Russia’s Dyatlov Pass Incident is one of the creepiest, most mysterious true stories ever told.

In January 1959, during the height of the Cold War, nine young Urals Polytechnic Institute students in their 20s and 30s went hiking in the Ural Mountains. All were experienced hikers and skiers, but none were prepared for what was about to happen. 

Their goal was to reach the mountain Gora Otorten. It was to be a 200-mile adventure in all.

On February 1, the group set up their tent on the slopes of the Kholat Syakhl. In the Indigenous Mansi people’s language, the words roughly translate to “Dead Mountain.”

After weeks, parents and the university started looking for them, but no one would see them alive again. Diaries and cameral rolls left behind in the tent reveal clues about their final moments. 

Unknown Compelling Force

Weeks later, investigators find their tent flattened and their bodies scattered widely in the surrounding area. Sadly, the seven men and two women all suffered a forever unexplained end. 

Official list the cause of death as “an unknown compelling force” and “the spontaneous power of nature.”

It was as if some of them had been struck with the force of a car. Otherwise, there weren’t any outward signs of violence. Notably, only their footprints were found, and no signs of animals or intruders. The spacing of the footprints indicated they were walking at a normal pace.

A Search for Months

It took over two months to find all the hikers. First, two bodies were found near a cedar tree, naked apart from underwear, with temperatures as low as -40 degrees. Some of the bodies were wearing pieces of clothing belonging to other hikers.

Days later, more bodies were found, in varying stages of undress. Even stranger, they suffered from unexplainable injuries, internal fractures, broken ribs, and discolored skin. Finally, after two months and warming temperatures, searchers found the last of the bodies, buried beneath 13 feet of snow.

Mysterious Clues

The student who found the tent said it “was half torn down and covered with snow. It was empty, and all the group’s belongings and shoes had been left behind.” 

A camping stove was still unassembled as if they had never been able to use it.

An unknown force caused massive chest and skull fractures. Two of the bodies were missing their eyes, and one had no tongue or lips. For some reason, there was radioactive material on some of the clothes.

At the funerals, attendants noticed their loved ones’ skin had turned orange, and their hair was gray. 

Wild Theories Abound

Since then, nobody has explained what killed the hikers, with theories varying from:

• Attack by extraterrestrials 
• Sudden small avalanche
• Violent Katabatic wind 
• Secret KGB weapons testing
• Death by the Yeti
• A murder cover-up

In 2019, on the 60th anniversary of the deaths, Expedition Unknown shared the story. Host Josh Gates discusses a document showing Soviet investigators may have known about the hikers’ deaths by February 6. But supposedly, they didn’t find the tent until February 26? 

According to National Geographic, “Soviet bureaucracy kept the case quiet.” Recently, Russian authorities reopened the investigation. (see below)

See the clip from Expedition Unkown below:

Flying Orbs and Aircraft

Witnesses who were mountain climbers claimed to see orange orbs flying in the area the night of the incident. Area residents, meteorologists, and soldiers confirmed the orb sightings.

Some victims’ relatives believed some unknown military testing could have caused the deaths. A June 29, 2020 petition to the prosecutor general Dyatlov Case, some believed the deaths were due to “negligence on behalf of the rocket engineers who made a mistake in the design of the hull or engine of the aircraft, unsuccessful launch, and sabotage.”

Official Cause: Avalanche and Poor Visibility

After reopening the case in 2019, Russian authorities once again ruled the cause for the mysterious deaths was an avalanche and poor visibility. The avalanche “forced the group out of their tents to shelter under a nearby ridge. Lack of visibility then prevented their return.”

“It was a heroic struggle. There was no panic. But they had no chance to save themselves under the circumstances,” said Andrey Kuryakov. “The version (of the events) about the avalanche has found its full confirmation, but it was not the only cause of their death,” he continued.

After the avalanche forced them to leave the tent, they huddled in a nearby mountain ridge. From there, some of the group tried to return to the tent but got lost and froze to death, according to the official report by Andrey Kuryakov, deputy head of the regional prosecutor’s office.

However, many questions remain, including why they were in a state of undress and what caused the massive internal injuries? If it was an avalanche, the typical death is due to asphyxiation.

Although an avalanche supposedly hit, the tent was near the surface, sticking out of the snow. 

Further, there was no sign of an avalanche at the location. According to Heavy, “in over 100 expeditions to the region since the incident, no one has reported conditions creating an avalanche.” The slope seemed too mild to have been the site of an avalanche.

See more from House of History:

Computer Models Suggest Freak Avalanche

Today, after 62 years, scientists offer new explanations for the Dyatlov Pass Incident. Most recently, National Geographic suggests science has the answer after using computer models to run avalanche simulations. Strangely, the models use animation from the movie Frozen and car crash experiments.

Two Swiss researchers used the film’s snow animation code, avalanche simulation models, and car crash impact models. They found that a small avalanche merely 16 feet across could have caused the traumatic injuries seen in the victims. It would be a very rare perfect storm, at an “exact spot, at that exact moment, during that one very wintery night.”

“The researchers’ computer models demonstrated that a 16-foot-long block of hefty snow could, in this unique situation, handily break the ribs and skulls of people sleeping on a rigid bed. These injuries would have been severe, but not fatal—at least not immediately,” reported National Geographic.

Thus, a swift-moving slab of snow hit the campers as they slept. Three people were severely injured in the avalanche while the others tried to move them to safety. Lost in the dark, they had no chance to survive.

Further Explanations

Further explanations suggest the hiker’s state of undress may have been caused by paradoxical undressing.

Clothing left with radioactive traces may have been caused by camping lanterns containing thorium.

Animals may have scavenged the bodies, resulting in missing eyes and tongue. 

Thus, the experienced hikers were caught off guard by a freakish avalanche, unaware the seemingly gentle slope was treacherous beneath their campsite.

Was it a small freakish avalanche that caused the hikers’ death that night? Nobody knows for sure, but one of the researchers involved, Alexander Puzrin, says for him, “This is a story of courage and friendship.”

More from Expedition Unkown below:

Featured images: Screenshots via YouTube

Petroglyphs found in Georgia show a possible connection between some of the earliest archaeological sites in the United States and Bronze Age Europe.

Symbols found etched into stone are remarkably similar. At one ancient site in Savannah, Georgia, some also point to possible connections with the Mesoamericans. Nevertheless, today, those sites are obscure and, in one case, merely relegated to the side of a desolate highway overpass.

The Uchee or Yuchi Tribe

The Uchee (also spelled Euchee, Outchee, Uchi, or Yuchee), Creek, and Seminole tribes that created these sites long ago were uprooted and all-but-destroyed when Europeans arrived in the late 1600s. The name the Uchee gave themselves was Tsoyaha or Coyaha, “Children of the Sun.” 

These Native Americans spoke a unique language unrelated to any other, which is endangered today. However, remaining ancestors are working to restore their heritage before it’s lost forever.

# 787 We celebrate the Tsoyaha Yudgiha for many reasons… Today, they are a very much forgotten Indigenous people that…

Posted by Yuchi (Tsoyaha) Indigenous People on Wednesday, October 7, 2020

One of those ancestors is Richard L. Thornton, who describes himself as an author, architect, and city planner with Creek and Uchee Indian heritage. Thornton is the architect for Oklahoma’s Trail of Tears Memorial in Tulsa.  

The Home of the Sun

Thornton points out that the Uchee believe their ancestors were from across the ocean. 

“Since their first contacts with the Georgia colonists in 1733, the Uchee have consistently stated that their ancestors came across the Atlantic Ocean from the “home of the sun” and first landed at the mouth of the Savannah River,” writes Thornton.

If true, his theories mean that the Uchee descended from people living some 4,600 miles across the Atlantic.

Signs Almost Forgotten 

After studying the petroglyphs and ancient sites, Thornton believes ancient mariners from Scandinavia traveled to Georgia thousand of years ago. In the pursuit of gold in the Georgia Gold Belt, they interacted with Native people, leaving behind signs. Signs they left behind:

• Language similarities
• Cultural symbols
• Petroglyphs
• Burial mounds
• Other ancient sites

For example, Thornton suggests the Tugaloo River’s name may have been derived from the Gaelic word, Togha-re, meaning “Best, Great, or Principal People.” In Creek Indian, the similar word, Tokahle, means “freckled.” Afterward, the 18th century Cherokee version, Dagalu, became the one that is recognized.

Ruins of Ancient Culture

 Pioneering archaeologist Charles C. Jones Jr. described the ancient sites in the Southern US in his book, The Antiquities of the Southern Indians. The book was published in 1873.

Jones described the sites that English-speaking settlers found when they arrived in the south.

“When English-speaking settlers came into the Georgia Piedmont and Mountains, they also encountered many stone structures throughout the landscape. There were many stone-walled terraces, stone altars, and even the ruins of ancient stone buildings.”

However, within a generation, the mysterious structures were gone and almost forgotten. Thinking the Native Americans primitive, they believed the structures were the Spanish or Welsh Prince Madoc’s work. 

See more in the video from People of One Fire below:

Petroglyphs Pointing to Far Away

Previously, we shared Thornton’s story about 4,000-year-old petroglyphs found in Georgia. While studying in Landskrona, Sweden, Thornton was shocked when he recognized symbols on Ven Island, Sweden. 

Although mainstream archaeologists may quickly call it pseudo-archaeology, we share it with our open minds for your consideration.

Bronze Age petroglyphs in Sweden featured the symbol of the Sacred Fire by the Creek and Uchee. Also, the Swedish burial mounds called gravhöger looked like the burial mounds in the Southeastern US and Ohio.

“I immediately noticed that all of the symbols on the boulders were also sacred symbols of the Creek Indians. I am Creek. This disturbing discovery has been at “the back of my head” in the decades since then,” he wrote.

At first, he avoided discussing the similarity between Scandinavian Bronze Age and Creek art. However, after many years of contemplation, he began actively researching the subject. From there, he began sharing what he found on the “People of One Fire” YouTube channel and “The Americas Revealed” site.

Shared Petroglyph Symbols 

One example of the petroglyphs is concentric circles, like ripples in water. According to Thornton, these ripples were considered time portals by Uchee priests.

By looking at them, the priests could determine the past and the future. Notably, these symbols are seen all over the world, with some similar ones dating back 40,000 years. However, they also closely resemble Newgrange’s spirals in Ireland, dating back to 3,300-2,900 BC.

Thornton points out the ripples from the Reinhardt Boulder in Georgia are identical to those found in County Kerry, Ireland. In addition, he found symbols of stars, hexagons, and the Solar Cross called a Sun Wheel in Europe.

To us, it calls to mind the “Camunion Rose” from Lombardy, Italy.

The Metcalf Stone

The Metcalf Stone found in central Georgia near the Chattahoochee River bears symbols resembling the Linear A script. However, that language originated in the Minoan civilization from Crete during the Bronze Age. 

Dr. Joseph Mahan from Columbus State University theorized the Creek were descendants of people from Crete. Many critics discredited the finding as “bad archaeology.” However, take a look for yourself and decide what you think.

See more about the Metcalf Stone via People Of One Fire:

Track Rock Gap Petroglyphs

Located in Blairsville, GA, the Track Rock Gap site is quick to point out there is “no archeological evidence of any Mayan connection.” Thornton is quick to point out that most of the glyphs are not Mayan. However, he discovered symbols that resembling Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec/ Mayan God on Boulder Six.

On other boulders, he saw many symbols that reminded him of Scandinavian Bronze Age symbols. 

The Tugaloo Stone

At the rear of the Traveler’s Rest State Historic Site, the Tugaloo Stone features an unmistakable boat. Originally the stone was located near the Tugaloo River on a major trade path. Thornton notes the stone was moved and place upside down for over 200 years. 

When rotated, the Tugaloo Stone features what looks identical to Bronze Age Minoan and Phoenician boats. On the other side, symbols that appear to be constellations and a UFO appears.

See the petroglyphs below via People of One Fire:

Morgan Falls Stone Boat

The Morgan Falls Archaeological Zone is found East of Roswell, Georgia, on the Chattahoochee River. There, a large stone boat burial monument resembles those found in Scandinavia. (see in the video)

The Roberts Petroglyph

At the Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs, Georgia, a 600-pound stela (carved monument) features a striking figure. Named the Roberts Petroglyph, the stela exactly resembles a Caribbean Taíno(Arawak) zemí spirit symbol.

Mow Hill Petroglyph

At Long Swamp Creek, east of Jasper, Georgia, archaeologist Robert Wauchope found an unusual petroglyph in 1939. To us, it seems to resemble a UFO, but Thornton notes it may resemble an Itzamná calendar, with notches like a sundial.

Bilbo Mound, Savannah, Georgia

Today, sites that could date back to 3545 BC are found near downtown Savannah, Georgia. The oldest of these, the Bilbo Mound, is now all-but-forgotten. From the air, Google Earth photos show that it could be a geoglyph seen from the air, similar to Serpent Mound, Ohio. Notably, the design seems to point to a Mesoamerican Rain Goddess.

See more about the Bilbo Mound below from the Looters Revue Show:

Seeing Ancient Sites with New Eyes ?

These are just a few of the sites that Thornton and People of One Fire have researched. Certainly, there is more to the story than meets the eye. These ancient sites and petroglyphs deserve new eyes to see them without restrictions imposed by conventional timelines, don’t you think?

Ancient cultures give us invaluable insights, and we are only just beginning to fully understand and reconcile with our past. We hope that modern archaeologists and researchers will do more to preserve and understand Uchee sites like those in Georgia.

Featured images: Screenshots via YouTube, People of One Fire

YouTube Video Here: https://www.youtube.com/embed/raZvqDd6VKI?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1

Trees talk to each other deep underground. It’s an idea still relatively new to science but familiar to ancient beliefs.

Today, scientists are confirming that forests act like one big superorganism. Below the ground, fungal highways connect the trees. Through this highway, the oldest trees nurture their young. What’s more, the trees communicate and cooperate with other species. Thus, they may help each other, contrasting with the idea of selfish competition. 

Trees Talk on the ‘The Wood-Wide Web’

Yes, trees talk to each other, but how? 

After millions of years of evolution starting 600 million years ago, fungi and plants formed symbiotic relationships called a mycorrhiza. Notably, the word comes from the Greek for fungus and root.

Here’s how it works: In exchange for sugars and carbon from the trees, the fungi provide what trees require: minerals, nutrients, and a communication network.

Similar to an internet connection, the mycorrhizal network extends throughout the forest. Fungal threads called hyphae create a highway and merge with tree roots. Then, trees can send and receive items like these:

• nitrogen
• sugars
• carbon
• phosphorous
• water
• defense signals
• chemicals
• hormones

Amazingly, one tree can connect to hundreds of other trees, sending out signals. Along the threads, bacteria and other microbes swap nutrients with the fungi and the tree roots. 

A Global Map of the Tree Network

In 2019, scientists began mapping this “wood wide web” on a global scale. Since then, the international study produced the first global map of the mycorrhizal fungi network. Importantly, it could be the most important and ancient social network on Earth.

See how trees secretly talk via It’s Okay To Be Smart

‘Mother Trees’ Protect the Forests

For three decades, ecologist Suzanne Simard from the University of British Columbia has studied how trees talk. After extensive experimentation, she has learned how the network she calls “the otherworld” connects life in forests. 

“Yes, trees are the foundation of forests, but a forest is much more than what you see,” says Simard.

“You see, underground there is this otherworld, a world of infinite biological pathways that connect trees and allow them to communicate, and allow the forest to behave as if it is a single organism. It might remind you of a sort of intelligence.”

Reaching out along the network, hub trees, she calls Mother Trees can nurture growing saplings. When older trees die, they may bequeath their nutrients, genes, even a kind of wisdom to others. Thus, by tapping into the otherworld, trees gain valuable resources and insight into their surroundings.

Community Resilience

As a consequence, connected trees have a distinct advantage and resilience. However, if you cut a tree off from the network it becomes vulnerable. Often, they succumb to disease at much higher rates. 

Unfortunately, practices like clear-cutting or replacing forests with a single species decimates this intricate ecosystem. Sadly, trees that don’t tap into the community network are vulnerable to disease and bugs. As a result, harvesting becomes unsustainable.

In a TED presentation, Simard notes:

“…Trees talk. Through back and forth conversations, [trees] increase the resilience of the whole community. It probably reminds you of our own social communities, and our families, well, at least some families,” said Simard.

See Simard discuss her research via TED

Ancient Beliefs and Trees

Today, scientists can confirm that trees communicate in a social manner. However, the idea isn’t new. For example, for centuries, indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast, called the Tsimshian, have known that life in the forests is interconnected.

Suzanne Simard’s graduate student, Sm’hayetsk Teresa Ryan, is of Tsimshian heritage. In a recent New York Times piece, Ryan explained how Simard’s studies of mycorrhizal networks are similar to aboriginal traditions. However, European settlers were quick to dismiss these ideas.

“Everything is connected, absolutely everything,” said Ryan. “There are many aboriginal groups that will tell you stories about how all the species in the forests are connected, and many will talk about below-ground networks.”

The Menominee Forest

Ryan explained how the native American Menominee tribe sustainably harvest the 230,000-acre Menominee Forest in Wisconsin. Rather than focusing on money, they focus on ecology and are richly rewarded for it.

“Sustainability, the Menominee believe, means “thinking in terms of whole systems, with all their interconnections, consequences and feedback loops.” They maintain a large, old, and diverse growing stock, prioritizing the removal of low-quality and ailing trees over more vigorous ones and allowing trees to age 200 years or more — so they become what Simard might call grandmothers.”

By allowing old growth to continue, the forest continues to remain profitable, healthy, and densely forested today. 

“Since 1854, more than 2.3 billion board feet have been harvested — nearly twice the volume of the entire forest — yet there is now more standing timber than when logging began. “To many, our forest may seem pristine and untouched,” the Menominee wrote in one report. “In reality, it is one of the most intensively managed tracts of forest in the Lake States.”

What if all forests were managed using the wisdom of Native tribes? Imagine the potential if forests were always sustainable rather than exploited for short-term gains?

Related: Trees in North Carolina found to be the oldest known wetland trees on the planet

An Ancient Republic 

As we learn more about the intricate network of forests, it becomes clear there is a desperate need to change how we treat them. 

“The razing of an old-growth forest is not just the destruction of magnificent individual trees — it’s the collapse of an ancient republic whose interspecies covenant of reciprocation and compromise is essential for the survival of Earth as we’ve known it,” write Ferris Jabr.

Today, Sir David Attenborough and thousands of scientists believe urgent action is needed to combat the climate crisis. Forests are a fundamental component of the recovery. Thus, rewilding the world, restoring and wisely managing forests as stewards is a top priority.

“We’ve taken trees for grants and cleared nearly half of our planets’ forests,” said Attenborough. “Luckily, forests have an extraordinary ability to recover,” he explained. 

After centuries of decimating trees, it’s critical to preserve ancient forests. Attenborough calls for better farming techniques and planting more forests as part of an essential global restoration. In return, people would have more natural forests than ever, stabilize the climate, and get all the resources we need.

Related: Oldest frescos ever found in the Mediterranean region feature the Tree of Life

The Tree of Life

Ancient beliefs from all over the world have held trees as symbols of connection and worship: The Tree of Life.

“Trees have always been symbols of connection. In Mesoamerican mythology, an immense tree grows at the center of the universe, stretching its roots into the underworld and cradling Earth and heaven in its trunk and branches. Norse cosmology features a similar tree called Yggdrasil. A popular Japanese Noh drama tells of wedded pines that are eternally bonded despite being separated by a great distance,” wrote Ferris Jabr for the Times.

In ancient Mesoamerica, the ceiba tree was the Tree of Life where the world came into existence. Its roots went deep into the underworld while its branches supported the heavens. In the Bible, the Garden of Eden was home to the Tree of Life.

Egyptian myths also refer to the Ished-Tree, where the gods were born. In ancient Assyria, artists often carved a tree that some say looks like DNA central to sculptural reliefs. Throughout world religions, a mystical tree appears in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism.

Trees have been important to cultures around the world since the beginning. Today, it’s never been more important to protect trees and our interconnected natural world.

See more below

Featured image: Fractal by Shabinh via Pixabay, Pixabay License

The Carolinas are a hotbed of documented UFO sightings. In fact, the Queen City of Charlotte has been rated among the top 10 large North American cities for UFO sightings. So far, there have been 153 sightings of mysterious lights, discs, and orbs in the sky since 1910. 

Last year, we shared the story of a man from Liberty, North Carolina, who caught a UFO on a Facebook Live video. Now, there has been another similar UFO sighting reported in the Charlotte Observer.

This time, an 88-year-old Korean War combat veteran and 45-year pilot came forward with his UFO account. Charles Cobb of Morganton once served on a Navy destroyer during the Korean War. Thus, he’s certainly familiar with aircraft, but at 11:18 a.m. on June 12, 2020, he saw something unlike he’d ever seen before.

“None of my flying friends have any idea as to what it was,” he said.

Zooming Orange Orb UFO with Kite-like Tail

Cobb makes daily visits to Silver Creek Airport in Morganton, where he keeps a 1940 Piper Cub. On Friday, the 12th, he was sitting at the airport and spotted a strange object in the sky. 

An orange-tinged orb was moving in the sky. As it shot up and down, it moved in the direction of Table Rock, a popular tourist spot with a panoramic view. For 15 to 20 minutes, he observed it flying.

After all his years around aircraft, he hadn’t seen one that could “zoom up almost out of sight” as it was doing.

Definitely Not a Comet

The longtime pilot described a round, irregular orb shooting thousands of feet into the air. Then, it would plummet back down and soar back up again. Cobb estimated it was some 30,000 to 40,000 feet high with an exhaust plume trailing behind it. At times, it would vanish and then fly paralell to the ground.

As a pilot, he knew how to identify aerial phenomena such as comets, and this was no comet.

“Comets come toward you,” he said. However, this object “always pointed north.”

At first, he thought it appeared to be “a huge kite with a tail.” In the middle of the orb, it appeared to be “opaque.” After watching a while, he took out his iPad and snapped photos of the object, which he later shared with the Observer.

Related: Ancient Aliens: Modern UFO from Chile Matches Ancient Chilean Geoglyph

The Observer confirmed with the nearby Astronomy Club that the object was almost certainly not a comet. Bernard Arghiere, the board director of the Asheville group confirmed:

“There is no reported astronomical object, certainly not a comet, in the sky that would appear that bright on that June 12, 2020, date,” Arghiere said in an email. “There were no comets then that would be that bright, so they would be visible in the daytime sky.

“It really looks to me more like sunlight reflected off a distant jet and its related condensation trail; typically, that would disappear from sight in less than 20 minutes.”

“Good luck getting a definitive answer on this one,” he added.

Veteran Pilot Says It Wasn’t a Plane or Reflection

Notably, Cobb pointed out that he viewed the orb for an extended period and was convinced it was not a plane reflection.

“No reflection off a jet,” he said. “This object, while zooming to incredible heights, and coming back down, was always heading in a northerly direction as the photos show, yet it remained in the general area that I was viewing. 

“A plane of any sort passing through my viewing area would have been out of sight in a matter of a few minutes,” he said.

More Sighting Nearby

Going by reports to the  National UFO Reporting Center, we can see that similar reports took place around the time of Cobb’s sighting, the morning of June 12.

About ten hours after Cobb saw the orb, Huntersville’s witness reported seeing “bright light flares” turning 90 degrees in the sky.

Then, in nearby Salisbury the following morning, someone reported a “spear or teardrop structure streaming across the sky with a vapor trail and cast off glare from the rising sun.”

In Arden, NC, someone reported a “Glowing orange inverted teardrop silently flying low overhead,” on June 29. Alos, orange orbs were reported in Ocean Isle Beach on the same day and previously on the 25th over North Myrtle Beach.

Indeed, the reports about orange flying orbs are very common. Below, see a couple of the posts we’ve made about these UFOs.

Related story: Thousands of Americans see glowing amber orbs flying silently in formation over states

Related story: Mysterious floating orbs over Kansas City confound everyone, including the National Weather Service

Another Pilot Prompted Cobb to Come Forward

The International Business Times shared the story about Cobb’s UFO sighting. Also, they noted that “UFO sightings in various parts of the globe have increased drastically.” The rise in reports follows the 2017 Pentagon admission that they have secretly been studying unidentified aerial phenomena for years. 

Cobb decided to come forward with his account after seeing the video below about an airline pilot who reported a UFO. The object came dangerously close to the plane he was piloting as it traveled from Dallas-Fort Worth to Charlotte in 2003. 

See the History Channel video below:

Featured image: Table Rock NC by Omarcheeseboro via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) with simulated ‘orb’ created in Photoshop