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08/20/07 - Something follows campers in Sussex County

This story comes from a friend of mine who I met recently. She was hesitant to divulge her story and didn't give many details at first, but as we discussed it a full story came together. She was camping with a friend in a sussex county NJ state park when they had decided to go for a late night walk (around 11pm) in the dim moonlight only. They followed a trail that led out of the campground and after a few minutes they both heard a loud thump. As to not get spooked from hearing this, they kept walking but a little faster, and kept talking. A few minutes later they began hearing footsteps that were coming ever close. She described these as very very loud like an ox, and there was a clanking sound with it but it was difficult for her to describe the clanking. It was almost a metal sound hitting rock apparently, though the trail was of thick dirt. The footsteps were offset, one hitting almost the same time as the next, then a short pause before the next 2 steps, etc.. Her friend claimed to have seen a "really large black figure" when glancing back but she claims it was too dark to see anything. Cursing and spooked, the two ran further up the trail and stopped at an overlook. After a few minutes, they jogged back down the same trail and returned to the camp site. No other strange activity was to come that night, apart from having some trouble getting to sleep.

Sussex county in the vicinity of the sighting. Photo taken on 05-03-08.

Deemed 'the New Jersey skylands', this terrain is filled with steep ridges, caves and rocks, maple trees and vines. This is not ordinary Jersey Devil stomping grounds although there are recorded sightings here in the past. Unfortunately the locale makes it difficult to give this case the the Jersey Devil signature. Another concept is that the warmest month of the year may have forced the creature northward, an entity that comes out most often in the winter months. See the Snow and Climate oddity. Also this story is like so many others from around the world. Footsteps in the night getting closer and closer without a sighting of any clarity at all. Like so many others, we'll never find out who the culprit was during this moon lit stroll.

Sussex county is in the far north-western corner of the state host to bear, wolves, deer and possible bigfoot type creatures.