WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:08.960 Let me preface my story by saying that although I grew up in a suburb 2 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:13.720 of Raleigh, North Carolina, I've always been a country boy at heart. 3 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:19.359 My paternal grandparents had a farm in central North Carolina, and when I wasn't 4 00:00:19.399 --> 00:00:23.399 there, I wanted to be. There were rolling hills, creeks, and 5 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:28.800 milo fields, separated by tracks of hardwoods teeming with squirrels, rabbits, and 6 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:34.079 quail. Some of the happiest times of my life were spent on this farm, 7 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:37.759 roaming the woods, camping, hunting, and fishing. For a young 8 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:42.520 boy who craved adventure, it was paradise. I would disappear into the woods 9 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:46.640 for days. Back then, it simply wasn't a big deal for a young 10 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:50.159 boy to go off camping by himself, as long as his parents had a 11 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:55.679 general idea as to where he would be and when he would return. Looking 12 00:00:55.719 --> 00:00:59.640 back, I was probably safer in the woods on my grandfather's farm than just 13 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:03.359 about anywhere else. There were no dangerous animals in this part of the state. 14 00:01:03.480 --> 00:01:08.200 The only things that caused concern were tex jiggers in the occasional copperhead. 15 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:12.799 When I wasn't playing Daniel Boone on the farm, I would often go on 16 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:19.200 trips with my boy Scout troop in the nearby yu Werry National Forest. If 17 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:23.200 you aren't familiar with it, this National Forest is about fifty one thousand acres, 18 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:29.359 with most of it in Montgomery County. I've hiked a considerable amount of 19 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:34.840 this forest, sometimes willingly and sometimes begrudgingly. Due to a directionally challenged assistant 20 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:45.519 scout master who we nicknamed lost Again Luis Lost Again Lewis. His shortcuts could 21 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:49.760 turn a five mile day hike into a twenty mile over night hike. I 22 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:56.480 mention all this simply to establish that from an early age I would regularly spend 23 00:01:56.519 --> 00:02:00.040 time in the woods. I'm familiar with the local animal and I don't spook 24 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:07.000 easily. Unfortunately, when relating to stories such as this, you feel obligated 25 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:13.759 to qualify yourself in order to preemptively silence some of the questions from armchair critics. 26 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:17.000 I never understood why, but to me, a lot of the Yuey 27 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:23.639 National Forest has a foreboding feel. There are places that, even on a 28 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:28.599 sunny day and winter when all the leaves have fallen, seem unnaturally dark and 29 00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:37.599 sinister. Several books written by local Folklorest Fred Morgan support this observation and contain 30 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:44.439 many accounts of disconcerting and awful and violent events that have occurred in the area. 31 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:49.280 In early March of twenty twelve, I had some time off decided to 32 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:53.039 load up my old land Rover and head out for remote camping spot in the 33 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:58.680 northwest Yuaries. I've always preferred to hike, hunt, fish and camp alone. 34 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:02.280 To me, the solid it is cathartic. To my delight, the 35 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:07.319 campground I chose was completely deserted. There was a host site that contained an 36 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:14.280 older travel trailer, but its condition indicated that it was abandoned. I selected 37 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:16.840 a site at the very end of the loop road, as far from the 38 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:23.000 unoccupied trailer and as close to the dense woods as I could get. I 39 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:25.240 planned on being there at least four or five days, so I set up 40 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:30.639 my large, six person Cabella's dome tent rather than my smaller backpacking tent. 41 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:37.080 After eating supper, I decided to turn in early. It was already getting 42 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:42.120 dark and I was bushed. I settled into my sleeping bag, turned off 43 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:47.000 my lantern, and was very quickly fast asleep. Around midnight, I was 44 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:53.479 awoken by distant howl that my sleep addled mind told me was probably a wolf, 45 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:58.960 even though I knew there were no wolves in central North Carolina. In 46 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:02.120 response to the cry, I a pack of dogs began to bay. I 47 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:06.120 lay still for a few minutes, listening to all the racket, but soon 48 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:12.759 it died down and all was quiet again. Having heard many odd noises while 49 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:15.920 in the woods and being pragmatic, I chuckled to myself and tried to go 50 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:21.439 back to sleep. My sixth sense was tapping me on the shoulder and saying 51 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:28.639 that something wasn't exactly right, but I closed my eyes anyway. Ten to 52 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:32.040 fifteen minutes later, as I began to drift back to sleep, the howls 53 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:38.040 repeated, and this time they were closer. Again. It was similar to 54 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:41.720 the cry of a wolf, but the tone wasn't quite right. It was 55 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:46.079 lower and deeper. The dogs again reacted with a chorus of yowling, but 56 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:51.680 they still seemed farther away. They were reacting to the unknown caller, but 57 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:57.879 they were not following it, or it had eluded them. At this point, 58 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:01.519 I was a bit puzzled, but certainly scared. It bothered me that 59 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:05.920 I couldn't identify the animal that was making the yells, but I know for 60 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:11.120 an absolute fact that there were no dangerous animals in this part of the state. 61 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:15.040 Also, I had a pistol with me, and what were the eyes 62 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:17.920 that this animal, whatever it was, would come directly towards me into my 63 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:24.079 camp. There was no chance at all. Right, Again, I shrugged 64 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:28.199 and I closed my eyes. This time I fell to a deep sleep, 65 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:32.920 a real comfortable sleep. Forty five minutes later, I was jolted away by 66 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:36.639 a rumbling bellow that seemed right on top of me, and it was loud, 67 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:42.439 very loud. My first thought as I shook the sleep from my head 68 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:46.519 is that someone was outside my tent, roaring at me through a bullhorn. 69 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:53.000 It was so close, so unidentifiable, and so loud that I was immediately 70 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:58.759 terrified. Even more disturbingly, as the scream slowly died out, it was 71 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:03.279 replaced by heavy breathing and bipedal footsteps in the leaf litter heading towards my tent. 72 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:09.360 I tried to convince myself that this must be a person playing a dangerous 73 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:15.600 practical joke, but the steps were much much too heavy. I remember having 74 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:19.480 a bizarre thought that this prankster must be stomping around with anvils tied to their 75 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:26.120 shoes. That absurd idea made me quickly realize that this was no prank. 76 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:31.480 There was an exceptionally large and angry animal outside my tent, and I had 77 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:38.160 no idea what it was. Sitting up but still halfway in my sleeping bag, 78 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:43.240 I slowly and quietly scooched to the middle of the large tent, ridiculously 79 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:48.120 believing that somehow being in the center would provide some safety. I quietly grabbed 80 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:53.959 my compact nine millimeter out of my duffel bag and slowly flipped off the safety 81 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:59.600 and I listened. When you're truly frightened, you feel flushed. Your senses 82 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:03.800 seemed sharp, and time appears to slow. I could hear every leaf and 83 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:10.879 twig that broke under the creature's feet as it approached. I also vividly recalled 84 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:15.000 turning my head towards the oncoming noise, and with each footfall, seeing small 85 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:19.720 ripples being created in a half empty bottle of water across the dark tent, 86 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:27.720 exactly like in the first Jurassic Park movie. Options ran through my mind. 87 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:31.839 I could yell out and hope that whatever this was would be startled and leave. 88 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:35.720 I could step out of the tent and confront it, or I could 89 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:42.240 remain quiet and see what happened. I had no idea what was outside, 90 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:46.839 and I decided to sit still and wait. The footsteps were getting closer, 91 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:51.360 but they slowed in pace. They stopped at what I guess would be about 92 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:56.680 ten feet away from my tent. I had my pistol pointed in the thing's 93 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:01.079 direction, and I was debating whether to fire off a couple of blind rounds 94 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:05.600 through the tent wall. I'm conscious about gun safety and would normally never consider 95 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:11.319 this, but abject terror can result in bad decisions, and in retrospect, 96 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:16.879 I genuinely believe that had this creature taken another couple of steps toward me, 97 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:22.279 I would have emptied the clip. Thankfully it didn't. The animal was now 98 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:28.319 standing still, and it began making an odd snuffling sound that led me to 99 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:31.919 believe it was smelling the air. It reminded me of a pig grunting, 100 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:39.440 only deeper and was always followed by a long and heavy exhale. The animal 101 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:43.480 was a few feet outside, sniffing, grunning, and snorting, trying to 102 00:08:43.559 --> 00:08:48.480 determine its next step, and I'm sitting in the tent, sweating and horrified, 103 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:52.639 with a death grip on my pistol. This went on for what seemed 104 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:58.159 like several minutes, though more likely it was only thirty to forty seconds. 105 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:01.960 I was so tense that my arm holding the pistol began to shake, and 106 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:07.440 I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. I felt that I was close 107 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:11.200 enough to physical and mental breaking point, and I know that I desperately needed 108 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:16.200 for this to end. After a few more frantic seconds of thought, I 109 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:20.639 realized that, for good or bad, I was going to have to try 110 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:26.399 to take control of the situation. I resolved to quietly slip out of my 111 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:30.720 sleeping bag, slit open the back of the tent, and jump out, 112 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:35.519 ready to shoot. I made some noise while trying to slide my legs out 113 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:39.480 of the sleeping bag, and the animal let out a grunt that almost sounded 114 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:43.600 like a question. There was an upward inflection at the end of the noise 115 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:48.720 that made me think it might have been confused. Looking back, I believe 116 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:52.559 it may not have been certain that I was in the tent until it heard 117 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:56.919 me move. I froze, and for a few more seconds there was an 118 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:03.440 absolute and terrifying sight. Then there was a deep in what I imagined to 119 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:09.159 be a derisive grunt. It sounded like a bull snorting, but seemed to 120 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:15.440 have an almost cynical tone. It then began to stomp off in the direction 121 00:10:15.559 --> 00:10:20.919 from which it came, grunting loudly with every other step. As the thing 122 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:24.240 trudged off, I heard a loud cracking sound, as if a large tree 123 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:30.559 branch was being broken, and then another deafening roar, the sound of something 124 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:35.559 being dragged in the leaves, and heavy footsteps continued to move away. I 125 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:39.919 stayed perfectly quiet until I couldn't hear it any longer, and then I took 126 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:45.480 a deep breath to relieve some of the stress in my body. I was 127 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:50.639 still on alert, but slowly beginning to relax a little. After a few 128 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:54.039 more minutes of silence, I decided that the animal was probably gone, but 129 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:58.000 there was no way that I was going to spend the rest of the night 130 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:03.480 in this flimsy nih line. I grabbed my car keys and stealthily unzipped the 131 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:09.320 tent door to creep to my vehicle, pistol still in my hand, so 132 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:13.440 I fired up my rover, turned on my headlights into my horror. There 133 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:18.480 was a large tree limb about ten feet in front of the truck, blocking 134 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:22.720 my exit. It was big enough that I didn't think I could drive over 135 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:26.600 it without doing some significant damage to my vehicle, but it was not so 136 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:31.120 large that I couldn't drag it partially out of the way and drive around it. 137 00:11:33.159 --> 00:11:35.879 I decided, however, that I was not going to get out of 138 00:11:35.960 --> 00:11:39.679 the car until daylight, so I turned off my lights, lowered my seat 139 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:43.080 all the way back, rolled the window down about a half inch so I 140 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:48.799 could hear, and I turned off the ignition. The rest of the night 141 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:52.080 was a blur to me. I didn't go back to sleep, but there 142 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:56.120 were times that I wasn't completely awake either. I would start to nod off, 143 00:11:56.200 --> 00:12:01.519 but my mind would not allow it. Thankfully, nothing else happened, 144 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:05.639 and at first light I was able to quickly break camp and move the tree 145 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:11.080 branch enough to get my vehicle out. When I returned home, my wife 146 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:15.519 immediately asked, why are you back so soon. I didn't want to lie, 147 00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:18.600 but I simply couldn't figure out a way to explain what happened without sounding 148 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:22.840 like a lunatic, so I just made up a story about not realizing that 149 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:26.679 there was no self service and that I didn't feel comfortable being out of touch. 150 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:33.399 For four or five days before this incident, I had no real interest 151 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:37.120 in cryptids. However, I immediately began reading everything I could on them, 152 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:43.440 focusing on reports from the Ewery region. To my great surprise, I found 153 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:50.159 several accounts from this area, including a rather famous one. I learned that 154 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:54.440 I was remarkably close to the sighting made by Michael Greene I think that's his 155 00:12:54.639 --> 00:13:00.720 name, who at the time was involved with the BFRO in North Carolina, 156 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:05.799 and who had recorded thermal video of a humanoid figure snatching a candy bar from 157 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:11.000 the top of a tree stump at a family gathering. Not long afterwards, 158 00:13:11.159 --> 00:13:16.120 my maternal grandmother, who grew up just outside the northwest boundary of the forest, 159 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:22.360 became upset when she was told I had been camping there alone. She 160 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:26.600 said I shouldn't go there by myself. It was dangerous, and when I 161 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.759 ask her why, she wouldn't give a straight answer. She would simply repeat, 162 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:35.120 don't go there alone. You shouldn't go there alone. Ever, I'm 163 00:13:35.159 --> 00:13:39.919 still not convinced that I had an encounter with a hairy linebacker, But I 164 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:46.240 don't know what animal walks on two feet, causes the ground to vibrate and 165 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:50.639 roars louder than a line and breaks tree limbs. If you can come up 166 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:56.519 with one, please let me know. However, I didn't actually see anything, 167 00:13:56.759 --> 00:13:58.960 and the more practical side of me believes that there must be a rash 168 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:05.279 explanation. If it was a bigfoot, then I'm glad I didn't see it, 169 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:09.120 and I'm very happy not having an upclose image of that ugly mug in 170 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:15.039 my head. The event alarmed me enough that I didn't go into the woods 171 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:18.320 for a while, but I couldn't stay awake for long. I gave away 172 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:24.159 my tents, I bought some larger guns, and eventually purchased a small travel 173 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:28.279 trailer. When I'm out overnight. Now I sleep like a baby. Maybe 174 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:31.399 it's a false sense of security, but it works for me.