[Armistead]

I almost always take a nightly walk. I head through a field, walk an old sunken road by the river, cross an old iron bridge and take the old "scenic trial" and come back. Seldom does anyone walk this old trail as the park it was once part of is closed. I have ran into a few hikers during the day, but never at night, not in two years. Course I always have Bear and carry my holstered pistol for critters, bears, general creatures....

Anyway, Bear is loose running and sniffing around, often I lose site of him or he'll run ahead. I get to the old iron bridge, about 150 yards long with Bear in front and he takes off barking. This is common if he sees someone, he will run up towards them, stop a few yards and bark until I call him back. I saw a man standing in the middle of the bridge. Sort of shocked me, I was about 30 yards away now on bridge. The moon is bright and could see his outline clearly. I told him my dog won't bite and yelling for Bear to come back, which he did and I leased him. I said " How ya doing- I'm just walking - can I help you, ect.," He said nothing.... Sort of concerned, I had hand on gun and continued to talk, finally asked him did he have a problem, need help...nothing. The next thing I know he turns and walks away...Thing is this is an old swinging cable bridge, even when Bear walks on it, it creeks from end to end, a human walking on it, the entire thing shakes and creeks...I heard no noise. I could clearly see a figure walking away. Bear was barking at it, growling, he never growls. I let Bear loose and again he ran towards it, but came running back tail between his legs. I pulled my gun and walked fast towards it, about 10 yards away from it I stopped and then it was gone......
It was still another 20 or so yards to get across it...

This really had me shook up. I don't believe in ghost. I decided to cross and Bear wouldn't, he just sat down in the middle of the bridge. Not once in his life would he not follow me. I stood there in the quite for several minutes and not a sound but common night sounds. I went back got Bear leashed and had to drag him across the bridge. I stood there and noticed Bear was like in his something is there stance watching the woods, I let him off and said "get it" but he just did his low growl. I only had my phone light, didn't want to light it, so slowly walked to the field edge at the woods....saw nothing. Course chills were running through me, but being logical, know it's just a body response. Course, being silly or stupid, I'm even saying "if you're a spirit will you show yourself."

I finally decide to leave, so we crossed back over the bridge. We got about 20 yards down the path from it and the bridge starts creaking, same sounds if someone is walking across it. Bear is on alert looking, we slowly walk back. It stops creaking when we get back to it. I look across it in the moonlight and see nothing. I slowly cross it, see nothing, now with gun drawn. This time I say," "I see you , come out or I'll shoot." Crse, see nothing. We stood there for another 10 minutes, this time I left and went home about a mile away. I got my shotgun, light and took one of the Tibetans this time. I know that dog will attack on command anything... I came back very quite a different way, got to the bridge, let Cliff run about......everything seemed fine, saw nothing and came home....

This shook me up. I know of all the old ghost stories related to the old bridge. One is some CSA deserters were hung from it, other nut stories.
Nothing about this makes any sense.

Crse, my wife hates me walking out there, but says it had to be a person or I was seeing shadows, but it couldn't be, you can't walk on that bridge without it shaking and creeking. I saw something, Bear saw it,......I know I wasn't seeing things, not a shadow... I'm stumped.