This month we are traveling to Europe, to tell the story of a creature that has haunted that continent for centuries.  Nowadays it is the stuff of legend, the kind of thing you see on old coats-of-arms or hear about in the colorful tales of local folklore.  But the further you go into the more remote, forgotten corners of the European countryside, the darker and more forceful the folklore gets. The harsher the stories, the starker the warnings.  Until the history of this most deadly of creatures begins to seem more immediate than history should be.  And you begin to wonder whether there is some fatal truth to the old tales… some hidden secret, surviving from times long past.

Sources:

• Smithsonian Magazine
• Fandom
• Wikipedia 

Summer is right around the corner which means it’s time for campfires, s’mores and spooky tales. Even if it’s just in your own backyard, there’s something very special about gathering around the fire to tell stories late into the night. 

And while our second season of Camp Monsters is still a couple of months away, we figured now was a good time to re-share the episode that started it all — The Batsquatch. This creature, born out of the explosion of Mt. Saint Helens 40 years ago, was known to roam the area called the dead zone.  

Gather round and kick off your summer with season one of Camp Monsters. There are eight episodes that’ll keep you entertained long into the night with our new season coming to your ears in early September. You can find all of season one anywhere you listen to podcasts or at rei.com/camp-monsters. 

This month, we’re doing something a bit different. Our friends over at West Elm—you know, the ones with all the great furniture and home decor—reached out and asked us if we could find out more about a creature that washed up near their corporate headquarters in Brooklyn a few years ago. We did some digging and found enough to write about, and enough to make you a little nervous the next time you hear something scurry in the dark.

Sources:

• Brooklyn Bridge Monster May Be Distant Relative of Long Island Montauk Monster
• What The Heck is the Terrifying Creature Found Under the Brooklyn Bridge?
• Manhattan Monster

One of Camp Monsters biggest fan, a 4.5-year-old named Albie, was given the opportunity to record his version of season one's Batsquatch, a creature that was born from the ashes of the Mt. St. Helens explosion. While somewhat unintelligible, this version of a Camp Monsters classic is guaranteed to make you smile. 

Want more spooky stories that are a little easier to understand, albeit nowhere near as cute? Check out season one of Camp Monsters.

Deep in the wilds of Zambia, Tanzania, and Congo, there are stories of a creature that exists beyond the furthest bounds of known science. First-person accounts trickle out of something fearsome, something prehistoric, that calls the skies over the rivers and swamps home. It must just be a local legend, a case of mistaken identity. Or is it? 

Sources:

• Genesis Park
• Occultopedia 
• Wikipedia - Kongamato

We're back! Well sort of. Because we know monsters are an all year interest, we're bringing you our mini-monster series; a new story every month that'll keep you spooked until our new full-length season launches in September. 

This month's monster is something that calls the Scottish Highlands home. Something that makes a lonesome mountain in the mist of Scotland feel all the more ominous. Do you hear those footsteps behind you? 

There are more than just birds and shadows in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. For centuries, legends have told of a cursed, winged creature that haunts the Barrens by night, terrifying visitors and residents alike.

In the 1700s the United States was full of mysterious creatures that kept people wary of dark woods and unexplored territories. And for good reason. In the woods of the North East there were rumors about a mysterious creature that was haunting the local residents. Some people thought that the monster was created to warn children about the consequences of bad behavior... but others weren’t so sure.

Hiking through the Ozarks will lead to breathtaking views and comforting silence. But when the silence if broken by the eerie call of the Ozark Howler, you’ll find yourself running for safety. This story is for anyone who has caught sight of something out of the corner of their eye... and everything in them tells them to run.

Down by a river in Loveland, Ohio you’ll find the typical things: birds, frogs, crickets and the smell of the evening air. And then you’ll get a whiff of something that doesn’t smell right—something sweet and dry and … not pleasant. Local rumors state that there’s something unnatural behind that smell and it’s best not to be down by the river at night. Just in case you run into him. Or it. Or whatever it is that lives down there.