Strange Track in the Snow

[Indybird]

So I've got a strange mystery for you guys; perhaps you can help me solve it.
Heres the story:
On Tuesday I got home around 12 midnight. My dad got home about an hour later, and when he did he called me outside to see something weird. There was a single track that went up our driveway, over the sidewalk, up onto our snowy lawn, then over into our neighbors yard. The track was very weird; it was a single track (not like a two-wheeled item), about 4 inches wide, was perfectly smooth, and wasn't accompanied by any other tracks. Now, this track hadn't been there an hour early when I got home.

So I go across the street first to see where it started in that direction. Sure enough right across the street I found where it started (or stopped).
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/Indybird/IMG_2452.jpg
(All the footprints in the picture are mine from walking around it).
It kinda came to an abrupt stop with 4 or 5 sprays outward. There were no footprints around it when I arrived, so no one picked it up.

Now I proceed to follow the other way. I followed it across my neighbors driveway, their yard, then on. This track went all the way up my block. It seemed to be completely random not going to any particular spot or staying in certain areas. It went across driveways, lawns, the sidewalk and the parkway. After following for a sec I saw the next weird aspect about it. It made a 90 degree turn, perfectly sharp. Right there I threw all of my possible ideas. I continued to follow it up our block. At the corner yard it looped around itself several times then went to the backyard of the corner house and came back out on the side street. So I followed it further. It followed the sidewalk for a while then turned on to the next street over. It continued down this street doing the same stuff it did on my street and then it came to an abrupt stop with only some animal tracks around it:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/Indybird/IMG_2450.jpg

So, I am completely puzzled as to what on earth could've made this path.

If you guys have any clue what this could be, please throw out your ideas!

Thanks for reading,
Indybird

[SgtM]

It's yettislug!

[Quakken]

Beaver, dragging its tail.

[jdbnsn]

Maybe it's Scuzzlebutt coming to weave us into wicker baskets.

[x88x]

Ultrawide unicycle...with foam tires...and a beginner rider...who floats... :whistler:

[billygoat333]

rc car with a snowplow behind it and the ability of crab steering?

[Oneslowz28]

Its Mothman dude!!! Don't believe me? Check out this thread on another board.

http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=280136

But in all seriousness could it be some neighborhood teen playing a prank with a rock tied to a string? Or a firework of some sort that was lit while on its side? that would explain the "star burst" streaks

[Luke122]

my first thought was "empty soda can, being blown along by the wind".

But the disappearance at the end with the "streaks" confuses me mightily.

[Xpirate]

Could be a snake.

[Kayin]

A very few snakes could move in snow, but that would kill even them being exposed and active during this time of year. I dunno. ManBearPig, I guess.

[msmrx57]

I'm with Luke, something being blown by the wind then picked up by someone/thing. Either that or an alien snow slug. :)

[farlo]

looks like a beaver track

[altec]

Someone drag a shovel?

[Indybird]

Its Mothman dude!!! Don't believe me? Check out this thread on another board.

http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=280136

But in all seriousness could it be some neighborhood teen playing a prank with a rock tied to a string? Or a firework of some sort that was lit while on its side? that would explain the "star burst" streaks
I don't think its that because at some points it went well into peoples yard with out any tracks following it.


Someone drag a shovel?

Same thing with the tracks.

Now call me weird, but I've put several hours trying to figure this out, and I'd like to think Ive thought most of the possibilities.

-Indybird

[Trace]

Drag a shovel OVER their tracks? Then they're erased?

[Indybird]

Drag a shovel OVER their tracks? Then they're erased?

Yeah, but how could they fit the tracks into a 4 inch wide path and then stop the whole path without walking away?

-Indybird

[Trace]

IDK, I dont think my foot is more then 4 inches wide
the stop is weird tho

[billygoat333]

they filled in the rest of their tracks with loose snow? lol had a grappling hook and swung away? called in a UH-60 Blackhawk to airlift em out of there?

[Trace]

they filled in the rest of their tracks with loose snow? lol had a grappling hook and swung away? called in a UH-60 Blackhawk to airlift em out of there?
Youd see snow marks from the downward air

[Mach]

Rolled up newspaper blown by the wind on the slippery snow caught on the edge of the driveway then each page unfolded and blew away leaving the spray marks that you see.

[billygoat333]

Youd see snow marks from the downward air
good point. lol

[Zephik]

I've got it! *grabs bubble pipe*

January 1st, 2010. There was a strong wind that night, a great way to introduce the new year. But was it good enough for little Timmy Johnson? No sir. Little Timmy had some left over fireworks from earlier that year and he wasn't about to introduce the new year without a bit o' flash and bang, if you get my meaning. Unfortunately, Little Timmy dropped one of his "fire crackers" just as he lit it. The "fire cracker" hit the snow, disappearing into the depths of the cold fluff that surrounded him and extinguishing instantly upon contact, or so he thought. Losing sight of where it landed, he decided to forget about it and light a new one. Little did he know, the fuse upon said dropped "fire cracker" retained a small ember. Later that night, after little Timmy Johnson was long gone, the wind started blowing something fierce, uncovering the snow bit by bit, revealing the tiny explosive. The wind finally started picking up enough that the "fire cracker" got pushed around, bit by bit, rolling into a snowball and leaving the trail you see there. The fuse with the small ember still exposed, all that was needed was a light breeze... which there just happened to be that night. The next thing you know, kaboom! The snowball exploded, sending little snow particle shrapnel in the direction of least resistance, giving you the small effects you see in the snow there towards the end.

Watson! Get in here! I've done it again ol' chap!
I've got a lovely bunch of brownies, there they are, sitting on a tray! bum bum bum, dun... *starts whistling*

[mDust]

...what on earth...Indeed! Heheh, this is a classic distraction used by the little green men. Notice it led away from your house...you felt compelled to follow it so they could infiltrate your home. Sleep tight tonight!:whistler:

[Oneslowz28]

I think the little green men wanted to infiltrate more than his home :p

[msmrx57]

I think the little green men wanted to infiltrate more than his home :p

Masybe it's too late:whistler:

[artoodeeto]

Zephik's scenario is totally unrealistic. Yep. So says me. Here's a MUCH more likely chain of events:
As seen in Up and a Mythbuster's episode, it is entirely possible to suspend oneself from helium-filled balloons. I think little Timmy, rather than lighting firecrackers, got into Mommy and Daddy's painting/wallpapering supplies, and grabbed a plastic roller, about 4" wide. He then suspended himself in a prone position from helium balloons, and rolled that track out on the ground as the wind blew him around. Then a big gust jerked him up suddenly, tightening the cords around his midsection, which caused him to blow and spit onto the ground, creating the fan pattern. But he managed to hang on to the roller as the wind took him away and deposited him elsewhere. That is so totally more realistic. Yep. :P

[Zephik]

Actually, I'm pretty sure it was an elephant. I'm like... 90% sure, having seen lots of elephants in my day.

[mDust]

Actually, I'm pretty sure it was an elephant. I'm like... 90% sure, having seen lots of elephants in my day.

Now I see it. I feel like a fool.

[artoodeeto]

:facepalm: of COURSE...elephants...why didn't I think of that.... definitely more than one. probably it was the ones from Fantasia. one tippy-toed around in ballet shoes and carried the other one, who dragged her trunk across the ground. Yeah.

[mDust]

:facepalm: of COURSE...elephants...why didn't I think of that.... definitely more than one. probably it was the ones from Fantasia. one tippy-toed around in ballet shoes and carried the other one, who dragged her trunk across the ground. Yeah.

No way, that's just ridiculous! It was Dumbo flying 2 feet off the ground, dragging his trunk. He sneezed at the end resulting in the spray pattern.

[artoodeeto]

if he was only 2 feet off the ground, where's the marks from his ears flapping? You just answer me THAT, Sherlock McSolves-it-all. LOL :P

[mDust]

if he was only 2 feet off the ground, where's the marks from his ears flapping? You just answer me THAT, Sherlock McSolves-it-all. LOL :P

Well, Dumbo was born on October 23, 1941, which makes him about 69 years old. That's pretty old for an elephant. Being fully grown, his ears are now about 12 feet off the ground. And since he was exposed to alcohol at an early age, he developed his addiction later in life. He is retired from acting which gives him free time to drink local bars dry. Contrary to popular belief, elephants DO forget...especially when wasted. It's a favorite game of his to get blackout drunk and then try to find his way home. He can often be seen blocking traffic the next morning as he sleeps off his drunken stupor.

We have opportunity: He is retired from acting which gives him free time...
Motive/Reasoning: It's a favorite game of his to get blackout drunk and then try to find his way home.
And evidence: the snow trail.

I think that's enough to declare case closed...but let's let the jury decide.:D

[Zephik]

Jeez! I put one little penny on the track and the next thing I know we have a full blown thread train derailment! lol oops.

I'm pretty sure mDust just solved the case though. That's a pretty solid theory. :p

[Twigsoffury]

looks like a turtles track to me.
they tend to make tracks about like that, do randomly travel... and make 90 degree turns, looks for small claw marks along side that track, but turtle feet are pretty small. any wind will wash them away rather fast.

looked pretty fresh, should of followed it.

anyways sucks to be him.

[mDust]

looks like a turtles track to me.
they tend to make tracks about like that, do randomly travel... and make 90 degree turns, looks for small claw marks along side that track, but turtle feet are pretty small. any wind will wash them away rather fast.

looked pretty fresh, should of followed it.

anyways sucks to be him.
I honestly doubt if any cold-blooded creature would make it more than 10-20 feet in snow. They would give up and try to conserve what little warmth they had left.

Maybe an unusually fast, mentally-impaired turtle with a boot warmer tucked into his shell...but not a normal one.:neutral:

[artoodeeto]

maybe it was a usb-powered turtle with a laptop on top of his shell:
http://www.wholesaletip.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=899_822&product_id=8878
http://www.wholesaletip.com/image/8/cute-turtle-usb-massager-8878_1.jpg

then again...maybe not.

[3pcon]

i think it was jesus...

[mDust]

i think it was jesus...

Haha! Let's try to keep the discussion grounded in reality!:D

[Twigsoffury]

I honestly doubt if any cold-blooded creature would make it more than 10-20 feet in snow. They would give up and try to conserve what little warmth they had left.

Maybe an unusually fast, mentally-impaired turtle with a boot warmer tucked into his shell...but not a normal one.:neutral:

http://i46.tinypic.com/72r91u.jpg


?

[x88x]

8D That is an AWESOME birdbath! I want one ....and a yard to put it in... bah.

[mDust]

http://i46.tinypic.com/72r91u.jpg


?

Well, that tortoise isn't making much progress, and it would leave foot prints that wouldn't blow away. Maybe Dumbo was carrying the tortoise? upside down? as a prank? good one Dumbo!

[3pcon]

I'm telling you guys Jesus is the answer.

Ask anyone :)

my only other answer would be some kind of a animal.

I think it's number 1 tho

[Zephik]

It was a Dumbo, Tortoise, Jesus monster. With a sawed off shotgun. On fire. IN SPACE.

[Spidermeld]

I honestly doubt if any cold-blooded creature would make it more than 10-20 feet in snow. They would give up and try to conserve what little warmth they had left.

Maybe an unusually fast, mentally-impaired turtle with a boot warmer tucked into his shell...but not a normal one.:neutral:

I couldn't help it.... you've been sig-quoted.

[mDust]

I couldn't help it.... you've been sig-quoted.lol.



Here's some of my handy detective work:
The snow piled to the sides of the trail means something was dragged or pushed through the snow. If a freak on a unicycle decided to go for a late-night ride, the track would be clean cut on the edges due to the snow simply being compressed. There would also be snow on the bottom of the track, instead of being mostly scraped aside.
The fact that the snow was bunching up in front of dragged item clears possible suspect #1: the wind. If the wind could move something that heavy, there would be no track as it would have blown over.
Evidence suggests animals were in the area, so they become suspect #2. Since there are no witnesses to the deed, we can only assume possible scenarios: A cat or small raccoon found something (relatively) delicious. It was unable to carry said meal, and thus dragged it along backwards (over most of its tracks) with its mouth. A dog or other large animal stumbled upon this scene and decided the meal was indeed delicious. It picked it up after scaring off the previous owner, thus ending the trail and leaving the animal tracks (possibly 2 sets). What does all of this prove? ...That I have nothing better to do with my time than to theorize about animals fighting over garbage hundreds if not thousands of miles away. THE END.

[Twigsoffury]

It was a Dumbo, Tortoise, Jesus monster. With a sawed off shotgun. On fire. IN SPACE.

Evil dead 5?

[Twigsoffury]

lol.



Here's some of my handy detective work:
The snow piled to the sides of the trail means something was dragged or pushed through the snow..


if it was really windy, maybe the wind blew a box through the snow... or something.

where do you live? maybe there is some sort of strange native species of mutant retard animal in your local.

[mDust]

if it was really windy, maybe the wind blew a box through the snow... or something.

where do you live? maybe there is some sort of strange native species of mutant retard animal in your local.
That would have to be a really heavy box to scrape the ground without tumbling...the wind it would take to do that would be tornado-like. I do like blaming retarded mutants though. They're one of my favorite scapegoats.

[Twigsoffury]

That would have to be a really heavy box to scrape the ground without tumbling...the wind it would take to do that would be tornado-like. I do like blaming retarded mutants though. They're one of my favorite scapegoats.

maybe it was a mutant retard animal inside a box..that couldn't escape?

[mDust]

maybe it was a mutant retard animal inside a box..that couldn't escape?

Had to be this. What else could it have been?

[Luke122]

How about a plastic bag, full of snow.

[mDust]

How about a plastic bag, full of snow.

That wouldn't blow around. It could have been a plastic bag full of snow with a mentally-retarded mutant animal trapped in it though...I think that's the next logical step in the direction you were going.:think:

[Luke122]

I think that's a bit less likely..

[FuzzyPlushroom]

The tracks around it seem to hint that, as mDust said, a cat/small 'coon was dragging something along - not sure what happened at the end, maybe it got a better grip with its mouth and carried the small item off? Could've gotten scared off, but that should leave a second set of tracks.

The bendy-corner in the second photo seems to hint at that to me - the odd path could be the result of head movement, with the tracks around it being the path of the animal's body relative to whatever it was dragging.

Or it could have been a ninja-elephant with rabies, I suppose.

[Indybird]

Oh god, I lose internet for 2 days, and this happens :D. First, lol. Second, the deductive reasoning this thread is impressive.

A few of these do check out except for the fact that there were no tracks or anything at the end, just a few animal tracks near the beginning. Also I'm fairly sure there was no significant wind that night.

I have my friends here puzzled. One of them actually tried recreating it by walking in a perfectly straight path dragging a thin shovel behind him. It worked ok, but that still didnt explain the beginning and end...

-Indybird

[Robotguy]

I'm probably a bit sick & twisted but this is the first thing that came to my mind...
M3-pQHEpL-E

[mDust]

I'm probably a bit sick & twisted but this is the first thing that came to my mind...Brilliant! We're getting closer to cracking this thing wide open!

My new and improved theory is that it was a cute little mentally-retarded mutant puppy with worms...the snow-covered sidewalk relieved the itch for hundreds of feet before an owl swooped down out of the night sky and snapped its spinal cord with a muffled crunch...no witnesses. It wasn't much of a struggle, and once the owl was satisfied the puppy would never take another breath, they flew off together with a single beat of the owls' 5 foot wingspan. That is what left the 'spray' marks and the absence of tracks at the end.
This should be a movie...

[Airbozo]

Brilliant! We're getting closer to cracking this thing wide open!

...

uh huh huh huh. uh huh uh huh...