Others in the area soon spotted the object, and a citizen’s band radio alert went out. It wasn’t long before sightseers began to gather. Local authorities—including members of the county sheriff’s department, civil defense, and state police—also heard the call and responded, but by the time they arrived the object appeared only as a solitary bright light over the mountaintop.

At the same time, deep in the mountain timber, a group of raccoon hunters was on its way to the summit. They had entered Blue Mountain from the western end of a somewhat remote, low-lying area known as Swope Valley, at a point about two and a half miles north of the mountaintop. The elevation at the summit is 1,400 feet, with the Appalachian Trail following the ridge at that location. The terrain on the mountain is rough and makes a difficult climb under the best of circumstances.

The hunters were nearing the summit when they heard a series of eerie sounds, like “tearing metal.” Unaware of the nearby UFO activity, their immediate impression was that an airplane had crashed on the mountaintop. Visibility was limited, not only by darkness but by an odd, heavy fog descending on the slopes. The hunters became disoriented. As they stumbled along they began to realize that the strange sounds were not subsiding; if anything they were growing more distinct and ever more frightening ...