Alyssa

Haunting of the Appalachian Mountains

The rules are if you hear something, no, you did not. If you see something, no, you do not. And if you hear someone say your name not you not. If you do not follow these rules in the Appalachian mountains there is a chance you could get yourself into serious danger. The Appalachian mountains contain a long history of paranormal activity, due to murders, mysteries and sightings.

 Appilachans are the oldest mountain range in the world, meaning it provides a home to many historical sites. These sites have been around for centuries, causing many stories to emerge. There are many ghost sightings or places known to be cursed.  There is a West Virginia Penitentiary, which is said to be extremely haunted. This was originally a prison decades ago, now abandoned, people claim to see horrific spirits haunting the mountains. The reason for the many spirits is caused by the history of ninety four criminals that were executed in the building.  Not far from here is an abandoned Trans – Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, this asylum was made to hold two hundred and fifty at most. The Asylum became overcrowded with at least two thousand people. Due to the mental state of these people, there were many murderers, followed by two nurses being hanged. People who explored this asylum stated that ghosts now roam the halls. Another place to visit in the mountains is an abandoned museum, a village where people claim to see pale ghosts walking around the building. 

The history of the Appilachian mountains causes many stories to emerge. A state park that goes by the name Jenny Jump State Park, getting its name because a girl named Jenny jumped off a mountain in an accident to get away from an attack. Many people are convinced they’ve seen the girl's ghost hanging off the side of the mountain. There are many sightings of creatures as well in the Appalachian mountains, which may be the cause of Jenny jumping off the mountain. One of the creatures is located on a road named Shades of Death Road.  On this road many have died from wildcats, who eat people living in the forest. In the caves on the mountains, people have seen sightings of the monster of Green River. Lastly Black Hills of Maryland is known to be cursed. All the incidents that  happened in the mountains. Including all the abandoned places that have horrifying backstories The Appalachian Mountains are known to have some of the most haunted areas that you can visit. 

A lot of hikers have died on the trail, but all in mysterious ways. Such as, getting lost not far from the trail or being murdered by someone mentally unstable. Ronald Sanchez was hiking on the trail with a couple of his friends. One of these friends, named Jordan, later reported to have been acting unstable, alarming fellow hikers on the trail. Jordan threatened to burn Sanchez’s and others tents. As they tried to leave, Jordan attacked them, killing Sanchez and wounding another. According to a 2021 report, “Jordan is currently undergoing psych evaluation and awaiting trial”.  Another hiker named Scott Lilly died on the trail because of a homicide caused by asphyxia by suffocation. Everything he owned was missing, causing the FBI to believe robbery as the motive, but Lily's death remains a mystery to this day. 

Another unsettling story was that the body of Louis Chaput's body was found on Thanksgiving Day with multiple stab wounds. The motive for her murder unknown, and the killer still has not been found. A Third incident started with Geraldine Laray, who decided to go hiking on the trail as an older woman. She then became lost when she decided to go off the trail to take a bathroom break. She survived for twenty three days on her own before she died of exposure and starvation. From where she was last seen, her body was found three miles from the trail. It's very unsettling how these people were killed, and how the trail somehow mentally affected these hikers. 

Some people have a hard time believing ghosts, hauntings or paranormal sightings. They think video proof could be edited, or people could be faking what they see. But considering all of the historical buildings with unsettingling backstories, there could definitely be something odd occurring in the mountains. Hikers who did not believe there was paranormal activity, hiked the trail and ended up dying in mysterious ways. Hikers went crazy, got lost not far from the trail and even got murdered for unusual reasons that still have not been figured out. Considering the Application has been around for so many years, a lot could have happened that we do not even know about to this day.

If you get an uneasy feeling, do not go to Appalachia for fun. It has been  known as a dangerous place. Many people have died from murders, accidents, or unknown reasons. Even if all of the stories about the Appilachian mountains are not true, the mountains hide many secrets, creatures, and somehow make people go crazy.