Where is Russel?
Russel was lost in the rockies for several weeks and his body was never found.
That was ninety one. Now it's 2025. People say they see his clothes hung up in trees during the summer months and cabins in the region get midnight visits by something trying to enter.
They were attributed to Russel.
As they were the same hotspots and clues were always found, as if the man was still alive trying to make contact with humanity again.
Alas his body itself was never seen. And people never describe more than a shadow.
or awkwardly shapen tracks through the snow. In 1991 there was a seach party two weeks after his disappearance, this story is about that experience.
Gareth, Aaron and Jane acquiantances of Russel left Toronto morning August 23rd 1991.
"No early snows to speak of, and no news of any avalanches either" Aaron stated pushing optimism.
"Yeah he could easily still be lost out there somewhere" Gareth said.
"That's the hope. He was due back a week ago however and he is not exactly new to the great outdoors."
A few hours of hush as the true seriousness of the situation sunk in. Jane the great injector of harsh truths, Aaron the dresser upper and Gareth usually optimistic by nature.
They arrived at the carpark where Russel's car had been towed from.
A small shelter maybe 30 meters in size with a front door and a few thick windows.
"Park ranger's not coming in today apparently."
"No problem I already have a note here we can leave in the cabin"
There was some light snow on the ground which was not normal for August. But no close to indicating any danger for campers in terms of cold, and it was already showing signs of melting.
Aaron gathered a little in his drink bottle crouching briefly.
"How far up the track was he camped? Or how far did he usually camp up there?" Jane asked Gareth who knew Russel better.
"Years ago we once made it a few kilometers past the lake at the end. It's atleast seventeen kilometers from here".
"Not supposed to go beyond the lake. Atleast thats what the Alonquian tribes say."
"Oh yer because bigfoot gonna eat them right Aaron?"
Aaron just smirked.
Gareth said "The wilderness is really different at night, it can play tricks on your mind"
"Russel must have thought himself immortal coming out here by himself!" Jane said
"Although the real danger are just bears right?" she added
"I don't know those stags get pretty big" Gareth retorted
They approached some bare shrubs with a piece of orange material flying in the wind just a few meters from the track.
"Must be from his hunting vest" Jane observed.
"It could be from anyone" Aaron said quickly.
Jane packed it away in her jacket pocket.
They walked over foothills almost prairie like flat lands foothills and more foothills.
Then like a great gate rising up composed of thick tall douglas fir and blue spruce.
"Finally we get to the forest" Aaron said.
As they breached the fringe something pale sat watching them.
"Look it's a lizard." Gareth said.
Aaron said "But it's so pale, I've never seen anything like it before."
"It's probably albino" Jane downplaying their fascinations.
Kilometers in they set up their camp in small clearing so they could potentially get some moonlight, if one needed to relieve oneself post midnight.
A small fire and some comfortable moss to carpet the underlayer of the tents.
Yet the night was uncomfortable. There was a low moan that almost went from animal and human and back, the best way to describe it is the noise of a hungry stomach and a faint dog growl.
Loud enough to perturb them all. silent enough for them to nod off eventually.
The next day progress was slow, another strip of Russel's hunting vest was found on the side of the track and the forest track despite protecting them from the glaring sun, seemed to fork and give false paths to nowhere, in which case they's have to double back.
Jane optimistic and the boys compeltely sombre. That is until they reached the lake.
Emerging from the forest like cheerful children. Jane thought so.
They fished and talked and felt at ease. The noise inside the forest wasn't heard here, it was in exact contrast to the shady confusion of the forest.
With a campfire and fresh food they slept better than they could at home.
The next day they awoke to a cold morning. A light snow and low fog.
Something had changed the weather.
They made their way passed the lake and into the low mountains. The day grew grey and exhausting. They hiked up the inclines often using their hands to pull themselves over rocks or to balance themselves.
They got to a flat space by dusk and decided to camp once again.
"Fuck it" Gareth cried out.
"What's wrong" Jane inquired.
"It's back"
"what's back?"
"Jane he's talking about the noise." Aaron said
They went through the motions with no real expression scared and disappointed.
The noise came and went sharpening on a forceful breeze that would blow so hard against their tents that the lining would cave inward in a sinister way.
It was too much for Jane and she went to sleep in Gareth's tent. Aaron was there a few minutes later obviously hearing the new sleeping arrangement, and joining out of fear.
It seemed darker than the forest, the noise stopped around 3.30am. They started to hear foot steps not far off. Gareth opened the tent and they all piled out, they hadn't been sleeping.
They shone their torches in the direction of the noise and there it was. On the edge of their little camp site.
A human man hairless and pale, something that reminded Gareth of the lizard. Leaning forward as they witnessed it grinning at them.
"It's Russel" Jane said as if ignoring it sensing them.
"No it's not"
The creature leaned in further sniffing with a non existant nose and a dog skullish grin.
It took two steps back and vanished into the dark.
"It was a ghost" Gareth said.
Jane insisted "It was russel somehow"
Aaron looked at them both as if a child.
" I can prove it" Gareth said.
Walking over and shining his lantern on the patch of snow the thing was standing on.
"There's nothing there."
Needless to say noone slept that night.
In the morning after a few attempts at sleep they set off for home.
Pretty shaken and very tired.
They had almost reached the lake that idyllic place that seemed so safe and welcoming.
"I know it was Russel, I saw the line on his arm. That's what made me say it"
"Why didn't you tell us last night then" Gareth inquired aggressivley
"It's true Gareth I saw it too, the shock of whatever hes transformed into stopped me from being able to identify it." Aaron conceded
Gareth looked down "Next bad news you guys got, keep it to yourself"
"Is it bad news?" jane asked
"Yes, that thing is something from legend. It could not survive out there in the cold naked like that."
"But its still August maybe he went mad and emaciated" Aaron said
"Summer hasn't touched this place Aaron."Replied Gareth.
They hung their heads and once again unpacked their things to make camp.
As darkness took over the three dreamed of the images of the creature they had seen out there that night. The way it had peered into them. The grin. A knowing. A certainty and yet a game.
They dreamed of the pale creature observing their tents from the outside. Gareth woke the other two.
" I dreamed there was a racoon playing with that creature not twenty meters from our tent down there by lakeside."
They shone their torches and to their terror there was something moving down by the lake.
A Racoon turning over rocks looking for something.
The first subtle sign of light was coming into the sky. The three of them clambered to pack up the camp.
They skipped breakfast and kept a quick pace until they got back to the parking lot.
It was dusk again, this time though they would be able to drive home and spend their night sleeping in beds.
True darkness, the experience had marked them deeply and they spent a few nights sleeping in the same room just to rehabilitate themselves from the shock. The story that would later be told as the shared hallucination. In a world of no certainty. some might believe there was something odd out there in them woods.
