A lot has been said about the mysterious property, called Skinwalker Ranch, which is located on 512-acres in Utah’s Uinta Basin, over the past 200 years. The ranch, as well as the surrounding area, have been home to numerous unexplained sightings and occurrences during that time, so much so that it was once known as "UFO Ranch" by those who'd heard about or witnessed such events. History Channel was recently given access to study the ranch, and one of the scientists who participated in the filming of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch admits that he now has "terrifying nightmares" due to his time there.
Astrophysicist Dr. Travis Taylor was part of a team of researchers who took on the task of studying Skinwalker Ranch last year, and I, along with other journalists, had the chance to talk with him about his experiences working at infamous property. Dr. Taylor revealed that he arrived in Utah last March, and instead of spending his days there and then heading off to a hotel for the evening, he actually lived in a camper trailer on the ranch during the week, from June through early October, so that he'd be able to look into anything that happened as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, this has meant that he's had some after effects from spending so much time at Skinwalker Ranch. When Dr. Taylor was talking about how scary his time at the property was, he noted that even his dreams have been impacted, saying:
I will tell you that in the last six months of my life I’ve had more terrifying nightmares than I have had in the previous 50 years of my life put together. And I can’t really explain that, but there’s something about either just a mental thing of being there or there’s actually an exposure that causes it. I can’t tell you why, but the nightmares that I’ve had since then were either - they’re horrifying and I wake up some nights screaming. So, that’s especially while I was on the ranch, there were several times where I would wake up from horrible nightmares. And I can’t explain that but that’s what happened.
Ooooh, boy. I really do not like the sound of this sci-fi madness. I am someone who frequently has trouble sleeping, and once I do get to sleep I have been known to have some truly buck wild dreams / nightmares on a normal night, when I haven't even been particularly stressed or had a bad day. So, I cannot imagine how jarring it would be to have lived a largely night terror-free life and then be faced with a period of months where you wake up screaming on the regular. Me no likey. And, it sounds like Dr. Taylor no likey, either.
When Dr. Taylor was asked if he was ever scared while at Skinwalker Ranch and of what, he responded:
Scared of what is probably the right way to say that, because I never knew what it was I was scared of. And most things don’t scare me. I grew up here in the south hunting, and fishing and camping and whatever. I walked through the woods at night by myself and don’t think anything about it. I knew of the natural threats; mountain lions, snakes, scorpions - you know, the various things that could cause a problem from a natural perspective. And so I was prepared for that.
Yeah, it definitely sounds like Dr. Taylor wasn't prepared for the craziness that awaited him once he got to Skinwalker Ranch, and, honestly, who can blame him? Like most of us, I'm sure he's not very used to seeing a lot of unexplainable things up close and personal. As a scientist, whatever he does come across that seems inexplicable, he's probably able to come up with reasoning for without a lot of time passing. Apparently, though, his time at Skinwalker Ranch defied those parameters, and left him with nightmares, to boot.
You can see for yourself just how scary Dr. Travis Taylor's time on the property was when The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch airs on History Channel, every Tuesday at 10 p.m. EST. To explore some shows that might be less nightmare-inducing, check out our Netflix guide and 2020 mideseason premiere schedule!
