WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>When I was fifteen years old, I was visiting my

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<v Speaker 1>best friend in Saint Paul, Minnesota. We'd been best friends

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<v Speaker 1>since second grade, even though we lived in the same

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<v Speaker 1>state for only two years. Because I had recently lost

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<v Speaker 1>my brother in a car accident, we spent a great

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<v Speaker 1>deal of our time ruinating endlessly about life after death

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<v Speaker 1>and the paranormal nature of our world. Whenever I flew

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<v Speaker 1>to Minnesota for a visit, we would hang out with

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<v Speaker 1>a bunch of adorable sixteen year old boys who could drive.

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<v Speaker 1>Our favorite destination was a couple of miles away. It

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<v Speaker 1>was a beautiful lake surrounded by dense woods. We were

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<v Speaker 1>a very clean cut bunch, so there was no drinking

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<v Speaker 1>at all, just breathless crushes on the private school preppy

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<v Speaker 1>boys and lots of flirting and laughter. One summer evening,

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<v Speaker 1>we all drove to this glorious lake in the moonlight

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<v Speaker 1>and walked through the old growth trees. As my friend

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<v Speaker 1>and I stopped under one very large, gnarled ancient tree,

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<v Speaker 1>something inexplicable happened. It was like a glass bell jar

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<v Speaker 1>fell over us and we could not hear a thing.

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<v Speaker 1>There were no crickets, no wind, and no waves. Lapping

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<v Speaker 1>at the lake shore. Even the boys who were joking

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<v Speaker 1>around no more than ten feet away from us were

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<v Speaker 1>muffled and distant sounding. I asked my friend, do you

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<v Speaker 1>feel this? What's happening? She was stunned and frightened. Clearly,

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<v Speaker 1>only the two of us were experiencing this dead, eerie,

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<v Speaker 1>unnatural silence. It was like we had just, for a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of minutes, stumbled into an alternate dimension. Just as

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<v Speaker 1>suddenly as it fell over us, the bell jar lifted

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<v Speaker 1>and all the noises resumed. We're now in our mid

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<v Speaker 1>sixties with grown children of our own. We're still best friends,

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<v Speaker 1>and we still talk about that experience. For years and years,

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<v Speaker 1>we attributed it to my brother trying to send a

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<v Speaker 1>message from the afterlife. In recent years, I've heard of

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<v Speaker 1>many Bigfoot accounts and on your site that make me

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<v Speaker 1>think now that this was a close encounter with a creature. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>it makes sense perhaps that they can flip into a

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<v Speaker 1>different dimension and alter hours. Whatever the case may be,

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<v Speaker 1>we certainly did experience something otherworldly that evening, even if

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<v Speaker 1>just for an unforgettable moment. All right, all right, if

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<v Speaker 1>y'all hear a little rumble going on during this podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>That's my wife out running the lawnmower in our yard.

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<v Speaker 1>She's a peach. She said she wanted to cut grass,

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<v Speaker 1>so I said, you go for it. Girl. Here is

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<v Speaker 1>an email written by a woman who doesn't want to

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<v Speaker 1>reveal her name, but here's what she writes. And this

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<v Speaker 1>is so good. She writes, I'm eighty three years old

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<v Speaker 1>and I listened to podcast with my daughter. Doing so

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<v Speaker 1>has triggered a memory of a story. My father used

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<v Speaker 1>to tell. What he encountered was a mystery to him,

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<v Speaker 1>but he never forgot it. In nineteen thirty three, he

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<v Speaker 1>was twenty years old and living on an exceptionally large

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<v Speaker 1>farm between Lenore and Blowing Rock and the foothills of

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<v Speaker 1>North Carolina with his mother and father. He was the

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<v Speaker 1>oldest of eight children. My mother, who was nineteen at

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<v Speaker 1>the time and the youngest of ten children, lived ten

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<v Speaker 1>miles away on the next farm over with her mother.

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<v Speaker 1>My mother's father had died just before she was born,

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<v Speaker 1>so to make ends meet, my grandmother had turned their

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<v Speaker 1>big home into a boarding house. At the time, my

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<v Speaker 1>parents were courting and making wedding plans. On the hot

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<v Speaker 1>summer night in question, my father had stayed later than

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<v Speaker 1>he usually did. He had lost track of time as

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<v Speaker 1>they planned out their future nuptial. In those days, there

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<v Speaker 1>was no electricity in that area and the roads were

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<v Speaker 1>all dirt. Anyone who has been in the mountains at

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<v Speaker 1>night knows there's nothing quite as dark as the darkness

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<v Speaker 1>that falls on the mountains. My father had a long

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<v Speaker 1>walk home, and for navigation he only had the stars

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<v Speaker 1>that he could see between the branches of the trees

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<v Speaker 1>that line the road and form the canopy overhead. At

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<v Speaker 1>six foot two, my father was a big man who

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<v Speaker 1>was not afraid of anything. Like most men of that era,

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<v Speaker 1>he was used to hunting and spending time in the woods.

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<v Speaker 1>He'd made it to within about a half a mile

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<v Speaker 1>from home when he began to hear something following him.

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<v Speaker 1>It came up alongside him, and he could clearly tell

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<v Speaker 1>that was something one two feet It was too dark

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<v Speaker 1>to see what it was, but he said he would

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<v Speaker 1>take a step, and it would take a step. He

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<v Speaker 1>would walk, and it would walk, and when he stopped,

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<v Speaker 1>it would stop. My father said he it could not

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<v Speaker 1>be a panther or a bear, because they both walk

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<v Speaker 1>on all fours. He was just as sure it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>a man, and he kept thinking, what is this. He

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have a gun on him, so he felt a

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<v Speaker 1>bit helpless, and he dared not run. Not knowing what

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<v Speaker 1>it was. He only knew it was very big, and

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<v Speaker 1>he kept walking, and this thing kept pace with him

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<v Speaker 1>the whole way, just few feet away. He was unnerved,

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<v Speaker 1>but did not want to show the fear that he felt.

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<v Speaker 1>Up ahead, he could see the lights of his family's

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<v Speaker 1>home in the distance. There was a fenced in pasture

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<v Speaker 1>in front of the house that he normally would have avoided.

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<v Speaker 1>There were a lot of cattle in the pasture and

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<v Speaker 1>with them was a big, mean bull. For that reason,

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<v Speaker 1>he would normally stay on the road and walk around

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<v Speaker 1>the pasture and across the creek. This night, as soon

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<v Speaker 1>as my father reached the fence, the thing let out

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<v Speaker 1>a blood curdling scream, and that was enough to make

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<v Speaker 1>him run. He jumped the fence and lost the pasture

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<v Speaker 1>with lightning speed, not stopping until he reached the front porch.

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<v Speaker 1>As he ran, he thought, where are my coon hounds?

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<v Speaker 1>Where are my hunting dogs? They usually ran out to

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<v Speaker 1>greet him, and they weren't afraid of anything, but on

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<v Speaker 1>this night, they were nowhere to be found. This scared

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<v Speaker 1>him even more. He knew whatever this thing was, it

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<v Speaker 1>must be bad to keep the dogs from coming out.

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<v Speaker 1>He was finally getting close to the porch, but he

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't see the first step because it was so dark. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>he took a guess and took them two at a

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<v Speaker 1>time until he was at last standing on the wide verandah.

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<v Speaker 1>That's when he heard the dogs. They were up under

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<v Speaker 1>the house whimpering. He looked back and he couldn't see anything,

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<v Speaker 1>but he knew it was still there. He quickly stepped

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<v Speaker 1>inside as if nothing had happened. He didn't want to

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<v Speaker 1>frighten his family, nor did he ever tell them about

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<v Speaker 1>it through the years, though he would occasionally tell us

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<v Speaker 1>the story. He didn't know anything about Bigfoot, but I

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<v Speaker 1>was warned as a child not to go into the

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<v Speaker 1>woods at night because there were boogers out there. He

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<v Speaker 1>said he never again stayed too late, while according my mother,

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<v Speaker 1>he always made sure he left well before it got dark.

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<v Speaker 1>We have often wondered what it could have been that

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<v Speaker 1>my father encountered. After listening to the stories of other

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<v Speaker 1>people's accounts on your channel, I really do believe it

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<v Speaker 1>was a bigfoot that walked along the road with him

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<v Speaker 1>that dark summer night. In nineteen thirty three, my father's

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<v Speaker 1>father had his own tale to tell. It's shorter and

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<v Speaker 1>a bit funny. He also never said anything about believing

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<v Speaker 1>in Bigfoot, but he did believe in wooly boogers. My

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<v Speaker 1>grandfather's story took place in nineteen twelve in the Mortimer

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<v Speaker 1>area of North Carolina. It was another dark night and

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<v Speaker 1>another dark road. As with my father, he was looking

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<v Speaker 1>up through the overhead branches at the night sky for guidance.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess that's just what they did back in those days.

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<v Speaker 1>My grandfather described the night as so dark he couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>see his hand in front of his face. That fact,

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<v Speaker 1>combined with the fact that he was looking up, is

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<v Speaker 1>probably why he didn't see it. Not of nowhere, he

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<v Speaker 1>stumbled over something. He was unable to regain his balance,

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<v Speaker 1>and he fell, landing right on top of something large

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<v Speaker 1>and furry. It was a huge animal that was lying

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<v Speaker 1>in the road. Two Dazed and shocked to move, he

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<v Speaker 1>just sat there until the creature swatted him away like

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<v Speaker 1>a pesky fly. Then, to his amazement, it got up

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<v Speaker 1>and walked off like a man. When telling the story,

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<v Speaker 1>he would always assure us that it was not a bear,

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<v Speaker 1>and he didn't know what it was, and he would

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<v Speaker 1>finish the story each time with this quote. But it

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<v Speaker 1>was huge. Let me tell you, I'm a former active

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<v Speaker 1>duty Marine CORSE sergeant, Once a Marine, always a Marine,

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<v Speaker 1>just not in as good as shape as I was

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<v Speaker 1>then in the winter of nineteen ninety seven, I was

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<v Speaker 1>only a Lance corporal or an E three mountain training

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<v Speaker 1>in northern California. We'd been training for weeks, getting physically

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<v Speaker 1>acclimated to the mountainous terrain, the higher altitude in cold weather,

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<v Speaker 1>but most of us were in good spirits. It was

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<v Speaker 1>almost over. Our last training evolution was ambush training. We

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<v Speaker 1>were to set up and wait for the other half

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<v Speaker 1>of our class. We were to ambush them and they

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<v Speaker 1>were to defend our foe attack. We were set up

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<v Speaker 1>in two man groups, set twenty meters apart, just inside

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<v Speaker 1>a tree line, opposite a little valley that acted like

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<v Speaker 1>a choke point. We all dug in with interlocking fields

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<v Speaker 1>of fire and distances mapped out man We were ready.

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<v Speaker 1>Part of the exercise. As always to hurry up and wait.

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<v Speaker 1>It allows for too much speculation. When are they coming?

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<v Speaker 1>Did they discover us and decide to flank us? Or

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<v Speaker 1>are they just going to try and sneak past? The

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<v Speaker 1>mind wanders when you know it's just training. Soon, we

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<v Speaker 1>took turns in our two men fighting positions of one

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<v Speaker 1>hour on and one hour off watch us so we

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<v Speaker 1>could get some rest since we had been up for

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<v Speaker 1>a long time at that point. This game took place

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<v Speaker 1>from twenty one hundred to three hundred, that's nine pm

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<v Speaker 1>to three am for any civilian timekeepers who might be wondering.

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<v Speaker 1>At zero hours, several of us heard a loud snap

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<v Speaker 1>coming from about one hundred yards in front of us,

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<v Speaker 1>across the ravine. It sounded like a tree had been

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<v Speaker 1>quickly and efficiently snapped In two. I wrestled my fellow

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<v Speaker 1>marines await. The time to hurry up and wait was passed,

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<v Speaker 1>and we could get this evolution over soon and we

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<v Speaker 1>would be all warm and dry and sleeping comfortably. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>get this done. With our sixteen two rifles fitted with

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<v Speaker 1>BFA's blank firing apertures and mags loaded with blanks at

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<v Speaker 1>the ready, we waited silently to lay fake waste to

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<v Speaker 1>the fake enemy. We didn't have fancy night vision goggles

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<v Speaker 1>and optics back then, so we were operating by the

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<v Speaker 1>nicely lit, starfilled sky. We heard another snap and made ready.

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<v Speaker 1>Next we heard something crunching through the snowpack across the valley.

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<v Speaker 1>We were getting itchy on the trigger to get this

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<v Speaker 1>over with, as we had all waited and focused on

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<v Speaker 1>the silence. We were trying to pinpoint where the sound

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<v Speaker 1>had come from, but we still had no visual on

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<v Speaker 1>the enemy. As we watched for signs of movement, a loud, deep,

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<v Speaker 1>angry sounding roar erupted from the far side of the

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<v Speaker 1>little valley. It occurred to several of us that this

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<v Speaker 1>might not be the end enemy that we were expecting.

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<v Speaker 1>It was like no other animal we'd ever heard. It

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<v Speaker 1>had such a deep base that we could literally feel

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<v Speaker 1>the sound resonate through our bodies. It must have seen

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<v Speaker 1>or smelled us. My fellow Marina and I looked at

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<v Speaker 1>each other with what the hell was that written all

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<v Speaker 1>over our faces. Our radio came alive, telling us to

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<v Speaker 1>regroup and pack it in. We were confused because we

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<v Speaker 1>thought that we were finally going to get into the action,

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<v Speaker 1>but we quickly and quietly moved out and back to

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<v Speaker 1>the training class site. The next day, we did a

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<v Speaker 1>patrol and assess the area. The opposite side of the

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<v Speaker 1>little valley was steep and shaded out by trees, which

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<v Speaker 1>is why we heard the noise but couldn't see anything.

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<v Speaker 1>We soon found huge footprints in the hard packed snow.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm six foot three and I wegh one hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>ninety pounds. I could barely crunch down into the snow

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<v Speaker 1>more than a couple of inches. These tracks were easy,

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<v Speaker 1>packed down eight inches deeper more. I estimated them to

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<v Speaker 1>be sixteen to eighteen inches long and eight inches wide.

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<v Speaker 1>As we stared at the prince, our normal banter stopped

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<v Speaker 1>and we fell silent. We were stunned, not just by

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<v Speaker 1>the size of the prince, but the distance between them.

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<v Speaker 1>Whatever this thing was, it had a stride of six

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<v Speaker 1>to seven feet. The tracks led into the tree line,

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<v Speaker 1>where we could no longer see them. We asked the

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<v Speaker 1>trainer if we could follow the trail, but tracking something

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<v Speaker 1>not on the training schedule was not permitted, no matter

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<v Speaker 1>how much we begged to do it. As the class

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<v Speaker 1>wrapped up, some of the rity or less tactful marines

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<v Speaker 1>were already mouthing off about it being a bigfoot. Well

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<v Speaker 1>that was my thought too. We were all told that

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<v Speaker 1>we didn't see anything, nor did we hear what we

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<v Speaker 1>thought we heard. That seemed odd, but I didn't question it.

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<v Speaker 1>I just followed orders. However, as military guys will do,

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<v Speaker 1>all disgusted among ourselves and came to the consensus that

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<v Speaker 1>we all heard and saw the tracks of a bigfoot,

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<v Speaker 1>even though we didn't actually see it. The gutal roar

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<v Speaker 1>and the tracks convinced us that's what it had to be.

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<v Speaker 1>I was honestly never scared, nor were any of my

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<v Speaker 1>fellow marines. Mostly we were just curious and amazed. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>guessing the overwhelming fear that people experience is from actually

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<v Speaker 1>seeing it and not from distant noises. To this day,

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<v Speaker 1>I fully believe that the source of those sounds in

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<v Speaker 1>Princes was the ever elusive Sosquatch. I have also come

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<v Speaker 1>to the conclusion that our training was stopped because our

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<v Speaker 1>training staff heard it from their position. Maybe they knew

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<v Speaker 1>something that we didn't. Maybe they were used to being

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<v Speaker 1>around and knew better than to mess with it. Stay

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<v Speaker 1>vigilant and simperfi