Back when I was in the army, we ran into something pretty unexplainable during a regular navigation exercise.
So navigation exercises are pretty standard throughout the world. Given a map and some coordinates, you have to find checkpoints using a compass.
Of course, each squad was given a signal set to use in case of emergencies... or just to add to the weight they had to lug around. It’s part of their kit anyway.
There’s a gps embedded inside but it’s old school and gives coordinates only.
Close to the end of the exercise, a squad had fallen hopelessly behind, but they were on their way to the last checkpoint.
So I was in charge of the last checkpoint with another fellow instructor. We knew they were around us in a 1km radius. Couldn’t spot them due to foliage.
We waited and waited for about 1-2 hours. You don’t mess up so frigging bad that you can’t figure out a checkpoint that’s 1km away.
We radioed them and did not get a reply till 1/2 hour after the initial call. They were frantic. Seems like they were walking around in circles and seeing similar landmarks. It was apparently pitch dark at where they were and this was around 6pm where the sun was only starting to set.
Me and the other trainer told them not to move and we hiked to their position using a electronic gps. And at the coordinates given we found... no one.
The forest was also eerily quiet. No insects, no birds, just dead silence. It was pretty unnerving. The radio set was silent. Not even static was coming out. We radioed them again and they said they were at the same coordinates as us, but I saw no one.
We decided to hike back to the checkpoint and wait.
We gave them the coordinates to the checkpoint. About an hour later they emerged. Took them 4 hours plus to find a checkpoint like 1km away.
During final briefing, one of them told me they seemed to walk around in circles... they kept leaving marks on trees using a blade but when they came back to what should have been the tree that they marked, the mark was gone.
They also felt like they were being followed... but that’s should just be the forest and exhaustion playing tricks on them right?"