Nature Nightmares: a haunted hike through the woods

Nature Nightmares was a haunting, self-guided hike through the forest of Auburn’s Kreher Preserve and Nature Center during the depths of night. 

Hikes departed every seven minutes between 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Oct. 25 and 26. Groups were limited to 13 people with hikes lasting about 45 minutes.

Guests had to read and sign waivers upon entry. They waited for their groups to be called, reveling in nervous excitement. 

“I know nothing about [Nature Nightmares] so I think that’s where the excitement comes from, you know, the ambiguity,” said Patrick Jones, freshman in sports media production. 

Groups were then transported in a white van to an undisclosed location on the property to start their hair-raising horror experience. Flashlights were used to see through the darkness with the addition of tiny candles along the path. 

The trail consisted of a lot of walking with unique decorations and scare actors mixed throughout between different scenes. Human organs were littered on the ground, body parts were dangling from trees, babies were heard shrieking in the background and fake blood was on sheets. 

Guests were heard screaming throughout the night, clinging to each other for protection as they shook in fear. 

"The event is designed to scare you," said Michael Buckman, manager at the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center.

Towards the end of the hike, a campfire was seen surrounded by skeletons with a few more scares before the finish. Eventually, the journey ended and guests were loaded back into the van to be brought back to the entrance. 

Graham Golmon, senior in pre-law, had a fun experience during the hike. 

“It was a good time. My girlfriend screamed a lot, so that was solid. Other than [her] having a death grip on my hands the entire time, I had a blast," Golmon said. 

The scariest moment for him was when he noticed the scare actor that crawled toward him.  

"Not only is [this year’s Nature Nightmares] going to be the best one we’ve done so far, but I think it’s going to be [a] really good, high-quality experience,” Buckman said.

The team at Kreher put more emphasis on the actors this year than in past years to drive this achievement.

Buckman mentioned that getting high-quality actors to volunteer was their number one priority. He said that they wanted to look for people who would be engaged and excited to volunteer.  

Brianna Travis, junior in environmental conservation and management, was one of the dedicated scare actors at Nature Nightmares this year.

Travis volunteered as a “stalker” for the event. She and other scare actors watched classic horror movies like "Scream" and “Hereditary” a day before the hike to get in the spooky mindset.  

“Nighttime. It’s dark and [the visitors] can’t see anything, [it is] definitely scary," Travis said when asked about the creepiest factor. 

The scare actors were at Kreher for about six hours from arrival to departure. Their costumes and make-up were provided before the first hike began. 

The environmental education teachers at the college of forestry, wildlife and environment created the costumes for the actors as well as most of the set pieces and decorations along the trail.

“You would not believe some of the horrific things that they can build out of garbage bags and chicken wire," Buckman said.

In addition to the visitors during events, the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center hosts roughly 30-35,000 people each year. 

The primary goal of Kreher is to push people to go outside and experience nature. 

“We want to instill a sense of stewardship towards nature," Buckman said of the center.

Dr. Louise Kreher Turner and her husband, Frank Allan Turner, donated the land, all 119 acres, to Auburn University in 1993 to act as a preserve and nature center, as well as an outreach function for the college of forestry, wildlife and environment.

Today, Auburn’s Kreher Preserve and Nature Center serves as a hotspot for breathtaking environments and nature -- and the occasional terrifying thrills.