sasquatch chronicles blog

A listener writes “I’m reaching out because I would like to share several unusual encounters I’ve experienced over the years on my grandfather’s property. In total, I’ve had four or five sightings, some of which were also witnessed by my girlfriend, my brother, and my girlfriend’s brothers.

The first major incident occurred when I was about 12 years old. My brother, who was 15 at the time, and I both heard and saw something large moving down a hill near the property. It was loud and heavy unlike any animal we were familiar with. That experience has stayed with us ever since.

More recently, in 2025, my girlfriend and I had another encounter near the wooded area on the property. We both had a strong sense that we were being watched, and we ultimately felt as though we were being followed out of the woods. The experience was intense and unsettling, reinforcing our belief that something unexplained may be present there.

I have additional details and other encounters I would be happy to share if you’re interested. Please let me know if you would like any further information.

Thank you for your time.”

The property is located in West Virginia. After speaking with the witness, he explained that his grandfather never allowed anyone to go outside at night and made a point of pulling down the shades on every window in the house after dark. When the witness told his grandfather about what he had seen, his grandfather simply replied, “It happens…don’t tell anyone.”

A listener writes “Good morning Wes, I recently found your podcast several years ago and love all the stories and experiences people have submitted to you. I would like to share an experience back in 2020 while hunting in the Hockmock swamp. A little background on me, I work as an EMT and prior service air force and have been constantly in the woods, hunting, fishing or just exploring.

It was early October archery season cold and heavily raining morning. I was excited to get the season underway and have heard from other local hunters there has been a lot of activity in this particular area. I arrived to the spot right before daybreak and walking the rain starts getting worst and worst and my rain gear started to fail. I decided to take a quick water break under a large tree with a lot of cover from the elements and drink some water real quick before moving on.

As I’m getting my pack on, I heard a limp snap from directly in front of my position, and the woods went quiet, no birds or bugs making noise. I slowly move toward the sound of the snap in a low squat covering me was some smaller bushes and trees, my footfall covered by the rain. several steps, I stopped in my tracks, by a loud deep, guttural grunt. I was frozen, not knowing what in the world made that noise, I scanned the area and saw nothing. what felt like hours<I’m sure it was only a few seconds> time seemed to stand still. The silence was defining. After a few more moments went by I heard a whisper in my ear that said “he’s right over there”, then silence was broken by another very loud deep, guttural grunt, this time I could feel it vibrate through my body and fell back onto my behind and the overwhelming fear kicked in.

I know whatever this is, I want no part of it, and quickly try to get back to the main trial while constantly looking back to make sure whatever made those grunts wasn’t right behind me. I heard what sounded like large and heavy bipedal steps behind me but when I turned around nothing. This happened several times before I finally get back to the main trail and have my bow aimed at the wood line just incase this whatever is going to pop out. Nothing came out. Before I start the about half mile-ish walk back to my car.

I figured now that I’m on an open trail I’m good now, the rain has stopped, but this was short lived. I start walking and hear to my right, steps mirroring mine exact same pace and cadence. I look over and see nothing but hear one extra step. This happened two or three times. On the third or forth time of this happening, when I looked over to my right. This massive humanoid figure covered in mahogany colored hair. I could see the muscles of the thighs all the way to the shoulders. I stopped looking at this creature when I hit his jawline. I wish I could have looked it in the eye, but I was absolutely terrified and fearing for my life. I lowered my bow, knowing even If I let my arrow fly it would just make this thing mad and I would 100% not be writing this today.

This thing could have easily closed the 30-yard gap between us in no time flat and I wouldn’t even know what hit me. The only way I can compare it prime Ronnie Colman but covered in hair. This thing made me feel like the size of an infant, (I’m 6 ft 5in and 265 pounds). I stood in disbelief, at what I just saw. This creature now out of sight in the wood line, the thought comes do I run? Do I keep letting this massive creature mirror me? Do I try to stay and see if it will leave? I decided to walk and check my right side periodically, still hearing heavy foot fall matching my pace and cadence. Time felt still and like slow-motion getting back to the car. I finally see the car, probably 100 yards or so, I could feel a weight off my shoulders, that sense of being watched was gone and I could hear birds chirping.

I sat in my ca and realize I had my handgun in my hip. This whole time I had something more to defend myself and completely forgot or didn’t realize I had it on my person. Still probably would have made this creature angry. I get to my car and the battery is dead (brand new battery). Weird detail and probably not related but who knows. I called my dad to see if he could give me a jump start. While waiting for him I smoked an entire pack of cigarettes in my car waiting for him and trying to process what just happened. Finally, he arrived and jumped my car. I went to market basket after and just sat in the parking lot for 4 hours, just starting at my dashboard. I didn’t know it was that long at the time. I got home and showered and went right to bed. The night was filled with nightmares and a bout of sleep paralysis.

I have had reoccurring nightmare since about this incident that have been getting better over the years. I have never been hunting since I saw whatever this was, and have barely gone hiking in the woods with my dog. This story has only been told to my now wife and nobody else knows what happened that day.”

Ghost City Tours writes “In Part 2 of our conversation with Cliff Barackman, curator of the North American Bigfoot Center, we go deeper into what footprints and trackways can actually reveal about Sasquatch behavior. Drawing from decades of field research, Cliff explains why Bigfoot likely doesn’t form human-like “societies,” but instead shows social patterns consistent with known great apes—overlapping home ranges, recurring size classes traveling together, and large males moving along territorial edges.

We also tackle a perennial question in cryptozoology: if Bigfoot is real, why don’t trail cameras solve the mystery? The answer lies in ecology and engineering, from limited camera fields of view to high-frequency sounds that wildlife may detect long before a photo is taken.

From there, we dismantle the Bigfoot migration myth by looking at long-term data—repeated tracks from the same individuals across multiple seasons, pointing to stable home ranges rather than continent-spanning movement. Cliff shares practical field strategies that actually work, including targeting corridors near water, understanding seasonal substrates, and methodically expanding search areas over time. We also explore how focused funding and university-linked research could move Bigfoot studies forward, the origins of the North American Bigfoot Center, and why cutting through hoaxes matters more than ever. If you care about reproducible evidence, smart fieldwork, and pushing the conversation beyond noise, this episode delivers.”

Ghost City Tours writes “In Part 1 of this two-part episode of the Ghost City Podcast, Tim Nealon sits down with Cliff Barackman, curator of the North American Bigfoot Center ( https://northamericanbigfootcenter.com/ ), to approach Sasquatch the way scientists approach any undiscovered species, through evidence, patterns, and repeatable data.

Cliff explains why footprints matter more than fleeting sightings and how detailed trackway analysis can reveal behavior like foraging habits, seasonal movement, social grouping, and territory. The long-term patterns he’s documenting, recurring track sizes, repeated visits to the same micro-sites, and consistent seasonal windows, challenge popular Bigfoot migration myths and point instead toward stable home-range behavior.

The conversation moves from the forest floor to the lab, where an interdisciplinary team at North Carolina State University is testing environmental DNA (eDNA) from soil collected inside and outside suspected footprints. While early results don’t “prove Bigfoot,” they do establish a critical, auditable framework, one that allows future genetic discoveries to be cross-checked against archived samples. Along the way, Cliff tackles the cultural baggage surrounding Bigfoot research, separating evidence-based inquiry from paranormal hype, and explains how careful documentation, historical archives, and even limited uses of AI can support serious fieldwork without distorting the data. If you’re interested in Bigfoot research rooted in biology, method, and patience, not myth, this episode lays the groundwork.”

A listener writes “Wes, regarding your most recent episode I recalled a story from 2011-2012 that was from the same geographic area. I have forwarded you a copy of that encounter. I am also from that area and have spent many nights camping in and around the Shimek forest in S.E. Iowa.

BFRO Report 29125: Turkey hunter has tense early morning sighting near Shimek State Forest
I do not know what I saw. But I do know it was something that should not have been there and it will remain with me the rest of my life. I was turkey hunting 1 morning approximately 4 years ago. I have never told my story due to I feel people will not believe me. It rained all night long that night and thus it allowed me to walk into the forest in complete silence (No leaves crackling etc.) I set up on a hill side over looking a small creek and valley. It was nearly pitch black due to the overcast sky but soon the rain stopped and the forest became brighter. Soon after I realized I was sitting within 15 feet of several birds that were roosted in a tree next to me. I didnt know they were there until they started shaking the rain off. My gun was already propped on my knee and pointed at my decoy.

As things became brighter I could make out most of the valley floor and I continued to watch the birds roosted next to me. Soon after 1 of the birds gobbled I began hearing something off in the distance almost immediately after. I only remember this because it was a very strange paced sound. The rythym of it seemed odd. Nothing I could think of would make a sound like this. I could see down the valley to my right for a fairly long distance however, to my left a seperate hillside came out and I could not see up the valley in that direction. The noise continued with almost near perfect rythym for several minutes with only occasional breaks. It continued to get louder. I soon realized the sound I was hearing was coming from up the valley in the direction I could not see.

The turkeys in their roost next to me stopped gobbling and remained silent. A few moments later the forest was becoming fairly bright and I could see most everything around me. All of the birds roosted in the tree flew down and hit the forest floor running. They didnt even seem to notice the decoy. I remained perfectly still watching the birds run through the forest down to my right through the valley. They acted as though something spooked them. At first I thought maybe it was me that spooked them but then it occured to me the sound had stopped about the same time the birds took off. As soon as the birds were out of sight the noise began again. I remained still leaning against a large ash tree. Maybe 1 minute after I lost sight of the birds the sound was becoming much louder and apparent of what it might be. My first instinct was that another hunter was walking through the forest. However, to this day I will never forget what I saw in the coming moments. The sound with an almost steady rythym reminded me of what it would sound like if I were walking on dry leaves in the forest. There was not a drop of wind on this morning and I believe the valley might have been echoing the sound. A few moments later I caught sight of it.

Maybe 50 yards to my left coming into view on the bottom edge of the valley. At first I thought it was a hunter in a gilly suit. But upon closer examination I realized this was no human wearing a camo outfit. It continued to walk up right on two feet down the valley towards my right. When the creature got to the bottom of the hill out cropping I was sitting on it stopped dead in its tracks and remained perfectly still momentarily. I think it was as this point I truly realized what I was seeing. When it stopped and stood still it became nearly invisible in the forest. It seemed an eternity passed while I sat against this tree uncontrollably shaking. I was scared out of my wits even with a 10GA shotgun propped on my knee pointed in the direction of the creature. What happened next scared me so bad I would have bet my life on it that was going to have a heart attack. The creature turned its head and looked directly at me. I stared directly into the eyes of this creature for an unkown amount of time. It made no sound, it did not move, only stared at me.

I was in full camoflauge including a facemask so maybe it was not sure what I was?? Shaking so bad at this point the only thing I could think of was to defend myself. I clicked the saftey off on my shotgun. When I did this the creature went into an almmost crouching position only it seemed more like it was in a position that would allow it to move quickly. The stare down went on for what seemed forever. I readied my shotgun not afraid to move anymore since it was apparent I had been seen. When I positioned my left hand under the forearm of my shotgun the creature sprang up nearly causing me to pull the trigger. It continued its walk though the forest with its head turned watching me. I continued pointing my gun at it. I never pulled the trigger. I was so afraid I didnt know what to do. Eventually I lost sight of it. I jumped up as soon as it was gone and I ran back to my truck without stopping to rest once. To this day I will never forget what I saw or the feeling of absolute terror that overcame me. I do not want to be famous nor do I want my story posted all over the internet. I just thought I should tell somebody my story.”

Cliff Barackman, James “Bobo” Fay, and Matt Pruitt answer your questions in this new Q&A episode! If you would like to submit a question for a future Q&A episode, please use the contact form or voicemail link https://www.bigfootandbeyondpodcast.com/contact.

JD writes “This took place in June of 2025, around the Appalachia trail. It’s very important to me that I keep my personal identity private. My job has me working with local law enforcement. One of the first things my wife said to me when I told her the story which I completely understand. Was that telling people about this would threaten my credibility in my professional career. Which I ultimately agree with. Honestly, I don’t know how to go about this, I’m going to kind of try to keep my story short. That way I don’t end up sending you an entire novel. But I can of course elaborate if need be. Overall this was nearly my entire day.

A little bit about me that pertains to this story. I’ve worked outdoors quite a bit, one of my first jobs had me working with large reptiles and other non-indigenous species. I would catch and relocate. I’ve also done a lot of private security, and like I mentioned currently work with my local law enforcement. In my personal time, love to go hiking and do what’s called Bushcraft and or primitive camping.

For the actual event in question. I have been dropped off by my wife, I do this all the time. The idea is I’ll get dropped off on one day. Spend a couple of days in the woods. Do some Bushcraft do some hiking, and at a secondary location be picked up. I always set up an emergency rendezvous, should anything happen. Since in these situations cell service is almost never an option.

So on this day I had gone out, pretty moderate weather for the time of year. I had hiked out until I found an area that I felt like I wanted to set up camp. So I threw my tarp, started to collect my firewood. And I wanted to go ahead and make sure I had enough water. Since boiling does take some time. So I walked out to this this Little River, the water was running fairly rough. There was even a nice little waterfall.

While I was crouched down next to the river collecting my water and this is where everything actually happens. I heard a sound that I can only describe as a scream mixed with a roar I’ve never heard anything like that before, and I am very familiar with the animals that I would encounter in that area. It sounds fairly absurd, but the sound was so intense that it physically resonated with me. As if I could feel it pierce my very body. My initial reaction was to fall backwards, which happened without me Even thinking about it. It was as if I got pushed.

Because the sound made no sense to me in any rational manner. My immediate instinct was that it was somebody making a joke of me, which of course makes no sense, it was way too isolated for anybody to do that. Not to mention the sound could not be made by a person without technology. So I screamed back in a very threatening manner. The Scream repeated itself and I started to hear banging as well. I’m not sure if that was trees or rocks or what. But the scream was in tandem with extremely loud banging.

So at this point I started to realize I was in a situation that I did not have control over. But I proceeded as though I was being threatened by an animal. Which I suppose I technically was. So I started to walk backwards facing the scream, that was relatively on repeat. Once I had some distance from the river and was sort of back inside the trees, that’s when I sprinted back to my campsite. I gave myself a minute to collect my thoughts, and figure out what I was going to do.

Here is where I first start to feel scared or nervous. Which I’m not ashamed to say, but not to sound arrogant. That’s not really something that comes easy to me, feeling that way. I quickly became overly aware of how quiet it was, and I felt extremely exposed. And the only reason I noticed how quiet it was, was because I could hear walking. I’m trained enough to know what two feet sounds like, and I heard two feet walking in the woods. Again from my life experience I was also able to tell that whatever was walking was pretty big.

I unholstered my sidearm, that I always bring with me when I go into the bush. Just in case I ever need to scare off a bear or a big cat. I grabbed my backpack, kicked out my fire and left the rest of my gear and started to Make my way down the mountain. Again. I’m trying not to drag this out and type an entire novel to you. But the entire way down I could still hear these noises. Walking, grunting, banging, etc.

I had hours to walk before I had cell signal to contact my wife to drive out and get me. So I had nothing but time to think, and other than thinking about the actual experience itself. It had me questioning everything else I’ve ever heard in the woods. Your audience probably won’t like this, but I’m not a believer, I’m pretty skeptical on the matter. But this experience really made me question the matter.

And it made me think of two other experiences that I had in the woods. One years ago. Honestly, I can’t even remember what the year was, I must have been in my early twenties, I’m about 35 now. When I was working a security site up in Alabama, we heard some pretty crazy noises in the woods. And then another time when I was canoeing in the Ocala national Forest, this one my wife was a part of. And we heard something that I can only describe as a freight train going through the woods, and killing a hog.”

A listener writes “I wanted to share a sighting I experienced, along with a couple of other strange events that have happened to me over the years. The main and most recent incident took place on my birthday two years ago, February 17, 2024. I live in southeast Alabama, and that morning my mom and I were driving to a reptile convention in Fort Walton, Florida. It was sometime between 10:00 and 10:30 AM, not far from the Alabama–Florida state line. We were traveling down a county road unfortunately I can’t remember which one and were rounding a curve when I saw something that I’ll never forget.

For just a split second, I saw a tall, lanky, white creature cross the road from left to right and disappear into the woods. It happened so quickly that I couldn’t make out many details. All I could clearly register was that it was tall, thin, and white. I believe its face and chest may have been pinkish in color, and it seemed like those areas didn’t have hair. What stood out to me most, though, was the way it moved. Its motion was perfectly smooth and fluid almost unnatural. The best way I can describe it is that it moved like a ghost. It didn’t seem to run so much as glide or float across the ground before vanishing into the trees. I’ve never seen anything move like that before. Unfortunately, my mom was reading on her tablet at the time, and the whole thing happened so fast that it was gone before I could even tell her to look up.

Later, I did some research and discovered reports of a creature known as the Alabama White Thang. While most sightings are reported in northern Alabama, the descriptions I found were interestingly similar to what I saw. I’ve also had two other unsettling experiences, although in those cases I didn’t personally see anything friends who were with me did. Both incidents happened years ago, so I don’t remember the exact dates.

One occurred during a game night at my house. A couple of friends suddenly noticed pale, humanoid faces peering into my living room window. The unsettling part is that this particular window sits about seven to eight feet off the ground. Whatever was looking in would have had to be unusually tall or standing on something like stilts or a ladder.

The other incident happened when I was camping in the woods behind my house with a friend. It was around 2:00 AM. He was sleeping in a hammock, and I was in a tent. We both woke up to the sound of something large moving behind my tent. It was heavy enough that it didn’t sound like a deer. The largest animals around here are deer and wild pigs, but this felt different bigger somehow. We never saw what it was, and we never figured it out, but it scared me badly enough that I haven’t camped back there since.

There’s one smaller detail I’ve noticed as well. Late at night, I’ll sometimes hear coyotes howling behind my house, which isn’t unusual for this area. However, there have been times when the howling abruptly stops and everything goes completely silent for the rest of the night. That sudden silence has always felt strange to me.

Those are the experiences I’ve had. They may not seem major, but they’ve stuck with me especially that road crossing on my birthday. I know I’ll never forget that moment.”

A listener writes “For years, I approached Sasquatch as an external phenomenon something “out there” to be tracked, observed, and documented.

But something changed.

I began noticing a pattern that was harder to ignore than any footprint or vocalization. The encounters seemed to correlate with something internal my emotional state, my fears, my intentions, even the intentions of the people I was guiding.

When I was actively confronting what Sasquatch represented to me… the encounters intensified.

When I faced that fear directly… they stopped.

Unless I was guiding someone else who was searching confronting something within themselves.

That raises a question most people don’t want to ask:

What if the observer doesn’t just witness phenomena… but interacts with it?

Is Sasquatch purely biological?
Psychological?
Interdimensional?
Or something that exists at the intersection between consciousness and environment?

This short reflection explores the strange synchronicities between emotional state and field encounters and what that might suggest about the nature of reality itself.”

From The Shadows writes “Land Between The Lakes: What started out as a thermal camera demonstration for a friend may have turned into some of the most compelling footage ever recorded of a Dogman. Pat and Joe join us to share some very interesting thermal footage of a bipedal creature in the Land Between the Lakes area in Kentucky.”

The Confessionals writes “On this episode of Slingshot Nation, Nick shares an encounter that still doesn’t make sense. It started with a strange light in the sky. Then came missing time. Not long after, something large and bipedal was seen moving through the trees. The sounds weren’t normal. The atmosphere wasn’t normal. And the experience didn’t seem to end that night.

Since then, Nick says there have been ongoing synchronicities, strange moments, and a growing feeling that whatever happened may not have been random. Was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or was something positioning him there for a reason?”

Stacy writes “If you’re serious about Bigfoot research — or just getting started — the right equipment makes all the difference. In this episode of The Bigfoot Underground, I break down the five essential tools every real investigator should have in the field to turn encounters into evidence.
From capturing unexplained sounds to tracking movement through dense forests, these are the same tools used by experienced researchers to document patterns, locate hotspots, and investigate sightings the right way.
👣 In this video we cover:
• Why audio recorders are more important than cameras
• How trail cameras help reveal movement and patterns
• Why thermal is a game-changer at night
• How footprint casting creates physical evidence
• How GPS mapping turns stories into real data
Whether you’re new to Bigfoot research or you’ve been investigating for years, this guide will help you avoid common mistakes and focus on what actually works in the field.”

Strange Familiars writes “Ross tells about a horrid-looking, tall, pale being which hung around his boyhood home, beckoning him from the trees. After making a deal with a faun-like entity to get rid of the pale thing, it later returned, perhaps drawn by occult practice.”

The people of Seward, Alaska saw some strange things happening over 30 years ago when a big spaceship circled their town for hours with intense lights.

A listener writes “On August 17th, 2023, I was camping with a close friend In Stephen’s state forest in south central Iowa, not far from the Missouri border. It is very remote for the Midwest in that area. There are no electrical lines in this particular forest, so no lights.

My friend and I got into the forest at dusk and set up camp. We saw no vehicles as we drove through the forest and the campsite we stayed at was completely empty.

Twenty minutes or so after setting up camp, we heard an incredibly loud sound from the northwest corner of the camp. It was so loud it made us both jump and all of my hair immediately stood on end. The sound was like a howler monkey whooping, but it sounded like it was the size of a minivan.

Immediately after this, about 150 feet south of us in the tree line, another noise happened. It sounded like Babe Ruth was in the forest slamming a bat against a tree. There were 6 whacks or knocks. They came in 3 successions of twos. Knock knock. Knock knock. Knock knock.

That night we got chased out of the campsite by 3 or 4 of these creatures. It kept me out of the woods for a long time.

I would love to tell you the whole experience.”

The Confessionals writes “In this harrowing episode, Tony speaks with Hope Beryl-Green, survivor who was born into MKUltra programming, ritual abuse, and organized trafficking hidden behind the appearance of a normal American childhood.

Hope describes being tortured in secret hospital settings, trafficked through churches, and psychologically programmed to believe she was evil and beyond redemption. She shares chilling details about astral trafficking, spiritual meetings held beyond the physical realm, and her abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, including why her testimony was excluded from official narratives.

As the conversation unfolds, Hope explains how the system infiltrates churches, schools, and families in order to weaponize victims against truth. The episode turns toward hope as she recounts her rescue through believers who refused to give up, years of deprogramming, and the healing power of Jesus Christ. Today, Hope leads HBG International, a ministry dedicated to helping survivors find freedom and exposing the darkness that thrives on silence.”

A listener writes “This took place in June of 2025, around the Appalachia trail. It’s very important to me that I keep my personal identity private. My job has me working with local law enforcement.

One of the first things my wife said to me when I told her the story which I completely understand. Was that telling people about this would threaten my credibility in my professional career.

Which I ultimately agree with. Honestly, I don’t know how to go about this, I’m going to kind of try to keep my story short. That way I don’t end up sending you an entire novel. But I can of course elaborate if need be. Overall this was nearly my entire day.

A little bit about me that pertains to this story. I’ve worked outdoors quite a bit, one of my first jobs had me working with large reptiles and other non-indigenous species. I would catch and relocate. I’ve also done a lot of private security, and like I mentioned currently work with my local law enforcement. In my personal time, love to go hiking and do what’s called Bushcraft and or primitive camping.

For the actual event in question. I have been dropped off by my wife, I do this all the time. The idea is I’ll get dropped off on one day. Spend a couple of days in the woods. Do some Bushcraft do some hiking, and at a secondary location be picked up. I always set up an emergency rendezvous, should anything happen. Since in these situations cell service is almost never an option.

So on this day I had gone out, pretty moderate weather for the time of year. I had hiked out until I found an area that I felt like I wanted to set up camp. So I threw my tarp, started to collect my firewood. And I wanted to go ahead and make sure I had enough water. Since boiling does take some time. So I walked out to this this Little River, the water was running fairly rough. There was even a nice little waterfall.

While I was crouched down next to the river collecting my water and this is where everything actually happens. I heard a sound that I can only describe as a scream mixed with a roar I’ve never heard anything like that before, and I am very familiar with the animals that I would encounter in that area. It sounds fairly absurd, but the sound was so intense that it physically resonated with me. As if I could feel it pierce my very body. My initial reaction was to fall backwards, which happened without me Even thinking about it. It was as if I got pushed.

Because the sound made no sense to me in any rational manner. My immediate instinct was that it was somebody making a joke of me, which of course makes no sense, it was way too isolated for anybody to do that. Not to mention the sound could not be made by a person without technology. So I screamed back in a very threatening manner. The Scream repeated itself and I started to hear banging as well. I’m not sure if that was trees or rocks or what. But the scream was in tandem with extremely loud banging.

So at this point I started to realize I was in a situation that I did not have control over. But I proceeded as though I was being threatened by an animal. Which I suppose I technically was. So I started to walk backwards facing the scream, that was relatively on repeat. Once I had some distance from the river and was sort of back inside the trees, that’s when I sprinted back to my campsite. I gave myself a minute to collect my thoughts, and figure out what I was going to do.

Here is where I first start to feel scared or nervous. Which I’m not ashamed to say, but not to sound arrogant. That’s not really something that comes easy to me, feeling that way. I quickly became overly aware of how quiet it was, and I felt extremely exposed. And the only reason I noticed how quiet it was, was because I could hear walking. I’m trained enough to know what two feet sounds like, and I heard two feet walking in the woods. Again from my life experience I was also able to tell that whatever was walking was pretty big.

I unholstered my sidearm, that I always bring with me when I go into the bush. Just in case I ever need to scare off a bear or a big cat. I grabbed my backpack, kicked out my fire and left the rest of my gear and started to Make my way down the mountain. Again. I’m trying not to drag this out and type an entire novel to you. But the entire way down I could still hear these noises. Walking, grunting, banging, etc.

I had hours to walk before I had cell signal to contact my wife to drive out and get me. So I had nothing but time to think, and other than thinking about the actual experience itself. It had me questioning everything else I’ve ever heard in the woods. Your audience probably won’t like this, but I’m not a believer, I’m pretty skeptical on the matter. But this experience really made me question the matter.

And it made me think of two other experiences that I had in the woods. One years ago. Honestly, I can’t even remember what the year was, I must have been in my early twenties, I’m about 35 now. When I was working a security site up in Alabama, we heard some pretty crazy noises in the woods. And then another time when I was canoeing in the Ocala national Forest, this one my wife was a part of. And we heard something that I can only describe as a freight train going through the woods, and killing a hog.”

Grassman58 writes “It’s been a very mild winter. Spent this January leaving audio recorders out in a few different locations.”