Camp Ramblewood

This story takes place some time near the end of July or the begining of August, 2002. It happened at a place that I had been to three times before, every summer since my freshmen year. It was at Camp Ramblewood, where the Perry Hall High School marching band goes for away camp.

It was our second day there, and my friends and I were bored. The previous year Jamie, Jamel and I had come across a path that took us around the lake, and to the other side. We didn't get a good opportunity to explore it though.

During one of our mid-day breaks, the three of us decided it was our senior year, as well as our last year there, so we might as well see if there was anything interesting on the other side of the lake.

We headed down to the lake to find a bunch of underclassmen messing around with canoes and such. Ignoring them we found our path and made our way around to the other side of the lake. We thought there was no one else on our side until a group of girls, probably some other underclassmen, emerged from a path that was leading into the woods.

We asked them if there was anything interesting up there. They all shook their heads 'no' and gave the path a dismissive wave as they walked away. I was curious, as were Jamie and Jamel, so we went up the path anyways.

It went a short way back into the woods and lead to some sort of old playground. There was a swing, and a net that you climbed up to get to a platform. There were also a bunch of hanging tires and other things to mess around on. We played around and took pictures of each other. We had all climbed up the net to the platform at one point and taken a picture from there. Jamel and I decided to climb down, leaving Jamie up top. (She was having a hard time getting down because she didn't want to step in any spider webs). While we were back down on the ground we began to hear things.

First I heard it, foot steps out in the woods. Two at a time, and then a break and then two more. Jamel heard it next.

We called for Jamie to hurry up and get down. She got down and came over with us. For a few moments we stood in silence, then we heard it again. Two footsteps moving out in the woods. I was turning around trying to see where it was coming from because it sounded so close, but there was nothing, no squirrels, no birds, no other people, nothing.

We quickly left the playground and were back out in the clearing that surrounded the lake. I had had enough for the day, but Jamie and Jamel were feeling adventurous.

There wasn't anyone down at the lake anymore, so I figured people were heading off to lunch. I told them that maybe we should head to lunch as well (I was feeling very panicky), but Jamie and Jamel wanted to continue. We found another small pathway that lead back into the woods, and away from the camp. We started up the path. I really was not getting good vibes from this path. The farther we went, the worse I felt.

We kept going until we saw a pile of black garbage bags piled on the side of the path. We laughed nervously and skirted around them and kept going forward. We reached a small clearing. This had to be the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life. To the right of the clearing were three or four large, domed, cages. That is the only way I can describe them. We stood for a moment staring at them, we even took pictures. I was feeling nervous still and began to urge Jamie and Jamel to head back towards camp. They nodded and we turned to head back down the path. As we left the clearing we passed under a tree that had caught my attention earlier. I had felt the most frightened while walking under it before, this time I had the urge to look up into it as we passed under it. I wish I hadn't. I saw a man. He was only there for a split second, but I can remember almost every detail. He wore a red T-shirt and dark blue jeans. He has a buzz cut and was looking at us with a frightening smirk. I grabbed Jamel's arm very quickly and very hard and said "there's something up there." His response was, "You guys, I think we should get out of here."

We ran like three bats out of hell. We reached the end of the path, very out of breath. Once again I was ready to go right back to our cabins, but Jamie and Jamel noticed a fork from the path that we were just on. I was still shaking and really didn't want to go, but they did. I went in front of them, not wanting to be in the back, and headed up the path. This path was very long. It took us away from the camp and out towards...well, we really didn't have a clue where it was leading us. I still was getting terrible chills and negative vibes.

After a while of going deeper and deeper into the woods we began to hear laughter. Jamie assumed we were hearing people back at the camp, but this just didn't fit. We were very far from where anyone would be. And the laughter was young, not the laughter of teenagers, but the laughter of young children.

FINALLY, Jamie and Jamel decided we should head back for lunch. I was SO happy to get out of the woods.

I didn't tell them what I had seen in the tree until later. And much later, like months later, I discussed with Jamie the laughter we had heard. We both decided there is definitely something out on the other side of the lake at camp Ramblewood.