1
00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,080
Settle in, get comfortable, and 
prepare for another collection 

2
00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,400
of eyewitness encounters that 
may change the way you look at 

3
00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,800
the wilderness. 
I'm Lynn Smith and welcome to 

4
00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:30,440
the Bigfoot Project. 
This encounter occurred on the 

5
00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,560
Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia around 
sunrise. 

6
00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:38,360
I work in the oil field industry
and have for many years. 

7
00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,720
When I'm between jobs, I spend 
as much time outdoors as 

8
00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,240
possible. 
Hunting and fishing are a big 

9
00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,480
part of my life and I travel to 
different areas to fish and hunt

10
00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,680
whenever I can. 
This happened while I was 

11
00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:53,080
meeting my father and uncle for 
a fishing trip. 

12
00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,240
They had gone a couple of days 
ahead of me. 

13
00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,360
I left just before sunrise. 
It was around a 2 hour drive to 

14
00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:01,920
where we were meeting. 
There were two ways into that 

15
00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,519
area. 
One involved taking a ferry 

16
00:01:04,519 --> 00:01:07,600
across a channel and the other 
was a longer route through a 

17
00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,160
more isolated area. 
The ferry wasn't operating that 

18
00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,080
day, so I had to take the longer
route. 

19
00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,280
After leaving the highway and 
driving for around 15 or 20 

20
00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:21,000
minutes, I reached a bridge. 
On the right side was what 

21
00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,280
looked like a lake, on the left 
side an estuary where the tide 

22
00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,800
moved in and out. 
As I came around the turn and 

23
00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,160
crossed the bridge, I looked 
left like I usually do in open 

24
00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,920
areas to see if there were deer 
or people around, and I saw 

25
00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,680
something standing in the water.
I stopped, put the vehicle in 

26
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,280
reverse, backed up. 
I watched it for around 15 

27
00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,680
seconds, then it stood up. 
The second it stood up, I knew I

28
00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:48,800
wasn't looking at what I first 
assumed. 

29
00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,480
It did not. 
Turn its entire body. 

30
00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,200
It only turned slightly and 
looked in my direction. 

31
00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:56,840
It watched me for maybe 15 
seconds. 

32
00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,640
Then it turned away from me and 
took three or four steps up the 

33
00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:02,760
bank and disappeared into the 
woods. 

34
00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,680
I sat there in disbelief. 
I kept trying to explain it 

35
00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,360
away, like maybe somebody was 
playing a joke. 

36
00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:13,480
Maybe I had mistaken what I saw.
But the way it moved didn't 

37
00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,120
match anything normal. 
I've spent enough time outdoors 

38
00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,760
to know how animals move. 
This thing came out of the water

39
00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,200
upright and walked into the 
woods in a smooth and natural 

40
00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,560
way. 
I drove away, but curiosity got 

41
00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,400
the better of me. 
I turned around and came back. 

42
00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,240
I parked and sat there for 
around 10 minutes replaying what

43
00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,160
I had seen. 
I got out, put on my chest 

44
00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:38,920
waders and walked toward the 
area. 

45
00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,680
When I reached where I thought 
it had been standing, I saw a 

46
00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,040
gravel and sand area with 
several large wet impressions on

47
00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,880
the ground. 
I did not go into the woods to 

48
00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,680
follow. 
I had no interest in doing that.

49
00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,520
Instead, I walked into the water
where it appeared to have been 

50
00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:58,880
standing. 
The water came up much higher on

51
00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,880
me than I expected. 
That was enough for me. 

52
00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,320
I walked back while constantly 
checking the tree line behind 

53
00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,080
me. 
I returned to the car, took off 

54
00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,240
my gear, and stood watching the 
area for another 10 minutes 

55
00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:13,880
before leaving. 
When I finally reached the 

56
00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,440
fishing area, I didn't say much 
at first, but eventually I 

57
00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,560
mentioned that I had seen 
something strange. 

58
00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,200
I asked if anyone had ever 
experienced anything unusual out

59
00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,800
there. 
I explained that I saw something

60
00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:30,120
large, very large, and the way 
it moved was slow and 

61
00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,160
controlled. 
Even then, I had a hard time 

62
00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:34,880
saying out loud what I thought I
saw. 

63
00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,880
The area was isolated and there 
were no nearby houses, and the 

64
00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:42,000
picnic area nearby was empty. 
There were no cars. 

65
00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,440
It didn't make sense for someone
to be out there trying to fool 

66
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,520
people. 
And the more I thought about it 

67
00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,920
afterward, the more convinced I 
became. 

68
00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,040
That experience changed how I 
looked at things. 

69
00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,680
Since then, I've followed 
Bakeford reports and read as 

70
00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:00,320
much as I can. 
Years later, while talking with 

71
00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,680
people near that same area, I 
eventually spoke with an older 

72
00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:05,800
couple. 
I asked if they had seen 

73
00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,040
anything unusual. 
The man told me he had seen 

74
00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,080
something crossing the water 
several kilometres from where my

75
00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,400
sighting happened. 
Once he said that, I told him my

76
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,360
experience. 
It made me feel more certain 

77
00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,600
that I had actually seen a 
Sasquatch. 

78
00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:24,720
It took me years to talk openly 
about it because people laugh 

79
00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:28,320
and dismiss things like this. 
A lot of people probably keep 

80
00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:33,200
experiences to themselves. 
What I saw was large, black, and

81
00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,040
powerful. 
Its movement looked natural. 

82
00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,560
It walked out of the water and 
up into the woods with almost no

83
00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,040
effort. 
I still think about that 

84
00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,360
morning, and I've gone back to 
that area many times since. 

85
00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:47,680
Nothing else has happened there.
Again. 

86
00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,800
I've heard strange sounds in the
woods since then, sounds I could

87
00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,040
not explain, Deep sounds 
carrying through the distance. 

88
00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,360
Whenever I hear something 
unusual now, I think back to 

89
00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,920
that morning. 
Part of me hopes I'll see 

90
00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,480
something again. 
Part of me hopes I won't. 

91
00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,600
But every time I go into the 
woods now, I pay attention more 

92
00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:15,810
than I ever did before. 
This encounter occurred in 

93
00:05:15,810 --> 00:05:19,690
northern New York State during 
my junior high and high school 

94
00:05:19,690 --> 00:05:22,850
years. 
I spent a lot of time trapping 

95
00:05:22,850 --> 00:05:26,210
and hunting with my grandfather.
He's one of the best outdoorsmen

96
00:05:26,210 --> 00:05:28,680
I've ever known. 
There wasn't much he didn't 

97
00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:32,160
understand about hunting, 
fishing, and being outdoors, and

98
00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:33,760
he taught me everything he 
could. 

99
00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,360
When I trapped with him on the 
family farm, there was one 

100
00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:39,680
section of Creek he refused to 
trap. 

101
00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:44,080
I always wondered why I asked 
him more than once and never got

102
00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,760
a direct answer. 
To this day I don't know whether

103
00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,640
he had a Bigfoot experience 
there himself because I never 

104
00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:54,840
got the chance to ask him later.
Eventually he stopped trapping 

105
00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:57,960
and passed that work on to me. 
I started running the lines 

106
00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,720
myself. 
I could not see any reason to 

107
00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,320
avoid that section of creak, so 
I started putting traps there. 

108
00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,560
I caught a few muskrats, but 
nothing unusual. 

109
00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:12,120
Then one day I went to check the
traps and noticed one was moving

110
00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:15,120
back. 
Then we used instant kill traps.

111
00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,200
If a muskrat got caught, it died
immediately. 

112
00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,000
When I got close enough to see 
what happened, I realized I had 

113
00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,080
caught a very large snapping 
turtle by the back flipper. 

114
00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:27,680
It was alive and extremely 
angry. 

115
00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:30,920
I stood in the boat trying to 
figure out how I was going to 

116
00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:34,880
free it without getting hurt. 
Eventually I decided to distract

117
00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:39,720
it and reach around behind. 
I managed to get the trap off 

118
00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:41,880
and the turtle disappeared back 
into the swamp. 

119
00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,280
When I reset the trap, I noticed
tracks coming right toward the 

120
00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:49,560
trap from the shore were giant 
barefoot tracks. 

121
00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:54,160
The mud had settled enough that 
I could clearly see toes and 

122
00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,120
they looked human. 
They were probably twice or 

123
00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:59,600
maybe 2 1/2 times the size of my
feet. 

124
00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:04,040
I stood there staring at them. 
I remember thinking there is no 

125
00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:07,600
way Bigfoot could be here. 
I had never heard of sightings 

126
00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,800
in our area. 
I noticed the tracks only came 

127
00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,520
One Direction. 
They came from the shore to the 

128
00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:15,800
trap. 
Then they crossed the Creek. 

129
00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,120
After resetting the trap, I took
the boat to the opposite side 

130
00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:23,760
and moved slowly along the bank.
I found where whatever made the 

131
00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,320
tracks had climbed out and gone 
into the hardwoods. 

132
00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,360
I went back and pulled the trap 
and I never trapped that section

133
00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,280
in a Creek again. 
At that point, I figured my 

134
00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,840
grandfather probably had a 
reason for avoiding it. 

135
00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,440
I never told anybody about what 
happened, and for years I kept 

136
00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,320
it to myself for the same 
reasons most people do. 

137
00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,000
I didn't want people making fun 
of me or thinking I had lost my 

138
00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,480
mind. 
Years passed after I found those

139
00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:53,080
tracks. 
I stopped at my brother's place 

140
00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,160
before hunting because he kept 
cattle near the woods and I 

141
00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:57,880
wanted to make sure they had 
been moved. 

142
00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,360
He told me they had already been
moved across the road and then 

143
00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,680
said I might get lucky because 
somebody had seen a cow moose 

144
00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,640
near by. 
Seeing a moose in our area is 

145
00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,480
rare. 
We are north of the Adirondacks 

146
00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:14,440
and most moose stay farther S 
though sometimes one wanders 

147
00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,720
through. 
I thought that would be pretty 

148
00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,600
interesting to see. 
I went to my usual hunting spot 

149
00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,080
and sat there most of the day 
watching the clearing. 

150
00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,480
Evening started coming and I had
not seen anything. 

151
00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,960
I could hear activity back at 
the farm because feeding time it

152
00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,320
started. 
The cattle were making noise and

153
00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:35,880
I could hear equipment running. 
I figured my chances of seeing a

154
00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:37,520
deer were probably done for the 
day. 

155
00:08:38,039 --> 00:08:39,640
I started getting ready to 
leave. 

156
00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,240
Right then I heard movement 
directly in front of me in the 

157
00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,120
thick brush. 
I'd never heard a moose before, 

158
00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,320
so I assumed that was what I was
hearing. 

159
00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:52,360
I focused on the spot. 
The brush started moving hard. 

160
00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:57,600
Whatever was there was large. 
Then suddenly a head came up out

161
00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,040
of the brush. 
Immediately I knew I was not 

162
00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,920
looking at a moose. 
The head had a slight cone 

163
00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:07,640
shape, it had heavy brow ridges.
And then it stood. 

164
00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:12,360
It was a full grown Sasquatch. 
It stood upright and looked 

165
00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,400
around. 
Then it made a deep grunting 

166
00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:16,880
sound. 
It sounded like a person making 

167
00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,640
a frustrated grunt. 
After that it simply turned and 

168
00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:23,560
walked away. 
It moved at a calm pace and 

169
00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:26,960
through thick brush. 
Where I live we call that brush 

170
00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:28,920
buck brush because deer hide in 
it. 

171
00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,800
It's dense and rough and 
difficult to move through. 

172
00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:34,720
This thing walked through it 
without slowing down. 

173
00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:36,920
It was headed back toward the 
hardwoods. 

174
00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,520
I sat there stunned. 
I could not believe what I had 

175
00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:44,000
just seen. 
It was somewhere around 50 to 75

176
00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,080
yards away. 
I got a good look. 

177
00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:48,560
Even though it only lasted a few
seconds. 

178
00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:52,160
It felt longer. 
While it was happening again, I 

179
00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,560
kept it to myself and I didn't 
tell anyone. 

180
00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,240
But after that day, I started 
paying closer attention. 

181
00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,080
I began noticing signs and I 
started finding tracks. 

182
00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,800
Some look like clear barefoot 
human shaped prints. 

183
00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,840
Other times there were large 
scuffs in the dirt and I began 

184
00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,600
hearing tree knocks and once in 
a while I heard whistles and 

185
00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:18,000
sometimes short whoops. 
At that point I became convinced

186
00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,040
there were Bigfoot living in 
that area. 

187
00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,160
I didn't have another visual 
encounter for a couple of years,

188
00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:26,960
but I started watching and 
listening a lot more whenever I 

189
00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:31,400
was outdoors. 
Several years later, I bought 

190
00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,360
land that was about 3 or 4 miles
from my brother's place. 

191
00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,120
At the time, I was working in 
home care and helping elderly 

192
00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:40,160
and disabled people stay in 
their homes. 

193
00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,360
That year I was finishing work 
fairly early, so I had more time

194
00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,880
to hunt. 
Almost every day after work, I 

195
00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:50,040
went to my land. 
I had a tree stand overlooking a

196
00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:52,760
field. 
On one side was a small apple 

197
00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,600
orchard, and behind the stand 
there were hardwoods. 

198
00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:58,920
That fall I haunted there almost
every evening. 

199
00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:01,720
There were three dough that came
out every night. 

200
00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:05,160
I started calling them the Three
Stooges because they were so 

201
00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:07,880
predictable. 
You could almost set a clock by 

202
00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,240
them. 
They would come out, stand in 

203
00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:13,680
the field, graze, play around a 
little, then cross in front of 

204
00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:15,880
my stand and disappear into the 
hardwoods. 

205
00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:19,560
At the time there was no dough 
season, so all I did was watch 

206
00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:22,080
them. 
But one evening I was sitting 

207
00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,200
there waiting for them, and 
right on schedule they came out.

208
00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:29,000
But something was different. 
They were acting nervous, not 

209
00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,360
relaxed like normal. 
The lead doe went alert. 

210
00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:36,520
She stood rigid, lifted her 
tail, made short sounds and 

211
00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:39,520
started stomping. 
She kept staring past me, toward

212
00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:41,840
the corner of the field where 
the hardwoods began. 

213
00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,200
I thought maybe there was a buck
coming, or maybe another hunter 

214
00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,640
nearby, so I turned and started 
watching the same area. 

215
00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,520
Then I heard movement. 
I turned back and the deer had 

216
00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:56,720
already taken off. 
They ran into the woods right 

217
00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,160
after they disappeared. 
From the corner where I could 

218
00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,640
not see into the trees, I heard 
a sound. 

219
00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:04,120
I still have trouble describing 
it. 

220
00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:08,960
It was deep, part howl, part 
grunt, part scream, and it 

221
00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,800
filled the entire area. 
It sounded aggressive and angry 

222
00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:14,920
and the sound carried through 
everything. 

223
00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,880
The second it happened, every 
animal sound disappeared. 

224
00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:22,240
Then all around, distant howling
started. 

225
00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,040
After several seconds, it 
happened again. 

226
00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:27,480
The second call was even 
stronger. 

227
00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,200
Then everything stopped. 
Total silence. 

228
00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:36,040
No movement, no noise, nothing. 
It was like the entire woods 

229
00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:39,440
shut off. 
I decided I had no interest in 

230
00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,480
staying there. 
I climbed down from the tree 

231
00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:44,320
stand and left. 
I kept my eyes fixed on that 

232
00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:46,200
corner of the hardwood the whole
way back. 

233
00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:49,680
I had a rifle with me, but I had
no interest in finding out 

234
00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:52,440
whether it would matter. 
I made it back to my car and 

235
00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,120
left. 
I stayed away from that stand 

236
00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:57,160
for about a week. 
I haunted elsewhere. 

237
00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,000
Eventually the last weekend of 
season came. 

238
00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:03,200
I wanted another chance at a 
buck, so I went back. 

239
00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,240
I stayed most of the day and saw
nothing, and late in the 

240
00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,520
afternoon a buck finally did 
come out. 

241
00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,120
It was only around 60 yards 
away. 

242
00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,680
I took the shot. 
The deer dropped. 

243
00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,640
I climbed down and walked over. 
It was dead. 

244
00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:21,160
I checked it, then I left there 
and walked back to my truck. 

245
00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,200
I put my rifle away and changed 
my clothes because I didn't want

246
00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,480
to ruin my hunting coat while 
field dressing. 

247
00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,320
When I returned, the deer was 
gone. 

248
00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:32,840
There were no drag marks, 
nothing. 

249
00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:34,960
It looked like it had just 
vanished. 

250
00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:37,360
I grabbed my flashlight and 
searched. 

251
00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:41,840
Eventually I found one leg 
sticking out of a ditch about 60

252
00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:44,680
feet away. 
The deer had been shoved into 

253
00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:47,400
the ditch and partly covered 
with torn up grass. 

254
00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,800
I dragged it back out. 
While dressing it, I kept 

255
00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,960
hearing sounds, short bursts and
movement. 

256
00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:57,280
I only had my small knife with 
me. 

257
00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:00,480
My rifle was back in the truck 
and I felt exposed. 

258
00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,680
I finished as quickly as I 
could, loaded the deer, then I 

259
00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:07,520
grabbed a larger flashlight and 
shined it into the woods. 

260
00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:10,320
For a moment I caught a 
silhouette. 

261
00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:14,800
I could not make out the 
details, but I saw the outline 

262
00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:18,480
of a Sasquatch. 
It turned and walked away. 

263
00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,640
My feeling was that it had tried
to take the deer, but I returned

264
00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,880
sooner than expected. 
I still don't know why it left 

265
00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:30,040
it hidden instead of taking it. 
I never counted that as a full 

266
00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,400
second sighting, but it came 
close. 

267
00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:37,160
A couple of years passed without
another visual encounter. 

268
00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,840
I still heard occasional tree 
knocks and found signs now and 

269
00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:44,400
then, but nothing major. 
Then during early muzzle loader 

270
00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:48,200
season, I was back on my land 
again, this time on the opposite

271
00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,120
side from where the deer 
incident happened. 

272
00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:52,600
I had a buck come out into the 
field. 

273
00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,120
I took my shot with a black 
powder rifle. 

274
00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:59,320
I wasn't sure if I hit it. 
Whenever I hunt I always check 

275
00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,040
to make sure because I never 
want to leave an injured animal.

276
00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:04,720
I looked for blood and couldn't 
find anything. 

277
00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:08,040
I went into the brush and woods 
trying to locate signs. 

278
00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:11,640
There was nothing. 
I made a wide loop because deers

279
00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:15,120
sometimes circle back. 
After calming down, I was hoping

280
00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,480
I might get another chance. 
I was almost back where I 

281
00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,840
started. 
I stepped into a small clearing 

282
00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,880
into the hardwoods. 
Out of the corner of my eye I 

283
00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,800
noticed something, but at first 
I dismissed it. 

284
00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,800
I thought maybe it was a stump, 
a log, a rock. 

285
00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,960
I kept walking, then I realized 
I did not remember anything 

286
00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:39,400
being there, so I turned back. 
What I saw looked like another 

287
00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:41,920
hunter sitting on the ground 
wearing a Gilly suit. 

288
00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,200
The creature was turned partly 
away and looking over its 

289
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,440
shoulder. 
My land is posted and I only 

290
00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:51,400
allow family to hunt there. 
I knew none of them would be 

291
00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:55,520
there, so I decided to walk over
and talk to whoever it was. 

292
00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,960
I moved in slowly. 
I acted like I had not noticed I

293
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:02,080
wanted to get close before 
saying anything. 

294
00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:05,280
When I got about 60 feet away I 
stopped. 

295
00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:08,880
I turned and said something like
hey buddy, what's going on? 

296
00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:14,280
The second I spoke it stood up 
and I immediately realized it 

297
00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,960
was not a person. 
It was a juvenile Bigfoot. 

298
00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,000
It was around 4 feet tall. 
Its hair looked matted with a 

299
00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:25,840
mix of brown and grey. 
The face and hands had much less

300
00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,120
hair. 
Its eyes looked narrow and set 

301
00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,840
farther back. 
It had a slight brow Ridge. 

302
00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,400
The hair started around the 
middle of the forehead and 

303
00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,880
continued up into a conical 
shaped head. 

304
00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,760
It looked at me for a few 
seconds, then it turned and 

305
00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:43,200
slowly walked away. 
There was no panic or rush or 

306
00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,440
fear. 
It simply walked back into the 

307
00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:47,920
woods. 
I stood there shocked. 

308
00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:50,800
I had just spoken directly to a 
Bigfoot. 

309
00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,280
I was excited. 
When I got home and I told my 

310
00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:58,280
brother, he seemed unsure but 
listened and we talked about it.

311
00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:01,640
He eventually said if I saw it, 
then I saw it. 

312
00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,280
He knew where I had been, he 
knew the exact location. 

313
00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,240
He thought it was strange but 
didn't think I was making it up.

314
00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:10,760
The rest of that season passed 
quietly. 

315
00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,280
I heard some tree knocks another
day but didn't see anything 

316
00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:16,839
else. 
The following summer, I was 

317
00:17:16,839 --> 00:17:19,079
invited to speak locally about 
Bigfoot. 

318
00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:24,079
After that, someone who had 
attended had asked me to take 

319
00:17:24,079 --> 00:17:25,800
him and his wife out to see the 
area. 

320
00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:28,359
By then I started leaving food 
gifts. 

321
00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,240
I had access to expired cookies 
and crackers and started leaving

322
00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,880
them out. 
I noticed the difference between

323
00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,840
what disappeared naturally and 
what seemed to carry it away. 

324
00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,600
Food that was taken entirely 
disappeared with the packaging. 

325
00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:45,480
So I continued doing it because 
I hoped maybe I could build 

326
00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,160
trust. 
So I took them out and showed 

327
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,800
them several places. 
I showed them where the deer had

328
00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:52,920
disappeared. 
I showed them where I had seen 

329
00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:55,960
the juvenile. 
While we were walking away from 

330
00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:58,160
the truck, his wife stayed 
behind. 

331
00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:01,880
When we returned, she was 
standing staring across the 

332
00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:04,520
field. 
She told me something had come 

333
00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:07,120
out of the brush and crouched 
down in tall grass. 

334
00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:09,600
She said it had been walking 
upright. 

335
00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,280
We grabbed our binoculars and 
when we looked, we could see a 

336
00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:17,080
head above the grass. 
Every once in a while it moved. 

337
00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:21,800
It was clearly alive. 
We watched it for about 15 or 20

338
00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,040
minutes. 
Every now and then it looked 

339
00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:27,440
back toward the brush. 
I started wondering if something

340
00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:31,200
larger was back there watching, 
but I never clearly saw another 

341
00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:33,840
one. 
But movement kept happening in 

342
00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:36,720
the brush. 
What stood out most to me was 

343
00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:38,840
that other people were there and
saw it too. 

344
00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:41,520
That made the experience feel 
different. 

345
00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,640
A few days after my close 
encounter with the juvenile, I 

346
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,880
returned again. 
Rain started, so I stayed in my 

347
00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,000
truck. 
There was an opening in the 

348
00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,600
woods where I had cut a dead 
tree the year before. 

349
00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:56,880
Suddenly, something stepped into
that opening. 

350
00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:59,800
It stood there looking directly 
at my truck. 

351
00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,000
Then it moved behind a tree, 
then looked out again. 

352
00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,040
It repeated this several times, 
and this went on for a few 

353
00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,960
minutes. 
Later on, I wondered if it was 

354
00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:14,200
one of the adults, maybe 
curiosity, maybe watching, maybe

355
00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,240
something else. 
I never knew, but I counted that

356
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:21,000
as another sighting. 
After that I started noticing 

357
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,520
little flashes of darker 
movement in the woods now and 

358
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,160
then, never enough for a full 
sighting, just enough to make me

359
00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:29,000
think something was still 
around. 

360
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,880
Hey everyone, I just want to 
remind you that my written books

361
00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,360
and audio books are available 
and the links are all in the 

362
00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:41,280
description below. 
If you enjoyed these stories and

363
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,840
want to help support the show, 
picking up a copy really helps 

364
00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:47,760
and is greatly appreciated. 
Thank you. 

365
00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:53,120
In 1992, Rivella Island's 
hotspot between Ward Lake and 

366
00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:56,600
Connell Lake, Alaska, was again 
the scene of another Sasquatch 

367
00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:00,120
report. 
In an interview in 1996, a 

368
00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:04,240
retired Ketchikan equipment 
operator, Larry Thomas, spoke of

369
00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,200
a startling encounter that 
caused him to draw a gun. 

370
00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,560
In July of 1992, I was doing 
security work on the Pipeline 

371
00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:16,800
road, now Rubella Rd. just north
of Ward Lake, 8 miles north of 

372
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,520
Ketchikan. 
I was working the night shift 

373
00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:22,920
driving the then gravel line 
Pipeline Rd. that goes some 

374
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:26,840
dozen miles north from the mill.
The job included driving and 

375
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,360
checking all the locked pipeline
access gates. 

376
00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,960
It was a clear night. 
I had driven up to gate 2 and 

377
00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,400
the time was approximately 2:30 
AM. 

378
00:20:37,360 --> 00:20:40,240
Nearing the gate the vehicle 
headlights picked up something 

379
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,040
that made me stop to 
investigate. 

380
00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,280
About 7 feet off the ground was 
a pair of eyes that were shining

381
00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:50,160
whitish, not amber, red or 
green, right beside a medium 

382
00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,920
sized hemlock. 
To see more clearly I slowly 

383
00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,440
drove forward until I was only 
about 50 feet away and keeping 

384
00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:01,080
the eyes insight I slowly opened
the car door and eased out. 

385
00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,160
With the parked headlights and 
my flashlight I could make out a

386
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:09,080
dark upright form with head, 
arms and upper body visible. 

387
00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,560
It was still standing and waving
its arms to pull the bark off 

388
00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,360
the hemlock and it did not 
appear to be a bear. 

389
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,760
All the while the eyes were 
still glowing in the headlights.

390
00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,920
They were glowing whitish and 
appeared completely round. 

391
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,800
I could make out that it was 
chewing or mouthing something. 

392
00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:28,880
At that point it ducked down 
from the place where the bark 

393
00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,800
was torn off and started walking
Man like it was walking to the 

394
00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:36,640
left so I whistled loudly and it
startled and started walking on 

395
00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:38,760
2 legs right toward me on the 
road. 

396
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,320
I noticed it swayed slightly 
from side to side as it walked. 

397
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,400
At this point I was carrying 
only the flashlight and a 22 

398
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:51,120
calibre handgun when I stopped 
whistling and backed up toward 

399
00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:52,640
the car, which was still 
running. 

400
00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,680
It turned to the northwest side 
of the road and into the Bush. 

401
00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:58,880
At no time did it drop down on 
all fours. 

402
00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:02,640
I reached into the car, got on 
the radio and told the gate 

403
00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,600
guard who simply advised me to 
get back in the car and 

404
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,840
continue. 
Several days after that, another

405
00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:12,160
security guard who was a roaming
guard for the same company had a

406
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:14,600
word with me. 
When I told him what I had 

407
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,720
experienced and that for 
whatever reason the management 

408
00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:21,520
was officially passing it off as
a bear, he said to me that was 

409
00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:23,800
no bear Larry, that was 
Acoustica. 

410
00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,120
I don't care what some say. 
A while back I went through the 

411
00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:29,920
same gate. 
Gate 2 got out to lock it and I 

412
00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,560
heard a noise. 
Something hit me on the side of 

413
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:36,440
the head and knocked me out. 
When I came to I found a rock 

414
00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:40,440
beside the vehicle. 
Another night soon after I saw 

415
00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:43,160
it feeding on grubs from a log 
below the back of the building. 

416
00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,880
I reported it and they told me 
not to repeat it, that it was 

417
00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,600
just a person. 
The other guard told me that he 

418
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,560
had driven out to the spot 
during daylight soon after and 

419
00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:56,800
found tracks and an area where 
grass had been pushed down. 

420
00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:00,480
The guard said his dog had 
snarled and put his ears back 

421
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,160
facing toward the river Ward 
Creek. 

422
00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,200
There were several large 
branches laying around that had 

423
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,640
recently been broken off a 
nearby tree at a height of about

424
00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,520
6 feet off the ground. 
Something else about that night 

425
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:17,800
in July 92, just 5 minutes or so
before seeing the creature near 

426
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,360
Gate 2, I had seen some big 
Animal Crossing the road a few 

427
00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:23,960
100 yards ahead and I just 
dismissed it. 

428
00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:26,040
One of the foremen told me 
later. 

429
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,800
You want to be careful. 
I guess you know about this. 

430
00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:35,200
Kushika Saxman, 5 miles South of
Ketchikan, was the location of 

431
00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,080
another report of a close 
encounter. 

432
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,720
George J of Ketchikan shared the
following second hand account in

433
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:46,280
1993. 
In the fall of 1978, when I was 

434
00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:49,440
12, at the start of football 
season and when the Pink's 

435
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,400
Salmon were still in the Creek, 
my friend Carl S told me he had 

436
00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,760
been up the second Creek South 
of Saxman. 

437
00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:58,760
He told me he had been cutting 
through the forest to the Creek 

438
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,360
and had been coming over the 
bank to where you look down on 

439
00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:03,720
the Creek. 
He said he saw something. 

440
00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,920
It was a big dark furry creature
just yards below him and it was 

441
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,680
drinking down at the Creek all 
bent down, but it was drinking 

442
00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,080
by cupping its hands and 
drinking from them. 

443
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,600
He added he had run home and 
told his grandma and Ma who 

444
00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,240
immediately told him not to tell
a word to anyone, not then or 

445
00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,560
ever. 
But he was my school age chum 

446
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,240
and he did share it with me. 
The boy had since grown and left

447
00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:32,160
the area, but in an interview 
given by his mother in 2000, she

448
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,520
corroborated his story. 
He certainly saw something 

449
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,480
unusual and he's not the only 
report from around here. 

450
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,320
I definitely believed him. 
It was what he said he observed 

451
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,240
about the creature drinking from
a cupped hand that was 

452
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:49,840
especially convincing. 
If heading home after encounter 

453
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,200
was all a witness did, then most
reports would end peacefully 

454
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,040
enough. 
But many Alaskans carry rifles 

455
00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,160
or guns. 
In Southeast Alaska, there have 

456
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,240
been several cases where hunters
have apparently lined up their 

457
00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:04,520
sights on or even shot at a 
bear. 

458
00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,400
That wasn't. 
One such situation occurred with

459
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,960
Boronov Island fisherman and 
hunter Mr. HA. 

460
00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:16,000
He mentioned in a 1999 interview
that while deer hunting with 

461
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:19,880
companions in the fall of 97 on 
the Baranov Island side of 

462
00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,400
Walker Channel, situated 
approximately 40 miles South of 

463
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,360
Sitka, they had run into what 
they had first thought was a 

464
00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:28,600
bear. 
He recalled the surprising 

465
00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:31,600
encounter. 
He had just come up over a rise 

466
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:35,480
to this open area in the forest 
and saw this big upright figure 

467
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:39,640
at about 40 yards away. 
It was tall, about 9 feet, and 

468
00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:43,400
covered in dark brown fur. 
We changed our minds right away 

469
00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:46,320
though and lowered our rifles 
because as we watched it 

470
00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,640
watching us, it became clear 
that it was no bear. 

471
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:53,560
At first it just stood and 
watched us, but after about a 

472
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:57,040
minute it walked on 2 legs, 
taking good strides into the 

473
00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,360
Bush. 
Retired Washington law 

474
00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:04,840
enforcement officer Fred 
Bradshaw wrote me in 1999 of a 

475
00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:07,880
series of more upsetting 
Sasquatch encounters he had been

476
00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:12,040
informed of while living in 
Yakutat, northern SE Alaska, in 

477
00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:17,120
the late 1970s. 
In or about 1979, I was told of 

478
00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:20,640
an encounter by a Yakutat 
native, Steve Johnson, and 

479
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:24,040
others who picked berries at the
end of Dangerous River, which 

480
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:27,560
runs 30 miles northeast of 
Yakutat past the airport. 

481
00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:30,360
There's a lake there called 
Forest Lake. 

482
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,520
On the backside of Forest Lake a
Sasquatch was living and when 

483
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,720
they hiked into Forest Lake to 
pick berries, this Sasquatch 

484
00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,680
would show up and watch them. 
It was 7 feet tall and appeared 

485
00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:45,640
to weigh 6 to 900 lbs. 
It would watch them and then 

486
00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:49,000
kind of stalk them and then the 
natives, scared, would leave. 

487
00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,320
A bunch of natives went up there
and shot at it with shotguns and

488
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:57,440
ran it off, but it came back so 
the natives wouldn't go back 

489
00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,760
there. 
The last I heard, the creature 

490
00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:02,520
is still there. 
It has scars on its back from 

491
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,320
the shotgun blasts, but it 
doesn't bother anyone. 

492
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:12,120
In a startling 1999 interview, 
Ketchikan hunter Steve B 

493
00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:15,760
confided that he might possibly 
have wounded a Sasquatch on the 

494
00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,680
North End of Minerva Mountain, 2
miles north of Ketchikan, in 

495
00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:24,360
August of 1996. 
On that day I was close to the 

496
00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:27,400
top of Bear Mountain on an open 
area near the North End of the 

497
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,080
Ridge that runs N toward 
Ketchikan Lakes. 

498
00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,160
I was scouting for deer, but was
actually geared for anything as 

499
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:37,880
I was carrying a 300 Weatherby 
Magnum, a good flat shooting 

500
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,760
rifle, also handy enough for 
bear, for which I had a license 

501
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,760
as well. 
It wasn't a bad day at all, no 

502
00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:47,800
rain and I had just been sitting
down for a break and to watch 

503
00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:50,400
for game. 
A curve of black. 

504
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:53,920
Fur showed over the top of a big
log about 100 yards away that 

505
00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:57,280
caught my attention. 
Thinking I had a good spine shot

506
00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:00,440
on a black bear that was rooting
for grubs or such behind the 

507
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,880
log, I took a shot at where I 
could hit the backbone, not 

508
00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,080
waiting to change my scope from 
2 power. 

509
00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,520
Immediately on firing I saw the 
animal stand up and without 

510
00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:14,240
stopping walk quickly on 2 legs 
out of the open area into the 

511
00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:16,520
timber. 
I thought I must have missed it 

512
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,880
or at most just pushed the 
bullet through a non vital area 

513
00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,320
because the animal showed no 
signs of having taken an impact.

514
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:27,080
It didn't knock down or 
anything, it just got straight 

515
00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,760
up and walked away kind of like 
a man toward the closest trees. 

516
00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:33,280
I've never seen any bear do 
that. 

517
00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,600
I was so amazed I dropped my 
rifle on the ground. 

518
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:40,200
It was pretty hair raising. 
I just stopped a while, relieved

519
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,520
that I hadn't hit it. 
A while later, after I collected

520
00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,840
myself and my gear, I looked 
over the area but couldn't find 

521
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,760
any blood or sign. 
It had looked pretty heavily 

522
00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:54,240
built, no neck, black fur all 
over, about 7 feet tall, and had

523
00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:56,680
swung its arms when it had 
walked into the trees. 

524
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,360
I never smelled any odor and I 
never heard it make a sound. 

525
00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:04,400
I'm pretty sure I didn't hit it,
and that's OK with me because I 

526
00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:05,960
don't think I'd feel too good 
about. 

527
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:12,000
It if I had. 
In 1998, James Edenshaw of 

528
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,560
Ketchikan, a 44 year old Klingit
and Hida artist, told of a close

529
00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:20,960
encounter he had with a large 
hair covered creature in 1982. 

530
00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:24,400
The setting was less than one 
mile east of the previous Bear 

531
00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,920
Mountain report in the hills 
just north of Ketchikan's Bear 

532
00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:31,720
Valley suburb. 
It was the fall of 1982 and I 

533
00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:35,120
had left the house early one day
to explore the forests and caves

534
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,040
north of Bear Valley. 
I had left early and headed 

535
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,840
north over the ridges that 
separate Bear Valley from 

536
00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:44,240
Ketchikan Lakes. 
After a couple of hours I had 

537
00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,440
come on to sort of a knobby hill
pretty well covered in trees. 

538
00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:51,520
In the rocky side of the hill I 
noticed a passageway about 30 

539
00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:55,120
feet long sloping down with 
daylight showing faintly at the 

540
00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,320
other end. 
I was curious and made my way 

541
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:01,120
into it. 
It was just big enough for me to

542
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:04,360
Crouch along and sloped gently 
down to where I could see some 

543
00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:07,680
light at the other end of it. 
Approaching the end of the 

544
00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:10,000
passageway. 
I could see it had sort of a 

545
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:14,120
small opening that had a view 
into a cave about 20 feet wide. 

546
00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,800
I could see a way through the 
larger far cave opening to the 

547
00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:21,720
forest on the other side, but 
what I saw partly concealed in 

548
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,000
The Cave just on the other side 
of the small opening made me 

549
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:28,360
stop. 
About 8 feet from me were the 

550
00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:32,880
face, shoulders and chest of a 
creature, eyes closed, sleeping 

551
00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:35,760
or resting. 
It was sitting its back to a 

552
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:38,160
Rockwall. 
I could see that the floor of 

553
00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:41,120
The Cave was about 5 feet below 
me, and as I watched the 

554
00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,680
creature, it looked big. 
Its head was about even with 

555
00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,000
mine, and the top of its head 
must have been about 5 feet from

556
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,400
the floor of The Cave. 
Its shoulders looked about four 

557
00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:55,000
feet across and covered with 
long dark brown or black hair. 

558
00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:59,200
I could see its face from the 
forehead down, its chin resting 

559
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:02,120
on its chest. 
I watched it. 

560
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,080
Real quiet. 
The face was clearly visible 

561
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,680
from the big Ridge above its 
eyes, which were closed. 

562
00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:10,440
It didn't have much hair. 
On the face you could see the 

563
00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:12,720
skin kind of leathery and dark 
grey. 

564
00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:17,040
The nose wasn't quite flat. 
It was broad and ape like, but 

565
00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:19,880
it was actually kind of convex 
and flared into two wide 

566
00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,960
nostrils. 
The jaws were big but didn't 

567
00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:26,040
stick out that much. 
He was resting or sleeping. 

568
00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:29,320
You could tell it wasn't a big 
human or a bear. 

569
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:31,840
It seemed to have its legs 
stretched out in front of it, 

570
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:33,720
but I couldn't really tell 
exactly. 

571
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,520
The lower edge of my opening 
blocked the view of his chest 

572
00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:40,200
and lower half. 
He wasn't making any noise and 

573
00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:44,040
neither was I. 
The hair was about four to six 

574
00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:46,520
inches long, maybe longer on the
side of its head. 

575
00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:49,680
I couldn't see any ears under 
the hair, and I couldn't see the

576
00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:51,880
back of his head or the back of 
his neck. 

577
00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,400
In fact, I couldn't make out any
neck at all, just huge shoulders

578
00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,400
and upper arms. 
There was a big patch of hair on

579
00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:02,520
the sides of his cheek and jaw, 
which was grizzled white or 

580
00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:05,280
light grey. 
In The Cave I thought I saw a 

581
00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:08,360
couple of old wreck things that 
looked like old pieces of mining

582
00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:10,560
equipment, but I couldn't tell 
for sure. 

583
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:12,680
It was mostly just rock and 
gravel. 

584
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,880
After looking at him for about 
10 seconds or so, I reasoned 

585
00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:21,280
that it might be a good idea for
me to get out of there, although

586
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:23,760
the small opening I was looking 
through would have been way too 

587
00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:26,640
small for him to get through. 
I just backed up the way I'd 

588
00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:30,600
come in, just moving real quiet 
and careful so as to not make 

589
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,240
any sound. 
It took me about 30 seconds. 

590
00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:36,840
When I got backed out, I just 
headed back the way I had come 

591
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:42,280
and went straight home. 
There are at least three reports

592
00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,440
of Sasquatches climbing onto 
boats at night in Southeast 

593
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,400
Alaska and the following is one 
such story. 

594
00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:53,960
It was related in 2000 by Mr. 
RBA fit looking 57 year old 

595
00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,160
Ketchikan demolitions 
professional. 

596
00:32:56,840 --> 00:33:01,080
He was involved in a sighting in
1951 or 52 when he was a boy, 

597
00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:03,120
somewhere on Prince of Wales 
Island. 

598
00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:07,480
I was working with my 
grandfather on our 36 foot 

599
00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,520
fishing boat, the Verna May, 
somewhere on Prince of Wales 

600
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:12,680
Island. 
I don't remember the exact 

601
00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:16,000
location but I do remember us 
anchoring up close to shore one 

602
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:20,400
nice evening and going to bed. 
It was after midnight and I had 

603
00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:24,080
got up to go on deck as we had 
no facilities inside the cabin. 

604
00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:28,360
As I flipped open the cabin door
onto the deck I felt the boat 

605
00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:32,640
rock and right in front of me in
my flashlight beam was this tall

606
00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:36,320
hair covered, man like creature 
climbing up over the side of the

607
00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:39,720
boat all wet. 
He was dark brown or black. 

608
00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,200
As soon as he saw me, he just 
kicked off backwards into the 

609
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,040
water with a big splash. 
Granddad came up quick and 

610
00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:49,320
looked with me, but it wasn't 
swimming on the surface 

611
00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:52,160
anywhere. 
Then just a few seconds later we

612
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,360
could see this 7 or 8 foot 
figure stand up out of the 

613
00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:59,880
shallows about 40 yards away. 
It stood up on 2 legs and walked

614
00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:03,600
straight up into the forest. 
It sure covered that distance 

615
00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:08,880
underwater fast. 
Granddad saw it stand up too and

616
00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:11,760
he got real scared. 
He pulled the anchor and started

617
00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,040
the engine right away, and we 
got out of there. 

618
00:34:14,639 --> 00:34:17,960
We kept moving for a time until 
we got to another anchorage late

619
00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:21,760
that night. 
In almost 50 years on the water 

620
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:24,800
and in the Bush, that was the 
only time I seen one of those 

621
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:29,719
things. 
At a September 2001 

622
00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:33,080
organizational meeting in 
Ketchikan for a prospective 

623
00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:36,880
documentary film dealing with 
Kushnicaws and Sasquatches, a 

624
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:40,199
young woman spoke out. 
She reported that following a 

625
00:34:40,199 --> 00:34:44,639
hike just West of Juneau in 
early July 2001, she and two 

626
00:34:44,639 --> 00:34:48,280
friends had found themselves 
face to face with a startling 

627
00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:50,760
upright creature at the edge of 
their bonfire. 

628
00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:56,280
In a steady voice, she related 
the following A Juno friend had 

629
00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,680
just taken us on an evening hike
up a trail off the end of a 

630
00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:02,880
gravel road West of town, and we
had come back down. 

631
00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:06,320
We were resting at a campfire we
had near the foot of the trail, 

632
00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:11,000
not far from our parked car. 
It was about 9:30 or 10:00 PM 

633
00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,000
and it was getting dark when we 
heard the shuffling sound of 

634
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,560
footsteps coming out of the 
forest about 25 feet away. 

635
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,520
In the light of the fire, we 
looked up to see a black hair 

636
00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:25,760
covered figure about 6 1/2 feet 
tall with very broad shoulders. 

637
00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:29,880
It had one arm kind of held up 
over its face as if to shield 

638
00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:33,120
its eyes and was edging close to
us, peering at us. 

639
00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:36,080
We called out Who are you? 
What do you want? 

640
00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:40,240
But it didn't answer and we 
began to get real nervous as it 

641
00:35:40,240 --> 00:35:43,640
came closer. 
It was covered all over with 

642
00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,520
black hair and the eyes 
reflected the firelight with a 

643
00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:49,440
whitish. 
Then as he moved by the fire and

644
00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:51,880
we started to move away a 
reddish color. 

645
00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:54,560
We were standing above 15 feet 
away. 

646
00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:58,000
I couldn't see his teeth, his 
mouth wasn't open and the whole 

647
00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,600
time he made no sound at all. 
His body was more ape like hair 

648
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,640
all over but his face was long 
and narrow with ash Gray colored

649
00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:09,760
skin showing. 
We were still shouting who the 

650
00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:12,040
heck are you and started to back
up. 

651
00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:15,800
I was getting hysterical and we 
all broke and ran for the car 

652
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:18,480
yelling. 
Running past the back of the car

653
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:21,960
to get in I noticed a huge 
handprint in the dust on the 

654
00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:24,840
back window. 
We didn't look back and just 

655
00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:27,080
pulled out and headed down the 
road back to town. 

656
00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:31,960
I remember it had a bad smell to
it like wet dog and garbage 

657
00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:34,840
mixed. 
It was heavily built but not 

658
00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:37,480
threatening. 
The total time he looked at us 

659
00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:41,160
was about 10 to 15 seconds. 
I think it scared us all. 

660
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,480
Undoubtedly, the closest alleged
encounter with the Sasquatch in 

661
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:50,800
Southeast Alaska is that of Mr. 
Harold A, a Sitka commercial 

662
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:54,520
fisherman. 
Following is his 1999 account of

663
00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,200
what happened in the summer of 
1979 when he was working on the 

664
00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:02,440
West Coast of Baranof Island, 
about 32 miles South of Sitka. 

665
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:07,360
We had our 52 foot signer then 
getting some use as a fish 

666
00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:10,760
Packer up at the South end of 
Cedar Pass and it was late. 

667
00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:14,200
We were just finishing anchoring
up for the night about 100 yards

668
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:17,800
from shore and we were settled. 
My crew was below tending to 

669
00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:21,120
secure in gear. 
I was alone in the cabin resting

670
00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:24,240
at the galley table with the 
starboard porthole window open 

671
00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:26,760
above my elbow. 
With the cabin light on as 

672
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:31,480
usual, it was dark outside. 
Just then I felt something lift 

673
00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:35,600
my right arm and looked up to 
see a huge hairy arm, bigger 

674
00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:38,640
than a gorilla's, reaching 
through the porthole and lifting

675
00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:41,400
my arm. 
Its arm was covered with dark 

676
00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:44,680
brown fur, and I could see the 
whole forearm up to near the 

677
00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:47,800
elbow. 
The hand was palm up and huge, 

678
00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:50,640
being about three times the size
of a human hand. 

679
00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:53,560
The skin was a dirty brownish 
Gray color. 

680
00:37:54,240 --> 00:37:57,080
The whole of the arm except the 
palm side of the hand was 

681
00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:00,000
covered with four inch dark 
brown or black hair. 

682
00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:02,480
I couldn't tell if there was a 
thumb. 

683
00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:06,360
I wasn't being squeezed or 
anything, just lifted up and I 

684
00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:08,400
would have had to say it felt 
gentle. 

685
00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:12,400
But I can tell you I hollered 
and pulled my arm away and I 

686
00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:15,800
didn't even look outside. 
I got the engine started and the

687
00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:19,160
crew to pull up anchor and we 
moved N up the channel about 5 

688
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:22,760
or 6 miles to a new spot before 
deciding that would be a better 

689
00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:26,520
spot to anchor for the night. 
We didn't see or hear anything 

690
00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:32,360
else that time. 
A chilling encounter in what was

691
00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:35,000
probably one of the more hair 
raising reports of encounters 

692
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:39,600
with Sasquatches. 2 Alaskan men 
snow bound on the Canadian Yukon

693
00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:43,320
section of Haines Highway 
reported a close confrontation 

694
00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:46,000
with two hair covered man like 
creatures. 

695
00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:50,800
The principal witness, Will A, 
was a serious 38 year old family

696
00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:54,680
man who has lived, haunted and 
fished in both South Central and

697
00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:57,440
Southeast Alaska. 
He currently resides in 

698
00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:00,880
Ketchikan, AK. 
Will stated in several 

699
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:05,800
interviews in 2010 that until 
2004 he had regarded Sasquatches

700
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:08,280
as mostly aspects of native 
culture. 

701
00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:12,720
However, they became much more 
real for him one night in 2004. 

702
00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:16,200
At the time of the reported 
encounter, Will and his 

703
00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:18,880
brother-in-law Kevin were 
driving from Anchorage to 

704
00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:22,480
Haines, AK before continuing 
homeward by fairy self to 

705
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:26,720
Ketchikan. 
Will recounted on October 29th, 

706
00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:30,520
2004, my brother-in-law and I 
had driven A newly purchased 

707
00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:34,240
used car, a Pontiac Bonneville, 
from Anchorage to my father's 

708
00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:37,080
house in Willow, AK, staying 
there for the night. 

709
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:40,360
We were planning on an early 
start through the Yukon towards 

710
00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:42,880
Haynes and the Ketchikan Ferry 
the next morning. 

711
00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:47,200
Dad's last advice the night 
before was watch out for those 

712
00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:49,600
early storms in the Yukon, BC 
Mountains. 

713
00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:54,360
We got going at 6:00 AM the next
day and by evening we had passed

714
00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:57,560
through Haines Junction, Yukon, 
and we're well into the BC 

715
00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:00,760
Mountains. 
As a snowstorm hit us, we slowed

716
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:04,640
to about 15 mph because the 
visibility at times was less 

717
00:40:04,640 --> 00:40:07,800
than 100 feet. 
Even so, at the height of land 

718
00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,920
near Summit Mountain, we slipped
off to the right on a right 

719
00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:14,000
uphill curve. 
We had seen no other traffic all

720
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:16,560
night going either way and had 
to try digging out. 

721
00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:19,400
It was dark. 
But we kept the car running and 

722
00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:22,040
by the headlights and the 
occasional moonlight we would 

723
00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:25,360
dig out, move a few yards uphill
and then slide off again. 

724
00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:28,480
This happened over and over for 
hours. 

725
00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:32,600
It was sometime around 2:00 AM 
when Kevin called out and I 

726
00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:36,920
noticed a dark man like shape 
about 6 feet tall watching us on

727
00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:39,680
the summit bluff about 50 yards 
away to the east. 

728
00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:43,320
The bluff was a 20 foot Cliff 
facing the highway with the 

729
00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:45,360
round height of the land just 
behind it. 

730
00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:48,960
The snow was reflecting light 
from the headlights and maybe 

731
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:51,720
patches of moonlight, I don't 
know, but we could see it 

732
00:40:51,720 --> 00:40:54,200
clearly enough to know it was 
not a bear. 

733
00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:57,920
It just stood watching us 
standing in the snow about 20 

734
00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:00,800
feet above us, not moving or 
making any noise. 

735
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:04,400
I have no idea how long it had 
been there watching us. 

736
00:41:05,240 --> 00:41:08,440
My brother-in-law ran to the car
and before I could react, 

737
00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:12,000
grabbed a machete that we kept 
as a tool in the car, ran to the

738
00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:14,800
edge of the road and started 
waving it and screaming at the 

739
00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:18,560
creature, trying to scare it off
after watching my brother in 

740
00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:20,480
law's actions for only a few 
seconds. 

741
00:41:20,720 --> 00:41:23,680
It turned to its right and I 
watched it walk away on 2 legs 

742
00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:27,400
in the snow along the top of the
bluff for about 50 feet before 

743
00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:29,080
disappearing over the flat 
summit. 

744
00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:36,000
It was the summer of 1993 and I 
had been looking forward to a 

745
00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:39,520
peaceful evening on Lake 
Crescent, a place I had come to 

746
00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:43,480
love for its quiet beauty. 
Growing up in Washington, the 

747
00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:46,320
outdoors had always been a part 
of my life, and boating on the 

748
00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:49,720
lake with my uncle was something
I had done countless times. 

749
00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:52,120
But that night changed 
everything. 

750
00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:56,160
We had launched the boat around 
dusk, just as the sun started to

751
00:41:56,160 --> 00:41:59,080
dip behind the trees and the fog
began to creep in. 

752
00:41:59,640 --> 00:42:02,440
It wasn't unusual for the lake 
to be shrouded in mist. 

753
00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:06,480
As the evening approached, the 
mist curled over the calm water,

754
00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:08,480
settling into the forest around 
us. 

755
00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:13,440
There were no other boats out, 
and the silence was thick, only 

756
00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:16,800
broken by the soft hum of the 
boat's motor and the occasional 

757
00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:21,080
rustling of the trees. 
My uncle, a quiet man who had 

758
00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:23,800
taught me everything I knew 
about fishing and boating, was 

759
00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:26,920
driving, and I was content just 
sitting back, letting the 

760
00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:28,840
soothing motion of the boat rock
me. 

761
00:42:29,720 --> 00:42:33,120
As we ventured farther on to the
lake, the fog seemed to thicken.

762
00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:35,840
Visibility dropped, but we 
didn't mind. 

763
00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:39,440
It was typical for the area and 
we were familiar with it. 

764
00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:43,680
We weren't very far from the 
shore when the strange sound 

765
00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:47,000
first hit us. 
At first it was subtle, like a 

766
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:50,800
low vibration in the air. 
But then, as if out of nowhere, 

767
00:42:50,880 --> 00:42:53,920
it grew into a low growl, deep 
and guttural. 

768
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:56,920
It wasn't the growl of a cat, 
which I had heard plenty of 

769
00:42:56,920 --> 00:42:59,040
times during my years living in 
the area. 

770
00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:02,840
It was something different, a 
growl that seemed to vibrate the

771
00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:06,600
very air around us. 
My uncle immediately slowed the 

772
00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:09,080
boat. 
He looked over at me, his face a

773
00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:12,360
mixture of concern and caution, 
as if he knew something was 

774
00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:14,480
wrong but didn't want to say it 
out loud. 

775
00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:17,880
He cut the motor. 
We sat there for a moment, 

776
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:20,240
listening. 
And then came the second growl, 

777
00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:22,720
this one louder and more 
forceful. 

778
00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:25,760
It felt like the very water 
beneath us was shaking. 

779
00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:29,200
Then, to my horror, it wasn't 
just the growling. 

780
00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:33,200
There was a strange sloshing 
sound, like something large and 

781
00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:34,920
heavy was moving through the 
water. 

782
00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:37,400
The sound grew louder and 
closer. 

783
00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:40,680
What is that? 
I whispered, trying to keep my 

784
00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:43,480
voice steady. 
My uncle didn't respond 

785
00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:45,920
immediately. 
His eyes were fixed on the fog 

786
00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:48,760
ahead, and I could see the way 
his hands gripped the steering 

787
00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:51,400
wheel of the boat. 
It was like he was bracing for 

788
00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:54,080
something. 
But neither of us spoke, both of

789
00:43:54,080 --> 00:43:57,320
us knowing that whatever was out
there, it wasn't something we 

790
00:43:57,320 --> 00:44:01,240
wanted to confront. 
The growling continued, and then

791
00:44:01,240 --> 00:44:05,720
it became more of a roar, deep, 
resonant, and far louder than 

792
00:44:05,720 --> 00:44:09,200
anything I'd ever heard. 
My heart was racing. 

793
00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:11,360
I couldn't take my eyes off the 
fog. 

794
00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:15,200
The water rippled unnaturally, 
as if something large was moving

795
00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:18,640
just below the surface. 
And then, through the dense 

796
00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:23,040
mist, I saw it. 
At first it was just a shape, a 

797
00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:25,520
dark figure standing motionless 
in the water. 

798
00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:28,160
But as it moved, I could see 
more details. 

799
00:44:28,680 --> 00:44:33,080
It was massive, easily 8 feet 
tall and covered in thick, dark 

800
00:44:33,080 --> 00:44:35,760
fur. 
The way it moved was unlike 

801
00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:39,480
anything I had ever seen. 
It was smooth, and it waded 

802
00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:42,920
through the water with such ease
that it almost seemed to glide. 

803
00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:46,760
The creature was massive, with 
broad shoulders that looked 

804
00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:49,240
capable of crushing anything in 
their path. 

805
00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:53,480
Its arms swung low, its hands 
ending in thick, powerful 

806
00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:55,760
fingers. 
I could feel the hair on the 

807
00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:59,120
back of my neck stand up. 
My uncle too, had gone 

808
00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:02,920
completely still, his gaze fixed
ahead, watching the creature's 

809
00:45:02,920 --> 00:45:06,440
every move. 
I barely dared to breathe, not 

810
00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:09,400
wanting to make any noise. 
But then the creature turned its

811
00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:12,480
head toward us. 
The fog had thinned slightly, 

812
00:45:12,600 --> 00:45:15,680
and the lights of the boat 
illuminated the creature's face.

813
00:45:16,240 --> 00:45:20,760
Its features were terrifying. 
The brow was heavy, jutting out,

814
00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:24,080
casting its eyes into shadow, 
but I could still see their 

815
00:45:24,080 --> 00:45:27,600
faint amber glow, staring at us,
unblinking. 

816
00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:31,840
The nose was broad and flat, and
the mouth wide and set in a 

817
00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:34,920
permanent grimace, exposing 
large, square teeth. 

818
00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:38,640
The sight was enough to freeze 
me in place, terrified. 

819
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:43,800
Then, as sensing our fear, it 
let out another roar, this one 

820
00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:46,720
louder than the first. 
It echoed across the lake, 

821
00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:50,040
rattling the boat, and the sound
carried far into the mist, 

822
00:45:50,160 --> 00:45:52,040
sending waves of panic through 
me. 

823
00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:55,840
The roar seemed to vibrate my 
chest, making it hard to 

824
00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:59,480
breathe, and the intensity of it
was unlike anything I had ever 

825
00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:02,440
experienced. 
The creature's presence was 

826
00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:06,040
overwhelming. 
It moved again, stepping into 

827
00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:08,800
the shallows. 
My uncle's hand was gripping the

828
00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:11,960
throttle tightly, and I could 
see his knuckles turning white. 

829
00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:16,040
He started the engine again, but
instead of speeding off, he 

830
00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:19,080
slowly turned the boat toward 
the shore, trying to remain 

831
00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:21,720
calm. 
We didn't speak, but I could 

832
00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:25,520
feel the fear coming off of him,
the same fear I was fighting to 

833
00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:29,520
control. 
We didn't turn our heads to look

834
00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:32,800
directly at the creature. 
We kept our eyes trained ahead, 

835
00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:36,160
knowing we had to get to safety,
and every nerve in my body 

836
00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:39,400
screamed to flee. 
As the boat moved closer to 

837
00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:41,960
shore, I could still hear the 
creature behind us. 

838
00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:44,560
It wasn't chasing us or backing 
away. 

839
00:46:44,720 --> 00:46:48,480
It was just there, waiting. 
Then, without warning, the 

840
00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,520
creature let out another 
terrifying roar, louder this 

841
00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:54,040
time. 
And this time it charged. 

842
00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:58,520
It wasn't running, but the force
with which it pushed forward was

843
00:46:58,520 --> 00:47:01,080
enough to send us both into a 
full panic. 

844
00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:04,720
My uncle floored the boat, 
sending it flying toward the 

845
00:47:04,720 --> 00:47:07,040
shore. 
The creature's roar echoed 

846
00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:10,480
again, this time almost as 
though it was mocking us, as if 

847
00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:14,640
it knew we were running from it.
By the time we reached the dock,

848
00:47:14,720 --> 00:47:16,640
the creature had faded into the 
fog. 

849
00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:20,200
Then the growling stopped. 
The water grew quiet again, and 

850
00:47:20,200 --> 00:47:23,880
I looked back only once, seeing 
nothing but the eerie fog. 

851
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:27,280
We docked the boat in silence, 
and I followed my uncle to the 

852
00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:29,440
truck. 
He didn't look at me, and I 

853
00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:32,120
didn't look at him. 
The whole experience was too 

854
00:47:32,120 --> 00:47:35,440
surreal, too terrifying for 
either of us to process at that 

855
00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:38,320
moment. 
The next morning, when the sun 

856
00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:41,560
finally broke through the fog, I
went outside to check things 

857
00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:43,760
out. 
My uncle had already started the

858
00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:45,360
truck and was preparing to 
leave. 

859
00:47:45,840 --> 00:47:49,000
I could feel the weight of the 
night on me, a lingering sense 

860
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:52,960
of dread I couldn't shake. 
My uncle turned to me, his voice

861
00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:56,040
low and grim. 
What you saw last night, It 

862
00:47:56,040 --> 00:47:58,920
wasn't normal. 
Don't go looking for it, and 

863
00:47:58,920 --> 00:48:01,920
don't talk about it with anyone.
Just forget it. 

864
00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:06,080
I could tell that whatever it 
was that we had encountered, my 

865
00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:09,560
uncle knew exactly what it was. 
He had lived in the area his 

866
00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:11,800
whole life, and I had always 
looked up to him. 

867
00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:14,200
But this time there was 
something different in his 

868
00:48:14,200 --> 00:48:17,400
voice, a sense of fear that he 
usually didn't show. 

869
00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:20,560
It was the kind of fear that 
only comes when you've seen 

870
00:48:20,560 --> 00:48:23,600
something you don't fully 
understand, something you're 

871
00:48:23,600 --> 00:48:27,960
afraid to face again. 
We left the lake that day. 

872
00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:31,040
I never spoke of the creature 
again, and neither did he. 

873
00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:34,040
But I know what I saw. 
There was no denying it. 

874
00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:37,360
The creature was real. 
It made its presence known to 

875
00:48:37,360 --> 00:48:40,240
us. 
The fog and water that night had

876
00:48:40,240 --> 00:48:43,600
hidden its full body, but I will
never forget the image of its 

877
00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:47,720
glowing eyes, its massive body, 
and that unearthly roar that 

878
00:48:47,720 --> 00:48:51,160
still echoes in my mind. 
I have never gone back to Lake 

879
00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:54,120
Crescent, and honestly, I never 
will. 

880
00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:03,520
I'm sending this account to you,
but you're not the only one. 

881
00:49:03,760 --> 00:49:06,640
I have sent parts of it to a 
couple of other people in the 

882
00:49:06,640 --> 00:49:09,880
Bigfoot community as well, 
because the more I sit with what

883
00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:12,720
happened, the more I think 
people need to understand what I

884
00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:16,000
saw. 
My name is Robert, although most

885
00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:19,520
people call me Bob these days. 
I'm retired and living in 

886
00:49:19,520 --> 00:49:23,520
Vancouver, enjoying the comforts
of city life, a proper house, 

887
00:49:23,720 --> 00:49:26,880
neighbors close by, all the 
modern things that come with it.

888
00:49:27,320 --> 00:49:30,360
But I didn't grow up that way. 
My parents were what you might 

889
00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:34,200
call back to the land types in 
the 1960s and 70s. 

890
00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:37,160
They raised me off grid in rural
Alberta. 

891
00:49:37,480 --> 00:49:40,600
I learned to live without 
electricity, chop wood, draw 

892
00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:42,920
water, and get by with very 
little. 

893
00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:46,520
More importantly, I learned the 
forests and the wildlife of 

894
00:49:46,520 --> 00:49:50,960
Canada like the back of my hand.
That's part of why this shook me

895
00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:53,360
so badly. 
I know what's supposed to live 

896
00:49:53,360 --> 00:49:56,400
out there, and I know what I saw
wasn't supposed to. 

897
00:49:57,240 --> 00:50:00,360
It was September when I decided 
to take a trip up to Little Wet 

898
00:50:00,360 --> 00:50:02,440
Lake. 
I wanted a week of fishing and 

899
00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:05,080
camping. 
Just me, a tent in the lake. 

900
00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:09,200
I settled at Driftwood Bay and 
quickly fell into a rhythm. 

901
00:50:09,720 --> 00:50:12,920
Every morning I'd head a little 
north of my camp to a rocky 

902
00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:15,480
stretch of shoreline tucked 
against the wall of green 

903
00:50:15,480 --> 00:50:17,760
forest. 
I'd fish until I had enough 

904
00:50:17,760 --> 00:50:20,600
trout for supper, clean them, 
and spend the rest of the day 

905
00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:25,080
cooking or watching the lake. 
By day four, I was as content as

906
00:50:25,080 --> 00:50:28,360
a man could be. 
That's the day it happened. 

907
00:50:28,880 --> 00:50:31,920
I was kneeling near the water, 
checking the line for trout I 

908
00:50:31,920 --> 00:50:35,280
had staked in the shallows. 
Behind me, I suddenly heard 

909
00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:39,000
rocks shifting, slow at first, 
then heavier, like deliberate 

910
00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:41,240
footsteps pressing down on the 
stones. 

911
00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:44,400
At first I thought another 
fisherman had wandered down the 

912
00:50:44,400 --> 00:50:47,800
bank, which irritated me. 
I came to the woods to get away 

913
00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:50,080
from people, not to swap small 
talk. 

914
00:50:50,960 --> 00:50:52,840
But this wasn't ordinary 
footsteps. 

915
00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:56,840
The sound came closer and closer
as straight passed to me, then 

916
00:50:56,840 --> 00:51:00,600
stopped just a few feet behind. 
Whatever it was didn't speak. 

917
00:51:00,720 --> 00:51:04,240
They just stood there. 
It felt strange, menacing even, 

918
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:08,920
the silence pressing on my back.
Finally, I started to turn to 

919
00:51:08,920 --> 00:51:11,640
look, and something dropped on 
the rocks beside me. 

920
00:51:12,280 --> 00:51:15,000
At first I thought it was a bear
cub who had wandered out of the 

921
00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:18,000
trees, the blur of fur tricking 
my eyes. 

922
00:51:18,320 --> 00:51:22,240
But then I saw its face, every 
muscle in my body locked up. 

923
00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:27,000
It wasn't a bear. 
Its face had no muzzle, no 

924
00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:29,960
rounded ears. 
The nose was small, broad in 

925
00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:32,800
flat, not the snout of an 
animal, but more like a 

926
00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:35,040
person's, though not quite 
human. 

927
00:51:35,640 --> 00:51:39,240
Its eyes were large, so dark 
they seemed bottomless, no 

928
00:51:39,240 --> 00:51:42,520
whites at all. 
The skin of its face, palms and 

929
00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:46,480
the soles of its feet were 
leathery charcoal colour, and 

930
00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:49,440
though it was covered in black 
hair, it was only the size of a 

931
00:51:49,440 --> 00:51:53,080
small child, maybe 3 or 4 years 
old if I had to compare. 

932
00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:57,800
It sat down as if it had every 
right to be there, only a couple

933
00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:00,680
of metres from me, and looked at
me expectantly. 

934
00:52:01,240 --> 00:52:04,680
Then it pointed, not at me, but 
at my Stringer of trout. 

935
00:52:05,240 --> 00:52:07,880
It had seen me catch them, and 
that's what it wanted. 

936
00:52:08,680 --> 00:52:12,400
My stomach turned to ice. 
If this little one was here, its

937
00:52:12,400 --> 00:52:15,760
parents couldn't be far. 
I imagine something much larger,

938
00:52:15,760 --> 00:52:18,080
watching from the trees, ready 
to defend it. 

939
00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:21,880
My only weapon was a small 
fishing knife, not exactly much 

940
00:52:21,880 --> 00:52:24,800
against something I suspected 
was a Sasquatch. 

941
00:52:25,760 --> 00:52:28,560
I yanked the stake from the 
water, unhooked the fish with 

942
00:52:28,560 --> 00:52:31,160
trembling hands, and tossed them
to the little one. 

943
00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:35,200
It let out a sound I can only 
describe as a cross between a 

944
00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:37,920
purr and a low growl, and began 
to eat. 

945
00:52:38,720 --> 00:52:41,280
That was my chance. 
I grabbed what I could and 

946
00:52:41,280 --> 00:52:45,440
hurried away, heart pounding. 
But it didn't end there. 

947
00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:48,840
As I made my way along the tree 
line, trying to put some 

948
00:52:48,840 --> 00:52:52,640
distance between myself and that
thing, I heard small footsteps 

949
00:52:52,640 --> 00:52:54,760
slapping against the rocks 
behind me. 

950
00:52:55,200 --> 00:52:57,360
Then a tiny whistle, high and 
sharp. 

951
00:52:57,720 --> 00:53:00,920
It was following me. 
When I turned, there it was 

952
00:53:00,920 --> 00:53:04,400
again, fish clutched in one 
hand, trotting toward me. 

953
00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:08,160
It stopped a few meters away and
held out the half eaten trout, 

954
00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:11,000
offering it to me like a child 
might offer to share their 

955
00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,840
candy. 
It stretched its little arm, 

956
00:53:13,840 --> 00:53:19,280
insistent eyes fixed on mine. 
I shook my head, nervous and 

957
00:53:19,280 --> 00:53:22,720
fumbling, realizing immediately 
that it wouldn't understand the 

958
00:53:22,720 --> 00:53:25,120
gesture. 
The expression on its face 

959
00:53:25,120 --> 00:53:28,040
shifted, at first curious, then 
upset. 

960
00:53:28,640 --> 00:53:32,560
Its mouth opened, letting out a 
strange sound, not quite words, 

961
00:53:32,560 --> 00:53:34,640
but as though it was trying to 
communicate. 

962
00:53:35,280 --> 00:53:40,680
Then came the anger, its round, 
almost sweet face twisted, the 

963
00:53:40,680 --> 00:53:44,360
eyes narrowing, his leathery 
skin folding into an expression 

964
00:53:44,360 --> 00:53:48,680
that was shockingly fierce. 
It hissed, a deep throaty sound,

965
00:53:48,960 --> 00:53:52,040
its tiny block like teeth 
flashing as it glared at me. 

966
00:53:52,600 --> 00:53:56,240
I backed up, hands out, 
muttering nonsense, anything to 

967
00:53:56,240 --> 00:54:00,440
keep it from coming closer. 
Every step I took back, it 

968
00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:03,720
stepped forward. 
It was relentless, following me,

969
00:54:03,760 --> 00:54:07,800
growing angrier by the 2nd. 
For something so small, the 

970
00:54:07,800 --> 00:54:11,880
menace was undeniable. 
My fear wasn't only of it, but 

971
00:54:11,880 --> 00:54:14,520
of what might be. 
Listening in the trees, the 

972
00:54:14,520 --> 00:54:18,320
parents could appear any moment.
Then it stopped. 

973
00:54:18,680 --> 00:54:21,080
The little creature cocked its 
head, listening. 

974
00:54:21,480 --> 00:54:24,240
From deeper in the woods came a 
loud whistling call. 

975
00:54:24,320 --> 00:54:27,960
Clear, commanding. 
The change in its face was 

976
00:54:27,960 --> 00:54:30,840
immediate. 
The anger drained, replaced by 

977
00:54:30,840 --> 00:54:34,280
something like obedience. 
It looked back at me once, lips 

978
00:54:34,280 --> 00:54:37,760
curling just slightly as if in 
warning, then whistled back. 

979
00:54:38,320 --> 00:54:42,400
Then it bolted into the forest. 
I didn't wait around. 

980
00:54:42,440 --> 00:54:45,480
I stumbled the rest of the way 
back to camp, packed as quickly 

981
00:54:45,480 --> 00:54:47,840
as I could, and left before 
nightfall. 

982
00:54:48,400 --> 00:54:51,920
In my hurry, I even left behind 
my fishing pole, one of my most 

983
00:54:51,920 --> 00:54:55,440
valued possessions, but I wasn't
about to risk walking back to 

984
00:54:55,440 --> 00:54:58,600
retrieve it. 
What haunts me most isn't just 

985
00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:01,560
the sight of that small 
Sasquatch, It's how human it 

986
00:55:01,560 --> 00:55:04,400
behaved. 
The pointing, the insistence, 

987
00:55:04,520 --> 00:55:08,320
the tantrum when I refused, It 
was exactly like dealing with a 

988
00:55:08,320 --> 00:55:11,240
child, but a child with the 
strength and potential of 

989
00:55:11,240 --> 00:55:13,960
something not human, something 
dangerous. 

990
00:55:15,920 --> 00:55:17,920
I'll say this for anyone who 
reads this. 

991
00:55:18,280 --> 00:55:21,680
Don't be fooled by the size or 
the cute look of the young ones.

992
00:55:22,080 --> 00:55:24,840
I wouldn't put past the adults 
to use them as bait. 

993
00:55:25,120 --> 00:55:27,400
Trying to lure curious people 
closer. 

994
00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:30,800
And when I think about how it 
tried to share the fish, I 

995
00:55:30,800 --> 00:55:34,280
wonder if it would act that way 
with an actual child drawing 

996
00:55:34,280 --> 00:55:37,800
them in, making them trust it 
before the adults stepped in. 

997
00:55:38,480 --> 00:55:50,760
That thought chills me even now.
Signed Bob R, Vancouver, BC I've

998
00:55:50,760 --> 00:55:53,880
shared this story a couple of 
times before, but not in full 

999
00:55:53,880 --> 00:55:56,400
detail. 
Some told me I should reach out 

1000
00:55:56,400 --> 00:55:59,600
to you since you've heard 
hundreds of these encounters and

1001
00:55:59,600 --> 00:56:02,480
might know what I went through 
matches what others have seen. 

1002
00:56:03,280 --> 00:56:06,880
I live outside Forks, WA, and 
while I grew up around wildlife 

1003
00:56:06,880 --> 00:56:10,200
in the Pacific Northwest, 
nothing in my life prepared me 

1004
00:56:10,200 --> 00:56:14,120
for what happened one night in 
late September of 2011. 

1005
00:56:15,040 --> 00:56:18,120
I'll start by saying this. 
I know what a black bear looks 

1006
00:56:18,120 --> 00:56:20,200
like. 
I've seen them many times around

1007
00:56:20,200 --> 00:56:22,280
here. 
I know their movements, their 

1008
00:56:22,280 --> 00:56:25,040
posture, the way they huff and 
blow when startled. 

1009
00:56:25,520 --> 00:56:29,280
What I saw that night wasn't a 
bear, and while it walked on 2 

1010
00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:32,560
legs, I'd bet my life it wasn't 
a man either. 

1011
00:56:34,680 --> 00:56:37,800
I was living in a small rental 
house on the outskirts of Forks.

1012
00:56:38,080 --> 00:56:41,200
The house itself was old, 
probably from the 1950s. 

1013
00:56:41,440 --> 00:56:45,040
Simple, a single story with a 
wide porch and detached shed 

1014
00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:48,360
behind it, the woods pressed 
close, thick with towering 

1015
00:56:48,360 --> 00:56:51,080
evergreens, sword ferns and 
devil's club. 

1016
00:56:51,960 --> 00:56:56,040
Out there, nights are black. 
Not city dark, true black. 

1017
00:56:56,560 --> 00:56:59,720
When the porch light isn't on, 
the only illumination comes from

1018
00:56:59,720 --> 00:57:02,560
the faint glow of stars, 
sometimes the moon, and the 

1019
00:57:02,560 --> 00:57:06,560
canopy blocks much of it out. 
On overcast nights, it's like 

1020
00:57:06,560 --> 00:57:10,160
staring into ink. 
At that time, I kept a couple of

1021
00:57:10,160 --> 00:57:13,040
garbage cans at the far end of 
the porch, near the steps that 

1022
00:57:13,040 --> 00:57:16,600
led down to the gravel drive. 
Normally I hauled the bags into 

1023
00:57:16,600 --> 00:57:19,720
town twice a week, but that 
month I had been busy and the 

1024
00:57:19,720 --> 00:57:23,360
cans were fuller than I liked. 
My landlord had told me to keep 

1025
00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:26,600
the lids bungied tight since 
raccoons and bears were known to

1026
00:57:26,600 --> 00:57:31,520
nose around, and I always did. 
It was a Friday night around 11.

1027
00:57:31,680 --> 00:57:34,080
I was on the porch smoking a 
cigarette before bed. 

1028
00:57:34,360 --> 00:57:37,240
The night was quiet except for 
the occasional chirp of a tree 

1029
00:57:37,240 --> 00:57:39,680
frog. 
Then I heard something else. 

1030
00:57:39,960 --> 00:57:42,840
It started as a clatter, 
followed by the sound of a 

1031
00:57:42,840 --> 00:57:45,560
garbage can lid scraping against
concrete. 

1032
00:57:46,160 --> 00:57:48,560
I froze. 
The noise came from the far end 

1033
00:57:48,560 --> 00:57:51,360
of the porch, exactly where my 
trash can sat. 

1034
00:57:51,960 --> 00:57:55,240
At first I thought it had to be 
a raccoon, maybe even a bear, 

1035
00:57:55,480 --> 00:57:57,960
though they usually weren't bold
enough to come up to the porch 

1036
00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:00,680
itself. 
But then came the smell. 

1037
00:58:01,240 --> 00:58:05,280
A wave of stench rolled over me.
Wet dog mixed with rotting meat 

1038
00:58:05,280 --> 00:58:08,360
and something sour. 
It was thick, heavy, and wrong. 

1039
00:58:08,920 --> 00:58:12,280
Bears have a musky smell, yes, 
but this was sharper, almost 

1040
00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:15,600
chemical, the kind of odor that 
makes your throat tighten and 

1041
00:58:15,600 --> 00:58:18,880
your eyes water. 
I set my cigarette down in the 

1042
00:58:18,880 --> 00:58:21,800
ashtray and stood slowly, 
straining my ears. 

1043
00:58:22,360 --> 00:58:25,600
The scraping sound stopped, 
replaced by a low, rhythmic 

1044
00:58:25,600 --> 00:58:29,360
huffing breath. 
Something was standing only 20 

1045
00:58:29,360 --> 00:58:32,120
feet away, hidden just around 
the corner of the porch. 

1046
00:58:33,080 --> 00:58:36,040
I didn't want to scare it, so I 
eased backward toward the front 

1047
00:58:36,040 --> 00:58:39,640
door, planning to slip inside. 
But as I reached for the knob, 

1048
00:58:39,800 --> 00:58:43,520
curiosity got the better of me. 
I leaned out just enough to 

1049
00:58:43,520 --> 00:58:47,040
catch a glimpse of the trash 
cans, and that's when I saw it. 

1050
00:58:47,600 --> 00:58:51,160
A shape was hunched over the 
nearest can, massive shoulders 

1051
00:58:51,160 --> 00:58:53,920
rolling as it lifted the lid 
straight off and tossed it 

1052
00:58:53,920 --> 00:58:56,120
aside. 
The thing was big. 

1053
00:58:56,360 --> 00:58:59,680
Thick dark hair covered its 
body, the porch like glinting 

1054
00:58:59,680 --> 00:59:03,880
off strands matted with dirt. 
One huge arm reached down into 

1055
00:59:03,880 --> 00:59:07,280
the can, fishing around before 
it came back up with the entire 

1056
00:59:07,280 --> 00:59:11,240
trash bag in its hand. 
I could see the fingers, long, 

1057
00:59:11,360 --> 00:59:14,640
far too long for any human. 
They wrapped around the bag, 

1058
00:59:14,840 --> 00:59:18,040
nails piercing through the 
plastic, and with a flick of its

1059
00:59:18,040 --> 00:59:20,040
wrist, it tore the bag wide 
open. 

1060
00:59:20,480 --> 00:59:23,400
Bits of food and wrappers 
scattered across the porch. 

1061
00:59:24,160 --> 00:59:27,800
That was the moment my brain 
rejected the bear explanation. 

1062
00:59:28,120 --> 00:59:30,320
Bears don't use their hands like
that. 

1063
00:59:30,840 --> 00:59:33,520
My porch light was dim, but 
enough to catch the outline of 

1064
00:59:33,520 --> 00:59:36,760
its head as it turned. 
The forehead sloped back from a 

1065
00:59:36,760 --> 00:59:39,480
heavy brow Ridge, and then the 
light hid its eyes. 

1066
00:59:40,160 --> 00:59:43,960
They glowed faintly, not like 
glassy animal eyes, but deeper, 

1067
00:59:44,200 --> 00:59:47,040
reflecting a light amber red in 
the bulb's glow. 

1068
00:59:47,640 --> 00:59:51,480
Its face wasn't flat, but it 
wasn't long snouted either, with

1069
00:59:51,480 --> 00:59:54,680
a wide nose and lips that curled
back as it sniffed. 

1070
00:59:55,320 --> 00:59:58,800
That's when it noticed me. 
The instant its eyes locked on 

1071
00:59:58,800 --> 01:00:01,280
mine, a jolt of terror shot 
through me. 

1072
01:00:01,520 --> 01:00:04,840
It dropped the trash bag, rose 
to its full height, and for the 

1073
01:00:04,840 --> 01:00:07,760
first time I saw just how 
massive it really was. 

1074
01:00:08,320 --> 01:00:11,160
The top of its head nearly 
brushed the porch roof beam. 

1075
01:00:11,360 --> 01:00:16,280
Easily 8 feet tall, its chest 
was barrel wide, arms hanging to

1076
01:00:16,280 --> 01:00:19,520
its knees. 
It let out a noise that froze me

1077
01:00:19,520 --> 01:00:23,960
in place, A guttural, chest deep
growl that vibrated through the 

1078
01:00:23,960 --> 01:00:27,160
porch boards. 
And then it came at me. 

1079
01:00:27,600 --> 01:00:31,640
It didn't leap or Sprint. 
It charged each step pounding 

1080
01:00:31,640 --> 01:00:34,520
the wood like Thunder. 
The porch shook under its 

1081
01:00:34,520 --> 01:00:37,400
weight, and in two strides it 
crossed half the distance 

1082
01:00:37,400 --> 01:00:41,320
between us, closing so fast that
my brain barely processed what 

1083
01:00:41,320 --> 01:00:44,040
was happening. 
I yanked open the front door and

1084
01:00:44,040 --> 01:00:47,080
stumbled inside, slamming it 
shut behind me just as it 

1085
01:00:47,080 --> 01:00:50,400
slammed into the wall. 
The impact rattled the windows 

1086
01:00:50,400 --> 01:00:53,560
in their frames and sent a stack
of magazines toppling from the 

1087
01:00:53,560 --> 01:00:56,440
counter. 
I heard wood splinter outside, 

1088
01:00:56,680 --> 01:01:01,760
maybe the porch railing. 
The growl rose into a roar so 

1089
01:01:01,760 --> 01:01:05,160
loud I could feel it. 
It circled the porch, heavy 

1090
01:01:05,160 --> 01:01:08,720
footsteps thudding across the 
planks, dragging its nails 

1091
01:01:08,720 --> 01:01:12,120
briefly on the siding. 
At one point it banged hard 

1092
01:01:12,120 --> 01:01:15,200
against the door itself, and the
knob rattled violently. 

1093
01:01:15,760 --> 01:01:18,760
I stood frozen in the dark 
living room, my back against the

1094
01:01:18,760 --> 01:01:22,760
wall, gripping a fireplace poker
with knuckle white hands, my 

1095
01:01:22,760 --> 01:01:27,400
heart slamming inside my chest. 
For minutes, long, endless 

1096
01:01:27,400 --> 01:01:31,360
minutes, it prowled, growling, 
huffing, occasionally slapping 

1097
01:01:31,360 --> 01:01:34,240
the wall or the door with one of
those massive hands. 

1098
01:01:34,920 --> 01:01:39,680
Then, just as suddenly, silence.
I stayed awake all night with 

1099
01:01:39,680 --> 01:01:43,200
the lights on every Creek of the
old house, sending fresh waves 

1100
01:01:43,200 --> 01:01:45,000
of adrenaline and fear through 
me. 

1101
01:01:45,560 --> 01:01:48,120
By dawn, I gathered the courage 
to step outside. 

1102
01:01:48,720 --> 01:01:51,920
The porch was a wreck. 
One trash can lay crumpled in 

1103
01:01:51,920 --> 01:01:54,240
the yard, dented like it had 
been kicked. 

1104
01:01:54,600 --> 01:01:57,680
The railing was cracked, one 
post snapped clean through. 

1105
01:01:57,920 --> 01:02:00,520
And on the wooden boards 
themselves were smears of dirt 

1106
01:02:00,520 --> 01:02:05,120
and hair, long coarse strands, 
dark brown to black, some caught

1107
01:02:05,120 --> 01:02:09,160
in the splintered railing. 
In the damp soil at the base of 

1108
01:02:09,160 --> 01:02:12,080
the porch, clear impressions 
showed where it had stepped. 

1109
01:02:12,440 --> 01:02:15,720
Each print was nearly twice the 
length of my own boot, brought 

1110
01:02:15,720 --> 01:02:20,360
at the heel with toes spread 
wide, massive human like feet 

1111
01:02:20,440 --> 01:02:24,760
pressed deep into the earth. 
I didn't tell many people. 

1112
01:02:25,200 --> 01:02:28,480
My uncle, who lived in Forks his
whole life, had told me don't 

1113
01:02:28,480 --> 01:02:31,920
leave trash out, they'll come 
around for that, and he wouldn't

1114
01:02:31,920 --> 01:02:35,240
elaborate on who they were. 
But I know what I saw. 

1115
01:02:35,360 --> 01:02:39,480
A creature, a Sasquatch, hair 
covered upright, strong enough 

1116
01:02:39,480 --> 01:02:42,600
to shake my house, and it was 
angry that it got caught. 

1117
01:02:43,480 --> 01:02:47,000
To this day, I keep every trash 
can locked in the shed, and I 

1118
01:02:47,000 --> 01:02:50,800
never linger outside at night 
without a floodlight because the

1119
01:02:50,800 --> 01:02:53,080
image that never leaves me is 
its face. 

1120
01:02:53,080 --> 01:02:58,120
When it realized I was standing 
there, those eyes, that fury, it

1121
01:02:58,120 --> 01:03:01,840
kind of was letting me know the 
porch, the cans, maybe even the 

1122
01:03:01,840 --> 01:03:04,800
house belonged to it. 
Not me. 

1123
01:03:10,000 --> 01:03:13,880
I've haunted all my life. 
Whitetail in Missouri, elk out 

1124
01:03:13,880 --> 01:03:16,400
in Colorado, even black bear in 
Idaho. 

1125
01:03:16,920 --> 01:03:21,200
But no experience, no rifle, no 
years of woodcraft would have 

1126
01:03:21,200 --> 01:03:24,520
prepared me for what I faced. 1 
Autumn in the Blue Mountains of 

1127
01:03:24,520 --> 01:03:28,160
Washington. 
What I saw there and what saw me

1128
01:03:28,440 --> 01:03:31,240
changed my understanding of the 
wilderness forever. 

1129
01:03:32,440 --> 01:03:36,160
It was late October of 94. 
The weather was crisp, the air 

1130
01:03:36,160 --> 01:03:39,200
carrying that familiar scent of 
pine and wet earth. 

1131
01:03:40,000 --> 01:03:43,280
The Blue Mountains rise in the 
southeast corner of Washington 

1132
01:03:43,280 --> 01:03:47,040
and spill into Oregon, a rugged,
forested country with high 

1133
01:03:47,040 --> 01:03:50,240
ridges, deep draws, and enough 
wilderness to make you feel 

1134
01:03:50,240 --> 01:03:52,640
small. 
I'd been hunting elk with a 

1135
01:03:52,640 --> 01:03:55,600
buddy of mine for several days, 
though on this particular 

1136
01:03:55,600 --> 01:03:59,760
morning I set off alone. 
We were camped near the Tucan 

1137
01:03:59,760 --> 01:04:02,960
River in an area thick with 
ponderosa pine and fir. 

1138
01:04:03,680 --> 01:04:07,040
I had risen before dawn, hiked a
couple miles from camp, and 

1139
01:04:07,040 --> 01:04:10,800
posted myself along a game trail
that snaked up toward a Meadow I

1140
01:04:10,800 --> 01:04:14,880
knew elk like to graze. 
The morning was quiet, too 

1141
01:04:14,880 --> 01:04:18,520
quiet. 
No bugles, no distant calls, not

1142
01:04:18,520 --> 01:04:21,520
even the chatter of squirrels. 
The forest had that heavy, 

1143
01:04:21,520 --> 01:04:24,840
muffled silence that set your 
nerves on edge, like the woods 

1144
01:04:24,840 --> 01:04:26,400
themselves are holding their 
breath. 

1145
01:04:27,760 --> 01:04:30,600
I was crouched near a dead fall,
scanning the slope above me, 

1146
01:04:30,720 --> 01:04:34,360
when I heard the first sound. 
A heavy crunch of weight on pine

1147
01:04:34,360 --> 01:04:37,280
needles. 
Not the dainty step of a deer. 

1148
01:04:37,440 --> 01:04:39,400
Not the four beat pattern of an 
elk. 

1149
01:04:39,840 --> 01:04:46,000
This was 1-2 paws, 1-2 paws 
something walking upright. 

1150
01:04:46,920 --> 01:04:49,600
I thought maybe it was another 
hunter, though the direction of 

1151
01:04:49,600 --> 01:04:52,560
the steps puzzled me. 
They were coming straight down a

1152
01:04:52,560 --> 01:04:56,640
steep, rocky draw where no sane 
man would tread without making 

1153
01:04:56,640 --> 01:05:00,640
twice as much racket. 
I called out softly, just as 

1154
01:05:00,640 --> 01:05:02,560
simple. 
Hey, I'm down here. 

1155
01:05:03,040 --> 01:05:05,560
But no answer came. 
The steps continued. 

1156
01:05:06,160 --> 01:05:09,080
I lifted my rifle, not to fire, 
but to bring the scope up, 

1157
01:05:09,240 --> 01:05:10,800
hoping to catch sight of 
movement. 

1158
01:05:11,040 --> 01:05:13,760
That's when the forest went 
still in a way I've only felt 

1159
01:05:13,760 --> 01:05:16,920
once before. 
Dead quiet, as if everything 

1160
01:05:16,920 --> 01:05:20,600
from birds to bugs had fled. 
Then came the smell. 

1161
01:05:21,080 --> 01:05:24,520
A thick, musky stench rolled 
down the draw, hitting me like a

1162
01:05:24,520 --> 01:05:27,440
wall. 
It was wet, earthy, mixed with 

1163
01:05:27,440 --> 01:05:31,120
something rotten like wet dog, 
decayed vegetation, and 

1164
01:05:31,120 --> 01:05:35,840
something metallic all at once. 
I gagged, eyes watering whatever

1165
01:05:35,840 --> 01:05:38,200
was up. 
There wasn't an elk, and it sure

1166
01:05:38,200 --> 01:05:41,440
wasn't a man. 
Branches snapped high on the 

1167
01:05:41,440 --> 01:05:43,400
slope, and I finally saw 
movement. 

1168
01:05:43,760 --> 01:05:47,040
At first it was just a shadow 
among shadows, but then it 

1169
01:05:47,040 --> 01:05:51,000
stepped into a shaft of light. 
What I saw froze me. 

1170
01:05:51,440 --> 01:05:55,120
It was massive, easily 8 feet 
tall, maybe more. 

1171
01:05:55,520 --> 01:05:58,600
The head nearly brushed a pine 
bough I knew was far above my 

1172
01:05:58,600 --> 01:06:01,480
own reach. 
Its body was barrel chested, 

1173
01:06:01,600 --> 01:06:05,320
arms hanging low, longer than 
any humans, swinging almost to 

1174
01:06:05,360 --> 01:06:07,840
its knees. 
Hair covered it from head to 

1175
01:06:07,840 --> 01:06:11,400
toe, shaggy and dark. 
But it was the face that hit me 

1176
01:06:11,400 --> 01:06:14,880
hardest. 
Not fully ape, not fully man. 

1177
01:06:15,240 --> 01:06:18,040
The brow was heavy, jutting 
forward like a Ridge. 

1178
01:06:18,520 --> 01:06:22,240
Deep set eyes glowed faint amber
in the dim light, steady and 

1179
01:06:22,240 --> 01:06:25,560
unblinking. 
The nose was broad, flat, with 

1180
01:06:25,560 --> 01:06:29,760
wide nostrils that flared as it 
breathed, and the mouth a grim 

1181
01:06:29,760 --> 01:06:32,600
slash across its face, 
stretching wider than any 

1182
01:06:32,600 --> 01:06:36,120
human's mouth should, lips 
pulled tight over large, square 

1183
01:06:36,120 --> 01:06:39,680
looking teeth. 
It stood there, staring down the

1184
01:06:39,680 --> 01:06:43,400
draw, nostrils quivering, eyes 
locked on me. 

1185
01:06:44,320 --> 01:06:46,920
The next sound it made rattled 
me to my core. 

1186
01:06:47,400 --> 01:06:50,920
It drew in a deep breath, chest 
expanding like bellows, and then

1187
01:06:50,920 --> 01:06:54,400
let out a guttural growl so low 
and resonant that I felt it 

1188
01:06:54,400 --> 01:06:56,080
through the ground beneath my 
boots. 

1189
01:06:56,600 --> 01:06:59,880
It vibrated through my ribs, 
like standing too close to a 

1190
01:06:59,880 --> 01:07:03,840
subwoofer turned all the way up.
This wasn't just sound. 

1191
01:07:03,920 --> 01:07:07,400
This was a warning. 
I had faced bears before. 

1192
01:07:07,520 --> 01:07:09,600
I knew their huffs and their 
bluff charges. 

1193
01:07:09,880 --> 01:07:12,640
This wasn't that. 
This was deeper, more 

1194
01:07:12,640 --> 01:07:14,480
deliberate, and more 
intelligent. 

1195
01:07:15,000 --> 01:07:17,600
It was as if the creature was 
telling me in no uncertain 

1196
01:07:17,600 --> 01:07:22,440
terms, You do not belong here. 
Before I could even react, it 

1197
01:07:22,440 --> 01:07:25,840
charged, each step pounding the 
ground like Thunder. 

1198
01:07:26,160 --> 01:07:28,680
The sheer force of its strides 
shook the slope. 

1199
01:07:29,040 --> 01:07:33,160
Rocks tumbled, branches snapped,
the draw itself seeming to quake

1200
01:07:33,160 --> 01:07:36,480
under its weight. 
In two massive strides, it 

1201
01:07:36,480 --> 01:07:38,320
closed half the distance between
us. 

1202
01:07:38,720 --> 01:07:42,000
My brain struggled to process 
how something that large could 

1203
01:07:42,000 --> 01:07:45,720
move so fast. 
I raised my rifle instinctively,

1204
01:07:45,760 --> 01:07:47,560
but my finger froze on the 
trigger. 

1205
01:07:48,040 --> 01:07:51,040
Some part of me knew that a 
bullet wasn't going to stop this

1206
01:07:51,040 --> 01:07:54,440
thing, and even if it did, I'd 
never live long enough to 

1207
01:07:54,440 --> 01:07:58,400
chamber another round. 
It roared as it came, the sound 

1208
01:07:58,400 --> 01:08:01,920
exploding out of its chest, 
echoing off the Canyon walls, 

1209
01:08:02,160 --> 01:08:03,920
reverberating through the 
forest. 

1210
01:08:04,440 --> 01:08:07,040
My heart hammered so hard I 
thought it would burst. 

1211
01:08:09,520 --> 01:08:12,560
I backed up until my shoulders 
pressed against the deadfall. 

1212
01:08:12,840 --> 01:08:16,439
There was nowhere else to go. 
My rifle trembled in my hands. 

1213
01:08:16,800 --> 01:08:19,560
The creature slowed, stopping 
just 20 feet away. 

1214
01:08:20,399 --> 01:08:23,800
Up close, the scale of it was 
overwhelming the head and 

1215
01:08:23,800 --> 01:08:25,680
shoulders. 
Loomed over me, filling my 

1216
01:08:25,680 --> 01:08:27,880
vision. 
I could see the detail of its 

1217
01:08:27,880 --> 01:08:31,000
hair, coarse and tangled, 
clumped with dirt and bits of 

1218
01:08:31,000 --> 01:08:33,840
pine needles. 
I could see its breath steaming 

1219
01:08:33,840 --> 01:08:36,120
in the cold air. 
I could see the wet glint of 

1220
01:08:36,120 --> 01:08:39,760
saliva on its teeth as it 
growled, lips pulling back in 

1221
01:08:39,760 --> 01:08:42,319
something halfway between a 
snarl and a grimace. 

1222
01:08:43,000 --> 01:08:47,720
Its eyes never left mine, and 
for a moment, 5 seconds, 10, 

1223
01:08:47,720 --> 01:08:51,840
maybe more, we stood locked like
that, I didn't dare move. 

1224
01:08:52,279 --> 01:08:55,520
My lungs burned with the effort 
of holding still, of trying not 

1225
01:08:55,520 --> 01:08:58,640
to tremble. 
Then something changed. 

1226
01:08:59,279 --> 01:09:03,000
Then the creature leaned 
forward, nostrils flaring again,

1227
01:09:03,040 --> 01:09:06,120
sniffing the air. 
Its head cocked slightly to one 

1228
01:09:06,120 --> 01:09:09,680
side, like it was studying me, 
weighing something in its mind. 

1229
01:09:10,279 --> 01:09:13,960
The growl deepened into a 
rumbling vibration, then faded. 

1230
01:09:15,040 --> 01:09:17,960
It took one step closer, and I 
nearly broke. 

1231
01:09:18,479 --> 01:09:21,240
My finger tightened on the 
trigger, but I still couldn't 

1232
01:09:21,240 --> 01:09:23,880
fire. 
I don't know if it was fear, 

1233
01:09:23,880 --> 01:09:27,680
shock, or some primal instinct. 
Screaming to shoot would be 

1234
01:09:27,680 --> 01:09:30,720
suicide. 
Instead, I forced myself to 

1235
01:09:30,720 --> 01:09:34,399
lower the rifle just an inch. 
Not enough to drop my guard, but

1236
01:09:34,399 --> 01:09:37,359
enough to show I hoped that I 
wasn't a threat. 

1237
01:09:38,160 --> 01:09:41,319
The creature's eyes narrowed. 
Its lips curled back again, 

1238
01:09:41,319 --> 01:09:45,000
bearing those block like teeth. 
Then it let out one final roar, 

1239
01:09:45,160 --> 01:09:48,880
so loud and so close that my 
ears rang and my vision blurred.

1240
01:09:49,279 --> 01:09:51,359
My chest felt like it was going 
to cave in. 

1241
01:09:52,200 --> 01:09:56,680
And just like that, it turned. 
It pivoted on its heels and 

1242
01:09:56,680 --> 01:10:00,160
strode back up the draw. 
Each step still thundered, but 

1243
01:10:00,160 --> 01:10:03,720
the sound receded quickly as it 
melted back into the trees, and 

1244
01:10:03,720 --> 01:10:07,440
within seconds it was gone. 
The silence that followed was 

1245
01:10:07,440 --> 01:10:10,080
suffocating. 
Slowly, the forest sounds 

1246
01:10:10,080 --> 01:10:12,800
returned, an insect here, a bird
there. 

1247
01:10:13,000 --> 01:10:16,760
But I remained frozen, heart 
still hammering, body shaking so

1248
01:10:16,760 --> 01:10:20,880
hard my knuckles nearly buckled.
When I finally forced myself to 

1249
01:10:20,880 --> 01:10:24,520
move, I realized I had been 
gripping the rifle so tightly my

1250
01:10:24,520 --> 01:10:28,520
palms were slick with sweat. 
My breath came in ragged gasps. 

1251
01:10:29,200 --> 01:10:32,640
I stumbled back toward camp, 
every shadow now alive with 

1252
01:10:32,640 --> 01:10:36,160
menace. 
When I reached camp, my buddy 

1253
01:10:36,160 --> 01:10:38,520
took one look at me and knew 
something was wrong. 

1254
01:10:38,880 --> 01:10:42,760
My face had been pale as chalk, 
eyes wide, hands trembling. 

1255
01:10:43,720 --> 01:10:46,080
I didn't tell him everything 
that night, just muttered 

1256
01:10:46,080 --> 01:10:48,280
something about a bear, about 
being spooked. 

1257
01:10:48,760 --> 01:10:51,640
But the truth clawed at me, 
refusing to be denied. 

1258
01:10:52,320 --> 01:10:56,360
I had seen something no bear, no
moose, no known creature could 

1259
01:10:56,360 --> 01:10:59,560
match. 
The next morning I went back 

1260
01:10:59,680 --> 01:11:02,800
cautiously, heart pounding to 
the spot in the draw. 

1261
01:11:03,520 --> 01:11:06,680
What I found erased any hope of 
convincing myself it had been a 

1262
01:11:06,680 --> 01:11:09,200
nightmare. 
The ground was torn up with 

1263
01:11:09,200 --> 01:11:13,040
tracks. 
Tracks nearly 2 feet long, human

1264
01:11:13,040 --> 01:11:15,400
like, but broader and toes 
spread wide. 

1265
01:11:16,120 --> 01:11:18,640
They pressed so deep into the 
ground that it would have taken 

1266
01:11:18,640 --> 01:11:21,280
something far heavier than any 
man to make them. 

1267
01:11:22,120 --> 01:11:25,400
The deadfall where I had stood 
bore fresh gouges with the 

1268
01:11:25,400 --> 01:11:27,160
creature's hand and gripped the 
logs. 

1269
01:11:27,800 --> 01:11:31,120
Splinters of wood littered the 
ground, some with dark hair 

1270
01:11:31,120 --> 01:11:33,360
tangled. 
I gathered none of it. 

1271
01:11:33,600 --> 01:11:36,480
I couldn't. 
To touch it felt wrong, like 

1272
01:11:36,480 --> 01:11:39,000
meddling with something ancient 
and dangerous. 

1273
01:11:40,400 --> 01:11:43,080
That was decades ago, and I 
haven't haunted the Blue 

1274
01:11:43,080 --> 01:11:46,200
Mountains since. 
I still hunt, but never there, 

1275
01:11:46,600 --> 01:11:49,440
and never without the memory of 
that encounter hovering in the 

1276
01:11:49,440 --> 01:11:52,720
back of my mind. 
I don't claim to know what it 

1277
01:11:52,720 --> 01:11:55,240
was. 
Call it Bigfoot, Sasquatch, 

1278
01:11:55,360 --> 01:11:58,360
something else. 
What I do know is that it was 

1279
01:11:58,360 --> 01:12:01,440
real. 
Its eyes, its roar, its sheer 

1280
01:12:01,440 --> 01:12:04,120
presence. 
That wasn't myth or imagination.

1281
01:12:04,400 --> 01:12:07,800
It was flesh and blood, and it 
was powerful enough to let me 

1282
01:12:07,800 --> 01:12:16,280
live or die on its whim. 
It was late summer in Bel Air, 

1283
01:12:16,280 --> 01:12:18,920
Washington. 
I had gone out to stay at a 

1284
01:12:18,920 --> 01:12:22,760
small cabin on the lake. 
My plan was simple, relax, fish 

1285
01:12:22,760 --> 01:12:24,960
and enjoy the water for a few 
quiet nights. 

1286
01:12:25,760 --> 01:12:28,880
The cabin had an old wooden dock
that stretched about 20 feet out

1287
01:12:28,880 --> 01:12:32,000
into the lake. 
It was worn but steady, a place 

1288
01:12:32,000 --> 01:12:34,720
I like to sit in the evenings 
just to listen to the sounds of 

1289
01:12:34,720 --> 01:12:37,760
the water. 
That night the sky was cloudy 

1290
01:12:37,760 --> 01:12:39,680
and a heavy mist floated over 
the lake. 

1291
01:12:40,160 --> 01:12:43,400
The moonlight came and went as 
clouds moved across, so the 

1292
01:12:43,400 --> 01:12:46,480
water looked silvery 1 moment 
and almost black the next. 

1293
01:12:47,120 --> 01:12:49,840
It was calm at first. 
A few frogs croaked from the 

1294
01:12:49,840 --> 01:12:52,640
shoreline and small fish 
splashed now and then near the 

1295
01:12:52,640 --> 01:12:55,160
reeds. 
I was sitting out on the dock 

1296
01:12:55,160 --> 01:12:58,760
with a Lantern beside me sipping
coffee when the first strange 

1297
01:12:58,760 --> 01:13:02,120
sound reached me. 
It wasn't loud at first, just a 

1298
01:13:02,120 --> 01:13:05,520
faint ripple, like something 
large moving under the surface. 

1299
01:13:06,120 --> 01:13:09,120
I thought maybe it was a Beaver 
or a deer coming down to drink, 

1300
01:13:09,480 --> 01:13:12,160
but then I noticed the regular 
rhythm of splashes. 

1301
01:13:12,720 --> 01:13:15,320
These weren't random. 
Something was making its way 

1302
01:13:15,320 --> 01:13:18,960
straight across the lake. 
I leaned forward, my eyes 

1303
01:13:18,960 --> 01:13:20,520
straining to see through the 
mist. 

1304
01:13:20,840 --> 01:13:24,480
The sound grew clearer, water 
parting, heavy movements like a 

1305
01:13:24,480 --> 01:13:26,880
swimmer with enormous arms 
pushing through. 

1306
01:13:27,520 --> 01:13:30,400
My stomach tightened. 
Whatever it was, it was coming 

1307
01:13:30,400 --> 01:13:35,120
directly toward my dock. 
The next sound froze me in 

1308
01:13:35,120 --> 01:13:37,480
place. 
A low growl carried across the 

1309
01:13:37,480 --> 01:13:42,800
water, so deep I felt it. 
Then I saw it, at first just a 

1310
01:13:42,800 --> 01:13:46,040
dark shape rising out of the 
water, taller and broader than 

1311
01:13:46,040 --> 01:13:47,920
anything I'd ever seen in real 
life. 

1312
01:13:48,560 --> 01:13:51,480
As the mist thinned for a 
moment, I made out its head, 

1313
01:13:51,520 --> 01:13:54,560
shoulders, and chest. 
It looked exactly like the 

1314
01:13:54,560 --> 01:13:57,720
stories I'd always half 
dismissed A Sasquatch. 

1315
01:13:58,360 --> 01:14:01,920
Its body was covered in long, 
wet hair, dark brown to almost 

1316
01:14:01,920 --> 01:14:04,320
black. 
The creature's shoulders were 

1317
01:14:04,320 --> 01:14:08,160
enormous, easily twice as wide 
as mine, and its arms hung 

1318
01:14:08,160 --> 01:14:12,040
nearly to its knees. 
Even as it waded forward, the 

1319
01:14:12,040 --> 01:14:15,520
water barely slowed it down. 
Each step it took sent ripples 

1320
01:14:15,560 --> 01:14:18,800
rolling across the lake. 
When it got close enough to the 

1321
01:14:18,800 --> 01:14:22,280
Lantern light to catch its face,
I felt the shock run through me.

1322
01:14:23,760 --> 01:14:27,560
The brow jutted out heavy and 
shadowed its deep set eyes, but 

1323
01:14:27,560 --> 01:14:30,720
when the light hit them just 
right, they glowed faintly. 

1324
01:14:31,240 --> 01:14:34,840
Its nose was broad, flat and 
human like, and its mouth was 

1325
01:14:34,840 --> 01:14:38,400
wide, stretched over square 
teeth that showed whenever it 

1326
01:14:38,400 --> 01:14:40,720
exhaled. 
I couldn't move. 

1327
01:14:41,080 --> 01:14:44,560
This thing was terrifying and 
yet so real that all I could do 

1328
01:14:44,560 --> 01:14:47,480
was stare. 
It didn't stop at the water's 

1329
01:14:47,480 --> 01:14:49,920
edge. 
With a heavy splash, it planted 

1330
01:14:49,920 --> 01:14:52,040
its massive hands on the edge of
the dock. 

1331
01:14:52,600 --> 01:14:55,240
The boards groaned loudly as it 
pulled itself up. 

1332
01:14:55,640 --> 01:14:58,040
I could see the size of its 
hands clearly now. 

1333
01:14:58,360 --> 01:15:02,280
Huge, long fingered with rough 
dark palms and wet hair 

1334
01:15:02,280 --> 01:15:05,920
plastered to the backs. 
The dock shook under its weight 

1335
01:15:05,920 --> 01:15:09,760
as it climbed onto the boards. 
It stood there, dripping water 

1336
01:15:09,760 --> 01:15:13,680
running off its hair and chest. 
Towering well over 8 feet tall, 

1337
01:15:14,160 --> 01:15:16,840
the top of its head nearly 
reached the roof beam of the 

1338
01:15:16,840 --> 01:15:19,840
small boat shelter. 
It looked like it could barrel 

1339
01:15:19,840 --> 01:15:23,360
straight through a wall. 
Then it made a noise that nearly

1340
01:15:23,360 --> 01:15:27,080
knocked the breath out of me. 
A guttural growl, deep and 

1341
01:15:27,080 --> 01:15:29,960
chesty, vibrating through the 
wood under my feet. 

1342
01:15:31,000 --> 01:15:35,360
In two massive strides it came 
toward me, each step slamming 

1343
01:15:35,360 --> 01:15:38,720
into the boards with a heavy 
boom, and the dock shook so hard

1344
01:15:38,880 --> 01:15:42,720
I thought it might break apart. 
My brain barely kept up with 

1345
01:15:42,720 --> 01:15:45,840
what I was seeing. 
It didn't run, but the force and

1346
01:15:45,840 --> 01:15:49,120
speed of its charge made it feel
like a storm bearing down. 

1347
01:15:50,000 --> 01:15:52,680
I stumbled backward, nearly 
dropping the Lantern. 

1348
01:15:52,920 --> 01:15:56,240
My first instinct was to run to 
the cabin, but my legs wouldn't 

1349
01:15:56,240 --> 01:15:59,440
move fast enough. 
The creature stopped just short 

1350
01:15:59,440 --> 01:16:03,200
of me, standing in the light. 
Its chest heaved, its breath 

1351
01:16:03,200 --> 01:16:05,280
coming out in heavy, steaming 
puffs. 

1352
01:16:05,760 --> 01:16:08,840
Drops of water rolled down its 
arms and fingers, landing on the

1353
01:16:08,840 --> 01:16:12,800
dock like. 
Rain for a few seconds. 

1354
01:16:12,800 --> 01:16:14,800
It didn't move. 
It just stared. 

1355
01:16:15,120 --> 01:16:17,880
Its eyes didn't blink, and I 
could feel something in that 

1356
01:16:17,880 --> 01:16:20,680
stare, an intensity I cannot 
explain. 

1357
01:16:21,320 --> 01:16:24,440
Then it raised one massive arm 
and slammed its hand against the

1358
01:16:24,440 --> 01:16:27,480
dock railing. 
The wood cracked, snapping clean

1359
01:16:27,480 --> 01:16:30,760
through under its power. 
That was enough for me. 

1360
01:16:30,880 --> 01:16:32,720
My body finally reacted. 
I. 

1361
01:16:32,720 --> 01:16:35,640
Scrambled backward, nearly 
falling, and bolted toward the 

1362
01:16:35,640 --> 01:16:38,800
cabin. 
Behind me, I heard a yell again,

1363
01:16:39,040 --> 01:16:41,720
echoing across the water and 
bouncing off the trees. 

1364
01:16:42,320 --> 01:16:45,720
It sounded almost like triumph, 
like it knew it had scared me 

1365
01:16:45,720 --> 01:16:48,800
into running. 
I slammed the cabin door shut, 

1366
01:16:48,800 --> 01:16:51,280
locking it, even though I 
doubted a lock would stop 

1367
01:16:51,280 --> 01:16:54,320
something that strong. 
My heart hammered as I grabbed 

1368
01:16:54,320 --> 01:16:57,640
the rifle from the corner. 
Deep down, I knew it wouldn't do

1369
01:16:57,640 --> 01:17:00,240
much. 
I stood at the window, peeking 

1370
01:17:00,240 --> 01:17:02,920
out from behind the curtain, 
barely able to breathe. 

1371
01:17:03,840 --> 01:17:06,320
The dock creaked outside. 
Then came the sound of 

1372
01:17:06,320 --> 01:17:09,000
splintering wood boards cracking
under its weight. 

1373
01:17:09,560 --> 01:17:11,960
I dared a glance. 
The railing was left hanging 

1374
01:17:11,960 --> 01:17:14,320
loose. 
One post completely snapped. 

1375
01:17:15,400 --> 01:17:18,680
Long smears of dirt and wet hair
marked the boards where it had 

1376
01:17:18,680 --> 01:17:21,240
stood. 
The sight made my stomach turn. 

1377
01:17:21,640 --> 01:17:24,960
I stayed frozen until the sound 
of heavy footsteps moved away, 

1378
01:17:25,160 --> 01:17:29,080
fading toward the shoreline. 
Finally, silence returned. 

1379
01:17:29,360 --> 01:17:31,920
But I knew the night wasn't the 
same anymore. 

1380
01:17:33,200 --> 01:17:38,000
Finally, silence returned at 
dawn. 

1381
01:17:38,080 --> 01:17:41,080
The dock was a wreck. 
One railing post was splintered.

1382
01:17:41,200 --> 01:17:44,600
The trash can was crushed in the
yard and on the ground near the 

1383
01:17:44,600 --> 01:17:48,280
shoreline were its tracks. 
They were massive, human like 

1384
01:17:48,280 --> 01:17:51,480
tracks, nearly 2 feet long 
pressed deep into the wet 

1385
01:17:51,480 --> 01:17:54,440
ground. 
The toes were spread wide, clear

1386
01:17:54,440 --> 01:17:57,680
as day, and the depth of each 
print told me this thing was 

1387
01:17:57,680 --> 01:17:59,800
heavier than any person could 
ever be. 

1388
01:18:00,760 --> 01:18:03,880
I left Bel Air the next day. 
I didn't tell anyone at first, 

1389
01:18:04,000 --> 01:18:06,680
not even the neighbors, because 
I knew they wouldn't believe me.

1390
01:18:07,080 --> 01:18:08,600
But I know what I saw that 
night. 

1391
01:18:08,880 --> 01:18:12,360
The Sasquatch came out of the 
water, climbed onto my deck, and

1392
01:18:12,360 --> 01:18:17,200
stood within feet of me. 
Even now, I could hear that deep

1393
01:18:17,200 --> 01:18:20,360
growl rattling through the 
boards, still feel the shake of 

1394
01:18:20,360 --> 01:18:23,680
its charge, and still see the 
glow of its eyes cutting through

1395
01:18:23,680 --> 01:18:27,560
the mist. 
Thanks. 

1396
01:18:27,560 --> 01:18:30,640
For listening everyone, don't 
forget my books are all for 

1397
01:18:30,640 --> 01:18:33,960
sale, audio and written. 
The links are in the description

1398
01:18:33,960 --> 01:18:35,680
below. 
Thanks again. 

1399
01:18:35,960 --> 01:18:36,560
Take care.