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Beyond the Beyond

: Local Lore – The Lone Pine Mountain Devil

Beyond the Beyond

: Local Lore – The Lone Pine Mountain Devil

lone pine devil
Image: Tanner Rush

Living in the Eastern Sierra is a gift for anyone who manages to do it. We can sometimes take for granted the lakes, rivers, streams, mountains, swimming holes, views, trails, and people that live here, as anywhere you stay a while you tend to get used to. Personally, I wake up in the morning and head out into my backyard to write, a place that overlooks the majestic White Mountains, not too far from a zig-zagging creek and a stretch of land where you might find all sorts of different critters roaming around, and thank the Good Lord that he brought me to such a place. People come from all over to get a glimpse of what we all share every day. And when they ask me how I like living here, I say “Ahhh… it’s okay.” You see, a lot of us like to keep it a secret.

There are other secrets here, like any rural area, that are known and kept but rarely shared. Supposedly, one of those secrets is of a winged beast that lives high up in the Alabama Hills not too far from here. It is large, elusive, and possibly predatory, and numerous sightings have been reported over the last one hundred years.

lone pine devil
Image: “A Field Guide to the Cryptids of North America”

It inhabits the most desolate regions of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Supposedly, a group of Spanish settlers riding in stagecoaches vanished without a trace in the area in 1878. The bodies of the men, women, and children were found dead and decomposing two months later by copper miners. Weeks after they were supposed to return to their mission in San Diego, a lone priest showed up, dirty, beaten, ridden hard and put away wet. The others gathered around him as he told his story.

The Spaniards were having a party where they camped, and as the sun went down they began to lose their light. A few of the members began to burn trees in the desert for a light source, and the celebration began to get a little… freaky. As drunken lovers embraced, the priest found refuge in his tent up on the hill. He heard a commotion, and peeked out to see winged creatures swarming down from the sky and devouring the entire group within minutes. The next morning, any trace of another human being was gone, and he began to make the long, slow trek back to San Diego.

He wrote: “Everyone I have ever known has been taken by these devils. A gateway to the furthest regions of hell must have opened to allow such a thing to occur. Was it their lust for sin that erased any trace of their lives? Or was it the disrespect given to such a sacred place where we camped? Perhaps I will never know, but every time I lay down and close my eyes, I see those winged demons and I hear the agonizing screams of my companions.”

Now, of course, all of that is bullshit. Well, half of it, anyway. I made most of it up, and the parts I didn’t make up came from various cryptid websites and YouTube videos.

You see, the Lone Pine Devil is an internet hoax which stemmed from a single found footage video published on YouTube in 2012. You can see it here:

But isn’t it interesting how these legends spread? It starts as a half-baked idea for a video that turned out to be pretty good. And then there are internet whispers of strange creatures hanging out above Lone Pine. There are websites built for it, and TikTok vids that go viral, and people are reaching out to me to do a story about it.

And suddenly the Lone Pine Mountain Devil is actually a thing.

But what if the Sierra Nevada mountains still hold mysteries? What about all the planes that have gone missing there? Or the strange sounds heard deep in the woods by Ron Morehead and Dan Barry? Look up the water babies of Pyramid Lake. The seven-foot-tall skin and bones creature known only as Penelope. Black Triangles. UFO abductions and strange disappearances. This place still has its secrets, but be careful; curiosity can sometimes awaken what is best left undisturbed.

Have you seen Penelope? Message me @beyondthebeyond1 on Instagram.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Eastern Sierra Now. Readers are encouraged to conduct further research and consult with relevant experts or professionals before making any decisions or taking any actions based on the information provided in this article.

Catch up on more “Beyond the Beyond” here.

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