I want to thank Kevin K. for sending this to me
I am a long haul truck driver, hauling between Washington and Alaska. On the Night of the 23rd of March I was traveling Southbound on Hwy 37 (Cassiar). At approx. 1930 hours I stopped at the rest area known as Bell 1 for a dinner break and turned the truck off because the temperature was above freezing. There was absolutely no one in this rest area except for me.
I got out of the truck to walk around while my meal was heating and to stretch my legs. I immediately got a very strong sense that I was being watched, and the hair on the back of my neck an arms stood up. I walked very fast back to the truck scanning the area as I walked.
As I was getting back into the truck I heard a sound that sounded like a howl from a distance of about a 1/4 of a mile away, I have never heard anything like that before in my life (I have been hunting for most of my life, I am familiar with the sounds of wildlife and the howls of wolves). At this point I got into the truck and locked the door, I started to eat and about 3-4 minutes later I heard the howl again, louder and closer this time. It made me very nervous and I jumped out of the truck and threw my food in the garbage can about 4 steps from the truck and in turning to the truck to get back in I heard the third howl and it sounded like it came from about 300 yards away behind the outhouses (2). I left there fast without even putting my seat belt on.
I can only describe the sound as being exactly like the Ohio howl on your website. To me it was almost like a long drawn out moan. The howl started off being in the distance and got closer in a period of about 8-10 minutes with the second howl being the longest of the three. The third was the loudest. I have stopped at this rest area multiple times and have never encountered this before. It made me very uneasy.
I am not exactly sure what I heard and what was out there. I am an avid hunter in the Pacific Northwest and never have I had something in the woods cause my hair to stand on end and cause an immediate desire to get out of the area. I can only relate that I have had a large cougar within yards of me in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and never felt the fear I felt from this encounter.