SPECIAL NOTE

AS THIS TRAIL IS NOT MAINTAINED
AND PART OF IT IS CLOSED AND MARKED “HAZARD”
IT IS RECOMMENDED BY THE WRITER NOT TO BE HIKED!

My wife and I had the opportunity from May to September of this year,
to meet and talk to many interesting people from all over the world.

Here are accounts from some of these people
and their stories as they related them to us.
Their names are excluded to respect their privacy.
REMEMBER – their encounters are real, their stories are true.

In three cases no one knew the existence of the “Ghost Trail” as such,
its stories, or the knowledge we had.
Therefore, their stories give credence to the encounters that actually happened to them.

These encounters happened within the first two kilometers of the trail,
or as you will read, were seen from their campsite that borders onto the trail………

ENCOUNTER NUMBER ONE

May long weekend
On Friday, we met five young men (mid 20’s) 2 from the mainland,
2 from the Island and one from an European country.
In talking to them, we were informed they were here to walk
the “Ghost Trail”.
They had read and were told so much about this trail
they just had to see it for themselves.
A sixth person was to join them Saturday
and he was the one who had seen the ghost before and had organized this trip.
We asked the man from Europe how he felt
about spending so much money to come so far to see a “ghost”,
he replied – he was friends to one of the others and was coming here for a holiday
anyway and after he had read and heard so much about the “ghost trail”
he was so intrigued that he had to see what it was all about.

On Saturday, we met the one person who had organized this trip,
he too was from the island. He said he had seen the “ghost” before,
gave a description and along with the fact the “ghost” carried a lantern.
He said the stormier the night the better chance you have of seeing the “ghost”.
This long weekend turned out to be rainy, wet and windy.

What happened to these six men and their “ghost”?
Their answers are at the end of this story. – READ ON………

ENCOUNTER NUMBER TWO

In June, eight local adult women, going camping to celebrate a birthday,
knew nothing about the “ghost trail”. That weekend again turned out to be a rainy one.
Unbeknown to them, they were camped near the “ghost trail”.
In their site, they had 4 tents with 2 women to a tent.
Around 3:00 a.m. one of them got up to answer a call of nature.
Not believing what she was seeing, she immediately woke her partner in the tent.
They in turn, woke two others. The four of them, for over half an hour watched –
for as they put it “a lantern bobbing along a trail as though it was being carried.

It would go just so far, then went back again, back and forth between two points.
They knew it wasn’t a flashlight or any similar light. Being frightened they went back to their tents,
even though the light was still happening.
They never slept - just waited for daylight to come. When relating their experience to us,
the frightened women were asked if they had heard of the “ghost trail”
and the “ghost” who carried the lantern.
On hearing the whole story one of them started to bless herself.
They decided they had enough camping for the weekend and immediately broke camp.

ENCOUNTER NUMBER THREE

During the summer,
two boys aged 14 & 15 had overheard talk of a “ghost trail”
and asked if we knew anything about it.
On hearing the story they thought it was all a good joke.
The next day,
they returned to say (along with one of the boy’s father) –
they had walked the “ghost trail” after midnight and nothing happened.

Since it was to rain the same night the unbelieving teens had convinced
the father to try the “trail” one more time.
The following day they came back to relate what had happened.
It was raining and around midnight the three of them started to hike the trail.
They were about one kilometer into the “trail” when ahead of them,
they saw what appeared to be a light bobbing along the “trail”, coming towards them.
Fearing it was the “ghost” carrying the lantern –
they did not hang around to see anymore and made a hasty retreat back to their campsite.

ENCOUNTER NUMBER FOUR

Awoman from Europe,
along with her family, was leaving the campground and she wanted to relate to us,
what had happened the previous night.
Unknowingly, they were camped in the site next to the “ghost trail”.
Her husband had backed their trailer into their campsite and they settled for the night.
Around 2:30 in the morning, she got up to use the bathroom.

While doing so there appeared a super bright flash that lit up their whole trailer –
she said it was brighter than lightning but there was no noise other than the sound of rain on the roof.
This flash happened three more times and she got so frightened that she was unable to sleep for the rest of the night.
What was it? Who knows? The “ghost trail” holds many mysteries.

ENCOUNTER NUMBER FIVE

On speaking with a local woman about the “ghost”,
she said this was exactly the same story and description her 21 year old nephew had told her.
At the time, she thought he was kidding her.
Now, she said I have to believe him. Her story next time.
And how both the trail and lake relate to each other………….

As for the first 6 men?

Here is what they had to say.
When we asked the one from Europe if it was all worth it – he replied
it was quite an unforgettable experience.
Seems the first night brought no luck.
On the second night which was rainy and windy they were about a kilometer on the “trail”
when they saw this “bobbing” light coming towards them.
The one who had seen the ghost before told them
this is what he saw and to stand very still on the side of the “trail”.
The “ghost” carrying a lit lantern passed them as though they weren’t even there.
As the “ghost” continued along, the light kept bobbing.
They watched in fascination until it appeared to go out of sight,
so they decided to return to their camp site. Doing so,
they looked back one more time, and there was the same “ghost” but only going the other way.
They all said it was so real that it was like looking at a real person.
They gave a description and this will be revealed in the next story
along with others who had seen

" T H E G H O S T A N D T H E L A K E ” !

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Another story came in, enjoy.

A n o t h e r E n c o u n t e r

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" What TRAPPER GILL remembers "

Gill is an old mountain man
who resides in his small shack
overlooking Cameron Lake.

He says this Ghost story goes back in time,
much further than is remembered by most folk.

Gill shares this story,
puffing on a smelly old clay pipe,
leaning over a dancing camp fire.

This ghost has been in these hills since 300 BC. he says,
as he sneaks a little nip of his “health water” from his own still.

This is the ghost of the Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope.
Old Diogenes was a Cynic
that is, a practitioner of the philosophy of Cynicism.

He was rude to Alexander the Great on several occasions.
He is said to have been homeless,
to have begged or stolen what he needed to survive.
He preferred to live without any luxuries.
Diogenes worked minting coins with his father until he was 60,
then he was exiled, for reasons that are mysterious and unclear.

Diogenes is always depicted in art carrying a lantern
with which he is said to have vainly haunted by night,
Looking In Vain For An Honest Man.
He was said to have died in the same way.

Even now, he can be seen walking the trails, of Cameron Lake.
Joined sometimes by his kindred spirits.
His Ghost is marked by the flickering of his lantern,
as he passes through the trees,