The mist obscures my vision as I drive through the outskirts of town; the warm humid air spills in through my windows and the crickets sing to me, “Have a pleasant night!” The Appalachian mountains loom in the distance because not even the darkest of night and thickest of mist can disguise their might. As I drive, I realize the crickets have halted their song, and that tail lights ahead appear from the mist. I slow to give them space, but no matter how fast I slow, the tail lights become brighter and closer and… Those aren’t headlights! His wings flap furiously and he rises to a menacing 15 feet in the air, those bright red eyes unceasingly connecting with mine. Seconds, minutes, maybe hours pass before I blink and I can tell he’s gone because the crickets begin singing their song again, this time slower, seemingly warning, “Beware… of mothman…”

Located in the Appalachian Basin near the West Virginia border lies Shenandoah National Park. It contains 300 square miles of the Blue Ridge Mountains and shares features with West Virginia. This area has a deep ancient history; the mountains near the Shenandoah Valley were formed 400 million years ago when the North American and African tectonic plates met. The valley is made of limestone, which means it is also karst. As such, the valley is full of caves and caverns. These features combined make the national park feel ancient, and possibly mystical, with plenty of hiding spots for mythical creatures such as Mothman. Considering how close by he has been sighted, the features in this area no doubt contribute to the mysticism regarding his appearances.

SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

I had traveled so far to see the sequoias and the meadows, but I hadn’t prepared myself for this deathly heat. I reached for my water to quench my thirst only to realize I had left it out by my car. Groaning, I stumbled from my tent to grab my bottle and take a few swigs. Something bright up on the hill caught my attention, and I wiped the sleep from my eyes. The bright white form became visible once my eyes cleared up, and to my horror I saw an all-white two-limbed creature bumbling down the hill straight at me. The water bottle slipped from my fingertips as I scrammed towards my tent. Hurriedly I zipped the tent, but something told me to take one last peak. Outside, I could see the strange pair of legs joined by another. Strangely, while they seemed quite menacing, they walked aimlessly and non-threateningly. I should’ve heeded the Ahwahnechees’ warning when they said don’t disturb the Nightcrawler.

Yosemite National Park is located within the Sierra Nevada and in Central California. The area consists of granite rocks, which are so incredibly durable that many of the cliff faces and mountain spires remain bold and largely untouched. The Ahwahnechees occupied the area Yosemite now claims for nearly 7,000 years before being forced from the area, and they have many legends regarding the countless cliff faces, the spires, waterfalls, and winds. The Ahwahnechee are familiar with the legend of the Nightcrawler, which was spotted within the park and close by in Fresno, and call them “The Beings.” They have created totems depicting them and believe them to be otherworldly beings sent to rectify the union between man and nature. The bold, hulking, and largely unchanged rock faces create a strong foreboding atmosphere to the park that the indigenous people recognized and could contribute to these legends regarding the Nightcrawler, or The Beings.

The indigenous people of the Sun-a-do mountains, or the Olympic mountains, gathered around the fire to listen to their elders share the story of how the hot springs of the Sol Duc Valley formed. “Two dragons,” the old woman seated at the center began, “one from the Sol Duc Valley, and the other from Elwha Valley, lived peacefully without interacting. While exploring the forest, the dragons met face-to-face and were filled with rage that either dragon was trespassing. They fought gruesomely for years, ripping and tearing at each other, but neither dragon could overcome the others’ strength. Both dragons retreated to their caves and cried at their defeat; their tears pooled in the valleys and formed hot bodies of water.” The elder took a breath and pointed down the sloping hill to the water below the tribe. “That’s a reminder of the strength held within these mountains.”

Olympic National Park is located in an area with a history of geologic activity and underwater volcanoes that formed, with the help of two plates subducting, the mountain ranges found in the park. A fault in the tectonic plates allows for hot water to travel to the surface, creating hot springs. Additionally, Lake Crescent is a prominent feature in Olympic National Park, and its amazing depth has astounded locals and even biologists, all of whom once believed the lake to be bottomless. Now, it is confirmed to be 650 feet, but years of believing the lake to be bottomless has left locals mystified by the lake and its surrounding areas. Many of the lakes in the region were created by glaciers, and some of them reach depths of nearly 2,000 feet deep. The earthquakes that affect the area, the mysterious hot springs, and the inexplicably deep lakes all contribute towards the local and indigenous peoples’ need to explain these properties. 

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

References

Ecosystems - Shenandoah National Park (U.S. (2017, December 7). National Park Service.       https://www.nps.gov/shen/learn/nature/naturalfeaturesandecosystems.htm

Geology of Olympic - Olympic National Park (U.S. (2020, September 29). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/nature/geology.htm

Geology of the Shenandoah Valley (U.S. (2022, August 16). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/shenandoah-valley-geology.htm

Knight, E. (2023, April 10). Geology - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/geology.htm

Spence, M. (1996). Dispossesing the Wilderness: Yosemite Indians and the National Park Ideal, 1864-1930. Pacific Historical Review, 65(1), 27–59. https://doi.org/10.2307/3640826

The Warring Dragons Legend of Sol Duc Hot Springs. (2017, May 12). Olympic National Park. https://www.myolympicpark.com/park/history/sol-duc-legend/

Photo Credits

1. Yosemite Cover: https://jimpattersonphotography.com/nature-photo-galleries/yosemite-national-park-photo-gallery/

2. Mothman: https://twitter.com/leovincible/status/1256230914071420928?s=46&t=1AmidK7Am-a_Cw8lFKcltQ

3. Nightcrawlers: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/39054721758137975/

4. Sol Duc Dragons: https://tanya_bengtsson.artstation.com/projects/BmkZJl