Man in a black robe at a remote mountain campsite
A caller from Pasco, Washington, tells Art Bell about a summer camping trip in a remote mountain area. The caller and a girl came back from a walk to find their friend hiding in the car. The friend said a man in a black robe had come by, said “this isn't right,” and walked off. The caller says they never learned more, and the friend still insists the caller had someone up there.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1995.mp3”, starting at 1:54:17). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller gives their location as Pasco, Washington. They tell Art Bell that earlier in the summer they went camping with a friend and a girl in the mountains, about 20 miles from the nearest town and 10 miles from the nearest person, on a logging road and clear-cut. The caller and the girl walked down the road while the friend stayed by the campfire. When they returned ten to fifteen minutes later, the friend was hiding in the car. The friend got out and asked who the guy was who had just come by. The caller says they replied that they were 10 miles from the nearest person. The friend then said a man in a black robe had come by, looked at the friend, said “this isn't right,” and walked off. The caller says neither of them understood what he meant, and that the friend had never been there before. The caller describes the road as clear-cut in another direction, almost grown over, with trees coming up in the middle. The friend kept going on about it, and they finally left because the friend was “ecstatic” about it. The caller says they never found out anything more. Every time the caller talks to the friend, the friend still goes on about it and still thinks the caller had somebody up there with them. The caller says it was impossible for anybody to have found them, and that if someone got hurt there, nobody would find them. The host says it is something the caller will wonder about for life. The caller answers, “Apparently.”
Reported events, in order
- 0:03
The caller says they have a ghost story.
- 0:08
The caller gives their location as Pasco, Washington.
- 0:12
The caller says they were camping earlier this summer with a friend up in the mountains, three of them in all.
- 0:21
The caller describes being 20 miles from the nearest town and 10 miles from the nearest person.
- 0:29
The caller says they were on a logging road up on a clear-cut.
- 0:36
The caller and a girl walked down the road. The friend stayed by the campfire.
- 0:41
They returned ten to fifteen minutes later, and the friend was hiding in the car.
- 0:47
The friend got out of the car and asked who the guy was who had just come by.
- 0:53
The caller says they responded that they were 10 miles from the nearest person.
- 0:59
The friend says a man in a black robe came by, looked at the friend, said “this isn't right,” and walked off.
- 1:08
The host asks if he meant [quote withheld]
- 1:11
The caller says neither understood, and the friend had never been there before.
- 1:15
The caller describes the road as clear-cut in another direction, almost grown over, with trees in the middle.
- 1:28
The friend kept going on and on, and they finally left because the friend was ecstatic about it.
- 1:42
The host asks if they never found out more, and the caller says no.
- 1:48
The caller says every time they talk, the friend still goes on about it and thinks the caller had somebody up there.
- 1:54
The caller says it was impossible for anybody to have found them.
- 1:58
The caller says if you got hurt there, nobody would find you.
- 2:03
The host says it is something to wonder about for life, and the caller answers, “Apparently.”
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- hearsay· 0:59
The friend said they saw a man in a black robe at the remote campsite.
- hearsay· 1:03
The friend said the man walked off.
- observation· 0:21
The caller describes the campsite as extremely remote.
- observation· 0:41
The caller says the friend was hiding in the car when they returned.
- observation· 1:11
The caller says the friend had never been there before.
- interpretation· 1:54
The caller concludes it was impossible for anybody to have found them.
- hearsay· 1:48
The friend still thinks the caller had somebody up there with them.
- host statement· 1:08
The host asks whether the figure meant [quote withheld]
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The caller was present on the camping trip, but the sighting itself is secondhand, from an unnamed friend. The details are moderately specific and consistent, but a living person or a mistaken sighting is not ruled out. The cap for secondhand stories applies (60 or less).
Evidence for and against
- The caller was on the trip and describes the sequence: [quote withheld]
- Concrete remoteness: [quote withheld]
- A consistent report of what the friend said: [quote withheld]
- The main sighting is secondhand. The caller did not see the figure, and the friend is unnamed and not on air.
- No exact location, date, or independent check, and only one witness to the figure.
- Another person in the area as an ordinary explanation is not ruled out.
- The labels showing who is speaking and some merged lines make it unclear who said what in places.
- The automatic transcript is low in confidence around key lines of description.
- 0:36
- 0:59
- 1:54
What the model inferred (not said on air): The story is treated as secondhand for the ghost itself because the caller relays the friend's sighting, so the score is capped.
Only the caller's word, which itself passes on an unnamed friend's story. There is no physical evidence, documentation, or second witness on air.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a general location and sequence but no names, exact dates, or records that can be checked.
- No photograph, recording, or examined document.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- None beyond the usual uncertainty in the transcript.
- 0:59
What the model inferred (not said on air): Nothing in this part of the broadcast gives support that can be checked independently.
A remote campsite, a friend hiding in a car, and a robed figure saying a cryptic line create an eerie, unresolved mood. But there is no threat, contact, or lasting escalation.
Evidence for and against
- The friend was [quote withheld]
- The figure reportedly said “this isn't right.”
- Unresolved ending: [quote withheld]
- No physical harm or menace is reported.
- The encounter is brief, with only one witness.
- The time of day is not stated, which affects the atmosphere.
- 0:41
- 0:59
- 1:42
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is judged from the content of the story, not from how the caller tells it.
A stranger at a remote campsite is a familiar motif, but the cryptic line “this isn't right” and the friend hiding in the car are distinctive details. Comparison with the rest of the archive is provisional because it carries little weight in the pilot.
Evidence for and against
- A remote campsite and a robed stranger are familiar motifs.
- The cryptic statement and the hiding in the car add specifics.
- Nothing rare is reported, only a single brief sighting.
- Comparison with the rest of the archive was not done here, so the score is provisional.
- 0:59
What the model inferred (not said on air): Score based on stock elements plus one distinctive detail.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's secondhand story of a friend's reported sighting; No physical evidence; No second witness on air; No documentation. The originality score blends the model's score (50) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A living person in the area, such as a hiker, hunter, logger, or other visitor, could account for the robed man. · The caller stresses how remote the spot was but gives no exact location and describes no search: [quote withheld]
- A brief mistake in seeing a person or object in the remote setting could account for the single sighting. · Only one witness reports the figure, and the description is brief: [quote withheld]
- A prank or arranged encounter by someone known to the group could account for the friend's belief that the caller had someone up there. · The caller says the friend [quote withheld] but no evidence for this is given.
What stands out
The main sighting is secondhand, and the only words the figure is reported to have said are the cryptic “this isn't right,” which the caller and host cannot explain. The friend's reaction, hiding in the car, adds a concrete but unexplained detail.
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