much more than fresh air and exercise.
John and his friend Lucas frequently went hiking in the area nearby. It was their way of keeping in touch with each other and staying fit.
Their hikes had become a routine, and most of them were the same. But their last one was definitely a hike worthy of the history books. It made them think seriously about changing the location of their future hikes.
Ever since childhood, Lucas was the adventurous one in the group. He would always encourage the other kids to try new things and go to unknown places. This didn’t change much.
Lucas suggested a new route that day. John hesitated at first but then accepted, thinking it would be good to try a new hiking trail once in a while. Although he couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. The news was filled lately with animal encounters in the area. But no one warned them about what they were going to find hiking that day.
Both young men loved adventure. Their new route would take them to a beautiful waterfall that many people dreamed of seeing, but few made it that far. It was a 45-minute uphill hike with plenty of dangers along the way.
They thought they were prepared for anything but soon discovered how wrong they were to choose that path.
The two young men used to take pictures of everything on their adventures. They wanted to have something to show people at home and a beautiful reminder of every hike.
The hike wasn’t going so well, though. It was hot, their supplies were running low, and the road was longer than anticipated. John started to worry and even lashed out at Lucas for picking a trail so long. He wanted to go back, with or without Lucas.
Lucas eventually gave in and agreed to stop and reevaluate their situation together. They were pretty far already, and no matter how experienced they were, the hike turned out to be more challenging than first expected.
John was angry. He didn’t know these parts of the woods too well and was afraid something would happen to them if they stayed any longer.
Lucas tried to calm John and took out his phone to check their location. He assured John that they weren’t really that far, and they would return as soon as they were done resting. Lucas went through his phone and showed John some of their photos. The waterfall, the climb, everything looked amazing.
But John jumped up and said, “Stop! Give me the phone! Look.” He zoomed in on one of the photos and realized something was lurking in the background. And it was in more than one photo. Was it following them? How could they have missed it? What was that?
John was scared. He wanted to take another way back home, but Lucas told him that the one was the shortest and the safest. Plus, he was curious about the thing in the photo.
Lucas wanted to check it out and find out once and for all what it was. Although, nothing could prepare them for what they would find on the road back home.
John jumped at every sound. He was afraid something would jump them from the bushes. Maybe the thing they saw in the photos, maybe a dangerous animal, or who knows what exactly was lurking through those woods.
Lucas put a hand on his shoulder and reassured him, “Relax, we’re two grown men in the middle of the day. What’s the worst it can happen?”
They traced their steps back to where they thought they had taken the chilling photos. They were getting closer when they started to hear noises coming from the bushes.
Their hearts stopped for a moment. This was it. They approached the spot carefully, with small steps. It was too late to run now. They were about to face the challenge of their lifetime.
It didn’t take long before John spotted something in the bushes. They got closer and realized that what they found was a woman who needed their help.
She went hiking the day before, she got injured, and now she couldn’t move anymore. They gave her some of their supplies and called for help. But time was running out.
Eventually, help arrived. They placed the young woman on a carrier, and a helicopter lifted her and took her to a hospital. She was a young 22-year-old woman who loved hiking as well
She went on the dangerous trail the day before. She made the terrible mistake of going hiking in the evening, and it got dark before she could return safely.
She wasn’t alone, though. She went hiking with a friend as well. They both fell, but he only had an injured arm, so he got up and went looking for help, leaving her behind.
He never made it back, and no one knew anything about him. Did he get lost as well, or did something worse happen?
The young woman’s friend was discovered a few yards further from her, trying to make his way to help. He was covered in mud and he wasn’t moving.
Sadly he lost his life because of his injuries and couldn’t be saved anymore. The woman was fortunate that John and Lucas decided to try a new hiking route that day.
She waited 22 hours before she was found, but now she was safe in the hospital. The doctors said she would make a full recovery.
When learning about the story, people gathered funds to pay for her medical bills in record time and expressed their support for her and the two families affected by this terrible event.
