Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

A listener writes “There are two strange occurrences that have been bothering me recently, and I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts on them. One is something I came across myself, and the other is a story a friend told me. Neither is anything definitive or outrageous, but both were strange enough to stick with me.

I’ll start with my friend’s experience. She was hanging out with a group of friends in Tannersville, PA, in a rural/suburban neighborhood where houses are clustered together, with wooded areas separating each group. This happened sometime in November 2025, around 9 p.m., so it was fully dark out.

There were five of them trying to get a fire going in a small clearing behind another friend’s house, just a short distance into the treeline. She told me that on three separate occasions they all heard what she described as “a dog bark imitating an owl hoot.” The first sound came from deeper in the woods beyond that area is an old construction site. The second sound was noticeably closer, and the third was so close that it genuinely scared them and they all hurried back inside. She didn’t specify how loud it was, but it must have carried well to be heard from that distance.

I tried to think through possible animals and played her recordings of barred owl calls. She said the rhythm was somewhat similar, but none of the calls matched what they heard. She emphasized that the sound was much deeper and more bark-like than any owl she’d ever heard.

I’m sure someone more knowledgeable about wildlife could probably explain it, and I know it’s hard without an actual recording, but it’s definitely intriguing. If you have any insight, both my friend and I would love to hear itespecially if it might put her more at ease about being in those woods again.

My own experience happened on January 11, 2026, while I was hiking alone at Ricketts Glen State Park on the Laurel View Trail. The area had recently been hit by a storm that iced over the snow, freezing everything solid. On the northern portion of the trail, about half a mile from the loop point, I noticed a frozen footprint that appeared to have toes.

My dad and I always joke that anything strange in the woods is “high levels of squatch activity,” so I stopped to take a picture. On closer inspection, the print was surprisingly large, and the toes really did resemble toes. I stepped into it for scale and estimated it to be about 14 inches long, with unusually wide toes. I’m fairly familiar with animal tracks, and I can see how it might have been a bear track or possibly multiple tracks overlapping in a way that made it look larger. Someone also suggested it could have been a snowshoe print.

Later on the trail, I found a similar-looking print that was closer to 7 inches long and appeared more clearly like a bear track. Either way, I’ve attached photos of both prints with this email.

I know neither of these stories is anything extraordinary, but I find this kind of thing fascinating and figured you’d be the right person to ask. I’ve had enough odd experiences in nature to keep me skeptically open-minded about there being more out there. Most notably, I once saw a ball of light in western Pennsylvania that was clear enough that I couldn’t easily dismiss it, and that experience is what originally led me to your podcast.

I really appreciate the work you do and the many hours of great stories you’ve provided for me and my dad. Thanks for everything, and for any insight you might be able to share.”