Spook Mountain

We were invited to attend a mysterious event that happens nightly in a remote area outside Yuma - named, of course - Spook Mountain. We met in a parking lot in town at 6:00 pm and set off on a back road that at times was more of a track. We passed through a remote area occupied by apparent squatters - derelict trailers with ragged plastic covering the windows, abandoned vehicles, and a few dirty tents. Our driver mentioned hearing banjo music in the background.

We carried on before having to stop to pull in the truck side-mirrors then carefully driving through a narrow culvert under a railroad line. Around a few more corners and up a bumpy path we came across five or six other trucks parked on various hill tops all pointing towards the hills across a valley.

Tables, chairs and coolers were removed from the trucks. Wood was pulled out and stacked in previously-used fire pits. With some sort of fire starter liberally applied, in no time we were drinking, roasting hot dogs, and waiting - sitting in a line facing the hill side - for the sun to go down.

The night was clear, the air warm and the stars brilliant. We passed the time looking through binoculars at the moons of Jupiter and the craters on the crescent moon. After about an hour, a vague light seemed to grow over much of the side of the hills on the opposite valley. "There it is!" the resident experts shouted and we watched the dull green fog hug the hills. It lasted about a minute then, as if the light switch was turned off, disappeared. We let the event settle in our minds and ten minutes or so later, the light appeared again then just as quickly disappeared.

According to our sources, the theories include everything from the ghosts of gold miners turning on and off their lanterns to phosphorescence escaping from the ground. We found it puzzling and agree that there is something strange is occuring at Spook Mountain but truth be told, the chat around the fire pit was just as mysterious and quirky!