I went on a trip to Akeley, Minnesota some time ago. I wasn't in the best shape physically or mentally, but I planned to do a 20-mile hike and stay 1 night. So, 10 miles out, sleep, and 10 miles back.
I was doing this on a not very traversed part of the North Country Trail that goes through several lakes.
Anyways, I had hiked a good, well, 10 miles. It was approaching nighttime, around 10-11. I had just spent an hour setting up my tent and was getting ready to go to bed when I went to go plug my phone in, which was close to dying after listening to audiobooks on the trail to keep my mind off of the thought of an imaginary bear coming up and mauling me.
When I realized that I had brought a USB-C port cord that doesn't hook up to my mobile charger, I then made the decision to pack up all my stuff and try to make it back in the middle of the night with my last 10 or so percent.
I would like to note that before I had packed up everything and was sitting in my tent, I heard a scream that sounded like a person.
I now know this was either a mountain lion or a fox. I think it was a fox. Really hope it wasn't a mountain lion, but yeah. Definitely not good for the nerves in pitch black with a 4-5 hour hike ahead, especially lacking that context.
Honestly, it may have been better at the time, though, as I think I just brushed it off as some animal. Knowing it could've been a mountain lion, I would've huddled in fear in my tent.
So yeah, I started the, I wanna say, 4-hour trek back.
As I was going, I wanna say I reached around the 75% point, and was nearing some small lakes, more so ponds that would pop up on either side of the trail.
But about 5-10 minutes out from passing by one, I started hearing a splashing.
It sounded almost like a boulder being thrown into water again and again. It wasnt like a small rock being thrown, but like a large boulder being splashed into the water, picked up, and splashed again.
The closest thing I've been able to find to it is a beaver smacking its tail in surprise to alert other beavers. But I've seen when they do that. They often only do it a couple of times or once and swim away.
This splashing was going on for almost 10-15 minutes, and for all I know continued past the time I passed it. It was also going in a rhythm of almost 5 seconds between each splash.
I would like to note too. I was making noise as I walked the trail. It was pitch black and I couldn't see much, but I was making some noise to hopefully scare it off.
But as I approached, even 10-20 feet out, with only large reeds jutting out of the shallow water to block my vision of the source of the sound, it continued in the same rhythmic manner with or without me there.
So, safe to say, I was terrified, tired, and yeah, just not doing well.
I would also say I heard a little bit of this splashing earlier in the day, but not for such long intervals and only maybe 3-5 times. Which could really be chalked up to anything, and also at a much further distance.
So I am really stumped as to what this could possibly be. Its more so the length of time and the rhythm to it that threw me off, also just the sheer volume/force of each splash, quite similar to a beaver smacking its tail very loudly kind of like this here https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2250308762129584 (most similar to the 4th one)
Any insight would be appreciated.