Do you feel like you’re being watched? If you live in California within range of the Santa Lucia mountains, you may have caught the eye of the Dark Watchers.
Also known as Los Vigilantes Oscuros (which I think we can all agree would make an amazing band name), the Dark Watchers can be found in stories dating back to to the Chumash Indians, and have even spirited their way into great literature through the likes of John Steinbeck. They are giant, featureless shadows, sometimes reported to appear with brimmed hats or walking sticks. And what do they do? Pretty much what you’d expect–they watch. If you approach, or try to alert anyone to their presence, they disappear. No one knows who they are, why they are there, or what they are looking for. Maybe nothing.
Or maybe you.
I know, (*shivers*) right??
There have been numerous rational explanations offered for this phenomena, including exhaustion/dehydration of the hikers who most commonly report the sightings and optical illusions. Perhaps one or both of those are true. Perhap they aren’t. All I know is, if I’m hiking in the Santa Lucia mountains, I’m sticking to the trails and keeping my eyes planted on the road in front of me.
