A listener writes “I’m sharing this story publicly for the first time. Until now, I had only mentioned it once to a coworker who dismissed it and made me feel like I was imagining things. But the experience has stayed with me, and I thought you might be interested in hearing it.
I was driving from Groveland to Rush Creek Lodge, where I work the night shift as a maintenance and groundskeeper. It was between 9:30 and 9:45 PM. A thick fog hung over the road, limiting visibility to roughly 30 or 40 feet. Everything felt damp the air heavy with the smell of wet earth and pine. There was no traffic, no noise, just the sound of my tires on the slick pavement.
I had just passed the Rim of the World Vista, where the road narrows and the forest crowds in close. On a clear night, you can see the slope and the scattered pines, but that evening the fog washed everything into a shapeless gray wall. The forest was unnervingly quiet.
As I rounded a slow curve, something shifted on the right side of the road. My first thought was a deer or maybe a bear. But the movement was too controlled, too deliberate. Then it stepped onto the road upright and I realized instantly that whatever it was, it wasn’t acting like a person. No human walks into the middle of a fog-soaked road at night like that.
It was tall, taller than any person I’ve ever seen, with long arms and broad shoulders. Its hair was dark, uneven, and matted, like it hadn’t been groomed in years. I slammed on the brakes the tires skidded, and my heart jumped into my throat.
It didn’t run. It simply crossed the road in a slow, steady stride, almost indifferent to my headlights. The whole encounter lasted maybe 10 to 15 seconds, long enough for me to study its proportions, the way its arms swung, the thickness of its frame. In one hand, it carried something maybe a backpack or bag, but I couldn’t make it out clearly.
As this was happening, I heard and felt a low, deep growl. It wasn’t loud, it was more like a vibration that traveled through the fog, the ground, and even the air inside the car. The sound made every instinct inside me go rigid.
I reached for my phone, trying to start the camera, but the moment I fumbled with it, the figure veered off the road and moved down the hillside toward the forest. Within seconds, it disappeared completely into the fog.
When I drove past the spot where it had crossed, a faint smell hit me wet dog mixed with the heavy forest scent. Subtle, but unmistakable. It lingered long enough to make the encounter feel disturbingly real.
I sat there for a moment, gripping the wheel, trying to make sense of what I had seen. The fog swallowed up everything again, the forest was silent except for my engine idling. Eventually, I drove on and reached the driveway at Rush Creek Lodge, feeling an immense wave of relief at the sight of the lights.
I can’t say with total certainty what I saw that night. Maybe it was a person but nothing about it matched anything human the height, the proportions, the matted hair, the deliberate movement, the low growl, the smell. Whatever it was, it was out of place… and unforgettable.
I wanted to share this with you in case the details are useful.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.”