"Something Mimicked Your Voice Directly Behind Me" — Couple Leaves Appalachian Woods Camping Trip

If you've been on the creepy side of TikTok at all, then you may have heard of the scary things that go bump in the night (and day) in the Appalachian woods. One user @priestly67, whose real name is Jen, posted a TikTok in which she explains her own experience with something called a mimic in the woods of Appalachia.

In the video, Jen explains that she and her husband were on a primitive camping trip in the Appalachian woods when they heard some seriously creepy noises and unexplained movement in the woods all around them. And they aren't the only ones to report mimics in those woods on TikTok, which makes the story even creepier.

Jen and her husband went camping with their dog to a remote area, which is typical for the Appalachian area. They expected primitive and private conditions, and that's what they got. However, Jen explains in the TikTok video, she didn't expect to cut the trip so early that they sped away the same day they arrived at their site.

She explains that, while her husband was cooking at their campsite, she walked into the woods to use nature's bathroom. Like so many of us have had to do on a primitive camping trip, it's difficult enough without being totally creeped out. That's when the mimics started.

Jen says in the video that, when she was in the woods, she heard "meow meow," which is an inside joke and something that she and her husband say to each other. When she turned around, no one was there. And, she says, it couldn't have been her husband playing a prank on her.

"So it's his voice saying our thing, but it's like a really monotone voice," Jen explains in the video. "But it was so loud. It was directly behind me. In order for me to hear [my husband], if he's over there [by the campsite], he would have to yell."

After she explained the situation to her husband, they decided to pack up and leave. But this is the extra creepy part, so feel free to go and flip on all the lights in your house (or, you know, tell Alexa to do it for you). Jen says in the video that, as they packed up their gear to leave, they heard something in the woods on all three wooded sides of them, "circling."

And no, they were certain it wasn't an animal. And when Jen's back was turned, helping their dog into the car, she heard something or someone run fast behind her and stop short right before it reached her. When she turned around, nothing and no one was there.

Yeah, I'm good. No camping for me for quite a while, because this story makes me afraid to go into the woods during the daylight hours, let alone when the sun sets.

Mimics are part of folklore about Appalachia that involve creatures sounding or even looking like yourself or people you know. Are they real? That's definitely up for debate, especially on TikTok. But some users in the comments believe Jen and her husband encountered a skinwalker, which is essentially another word for these mimics and stem from Navajo tales.

But everyone is in agreement that the entire ordeal is terrifying. And, according to some, it's why they prefer not to camp at all. One user commented, "That's why I camp in hotels and hunt in supermarkets." And another echoed that sentiment: "Camping for me is a Holiday Inn Express."

I've never been one for primitive, remote camping. And after this story about mimics in the Appalachian woods, I think I'll stick to my campgrounds that have park rangers and electric hook-ups, thank you very much.