Feral people HUNT teen hiker 

The thing I love about Mr. Ballen's storytelling is that you are not even consciously aware you are being told a story. It's like you are actually there and it is happening to you. That is a rare quality.

I used to fear the strange, dark, and mysterious. Now my biggest fear is that Mr. Ballen will run out of stories to tell.

I actually met Christopher's mother a few years back traveling through Colorado, she was a very kind lady and helped us out tremendously, she was more concerned for our health than of anything else and so she told us about her son Christopher's story and actually showed us some proof, because it's not every day you run into the mother of the guy from "Into The Wild". She was an amazingly kind and warm hearted woman and I hope she's still doing well.

That was scarier than a movie. You sealed the deal for me, never going into the woods by myself, especially at night.

As an experienced backpacker, I can confirm that the scariest creatures you will ever encounter in the wilderness are other people. This story really freaks me out lol.

I love how you have 6M subscribers but still mainly just sit in front of a green screen and talk, no flash, no clickbait, just pure stories, really goes to show how much talent you have

From the age of 16 to 20, I routinely went on solo camping hikes in the national parks around my home town. There wer some experiences which reminded me that there were other, 'feral' people out there, but nothing crazy enough to really shake me. Listening to this now, as someone older, I just can't believe I happily used to do this sh... all the time. Thank goodness I'm still here.

stories like this prove that people are so much more terrifying than any ghost ever will be

I don't even feel completely safe walking in the woods during the day time, I can't imagine the fear this hiker went through. Absolutely terrifying.

MrBallen is the best storyteller on RU-vid, it’s not even a debate

Great Story. Thank you. It struck a nerve, because of an incident many years ago: We ( 7 teens) camped on a Oregon beach on 1970. I awoke with a feeling of something being wrong. And, wrong it was. A woman was crawling toward our isolated camp on the beach. Confronted, she ran. We all awoke and armed ourselves. We found another strange man in his forties also very close hidden behind a driftwood log. This was the " Charlie Manson era" and it really terrified us. Footnote: I've run into similar strange people ; possibly a cult who claimed there was a cave system under Mt Shasta. Right. But I' ve not hiked without a firearm for 35 years. Thousands of miles of solo hiking for over fifty years left me with the lesson for those in the next fifty years: Don' t hike alone. Travel armed. Keep aware, not paranoid, just realistic. Dont be a victim. Project strength.

I turned this story into a series of encounters for tonight's session of the DND campaign I currently run. It was hella spooky and creeped the whole gang out. Thanks for the inspiration!!

The moment you said 'he hears the stick break' my phone alarm went off and gave me a heart attack. That's how good your stories are haha

I love the idea that going into the wilderness is seen as "taking a break from reality". There is no reality more real than the wild.

When I was a little boy back in the early 70’s my mom would tell my brother and I ghost stories. Thinking back at it I have trouble understanding why she would tell a six year old these creepy strange stories but she did. I’m not gonna share a story but the one theme she always brought up was that the forests all across America were haunted. She talked about people dying and people being murdered out there and their spirits become trapped. I’m 56 now and to this day I have trouble thinking about camping out in the forest because of my odd mother. I’m not afraid of cougars or bears per say but I am afraid if ghosts bothering me. This mr ballen made me think of my mom. Thanks a lot mom!!

The fact that Matt was able to go a few hundred feet away from the trail (and more later on) to set up camp and was able to get back to the trail just as easily was surprising. If it had been me, I'd be lost 😅

Most scary stories youtubers just seem to be reading posts directly from reddit in monotone or overly dramatic voices, but Mr. Ballen has a genuine "dad telling his kids a bedtime story" energy. And I love it.

I can’t express how much I appreciate you always translating feet into meters, it makes imagining the stories so much easier. Much love from Europe

15 years ago I was on a Wild land firefighting crew for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and we did a lot of hiking and training in the Lassen forest, and I can tell you, there is some eerie country way back there. It made the hair stand up on the back of your neck!! Creepy! Glad I was with 16 other crew members 😮😮😮

Needs to be a movie! This is crazy af

I have never been so uncomfortable while watching a story. Goosebumps all over, mainly because of the way you tell the story. You did an incredible job, as always.

This channel has single handedly made me 10,000% more cautious when contemplating a forest outing.

I've watched SO many of your videos and this one has me looking behind my shoulder in my own house. Thanks for always putting so much effort into your content John!

So far what I’ve learned from Mr Ballen: do not go hiking. Do not go camping. Just don’t 😂

I can't imagine my life without the strange, dark, and mysterious delivered in story format

My heart was actually beating sooo fast! You’re the best story teller in history

I did a a few searches and supposedly some ancient people called Lemurians, tall thin in sandals and white robes, are believed to still live there. Odd thing is they are believed to live under Mt Shasta or something like that. Very odd

That part where he still decided to continue after his first experience in the camp is very much like what usually happens in horror movies... he's just really lucky to have survived and live to tell the tale.

This was like 10x scarier than Bells Canyon even. My heart was racing the whole time. Absolute masterpiece of storytelling.

As an avid horror movie fan this was 10x better than watching tv. Wish it was longer!! The part where he reached that little town after leaving the woods and the people in white, and debated about calling his family to come get him? I was yelling at my phone screen “don’t finish the hike!! It’s just a 100 miles!! Lie! Tell people you finished! But don’t leave that town!” Just like watching a horror movie, only better lol I’m gonna re watch/listen to this! In case I missed any additional details

My nerves, on edge right till the very end. I love how you tell your stories. It has me captivated and picturing it every single time without fail. Truly one of a kind. Thank you for sharing!

Mr Ballen puts me right into his stories. I get chills, the hair on my neck goes up, my anxiety goes through the roof. That’s a brilliant storyteller. There is something so special about him. Thanks for taking me all over the world!!

Hands down, this would be the perfect story to tell at a campfire. It would help set the vibe and could give others chills on a entire level.

This is my absolute favourite story from Mr.Ballen yet. This story is really scary and interesting at the same time and that dude really got lucky twice.

I agree! His narration abilities are immaculate! He tells the perfect amount of detail without it being inconsequential. Yet, not being obtuse and/or confounding by skipping over other points or aspects. It is a rare talent. I'm always highly engulfed or engaged; feeling transported into the narrative with a vivid visual. The Story: I definitely believe that there were more than two people stalking him out there. I would have given up once I first reached any civilization..

I’m watching this in broad daylight, in my kitchen, while doing dishes. Just at the part where he sees in his peripheral vision the dark figure running toward him, my 6-year-old came running into the kitchen. Startled the hell out of me. That just shows how talented you are at telling these stories.

Your kids are so lucky to have a plethora of videos of their dad telling stories! Thats awesome 💕

Thing I love most about Mr. Ballen is how no matter how well the photo relates to what he's talking about, he has the common courtesy to tell us it's not a real photo. No matter how much we already might know it is/isn't

Probably the best story he's done whether true or not

This one hit home for me. I've lived in shasta county my whole life and have experienced some pretty unexplainable things in these woods. Around 20 years ago my uncle disappeared in a area just south of castella. His dog returned home but not a single trace of him was ever found even after large groups searched for him. I just worked in the Lassen national forest area last year because of the Dixie fire and let me tell you those woods get dark not just physically but mentally. I love your stories Mr ballen. I could tell you some pretty interesting ones of my own.

I just found out I have 3 stage cancer. They hospitalized me immediately. Then my 14 year old son was listening to you.now I'm addicted you help me more than the treatment I am going through. Love you and thanks for getting my mind off the pain.

As a person living in Oregon our unmarked trails are never a good idea to go on! Crazy shit here. Be careful

I once decided to take a trip to Yosemite, ALONE. Being my first time out there I thought to myself; what an exciting adventure I'm about to have! This was during the year of Covid and so I needed to have an access pass which I didn't have. So day after day I drove the park finding back roads and deep woods that I could park the truck and sleep. One day I finally found this beautiful stream that I decided to hike up to; it was amazing. It opened up to a nice river a couple miles in. I started to get this eerie feeling that I was being watched. I found this pool that I finally stopped at that almost looked like it was man made but was questionable because it was so isolated on this trail I was on it didn't even have footsteps or tracks and covered in brush I was definitely on a trail less taken. Before I could even take off my boots to dip my feet all around me the the bushes and brush all moved as if the wind was blowing down stream. Only problem is in the distance no other trees were moving only what was near me. Rocks started to fall suddenly there was a dead silence. No wind, no bugs, no birds it was just silent. I never put my shoes on so fast! I yelled out and said I'm sorry for disturbing your place and I'm leaving now, I respect your space and I wont be back and I leave your home in peace. Terrified but not wanting to show fear I walked fast, then jogged and eventually I ran so quick to my truck at a sprinting pace and the entire way I could hear parallel steps along the ridge with every step of mine. I'm 6'2" and in pretty good shape. Whatever kept pace with me was with me every step of the way and every time I stopped, whatever it was stopped with me. I finally made it to my truck jumped in the bed and pulled out my sidearm ready for whatever was following me only to find me looking around aimlessly at nothing. I hopped in the truck, punched it and didn't look back. I've been camping all over the US. Angeles forest, Yellowstone, Joshua Tree and the list goes on but nothing and I mean NOTHING compares to that creepy experience I had that day.

People have been saying Mr ballen is the best story teller on the internet for over a year now but no one talks about how he literally just keeps getting even better as he goes. It's really cool. Dude has not lost his passion for this at all

When you go camping you better be prepared for a ringing bell, a guy stalking you for directions, weird noises, people stalking your camping area, land mines, bigfoot, guys being very tall and tapping on your cabin and the roof, other cryptids, and a whole bunch of other things. Mrballen has taught me nowhere is truly safe lol

Absolutely terrifying. Just discovered your channel, I'm here in the UK, think you have a wonderful gift for storytelling, you bring everything to life and make it so vivid, hugely enjoyable.

Lots of folks live(d) out there in the wilds of N Cal. Back in the 80s there were lots of "weed" farms way deep in the forests. LE/military would conduct ops and clear them. Also were several old US Army "camps" from WW2 era. Dangerous people and dangerous areas. Excellent story.

I grew up hiking and camping in Boy Scouts. We had 3 major rules: NEVER hike alone, always have something to protect yourself, and if someone is following you, turn around and leave.

I am Native American (Cherokee),and MrBallen tells stories as my native grandfather did.I miss my Paw,but MrBallen helps me remember and not miss my Paw as much.❤️❤️Storytelling is an art form.

The thing i love about mr. Ballen is that hes an Excellent story teller seriously

Watching Mr Ballen laugh to himself whilst telling his joke is the most wholesome thing ever 🥰

I just found out about this guy like 2 days ago, and I've watched him for like 13 hours. love the vids. 10/10 in storytelling!!

I quit telling my kids, "keep that up, and you'll get hurt". Now, I simply say, "This looks like the beginning of a Ballen story", and then proceed to narrate exactly what they're doing. They stop the dumb thing immediately, but they do give me the eat sh!t look.

Not only are these stories fascinating and terrifying, you way of telling them is very good. You're a great story teller.. Thank you.

I would bet they found the camp site by his food. Each time he described him making some food after setting up his camp. If he was cooking this would be a dead give away of your location. This was very scary. So glad he made it. Awesome story

i gotta say.. .from when i found u "what i saw in my room still haunts me" to now.. the growth ive seen in ur story telling is amazing. u were clearly always great hence why i was hooked vid 1, but man.. ur ability to tell a story now is crazy!! havnt missed literally ONE upload and am excited for all the future ones to come!

Lore, while entertaining, is an ancient form of recorded history. I’ve always stated that Mr. Ballen is the most gifted living storyteller. Because, with the advent of technology, story telling became a lost art.

Last summer I followed a young lady who was hiking the Pacific Crest and kept a Utube channel. At one point she heard some talking and could see several people all dressed in white garments gathered together. They were down a hillside and never saw her. She barely paused to take note of them.

I always carry a firearm while hiking the back country. Once encountered a group of 3 women who expressed their distaste of the firearm on my hip. I told them its for protection, and they suggested that I was scared of wildlife haha. I told them it's for protection against other humans. Then I showed the spray I use for bears and their response was that "people like you make these trails unsafe." I laughed, wished them well and continued on my journey

I never used to get freaked out by Mr Ballens stories... Until tonight. This is even a story I've watched once or twice before and it never bothered me. Tonight the story made me recall when I was younger and used to do similar things to Matt. Like going exploring in wilderness country all by myself for days on end. Tonight, after Matt's story, I thought of the danger I may have been in. How vulnerable I was to anything like Matts story. Shit I live in Australia but weird things happen here too. People go missing all the time.

If we all had a Mr. Ballen in our tribe, we wouldn’t need tv’s or social media. What a talented storyteller, this must have been what it was like for my grandparents as children.

He tells stories like he is telling his friend after experiencing it, which I like

I do not scare easily and this story scared the living shit out of me. Sitting at my kitchen table sweating thinking about Matt hiding under that tree. I've hiked and done lake diving in Mt. Shasta too! I'll think twice about going any deeper into the mountains there. I'm glad he's alive.

The hand gestures, eye contact, detailed explanations and tone of voice, it’s all so brilliant and really improves the stories. I absolutely love your storytelling abilities and your videos never fail to wow me

When I first came across Mr. Ballen over a year ago, I was hesitant because I’m not big on RU-vid storytelling. However; He has a magical gift that immerses me into the story. I get so stoked when I see a new video update. Thank you, John for your time and energy that goes into these stories.

Camping in Silverado canyon in 92, had someone walk a circle around the tent me and wife were in. Left as soon as i cocked the revolver, that was a good feeling right there. Next morning saw there was another person, stayed about 50 ft away.

The scariest story I’ve watched so far on this channel, reminiscent of, “It was a dark and stormy night…” or “the call is coming from another phone in the same house”. Great storytelling.

I heard on your podcast that the demand for this channel can at times be overwhelming as people impatiently wait for the next episode. I wanted to say Thank you for your work.

I live near Shasta, and it's true that there are so many stories of strange happenings on the mountain. The craziest ones to me are the people who disappear from places where it is seemingly impossible to disappear from -- like parts of the mountain where there are no trees or hiding places, and they were with a group one second only to not be with them the next, and no sign of them is ever found again. So many things I want answers to!

Dear Mr.Ballen please never stop telling us stories 😊

How do we live in 2024 and people still go out in the wilderness unarmed?

I have a very vivid imagination but you literally take me right into the story, absolutely terrifying, there’s too many unknowns out in the wilderness as we’ve learnt through your channel! Thanks for the content, best storyteller ever!!

NGL, this guy could describe the story of his weekly grocery shopping trip and we would all hang onto every word he says. Storytelling LEGEND!

They kept finding him because he kept cooking after making camp. Smells in the woods that don't belong tend to carry and can attract unwanted attention. Plus, his pace by that time would be set, meaning he would travel the same distance each day. Not hard to do the math. Also, if those people lived of the land, they would be excellent trackers. Food for thought....

Mr Ballen must be earning good money from his social media channels. Usually I despise social media people but this man deserves recognition and monetary gain because his storytelling ability is great. Even his mannerisms and gesticulating (makes it a far better experience on RU-vid than podcast) are top notch. Long may you continue Mr Ballen. I’d love to share a bowl of fermented walrus tail and cobra heart stew with you and your family! 😂😊

This was one of your finest moments of story telling - was totally hooked from start to finish. Top notch! Loved it! Thrilling!

I don't think I blinked my eyes for 20 minutes and I held my breath for 10 minutes! You are unbelievably good at story telling! Thank you 🇺🇲

i dont get scared easily, hardly ever do but this is absolutely terrifying, even just hearing a story about it is scary to me, Mr. Ballen unlocked a new fear in me with his story telling

Love the close up image of his eye with the accompanying caption " not real photo ".

I’m 72 years young and I anxiously await mr ballens stories every day

Hey John, combat vet here 11B just got out of service after 8 years. I battle PTSD but I’m thankful for you and your channel. It’s not much I look forward too every week but I get excited whenever I see that you uploaded a new video!! Please never stop the good work brother you’re an inspiration to many including myself! God bless 🇺🇸

I usually take what someone else says with a grain of salt, but this is different. I'm usually mad when people do stories with no proof of the situation. I believe this because every step I think I would have done that exact same thing. I have had a group of people who wanted to do more than hurt me and I was so scared I got into fight or flight mode and reacted the same way flailing my knife everywhere. This is terrifying, imagine what you would feel in this situation.

That's a crazy story. I can totally believe that there were people living out there and stealing from hikers. I've been in remote areas and seen signs of people living there. Even in small towns in areas like that, you'll sometimes see people looking really rough coming into town and you know that they are living in the woods. It's pretty rough living too. There will even be kids sometimes. But, having people follow someone for that long is odd. Doesn't make sense. Very creepy. I wonder about the whispers. Slight wind going through the trees and making the leaves rustle can maybe sound like whispers.

When you said it's kinda like the Missing 411 mixed with Bells Canyon I've been highly anticipating this. Your content is second to none, good sir!

I'm a homeless traveler and I just wanted to say that I really love these stories and I appreciate everything that this guy does because part of living the life that I live is actually meeting up with my other friends and sharing stories sometimes by a fire sometimes underneath dirty Bridges next to the train tracks and you know sometimes I'm not always with my friends and we don't always have stories to share so when I'm alone I like to watch these videos and listen to the stories because it's just a good way to take my mind off of the stress of life and everything...

This is the most terrifying story I’ve ever heard, what a nightmare! Those people seem otherworldly just really creepy stuff. I’ve heard this story before but I appreciate you MrBallen, you couldn’t have narrated any better, amazing story telling

God Bless you and Thank You Sir for your service 🇱🇷

Anyone else think this was the best story so far? Heart pounding with goose bumps… I love being in the woods camping and hunting so this may be the most intense anxiety inducing story yet for me. Love it. No one can do it like Mr. Ballen!

Me having a relaxing and chill Sunday afternoon. Oh Mr. Ballen uploaded a video let me check it out. All relaxation and chill has now disappeared and I'm on an adrenaline high ready to escape these "people in white" even though I am safe in my own home. Mr Ballen didn't simply tell me this story he placed me in that camping trip together with Matt.

That's a real wrong turn feeling 💀

Listening to this at 3am in the dark clutching my phone. Feels like I'm in the dark forest in the tent waiting for the footsteps and whispering. Mr Ballen is an incredibly gifted storyteller. This is my favourite channel ❤ ❤❤

Genuinely surprised this guy survived that ordeal. Dude was really pushing his luck. It seems like it would’ve been pretty easy for these people to get him if they wanted to.

I live near the Appalachian Trail and Ive seen some WILD things out here, and there are people who you look at and just instantly worry you. I REFUSE to hike that trail without a firearm anymore.

Hollywood screenwriter: *Takes notes*

This story reminds me why I dont hang out in the woods at night 😅😅

Bro I swear, John's story telling takes me back to being a young child hearing a scary story and being literally spooked! Even though I am a 32 year old grown man....jeez man. Keep up the videos. I can't get enough. Hands down one of my favorite RU-vidrs. Thanks!

I love that you have gone back to your paranormal roots. Miss these stories where I can feel my heart racing along with the storytelling. Caught myself saying out loud "run mate, just run"

Best story yet. Having done the full length of the PCT you experience a lot of odd stuff. Too bad he was chased off the trail.

He told this one so well. It’s like I’m in the story.

Nothing matches the terror of being in a forest, knowing that you’re being hunted down and your instincts are literally screaming out danger signals.