Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

A listener writes “I am 34 y/o, retired US Army Sergeant and combat veteran originally from Connecticut; currently living in Northern Italy with my wife.

I recently found your show and find it to be very compelling. It is now a constant fixture, routinely playing beside our bed, My Italian wife thinks this whole subject about sasquatch is “crazy American nonsense” but I think she is saying this because she might be a little intimidated about the subject of Bigfoot being real.

I would like to share an encounter that occurred in August of 2004 on a camping/fishing trip with my friend in the vicinity of Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

We were 16 at the time, my friend’s mother owned a cottage by a small lake and asked me to accompany them on a trip. Unfortunately, quite a long time has passed and I cannot recall the name of the lake.I attempted to contact my buddy who was there. Hopefully, I’ll hear back from him soon to gather some additional info.

On our first day, we set off in a two-man canoe and explored the lake as we fished. We came to this section of the lake bordered by a quiet, lush green and dense New England forest. There was a small island roughly 60ft in diameter just off the shore. We portaged our canoe and began to drink some beer and smoke cigarettes. Being teenagers’ we would do anything and everything to not get caught. Never knowing who or what would show up and not wanting to take any chances; we took advantage of the seclusion that part of the lake provided.

We finished our beverages and returned to the canoe, A few hours passed as we were enjoying ourselves fishing. We began to make our return and passed by the same island where we were prior. Then suddenly, we heard something running through the woods; a deer leaped out of the woods and jumped directly into the water. It then began swimming toward our direction. My buddy and I thought it was interesting, we had a laugh and both agreed that maybe some type of predator was in pursuit. As the deer swam, it veered toward the island and jumped onto the shore. Frantically, it began pacing around , while keeping its eyes fixated on the section of the forest from where it came. Clearly terrified of something, it proceeded to jump back into the water, continuing to the other side of the lake; until it finally disappeared from view.

After dinner, we decided to do some night fishing. The lake was covered in darkness and we only brought with us two small flashlights while using the moonlight to assist with visibility. We set off in our canoe and paddled toward the island. About midway, I told my friend that we should try to do some trolling. I placed two rods in the rear of the canoe and began to paddle. . As we were approaching the small island I kept glancing over to the area where the deer leapt into the lake from the forest earlier that day. I kept having a strange feeling about that area. We began to hear some strange sounds and noises emanating from the dark forest. My buddy said that it was probably a herd of deer and possibly a Fishercat making strange noises. I didn’t disagree with what he said, it made enough sense.

We stopped trolling as the noises became louder and more alarming, A slow drift brought us roughly 90ft from the edge of the forest. Out of the darkness, a massive rock impacts the water as if it was a broadside hit from an artillery round. I can still remember the water splashing my face and the canoe rocking from side to side. As soon as the rock hit the water it was as if my body went into auto-pilot. Like a robot I was moving without giving myself any commands, I cut the two fishing lines, we began paddling and by the time we realized what happened, a great distance was made retreating back to the safety of the shores of the campsite, creating a small wake in our path from paddling so fervently.

We reached the shore of the campsite and looked at each other, I said “what in the f— was that???”, My friend was saying he thought it was a turtle; I needed to remind him, “turtles don’t fly dickhead!”. We remained at the lake for another day and did not have the slightest desire or curiosity to return to the scene. Years have passed and we seldom spoke of it. The few times we did mention what occurred, it was said to a few friends and family. I found it difficult in explaining what happened and the unique type of fear it caused. In order to fully comprehend, one needed to be there or have experienced something similar themselves.

As I mentioned prior, I felt my reaction was remarkable. I have been in many intense and nerve-wracking situations;ambushes,firefights while serving overseas are some examples. It was similar to fight or flight without the slightest inclination of fighting. My body seemed as if it had a mind of its own.

We did not physically see the creature, however, if we had a strong flashlight and gathered enough of our wits, I believe we could have seen the creature along the woods of the shoreline. In many ways, I am grateful I did not see it. I am not sure how anyone including myself would be able to process seeing a ‘monster’; something that is not supposed to exist. Being an unarmed and a hormonal teenager I am not sure how I would react in seeing a sasquatch in front of me. We were very fortunate.”