EP 98 - THE DARK WATCHERS!

We’ve made it to the New Year and I already have some new adventures planned for us. To kick off the year I am finally going to tell a story I’ve been saving since the road trip. So, there is a mountain range in California that is home to a group of shadows that wait for unsuspecting hikers to cross their path. The mountains are known as the Santa Lucia and the shadows are called The Dark Watchers. For over 300 years these creatures have been known to stalk the mountain tops and legend has it that they are the cause for the disappearance of multiple people. Enjoy the story and Happy New Year!

Santa Lucia Mountain Range on a map

California Condor

The Hat Man

Another depiction of The Dark Watchers

SOURCE MATERIALS:

For the story:

1. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Pareidolia Definition & Meaning. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pareidolia

2. Metasyn11, & SummitPost. (n.d.). Santa Lucia Mountains : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering. SummitPost. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.summitpost.org/santa-lucia-mountains/281449

3. All About Birds. (n.d.). California Condor Overview. All About Birds. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Condor/overview

4. Carey, L. (2022, January 21). Local Lore: Dark Watchers. The Daily Yonder. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://dailyyonder.com/local-lore-dark-watchers-from-santa-lucia-mountains-of-california-onto-the-pages-of-classic-american-writers/2022/01/21/

5. Margaritoff, M., & Silverman, L. (2021, June 15). The Dark Watchers, The Chilling Phantoms Of Central California. All That's Interesting. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://allthatsinteresting.com/the-dark-watchers

6. Cryptid Wiki. (n.d.). The Dark Watchers. Cryptid Wiki. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dark_Watchers

For the Image:

1. Joke Battles.Fandom. (n.d.). The Hat Man. Joke Battles Wikia. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://joke-battles.fandom.com/wiki/The_Hat_Man

2. All About Birds. (n.d.). California Condor Overview. All About Birds. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Condor/overview

3. Franscioni, G. (2016, November 15). What Everyone Should Know About the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. FredSwan.wine. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from http://www.fredswan.wine/2016/11/15/what-everyone-should-know-santa-lucia-highlands/

4. Valdés, E., & Buesch, K. (2022, March 20). Blog Archives. Clarke Historical Museum. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.clarkemuseum.org/blog/archives/03-2022

5. Cryptidz.Fandom. (n.d.). The Dark Watchers. Fandom. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dark_Watchers?file=Dark_Watchers.jpg