Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

Apr 14

SC EP:533 Chanting In The Woods

Valta writes “I have an encounter that happened many years ago in Washington State. Index to be more precise.

My encounter isn’t terrifying (at least not now. It was when it happened.) It’s a bit puzzling and all these years later I can’t explain it.

But I did hear some things which culminated in seeing something cross the trail. I’ve never gone public with this and have been met with skepticism by the few people I’ve told. But I know what happened over the course of a few weeks in 1989.”

Spoke to the witness and she has agreed to come on the show. It is a very interesting encounter because so many strange things happened beyond the sighting. One thing the witness brought up was hearing chanting in the woods or what sounded like chanting. I heard this before by two separate hunters.

 

 

Cassidy writes “My uncle is a big fan of your podcast and he encouraged me to email you about my supernatural experience with a wendigo (possible Sasquatch).

I grew up in small town in an incredibly rural region of southern Ontario. My house was situated in a forested environment with the Niagara escarpment snaking up my front yard. It is a land of unspoiled beauty that has the capability of hiding many secrets in its depths.

My family always told me stories about the beasts that lurk in the woods, real and supernatural, but it wasn’t until I had my own experience that I became a believer in the old legends.

It was mid-autumn of 2012. At this time of year the sun slinks away early in the evening, the only light being the crescent of the moon. My sister and I have always enjoyed exploring the woods that surrounded our house, and on the night of my experience we were out galavanting in the early hours of the moonlight. My uncle (the same one who has convinced me to write this) had walked from his home a few kilometres away from ours and we had excused ourselves from the adult conversations. Our whole lives we had been warned about not venturing too far away from our home, especially in the darkness, so we mostly stayed around the perimeter of the unforsted part our house-land.

Despite the events occurring seven years ago, my recollection is still shockingly vivid when I take myself back to that night. The air was slightly cool, but warm enough that I only needed a raincoat (sometimes it’s cold enough to snow at this time of year). It was a good evening all together, my sister and I were getting along as we laughed and played in our yard.

We were completely unbothered and unaware of what was about to happen. In what I then thought was a brilliant idea I encouraged my sister to come with me and enter the thin strip of woods (about 25 feet apart) that separated our property and an unused driveway on the adjoining land. It was covered in young trees and surprisingly sturdy grasses, that in the fall got so dry and brittle that they could hold you up when falling on them.

We spent the next few minutes matting the grasses down enough so we could walk into the centre of the woods. Standing there we were about 5 feet from our property. I started to feel strange, I decided that it was about time to get back to the house as my stomach was turning. Taking one last opportunity before going home I shoved my sister hard intending for her to be kept from falling by the grass. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and she fell hard on her back, shocked by the tumble. It took her a few moments before she reacted, as she was in a state dumbfounded shock. This had never happened before. I stood there worried that she would take off back home and tell my mom.

I got on my hands and knees eye-level with her, before she could even bat and eyelash or say a word I was there trying to convince her that she was okay and that there was no reason to say anything to mom. If she did we would never be allowed outside together. Due to my age and stubbornness, I was reluctant to apologize. I did help her up and brush off the dirt on her backside. We stood there for a few moments, in the darkness I could see her big blue eyes, she was chattering,endlessly as only she can. I debated with myself, what I should do. If we go home like I had wanted to moments before, she would get me in a trouble, but if we stayed out against my better judgment, I knew something bad could happen. I was her older sibling, I needed to keep her safe.

Before I could reach my final judgment, the sense of unwaryness exploded,tingles traveled from my neck down my spine. Both of us stilled, the flow of words from her mouth was abruptly silenced as I smacked my hand over it. I didn’t expect that out of her quietness would grow a fear in me so deep, I rarely visited the forest again.

It started out quieter, the slosh of heavy footsteps on a the unpaved laneway. The gravelled stones tinkling across each other as if they had been slightly kicked. This sound quickly grew louder. It almost sounded as if the small rocks were being cracked under each footstep. My sister and I stood there. Neither of us cowered, we were frozen in fear.

The sound of the footsteps was soon deadened by that of heavy breathing, grunting. Disgustingly inhuman. We were held in an unmoving trance as the beast came into view. A mass of tangled, slightly curly fur. A body so big it would have dwarfed my burly grandpa (who was 6’4). It’s body was illuminated by the dim light our house cast upon the yard. I was the first to break, I yelped, terrified. Despite its size the thing was surprising quick, its large head wiped to the side. Although I couldn’t make out it’s eyes, my sister and I could both feel the its gaze rapt on our unmoving forms.

It was at this moment I found control over my limbs. Selfishly, I pushed my sister behind me, closer to the creature. And I ran, screaming for my mother, someone to come and save us. I barrelled away from my sister to the front stairs. She wasn’t far behind me. The shock from me pushing her must of helped her move. As we mounted the stairs our hands fumbled at the front door handle as we trembled in fear. Finally, we got inside still on edge.

Our family was abviously shocked by the state we were in. They weren’t exactly receptive when we tried to explain what we had seen. They tried to tell us it could have been a bear (far too short, our little black bears could never stand that tall) or maybe it was a person (still too small, not burly enough and wouldn’t most people say something instead of scaring two people?) My sister and I remained steadfast, we knew what we saw. We went so far as to beg our uncle not to walk home that night, we didn’t want what was out there to get him.

Over time the shock of what we saw has worn off, but both myself and my sister still maintain unquestionably that, that was the most terrifying moment of our lives. Even after we experienced a break and enter while we were alone together. I’ve racked my brain for what it could have been. At first I was convinced it was a Sasquatch, but years later I’m now not too sure. At this point in my life I’m nearly convinced it was a wendigo. Purely on the fact that it still gives me the shakes when thinking about, as I’ve always been told they inspire fear in their victims.

I have a feeling I will always remain somehow marked by this experience. Even though it was years ago, it is often a point of conversation with my family. At first I’m certain they thought we were trying to joke with them, but seven years later they now realize our moments with the beast were very much real. It made believers out of the two of us and has opened our eyes to other strange happenings we have witnessed.”

 

Steven writes “Hey Wes. I’ve been listening to your podcast for about a month now and really appreciate your effort in getting people’s stories out there. I had a pretty bizarre experience about 12 years ago and figured you may like to hear about it. There’s some backstory that I didn’t discover until recently and will share that as well if you’re interested.

This happened in Barnstead, NH. One night me and my girlfriend at the time were walking to another friend’s house. This was in a small, private community built around a man made lake. It’s a pretty wooded area with a lot of summer houses scattered about with a few street lights here and there. So there are spots sometimes for a half a mile that are shrouded in complete darkness. We were approaching a T in the road with one of those few streetlights across the way. Had it not been there I wouldn’t have seen anything. Anyway, as we stepped into the light and started to make a right there was a loud cracking in a tree above me.

At first I thought it was a branch breaking so I jumped backwards out of the way. Then this thing hit the ground and I just froze. The best way I can explain this is that it stood up and shook itself off kind of like it was startled. When this thing stood it was about seven feet tall. Then it kind of went on all fours and took off into the woods across the street.

I’ve never in my life seen anything move so fast. I don’t know if it was trying to land on me on purpose or what the deal was. I’ve grown up in rural areas most of my life and have heard or seen all kinds of animals at night and this was obviously not normal. I wondered for years what this could have been but finally I’ve drawn a conclusion.

This coupled with another experience I had a couple miles away from that same spot AND sightings conveyed to me by others have led me to believe this was definitely a Sasquatch. I’ve done some research and I think there is a strange breed of this animal exclusive to the NH area roaming around.”

 

 


 

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82 Responses to “SC EP:533 Chanting In The Woods”

  3. Brad B

    I see what you mean about kids Wes. What a bright, articulate girl Cassidy is. Just a great recollection and details. Great show….all the guests. Sometimes it’s nice to spend a Saturday night with the show. Thanks!

  9. Jim T

    I used to live in a forest in England – only house for miles around. For eight years on and off I’d hear chanting like church/monks etc. Finally mentioned this to an old chap on the other side of the forest and he told me trees sing….yup….trees sing.

  18. Denise F

    Wes, my man, you saved me from try to decide between SC or GOT season premiere tonight!

    Very sweet to remember Mike Wooley like that. I went to the conference yesterday to see Mr. Gimlin and Mike Wooley ?
    I did get to meet Mr. Gimlin and that made going worthwhile. Sweetest man ever!! ?

  20. Ryan L

    Chanting in the woods would scare the hell out of me. And if it’s sasquatches singing or doing some sort of ritual that makes it even worse. F’ that! I’d be gone.

  21. m99

    That’s awesome. All time favorite song , all time favorite sung by JR. Great Job Wes. Rest in Peace Dear Mike Wooley. (PS- Mike, please tell JR we hope to see him too one day).

  25. Kimberly S

    I didn’t have time to listen to this show but the title with ‘chanting’ got my attention…I thought to myself “I wonder if I will hear about what I heard?” I really did not think I would! I have only told a couple people in my life about it, just because I never could explain what we heard… In 1976, I was camping with my boyfriend way up out in the woods outside of Cougar Hot Springs, in Oregon-they also call the springs Terwiliger Hot Springs. We were sleeping in a lean-to that we had made (the weather was warm since it was summer) and were woken up by loud “singing”, only it wasn’t singing-it sounded like a group of people making the same sounds in unison-each note was extended then they would change to another note-it was reverberating into the woods and the trees from what sounded like every direction. We laid there freaking out and whispering ‘what the hell is that?!” I sounded otherworldly but still human somehow—this went on for about a half an hour- we just couldn’t believe what we were hearing because NO ONE was anywhere near us-we had hiked in alone for a least a mile-no campers go up there at all (at least at the time). To this very day, I have never been able to explain it-I thought maybe it was some kind of weird cult since it sounded so creepy. This is the first time I have ever heard someone else have the same experience…saying that it sounded like Gregorian Chants is the closest description I ever heard……..thank you so much for sharing this and posting this-I am in shock right now -I have always known that this DID happen but thought it was only us who went thru this-I have been literally searching on all the bigfoot sites to see if anyone talked about this- but I just figured it would not be connected at all….

    • m99

      Kimberly said “…it sounded like a group of people making the same sounds in unison-each note was extended then they would change to another note-it was reverberating into the woods and the trees from what sounded like every direction. ” WOW!!!

    • Valta G

      Kimberly, it really was one of the creepiest Thu,vs I ever experienced. Something that occurred to me much later was I think it was possible that when we would open the door of a vehicle and the chanting would stop, maybe whoever or whatever saw the door open and stopped the chanting. Which meant they were close enough to see us. I don’t know if it’s true but I think it’s possible. I’m glad I could give some confirmation to what you experienced. It scared me.

      • Kimberly S

        I actually cried yesterday about this because I never thought I’d hear of this happening to anyone else. This happened so long go but to this day it is clear as day. What’s strange is we never talked about it right after that even though while we were hearing it we were frozen in place It was so loud and all around us while going thru the woods like they were right there but we couldn’t see anyone. But we didn’t want to see and refused to look out of where we were in the lean to made of trees. It’s like if we saw who it was it would make it real. We just waited for it to stop. . The thing about it was how in sync the voices were with almost machine like precision but it was human voices, not a machine. They would change notes together with perfect synchronicity – my husband has always believed me but to have other people experience the same thing and talk about is something I NEVER thought would happen because it was just too strange. !!! Thank you again for sharing it from the bottom of my heart. God bless you

    • pam

      Kimberly I know the Cougar hot springs area and it is quite a WEIRD place. Of course all the outlaws living off the forest up there now make it an even stranger place!

      • Kimberly S

        Wow! My boyfriend and I were staying there for about a month. Back then, no one was out that far and when they did, everyone knew everyone else …..sounds like there’s a lot staying there now.

  29. Chris P

    I’m a fisherman and comfort is very rare when your on the job but right now I’m moored up in a harbor. I’m laying down in my bunk warm and dry and I get to listen to tonight’s episode with cell signal. Ahhh it makes a difference

  31. Doug K

    Wow!!! What a great program you had tonight Wes. Thanks!!! Big shout out to all the guests tonight for sharing their encounters . What an awesome tribute to Mike Wooley tonight. Rest in Peace Mike!

  32. Paul M

    Hey Wes , good stuff on this show… thanks to the guest’s tonight THEY were well spoken and BELIEVABLE… good job… Thanks for remembering MR MIKE WOOLY… Seems like he was really good old dude… RIP… MIKE…

  33. victor m

    I am so sorry to hear about Mr wooly . My heart sank a little upon hearing about the sad news . I had texted him a few times defending his story plus learning from it . I never new him personally but he seemed like a very serious, and humble person . His story to me was one of my all time favorites . R.i.p . Mr. Wooly .

  34. Shelly S

    Valta,
    Can’t wait to listen to this. Just 4 days ago I was talking to a woman who lived in Index for 6 years. I asked if she had any experiences with Sasquatch there and she had footprints in the snow. How timely for me! Thanks Wes!

  36. sarah m

    I camp on Index all the time , alone.. it’s definitely an active area, my dog hates it !! Made my son a believer by camping at Troublesome Creek and hearing knocks and screaming.. He was absolutely shocked..

  37. sarah m

    I camp in Index all the time , alone.. it’s definitely an active area, my dog hates it !! Made my son a believer by camping at Troublesome Creek and hearing knocks and screaming.. He was absolutely shocked..

  39. Donna K

    Do you still have the other players? I like to go back and hear certain parts without hearing the whole thing again and the player above doesnt have a way to forward to certain spots on the recording. This was a great show though.

  40. Asheim

    Thanks Wes for the lovely tribute to Mike Wooley. We got to skype with him last February and asked him to share his encounter with us. It was hard to listen to knowing he’s gone now but much appreciated. I gave his wife Jackie the link and she says she’ll listen when she’s stronger. Thanks for the amazing show. I am creeped out but fasinated about the chanting in the woods.

  42. Jon W

    Chanting?!… in unison?!…isn’t that a big deal Anthropologically speaking?!
    If this is true,would that not move this creature up the scale a good bit further away from being an “animal” and a lot closer (or equal) to human?
    Is that not proof of culture, art, planning, communication?
    This would be a huge reason to suppress the existence of a species.
    This is kind of a big deal!

  43. David J

    What have I become, My sweetest friend , Everyone I know Goes away in the end , And you could have it all My empire of dirt , I will let you down, I will make you hurt. ………….. Makes me think about you Wes, and Will , Woody , and Sharon. They were there in the beginning of Sasquatch Chronicles ….. and like the song says, ” Everyone I know Goes away in the end” …… Now you have this Empire of Dirt , ….I guess I hope you’re doing good, …. That you’re holding up well after airing over 500 episodes . You mean alot to many, many people….. and this show you created , Letting people unload the burden , of seeing these creatures. Take care

  44. Kris T

    I hiked in Manitou Springs CO for years, from the late 80s through mid 2000s, and never had anything weird happen despite the fact that I would be soloing 50% of the time at least.

    A friend and fellow climber talked me into an overnight hike/camp in 02, and we were en route toward Gog (or Magog, can not recall which) rock about an hour before sunset.

    After dark, we began hearing strange but intermittent sounds, and we stopped dead in our tracks many times in order to listen, look and maintain composure. It was difficult. We shut off our head lamps and got pretty effing nervous. I remember cursing at myself for not bringing my firearm, which I had contemplated earlier that same day, but had opted out of due to possible legal BS.

    There was nothing friendly, uplifting or harmonious about this racket. If you can imagine what a dozen orcs singing sounds like, that was it. Grunts and this droning sound like some cult ritual or incantation was happening up ahead in the dark.

    No lights, no fire, nothing to see but the black woods and a lighter trail upon which we walked.

    We both turned abruptly around and got the hell out of there as stealthily as possible. Never did find out what was going on up there at the rock, and I really dont wanna know.

  52. Debbie C

    For some reason I think
    balls of light to tiny lights, chanting sounds
    are all associated with Sasquatch.

    Mike Wooly will be missed:(
    His story telling easy on the ears:)
    I’ll take Mike’s advice about Bigfoot too!
    “Johnny Cash – Hurt”
    Heartfelt sorrow… miss Johnny’s music~ Johnny Cash, Say hi to Mike Wooly in Heaven for us all~~~

    Thanks Wes

  54. Dovie D

    It helps to have others to talk to about your experiences. I never had that. I have learned to trust my instincts. Listen to what your body is telling you.
    They do walk like they’re gliding or floating it because they don’t bend their knees like humans.im curious if she smelt anything ? Sewage? Sulfur?
    Thanks to your guests for sharing.

    • Valta G

      Doggie, I didn’t smell anything. I was concentrating on the sounds I was hearing more than anything and then trying to get away from the whole situation.

  56. NHSquatcher

    Well, where to begin? Regarding the person who said he had a sighting at Locke Lake Community, and who said NH is a weird state, I have this to say.

    NH is one of the nicest states in which to live. We have 2.5% unemployment, sandy ocean beaches, numerous lakes, and beautiful Alps-like mountain ranges that are easy to get to on a highway that goes from Boston right up to the north country. Ranae Holland was quite impressed when Finding Bigfoot came here to film. We are 90% forested even with the growth in the southern areas.

    And yes, we are the state in which the Betty and Barney Hill ‘abduction’ took place…. if you are into that stuff.

    I am not sure why NH people are reluctant to tell their stories, but I heard the one on SC where the woman claimed she had a family of Bigfoot living near her home which bordered the Bear Brook State Park which is just outside of the City of Concord, NH. We have yet to explore that….

    I have also heard a few on Vic Cundiff’s show, particularly episode #137 where a man talked about Jigger Johnson campground in NH. My bfriend had an experience that was just 3 miles from that campground, but doesn’t think it’s a full encounter worthy of coming on air. Here is what happened. He grew up in Bartlett and was in the woods all the time so he is very familiar with our mountain ranges.

    He was on the Attitash trail on Bear Notch Mountain on a ridge above a stream. He became frightened when he heard trees crashing down and rocks being pitched into the water below him. His bodily reaction was pure fear because he did not recognize these sounds as being a moose or bear or person. He did not have the courage to move toward the noises because he said it sounded like many animals…. at the time he had no idea what Bigfoot was.

    There were actual sightings in Albany in the White Mountain National Forest and at the beginning of the Town of Conway, right near a busy highway!

    I also get very creeped out when I hear about people in the San Bernadino area. When I was just a slip of a girl at age 23, I was traveling across country in my VW Bus with my dog and was driving up the coast of CA… I became tired and saw what I think I remember to be a brown government-style park sign for the San Bernadino State Forest Campground. The road had mountainous areas to my left and the campground was down below me to the right. I went down the entrance road deep into the pine trees and stopped in the first spot which was basically just a parking spot and a picnic table. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around even though it was the middle of summer. I briefly let the dog out to pee, and then locked us in and slept the night… woke up at dawn and drove back on up and out again. Every time I hear someone talk about how they had encounters in this area I shudder to think about how I was all alone there! I had never heard about Sasquatch in 1972!

  57. NHSquatcher

    PS – on this same trip out west, we stopped at Red Rock Park in Oklahoma. (I went out with two others, but came home back east alone) We were driving up a winding road to the top of a small mountainous area which was wooded and we stopped and went down to see a brook that was running near the side of the road down a small incline. I remember a strong smell of sulphur but thought it was chemicals in the water (the water was red) or just natural springs. We did not stay long and got back in the cars and continued to the top.

  58. Trevor A

    The Index area definitely has a history to it. I have hiked around that area a ton, and it does have a mystique about it. I know my uncle has heard howling back along Index Galena and the owner of the Timbermonster restaurant in Sultan allegedly heard crashing in the brush and had a rock thrown towards him while he was fishing along the creek. There are probably numerous other encounters worth noting. I know the Index Galena road is washed out several miles up, so I am sure there is more open terrain in that area now. There is also a Sasquatch themed coffee shop along Highway 2 on the South side of the Highway right past Index.

    I kind of wonder if there might be a potential “haunting” aspect to these old mining ghost towns- there seems to be more strange Sasquatch related activity that seems to occur around them. Perhaps there are more paranormal related things occurring in these areas as well that perhaps get mistaken for Sasquatch or something about the energy of these places draws the creatures in.

    I am convinced that the truth is stranger than fiction as this point.

    Thanks for the show Wes and great encounters everyone!

  59. Valta G

    Dovie I didn’t smell anything. I was concentrating on the sounds I was hearing more than anything and then trying to get away from the whole situation.

  60. Anna K

    Great episode Wes! I’m so sorry to hear about Mike passing away. My condolences and prayers go to the his loved ones. He sounded like a real nice guy. As always Wes, you are a gentleman with your guests. Anna K.

    • David R

      Victor W I don’t have a clew! I live by the coast in Grays Harbor County. I think people are so scared when they see them that they won’t tell anybody. We don’t hear anything in our paper. Not like it used to be. People just don’t want to say anything unless others come out first. I would come on here first to tell my story, and then think about going to our local paper! Beacon Rock was a hotspot in the 70’s. My uncle lives in Stevenson, and I should ask him if he remembers anything! Thanks Mike for telling your story. Now your in heaven with my brother Mike. May both of you RIP!!!

  66. Todd E

    Just had a thought listening to Valta. Maybe they move at a rate that our minds can’t compehend, which makes them look unnatural. I’m thinking like how a video camera captures helicopter rotors, or wheels on a car. The frames per second that our minds perceive might sync up with the natural movements of sasquatch.

  67. Cassandra M

    I love Steven ❤️ if you ever see this, you have a lovely voice and pantameter, your laugh is so easy and natural. just thought I’d let you know, maybe it will make you smile.

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