Years ago I went fishing at a remote lake in southern Iowa, with 2 of my friends, in the wee hours of the night. We pulled one of those small aluminum fishing boats.
We're out on the lake and it was pitch black, the stars were incredible.
We're shooting the shit and throwing back a few beers and fishing when there was this scream, and I mean it was a blood-curdling scream, which lasted for a good 20 or 30 seconds.
We froze, complete silence. It took a good minute before any of us said a word and then we were like wtf was that.
We couldn't get off that lake and out of that wooded area fast enough.
To this day, I share this experience, trying to identify what could have made a scream like that. It was humanlike and ear-piercing.
Anyway, I go dispersed camping at the Mogollon Rim (pronounced Moh-geeh-yohn). It is amazing!
Maybe one day I'll hear that scream again.