A listener writes “I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude -and genuine appreciation- of your Work. I’m a new listener, found your podcast somewhat by accident ..but I love what you do and how you do it.
My name is Michael, and I’m writing to you from my current home in Sonoma County, California.. I am a retired 67 year old man with an interesting collection of experiences, many of which I know you’d find noteworthy, including several encounters with what I believe to be a Sasquatch, when I lived in Butte County, CA back in the ten miles outside the town of Oroville, camped along the middle fork of the Feather River.
I worked in town at a fruit cannery. It was a warehouse job, seasonal. . My home was in a small mountain community about 35 miles away , and many nights after work ( I worked swing shift, and would clock out at 10 pm. ) I opted to drive just a little ways out of town in my truck and just sleep under the stars instead of going all the way up the mountain to my home in Berry Creek..
One night I got to my favorite camping spot..it was accessible to my old truck and just far enough off the paved road to be unnoticeable to passerby. I would park in middle of this circular clearing in the foothills. The area was Heavily wooded with very thick brush surrounding on all sides. I would lay out in the bed of the truck- no camper shell, I had a mattress and cozy bedding in the bed of the truck with a great night sky overhead; the warm summer nights were beautiful for this.
This night I was in the bed and ready to crash out under the stars when I heard sounds coming from an adjacent ridge less than a mile away. .voices, possibly several at once, yelling and shouting noises coming through the night and I initially thought it was people partying under the moon, just having a boisterous evening.
Then things changed really quickly.
I heard such bizarre screams from that direction, nothing like Anything I’d ever heard. .sat up in bed with these
Unreal sounds that I had no comparison to – getting closer to my truck by the second- literally. Brush and trees were snapping and crunching, obviously under the weight of something real big and moving ridiculously fast. It was coming right at me, directly through an area of impossible thick under growth and mature forest. Not on any trail or road just crashing thru the brush and trees like a bulldozer..
And then it was right at my truck, and I’m hearing this ungodly Screaming- so loud I felt it’s voice in my body. .it was chattering too in some guttural voice between screams and yells. I could smell it in the air I was breathing while cowering under my sleeping bag.. awful smell, skunk- old urine- dead animal- rotting smell..acrid and nauseating ..
I remember being so terrified I got under my sleeping bag and curled into a fetal ball, fearing this thing would hear my pounding heart and rip me to pieces.
At one point im sure it vaulted right over me as I lay in the back of truck- trying to be still and silent under that sleeping bag. It Jumped Right over the top of me in the bed of that Chevy pickup..
I heard the air move and the ground shake momentarily when it came down.
I was freaking out by this time and just came up outta the shelter of the bed and looked in the direction of what I was hearing, I was ready to run or fight or just get eaten.
I was unarmed and 100 vulnerable and was too frightened to give a rats ass. It was leaving. I saw I dark shadow only as the Thing was running straight out of the clearing into the tree/brush line and barrel ass into the brush, making its own pathway out of clearing by way of sheer velocity and size.
There was a lot of moonlight so the glimpse I did get was adequate for me to know that I was seeing SOMETHING. It was big and dark- and gone as quickly as it arrived..
Once the area around me was clear of the creature I split- immediately. .
But before I drove off I heard this thing breaking trees and brush and screaming off into the distance..”