WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:08.599 In nineteen ninety four, my husband was employed by a 2 00:00:08.679 --> 00:00:13.480 drilling company based in Kalmauth Falls, Oregon. He traveled quite 3 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:16.320 a bit around the country, taking natural gas and water 4 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.239 samples from various wells. He worked with a crew of 5 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:23.559 three other men, and their schedule consisted of twenty three 6 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:27.960 days on the job followed by ten days off. The 7 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:31.359 four would pocket their per diems money that the company 8 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:35.119 offered as an allowance for expenses, and sneak aboard the 9 00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:40.079 freight trains to and from drilling sites. Their favorite spot 10 00:00:40.119 --> 00:00:44.520 was near a California town called Portola. As the train 11 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:47.320 would begin to slow crawl up the mountain, they would 12 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:50.840 jump off by a ranger station. The crew would unpack 13 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:53.439 their camping gear and proceed to enjoy the next ten 14 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:57.479 days of freedom, fishing and hunting and enjoying the isolated 15 00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:01.759 beauty of the forest in its nearby waterfall. It was 16 00:01:01.799 --> 00:01:04.319 a great place to be at one with nature before 17 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:06.920 heading back to the rough and tumbled reality of their 18 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:12.400 drilling jobs. My husband and his crew were tough men, 19 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:17.439 seizing veterans of the outdoors. They didn't fear anything because 20 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:21.519 they all shared a mutual respect and understanding of their surroundings. 21 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:26.000 But on this particular day, however, something would happen that 22 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:29.599 would shake them into their core. My husband was the 23 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.760 first one up at the campsite that morning, while the 24 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:36.359 others barely stirred in their sleeping bags. He grabbed some 25 00:01:36.519 --> 00:01:39.200 clean clothes and shampoo, and then made his way the 26 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:43.680 three hundred yards to the waterfall. It was perfect for bathing. 27 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:46.879 The basin at the foot of the falling water measured 28 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:50.400 thirty square feet and was enclosed by twenty five feet 29 00:01:50.439 --> 00:01:54.280 of rock, like four sides of a wall. One of 30 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:57.400 the crew members, a mountainous man who dwarfed the rest 31 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:00.799 of them at six foot four inches. He measured the 32 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:03.159 depth of the pool by walking out to the middle 33 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:07.079 of it until he was totally submerged, his bare feet 34 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:10.639 sunk into the black sediment while his outstretched arms and 35 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:15.000 fingertips extended just above the water's surface, So the pool 36 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:19.080 had to be at least nine feet deep. My husband 37 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:21.879 slipped into the basin and had just lathered his hair 38 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:25.400 with shampoo when he heard an enormous splash and he 39 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:29.400 felt the water ripple around him. His eyes blinded by 40 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:31.800 the soap, he assumed one of the crew had just 41 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:34.960 joined him, and when suddenly he heard someone screaming his 42 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:38.439 name in utter terror, he rinsed the soap from his 43 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:41.800 eyes quickly, and he spotted his mountainous crew, remember yelling 44 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:45.439 from the bank and pointing while my husband spun around 45 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:49.800 and came face to face with something grotesque and horrific. 46 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:54.280 It wasn't a human. The water came up to its 47 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:57.080 hairy chest and its head resembled a cross between a 48 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:01.000 gorilla and a cave man let out a roar, and 49 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:06.800 my husband saw the beast's enormous incisors. Before he could react, 50 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:10.080 it raised its brawny arms over its head and brought 51 00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:13.960 them down into the water, and the resulting wave, knocking 52 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:18.360 my husband backward. Were disoriented. My husband had swallowed a 53 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:22.360 mouthful of water and fought to gain his breath. By now, 54 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:25.319 his crew had joined their mountainous coal worker on the bank, 55 00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:28.919 throwing rocks at this enormous man thing as it crawled 56 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:33.120 from the pool. They watched it walk through a sixteen 57 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:37.240 foot steel cable clothesline they had erected outside the camp. 58 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:40.879 The thing pulled at it in anger, snapping it like 59 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:45.479 sewing thread and dragging the remains into the woods. The 60 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:48.479 panic crew made their way to the ranger station to 61 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:51.800 report the incident. They estimated the creature had to be 62 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:55.479 at least ten feet tall with four foot arms. Its 63 00:03:55.520 --> 00:04:00.639 teeth were as long as kitchen knives. The range took 64 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:05.479 statements from the four men. He questioned their lack of transportation, 65 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:09.080 and my husband had to confess that they were illegal 66 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:12.520 stowaways who had snuck aboard of the train. Well. The 67 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:15.560 ranger considered their story and explained to them that the 68 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:19.680 government was well aware of a manlike species existing in 69 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:23.240 the area. He further warned the men that these beings 70 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:26.920 were under government protection and should they dare return or 71 00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:30.519 share their experience with the public, the full weight of 72 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:33.160 the government would be brought to bear against the men 73 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:37.240 and their families. My husband and the others looked at 74 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:40.680 each other. What they had just witnessed was scary, but 75 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:45.160 taking on the American government was something else. Entirely, they 76 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:52.680 took the highway back. This took place just outside the 77 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:57.759 small town of Catawa, North Carolina, in September of nineteen ninety, 78 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:00.959 where I lived with my three sibl wings and my 79 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:05.399 sixty eight year old foster mother, Doris. I was the 80 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:09.720 oldest child being nine, with my sisters being eight and five, 81 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:14.160 and my brother was only six months old. We lived 82 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:17.639 in a single wide trailer that was almost completely surrounded 83 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:21.959 by woods and were connected to civilization by a rarely 84 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:27.160 used dirt road. When I say completely surrounded, behind us 85 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:30.160 was woods, to our right was woods with a gully 86 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.839 that ran thirty to forty feet deep, and across the 87 00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:38.319 dirt road was more woods. The only non wooded area 88 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:40.519 was to our left, where there was a strip of 89 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:45.319 trees with two fields just past them, which ironically enough, 90 00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:50.199 were surrounded by woods. Seeing as how Doris only allowed 91 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:54.160 us to watch Nature, Nova and the smothers brothers, we 92 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:59.560 spent almost all of our free time playing and exploring outside. 93 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.199 I was used to most of the sights, sounds, and 94 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:06.240 smells that surrounded us outside, but a few did throw 95 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:10.720 me off. Almost daily, I heard whoops and hollers that 96 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:15.920 sounded just like howler monkeys or siamings. I had recently 97 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:19.519 watched a Nature or Nova episode devoted to these monkeys, 98 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:22.439 which I didn't think was right because none of those 99 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:27.160 lived in the United States. Those calls always came from 100 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:29.680 either behind our trailer or to the right of it 101 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:35.000 usually from a pretty decent distance. The woods behind the 102 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:39.000 house was one of the few areas I never extensively explored. 103 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.000 Every time I stepped into the tree line, I got 104 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:47.399 this overwhelming feeling that something didn't want me there. I 105 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:52.120 didn't feel scared so much as sternly warned. However, on 106 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:55.000 one occasion, I made it about twenty feet into the 107 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:58.720 trees before getting that feeling that before I turned around, 108 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:02.439 I noticed three or four decent sized saplings about ten 109 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:06.759 or twelve feet tall, bent over and worked into one another, 110 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:09.639 as if someone had tried to make a crude shelter. 111 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:13.079 I finally got the hint and left those woods and 112 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:17.480 never went back in. And on maybe three or four 113 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:20.560 more occasions, I remember waking up in the middle of 114 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:24.000 the night to the overwhelming odor of what smelled like 115 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:28.600 a wet dog wafting through my partially open window. It 116 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:31.600 was summer and Doris was trying to save money by 117 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:35.879 opening windows versus using the air conditioner. It would only 118 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:39.160 last a few moments before the smell seemed to dissipate. 119 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:43.560 Whenever I would experience any of this, I just kind 120 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:46.560 of brushed it off. I was going through a lot 121 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:49.560 at the time in foster care and trying my best 122 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:52.839 to make sure my siblings were taken care of. My 123 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:55.800 mother made me a promise to look after them, so 124 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:59.680 I didn't think too much about anything else. I had 125 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:03.279 never heard of anything in my young wife about bigfoot, 126 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:06.439 so I just assumed that the noises were from birds 127 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:10.120 that I had never learned, the names of the smells 128 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:13.600 were from animals pooping close to the house or my 129 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:17.399 brother's diaper, and that the whole woods behind the trailer 130 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:21.480 ordeal was me being a scaredy cat. All of that 131 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:25.839 changed in late September of nineteen ninety. We were all 132 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:28.480 from school for a teacher work day and we had 133 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:30.879 decided that we were going to go about a quarter 134 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:33.240 of a mile down the road and try our hand 135 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:38.879 at climbing this clay embankment that was especially challenging. Doris 136 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:41.720 wasn't fond of the mess we would make of ourselves, 137 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:45.360 but since we were wearing our well worn play clothes, 138 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:48.879 she let us go. So I went with my two 139 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:52.200 sisters down to the clay embankment, and when I got there, 140 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:56.919 I stopped. When my oldest sister asked me what was wrong, 141 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:00.000 I pointed to the two bare footprints that led us 142 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:04.440 up the embankment. They were about thirteen inches long and 143 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:08.919 about five inches wide. The only reason I remember this 144 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:11.799 is because we had just finished working on this art 145 00:09:11.879 --> 00:09:15.000 project in school, and I had made it a point 146 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:18.639 to measure my hand. Thumb tip to the tip of 147 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:23.039 my middle finger was five inches. I was confused, first 148 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:25.200 of all by the fact that someone had seemed to 149 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:29.799 climb this really steep embankment barefoot, and secondly by the 150 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:33.480 fact that they had apparently had done it in two steps. 151 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:36.639 I looked up the embankment and tried to figure out 152 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:39.919 which way it had gone. I looked left and saw 153 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:43.679 nothing unusual. But when I looked right, I saw something 154 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:48.440 that boggled my mind. About seventy five yards away, I 155 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:52.840 saw what looked like a weird, oversized gorilla walking on 156 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:57.399 two legs across the road. It had taken one step 157 00:09:57.480 --> 00:09:59.720 into the middle of the road, and as it went 158 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:03.320 to take the second step, it turned at the hips 159 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:06.440 and looked at us. It didn't slow down or make 160 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:09.799 a sound. The second step put it on the other 161 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:12.759 side of the road, and then it descended down into 162 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:16.639 the gully. The entire encounter from my discovery of the 163 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:22.159 footprints to the creature disappearing from view lasted maybe fifteen seconds. 164 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:25.480 After that, I made my sister's run back to the 165 00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:29.639 trailer and I was right behind them. I told Doris 166 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:31.799 about it, but she laughed at me and said I 167 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:36.799 had a really great imagination. I didn't learn anything about 168 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:40.720 what Bigfoot was, not even the name, until we went 169 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:43.919 to our local library a few weeks later and I 170 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:46.600 saw a book with a Bigfoot face on the cover. 171 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.840 I knew instantly that that was what I had seen, 172 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:53.960 and since then I have spent the next twenty nine 173 00:10:54.080 --> 00:11:03.159 years researching and listening to other people's encounters. I've traveled 174 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:06.360 around the entire lower forty eight states and through five 175 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:10.240 time zones of Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, 176 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:15.399 offer hiking and photography. I have visited all the big cities, 177 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:17.559 but most of the time I'm in one of the 178 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:24.039 national parks or state parks or national monuments. Recently, during 179 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:26.559 the winter, my daughter and I headed to Florida for 180 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:30.039 a week or two. The highlight for us was Key West. 181 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:32.399 We spent a couple of days in the Keys, and 182 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:36.279 after getting our fill of beautiful sunsets, we headed back 183 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:40.840 to the mainland. We reached US forty one through the 184 00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:44.240 Everglades around midnight, and we found a water pump station 185 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:46.840 and we parked under the light pole to kill some 186 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:50.559 time and rest up. After a while, a police car 187 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:54.399 pulled into the station. I assumed it wanted us and 188 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:57.080 everyone else out, so I started the car again and 189 00:11:57.120 --> 00:12:01.039 I pulled onto the road heading west. We wanted to 190 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:04.960 be at Sharp Valley entrance to the Everglades National Park 191 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:07.919 by sunrise so we could spend the day hiking, and 192 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:10.840 our plan was to pass the entrance and find a 193 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:14.799 safe place to park for a few hours. We drove 194 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:18.919 past Monroe Station and found a picnic area and we parked. 195 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:22.879 The moon was an upside down crescent sitting far in 196 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:26.000 the east of a black sky full of stars, and 197 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:28.879 after just a few minutes I saw a shooting star. 198 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:32.000 And my daughter had fallen asleep by then, and as 199 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:35.720 I scanned the sky looking for more action in the distance, 200 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:39.240 I saw a light coming our way. I thought it 201 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:42.320 may have been a lightning bug, since in Florida insects 202 00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:45.279 seem a lot bigger than back home in New Jersey. 203 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:48.720 But as I watched it get closer, I realized it 204 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:51.720 wasn't a lightning bug at all. It was the eye 205 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:55.759 of a ten foot tall monster. It was blazing evil 206 00:12:56.039 --> 00:12:58.879 a giant lemon, and sticking out from the head of 207 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:03.039 a beast. I fumbled to reach for the headlights, but 208 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:05.840 my better senses told me not to let this thing 209 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:09.200 know I was there. It moved like it was on 210 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:12.840 roller skates, without the slightest bounce in its step, and 211 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:14.759 it was so big that it would have had to 212 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:18.039 have stooped down to look an elephant in the eye, 213 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:20.480 and it could have ripped the roof off my car 214 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:24.000 and plucked us like eggs from a basket. But instead 215 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:27.519 it disappeared into the darkness to the east, and I 216 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:29.879 could tell it was on a mission, and I was 217 00:13:29.960 --> 00:13:34.600 relieved it didn't involve me and my daughter. At that point, 218 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:37.840 I didn't care about getting any sleep, so I started 219 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:39.639 the car and drove it to the exit and got 220 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:43.639 straight out of there. When morning came, we headed back 221 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.600 to the Everglades National Park, and when we passed through 222 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:51.080 Monroe Station again, we saw signs that said don't feed 223 00:13:51.159 --> 00:13:56.919 the Bigfoot. I have repeatedly heard that Bigfoot has red eyes, 224 00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:59.440 but the eyes of the creature I saw were blazing 225 00:13:59.559 --> 00:14:04.519 fluorescat yellow without any pupils. I'm sure it could see 226 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:06.840 in the dark and must have known my daughter and 227 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:10.159 I were there. I believe it was a dog man, 228 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:12.799 and I told my daughter about it the next morning, 229 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:15.960 and to this day, I'm ridden with guilt that I 230 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.960 endangered her life by not getting out of there sooner. 231 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:22.600 It had the chance to confront us, but for some 232 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:26.480 reason it chose not to. We were lucky it didn't 233 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:28.519 come back with a friend and to pick up the 234 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:32.639 car and carry us away to never be seen again. Wow, 235 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:37.759 that's another Florida, Florida's story, I said. When I first 236 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:41.080 started it, it was labeled a dog Man's story and 237 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:44.279 the sign said don't fit feed Bigfoot. This is in 238 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:50.519 Florida Monroe Station Everglades National Park. I guess this guy 239 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:52.960 saw a dog man. I wonder if he saw any 240 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:56.360 more detail other than the shape, because it was dark 241 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:58.799 and there was a crescent man, there wasn't a full moon, 242 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:05.399 and it had big glowing eyes. Man man, That is cool, 243 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:08.080 cool story. Thank you to the writer. I hope you 244 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:11.360 guys have gotten over that episode and they're continuing to 245 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:15.559 hike and did you say you do Yeah, hiking in photography. 246 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:18.840 He's a photographer, so I hope you're still into that. 247 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:22.039 I really do, and again I appreciate the story, sir. 248 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:30.159 I'm an ex park ranger, an avid outdoor enthusiast, and 249 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:35.279 an experienced camper, hiker, and kayaker. I've spent countless days 250 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:39.039 and nights working in and exploring state national parks all 251 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:42.600 over the country, and particularly in my home state of Florida, 252 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:46.480 where we have a variety of wildlife. I also have 253 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:51.480 several years of experience with wildlife rehabilitation and an understanding 254 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:55.399 of wildlife behaviors. I'm no stranger to a variety of 255 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:58.720 noises in the outdoors at all times of day and night. 256 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:03.279 I enjoy camping with others, and I often pursue solo 257 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:07.600 camping adventures so I can hone my photography skills and 258 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:11.159 HI can explore where and when I want and travel 259 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:13.960 as faster as far as I like, without being slowed 260 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:17.960 by someone else or expecting them to adhere to my schedule. 261 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:22.240 A lone time on an outdoor adventure also helps me 262 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:25.879 tune in to nature and get closer to wildlife without 263 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:28.919 disturbing them, and enable them to get closer to me, 264 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:34.240 and it allows me to get better photography opportunities. As 265 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:38.120 a middle aged woman, I'm well aware of safety concerns 266 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:41.159 while on my adventures, and I have a good sixth 267 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:44.399 sense or radar as my dad used to call it, 268 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:50.200 an invaluable skill, especially as a solo adventurist. I've had 269 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:53.279 a few alarming close calls out there over the years, 270 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:55.759 and I can say with certainty that I am much 271 00:16:55.799 --> 00:17:00.799 more wary of humans than wildlife. I know what wild 272 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:04.440 animals are up to and why, but humans not so much. 273 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:07.440 I have a concealed weapons license, and I bring a 274 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:11.440 handgun on camping trips, as well as pepper spray, bear spray, 275 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:15.920 a whistle, several knives, and even an air horn. Having 276 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:19.799 said that, I don't get spooked easily. I'm simply a practical, 277 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:25.319 realistic person in a sometimes dangerous world. The experience I'm 278 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:27.799 about to share with you, I don't think I'll ever 279 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:31.920 be able to forget, let alone fully comprehend. It's not 280 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:38.920 the scariest or strangest thing ever, but unforgettable. Nonetheless, everyone 281 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:42.640 I recount this story to says the same thing. They 282 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:48.000 agree it's bizarre and can offer no reasonable explanation. In 283 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:51.480 the spring of twenty seventeen, I arrived at Manatee Spring 284 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:55.480 State Park, located west of Gainesville near the Gulf Coast 285 00:17:55.480 --> 00:17:59.000 of Florida, around noon and felt fortunate to book the 286 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:02.279 last remaining of a site for the night. I set 287 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:05.720 up my tent and placed a tablecloth over the picnic table, 288 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:09.359 as well as several items such as a water jug, lantern, 289 00:18:09.599 --> 00:18:14.079 park information and other items. My site was adjacent to 290 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:16.640 a trail that leads to the spring head, where the 291 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:20.920 concessions stand and picnic pavilions and entry to the spring 292 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:25.640 run are located. The springhead and day use area are 293 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:29.440 popular for swimmers and divers and paddlers and picnicers, and 294 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:33.440 they are opened during daylight hours only. I was eager 295 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:36.920 to explore all this gorgeous park has to offer, and 296 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:40.079 as I was standing next to my picnic table studying 297 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:43.680 the trail map, I had an intense sensation that I 298 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:47.519 was being watched. I looked up to see a tall, thin, 299 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:51.000 pale young man he was maybe twenty years old, walking 300 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:54.039 past my site on the trail from the spring into 301 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:58.240 the campground. He was looking over directly at me with 302 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:01.599 a wide, knowing grin, as if he was far too 303 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:05.200 interested in me, and he was continually nodding his head 304 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:08.519 at me as he walked past. He never stopped that 305 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:11.880 smirk and head nodding even after he saw that I 306 00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:14.920 saw him looking at me, and his eyes never left 307 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:18.559 mine as he walked past. Neither of us said a 308 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:22.079 word to the other. Puzzled and kind of weired it out, 309 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:26.119 I watched him continue on further into the campground, where 310 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:29.799 I could only assume that he was also camping. It 311 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:33.839 kind of gave me the creeps, because nothing about my clothes, demeanor, 312 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:37.640 or actions would have elicited interest or attention from anyone 313 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:41.000 in any way, especially a young man less than half 314 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:46.599 my age while minding my own business in my own campsite. 315 00:19:46.839 --> 00:19:49.160 I wrote him off as a weirdo, and I pushed 316 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:51.279 it to the back of my mind while I continued 317 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:55.200 planning my adventures for the rest of the day. I 318 00:19:55.240 --> 00:19:57.960 gathered my cameras and hiking gear, and I headed down 319 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:00.640 the trail to the spring head. When I was taking 320 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:04.440 photos and enjoying the wildlife and the crystalline blue waters 321 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:09.799 and majestic old oaks and cypress trees. After exploring some 322 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:13.039 hiking trails for a few hours. I headed back up 323 00:20:13.079 --> 00:20:15.839 the spring trail to my campsite and I ate a 324 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:19.039 quick dinner, and I looked through the photos and videos 325 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:23.519 and began planning the next day's adventure. To my relief, 326 00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:26.200 I did not see the strange acting young man again. 327 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:31.160 Everything seemed peaceful and normal in the campground, or so 328 00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:36.960 I thought. At sunset, I noticed the thick fog settling in. 329 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:41.759 During normal daytime visibility, I could easily see the bath 330 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:45.880 house and many other nearby campers even way across the loop. 331 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:50.640 But I soon realized how dramatically that was changing. Darkness 332 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:54.839 descended quickly in an every quiet envelope the campground, along 333 00:20:54.839 --> 00:20:58.000 with a dense fog, and suddenly I remembered the young 334 00:20:58.039 --> 00:21:01.480 man from earlier, and I got a creepy sensation. So 335 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:04.279 I decided I'd feel safer if I slept in my 336 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:08.640 lock truck cab instead of my tent. I certainly did 337 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:12.480 not want any unexpected surprises at my tent during this 338 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:15.960 dark and foggy night, And after a while I got 339 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:19.279 comfortable leaning back in the driver's seat and I hoped 340 00:21:19.319 --> 00:21:23.480 for a peaceful night sleep. Although I was admittedly concerned 341 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:27.680 with the lack of visibility in those conditions, I cracked 342 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:30.519 the side windows a little for ventilation so that I 343 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:33.240 could at least hear outside, because I truly could not 344 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:37.400 see anything. It was so black outside and the fog 345 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:41.920 was the thickest I had ever encountered in my life. 346 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:46.240 I strained to see something, anything out my windshield or 347 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:49.799 back or side windows, but it was impossible. I could 348 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:53.799 not even see the huge light over the bathhouse. I've 349 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:58.640 never experienced such a sense of nowareness. It was like 350 00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:00.960 I was all alone in the dark arc was a 351 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:08.039 silent cloud of nothingness, completely helpless and alone. It's possible 352 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:10.640 that I would have been able to fall asleep soon, 353 00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:14.119 but the silence was permeated by the sound of distant 354 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:19.200 drums beating, reminiscent of some sort of native ritual. I 355 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:22.440 got a distinct feeling of being acutely aware of the 356 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:25.640 life giving spring and lands that were sacred to the 357 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:29.640 natives for thousands of years in this area. The sounds 358 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:32.400 never got very loud or close, but it sure seemed 359 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:35.960 like the drumming was coming from the Springhead area, which 360 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:38.839 I thought was really odd because the entire area of 361 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:42.640 the park is closed after dark, and it would be 362 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:46.279 impossible for anyone to even see to get down there anyway. 363 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:50.359 Lights are useless in this thick fog, And why would 364 00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:53.839 anyone want to form a drumming circle or anything on 365 00:22:54.039 --> 00:22:58.720 such a night like this? Were they the sounds of 366 00:22:58.839 --> 00:23:03.559 native spirits from another realm? Things were getting really strange, 367 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:06.079 and I struggled to make a logical sense of any 368 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:11.519 of it. An hour passed when suddenly, as if things 369 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:16.000 weren't eerie enough, bam, my truck bed bounced so hard 370 00:23:16.039 --> 00:23:19.599 that it shook my whole truck. Something fell in the 371 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:23.119 bed of my truck, but I couldn't see anything. All 372 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:26.160 I could see was thick, black, foggy nothingness, and my 373 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:30.039 brain raced for an explanation. Maybe it was a raccoon 374 00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:32.160 or some other critter that had fallen out of a 375 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:36.559 tree in this thick darkness, But that was crazy. And besides, 376 00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:39.759 I would have heard an animal scramble up and out 377 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:43.119 of my truck bed, right, but I heard nothing other 378 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:47.279 than the drumming. Besides, what animal would be that heavy 379 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:50.680 to bounce my truck so hard? Maybe a dead tree 380 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:54.039 branch fell. Does that mean there could be more, or 381 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:56.160 maybe that guy sneaked over here in the dark to 382 00:23:56.200 --> 00:23:59.079 mess with me. Well, there's no way he could even 383 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:01.640 see to get over here in this thick, black fog. 384 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:07.079 I thought, maybe this, Maybe that nothing made any reasonable sense. 385 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:11.920 When logic doesn't suffice, what's a brain to do? And 386 00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:15.079 I tried to comfort myself in all the confusion, and 387 00:24:15.160 --> 00:24:18.319 I told myself I would probably find a decayed old 388 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:21.359 tree branch in the back of my truck in the morning, right, 389 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:27.000 it was a little consolation. Meanwhile, the drum beats continued 390 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:30.160 for a couple more hours in the eerie, foggy darkness, 391 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:33.519 and then they suddenly stopped, and there was nothing but 392 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:38.319 silence and fog and darkness for hours. I hoped I 393 00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:41.319 would be safe inside here, and I never felt so 394 00:24:41.480 --> 00:24:46.119 helpless and vulnerable in my life. I felt like bait. 395 00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:51.160 I had no choice but to stay wide awake all 396 00:24:51.279 --> 00:24:55.039 night with my senses on high alert. The thick fog 397 00:24:55.160 --> 00:24:57.839 remained and I could not see anything outside of my 398 00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:01.799 truck at all all night long, and the night seemed 399 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:08.200 very long. Indeed, the minutes and the hours dragged on. Finally, 400 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:11.640 after what seemed like an eternity, I noticed a slight 401 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:15.480