Silent Woods

"Well, here we are. Good to be back with you again. Looking behind me, you’ll see the famous, or more precisely, infamous Silent Woods, nestled serenely in upstate New York. Welcome to another monthly episode of 'You Are There for a Scare,' the Vlog that takes you to the most horrifying places in the Northeast USA in search of the truth. As always, I'm your host, camera-man, technical wizard, and dauntless explorer, Daring Dan Dunne.

“In today’s episode, I’m going to venture alone with my trusty cellphone into the legendary Silent Woods. I’m taking you along with me to a stretch of land that has witnessed the disappearance of over thirty hikers, hunters, campers, and others over the past fifty years. These woods are now considered by local authorities to be extremely dangerous and, therefore, have been restricted from use by the general public.

“Never heard of Silent Woods? Think I’m exaggerating? Let me hold the phone a bit higher so you can see the ‘No Trespassing’ signs and fence along the road fronting the forest. (Camera panning the tree line) Every twenty feet or so, there seem to be notices warning against entering these woods. You can see Keep Out and Danger, along with the usual legalese, on all the posters. I understand that this part of the forest was put off limits to the public about ten years ago after the many baffling 'vanishings' over the decades, culminating with the loss of a honeymoon couple hiking here ten years ago. Sorry, couldn’t help myself, making those stupid quotation marks with my fingers. Note to self: edit out the last sentence. Since 2014, no one has been allowed to venture into this small slice of Adirondack Park.

“I don’t know about you guys at home, but nothing over there makes me shake in terror. (Points camera to the woods) It will take more than a stand of trees and birds singing to unnerve me. Sorry, Hitchcock. (Laughing) Can you hear the wind racing through the leaves in the trees? Not scary, but at least early autumn provides a premature Halloween atmosphere. Why don’t we get closer and see if any negative energy vibes are coming from the woods? (Shuffling noises.) Nope, nothing. My trusty EMF reader is also quiet. (Holding up EMF detector)

“Looking up and down the road, no cars are in sight, so let’s get to it. I’m just going to turn the phone’s camera off for a sec while I climb over the fence. No need to film inside my pants pocket. Be back shortly.

“Okay, how does my hair look? Shoot, did I nick my cheek on the top of that fence? Gotta wipe that blood off and get back to filming. Remember to edit that out.

“Back with you, and I’m now officially and illegally in the forest. It’s really eerie here, even after moving only a few steps away from the road. As I walk in further, I can already sense the primeval presence of nature’s malevolence around me. I also just noticed that I’m whispering into the phone to you for no discernible reason.

“Okay, did my grin give away that I’m just screwing with you. This seems to be nothing more than a surprisingly dense forest with the smell of healthy doses of ozone, damp earth, and fresh vegetation. I hear the typical insect and avian noises you’d expect and nothing else. If a regular forest creeps you out, this one would also. But, if you’re not forest-phobic, this is pretty much going to be no worse than an unpleasant walk in the woods. Nothing more. So, I’m going to move even deeper into the trees to see what I can uncover.

“Hold on, one sec while I make sure my phone’s GPS is available. I’m also going to check to make sure my compass is working. Safety first. I need to make it back to the car. I have dinner reservations at seven tonight. (Laughter.)

“Me again. You can see that there are no visible trails in here, either man-made or animal. (Camera pans the forest) It’s like I’m the first creature to enter this arboreal realm. I’m walking through some pretty thick foliage, briar bushes tugging at my pants legs, tall grasses everywhere, and sinuous vines hanging down from a few trees. It is odd that so much vegetation is growing on the forest floor. This feels like Jurassic Park—without the dinosaurs, of course. However, I am now thinking about Raptors lurking in the taller grass. Amazing how easy it is to spook yourself for a minute or two. You can see it's pretty dark here, and it’s only a touch after two p.m. How is all this stuff growing on the forest floor without light getting down here? Oh well, that’s not the mystery we’re hoping to solve.

“Trying to make sure (Grunts) I don’t step on any rocks or—God forbid—snakes as I walk. Trying to film with a steady hand while concentrating on where my feet land on the ground is a bit tricky. Basically, this sucks. I know I’m going to trip somewhere. I’m not exactly athletic, as all of you may have already figured out. I really don’t want to sprain my ankle in here. This was a bad decision to go solo today. But, as you can see, I still have a smile on my face and a song in my heart, and I’m pressing on. Well, close to a smile.

“I’m determined to find out if there’s anything in here to justify Silent’s deadly reputation. So far, unless you have an unnatural dread of deciduous trees or an overly-amped imagination and, let’s say, an irrational fear of Raptors, I’d have to say this is pretty damn boring. I’m going to shut down the cell for a while to conserve the battery and save your patience. While the camera is off, I plan to walk directly west for at least another hour before I resume filming. If something out of the ordinary pops up, of course, I’ll turn my camera on immediately. I won’t let you miss a thing.

“I’m back. I’m in the corner of a small open space in the trees. Let me pan the camera so you can see what’s around me. (Camera pans) That’s a small waterfall off to my left. It’s created a shallow pond and a wisp of a stream flowing east, I think. On my right, you can see a tiny glen, maybe twenty feet long and five feet wide. Behind me is the forest I hiked through. It looks impassable, but here I am. I can’t tell where I emerged; the trees are so thick. In front of me, you can see what looks like an impenetrable wall of green. At least when I walk into the glen, I can see the sky again. While the phone was off, the 'scariest' part of the last hour was when an acorn hit me on the nose. I’ll admit, it startled me. Kind of an 'Isaac Newton moment' if you know what I mean. Again, I'm sorry for those stupid finger quote marks. Did it twice. Remember to edit out.

“So far, I’ve still seen no signs, none, that anyone has ever been here before, no signs of anything from the folks who supposedly disappeared in here, no signs of anything out of the ordinary, and, curiously, still no signs at all of wildlife, though if I had seen a bear, I probably would have soiled myself. Note to self: edit that out. I don’t know exactly what I thought I would be debunking in here, but so far, this trip is a bust. Even the Blair Witch Project was scarier. Did any of you also fall asleep during that 'horror' flick? Should I keep that in or out? Revisit. Leave the finger quotes in for 'horror.'

“Well, it’s time to head back to the car. This looks like a wild goose chase. If all those people had gone missing, they might have disappeared from boredom. Time for a phone break after I make a call, and I’ll return somewhere along the way back. Gotta confirm dinner!

“Great, no cell service. I could’ve sworn I had three bars just minutes ago, so I should get it back somewhere near here with no problem. No GPS for now either, but the good Boy Scout I am, I still have my compass. Full disclosure, folks: I was never a Scout, but I’m sure I can read a compass, and, in any event, I could probably follow my own trail through the underbrush back to my car. So, no worries, everyone. As I said, I was going to turn the phone off anyway. More later.

“I’m back, fellow adventurers. Well, I told you I was never a Boy Scout. Here’s the latest: I’m still in this forest after about an hour of walking. I left the car around two o’clock and have been here for just over two hours, which means I only have about three more hours of daylight. Good news. My trusty flashlight is in my backpack; it came right on when I tested it. I guess being a bit lost does bring some excitement to this week’s Vlog, but since you’re watching this, you know it turns out okay. Don’t panic—leave that to me. Just kidding. Hopefully, you ARE still watching this episode. Who knows what might happen? Even I’d have to agree that this doesn’t seem exactly like one of Northeast America’s Scariest Places. I’m going to turn off the phone again. Still no cell signal, so I’ll save the battery. Back shortly.

“Okay, this now officially sucks badly. Remember the waterfall. I do, and I’m back there. This compass sucks. According to my trusty compass, I’ve been walking in one direction for two hours and am back where I started. For some reason, I can’t find any traces of my trail walking here. You know, the trail I had to leave in the ground vegetation. It's not there. I finished off my two energy bars a while ago. I still have two more bottles of water. I wasn’t planning on dinner in here, so that's it for the food. I’m unsure if I’m more annoyed or scared about being lost. I know the way back to the car is directly behind me when I’m standing between the glen and the waterfall, but I just went that way, and yet, here I am. Oh yeah, as you can see, it is getting dark and my phone’s charge is at 40%. I’m turning it off for a while and will use my flashlight if necessary. I really don’t want to spend the night out here in the dark.

“It’s now almost eight o’clock, and I’m back to the waterfall. Let me show you how it looks here. (Camera pans with limited range) At home, you’re probably saying, I can’t see anything. Ta-da, you’re right. Neither can I, at least not further out than a few feet from the phone. The flashlight died about ten minutes ago—brand new batteries. Before you ask, yes, I brought extras. They aren’t working either. Maybe it’s the flashlight bulb, and who brings an extra bulb?

“I was going to start a fire, but I didn’t bring matches. There must be a way to create a spark to light a fire, but whatever it is, I don’t know how. Where are the Boy Scouts when you need them? So, I’m basically screwed, sitting here in the dark, feeling colder by the minute. Don’t worry, though; it’s not supposed to get too cold tonight, so I’ll be uncomfortable, but okay. I think I’ll turn off the phone and save what little battery life is left. Wait….

“Did you hear that? Right behind me. It sounded like a door opening, then slamming shut. I’m not sure what it was. A car door, a cabin door? Could there be a cabin somewhere around here that I missed?

“Hello, hello, anybody. Is there someone out there? I’m over here by the waterfall. I could use some help.

“I’m not getting any answers. No one is shouting back. But you had to have heard it. I played back my recording from a few minutes ago and heard it again, so I know you could hear it. Clear as a bell, or rather as a slamming door. I’d swear someone opened a door and slammed it shut. I’m going to walk back through the woods and see if I can find some kind of structure. I’m pulling out my EMF detector as well. I’ll use the phone’s flashlight, so I’m turning off the video recorder for now. The flashlight will put a strain on the battery, but I can’t wander in the dark.

“Video back on. Nothing. I couldn’t find anything. I looked all around the woods behind me, and there was no cabin. But I did hear, I don’t know—things, sounds. Something or someone rustling through the bushes. It sounded like a myriad of footsteps, but then again, sounds can play tricks on you in the dark. People say they fear the dark—but they don’t. They fear what they can’t see in the dark. I’ve been in enough supposedly haunted houses to know that many noises sound unnatural in the dark but innocuous in daylight. After twenty-six episodes of this Vlog, there’s one thing I have learned: don’t trust your senses in the dark. They will lie to you without remorse.

“Well, it’s quiet again. No footsteps, no doors slamming. Actually, nothing. No birds chirping, no leaves rustling, nothing moving through the forest, not even wind. It is getting a little creepy, but I keep telling myself there’s nothing here to fear in the dark. Hell, I almost believe me. One other thing I’ve learned from all my Vlogs. Sounds in the dark may lie to you, but silence never does. People say it’s what you don’t know that can hurt you. I’d say it’s what you don’t hear that you should fear.

“It’s too dark right now, so you can’t see it, but I can tell you that while looking around, I moved away from the clearing and the waterfall. I’m not sure where I am. I’m going to sign off to conserve my battery. I’ll sit in one place while thinking about what to do next. Without a decent flashlight, there’s no way I’m walking out of here tonight. Might as well hunker down and try and find my way out tomorrow. Later, folks. Wish me luck.

“I’m awake. Apparently, I fell asleep sitting with my back to a tree. Unfortunately, I didn’t just wake up. Something, someone clawed my right shoulder, screamed, and ran off. I jumped up and instinctively ran right into a tree not far from where I was sitting. Running in the dark in a forest—clearly not the smartest thing. You probably noticed the bruise over my right eye and the new small cut on my cheek. There, can you see it? (Camera facing Mr. Dunne shows injury) Collateral damage from the tree. I checked all around once I got back up and dusted myself off. I pulled my phone out and used its flashlight to look around. Nothing to see within my three-foot arc of light. I can’t find my backpack. No big deal, it’s just filled with junk that isn’t working, so it’s no big deal. I’m still unsure who or what grabbed me or why it shrieked. I shrieked, too. In truth, I’m wondering if anything touched me. Maybe there was only one scream—by me. All those Vlogs I’ve filmed and I never screamed before now. But I’m pulling it together now that I’m awake. What next? Fu.., never mind, if I know. At least, I may not be alone, but who or what is out there? Or was it all a dream?

“I may be losing video soon. The battery level has dipped below five percent. It’s four a.m., so I only have another couple of hours until daylight. I’m shutting off the phone, and I’ll finish this Vlog when I get home. I only need to wait for daylight to find my way out of here.

“I’m back, and the phone is now running on proverbial fumes. It’s ten in the morning, and there’s still no daylight. Take a look up at the treetops. (Camera turns skyward) No sun. Maybe it’s cloudy, but it’s black as night down here. I’m going to wait a while longer before searching for the road. If the sun isn’t up soon, I’ll walk slowly and…. 

“Whoa, there it is again! Did you hear it? A door opening, then slamming behind me. You had to hear it! Hold on. What's that? It sounds like something is coming. I have to turn around and check. Oh my God, no, that’s not possible. Who are they? How can they be here? What happened to them? This can’t be real. Can you see them? Don’t, don’t, don’t come any closer. Please stay away from me, all of you, stay away, you aren't….(End of video)

Transcript of the last video from a cell phone belonging to Daniel Dunne, a professional Vlogger. It was recovered ten feet off State Road 8, about twenty feet south of Mr. Dunne’s SUV. Mr. Dunne was reported missing on September 2, 2024, by a business associate who apprised us of his last known project and whereabouts. As of this date, Mr. Dunne remains listed as missing. Current case files speculate this is a possible publicity hoax for his Vlog.