When you stay at a hotel, you're protected.

There's a key card, a powerful lock, and likely a deadbolt or chain.

When you go camping, the only thing that separates you from the outside world is a zipper.

Sure, nylon fabric keeps the rain out, but it's easily pierced and torn.

You may feel like you've braved the elements, but really, all you've done is isolate yourself.

You're vulnerable, and if something bad happens, only the shadows and the stars will be your witness.

Welcome to Sword and Scale Nightmares, True Crime for Bedtime, where Nightmare begins now.

Back in 1976, 200 years after our nation's founding, an avid bicyclist, along with his wife and his friends,

created a nationwide event called Bikes in Teniel, 76.

Enthusiastic bikers could travel over 4,200 miles from coast to coast, passing through ten

different states and admiring many beautiful parks, forests, and small towns along the way.

The first year was a success, with thousands of participants getting to experience the beauty of

the United States firsthand. It's romantic in a way. Nothing but open roads ahead of you,

as you explore the country with newfound, sure to be lifelong travel companions.

The following summer, 19-year-old Terry Gents was eager to have such an adventure.

A group of her fellow Yale classmates decided to put a group together,

but ultimately, only one friend followed through to join her.

Terry met Avra Goldman on her very first day of school, and they lived one room apart on the

same floor of their campus living quarters. They had become fast friends, despite the fact that Avra

was the bubbly, optimistic yin to Terry's more introverted, cynical yang. Terry had done a lot of

research in the months leading up to their big trip. During that time, she and Avra purchased

top-of-the-line ultra-like 10-speed bicycles, along with matching gear, and everything else they

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