The Oldfoot Mountain Incident

The Oldfoot Mountain Incident involved a group of five unidentified hikers who went missing while trekking a path around Oldfoot Mountain in Kanesue-Bend National Park. The young hikers were last seen on October 2003 in the nearby town, but had not given out their names. They had not secured a permit and did not want to attract attention. Their belongings would be found over time as they had somehow been scattered across a wide distance around the mountain's trail to the surrounding area. One of the hikers boots was even found near the shore of Tree Pine Lake.

Background

The hikers seem to have been affiliated with a local university outdoor club. They were probably experienced in hiking and camping, but the area around Oldfoot Mountain had been sectioned off to the public the last decade after the Ruckson Ski Lodge and the surrounding grounds had been closed down and sold off to private ownership. However, the area had become infamous for nighttime ghost-hunting hikes around Tree Pine Lake.

Incident

Having presumably snuck in during the night, the group had set up a camp not too far from the lake and at the edge of the forest trail near the mountain base. They had gone in unseen, but the caretakers of the lodge reported the next morning noticing signs of trespassing left in the snow. The night before had been cold but clear. It is unknown how many nights the hikers spent in the area, but it seems in order to avoid the caretakers, they had moved further up the trail towards the mountain and into the dense forest.

At this point they may have gotten lost, as the trail becomes less defined and the mountain interferes with navigational equipment. They had setup camp in several different areas until deciding to head up the mountain to clear the forest for a vantage point.

Now low on supplies, the hikers may have had to also deal with a localized blizzard that had battered the area for several days. The remaining survivors would then manage to find one of the abandoned cabins from the old ski resort. Despite the shelter, the lack of supplies and harsh conditions meant that they would not last long. It is unknown what exactly happened next as none of the bodies have been found, but, blood-stained clothing would be discovered amongst their camping equipment.

Investigation

The disappearances were strangely never reported from the outside. Local authorities were only notified as the caretakers of the lodge had started finding the hikers belongings scattered around the area. A search party was never organized as it wasn't until the ruined cabin's discovery did authorities realize it may have been a group. The cabin had five sleeping bags but personal identification items were missing. The only paper that had survived was a barely readable pamphlet for an outdoors club.

Cleanup and forensic investigation efforts were heavily hampered by the private ownership of the land. While initial investigations came to the conclusion that the hikers were a group, further investigations were limited by the Tree Pine Collective who had bought the area from the Ruckson family over a decade earlier and had subsequently closed it off to the public. The Tree Pine Collective were known to be a secretive organization, but one that ultimately took care of the land and funded the nearby towns after their fishing, lumber, and mining industries had collapsed.

Aftermath

The hikers remain unidentified and missing to this day. Authorities have closed the case as unresolved, believing the hikers had by now succumbed to the elements. The Tree Pine Collective have since placed more security and fencing around the area to deter further ghost-hunter trespassers.

Explanations

Numerous conspiracy theories have come up to explain the hikers disappearance. These range from the supernatural to the whole ordeal being a hoax.

A government experiment in the area gone wrong (they were known to operate there covertly in the 70s).
The group had come across an ancient curse that would confuse them and lead them to cannibalism (no signs of cannibalism have been reported).
They had been abducted by a cult operating in the area (The Tree Pine Collective vehemently deny the cult claims they have received over the past years).
A vicious creature of some sort had got them (spurred from the apparent 'monster footprints' on some of the police photos).