By Tim Binnall
A mesmerizing video shot by a British hiker shows the moment when he witnessed a spooky phenomenon wherein it appeared as if he was walking alongside a ghost. According to a local media report, Chris Randall captured the cool footage during a visit to a mountainous region of the country known as the Lake District. While exploring a particularly misty hillside, the hiker's peripheral vision picked up on something peculiar a few feet away from him in the form of what seemed to be a shadow figure that was mirroring his movements.
Fortunately, Randall was not overcome with fright as he immediately recognized the ghostly 'companion' to be a natural illusion, known as a Brocken spectre, which occurs when the sun is behind a person and casts their shadow onto nearby mist or fog. "As soon as I caught it in the corner of my eye, I knew exactly what it was," the avid hiker recalled, "for years I have been trying to catch one." Describing the experience of finally seeing the phenomenon, Randall mused that "it's very surreal and was a little unnerving," no doubt due in part to his being out on the misty mountaintop all by himself.