WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>In nineteen seventy two, I was running beaver traps on

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<v Speaker 1>a small creek located in Blunt County, Alabama. I worked days,

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<v Speaker 1>so I had to run the trap line after work,

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<v Speaker 1>which meant at twilight or in the dark. On one

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<v Speaker 1>particular evening, I had completed running the line and was

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<v Speaker 1>working my way back to the car along a very

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<v Speaker 1>steep creek bank above me and several yards to my right,

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<v Speaker 1>I heard what I thought was an owl. The hooting

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<v Speaker 1>sound continued moving parallel to me as I walked, but

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<v Speaker 1>it was walking and making heavy footfalls. I was unarmed

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<v Speaker 1>except for my trapping hatchet, and since it usually didn't

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<v Speaker 1>take very long to run the line, I wasn't even

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<v Speaker 1>carrying a flashlight. The trail out was broken up with

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<v Speaker 1>small openings in the timber, so I figured I could

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<v Speaker 1>get a look at whatever this thing was. So when

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<v Speaker 1>I reached the first opening, I turned around to face

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<v Speaker 1>the creature, and I walked backwards across the opening, peering

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<v Speaker 1>through the trees trying to see what it was. I

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't see anything, but the hooting continued as it moved

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<v Speaker 1>around the perimeter of the opening and reached the other

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<v Speaker 1>side about the same time. That I did. Trying hard

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<v Speaker 1>not to panic. I continued to walk backwards to the

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<v Speaker 1>next opening, which was much larger. Actually it was a

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<v Speaker 1>hay field, Knowing it could not get closer to me

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<v Speaker 1>without coming out into view, I was confident I was

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<v Speaker 1>about to find out what this thing was. No such luck.

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<v Speaker 1>Whatever it was came to the edge of the field

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<v Speaker 1>and continued its vocalizations until I was out of range

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<v Speaker 1>of hearing it. Knowing I had to return there the

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<v Speaker 1>next evening. I got a large flashlight and an old

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<v Speaker 1>military rifle, a Swedish Schmidt Ruben in seven point five millimeter,

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<v Speaker 1>but I never saw or heard it again. Story is

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred percent true and is only one of several

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<v Speaker 1>encounters I've had over the years. The next encounter was

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<v Speaker 1>in the summer of nineteen seventy four in Blunt County, Alabama.

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<v Speaker 1>My cousin and I worked the night shift at different

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<v Speaker 1>companies and had plans for a weekend camp out. We

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<v Speaker 1>chose the creek that I had been trapping beaver on

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<v Speaker 1>the previous winter because of the abundance of beaver that

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<v Speaker 1>we had planned to hunt. We got a late start

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<v Speaker 1>that Friday night, and it was way after dark. Getting

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<v Speaker 1>into the woods, we had to push through the cane

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<v Speaker 1>break to get up to the spot where we planned

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<v Speaker 1>to camp and get set up, and we got there

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<v Speaker 1>about eleven PM. Everything was great except for the mosquitoes

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<v Speaker 1>that's an Alabama staple until about two am. Something was

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<v Speaker 1>throwing rocks into the creek just out of the glow

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<v Speaker 1>of the campfire. We both had twenty two rifles, but

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<v Speaker 1>my cousin had tried to get me to bring my

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<v Speaker 1>forty four magnum carban I had declined because it was heavy.

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<v Speaker 1>We decided that we wanted to find out what was

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<v Speaker 1>stowing these rocks. So with only the flashlight and we

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<v Speaker 1>started moving towards the spot near where the splash of

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<v Speaker 1>rocks had come from. We came up on an old

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<v Speaker 1>brush pile when a very deep, menacing growl directed at

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<v Speaker 1>us came from just the other side of the brush pile.

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<v Speaker 1>I stopped and turned to say something to my cousin,

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<v Speaker 1>but he was already halfway back to the campfire with

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<v Speaker 1>the only light we had, leaving me alone in the

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<v Speaker 1>dark with whatever it was there. Well, I made it

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<v Speaker 1>back to the fire as quickly as I could. Now

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<v Speaker 1>I asked my cousin why he left me in the dark.

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<v Speaker 1>And all he would say is, we should have brought

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<v Speaker 1>a forty four. I told you, we should have brought

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<v Speaker 1>the forty four. The remainder of that very long night

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<v Speaker 1>was uneventful, but we decided not to press our luck,

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<v Speaker 1>and we packed up and we left at first light.

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<v Speaker 1>And here's my third encounter that I had with an

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<v Speaker 1>unknown creature. In the fall of nineteen seventy four, I

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<v Speaker 1>had just bought a brand new Remington seven hundred bolt

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<v Speaker 1>rifle in thirty six caliber. The deer season had just

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<v Speaker 1>opened in Blunt County, and I was anxious to try

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<v Speaker 1>out my new deer rifle. I got an old high

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<v Speaker 1>school chum to go hunting with me, but he wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>interested in deer. He carried a twenty two automatic rifle.

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<v Speaker 1>Arriving at our hunting area, we split up. He sat

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<v Speaker 1>down on the top of a ridge to watch for

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<v Speaker 1>squirrels while I took to a shallow haller known to

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<v Speaker 1>be a betting area for deer. I found a few

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<v Speaker 1>beds in tree rubs by bucks, so I knew I

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<v Speaker 1>was in the right spot. Just as in the previous encounter,

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<v Speaker 1>I heard walking up on the other side of the

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<v Speaker 1>ridge that my friend was on with me in between.

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<v Speaker 1>I listened a bit until it started hooting or whooping.

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<v Speaker 1>I headed back to where my friend was seated, and

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<v Speaker 1>it kept pace with me, very reminiscent of a previous encounter.

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<v Speaker 1>I joined my friend and we sat there silently, and

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<v Speaker 1>then whatever it was started down into the haller and

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<v Speaker 1>coming straight towards us without acknowledging the critter. I asked

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<v Speaker 1>my friend if he was ready to go, and he

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<v Speaker 1>nodded in the affirmative. We headed for his car that

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<v Speaker 1>was parked across the old dirt road as the critter

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<v Speaker 1>began closing the distance faster than we were comfortable with.

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<v Speaker 1>We still had not said anything to each other about

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<v Speaker 1>being followed until we got into his car, and then

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<v Speaker 1>I said, did you hear that? All he said was yep.

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<v Speaker 1>We never spoke of it again, and since that time

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<v Speaker 1>we have camped in the same area without incident, at

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<v Speaker 1>least not from any wild animal. There was this car

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<v Speaker 1>load of drunks one night. Though I have been trying

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<v Speaker 1>to hold back lafing about that forty four coment should

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<v Speaker 1>have brought the forty four. We should have brought the

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<v Speaker 1>forty four, because that's what I would have been saying,

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<v Speaker 1>why didn't you bring your damn big hand cannon, boy?

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<v Speaker 1>But these are great encounters, you know. I think there's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of bigfoot activity in Alabama, especially North Alabama

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<v Speaker 1>up in those hills in the in the mountains. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a beautiful part of the state. They have great fishing

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<v Speaker 1>and deer hunting. Man Alabama's an awesome place to deer

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<v Speaker 1>hunt and really hunt anything. You got lake wise and

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<v Speaker 1>you got gunners will in the Tennessee River and big bass.

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<v Speaker 1>I know several guys that live in that area and

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<v Speaker 1>that's all they do. They crappie fish and they bass fish,

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<v Speaker 1>and they deer hunt and they work as a sideline.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, that's where them Alabama boys are. But this

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<v Speaker 1>was a great story, Jimmy, Jimmy Ray, I really appreciate

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<v Speaker 1>you sending it, and I know everyone enjoyed it. Thanks buddy.

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<v Speaker 1>It was around September or October nineteen seventy. My battalion

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<v Speaker 1>had been activated to go to Vietnam and we were

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<v Speaker 1>doing some intense training to get ready. The training was

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<v Speaker 1>taking place in heavily forested areas of Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

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<v Speaker 1>It was dark that night, and my platoon was on

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<v Speaker 1>the left flank of the main body, and we were

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<v Speaker 1>moving to attack and capture the aggressor force opposing us.

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<v Speaker 1>I was a PFC at the time, and I was

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<v Speaker 1>a squad leader. Orders came down from my squad to

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<v Speaker 1>move up and scout ahead of the main body. We

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<v Speaker 1>were moving from tree to tree slowly and as quietly

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<v Speaker 1>as possible. I moved ahead to this really large tree

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<v Speaker 1>and I got down to a prone position and I listened.

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<v Speaker 1>All I could hear was silence. There were no bugs,

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<v Speaker 1>no frogs, nothing. I put my hand down to push

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<v Speaker 1>up to my feet, and all hell broke loose. What

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<v Speaker 1>I had put my hand down on was a bogger's foot.

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<v Speaker 1>He roared so loudly I couldn't hear for the next

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen minutes. I shot up and I backed up, shouting

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<v Speaker 1>for the rest of the squad to retreat, all the

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<v Speaker 1>while firing my M sixteen. Don't worry, they weren't live rounds,

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<v Speaker 1>they were blanks. With all the noise in my entire

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<v Speaker 1>platoon racing towards me, the bogger took off, crashing through

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<v Speaker 1>the woods. After everything had quieted down, you could see

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<v Speaker 1>the destruction it had made getting the hell out of there.

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<v Speaker 1>Later after, a bunch of guys all dressed in black

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<v Speaker 1>showed up, asking a lot of questions, taking some measurements,

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<v Speaker 1>and who knows what else. I found out that the

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<v Speaker 1>bugger was eight foot eleven inches tall, and they said

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<v Speaker 1>it weighed around nine hundred to one thousand pounds. Looking back,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think it was there to hurt anyone, and

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<v Speaker 1>it was just curious. I prefer to remain anonymous because

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<v Speaker 1>there are a lot of people who think anyone who

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<v Speaker 1>Club aims to believe is crazy. I believe there's something

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<v Speaker 1>to the stories people have reported from all over the world.

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<v Speaker 1>I am a seventy one year old native of northeast Texas.

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<v Speaker 1>I live in a rural area where I have hunted

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<v Speaker 1>deer and fished most of my life. My son and

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<v Speaker 1>I fish in various lakes as often as we have

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<v Speaker 1>the opportunity to do so. In October of twenty and sixteen,

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<v Speaker 1>we were off on one of our fishing expeditions to

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<v Speaker 1>a lake in North Lamar County. The park called Lamar

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<v Speaker 1>Point was located across the part of the lake just

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<v Speaker 1>north of the boat ramp where we plan to put

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<v Speaker 1>in to fish, and there's a community near there by

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<v Speaker 1>the same name. We arrived that afternoon and set up

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<v Speaker 1>our tents with the intent of doing a little fishing

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<v Speaker 1>and having some good conversation. I was also looking forward

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<v Speaker 1>to the cooking, because my son has become quite a

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<v Speaker 1>good outdoor cook with both the grill and the Dutch oven.

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<v Speaker 1>So we ate a good meal and we talked for

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<v Speaker 1>a while and enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature

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<v Speaker 1>and watch the sun go down before deciding to turn

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<v Speaker 1>in for the night. There were a few people in

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<v Speaker 1>the RVs not far from us, who I imagine we're

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<v Speaker 1>doing the same. At three am, I was awakened by

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<v Speaker 1>a loud sound. It was a yell of a large

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<v Speaker 1>animal that went on for what felt like I solid

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<v Speaker 1>three minutes or more. I thought it would never stop.

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<v Speaker 1>The sound stirred up a pack of cootes who joined

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<v Speaker 1>in and yipped and howled back at it. But this

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<v Speaker 1>sound was much louder. There is some government land just

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<v Speaker 1>east of Lamar Point, and this seemed to be where

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<v Speaker 1>the sound was coming from. The water between where the

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<v Speaker 1>sound was originating and us was half a mile I

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<v Speaker 1>was thinking, if this thing stops yelling and comes this way,

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<v Speaker 1>that water isn't nearly wide enough to keep it away

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<v Speaker 1>from us. A lot of thoughts went through my mind

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<v Speaker 1>during the eternity. That was a single call, but I

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<v Speaker 1>just stayed still and silent, and my son did the same.

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<v Speaker 1>I knew he'd heard it. It would have been impossible

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<v Speaker 1>not to. I'm sure the people in the RV's heard

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<v Speaker 1>it too. Anyone within a fairly large radius would have

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<v Speaker 1>had to hear that thing. It was that loud. Since

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<v Speaker 1>my son had apparently decided not to get up, I

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<v Speaker 1>decided to fall suit. By six am, I hadn't slept

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<v Speaker 1>and decided it was time for a cup of coffee.

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<v Speaker 1>I was heating up the water when he came out

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<v Speaker 1>of his tent and looked at me for a few

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<v Speaker 1>seconds before saying, did you hear that last night? Yes?

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<v Speaker 1>I answered, what the heck was it? He had never

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<v Speaker 1>spoken on the subject before. We'd never even thought or

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<v Speaker 1>talked about anything like this, Dad, my son said, after

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<v Speaker 1>giving it thought for a moment, that was mister Bigfoot.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't doubt it. I did not see it, nor

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<v Speaker 1>do I want to. As to the question, do they exist.

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<v Speaker 1>If you had heard what we heard that night, you

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<v Speaker 1>would never question its existence again. My son had lived

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<v Speaker 1>in Lamar Point for a few years prior to this,

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<v Speaker 1>though he has since moved from there. I had never

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<v Speaker 1>heard one before, but he had. Well that's my bigfoot story,

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<v Speaker 1>and I hope I never have another one to tell.

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<v Speaker 1>In nineteen seventy nine, I went backpacking with my girlfriend,

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<v Speaker 1>my two children, my brother and his two children. The

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<v Speaker 1>children were all between eight and twelve years old. We

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<v Speaker 1>hiked into Oregon's Three Sisters Wilderness Area, heading for the

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<v Speaker 1>Mink Lake Basin. We were two thirds of the way

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<v Speaker 1>to the main lake, walking down the Mountain Ridge pathway

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<v Speaker 1>when I spotted movement to my left, one hundred feet away.

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<v Speaker 1>It could have been a bear, but it looked more

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<v Speaker 1>like a bigfoot to me. It was nine to ten

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<v Speaker 1>feet tall, and it stood there watching us for the

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<v Speaker 1>longest time. I tried to push the thought of big

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<v Speaker 1>foot out of my head to keep fear from taking

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<v Speaker 1>over and turning into panic, but it was difficult to

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<v Speaker 1>imagine a bear standing and watching us for so long

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<v Speaker 1>without going down on all fours at some point. Fortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>by the time we got to Mink lake. I had

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<v Speaker 1>buried my fears and was ready to have a good time.

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<v Speaker 1>So we found a nice camp spot at the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the peninsula near the lake, and for the next

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<v Speaker 1>three days we all had the time of our lives.

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<v Speaker 1>On the third night, we were all sitting around the

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<v Speaker 1>camp fire roasting winters and marshmallows, when at ten point

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<v Speaker 1>thirty we heard something that sounded by pedal walking past

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<v Speaker 1>our campsite. It was like the giant from Jack and

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<v Speaker 1>the Beanstalk. I bet it weighed eight hundred pounds. We

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<v Speaker 1>could hear it pass by us, walk down the trail

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<v Speaker 1>of good distance, turn around, and then walk back past

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<v Speaker 1>our camp Not only could we hear it, but we

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<v Speaker 1>could also see it moving in the trees. It was

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<v Speaker 1>too dark to make out any detail, but we could

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<v Speaker 1>make out its form, and it was enormous. The children

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<v Speaker 1>started getting scared, so my brother suggested that we all

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<v Speaker 1>go to bed. We climbed into our tents, somehow finding

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<v Speaker 1>security and being inside. My brother, however, elected to stay outside.

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<v Speaker 1>He's never been afraid of anything, and he wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>sleep alone out under the stars. Well. That worried me

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit, but what could I say. Somehow, We

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<v Speaker 1>managed to fall asleep, and the next morning we awoke

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<v Speaker 1>to the sound of hundreds of pigeons in the trees overhead.

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<v Speaker 1>We'd never seen a sight like it before. We spent

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<v Speaker 1>the morning being entertained by them and feeding them. It

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<v Speaker 1>was a nice diversion that took our minds off the

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<v Speaker 1>previous night. Eventually, our interest in the birds waned and

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<v Speaker 1>we headed down to play in the water. The whole

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<v Speaker 1>day was great. Later, my brother came over to me

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<v Speaker 1>and said, why don't we pack up and hike out

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<v Speaker 1>this evening and find another place to camp for tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>I agreed, but I couldn't help but wonder if he

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<v Speaker 1>had seen or experienced something that he wasn't sharing with me.

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<v Speaker 1>We all packed our bags and started walking across the

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<v Speaker 1>mountain ridge towards our car. In my haste to get

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<v Speaker 1>everything packed, I had put all the flashlights in the

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<v Speaker 1>bottoms of the backpacks. Now the sun was setting and

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<v Speaker 1>we still had thirteen miles to go. To help us

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<v Speaker 1>move faster, my brother decided to take one of the

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<v Speaker 1>children's packs and hike out and then come back for another.

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<v Speaker 1>He'd be able to move faster carrying two packs than

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<v Speaker 1>any of the kids could carry one, and without a pack,

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<v Speaker 1>that child would be able to move faster and we'd

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<v Speaker 1>all get back to the car sooner. With just me,

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<v Speaker 1>my girlfriend and the four kids, we continued on our way.

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<v Speaker 1>We were two and a half miles from the car

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<v Speaker 1>when we started hearing noises on the trail behind us.

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<v Speaker 1>We were heading towards the mountain switchbacks. Whatever was following

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<v Speaker 1>us was only fifty feet back. The footfalls and the

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<v Speaker 1>heavy breathing left no doubt in my mind a bigfoot

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<v Speaker 1>was tracking us. What was I going to do with

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<v Speaker 1>my girlfriend and four children hiking through the woods alone

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<v Speaker 1>in complete darkness. We were all so scared that we

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<v Speaker 1>didn't want to stop and unload the backpacks to find

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<v Speaker 1>our flashlights. With every step, the fear increased to the

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<v Speaker 1>point that it was almost tangible. Our hearts were racing

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<v Speaker 1>and anxiety was setting in. I had to do something

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<v Speaker 1>or we would all be lost. I was afraid that

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<v Speaker 1>this giant being, this bigfoot, might grab one of the

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<v Speaker 1>children and dash off into the night, and we'd never

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<v Speaker 1>see them again. I put my daughter in front of

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<v Speaker 1>me and one of the boys behind me, then my

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<v Speaker 1>girlfriend with the other two boys in front of her,

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<v Speaker 1>and we continued down the trail, and every now and

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<v Speaker 1>then we switched the kids around, much to their dislike,

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<v Speaker 1>and we kept going. The whole thing was very intense.

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<v Speaker 1>To help alleviate the children's fear and keep moving, we

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<v Speaker 1>started singing the snow white song, High Hoe, High Hoe.

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<v Speaker 1>That beast was right behind us the whole way. Thump, thump, thump.

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<v Speaker 1>What was I doing? I must have been out of

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<v Speaker 1>my mind. We got to the start of the first

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<v Speaker 1>switchback and we're headed for the second when we heard

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<v Speaker 1>the creature run down the side of the mountain to

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<v Speaker 1>wait on the trail ahead of us. Our hearts were

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<v Speaker 1>pounding in our ears and we were visibly shaking as

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<v Speaker 1>we passed by where we could see its form outlined

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<v Speaker 1>in the darkness. We passed it and began our way

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<v Speaker 1>down the next switchback. Just like before, it fell in

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<v Speaker 1>right behind us. Minutes later, it ran down the mountain

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<v Speaker 1>again to wait for us. At the next switchback, we

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<v Speaker 1>had to pass it again. It was terrifying seeing this

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<v Speaker 1>massive black object in the night, standing just up the

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<v Speaker 1>bank from us, watching us as we marched along singing.

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<v Speaker 1>There were a lot more switchbacks ahead, and that thing

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<v Speaker 1>followed us in this manner for two and a half

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<v Speaker 1>miles until my brother finally showed up to take another backpack.

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<v Speaker 1>By then the children were scared out of their minds

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<v Speaker 1>and exhausted. We finally made it to the car. We

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<v Speaker 1>loaded up the children in the backpacks as quickly as

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<v Speaker 1>we could. I had just finished telling my brother what

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<v Speaker 1>had followed us when we heard it again. It was

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<v Speaker 1>standing behind a fir tree on the edge of the

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<v Speaker 1>trail near the clearing. It was watching us at the

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<v Speaker 1>car again. My brother is brave and he's never afraid

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<v Speaker 1>of anything, and he said, follow me. We're going to

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<v Speaker 1>find out what the heck this thing really is. My

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<v Speaker 1>brother picked up two rocks that filled his hands. He

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<v Speaker 1>told me to grab some two and I picked up

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<v Speaker 1>two big ones and we stood there listening for a minute.

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<v Speaker 1>We could hear it over behind the fir tree, and

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<v Speaker 1>my brother threw a rock at it and it let

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<v Speaker 1>out a groan. Then he threw another one and it

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<v Speaker 1>groaned again, and then he threw another, and another and another,

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<v Speaker 1>and finally we ran out of rocks, and I said,

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<v Speaker 1>what are we going to do now? He looked at

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<v Speaker 1>me and he yelled, run. We both took off. We

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<v Speaker 1>ran over and jumped in the car as fast as

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<v Speaker 1>we could. Seconds later, our tires were throwing dart and

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<v Speaker 1>gravel as we fishtailed for a good hundred feet. In

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<v Speaker 1>my rear view mirror, I saw the outline of the

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<v Speaker 1>creature stepping out into the parking one We never I

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<v Speaker 1>went back to that place again. That bigfoot or sasquatch

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<v Speaker 1>could have killed any of us at any time. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>it just followed us out of the woods to safety.

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<v Speaker 1>I wonder if that was its real purpose all along.

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<v Speaker 1>Was it protecting us as we traveled in the dark.

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<v Speaker 1>Was there something out there that would have hurt us

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<v Speaker 1>if it hadn't been there. Now, I'm sorry that we

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<v Speaker 1>threw rocks, but at the time it made perfect sense.