A listener writes “Hi Wes! We’ve been full-time RVers for the past three years. I emailed you before about our stay at the family farm in northwest Oregon. This summer we’re camped near Flagstaff, Arizona, for our third summer season at the same campground.
We stay in Munds Park, which borders the Coconino National Forest southwest of Flagstaff. It’s a huge summer destination for Phoenix locals looking to escape the heat, with tons of ATV, off-roading, and hiking activity.
Last October, just before we checked out for the season, my husband and I were walking our dogs outside the campground. Things had really quieted down after the busy summer season, and we were the only people out on the jeep trail that day.
At one point, our German Shorthaired Pointer, Hudson, suddenly stopped, went on high alert, and started growling and whining. He *never* growls except for a couple of times when we were staying at the farm in Oregon. We didn’t think too much of it at the time, but it definitely made us stop and wonder what he was reacting to.
On our way back toward camp, I happened to look up the road maybe a quarter mile ahead and saw a large black figure standing under a tree just off the road.
My first thought was that it was a man dressed completely in black with a hooded sweatshirt and the hood up. Maybe it was. My brain didn’t have enough time to process what I was seeing. We were talking as we walked, and I glanced away for just a second before asking my husband, “Do you see that man down there?” We both looked back, and it was gone.
At the time, I didn’t think he had seen anything. But a couple of weeks ago we talked about it again, and he finally admitted he *had* seen something he just couldn’t explain what it was. 🙄 I was frustrated that he wouldn’t say more, but honestly relieved that he acknowledged seeing something at all. He’s an extremely practical person and not someone who would easily entertain the idea that these kinds of things might exist.
Fast forward to yesterday.
I was hiking alone deep in the forest, well away from the campground. The back roads have been incredibly quiet because a couple of weeks ago the Forest Service locked the gates to keep ATVs out due to the extreme fire danger, and the Pocket Fire has been burning in the northwest Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon area.
About a mile and a half from camp, while walking along a powerline road, I noticed what looked like a tree structure roughly 15 yards off the road.
I kept walking, and about another quarter mile farther, I found a second one. Looking at their locations on a map, they almost seem positioned as if they could mark some sort of boundary. I’ve attached photos.
Out of curiosity, I checked the BFRO database and found a Class A sighting from last June that wasn’t too far away up on top of Oak Creek Canyon, almost exactly where the Pocket Fire is burning now. It’s only about eight miles away as the crow flies.
I thought you might find this interesting and wanted to ask if you’ve heard of any other reports from the Munds Park/Coconino area in recent years.
Thanks, and I always enjoy your work!”