How Did She Get There...?

This story from Listverse raises many questions yet to be answered. Even given the amount of time that has passed since the incident took place, to the best of my knowledge the question has never been answered as to how she managed to travel 30 miles to the point where she was found.

The Devil’s Den

Photo credit: vistaramicjourneys.com

In 1946, Katherine Van Alst, an eight-year-old girl who was with her family at Devil’s Den State Park, disappeared from their camp and got lost. Six days later, she was found sitting in a cave approximately 48 kilometers (30 mi) away and 183 meters (600 ft) higher than the spot from which she had disappeared.

The thing that perplexed the search party was Katherine’s remarkable calmness when they found her. She was reported to have walked peacefully out of the cave and announced, “Here I am.”

How an eight-year-old girl wearing only a bathing suit managed to travel such a distance and show no signs of harm is still a mystery. Many suggest that something chased Katherine, which was why she strayed so far from the camp. While it likely wasn’t a lumbering, radioactive Bigfoot, it cannot be denied that it was indeed mysterious and that something sinister could be lurking in the Devil’s Den park.

The natural world around us is filled with many mysteries, many that we will never have an answer to. That is a sobering thought.

Coffee out on the patio this morning.