The unsettling photo made the couple wonder about ‘all the cryptids said to lurk in the West Virginian mountains’
Have you ever wandered through the woods and suddenly felt like someone—or something—was watching you?
Duffy Springfield and her partner had an experience that left them shaken after they noticed something eerie in photos they had taken from the summit of a mountain in Panther, West Virginia.
Like most hikers, when they reached the top, they snapped pictures to capture the moment. But when they looked back at their photos, they spotted something strange near a nearby structure, something they hadn’t noticed at the time.
Duffy Springfield took a photo at the top of a mountain in Panther, West Virginia earlier this year and spotted something terrifying when she finally got the picture developed
Duffy Springfield
Recalling the hike she took in March, Springfield described how she noticed what looked like a ‘hand’ when she developed the pictures.
Speaking to Newsweek, she said: “I like to do film photography, and my boyfriend and I were making a scrapbook of all the developed photos I took.”
“I just kinda saw it—I’m not really sure how I even noticed it since it’s such a small detail.”
“We both agreed it was weird and thought it even looked a little like a hand. Honestly, we were pretty excited when we saw it because of all the cryptids said to lurk in the West Virginian mountains.”
“Even if it’s not actually a hand, it’s a fun story to have.”
For those unfamiliar, cryptids are creatures that people claim to have seen but that science has yet to confirm as real. They exist somewhere between legend and reality, sparking curiosity and debate.
Did you spot it?
Duffy Springfield
Some of the most well-known cryptids include Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and yetis. But West Virginia is said to be home to its own unique collection.
Among them are the Mothman, a winged humanoid with glowing red eyes; the Flatwoods Monster, a towering figure with a red face and green body; and Snarly Yow, a ghostly canine with shining eyes. Sounds like the setting for a horror story.
Still puzzled by what she had captured, Springfield turned to Reddit, posting: “My boyfriend and I aren’t really sure what to think.”
“We went to a state park in West Virginia during off season, according to the park ranger (and the conditions of the hiking trails) we were the only ones there for the week and had been the first there in a while.”
“I took this pic at the top of the mountain. Behind the pillar should have been nothing, a drop off to the woods below. Are we bugging? That really looks like a hand.”
One curious Reddit user asked about the size of the structure in the image, and Springfield responded that it stood around four feet tall.
Upon closer inspection of Springfield’s picture it appears to show a hand gripping onto the structure which she claimed was about four-foot tall
Duffy Springfield
One person commented: “Could be fungus but yeah that really looks like a hand.”
Another added: “Go back, it’s the only way to be sure. It’d bother you for the rest of your life otherwise.”
That last comment sounds like the exact thing a character in a horror movie would say—right before something creepy happens.