Lone hiker wakes to rock clacks and heavy foot falls on the Allegheny Trail near Durbin witnessed in Pocahontas County, West Virginia

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In June I was backpacking the Allegheny Trail going south bound. I had hiked up the trail following the yellow blazes. As I got to the top and started the trek along the ridge line I noticed some of the blazes getting harder to find with what looked like attempts to scratch them off. I say this because I would find the paint chips and bark at the base of the trees. It was raining on and off with a strong wind blowing West/Northwest. The trail had quit a few blow-downs and up-roots but I also would come across smaller trees broken off or up-root laying across the trail opposite the wind direction. I was hiking toward a shelter along the trail using my map book and came upon it late in the afternoon. The following morning I was awoken by a loud noise nearby. At first I could not identity the sound but then I realized it was to Flat Creek, stones being "clacked" together. The sound would at first be close by and then a few seconds later would be repeated farther away until it was almost o...