A listener writes “Hi Wes, I was recently turned on to your show by a friend of mine. Finally! I feel as if someone Gets It! Being a witness is an incredible burden. My encounter was absolutely horrible. I was chased by one in ’95 and that encounter has lived with me daily ever since. I shut it out for over 10 years and never spoke of it except for the very rare occasions. By happenstance, the BFRO heard of my encounter and I was contacted by them.”
Here is the report:
“My incident occurred on the 4th of July in 1995 in the CVNRA in Boston Twp(?), Ohio. I was in the Army, home on leave at the time. Three of us(myself, cousin, and a friend) had just left the Independence fireworks and decided to go for a night hike on the railroad tracks which run parallel to Riverview Rd. near Brandywine Ski Resort. This was a hike we have made several times before in varying locations along the same road without incident. On this particular hike, we parked in a public lot on the corner of riverview and vaughn rd. and headed north on the Cuyahoga Valley Line tracks. I would say the time was around 11:30p.m. and the sky was clear with a very bright moon.
We hiked approx. 1/4 mile when all of a sudden we heard a distant, high pitched scream from the west… across riverview rd. The scream sounded similar to that of a coyote or peacock…only it was raspier and lasted about 5 sec. in duration and did not waver. We shrugged it off as some sort of animal and continued on. As we hiked the tracks, we got to a clearing that has a marsh/swamp to the west between the tracks and the road and tall weeds/brush/trees to the east. As we passed through this clearing, you could see beavers swimming in the swamp and hear typical summer insects and frogs.
We entered a heavily wooded area where some railroad cars and equipment were parked, nosed around for a few minutes and decided to head back. We were talking amonst ourselves as we entered the clearing again when a second, VERY powerful, angry roar came from the middle of the swamp. Once again, it was higher in pitch than what one would normally associated a “roar” to sound like, only this time, it lasted much longer(about 8 to 10 sec.)and was very close(approx. 50 to 75 ft.) The three of us froze dead in our tracks an barely uttered “what the F*** was that!?!) when a very large creature came charging through the swamp right at us. All we could see was a silhouette, but it was definitely upright on two legs, swinging its arms and a massive torso as it was running through the water.
This thing was actually making waves and moving extremely quick for being chest deep in muck, water and cattails. The three of us sprinted back towards the car, occasionally looking back to see if it was following us. We could see the silhoette at the edge of the swamp, but it never left that spot or climbed up onto the tracks. This happened over eleven years ago and I remember it as though it were yesterday. I would also bet that this was no prank…given the shear size and the power at which it muscled through the water. Not to mention the scream it made.
I still live in the area (Richfield) and pass through this spot on a regular basis. Although I have never seen or heard anything like this since, it still gives me goosebumps when I drive through the area… my wife thinks i’m nuts!”
Dan M
Yikes! Dear Bigfoot — please be quiet and peaceful if u wish to visit my campsite. I know I know wishful thinking.
toomuch
I’ve been waiting for this guy to find Wes. I know the area very well, and have been hoping to gather more info. Like his wife, the local farmer of the CVNP thinks I’m nuts as well. Sooner or later the truth will come out.
Kevin L
Google Earth coordinates of the swamp area: Lat 41.292561°/ Long -81.574316° .
toomuch
Kevin, is this your story? I’d love to chat sometime. Look me up in the contact list on the top of the forum page.
Charles R
Yet another example of how these giants can be much closer to civilization than most would ever imagine. This area of the CVNP has had its fair share of reports over the years. There are others on the southern edge of the greater Cleveland Metropolitan area also. To the east of your encounter there are large populations of Amish in and around those rural towns. They keep there homesteads quite dark at night. I wonder what tales some of these folks would have of missing animals and strange activity and such of things that go bump in the night? Thanks for the detailed report listener.
Chuck
toomuch
Charles,
Are you from the Akron/Cleveland area? Any encounters?
Charles R
Hello TooMuch. Not from there but have been through there quite a few times. I live in Darke County, OH about 30 mile NW of Dayton, OH. There has been things that have happened to me here and evidence I find around this area and I keep tabs on it the best I can. Pretty certain I have had one on my property a couple of times and once it tapped on my bedroom window. More stuff happened up in Michigan where I am from including a long distance sighting in Roscommon County in my college years. Also things in Midland Cty and Iosco and Oscoda Counties. There is so much documented reports from different sources from NE Ohio. Highest concentration seems to be in the Coshocton Triangle. Don Keating’s ( founder of the Salt Fork Lake yearly Bigfoot Conference) book called the Buckeye Bigfoot based on his some 30 years of research in those areas provides some 200 plus encounters and sightings.
Dave T
toomuch, you know I’m all over this one. I’m pretty sure I know the exact area this booger was swamp’ n. Hope this guy makes it on the show.
toomuch
Dave T,
Me too. Ive walked those tracks a few times. Hope all is well.
Charles, I would like to chat sometime. We’re heading up to the U.P. This summer to camp. I’m looking for campgrounds. My email address is sammytouch1@gmail.com