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Search and Rescue Woods
Search and Rescue Woods is an eight-part Creepypasta by Kerry Hammond, published on Reddit under the username searchandrescuewoods. It was originally posted to the Nosleep subreddit in August of 2015, with its final update being in December of that year. Currently, a novelization is in progress.
The story follows the experiences of its narrator, an unnamed SAR officer working in a national forest, as he recalls stories of supernatural happenings, strange disappearances, and mysterious staircases in the middle of the woods.
In addition to the core SAR stories, Hammond also wrote several additional companion pieces that, while not always being set in the woods or featuring the main SAR officer, expand upon the lore of the world featured in the stories. These include: "The Tunnel", "Late Night", "Anniversary", "Molten", "The Nameless Dark Story #2", and "Radio".
All eight parts (alongside "Late Night", "Anniversary", "Molten", and "Radio") were featured on The Nosleep Podcast.
An television adaption of the series will be airing as apart of Channel Zero in early 2018 under the title "Butcher's Block."
(source)
The story follows the experiences of its narrator, an unnamed SAR officer working in a national forest, as he recalls stories of supernatural happenings, strange disappearances, and mysterious staircases in the middle of the woods.
In addition to the core SAR stories, Hammond also wrote several additional companion pieces that, while not always being set in the woods or featuring the main SAR officer, expand upon the lore of the world featured in the stories. These include: "The Tunnel", "Late Night", "Anniversary", "Molten", "The Nameless Dark Story #2", and "Radio".
All eight parts (alongside "Late Night", "Anniversary", "Molten", and "Radio") were featured on The Nosleep Podcast.
An television adaption of the series will be airing as apart of Channel Zero in early 2018 under the title "Butcher's Block."
(source)
50 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2015
17 people are currently reading
1470 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
May 24, 2024
Chilling.
February 3, 2019
The creepypasta phenomenon that is now a TV miniseries! This eight-part tale first appeared on the Nosleep subreddit in 2015 under the title "I'm a Search and Rescue Officer for the US Forest Service, I have some stories to tell." Nosleep is unique among short story repositories in that it is also a role-playing forum where everything is supposed to be true. Unlike much of what gets posted there, the style of "I'm a Search and Rescue Officer" actually imitated that of a random person just sharing personal experiences on an Internet message board, rather than a conventional piece of first-person fiction. ("Anansi's Goatman Story" also did this very well.) That, combined with the obvious inspiration from David Paulides's Missing 411 work, seems to have left a whole lot of people worried about mysterious stairs in the woods! Hammond has also written several brief companion pieces, my favorite of which is "Anniversary."
Check it out! Can't wait for the novel.
(Note: While the Missing 411 makes for a compelling story, I actually think Paulides is full of shit. He lost his law enforcement job due to fraud and has never been interviewed by a skeptic, just people like Coast to Coast AM and the Mysterious Universe podcast who fawn all over him.)
Check it out! Can't wait for the novel.
(Note: While the Missing 411 makes for a compelling story, I actually think Paulides is full of shit. He lost his law enforcement job due to fraud and has never been interviewed by a skeptic, just people like Coast to Coast AM and the Mysterious Universe podcast who fawn all over him.)
January 22, 2020
While I'm aware some people may not consider this to be a "real" book and, in the traditional sense, no it isn't a published novel. It's just a bunch of creepypasta posts someone wrote and decided to slap them up on Reddit...and they're really fucking good
I listened to Corpse Husband's reading of it and it really heightened the experience for me. Everything about these stories was extremely compelling and, in an unexpected turn of events, this ends up as some sort of heir apparent or successor to House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski at certain stair-related parts.
The only thing holding this back from being a true 5-star story is the lack of structure due to the way it was initially written and shared, but it's also a positive. This feels like a strange and terrible diary where a guy is just talking about the freakiest fucking shit in this infuriatingly calm, measured manner.
I really loved this and had a lot of fun listening to it, getting spooked all by myself at the end of my work day and in my car on the drive home.
This would normally be the part where I'd say I'd be excited to see what the author writes next, but I doubt that, even if we knew exactly who wrote this and how serious they were, this person wouldn't be inclined to write more. So, with that in mind, I do still highly recommend reading this. It's kind of like lightning in a bottle: rare, terrifying, and something that feels entirely forbidden.
Catch you in the next review! And don't go near the stairs!
I listened to Corpse Husband's reading of it and it really heightened the experience for me. Everything about these stories was extremely compelling and, in an unexpected turn of events, this ends up as some sort of heir apparent or successor to House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski at certain stair-related parts.
The only thing holding this back from being a true 5-star story is the lack of structure due to the way it was initially written and shared, but it's also a positive. This feels like a strange and terrible diary where a guy is just talking about the freakiest fucking shit in this infuriatingly calm, measured manner.
I really loved this and had a lot of fun listening to it, getting spooked all by myself at the end of my work day and in my car on the drive home.
This would normally be the part where I'd say I'd be excited to see what the author writes next, but I doubt that, even if we knew exactly who wrote this and how serious they were, this person wouldn't be inclined to write more. So, with that in mind, I do still highly recommend reading this. It's kind of like lightning in a bottle: rare, terrifying, and something that feels entirely forbidden.
Catch you in the next review! And don't go near the stairs!
December 31, 2022
so so so good some of my favorite horror of all time.
Feels like sitting around a campfire listening to stories, 10/10
Feels like sitting around a campfire listening to stories, 10/10
July 17, 2024
Backflips have never been so scary.
November 5, 2025
I LOVE this creepypasta! I go back and revisit it every once in a while because it really scratches that specific supernatural/woodsy/horror itch. Looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the novel once it’s released, especially if it includes new content.
August 16, 2020
4 out of 5.
I decided to re-read Search and Rescue Woods, so I can finally watch season three of Channel Zero.
This no-sleep subreddit still holds up to this day.
Genuinely terrifying with bone-chilling stories.
It is a grounded horror story that shows the terrifying reality of what it is like to be lost in the woods.
Yes, it has supernatural elements, but the author does a fantastic job of making it feel as real as possible.
From situations to characters, it is a fantastic experience.
That all being said it is definitely not perfect. The sometimes wonky structure and technical side sometimes drawback my own personal taste.
But the way the stories unfold is fascinating.
I decided to re-read Search and Rescue Woods, so I can finally watch season three of Channel Zero.
This no-sleep subreddit still holds up to this day.
Genuinely terrifying with bone-chilling stories.
It is a grounded horror story that shows the terrifying reality of what it is like to be lost in the woods.
Yes, it has supernatural elements, but the author does a fantastic job of making it feel as real as possible.
From situations to characters, it is a fantastic experience.
That all being said it is definitely not perfect. The sometimes wonky structure and technical side sometimes drawback my own personal taste.
But the way the stories unfold is fascinating.
May 5, 2025
Reddit horror stories never disappoint🤌🤌🤌
April 21, 2025
Not a great idea to stay up and give this one a try.
If you do come across stairs in the woods, please don't climb them.
If you do come across stairs in the woods, please don't climb them.
March 14, 2025
Search and Rescue Woods was the first series of stories that Papa Meat and Wendigoon covered on their podcast called Creep Cast. This one was far my favorite episode, and it was really fun listening to them dissect what makes this one good. The boys covered the first eight entries in the Park Ranger series and found out that Hammond is actually trying to write a novel connecting everything together. I think that the stories are fun and the tension built up around the rangers' encounters are very spooky and cool. However, I found the 'and then the child was abducted by the ____-headed man and he did something weird and left' format repetitive. The roadkill entity that imitates gunshots was wicked cool though.
After listening to the podcast, I listened to readings of all the other Search and Rescue stories that Hammond has written. Overall, I think this series is great for a creepypasta series, but average for a series of short stories. The format of presenting fiction AS nonfiction is a very fun metafictional format, especially because the stories seem like they're straight out of Welcome to Night Vale. It's a little more horrifying, but surreal and creepy for sure. Not everyone's cup of tea, especially if you're used to reading meticulously crafted short stories. These feel like a stream of consciousness that wasn't drafted, although I can't say for sure if they were drafted or not. I'm looking forward to reading more of Hammond's work in the future, as I'm sure this is a precursor to something more whole and complete.
After listening to the podcast, I listened to readings of all the other Search and Rescue stories that Hammond has written. Overall, I think this series is great for a creepypasta series, but average for a series of short stories. The format of presenting fiction AS nonfiction is a very fun metafictional format, especially because the stories seem like they're straight out of Welcome to Night Vale. It's a little more horrifying, but surreal and creepy for sure. Not everyone's cup of tea, especially if you're used to reading meticulously crafted short stories. These feel like a stream of consciousness that wasn't drafted, although I can't say for sure if they were drafted or not. I'm looking forward to reading more of Hammond's work in the future, as I'm sure this is a precursor to something more whole and complete.
March 2, 2021
I first read this creepy pasta on reddit, and it was one of those stories that I couldn't stop reading. It's about a Search and Rescue officer that decides to share some stories of what happens in the woods. Each story or creepy pasta are connected by being told by the same narrator, and each and every one of them is a good one. One of the things I like the most is that they feel like they could be real, the way it's written and presented leaves you with a kernel of doubt... What if it's real? Of course it's not, but that's what it makes it so good, the possibility of it being real. I wouldn't mind more stories.
July 13, 2025
Search and Rescue Woods is a standout in internet horror, a rare blend of emotional realism, atmospheric dread, and mythic imagery. Told in the voice of a Search and Rescue officer working deep in America’s national forests, the horror unfolds as a series of chilling first-person anecdotes: disappearances that defy logic, survivors who return with unsettling stories, and above all, the recurring appearance of staircases in the woods that lead nowhere... yet command an unshakable sense of wrongness. Framed as if posted on an internet forum by someone simply trying to process what they’ve seen, these tales grow increasingly surreal, building toward a portrait of the wilderness not as a neutral backdrop but as a living, unpredictable force. “There’s something out there. Something that doesn’t want us here,” the narrator writes- and by the end, you believe him.
What makes this story so effective, especially for fans of folklore & summer-night campfire tales, is how it grounds the supernatural in the mundane. The structure can feel loose at times, but that’s the tradeoff for a story told in serial form, without the usual scaffolding of a novel. The roughness contributes to its realism... The early entries read like straightforward field reports, but with just enough oddity to feel unsettling rather than overblown. It's deeply satisfying to observe the author’s growth as a writer across these installments.
Overall, rather than relying on shock value or gore, Hammond crafts fear through implication and atmosphere. That restraint is what elevates this above many other entries in the creepypasta genre; by not over-explaining or resolving every thread, the story preserves its power. These aren’t meant to be solved mysteries, simply whispered warnings told by someone who’s seen too much and survived just enough to talk about it. The narrative voice remains remarkably consistent, so that even when logic starts to slip, the realistic tone of a professional venting his trauma holds it all together.
What makes this story so effective, especially for fans of folklore & summer-night campfire tales, is how it grounds the supernatural in the mundane. The structure can feel loose at times, but that’s the tradeoff for a story told in serial form, without the usual scaffolding of a novel. The roughness contributes to its realism... The early entries read like straightforward field reports, but with just enough oddity to feel unsettling rather than overblown. It's deeply satisfying to observe the author’s growth as a writer across these installments.
Overall, rather than relying on shock value or gore, Hammond crafts fear through implication and atmosphere. That restraint is what elevates this above many other entries in the creepypasta genre; by not over-explaining or resolving every thread, the story preserves its power. These aren’t meant to be solved mysteries, simply whispered warnings told by someone who’s seen too much and survived just enough to talk about it. The narrative voice remains remarkably consistent, so that even when logic starts to slip, the realistic tone of a professional venting his trauma holds it all together.
November 30, 2020
This was so exquisitely creepy! The stairs in the woods are weird and interesting, but the really good stuff are the surreal creatures / spirits "Things that don't care if we have families or lives, or that we can think and feel." Imagine hiking miles from civilization, and running into the guy from the cover of "Hairway to Steven" - for real! It's that kind of disturbing.
Without giving too much away, there are creatures/sprits that inhabit that surreal dream space of aboriginal legends. The telling of and the construction of these entities and the events in the story are just semi-believable enough to be really disturbing, and fire the imagination. This series leaves so many questions - what ARE these things that live in the woods? What is the source material? Is any of this based on other legends?
I read that SyFy sort of adapted this for a season of their "Channel Zero" anthology series, but they took creative liberties and moved it out of the woods. That kind of loses what makes these tales so scary - a setting removed from all the comfort of civilization, and the world we are used to where everything can be understood and explained by science.
I would love to read more of these tales, as long as they retain the realistic and down to earth narrative style that lets part of you wonder whether this stuff is based on real events! Too often, works of horror get ruined and cheapened by trying to be more intense or vivid and fall into the trap of inplausibile plots, story devices, characters, etc. The cool thing about this is it is super creepy but not stupidly so.
Without giving too much away, there are creatures/sprits that inhabit that surreal dream space of aboriginal legends. The telling of and the construction of these entities and the events in the story are just semi-believable enough to be really disturbing, and fire the imagination. This series leaves so many questions - what ARE these things that live in the woods? What is the source material? Is any of this based on other legends?
I read that SyFy sort of adapted this for a season of their "Channel Zero" anthology series, but they took creative liberties and moved it out of the woods. That kind of loses what makes these tales so scary - a setting removed from all the comfort of civilization, and the world we are used to where everything can be understood and explained by science.
I would love to read more of these tales, as long as they retain the realistic and down to earth narrative style that lets part of you wonder whether this stuff is based on real events! Too often, works of horror get ruined and cheapened by trying to be more intense or vivid and fall into the trap of inplausibile plots, story devices, characters, etc. The cool thing about this is it is super creepy but not stupidly so.
September 22, 2019
Definitely thought this was true. Then I read the reviews and now I have about a million doubts. I myself have never felt this sense of unease in a forest. I find a lot of heavy mystery and possibilities, but never anything sinister.
I have however felt that intense, terrifying feeling that something is wrong. So I know what the author means when they discuss that. It's a force that if you stay within it for too long will drive you mad, insane, fucked up.
Sorry, this review got out of control. Very well written and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. Reminded me of reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I want to believe these other stories are real. And I'll treat them as such until I can be proven otherwise.
I'd prefer not to die in the woods because of a supernatural being.
I have however felt that intense, terrifying feeling that something is wrong. So I know what the author means when they discuss that. It's a force that if you stay within it for too long will drive you mad, insane, fucked up.
Sorry, this review got out of control. Very well written and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. Reminded me of reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I want to believe these other stories are real. And I'll treat them as such until I can be proven otherwise.
I'd prefer not to die in the woods because of a supernatural being.
October 25, 2023
Okay, this one really got under my skin. One of those stories where nothing in it on its own is nightmare fuel but the collective experience of two hours worth of anecdotal campfire stories brings you into the magic circle and you start to realize that you're checking behind you in your apartment because even though you know it's literally impossible for someone to be there, in these kinds of stories, the laws of reality need not apply. Would really recommend this one. Definitely a highlight of the "creepypasta" style of horror writing I've read this season. Here's the link to the audio reading I listened to: https://youtu.be/nhkgXOUDetc?si=NMgb7...
October 28, 2021
PEOPLE.. WHO DO WE HAVE TO FIGHT TO GET HER RIGHTS BACK BECAUSE I HAVE RE-READ HER SEARCH AND RESCUE STORY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. FOR SOME REASON I CANT FIND HER OTHER STORIES..
I CANT FIND HER ANYWHERE EITHER ( I'M NOT A STALKER) I JUST WISH SHE FOUGHT HARDER TO KEEP HER RIGHTS.
WHAT DO WE WANT? KERRY HAMMOND HARDCOVER BOOKS!!
WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW
ANYWAYS, IF ANYONE WANTS TO HELP A GIRL OUT ON FINDING OTHER STORIES SHE WROTE PLEASE LET ME KNOW !!!
MY EMAIL IS SHOPPING.ADDICTS94@GMAIL.COM
-Lilith :)
I CANT FIND HER ANYWHERE EITHER ( I'M NOT A STALKER) I JUST WISH SHE FOUGHT HARDER TO KEEP HER RIGHTS.
WHAT DO WE WANT? KERRY HAMMOND HARDCOVER BOOKS!!
WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW
ANYWAYS, IF ANYONE WANTS TO HELP A GIRL OUT ON FINDING OTHER STORIES SHE WROTE PLEASE LET ME KNOW !!!
MY EMAIL IS SHOPPING.ADDICTS94@GMAIL.COM
-Lilith :)
December 25, 2018
Well, for whatever reason, I listened to all of this. It even took me a few stories to realize these were creepypastas and not true stories--or, at least, not all true. Several walk the boundary of "truth is stranger than fiction," and wouldn't be all that surprising that real search and rescue workers or other deep wilderness jobs come across such bizarre incidents on occasion. Regardless, it's well-written and internally believable.
June 18, 2019
Are we sure this is fiction? Man, the woods are creepy. Read this over two lunch periods and work and fjdklsajfkl;asdjfkawiorefdasklfjas;dlkf I can't believe I slept last night. Hopefully will tonight. Extremely well written, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if it's at least half true. I grew up hiking all over Upstate NY, and the stairs have bothered me ever since I was a kid. I went to go touch a set one time, and I think that's the most my Dad's ever yelled at me in my life.
Read
May 3, 2022Not sure how to rate this yet as it was an 8-part Reddit thread, not necessarily a “book”. It was phenomenally horrifying by the fact that I did not know I was reading fiction until I finished. The writing is deceptively casual, like sharing stories by the campfire. However, the imagery and the details are so exact that it made my skin crawl and my imagination fill in the rest. Would recommend reading this the next time you get the urge to kill a few minutes online.
June 25, 2024
i listened to this through CreepCast with Papa Meat & Wendigoon.
this was a solid story. it read real. as a creepy pasta, it truly is one of the better stories i’ve read. i felt uneasy & i don’t normally feel that way with stories. i’m not unfamiliar with the woods & i don’t feel uncomfortable in the woods. although, after this, i re-thought myself. the next time i was out in the woods after this, i found myself thinking about this story.
4/5
this was a solid story. it read real. as a creepy pasta, it truly is one of the better stories i’ve read. i felt uneasy & i don’t normally feel that way with stories. i’m not unfamiliar with the woods & i don’t feel uncomfortable in the woods. although, after this, i re-thought myself. the next time i was out in the woods after this, i found myself thinking about this story.
4/5
September 4, 2020
Search and Rescue Woods is well written and genuinely eerie creepypasta. It follows a park ranger as they recount unexplainable and unsettling events from their time in the forest. I love horror stories set in forests, woods and desolate places and this really scratched that itch!
December 30, 2021
really creepy story’s a few times even though I was at home while reading this there were times that I thought that I would have to stop reading because it creeped me out so much that I thought that some of the creatures in this story were actually going to walk into the my room
October 30, 2022
The stories in this book reminds me of David Paulides' Missing 411 stories that I often listen to from Mr Ballen Podcast. It's creepy to think about the strange incidents and what kind of creature caused them.
December 22, 2022
These stories are amazing, I've come back to them time and time again and I can confidently say that this is the best-set horror stories I have read! I would definitely recommend these to anyone who likes horror, specifically the eerie feeling that comes along with it.
June 27, 2024
Classic online horror story. Uses the format in an interesting way and inspired many future stories of a similar type. Read it on Reddit if you can for the personal experience. Only gave it 4/5 because it ends a little bit abruptly but I don't think any ending could've done this story justice.
July 1, 2018
Really good
December 10, 2018
Great creepypasta-style story; love these.
December 1, 2019
Wow, I believed this was real until the end.
January 6, 2020
One of the higher quality Internet horror stories, courtesy of the mostly-infuriating but occasionally brilliant NoSleep sub.
April 3, 2021
so good
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews