Screaming or howling in Tulare County, California

In May or June of 2001, 3 friends of mine and I camped out near Mineral King at the top of a saddle between two mountain peaks. We camped in the woods,nowhere near a campsite of any kind-near no one else. We had hiked all day to get to that spot. In the middle of the night-around 1AM I guess- huge rocks (sounded like boulders because we could hear flying debris when they hit) began to rain down around us. None of them seemed close enough to actually hit our tents-and I got up many times to see what could've done it. The geography or lay of the land around us was such that there werent any cliffs or anything like that to create the momentum necessary for such force. The other odd thing is that it went on for a few hours-maybe 3 then stopped. Another discomforting issue was that the whole way up and the whole time pitching camp and even the early evening it was quiet as could be. I never saw anything although on the side of our makeshift camping area I saw one deer-opposite from where the noise came from. We thought of everything-ice cracking rock,dislodging rock fall-but couldnt answer the timing of it-nor the fact that there wasnt enough of a grade anywhere near us to cause such a thing. In addition to the rocks-there were very loud cracking of branches. I cant remember if it was the large rocks hitting trees or if it was breaking of branches and large rocks seperately. I never heard any "screams" or anything-but something made alot of racket that night. We were all terrified-and my friend has been an avid hiker who's hiked in different parts of the US and never experienced anything like this. As much as it made an impression on us-no one really likes to talk about it-nor did anyone have an answer. Two of us mentioned that we should speak to a Park Ranger. Ive been meaning to contact one but I never got around to it. Your title made it easier for me, because I frankly don't know what to think. I can't imagine the force it would take to have rocks rain down around us like that-nor could I possibly justify to myself why it never happened ever around us all day-in the morning, nor early evening or after the incident. I've been interested in going back to that same location-but have fallen out of touch with the only friend willing.