75 avsnitt • Längd: 30 min • Månadsvis
These are the stories of impossible encounters with impossible creatures in the wildest corners of North America. We’ll travel the country, sit around campfires and talk about that thing that ran across the trail in the middle of the night, just beyond the beam of your flashlight. Come closer to the fire. Let’s hear the next legend.
The podcast Camp Monsters is created by REI Co-op. The podcast and the artwork on this page are embedded on this page using the public podcast feed (RSS).
Join host, Weston Davis, and Camp Monsters’ sound design magician, Nick Patri, as they dive into their favorite creatures from Season 6, reveal how Weston crafts his monster stories, and share a few behind-the-scenes surprises!
Thank you to this season's sponsors: Obermeyer, Mountain House, Coleman, Columbia, Zippo, Peak Refuel, Altra, and REI Co-op.
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Lucie’s visit to her friend Elodie’s hometown in Louisiana has been filled with vivid experiences: bold new flavors, lively conversations around the table, and day trips through the bayou behind Elodie’s family home. It’s been a great trip, but as her time there draws to an end, Lucie finds herself increasingly restless, as if something is lingering beneath the surface—a secret she can’t quite grasp...
This episode is sponsored by Obermeyer. Shop Obermeyer’s amazing products in store or at REI.com.
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Listen to REI's Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast!
In the quiet Northwoods of Wisconsin, a local taxidermist builds a bizarre, mish-mash creature to spark publicity and boost tourism. But when his odd creation mysteriously disappears, he suspects theft—until he uncovers the shocking truth of what really happened…
This episode is sponsored by Mountain House. Shop Mountain House's amazing products in store or at REI.com.
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A woman takes her young son, 'Nesto, to a riverside park in the Southwest, where they pass by an old woman dressed in black, weeping by the river...
This episode is sponsored by Coleman. Shop Coleman's amazing products in store or at REI.com.
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A pair of film buffs stumble upon an old western movie set hidden deep in the desert outside Los Angeles. But as they explore the abandoned remains, strange noises start to echo through the empty set...
This episode is sponsored by Columbia. Shop Columbia's amazing products in store or at REI.com.
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Lena was taking a shortcut through the woods in Dover, Massachusetts, when something caught her eye—a pale figure with two round, black eyes, crouched on a wall, staring right at her...
This episode is sponsored by Zippo. Shop Zippo's amazing products in store or at REI.com.
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Mysterious disappearances have plagued the remote Beaver Dunes in Oklahoma's panhandle for years. Could it be the Devil’s Stovepipes—or something even more unsettling? Reports of eerie lights, voices of the vanished, and a mysterious creature emerging from the sands suggest there's much more to this story.
This episode is sponsored by Peak Refuel. Shop Peak Refuel's amazing products in store or at REI.com.
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Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky.
Since arriving in Taos, New Mexico, Frank has been plagued by a persistent, irritating hum. Hoping to escape it, he drives to Santa Fe to revisit old memories—but the hum follows, culminating in a strange and unsettling experience.
This episode is sponsored by REI Co-op. Shop REI's amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
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Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky.
Sailing through the majestic waters of southeast Alaska, the crew spots something lurking in the water—like a seal, but not. What starts as a curious sighting soon becomes a chilling fight for survival.
This episode is sponsored by Altra. Shop Altra's amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
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Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky.
Camp Monsters podcast returns this September! This season, we’re venturing into the shadowy woods of Wisconsin, chasing an unexplainable hum in the Southwest, exploring an old haunted movie set near Los Angeles, and so much more…
Tune in next Thursday for the first full-length episode.
Register for the Camp Monsters LIVE show in Denver on Saturday, September 28th.
Check out this season's sponsors:
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky
BONUS EPISODE from the Camp Monsters live show at the REI Flagship store in Denver, Colorado.
Join host, Weston Davis, as he shares a personal story of his encounter with the Augerino, a wormy-snake-like creature attracted to water who bores tunnels through the earth...
Thank you to this season's sponsors: Benchmade, Roark, Keen and Fjallraven.
One night in Fresno, California, Mateo's security camera caught strange, pale, billowy, disembodied legs walking across his front lawn. But when he looked out the window, there was nothing there...
This episode is sponsored by Benchmade. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Sign-up for the Camp Monsters LIVE show in Denver on Saturday, October 28th from 5:30-7pm MT.
Honolulu in the late '50s was changing about as fast as a place can change. People and money were pouring in as quickly as the new jets could fly them— so no one remembers what had once occupied the spot that was paved and set up as the Waialae Drive-In Movie Theater. One night, Leilani was trying to catch a movie at the new theater when she walked into the bathroom and found a redheaded woman peering suspiciously into the mirror.
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This episode is sponsored by Roark. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Sign-up for the Camp Monsters LIVE show in Denver on Saturday, October 28th from 5:30-7pm MT.
An old man at his cabin in Appalachia finds a dried-out old relic of a strange experience long ago. A hunt in the nearby woods that ended in a terrifying, near-fatal encounter. All these years later he'd found the old relic again, where he'd tucked it in the back of his safe. It brought back a lot of memories. And, as it turns out, that isn't all it brings back.
This episode is sponsored by Fjallraven. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Camp Monsters is back for season 5, and the monsters are more mysterious than ever. Tune in to hear tales of peculiar creatures wandering through neighborhood yards, a strange relic discovered in a cabin in the woods, unexplained knocking in the basement and more.
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Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky
Join host Weston Davis for a behind the scenes look at the who, how and why of the Camp Monsters podcast! This is a BONUS EPISODE from Wes' interview on REI's Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast with host, Shelby Stanger. He spills the spooky tea and you don't want to miss it.
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Donald and Lydia moved into their first home together a little outside of Point Pleasant, West Virginia when Lydia started noticing strange occurrences— like the two skinny things, casting shadows in the light that streams under the front door. Shadows that look for all the world like what someone’s legs would cast, if they were standing, just outside. But there couldn't be anyone out there, right? If there were, they would have moved by now. No one stands so still for so long, without shifting at all. So…if it isn’t a person…what is it?
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
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Up in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, you can smell a Gumberoo before you hear it– a smell just like woodsmoke: faint at first, then thicker and thicker, like a campfire gone wild. If you’re smart you’ll get out of the woods right then– because Gumberoos can move fast. And if you gamble, and stick around, and the wind picks up and the Gumberoos came charging into the valley you’re in…well, there’s a reason that not many folks alive have heard the roar of a Gumberoo.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
Something feels off about this raining night in South Carolina. You can't put your finger on it. Driving through the intersection, you catch something in the rearview mirror. Something bathed in the red of your brake lights, something moving fast, close behind your car. You don’t get a good look at it, but…whatever it is, you decide you don’t like this. Whatever it is...you’re all alone out here.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
Along the shores of Walgren Lake State Park in Nebraska, the wind is chilly and something seems off in the water. Little whirlpools are starting to form, like something is pushing the water around…something deep down in the lake...something far too big...
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
Iris was ice fishing on Payette Lake in McCall Idaho when suddenly, with an impact she could feel through her feet, something struck the ice beneath her...something greenish gray, and dark…and tipped with snapping teeth.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
Molly, an adventurous dog visiting the Gulf Coast of Florida with her owner, realizes she may be in trouble when she finds herself in tall thick grass, thicker reeds, mud, and deep water. A perfect trap for the Skunk Ape.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
Pack it up - Shop YETI Camp Chairs
Beyond the high school football end zone, through that little gap in the fence, and all the way down the hill into the trees is where locals believe the legendary ghost hog lives. Landry, the small town football star, may find himself running from more than his opponent this Friday night.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
Across Fairfield County, Connecticut, whispers grow that back in the trees and forests, along lonely country lanes, live the “Melon Heads” — dangerous creatures known to lure and attack wayward outsiders. Trevor, a new mail carrier, found himself on an unfamiliar country route and wanted to finish before the darkness closed in. He'll always question whether or not that was a good idea...
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
Shop YETI Rambler Camp Monsters Mug
You arrive late to camp and get placed in a room with a single bunkbed all by yourself. The idea of having your own space sounds nice, until you realize you’re not alone... and someone or something is occupying the top bunk…
Welcome to Camp Monsters Summer Camp. Over the past few seasons of the show, we’ve gotten tons of suggestions on the monsters we should cover. We noticed that a lot of these take place at a summer camp. So we’ve collected the best of the stories you’ve sent — and researched a few of our own — to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. Hopefully you can take these episodes with you to summer camp, or let them take you back to when you were a camper, scared of what might be lurking outside of your cabin.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Pack it up - Shop YETI Camp Coolers
Drink it in - Shop YETI Drinkware
You’re tucked away in your bunk at Camp Whileaway when you notice a shadowy figure in the corner of your room. You can’t take your eyes off it. You wish you could run, scream and cry out for help, but you know you won’t be able to… that’s one of the powers of the Shadowman.
Welcome to Camp Monsters Summer Camp. Over the past few seasons of the show, we’ve gotten tons of suggestions on the monsters we should cover. We noticed that a lot of these take place at a summer camp. So we’ve collected the best of the stories you’ve sent — and researched a few of our own — to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. Hopefully you can take these episodes with you to summer camp, or let them take you back to the days when you were a camper, scared of what might be lurking outside of your cabin.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Pack it up - Shop YETI Camp Coolers
Drink it in - Shop YETI Drinkware
A light in the darkness is usually a sign of a good thing—especially when you’re walking in the rain down a lonely old railway line in Tennessee. In this case, the light ahead is calling you toward something much less comforting.
Welcome to Camp Monsters Summer Camp. Over the past few seasons of the show, we’ve gotten tons of suggestions on the monsters we should cover. We noticed that a lot of these take place at a summer camp. So we’ve collected the best of the stories you’ve sent — and researched a few of our own — to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. Hopefully you can take these episodes with you to summer camp or they’ll bring you back to when you were a camper, scared of what might be lurking outside of your cabin.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Pack it up - Shop YETI Camp Chairs
Drink it in - Shop YETI Drinkware
Your dim lantern casts a thousand shadows down here in the low, soggy hold of the sail-training ship Amphion. But there is only one moving shadow that interests you. As you approach it, you begin to wonder who or what you have cornered, because it's not what you thought it was.
Welcome to Camp Monsters Summer Camp. Over the past few seasons of the show, we’ve gotten tons of suggestions on the monsters we should cover. We noticed that a lot of these take place at a summer camp. So we’ve collected the best of the stories you’ve sent — and researched a few of our own — to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. Hopefully you can take these episodes with you to summer camp or they’ll bring you back to when you were a camper, scared of what might be lurking outside of your cabin.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Pack it up - Shop YETI Camp Chairs
Drink it in - Shop YETI Drinkware
You’re supposed to be alone out here in the dark waters of Spirit Lake— the ranger ensured you there was nobody else. So why is there a strange glow across the lake? What is it coming from? Tonight you’ll find out.
Welcome to Camp Monsters Summer Camp. Over the past few seasons of the show, we’ve gotten tons of suggestions on the monsters we should cover. We noticed that a lot of these take place at a summer camp. So we’ve collected the best of the stories you’ve sent — and researched a few of our own — to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. Hopefully you can take these episodes with you to summer camp or they’ll bring you back to when you were a camper, scared of what might be lurking outside of your cabin.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Pack it up – Shop YETI Camp Coolers
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
We’re taking flight this week. Far up above the clouds where we come face-to-face with something we wish we hadn’t.
Welcome to Camp Monsters Summer Camp. Over the past few seasons of the show, we’ve gotten tons of suggestions on the monsters we should cover. We noticed that a lot of these take place at a summer camp. So we’ve collected the best of the stories you’ve sent — and researched a few of our own — to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. Hopefully you can take these episodes with you to summer camp or they’ll bring you back to when you were a camper, scared of what might be lurking outside of your cabin.
This year’s sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Pack it up - Shop YETI Camp Coolers
Drink it in – Shop YETI Drinkware
To battle the summer heat we're going underground. Where things are cool and quiet. A place where you might run into something that's been trapped for far too long.
Welcome to Camp Monsters Summer Camp. Over the past few seasons of the show, we've gotten tons of suggestions on the monsters we should cover. We noticed that a lot of these take place at a summer camp. So we've collected the best of the stories you've sent — and researched a few of our own — to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. Hopefully you can take these episodes with you to summer camp or they'll bring you back to when you were a camper, scared of what might be lurking outside of your cabin.
This year's sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Pack it up - Shop YETI Camp Coolers
Drink it in - Shop YETI Drinkware
This week we're heading to a summer camp in Mississippi. Where a group of campers decide to pull a prank on their bunk mate and something goes wrong. Horribly wrong.
Welcome to Camp Monsters Summer Camp. Over the past few seasons of the show, we've gotten tons of suggestions on the monsters we should cover. We noticed that a lot of these take place at a summer camp. So we've collected the best of the stories you've sent — and researched a few of our own — to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. Hopefully you can take these episodes with you to summer camp or they'll bring you back to when you were a camper, scared of what might be lurking outside of your cabin.
This year's sponsor is YETI. Check out all of their amazing gear in store or at REI.com.
Pack it up - Shop YETI Camp Coolers
Drink it in - Shop YETI Drinkware
At the end of June 2022, we're kicking off our Camp Monsters Summer Camp. We've collected some of the best camp stories to create our first series of legendary summer camp creatures. You can take these episodes with you to the campfire, bunkhouses or whatever place you call camp this summer.
For those of you looking for the fall monsters, don't worry, we've got you covered. We'll return as usual in September and October for another eight episodes, telling terrifying tales of legendary creatures from around the country. Make sure to like, share and spread the word about the Camp Monsters podcast.
Special thanks to our friends at YETI for sponsoring this year's seasons of Camp Monsters. Need some new gear? Shop YETI here.
In our final episode of Camp Monsters, season three we're heading to Ojai, California. Unlike our usual campfire, we're gathering around an electric lantern because the hills surrounding us are tinder-dry, a fire waiting to happen. Once a wildfire gets started, it moves fast. Fire has always been a danger around here. The story we're telling tonight starts with one: the big Ojai fire of 1948. A fire that birthed something... dangerous.
Thanks to this season’s sponsor, YETI for supporting the podcast.
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky (@g_r_o_b_o)
Back in 2014 in the midnight alleys in Chicago, people began to encounter something larger than the raccoons and coyote that are sometimes seen around the area. Something like a dog—or a wolf—but larger. Something that should walk on four legs but was seen walking...sprinting... on two. After an initial flurry of sightings the reports died down, but there are recent indications that whatever it is may be back.
Thanks to this season’s sponsor, YETI for supporting the podcast.
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky (@g_r_o_b_o)
In this bonus episode we're gathering around a digital campfire in the new REI Co-op store in Sunnyvale. What's so special about this store? We're glad you asked. This store has a haunted reputation. Previous tenants have complained of flickering lights, unusual noises and that eerie feeling that has you looking over your shoulder. This bonus episode is about the Sunnyvale Store and what might be waiting for you on your next visit.
Thanks to this season’s sponsor, YETI for supporting the podcast.
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky (@g_r_o_b_o)
The eastern part of Montana is flat, empty and full of a subtle kind of beauty. It's a place where the sky is big and the silence is bigger. A place where your mind can play tricks on you if your car happens to break down on the side of the road in the growing darkness. And that's just what happened to Loretta on an evening not too long ago.
Thanks to this season’s sponsor, YETI for supporting the podcast.
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky (@g_r_o_b_o)
Imagine that you're huddled on the deck of a ship with the wind and rain beating down on you. The waves are crashing and it feels like the boat is going to vibrate apart beneath your feet. We're offshore of the Oregon territory a place called the graveyard of the Pacific, and for good reason. There is more than just crashing waves lurking in the dark waters below the ship. Tales of a creature have haunted this coastline for years, all sailors on the coast have heard of it... Claude. Colossal Claude, a sea serpent, a massive monster, a legend and a harbinger of doom.
Thanks to this season’s sponsor, YETI for supporting the podcast.
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky (@g_r_o_b_o)
Tonight we're camping out in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Surrounded by fall colors, woodsmoke and the sound of a distant river. A river that holds more than just fish and cool water. If you follow that river a few miles downstream, you'll come upon an old mill site. Nothing special, just a ruin of what once stood there. The locals know that the fishing around that site is no good. They also know that whenever they go there, a deep chill runs up their spine. That old mill site stays a lonely place. A lonely place with a history. A devastating fire. And a young woman who saw something... inhuman.
Thanks to this season’s sponsor, YETI for supporting the podcast.
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky (@g_r_o_b_o)
Airports at night can be a bit... unsettling. When the shops are closed and the concourse is mostly empty — dark corners and abandoned corridors. The Denver airport may be the most unsettling of them all. There are as many stories about this airport as there are flights in and out of it every day. And this story is about a woman who met a person (well, she thought he was a person) and discovered some of the haunting rumors about this airport are true. And terrifying.
Thanks to this season's sponsor, YETI for supporting the podcast.
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky (@g_r_o_b_o)
Can you see your reflection in the window? Like a ghost standing just outside in the night, looking back at you. It’s a trick the light plays, when you’re inside looking out on a night as dark as this one. One of many tricks light can play — some stranger than others. That’s what must be the explanation behind this story — it must be a very specific trick of reflecting light that has only ever been observed in a little lake in a little park that’s out there in the darkness.
The park is called Laurelhurst Park, in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. The lake is called Firwood Lake. And the thing that people see in it… well, no one knows quite what to call that.
The most popular name, the one we will use, is the Firwood Reflection. And something about it isn't quite right.
Here we are on Cape Cod, around a crackling fire on one of the only beaches on the Cape where fires are allowed: Head of the Meadow Beach, just outside Truro. A pleasant and welcoming place, in my opinion. I shouldn’t spoil a night like this with a story as frightening as the last time The Beast appeared here in Truro... But that's exactly what I'm here to do.
Season sponsor: YETI
Artwork: Tyler Grobowsky
Our third full season of Camp Monsters will start in September, thanks to our sponsors at YETI. In the meantime, we figured we'd give you a short bonus series to tide you over. And while you think you might know everything there is to know about Sasquatch, this is a personal account. A story that'll have you crawling under the covers questioning whether or not you really believe in monsters.
Follow along every month and chime in with what you would do in the narrator's shoes. Drop your thoughts in the comments section wherever you listen to podcasts or email your suggestion to [email protected].
Season sponsor: YETI
Artwork by: Tyler Grobowsky, @g_r_o_b_o
Our third full season of Camp Monsters will start in September, thanks to our sponsors at YETI. In the meantime, we figured we'd give you a handful of stories to tide you over. And while you think you might know everything there is to know about Sasquatch, this is a personal account. A story that'll have you crawling under the covers questioning whether or not you really believe in monsters.
Follow along every month and chime in with what you would do in the narrator's shoes. Drop your thoughts in the comments section wherever you listen to podcasts or email your suggestion to [email protected].
Season sponsor: YETI
Artwork by: Tyler Grobowsky, @g_r_o_b_o
Our third full season of Camp Monsters will start in September, thanks to our sponsors at YETI. In the meantime, we figured we'd give you a handful of stories to tide you over. And while you think you might know everything there is to know about Sasquatch, this is a personal account. A story that'll have you crawling under the covers questioning whether or not you really believe in monsters.
Season sponsor: YETI
Artwork by: Tyler Grobowsky, @g_r_o_b_o
Our third full season of Camp Monsters will start in September, thanks to our sponsors at YETI. In the meantime, we figured we'd give you a handful of stories to tide you over. And while you think you might know everything there is to know about Sasquatch, this is a personal account. A story that'll have you crawling under the covers questioning whether or not you really believe in monsters.
Season sponsor: YETI
Artwork by: Tyler Grobowsky, @g_r_o_b_o
Camp Monsters will be back this September with a full third season, sponsored by our friends at YETI. To keep you entertained until the full season launches, we are releasing a four-part series about the legendary Sasquatch starting in May.
Make sure to listen to Camp Monsters season one and season two before our new season launches and check out all the YETI gear at REI.
This Mini Monster episode takes us to the country of Austria, and the year 1709. It's the night before Christmas in a forgotten valley high in the mountains of Carinthia. It's a black, cold night. And we're about to learn about the creature that haunts the castle halls, bringing to the naughty boys and girls a fate much worse than coal in their stocking.
We're sure you’ve all heard of the Sasquatch. Possibly the best-known legendary creature of all time, with entire groups dedicated to finding it. There have even been scientists who have dedicated their life to proving that Bigfoot does indeed walk this earth. And in this bonus episode, we're handing the mic to Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon is a Quinault native elder, a renowned storyteller and an honored historian. Her stories evoke the vivid spirituality and moral lessons of a rich culture, while allowing listeners to experience the heartfelt tales of a traditional storyteller.
But why are we doing this extra special bonus Sasquatch episode now? It's in celebration of the film The Dark Divide, which is the first full length film from REI Co-op Studios. It’s based on Robert Pyle’s book, Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide. The film stars David Cross and Debra Messing, and is a story of adventure, grief and the healing power of nature, with a healthy dash of Sasquatch thrown in. You can rent or buy The Dark Divide now on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play and On Demand everywhere. To learn more about the movie visit darkdividefilm.com.
Down along the coast of South Carolina, the people of the Sea Islands have a name for that dream that some of them have. They call it the “Boo,” and it’s been around for a very long time. As long as anyone can remember. And the strange thing is that, just in this area, in the Sea Islands, the descriptions of the Boo are so consistent, even from people who have never heard of this dream-creature before. If it is a dream. But if it is a dream, no one has it for very long. They get rid of it, or… or the other way around.
Season sponsor:
What is the Hidebehind supposed to be? Just what it sounds like: a creature you never see directly, that always ducks back behind the nearest tree or rock when you turn to look at it. It sounds harmless enough, but so does any nightmare once you’re awake. And there are places where it can be a bit harder to awaken. Places where dreams come closer to reality. Places like the forests of the Pacific Northwest where the idea that something may be just behind that tree, watching you, drawing back when you turn your head to look, seems a bit too plausible.
Go ahead. Take a quick look over your shoulder. There’s nothing there, of course. But then, the Hidebehind wouldn’t be there for you to see, would it?
Season sponsor:
Season artwork by Tyler Grobowsky.
Bring a flashlight. Or a headlamp, if you have one. Bring a sweater, no matter what the weather is like outside. The further we go, the cooler and darker it will get. Bring boots too, the higher the better. The walls and ceilings drip and ooze, the floors are wet with muck. Down there, under the city. Down in that... wilderness? Well, it may be uncultivated and inhospitable, but it certainly is inhabited. What inhabits it depends on how deep you go. In this episode we’ll go as deep as we can. Deeper than perhaps we should.
You’re out swimming when you feel a pinch on your leg. Is it a harmless fish or something a bit more sinister? Meet this week’s Camp Monster… The Letiche. A creature that lurks in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana.
Season sponsor:
Season artwork by Tyler Grobowsky.
In this episode we’re going out right to the very edge of the firelight, watching and listening. We’ll go out where others swear they’ve seen something, heard something … something ancient, large, and threatening. Something from those dark old times when someone around the fire always had to stay awake, to keep watch.
It’s your turn. So stay awake. Keep your eyes open. Stare into the night and listen for what you think you might have heard out there … in the darkness.
Series sponsor:
If you’re looking for a beautiful sunset, go to the Mogollon Rim in Arizona. They call it the Rim because that’s what it is: the rim of the giant Colorado plateau, where it drops off into the pine forest lowlands below. Most of the Rim is National Forest, so you can drive or hike or bike or even ride horseback to countless viewpoints where you can watch the descending sun turn everything a glowing red.
But you know this episode isn’t about beautiful sunsets. It’s about what has sometimes been seen along the Mogollon Rim after sunset. When it gets dark out. When the shadows start to lengthen and take on shapes ...
People call it the Mogollon Monster, a Bigfoot like creature sneaking around in the wilderness out there. But those who have seen it, they don’t like to describe it at all. Because describing it takes them back out into the dark desert night, into an all-surrounding darkness ... a darkness that suddenly reaches out to grab them.
Season sponsor:
Series artwork by Tyler Grobowsky.
You've probably heard the fairy tale about the troll under the bridge, but have you heard of the creature at Owl Creek? This monster is rumored to haunt an abandoned train track in the Kentucky wilderness.
Series sponsor:
Artwork by Tyler Grobowsky.
There are certain places around the country where you can never feel sure. The central coast of California is one of those places — a desolate, rugged, beautiful area where there have long been whispers about something haunting the cliffs. An outline, a figure, watching you from above. A creature you can’t identify… but know you don’t want to meet.
This season we'll go to the coast of the Carolinas and the cliff edges of California. From underground creatures lurking beneath New York City to a monster that sneaks up on you while you're fast asleep... it's a lineup you won't forget. Gather 'round the fire for the newest season of the Camp Monsters podcast, coming to your ears September 9th.
This season's monster artwork was done by the talented Tyler Grobowsky. You can find his work on Instagram at @g_r_o_b_o.
Season sponsor:
We’re very excited to announce that YETI, known for their ridiculously strong and durable coolers, bottles, bags, chairs, and other much-needed outdoor gear, is this season’s sponsor.
To welcome YETI to our campfire, we naturally asked if they’d heard of any monsters prowling around their hometown of Austin, Texas. They told us this story of a close encounter with a creature you’ve probably heard rumors about. A nocturnal monster known to pick off livestock in a very vampiric way. Do we believe the story? Well, listen for yourself: do you?
Learn more about YETI.
This month we are traveling to Europe, to tell the story of a creature that has haunted that continent for centuries. Nowadays it is the stuff of legend, the kind of thing you see on old coats-of-arms or hear about in the colorful tales of local folklore. But the further you go into the more remote, forgotten corners of the European countryside, the darker and more forceful the folklore gets. The harsher the stories, the starker the warnings. Until the history of this most deadly of creatures begins to seem more immediate than history should be. And you begin to wonder whether there is some fatal truth to the old tales… some hidden secret, surviving from times long past.
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Summer is right around the corner which means it’s time for campfires, s’mores and spooky tales. Even if it’s just in your own backyard, there’s something very special about gathering around the fire to tell stories late into the night.
And while our second season of Camp Monsters is still a couple of months away, we figured now was a good time to re-share the episode that started it all — The Batsquatch. This creature, born out of the explosion of Mt. Saint Helens 40 years ago, was known to roam the area called the dead zone.
Gather round and kick off your summer with season one of Camp Monsters. There are eight episodes that’ll keep you entertained long into the night with our new season coming to your ears in early September. You can find all of season one anywhere you listen to podcasts or at rei.com/camp-monsters.
This month, we’re doing something a bit different. Our friends over at West Elm—you know, the ones with all the great furniture and home decor—reached out and asked us if we could find out more about a creature that washed up near their corporate headquarters in Brooklyn a few years ago. We did some digging and found enough to write about, and enough to make you a little nervous the next time you hear something scurry in the dark.
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One of Camp Monsters biggest fan, a 4.5-year-old named Albie, was given the opportunity to record his version of season one's Batsquatch, a creature that was born from the ashes of the Mt. St. Helens explosion. While somewhat unintelligible, this version of a Camp Monsters classic is guaranteed to make you smile.
Want more spooky stories that are a little easier to understand, albeit nowhere near as cute? Check out season one of Camp Monsters.
Deep in the wilds of Zambia, Tanzania, and Congo, there are stories of a creature that exists beyond the furthest bounds of known science. First-person accounts trickle out of something fearsome, something prehistoric, that calls the skies over the rivers and swamps home. It must just be a local legend, a case of mistaken identity. Or is it?
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We're back! Well sort of. Because we know monsters are an all year interest, we're bringing you our mini-monster series; a new story every month that'll keep you spooked until our new full-length season launches in September.
This month's monster is something that calls the Scottish Highlands home. Something that makes a lonesome mountain in the mist of Scotland feel all the more ominous. Do you hear those footsteps behind you?
There are more than just birds and shadows in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. For centuries, legends have told of a cursed, winged creature that haunts the Barrens by night, terrifying visitors and residents alike.
In the 1700s the United States was full of mysterious creatures that kept people wary of dark woods and unexplored territories. And for good reason. In the woods of the North East there were rumors about a mysterious creature that was haunting the local residents. Some people thought that the monster was created to warn children about the consequences of bad behavior... but others weren’t so sure.
Hiking through the Ozarks will lead to breathtaking views and comforting silence. But when the silence if broken by the eerie call of the Ozark Howler, you’ll find yourself running for safety. This story is for anyone who has caught sight of something out of the corner of their eye... and everything in them tells them to run.
Down by a river in Loveland, Ohio you’ll find the typical things: birds, frogs, crickets and the smell of the evening air. And then you’ll get a whiff of something that doesn’t smell right—something sweet and dry and … not pleasant. Local rumors state that there’s something unnatural behind that smell and it’s best not to be down by the river at night. Just in case you run into him. Or it. Or whatever it is that lives down there.
The Great Plains are known for their flat lands and big skies. There’s no place for a mysterious creature to hide in that great wide open … or so you thought. There’s something hiding in the flashing lightning and rumbling thunder at the very heart of the storm—the eyes and voice of the Thunderbird.
The mountains of Colorado have always been a quiet and rugged place but in the 1880s it drew a crowd with the promise of silver. Mining is dangerous work, but these men ran into more than the usual hazards. They stumbled upon something with fire-red eyes and a deep, dangerous rumble.
When you go to Lake Tahoe, chances are you’ll see Tahoe Tessie. She’s a sea monster and a minor mascot for the area—pasted on the sides of buses, restaurant menus and adorning knick knacks in every gift shop.
The problem is, if you look closely into the water you might see something that looks nothing like the charming and cheerful monster you’ve seen all over town. This episode is for those who love being out on the water... no matter what may lie beneath.
After the blast of Mount Saint Helens, the area around the mountain was filled with ash and silence. And then something began to appear in this barren landscape. It always came at night and it was always accompanied by a terrible silence. This week’s tale is for all of those who have ventured into the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and felt the need to look over their shoulder because of that feeling that someone—or something—was following them.
Join us by the fire as we try to scare each other with stories about those things you hear pass too close to your tent late at night or what made that sudden rustle in the bushes as you walked by. Every part of the country has its own legends to explain what it was you thought you caught a glimpse of. We’ll be traveling the country telling stories of the things that live beyond the firelight.
While you listen, remember that these stories are just that: stories. Sure, some of them are based on the testimony of people who claim to have seen these creatures, but it’s up to you how much you believe, and how to explain away what you don’t.
Come closer to the fire and let’s hear this week’s legend.
The first episode of Camp Monsters is coming to your ears Tuesday, October 1st.
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.