Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Chat about non-hiking topics. The least serious of the forums on the site!
Webfoot
Posts: 1759
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 11:06 am
Location: Troutdale

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by Webfoot » June 28th, 2016, 9:56 am

Michael, I was going to suggest the same mechanism but without any first hand experience or stories to tell. Neuroscience teaches that we are capable of detecting something without conscious perception of the stimuli, e.g. blindsight. Evidence appears mixed but we humans may have rudimentary Jacobson's organs. Put the two together and I think there is a plausible explanation for what you are describing, without appealing to the preternatural. Even if the Jacobson's organ is not involved regular olfactory sense outside of conscious perception might be possible. Perhaps there exists a study on this that comes from a different direction, e.g. aromatherapy?

User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by Chip Down » June 28th, 2016, 7:32 pm

I feel all left out. I want to experience some creepy stuff too. Maybe I should spend a night in a vision quest pit. Actually, that's a really interesting idea. Maybe someday.

I once set up camp in the crater of Broken Top, and with plenty of time to kill before dark, I got a little wistful thinking about the families having fun down at Todd Lake, while I was up in the rock and ice just waiting for dark so I could sleep. Not the same thing at all, but I mention it as one of the few times I can think of when I wasn't happy and cheerful when hiking.

Oh, this almost counts: Nearing the summit of adams from the north peak, dusk, nearly dark. The summit seemed ominous, spooky. Not in a bad way really, but a bit surreal, felt like something was about to happen. But I always attributed that to me, just a quirk in my mind, nothing really any different about it at that moment. I think it was the exhaustion and the dim light and the remnants of the miners cabin that all came together.

User avatar
Giles
Posts: 8
Joined: February 8th, 2016, 9:46 pm

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by Giles » July 27th, 2016, 10:48 am

I have gotten that feeling before on the Tanner Butte Trail. Well, at the trailhead rather. We started late in the day and decided to pitch camp at the Tanner Butte TH. There was something off about that location between the crazy loud water walls on both sides and the abandoned road.

I never though that the Benson Plateau was creepy though. I have had some of my most peaceful moments in life up there in the fog!

JaphyRyder
Posts: 10
Joined: March 15th, 2016, 11:58 pm

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by JaphyRyder » July 27th, 2016, 11:55 pm

I once hiked Lookout Mountain from the east and within half a mile of the trail-head I heard a huge crashing noise in the forest behind me. After that I did the hike but was spooked all day, and felt - knew - that something was watching me the entire time. I lived, and just as I drove away a coyote ran across the road.

Then once I pulled into the Hardy Ridge TH on a rainy morning, and sat in my truck and stared at the gated road that's the start of the trail, and every sense in my being said don't go on this hike, don't go on this hike. I fought that ominous feeling, or warning, for 15 minutes, then left and went on a different hike.

User avatar
sgyoung
Posts: 393
Joined: November 3rd, 2013, 7:30 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by sgyoung » July 29th, 2016, 3:09 pm

The closest experience is walking on the flat, easy Lienert River Estuary trail in Tahsis, BC (tiny town on the west coast of Vancouver Island). The weather was nice and there was nothing obviously weird about the area, but I was on edge the entire time and it was notable to feel so uncomfortable in such a seemingly tranquil place. My wife was fine though. Humorously, on the way out we noticed a sign warning of cougars in the area that we totally missed when starting the hike. Possible clue?
Webfoot wrote:Michael, I was going to suggest the same mechanism but without any first hand experience or stories to tell. Neuroscience teaches that we are capable of detecting something without conscious perception of the stimuli, e.g. blindsight. Evidence appears mixed but we humans may have rudimentary Jacobson's organs. Put the two together and I think there is a plausible explanation for what you are describing, without appealing to the preternatural. Even if the Jacobson's organ is not involved regular olfactory sense outside of conscious perception might be possible. Perhaps there exists a study on this that comes from a different direction, e.g. aromatherapy?
I don't know if there is a ton of research on aromatherapy per se, but you're correct that we can non-consciously processing olfactory stimuli (although the research literature on this is much newer and less developed than work on non-conscious processing of visual and auditory stimuli). One of the first studies on this topic even found distinct neural mechanisms for processing the body odor of friends vs unfamiliar people, and newer stuff shows that emotions might even change body odors and that other people can detect these emotion-related changes.

Long semi-technical read here, if you're curious. And one more that hopefully won't be pay-walled for you.

Webfoot
Posts: 1759
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 11:06 am
Location: Troutdale

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by Webfoot » July 29th, 2016, 4:20 pm

Thank you.

User avatar
sgyoung
Posts: 393
Joined: November 3rd, 2013, 7:30 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by sgyoung » July 29th, 2016, 10:29 pm

Webfoot wrote:Thank you.
Sure :D

btw - re-reading my comment I realize I nerded out a little too hard there. Sorry everyone. I hope that wasn't a thread killer. More spooky stories!

timberline-trail
Posts: 29
Joined: April 16th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by timberline-trail » July 30th, 2016, 10:03 pm

I have had a few ominous experiences around zig zag mountain trail. I live very close to the trail head and i like the trail for elevation training. I have turned back on about 5 runs just because i felt like i was being followed or watched by something on the trail. Cant really explain it either, one moment im running all happy and the next the hair on the back of my neck is up.

User avatar
AAdamsPDX
Posts: 243
Joined: August 6th, 2014, 3:47 pm
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by AAdamsPDX » July 31st, 2016, 7:18 am

sgyoung wrote:btw - re-reading my comment I realize I nerded out a little too hard there. Sorry everyone. I hope that wasn't a thread killer. More spooky stories!
Nah, you made my morning! Science plus hiking/outdoors. What could be better?! Thanks for the research links!
"The world begins where the road ends." ~Eddie Vedder
http://www.hriggsphotography.com/

Tom of the Woods
Posts: 44
Joined: July 10th, 2016, 6:27 pm
Location: Rogue Valley

Re: Creepy spot on Benson Plateau

Post by Tom of the Woods » August 4th, 2016, 5:33 am

Some places we refer to that as "spidey sense". Don't ignore it, your subconscious is picking up on something your conscious hasn't noticed. Go with it, if you're wrong, you look silly. Ignore it, if you're wrong, you look dead. Assess your priorities.

<Some> of the creepy stuff is a result of naturally occurring infrasound. Read up on effects of infrasound. Read up on sources. Falling water, constant air currents, etc.

Bigfoot ... lets just say I'm not laughing and I can't take anyone too seriously who does.
- Tom

Post Reply