Bizarre Beasts, Strange Disappearances, and Electromagnetic Anomalies: Mountainous Locations of High Strangeness

There are enigmatic, majestic, and enchanting mountains all around the world, each breathtaking and humbling in its own right. However, as well as being places of natural beauty and wonder, many of these mountains hold secrets, intriguing and often dark legends that have been whispered for centuries. These legends, shrouded in mystery, are waiting to be unveiled, making the world’s mountains some of the most intriguing and thought-provoking locations on the planet.

One of the most visually stunning mountains in the world is Mount Shasta in California. It is also a mountain with many strange and bizarre incidents to its name, incidents which stretch back hundreds of years, at least. One particular point of interest about Mount Shasta is that it stands alone as a mountain and is not connected to any other range or peaks. And while it isn’t officially active, Mount Shasta is, in fact, a volcano, which, while not erupting since 1250, has leaked lava in recent years that has resulted in several significant forest fires.

Many native tribes have lived in the regions around Mount Shasta, with civilization stretching back to around 10,000 years in this part of America. Of all the legends and beliefs of these native tribes, one stands out – you are not to go above the tree level. Any higher than that, and you are entering the realms of the “sky people”.

Another legend that has long swirled around Mount Shasta is that a race of giants once inhabited the region many, many thousands of years ago. What is interesting about this is that there have been numerous Bigfoot sightings around the woodlands of Mount Shasta in the modern age. In 1962, for example, a resident who was hiking in the region claimed to have witnessed a female Bigfoot actually giving birth. Just over a decade later, in 1976, a camper in the region saw what he at first believed was a park ranger investigating his campervan. However, when he looked a little longer, he could see the “ranger” was, in fact, an eight-foot-tall hairy creature – essentially, a Bigfoot.

In 1930, the skeletal remains of an eight-foot figure were discovered near Mount Shasta, receiving significant newspaper coverage at the time. Many people have since suggested that this skeleton is likely the remains of a Bigfoot, which are, in turn, most likely the “giants” from the Mount Shasta legends.

However, other researchers have put forward another suggestion. Given that these legends also state that this race of giants was wiped out in a “huge flood”, some people have questioned if they might not be Bigfoot creatures at all, but Lemurians.

At this point, it is worth exploring the expeditions of JC Brown, specifically, one in 1904 when he was working as a geologist at Mount Shasta on a gold mining operation. During his search for signs of gold in the mountain, Brown uncovered an entrance to a cave that stretched out into blackness before him.

Intrigued, Brown entered the cave and ventured into the vast tunnel. The tunnel went on for several miles (11 in total) before it came out into an opening. Brown claimed in this opening that the remains of an ancient city with long-abandoned machinery, statues, weapons, and even tablets, all of which, incidentally, he claimed were made from gold. Even stranger, these relics all appeared to have been inscribed with hieroglyphic-like symbols and writing.

He ventured further into this opening, eventually discovering several other rooms that joined to it. One of these he suggested was a “worship room”, in which he discovered more statues, but these appeared to glow. Strangest of all, though, was the final room in this cave system – a chamber that contained 27 giant skeletons, ranging from around seven feet in height to around 10 feet.

Brown eventually made his way back to the entrance of the cave and covered it over with the rocks that had hidden it before he had removed them out of curiosity. For reasons known only to himself, he didn’t breathe a word of what he had discovered. However, he soon came across a book by James Churchward called The Lost Continent of Mu, and, ultimately, the legends of Lemuria.

Now, here, it is worth briefly pausing and examining the contents of an ancient Hindu tablet that appears in the book Dweller on Two Planets by Frederick Spencer Oliver. According to the legend, it tells of a time when both Lemuria and Atlantis existed at the same time, each ruling their part of the planet with advanced technology that even exceeds what we have today, and doing so for as far back as a million years.

For thousands of years, the two cultures existed side-by-side with no conflicts, even though Atlantis was by far the most advanced and, as such, the dominant culture of the two. However, according to the tablets, around 25,000 years ago, Atlantis began to become corrupt and wanted to rule the entire planet. This would eventually lead to war with Lemuria – a war that would see the deployment of nuclear weapons from both sides.

These constant nuclear bombardments caused disturbances with the Earth’s tectonic plates and eventually caused a pole shift, which, in turn, caused a gigantic flood – a flood that wiped out both Lemuria and Atlantis. Millions of Lemurians and Atlanteans perished in the floods, with only pockets of survivors from each civilization making it to safety. While the majority of those from Atlantis were said to have found sanctuary underground, the surviving Lemurians reached Mount Shasta, and here they founded a city named Telos.

It is interesting to note that many of the legends of Hawaii (a little under 2500 miles from the coast of California) speak of a time when the islands were part of a vast continent named Mu, or Lemuria. Learning this, Brown was now convinced that what he had found deep within the cave systems of Mount Shasta was the remains of Lemuria, or Telos, the city founded after the flood.

In the mid-1930s, three decades after he had first discovered the ancient city, Brown decided to return to it, and this time, he would take with him a search party. In total, there were around 80 scientists, researchers, and explorers who made up Brown’s team, and he was sure to widely publicize the upcoming expedition, with many newspapers running extensive stories on it. However, on the day the expedition was due to launch, Brown seemingly disappeared. Despite a desperate search for him, there was no sign of the geologist. In fact, nobody ever saw or heard from JC Brown again, and his whereabouts remain a complete mystery.

As we might imagine, there were several theories and suggestions put forward to explain this sudden and highly suspicious disappearance.

Some people suggested Brown was nothing but a fraud, which might have been believable if he had taken money from people as part of the upcoming expedition. He didn’t, however, take any funds from anyone, and as such, had nothing to gain from fraudulent behavior. Others suggested that a dark organization or secret society had learned of his plans and what he was about to expose, and so took drastic action and had him killed.

There was, though, another thought-provoking suggestion.

According to some, Brown had found a way back to the lost city inside Mount Shasta before the start of the expedition and had been taken there by a strange machine-like device. In fact, not so much a device, but more like a vehicle – a flying vehicle.

It is worth noting here that Mount Shasta has a long history of UFO sightings, some of which predate JC Brown. We might contemplate just what the vehicle was that some people assert took him back to the lost city inside the ancient mountain. And these sightings of disc-shaped objects continue today, well into our contemporary era. As well as reports of these objects hovering over the dark, twisting mountain roads, many people report seeing bizarre lights, often in formation, flying near the peak of the mountain.

Without a doubt, though, the strangest UFO sightings connected to Mount Shasta are those where witnesses have reported seeing these seemingly otherworldly objects physically entering the mountain, as if they somehow went straight through the rock of the mountainside, as if it wasn’t even there.

There have also been several sightings, some of which have even been captured on video, that appear to show strange objects disappearing into thin air, leading to suggestions that some kind of portal or gateway vortex exists over or in the mountain that gives these strange objects access to our world from their own realm of existence.

With the idea of portals in mind, it is worth turning our attention back to the many strange creatures and entities of Mount Shasta. Many reports of these sightings speak of strange entities that either walk through the cave walls or simply vanish altogether – just like the UFO sightings here.

There are also many cases of people disappearing into thin air on or around Mount Shasta. We will examine one of the most intriguing of these in-depth shortly, but first, it is worth our time exploring the case of Karl Landers, who, in 1999, along with two friends, set out on a hike to the summit of Mount Shasta.

During the walk, however, Landers simply vanished into thin air as the three friends were walking in the middle of a field. One minute he was, and the next he had simply disappeared. A huge search got underway and went on for a week, which included the local police and the National Guard. However, there appeared to be no sign of the missing hiker whatsoever. Despite the entire area being searched using high-tech police helicopters with infrared sensors, no sign of Karl Landers was ever discovered, and his disappearance remains a complete mystery today.

One scientific explanation that has been put forward to explain some of the strange goings-on at Mount Shasta, particularly the bizarre disappearances and the suddenly appearing UFOs through apparent portals, is the study of X-points.

In its most basic form, it is theorized by NASA scientists that these X-points offer a direct connection between the magnetic field of the Earth and the magnetic field of the sun. Further studies of these X-points suggest that these portals open and close again very quickly, arguably taking less than a second. Others, though, appear to be open much longer and to be a little more stable.

Could it be possible, however preposterous as it might sound to some, that these portals are responsible for the sudden disappearance of individuals around the area, as well as the sudden appearance and disappearance of bizarre entities or objects? And if so, where are they transported to or from? Could it be, as harrowing as it would be, that a person could find themselves transported to the sun in a matter of seconds, obviously resulting in their instant death? Or are they transported to a distant world or another dimension?

One particularly intriguing and thought-provoking account surfaced online a little after 2010 and has been documented by several researchers, including David Paulides.  

According to the account, at some time in 2010 (some sources offer it was 2011), a young 3-year-old child – named “John” in the report – was camping in the immediate vicinity of Mount Shasta with his parents and grandparents. At around 6 pm on the night in question, John disappeared, sending his family frantic with worry as they immediately began searching the area for him.

They eventually called the local Sheriff’s Office, as well as the United States Forest Service. Then, around five hours later, at around 11 pm, he was discovered in a thicket. What made the discovery perplexing was that he was found right next to a trail that the search teams and his family had been using all evening (meaning he should, by rights, have been found much sooner).

Things returned to normal, to begin with. Then, around three weeks later, the young boy began to tell of where he had been and what he had seen while he had been missing. It began with an innocent remark he made to his grandmother, whom he called Grandma Kappy (her name was Kathy), when he offered that he “didn’t like his other grandma Kappy”.

When Kathy asked John to tell her more, he responded that when he was “lost in the woods,” the “other grandma Kappy” had grabbed him and taken him to a “creepy place” somewhere in the mountain in a cave. What’s more, he elaborated that this other grandma was a robot.

Then, the young boy’s tale turned even stranger.

He said that the cave-like room he was kept in was full of large spiders. Furthermore, there were large bags full of guns all around the room, and he recalled seeing strange red eyes looking at him from the darkness. Even stranger, there were other “robot grandmas”, although they remained mostly still at the side of the room. When he was asked why he described the “other grandma” as a robot, he replied that not only did she move like a robot, but when she “climbed a ladder (out of the room), the light made her look like a robot!”

John continued that this other grandma had the same hair and face as his real grandma, something which scared Kathy immensely. Perhaps in an effort to reason in her own mind the prospect of a doppelganger of herself existing somewhere inside Mount Shasta, she contemplated if John had seen some kind of hologram of herself, as he described this other grandma as having a “sparkling light” coming from her.

For the most part, John was made to lie down on the floor, although at one point, the robotic grandma attempted to collect a stool sample from him (he claimed he “couldn’t go!”).

Even more bizarre, this other grandma told John that he was from “outer space” and that they had “put him in his mummy’s tummy”.

The next thing John remembered was being taken to the trail where he was discovered, where the robot grandma told him to wait in the thicket for somebody to find him.  

When Kathy told John’s parents of what he had said, they admitted he had told them the very same thing. All agreed that it was likely John’s overactive imagination, although Kathy wasn’t too sure, not least as she had had her own bizarre encounter around a year earlier while she was camping in the same area of the mountain (near the town of McCloud).

One morning during the camping trip, she awoke to find herself lying face down in the dirt, having seemingly been taken out of the tent (she certainly had no memory of leaving the tent of her own accord). What’s more, she discovered a puncture wound on the back of her neck at the very bottom of her head. When she spoke to the friend she was camping with – who was staying in his camper van – she discovered that he too had a strange mark in the same place on the back of his neck.

Both Kathy and her friend felt decidedly ill for the rest of the day, with Kathy recalling she also felt bizarrely “emotionless” as well. Although she attempted to reason that a poisonous spider had bitten her during the night, she couldn’t explain how her friend had suffered the same apparent bite by the same spider in the same place on his body.

Even stranger, both had vague memories of seeing strange red eyes watching them from the trees during the night – very similar to the red eyes that John recalled seeing during his time in the cave.

There is little doubt that some of the most disturbing legends connected to mountains and mountain ranges hail from the Superstition Mountains just to the east of Phoenix in Arizona. The mountain range his popular with those who like the outdoors, and offers miles and miles of hiking trails as well as stunning views.

It is also home to many, at times, dark legends and many other encounters of a paranormal nature. From tales of portals that allow “evil winds” to blow through the desert to reptilian alien bases buried deep below the ground, this region of the United States is shrouded in mystery.

The mountain range is the largest in the Grand Canyon State, covering approximately 250 square miles, with its main peak rising to about 3000 feet. Much of the range is difficult to access, featuring numerous volcanic peaks and ridges that create a treacherous terrain. The name of this mysterious mountain range was given in the 1860s when pilgrims traveling west heard stories from local tribes about strange creatures and mysterious events.

One such story involved the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. Upon arriving in the region in 1540, Coronado led his troops deep into the mountain range in search of the Seven Cities of Gold, believed to be a hidden location filled with riches. Before setting out, they were warned by native tribes, who had lived in the region for thousands of years, that the land was sacred and that trespassing would incur the wrath of the Thunder God. Ignoring the warnings, the Spanish ventured forth. As they progressed into the mountains, soldiers began disappearing one by one. When the unit realized several men were missing, they discovered their mutilated and often headless bodies.

Just over 200 years after this grim encounter, in 1748, ownership of the mountains was granted to a Mexican cattle baron named Don Miguel Peralta of Sonora. Although the existence of the Seven Cities of Gold was not proven, several mines, including a gold mine, were known to be in the Superstition Mountains. However, despite this transfer of ownership, native tribesmen prevented anyone from accessing the mines.

It wasn't until over 100 years later, in 1870, that the Native Americans of the Superstition Mountains allowed a settler into the region. Dr. Abraham Thorne had gradually earned the tribe's trust through his medical work since arriving in the area in 1865. The tribe's leaders offered to take him—blindfolded—to the gold mine in the mountains.

When the blindfold was removed, Thorne was astonished to see a large pile of gold ore near the entrance to a canyon in the mountainside. The tribesmen allowed him to gather as much gold as he could before blindfolding him again and returning him to the settlement. He later sold the ore for approximately $6000, making him extremely wealthy in the 1870s. Thorne attempted to relocate the mine several years later, but despite his efforts, he failed to find it or the gold.

Some of the most fascinating Native American legends associated with the Superstition Mountains involve the concept of the Lower World or Underworld. According to local lore, a hole at the top of one of the mountains allows winds from this alternate realm to pass into our world, causing the frequent dust storms in the surrounding deserts.

Additionally, strange magnetic anomalies have been reported in the area. These anomalies can disrupt devices such as mobile phones, sometimes rendering them completely non-functional, and may even affect a person's mind. The cause of these magnetic disturbances is unknown. Are they natural, or might they be linked to hidden facilities deep beneath the mountains' rocky terrain?

This speculation might seem far-fetched until considering the numerous rumors of extraterrestrial bases purportedly located within the Superstition Mountains. UFO researcher Timothy Green Beckley claims that such a base exists and is inhabited by reptilian extraterrestrials. According to Beckley, these creatures do not merely maintain a low-profile existence but are also known to abduct people wandering through the mountains.

According to the president of the Superstition Mountain Museum, around five hikers disappear in these mountain ranges each year, with many local rumors suggesting that these missing hikers fall victim to reptilian creatures. While this claim remains debatable, there are numerous accounts of encounters with reptilian beings in the Superstition Mountains.

One of the strangest and most unsettling missing person cases is that of Adolf Ruth. In June 1931, Ruth set out to locate the Peralta mine, allegedly guided by a map promising an abundance of gold. When he failed to return after several weeks, the local community feared the worst. Search parties were organized, and rewards were offered, but it wasn't until almost six months later that his body was found.

What made Ruth's case particularly disturbing was that his head had been severed and, when discovered, bore two distinct holes in the forehead, as if shot at point-blank range. However, upon examination, it was determined that the wounds were not caused by a gun but possibly by something not of this earth. This led to speculation that Ruth had fallen victim to the reptilian entities rumored to inhabit the Superstition Mountains. Despite these unsettling details and the coroner's statement that foul play was a possibility, the official cause of death was determined to be exposure to the elements, with the wounds attributed to predators and scavengers. Many, however, remained unconvinced by this conclusion.

A little over a decade later, another body was found under remarkably similar circumstances when James Carvey’s decapitated corpse was discovered.

In the summer of 1945, writer Barry Storm had an unsettling encounter while searching for the infamous lost mine. He claimed to have been shot at by some kind of advanced weapon and referred to his assailant as "Mr. X.”

There is perhaps one tale from the Superstition Mountains that stands out from the rest and involves a woman local to the region, known only as “Angie”. In March 2000, Angie was hiking in the mountain range, a frequent activity for her. It was a particularly hot afternoon, and the sun was intense. A reflection from a shiny object near the edge of a canyon caught her attention. Upon investigation, she found it was a piece of white quartz, which she quickly extracted from the ground before starting her way back to her car.

A few moments later, she stopped near the entrance of a cave to take a drink of water. After drinking, she knelt to put her water bottle back in her bag. As she was standing up, she noticed a figure directly in front of her. Initially, she thought it was someone wearing a Halloween mask, but after a few more seconds of looking, she realized with a gasp that it wasn't a mask—it was a human-like being with the head of a lizard. She began to scream, and then everything went black.

The next thing she knew, she was behind the wheel of her moving car, and it seemed to be much later than mid-afternoon. She was driving, but she had no recollection of how she had gotten there. This sudden awareness jolted her to full alertness. Confused and exhausted, she drove straight home.

Upon arriving at her apartment, she ran into the shower and stayed under the hot water for several hours, scrubbing her body continuously, despite not understanding why or what she was trying to cleanse.

The next day, she called in sick to her job at a local pet store and remained alone in her apartment for several days. She couldn't shake the feeling that something profoundly disturbing had happened to her in the mountains, although she couldn't comprehend what it might be. She found herself lost in thought, replaying the image of the strange figure and the unsettling experience of waking behind the wheel of her moving car over and over again.

After several days, she eventually returned to work, still disturbed by the incident but no longer as fragile. However, when a customer brought a lizard into the store, she was overcome with a sudden wave of horror that compelled her to leave immediately and retreat home.

In truth, she was as frightened by her reaction to the lizard as she was by the creature itself. She realized that something monstrous had occurred in the mountains that afternoon and understood that to move past it, she needed to confront those seemingly suppressed memories. After confiding in a close friend about her encounter, they recommended a therapist who could hypnotically regress her and potentially unlock the events of that fateful afternoon.

She underwent several regression sessions, each revealing fascinating and chilling revelations in equal measure.

After losing consciousness outside the cave, she regained awareness inside a vast, cavernous facility. Surrounding her were sounds resembling soft barking or chirping, echoing throughout. Attempting to sit up, she discovered herself ensnared in a strange, jelly-like substance. Despite this, she managed to observe several of the peculiar lizard-faced beings within the rocky chamber.

She described their faces as a hybrid of human and reptilian features, with unnervingly brilliant eyes. Each wore a jumpsuit adorned with a symbol depicting a curved dragon with a star at its center. Most suits were black, though one figure wore white and another sported an orange variant, suggesting hierarchical distinctions among them. Angie sensed that the orange-suited creature held authority, distinguished by additional symbols such as inverted triangles and discs, along with alphanumeric markings on the suit's arm. Towering above the others at around seven feet, he commanded attention.

Before she could discern more details, a cold sensation touched her head, and she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Upon regaining consciousness, she found herself lying on a table in a different, oval-shaped room. Her eyes darted around, trying to comprehend her new environment. Above her, several pipes extended from the ceiling, each adorned with strange sac-like balloons that contained moving, living entities.

Forcefully tearing her gaze away from this unsettling sight, she realized for the first time that she was completely naked. To her dismay, several reptilian beings were once again present in the room.

Approaching her, one of the creatures moved closer. Before she could react or protest, another figure discharged a blue light toward her. The moment it struck her, she lost consciousness once more.

When she regained awareness, she found herself back behind the wheel of her moving vehicle. Despite having no memory of the procedures, she had a strong intuition that attempts had been made to impregnate her with a reptilian entity.

Several noteworthy details stand out, echoing similar accounts of encounters with reptilian beings. The description of humanoid appearance, except for reptilian facial features and glowing eyes, resonates with numerous reports. The tight-fitting suits adorned with peculiar symbols, as well as the described chirping and soft barking sounds interpreted as reptilian speech, align closely with other documented experiences.

One of the most intriguing aspects is that the incident occurred at the entrance to a cave. Many encounters and sightings of reptilian creatures happen near or within cave systems, and such accounts come from various locations worldwide.

Could reptilian entities be residing in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona? If so, might similar mountain ranges across the United States and globally also harbor similar reptilian bases?

Of particular concern is the notion of attempts to impregnate their victims. Some researchers suggest this could be part of a scheme to populate the planet with extraterrestrial hybrids. Could the strange sacs Angie observed on the ceiling, containing seemingly alive entities, be linked to such a potentially unimaginable program?

Where do grey aliens—typically associated with abduction cases—fit into this narrative? Do they collaborate with reptilian creatures, or do they pursue their own agendas independently? Simply posing these questions adds another layer to the already complex and nuanced field of abduction phenomena.

Was Angie abducted by reptilian beings—alien or otherwise—residing in the Superstition Mountains? Were efforts made to impregnate her as part of a foreboding hybridization initiative? Was she specifically targeted, or was her apparent abduction a matter of chance and opportunity? Is it conceivable that additional encounters have occurred since then, possibly without Angie's awareness? After all, many alien abductees report being taken multiple times.

Lastly, it's notable that locals who claim to have known Angie insist she has steadfastly maintained her version of events. If her accounts hold any truth, even in part, it should be a matter of grave concern for all of us.

Glastenbury Mountain sits within the Bennington Triangle in southwestern Vermont in the United States, an area where multiple people have disappeared. In fact, as highlighted by researcher and author Joseph A. Citro, between 1945 and 1950, several people vanished, all in the same (relatively speaking) area.

On November 12th, 1945, seasoned hunter Middie Rivers vanished along an area now known as the "Long Trail", which corresponds to today's "Route 9" in Vermont. Rivers, leading a hunting expedition that day, ventured ahead of his group and disappeared without a trace. The only item recovered belonging to him was an unused gun cartridge found in a nearby stream. Despite extensive searches spanning several days, he was never located.

The following year, on December 1st, 1946, 19-year-old Paula Weldon, a student at Bennington College, disappeared along the same route. Numerous witnesses reported seeing her along the route, including an elderly couple who stated they were roughly 100 yards behind her. According to them, she turned a corner on the trail, but when they reached the same spot moments later, she had inexplicably vanished.

Rumors were circulating on campus suggesting Weldon had crossed into Canada with a boyfriend, but she had left without packing a bag or taking any extra money or documentation, indicating she planned to be gone only briefly. Despite extensive search efforts and a substantial $5,000 reward offered by the FBI (a significant sum in 1946), no trace of her was ever found. Criticism was directed at local law enforcement for what many perceived as an inadequate investigation into Weldon's disappearance.

Exactly three years later, on December 1st, 1949, military veteran James Tedford was reported by Citro as the third victim of the Bennington Triangle, although curiously, there is no evidence indicating he vanished from within the triangle itself – though he did vanish by all accounts.

Tedford resided at a Bennington Soldier's Home and was returning there from visiting family in St. Albans. He was traveling by local bus, and according to witnesses, he was confirmed to be on the bus at the stop before Bennington. However, he was not on the bus when it arrived there. A bus schedule was found on his seat. None of the passengers or the driver knew what happened to him, but all affirmed they had seen him sitting on the bus at the last stop before Bennington.

Less than a year later, on October 12th, 1950, eight-year-old Paul Jepson vanished from his mother’s truck. His mother had left him in the truck while she tended to her pigs. Upon returning approximately an hour later, her son was missing.

A search of the area yielded no sign of the boy. Bloodhounds tracked his scent to the same stretch of road where Paula Weldon had disappeared almost four years earlier. There, the scent abruptly disappeared.

Only 16 days later, the last disappearance occurred on October 28th, when Frieda Jackson seemingly vanished. She had been camping with family when she and her cousin, Herbert, decided to hike for the day. Early in the hike, Frieda slipped and fell into a stream. She suggested Herbert wait while she quickly returned to camp to change her clothing before continuing the hike as planned.

Herbert waited, but when Frieda failed to return, he went back to camp and found that she had not returned there either. Five extensive searches, including aerial searches, were conducted, but no trace of her was found.

Unlike the first four disappearances, her body was eventually discovered in May 1951, fully visible in a field that had been searched five times in the weeks following her disappearance. Unfortunately, her body was so badly decomposed that a cause of death could not be determined.

There was also the lesser-known case of 13-year-old Melvin Hills, who vanished in the Bennington area on October 11th, 1942. His body has never been found.

Another point of interest is that local legend, especially at the time, offered it was bad luck to wear red clothing in that area – at least two of the people who disappeared (Wheldon and Jepson) were both wearing distinctively bright red coats when they vanished.

Numerous theories have arisen regarding the fate of these individuals, spanning from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Some speculate that a serial killer may have been responsible for disposing of the bodies. However, there is no discernible pattern—typically, serial killers target specific demographics such as sex, race, or age. The varied ages and backgrounds of the victims, including the mysterious disappearance of Tedford from a moving bus, challenge this theory (though it's worth noting delays in reporting and witness recollections).

The sole connection between these disappearances, aside from the geographical area, is their occurrence in the last quarter of the year—October, November, or December. This temporal pattern could be significant to the perpetrator, or it might simply align with seasonal factors or opportunities.

Others entertain more otherworldly explanations. Some assert the presence of "dimensional gateways" in the area, portals to other realms accessible inadvertently or deliberately. Fringe researchers posit these gateways open intermittently due to subtle tectonic activity—tectonic plates are nearby. Additionally, there are claims linking the disappearances to alien abductions, supported by reported UFO sightings in the vicinity. Another theory implicates the Bennington Monster, legends of which we will explore shortly, as potentially responsible for these events.

The area of the United States in question has garnered considerable caution, particularly when examining its historical accounts and listening to the narratives passed down by indigenous inhabitants. Tales of anomalous events stretch back centuries.

In 1892, for example, Henry MacDowell, an escaped asylum inmate, inexplicably vanished despite an extensive search effort shortly after his flight. Whether he successfully evaded capture or fell victim to the mysterious phenomena behind these disappearances remains unresolved.

Local tribes speak of the region as the convergence point of all four winds, with folklore recounting legends of a stone capable of "swallowing anything that steps on it." Could these stories be describing a natural portal or some phenomenon beyond current understanding?

Accounts from early colonists to the area are equally intriguing. They reported eerie noises emanating from the forests and mountains surrounding their settlements, accompanied by noxious odors and smells.

Similar unpleasant odors are often noted in modern-day reports of Bigfoot sightings, another phenomenon associated with this region of the United States. Numerous sightings of Bigfoot in and around the Bennington Triangle area have been documented, with one notable report in 2003 describing a creature described as "hairy from head to toe."

The roots of these sightings trace back to the early 19th century and tales of a creature dubbed the Bennington Monster. Legend has it that during a rainy evening in the 1800s, a stagecoach traversing the Glastenbury Mountains encountered severe weather along what would later become Route 9 (the same route where two of the five people we examined above disappeared). Stranded due to the storm, the coach was beset by a mysterious force that lifted and overturned it.

Witnesses described a towering creature standing at least eight feet tall, covered in hair, and with piercing red eyes. Despite the abrupt encounter, the creature vanished as suddenly as it appeared, leaving an enduring legacy in local folklore as the infamous Bennington Monster.

On the other side of the Atlantic is one of the most ancient, mysterious, and breathtaking mountain ranges in the world, the Cairngorms in Scotland, which are also home to one of the strangest and deeply unsettling legends on the planet.

The Big Gray Man of Ben Macdui is the legendary creature in question, said to inhabit the Cairngorm Mountains, particularly the highest peak, Ben Macdui. This legend is not just a tale, but a rich tapestry of spine-tingling, paranormal experiences. It's a subject of intense fascination, with many reports describing an intense feeling of being watched or followed by an invisible presence. Some even suggest connections to ancient energies embedded in the land itself, adding to the mystique and allure of this legend.

These legends are not just distant tales, but a part of the rich historical lore. Numerous oral accounts from the Cairngorms' local areas have been passed down for over a century. Some of these stories are so chilling that they have gained wider attention and have been frequently documented, further cementing their place in the local and global narrative.

Although it would be 35 years before he spoke about it, an encounter in 1890 appears to be the earliest recorded incident of the Grey Man on Ben Macdui. Professor Norman Collie recounted the tale during the 27th annual meeting of the Cairngorm Club in Aberdeen. While descending Ben Macdui alone, he suddenly sensed someone behind him. This presence seemed unusually large, as its strides were significantly longer than his own.

Struggling to remain calm, he eventually succumbed to fear and fled as fast as he could. "I was seized by terror and took to my heels," he later stated. According to his account, he ran over five miles before the intense feeling subsided. Although he never physically saw anything, Collie remained convinced for the rest of his life that "something" was with him on the mysterious mountain.

Another experienced climber, George Duncan, had his own terrifying experience in 1914. Duncan, a respected lawyer and high-ranking member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, sent a letter to The Scotsman newspaper in 1941, finally revealing the incident.

Along with fellow mountaineer James Parker, the two men were returning from the summit in the back of a small dog-cart. Suddenly, a figure dressed in a thick, black, hooded robe appeared in their path. Duncan wrote that "it was the conventional figure of the Devil Himself!" Some reports even mention that thick smoke accompanied the dark being. Needless to say, the two men wasted no time in leaving the area.

Not everyone who reports experiences on Ben Macdui describes encountering a physical being. Some speak of an "energy" so powerful it can physically interact with its target.

Joan Grant, a respected psychic and author, recounts a terrifying encounter in her book, Time Out Of Mind. While driving on the roads around the mountain, she suddenly felt overwhelming despair and sadness, which quickly turned into intense terror. Grant described sensing an energy that was "invisible, yet solid enough for me to touch", which began to pursue her. She urged her husband to drive away from the area as fast as possible until she felt safe from its influence.

Another renowned psychic, Wendy Wood, shares her experience of Ben Macdui in her book, The Secret of Spey. She not only felt a presence but also claimed to hear words resembling the "harsh consonants of Gaelic."

Perhaps most intriguing are the claims of Captain Hugh Rankin. Rankin, more specific than Wood, reported hearing words from an ancient language—Sanskrit. He believed an ancient "presence" accompanied them on Ben Macdui.

According to Rankin's Buddhist faith, this presence was one of the "five perfect beings" who "control the fate of the entire planet." Legends suggest these beings meet in secret locations, with some claiming one such location is on Ben Macdui.

An experienced mountaineer and mountain rescuer, Peter Densham, reported several strange encounters on the infamous Ben Macdui. During a search-and-rescue mission in May 1945, as he took a break at the summit, Densham noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere. He sensed someone watching him, and a thick mist enveloped what had been a bright spring day.

When he heard “crunching footsteps” in the snow, fear overtook him, and he fled from the secluded spot.

On another occasion, Densham and fellow rescuer Richard Frere experienced another bizarre incident. Frere began a conversation as if talking to himself, but when Densham turned his attention to him, he found himself involved in an apparent paranormal three-way conversation. This continued for some time before the two men realized they were alone and could not remember who they had been speaking to or what the conversation was about.

Frere also shared other strange encounters on Ben Macdui with author and researcher Affleck Gray. He described how his emotions were suddenly “overtaken” by feelings of despair, leaving him unable to control his thoughts or muster the will to leave the mountain. When he finally did, he was overwhelmed by sudden feelings of fear and terror.

Frere recounted an incident involving a close friend who wished to remain anonymous. While camping high on Ben Macdui, this friend experienced similar feelings of despair and depression. Despite efforts to improve his mood, the negative emotions persisted, as if his “thoughts were not his own.”

Eventually, he welcomed the serenity of sleep, but awoke in the early hours with panic. Through the gap at the top of his tent zipper, he saw a tall, beastly figure. Holding his breath, he watched as the creature turned and walked away. Before it vanished, he peered through the gap and saw a “great brown creature” estimated to be 20 feet tall.

Interestingly, this description resembles the Wudewas (Wood Men) legend from Europe’s dense forests and mountains, suggesting these legends might have spread to Scotland over time.

While those who have experienced Ben Macdui often assert that “something” resides there, there might be a more conventional explanation for at least part of the phenomena.

Scientists suggest that what people are likely experiencing on Ben Macdui is Brocken Spectre. They argue that when individuals feel as if they are being watched by a large being, it is actually their own shadow cast on clouds. This occurs when the sun is at a specific height or angle, creating the impression of a large, dark, shadowy figure. This scientifically proven phenomenon, however, does not explain all the details reported by those who have had strange encounters on the mountain.

For instance, while Brocken Spectre might explain why people perceive a “large person” watching them, it does not account for the intense feelings of despair and despondency. Feeling fear from a perceived presence is one thing, but experiencing deep levels of depression that lift suddenly once away from the mountain suggests something more. Additionally, the phenomenon does not explain the bizarre sounds, particularly those linked to ancient languages.

If something does indeed lurk on Ben Macdui, its nature, origin, and intentions remain unknown.

As is clear, then, and as we might expect, the world’s mountains are some of the most mysterious, thought-provoking, and, at times, unsettling locations on the planet, each rich with its own tales of strange goings-on and equally strange creatures and entities. Should we take these legends as being exactly that? Or could it really be the case that bizarre happenings and curious creatures exist high up in the mountain ranges around the world, by and large, far from the watchful gaze of humanity?

Are these strange anomalies caused by some kind of natural phenomenon, such as electromagnetic anomalies? It is worth recalling some of the locations – perhaps Ben Macdui specifically – that induced feelings of despair, sadness, and even fear. Could electromagnetic anomalies in the region be responsible for this alteration of mood? Moreover, could it even be that these electromagnetic anomalies cause portals to appear on or around these mountains, and so cause people to disappear, or even allow strange entities and even UFOs access to our world?

Ultimately, are magnetic anomalies, at least in part, responsible for many of the bizarre legends and strange happenings over the years? Or might these mountainous places be the perfect out-of-the-way locations for discreet facilities such as extraterrestrial bases, and are the anomalies that are detected in these regions somehow manufactured as a way of defense to keep people from straying into these alleged bases?

Indeed, the mountains of the world are some of the most mysterious places on the planet, and locations that require further study in order to get to the heart of these curious goings-on.