Early visits were made during the day so that we could orientate ourselves to the area. The only documentation during these visits are in the form of polaroid pictures. Some of these pictures contain questionable images, and will be posted on this site soon. Lyn reports hearing warning whispered to get out before it was too late. Another member reported seeing a person watching her from the woods. However, a third member neither saw nor heard anything unusual. On a seperate visit near dusk, Lyn and three other people came across a black-cloaked group performing a ritual near Witch's Damn. The cloaked figures then chased Lyn and the others out of the woods.
The first extensive documentation of the Dudleytown area was done during the day and night of 8-25-99. During the day, two groups were sent out. The first group consisted of three people and began around 1:30 in the afternoon. This group concetrated mainly on the entrance of the area, doing a lot of off-trail exploration. The only peculiar instances took place while they were off trail. The first instance took place after following a rather short trail and then going slightly farther off trail to examine a rock structure. The three reported hearing movement in the woods behind them, and when they turned to investigate, they each saw movement, as if by a person, through the tree branches, but no cause was sighted. The second instance came after finding a dried up river and following the riverbed the the left. At the end of the riverbed, they went slightly deeper and found a stone wall and rectangular area formed by logs. While walking inside the area, a noise was reported by the three people. One of the group decided the noise sounded like clapping, an, in turn, clapped three times. After about half a minute, the noise repeated three times. She continued this for a few moments, with the noise repeating, and sometimes adding to, whatever rhythem was clapped. The group then began to follow the sounds, but they became softer the closer they came and then ceased.
A second group of two people, Lyn and one other, went into the woods armed with a video camera, polaroid camera, a thermometer, and two compasses. This group reported finding a broken tree. The top of the tree had been frayed and a small circlet of wooden twigs lain on top. They also reported noticing two logs which seemed unnaturally lain atop one another in the form of an "X." After viewing the video footage, the first group confirmed seeing the area, but stating that the log on top had not been their when they explored the area. Nothing else was recorded or noticed by the hikers.
Before continuing with this documentation, the group would like to say that hiking in Dudleytown after dark is very dangerous and shouldn't be attempted. Also, at the current time because of fire hazard, Dark Entry Forest is closed to the public. Also, both entrances are private property and hiking is not allowed from dusk till dawn. Also, the owners of the land are EXTREMELY sensitive, and WILL CALL THE POLICE, if anyone is spotted in the area after dark. We were informed that after the fire danger is lifted, the woods will be open again. We would also like to suggest against any off-trail hiking in this and any other forest. You will get lost. Both groups were careful to stay with-in sight of the trail during any of their off-trail exploration.
The next time the group entered was at 8:15 of the same day. This time, Lyn, Scott, John, Lisa, Jen, and two others were in the field team. The same equipment was brought as by the second group of earlier in the day. It was noted that the moral of the group was significantly lower upon reaching the entrance, than it had been during the day. Several people complained of having a bad feeling upon entering the forest. After entering the forest, it was noted that the temperature was 76 egrees, but was inconstant throughout the trip and dropped several degrees upon nearing or entering a building foundation, while, during the day, the temperature was constant. The most drastic temperature change noted was a 6 degree drop. All of the members reported walking through cold spots along the hike. Shortly after hiking began, one member of the group reported having a feeling of being watched and refused to continue on. A second member agreed to accompany her back to the car, because hiking alone in the dark is very dangerous. NOTE::Both hikers who returned to the car were armed with lighters, but reported that neither lighter offered any real help. Both hikers also noted that this forest was the first place where the lighters offered no light around them, as if the darkness had swallowed it. While hiking back to the entrance, both hikers reported the feeling of being followed. Soon before finding the entrance, one of the two reported seeing a black shadow stationed in front of them. The two hikers then walked through the shadow and both reported feeling as if something was pushing against them, yet went through them, leaving the feeling of having the wind knocked out of them. They also both reported feeling much better immediately after crossing the entrance. Steve, one of the remaining hikers, pointed out a white light out in the woods. It was later confirmed on video that there was a white light moving through the depth of the forest. Soon after, Scott also pointed out a ball of light almost sitting on a tree-branch, but nobody else saw anything, and nothing was seen in later review of the film. Lisa, who wanted to turn back, but agreed to continue, didn't see anything, but said she felt like she was being followed. John later pointed out a black, circular shadow on a side trail. Lyn reported hearing whispering, but wasn't able to understand what it was saying. She then reported feeling something standing next to her, and then, thinking it was John, turned to look and saw a balding old man walking next to her. She also saw that the man was talking, but turned away for a moment to get the attention of another hiker, but when she turned back, the man was gone. She also reports the feeling that there was no danger from the man standing next to her, and feeling that he was actually trying to help her. Nothing else was sighted for a period of time, but the hikers all reported that the eerie feeling stayed with them while in the woods. The hikers continued taking pictures and temperature checks. The hikers also noted that when checking the compass, it would sometimes spin, sometimes not move at all, and sometimes point in the wrong direction. The group then decided to turn back and head back out of the woods. On the way back, the groups noticed that a log that they had stepped over on the in, had moved. All the hikers reported seeing the distinct shape of an arrow pointing out of the woods. Unfortunately, they were only able to get a polaroid shot of the arrow, but after inspecting the picture, it was also noticed that sticks lying by the arrow obscurely spell out "leave." After finding the arrow, Lyn then reported the feeling of something standing directly behind her. She also noted that the area around her suddenly became extremely cold. The hikers then noticed a black shadow following them down the path. Both Lyn and Scott reported turning arond to look behind them and seeing the black shadow directly behind them, and then the shadow would fade back a little ways on the trail. All hikers reported that the shadow did not stop following them until they exited the forest. John then told the rest of the hikers "stop talking, give me the camera, don't turn around, don't look at it, don't worry about me, don't worry about where I am, just keep walking" and stayed behind to video tape as he walked out.
After the trip, the film was reviewed three times, and will be reviewed again. The group noticed that throughtout the film, small color tinged lights in the woods. These lights appeared to be following us throughout the hike and stayed in the woods till a final shot of the woods after the hikers had made it to the cars. Jen raised the theory that the lights following us and the ones that remained in the forest might be what are called Will o' the Wisps, child spirits that are believed to show themselves as different colored balls of light in order to draw hikers to follow them into the woods in a sort of "hide n' seek" game until the hiker becomes lost.
Pictures from the film, and links to the polaroid photos will be added soon. We do plan to revisit Dudleytown, but not in the near future.