The Man in the woods

My father operated heavy tree cutting machinery and often worked alone in remote forests. He and a coworker were clearing a new work site when they began hearing faint chatter over their radios. The sound followed them even when they changed channels, and as they moved farther into the forest, parts of the conversations became easier to understand.

They also found containers and other signs that people had been in the area. This was a difficult place to reach, and no one should have been nearby. The crew was expected to remain there for several more days, sleeping in campers and leaving only to refuel the equipment.

One day, my father’s coworker found a tent. Inside were a sleeping bag, a duffel bag, food, children’s clothing, rope, tape, disturbing drawings, and photographs of children who appeared unaware that they were being photographed. The food looked fresh enough to show that someone had used the tent recently.

The two men decided to speak over the radios only in an emergency. Soon they could hear two men discussing collecting water and wood for a fire. The conversations suggested that the people nearby were living in the forest and that the tent belonged to them.

At the end of the workday, my father heard one of the men talking about gathering brush. He used the radio to ask who they were and what they were doing there. The conversation stopped immediately, and the two men never answered.

That night, his coworker woke him and whispered that someone was outside. They heard quiet footsteps and then the camper door handle being moved. The door opened, even though there was no ladder or step outside. Neither man moved while scratching sounds continued beside the entrance.

My father eventually walked toward the open door. As he reached it, someone struck him across the face with a knife. He fell from the camper, and a second man attacked him. His coworker jumped out, fought the attackers off, and allowed them both to escape. The two men reached their truck and drove to a hospital, then reported the assault to the police.

They quit the job. Later, another member of the logging crew was found bound, assaulted, killed, and left in a ditch. No one was convicted for the crimes.

My father survived, but the injury damaged his eye and he continued to suffer from trauma and poor sleep. What stays with me is the realization that the radio chatter, the hidden tent, and the people in the forest were warnings. The attackers had been close enough to watch the work crew, learn their routines, and wait until night to enter the camper.