Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

A listener writes “I’m a recent listener and I really enjoy your show. Often I have it on as I’m working on projects around the house or painting in my studio.

I always thought that a Sasquatch encounter would look just like the Patterson Gimlin film but after hearing episodes I’m beginning to realize something I experienced back in the summer of 92 could’ve quite possibly been a large Sasquatch.

Working as a counselor at a summer camp in southeastern Pennsylvania, I don’t want to share the name of the exact camp because it’s been bought and sold a few times since then and I don’t want to ruin their chances of success now-

But back then I was mostly assigned to the older more experienced campers – the campus set up in such a way that the younger first time campers were down towards the bottom of the mountain where the main lodge was and they were in little shelters that helped him feel more comfortable being away from home overnight probably for the first time. As you got further up the mountain The Shelters became more and more survivalist… three sided A-frame Tin roof platforms, metal frame hogans with canvas tarps – and eventually towards the top of the mountain where are the adventure campers.

These were 13 to 17 year olds and as they came at the camp Sunday morning, we were gather all of our supplies for the week down at the main lodge and then hike up to the top of the mountain where we set up survival camp before heading out onto the Appalachian trail for three days. From the the main lodge to the top of the mountain I would say there’s about a good 30 minute hike almost a mile to bass camp.

There’s dirt roads through much of the camp for the maintenance crew to do things like remove fallen trees and spray for bees and such but I should get halfway up past where the intermediate campers are – the A-frame platforms and canvas hogans, it gets very difficult to get any kind of vehicle larger than a four wheeler up through the path.

SET UP

As she got further off the mountain, the canopy of the trees when we are together close enough they would block out even heavy rainfall. Thunderstorms were common – but the pelting rain really made it through the treetops down to our sleeping areas.

Occasionally the thunderstorms would bring with it micro-tornados ( isolated pocket tornadoes that will form when the air pressure from the thunderstorms would mix with the climate contained under the tree top canopy. At least once a summer we’d see a path cut through the woods anywhere from a couple inches to six or 8 feet across from a micro twister that made its way through. Often immediately following a severe thunderstorm, we would take some of the adventure campers and survey the mountain looking for these unique formations in the forest.

Temperature today from Sunday morning to Saturday afternoon. After which, after debriefing from the week counselors were reassigned new areas and we were break off to go prepare for the next batch of campers the following morning. After which we had free time the rest of Saturday and Saturday night.

Often we would hang out in the lodge or camp on our own towards the top of the mountain where the adventure campers normally were.

All of us were pretty savvy on how to walk through the woods and what to look for as far as poison ivy, snakes, hornet nests, anything that could be a potential danger to the kids that aren’t used to being in the woods.

No I never hunted, I did teach the kids how to look through the woods and listen for deer and the very rare but occasional bear. If you were quite enough – there is a lot to see they would normally get missed.

On this one particular Saturday night, I was walking by myself from base camp up to the top of the mountain to where my friends were already setting up the adventure camp. There was enough of a moon that half of the track of the mountain was pretty well lit to the point that once your eyes fixated in the dark you could see the path pretty well.

When I got to the top of the mountain I would say about 10 minutes hiking time from base camp – I was close to where we had a natural spring we would often take the campers to fill their canteens before going off on a hike.

As you get deeper in the woods, things become more and more quiet. You’re more aware of the sound you make and the sounds that the words make and you’re able to separate the two. For example do you know what it sounds like when YOU step on a twig -and when you hear a twig snap elsewhere…

THE ENCOUNTER

suddenly, all sound vanished – like the way it sounds as you’re walking through a snowfall. Every single sound in the woods was absorbed- there’s nothing.
This was sometimes exciting because it usually indicated you were about to come across a family of deer in your path.

Instead, looking ahead, the Moonlight I was depending on to light the path was suddenly blocked that at least partially.

There was a perfect shape – almost like a black hole in the shape of a large person about 10 yds feet in front of me. The Moonlight sort of wrapped around it attached to the point you can definitely see that the light was interrupted by something standing in the way.

It was a very large black silhouette that took up the width of the path and I would say it was 8 feet tall. It looked as if someone had taken a large piece of cardboard and cut out a silhouette and stood it in the trail- only this was moving and the edges were blurred like the way light wraps around things – it wasn’t Chris like I cut out- it was blood on the edges and it moved silently without a single sound across the path.

Across the path very slowly as if it was studying me or looking at me. He has moved across the trail the shape was changing- you could tell that they were arms gently swing and legs striding

It lasted about 20 to 30 seconds moving from right to left crossing the trail and vanishing into the woods and allowing the moonlight to come back to light the trail.

I told no one about this and just wrote it off to an over active imagination and product of the woods playing tricks on me – but after hearing a number of your podcasts and understanding now that encounters have many hallmarks besides just a daytime creature citing-

I’ve come to the conclusion that I just came across a large Squatch moving through the woods. Silent. Zero sound. And a side of the moonlight wrapping around his shape, would’ve probably never knew it was there at all.

NEXT DAY

Coming back down the mountain the following day, as I got close to the spot on the trail where I encountered the Squatch, there was a new path cut through the woods like what we’ve seen with the micro twisters – only with the micro twisters the trees are often snapped and bent in many different directions

These smaller trees and brush looked pushed neatly to either the side- gently bent just to allow something to pass through but not snapped. This path created in the woods was about 5 feet across – but after another soaking rain the night before, no prints just soft mud.”