ADVERTISEMENT If you spend enough time in the woods, you’ll realize that there is often more than meets the eye. If You Go Down To The Woods Today…. So you can imagine his surprise when Mark Andre, the environmental services director for Arcata, California, stumbled across something he’d never seen before and certainly did not expect to find. He’d been marking trees to be harvested in the Arcata Community Forest when he realized something just wasn’t quite right… When he stepped closer to investigate, his jaw dropped…

The Woods Have Many Secrets Mark Andre loved to explore the woods in northern California. As the town’s environmental services director, it was his job to spend time out in the wilderness. He knew the area like the back of his hand… or so he thought.

Stumbled Upon Somthing Recently, while he was out marking trees to be harvested in the Arcata Community Forest, he stumbled upon something just past some trees that he hadn’t ever seen before. It certainly wasn’t there the last time he’d been in the area!

A Tiny Bit Suspicious Usually, Mark wouldn’t think twice about noticing random things in the forest. He was always so focused on his beloved trees, but something in his gut told him to investigate it further. So he followed his instincts and went to find out.

A Camoflaged Cabin It was totally camouflaged, and as Mark moved closer to it, he realized it was some sort of elaborate makeshift cabin. Clearly illegally constructed, he wasn’t quite sure what he’d find when he went inside, or if there was anyone even living in there.

Eerie Presence The cabin was situated in one of the most remote areas of the Arcata Forest, where most people would not typically venture. Mark hadn’t explored this area since about 1985, back when was still just a forest technician. Obviously, whoever built this wasn’t expecting to be discovered. He started to feel slightly nervous about what he might find, but was intrigued at the same time.

Interesting Observation The make-shift cabin was set up on concrete blocks. It had a small porch, windows, and walls of plywood that were covered with brown tarps, black plastic sheeting, and lots of concealing forest materials. If you take just a few steps away, it was nearly invisible.

Exploring The Cabin The first thing Mark noted about the cabin was that it seemed to be quite well-constructed. This did not look like some pieces of debris thrown together, this looked like well-thought out work.

Clearly The Work Of Someone Who Knew The Woods, But Who? The most intriguing part came as Mark noticed the location was immaculate. Without the normal environmental abuse associated with forest campsites, there wasn’t even a sign that showed how they brought in the materials to craft the structure. How was this possible?

What Would He Discover? The cabin measured roughly eight by 12 feet and was estimated to be about 15 feet high. It featured a peaked roof, a front porch and awning, and plywood walls covered in tarps. It was even built on a solid concrete foundation!

Out Of Eyesight Mark could only assume its isolation was what made constructing the cabin possible in the first place. “I didn’t see it until I was 12 feet from it,” he explained. “It’s in the perfect out-of-the-way spot where it wouldn’t be detected.”

Mysterious Vibes What made the cabin even more mysterious was that no footprints led to it. Whoever lived there clearly respected nature, but who was it that had built this?

Trespassing Since it is illegal to camp or build on public property, Mark decided to call in a little help and to enter the premises. What he would find would only add to the mystery.

Recruited Help To Uncover The Mystery Mark called his fellow forest technicians Javier Nogueira and Nick Manfredonia for help. Along with park ranger Heidi Groszmann, they trekked back to the site to explore the inside. It took them a long time to break the lock. When they finally cut the padlock and flung open the doors, they weren’t sure what—or who—they’d find inside, they were all quite nervous….



Staying Close To One Another As Heidi entered the cabin, gun at the ready, she shouted “Arcata Police!” But no one answered. Soon, the group began to search the contents of the place to see if they could figure out any details about who lived there…

Astonishing Sight The group was quick to note that it definitely looked lived in, but that they were tidily kept quarters. In the living room and kitchen area, housekeeping supplies and a variety of old cans of food sat on shelves built into the wall. In some ways, everything seemed ordinary, yet it definitely felt eery. Still, there was more to explore…

Creepy Furniture Beside a creepy looking rocking chair, there was also a small dirty old coffee table with a tea kettle sitting on it. Directly across from the chair was a pot-bellied stove. Whoever had been living here had made themselves quite the set up in the wilderness of the forest.

What Would The Clues Tell Them? In another corner of the cabin was a small bookshelf constructed on a wall. It was lined with various titles, including Catch Me If You Can and Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. Soon, the rangers began to suspect it was an older person who’d been living there…

Suspicions Confirmed Other items, like a stack of tapes, lent themselves to the search party’s existing suspicions. Still, they continued to search for other clues that might help them determine just who it was that called this mysterious place home.

A Handwritten Note The intrigued but nervous group also found a handwritten list of “Things To Do And Get,” which told them a little more about the cabin’s inhabitant. The list, which included dates, was comprised of tasks such as “build bench,” “extend brush wall,” “season cast irons,” “get six-inch stove pipe flashing,” and “Get tongs 1/22/11.” But where were they now?

What Else Could They Discover? Near the stove, they also found a copy of nearby Humboldt State University’s The Lumberjack newspaper, dated March 25, 2015. So between the list and the paper, they started to piece together a timeline for when the cabin’s owner might have lived there.

Identity Revealed Suddenly on the counter, they spotted two driver’s licenses, but each read the names of different people, and they didn’t lead the search party to any conclusions as to who lived there. What could this mean?

It Was Getting Dark Now It was beginning to get late now and the sun was going down. They didn’t like the idea of being there in the dark of night, with the thought that whoever it was could return at any moment, while they were in their search. So they decided to leave.

Illegal Moves As camping on public property is illegal—even if the person who’s doing it is respectful of the land—and the cabin existed on a nature refuge, the crew left an eviction notice for the inhabitant. From there, things really got strange… They left for the night, and would come back in the morning to do some more digging.

Returning The Next Day When authorities returned to the cabin site later the next day, they could not believe their eyes when they saw that it had been totally deconstructed! The only trace of it was a charcoal “squatters symbol” where the cabin once sat. “That’s the cleanest camp cleanup I’ve ever seen,” said Michael McDowall, the natural resources technician for the Environmental Services Department. “There wasn’t a nail, not even a gum wrapper left behind.”

Ghostly Presence Once again, even the access routes to the site showed virtually no wear and no one reported seeing anyone hauling heavy items down the trails.

What Now? It’s unlikely that the cabin’s owner would come forward, given the potential for legal trouble. After all, the cabin was built on public land. Still, it’s pretty impressive they were ever able to construct it in the first place!

Sign Of Owner They must have caught wind of the rangers being there, and moved quickly in the night. The rangers were dumbfounded at how quickly they did it and how they left no trace. Where would they end up?

Mystery Still Unsolved Talk about a mystery! Whoever built and lived in that cabin had some serious dedication. It makes you wonder if they’ll ever be found…

Still Scratching Their Heads To this day, Mark and his crew still haven’t been able to identify the person responsible for the cabin or where they went. They did venture to guess that it was an older individual with minimal material needs. “The thoughtfully composed, uncluttered tiny house appears to be the work of someone who knows who they are and what they need.”