WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>If you were following along with it What If It's

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<v Speaker 1>True podcast and listening to the archived audio that I'm

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<v Speaker 1>posting from four three, four, five years back, you have

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<v Speaker 1>probably gotten used to a certain cadence and the way

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<v Speaker 1>I read stories. None of it has thought out. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just that over the years I've gotten more comfortable doing it.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a funny thing turning this microphone on. Even though

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<v Speaker 1>you're alone in a room, you still feel like you're

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<v Speaker 1>talking in front of a big audience. And that's the

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<v Speaker 1>way I felt when I first started this podcast. And

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<v Speaker 1>to be honest, the podcast is kind of a fluke.

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<v Speaker 1>I just did it as fun, and I discovered that

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<v Speaker 1>people actually liked hearing these stories, so I just kept

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<v Speaker 1>doing it. I had no plans, there was no plan

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<v Speaker 1>at all. I just wrote a couple of bigfoot stories

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<v Speaker 1>that I had heard through my life, and I read

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<v Speaker 1>them and put it out on YouTube, just as kind

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<v Speaker 1>of a gag. Not a gag. It's just something crazy

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<v Speaker 1>to do, and out of nowhere, people really started liking

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<v Speaker 1>this well, this podcast, which is archive number eighty seven

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<v Speaker 1>or two of the earliest stories I ever did, probably

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<v Speaker 1>in the first three months, I don't remember what episode

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<v Speaker 1>they were, but you will hear almost how nervous and

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<v Speaker 1>monotone I am as I read these, and I thought

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<v Speaker 1>I would warn you before you get into this podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>So now you've been warned. This is going to be

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<v Speaker 1>kind of cheesy. However, the stories are really good, and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm almost sorry that I didn't do them justice, but

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<v Speaker 1>they're still told. They're understandable. I've redone the audio. That's

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<v Speaker 1>what I'm doing with all of these archived audio files

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<v Speaker 1>as i'm reading, trying to remaster as an amateur audio editor,

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<v Speaker 1>just to make them sound a little better. Put a

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<v Speaker 1>few more spaces. But you know, I used to read

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<v Speaker 1>stuff just so fast that I don't know, It's just

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<v Speaker 1>the way my brain worked. Anyway, I just want to

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<v Speaker 1>let you know that this is going to sound not

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<v Speaker 1>very good, but the stories are great and I hope

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<v Speaker 1>you enjoy it. Thank you for following along with these

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<v Speaker 1>archived podcasts. I'm having a ball doing them. This is

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<v Speaker 1>eighty seven. I was just going to do about one hundred,

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<v Speaker 1>but they're pretty easy to do, and I can do

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<v Speaker 1>them quick. I can go back into my files and

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<v Speaker 1>just pick random stories that I think are good and

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<v Speaker 1>put them up as archive, so I'll thank you again

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<v Speaker 1>when I get to one hundred, because that's kind of

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<v Speaker 1>a milestone. I don't know. I just want to let

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<v Speaker 1>y'all know that I appreciate you listening to this podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>It's very it's very encouraging to me to look at

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<v Speaker 1>the numbers on my statistics just on the podcast app.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just encouraging and I appreciate you listening. So thanks,

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<v Speaker 1>and here we go with another archive number eighty seven.

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<v Speaker 1>Hope you enjoy it.

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<v Speaker 2>Bo is my dog and my best friend in the

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<v Speaker 2>whole world. I'm a single man who travels all over

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<v Speaker 2>to fish secluded lakes. Bo has been with me since

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<v Speaker 2>the age of six months old. I got Bow from

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<v Speaker 2>a dog rescue shelter. Here is what most people call

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<v Speaker 2>a sooner or a mutt. Those are the best kind

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<v Speaker 2>to have in my book. Bo was six years old

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<v Speaker 2>at the time of this event. I've trained Bow very well.

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<v Speaker 2>He is a very well mannered dog, unless you mess

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<v Speaker 2>with his boat, his truck, or meat. I picked a

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<v Speaker 2>lake located way back in the hills of East Tennessee

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<v Speaker 2>for this trip. Bo and I loaded up our gear

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<v Speaker 2>and then headed out for a three day weekend from

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<v Speaker 2>the information I could find about this lake, it was

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<v Speaker 2>fished very little, and not many people ever went there.

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<v Speaker 2>Sounded like the perfect place to go, right, or so

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<v Speaker 2>I thought from the map showing a small town to

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<v Speaker 2>be the last place to stop for gas and food.

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<v Speaker 2>Before heading the last fifteen miles into the hills, we

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<v Speaker 2>stopped for a bite to eat at a small country restaurant.

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<v Speaker 2>Bo jumped into the bed of the truck and stood

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<v Speaker 2>guard over his property while I went inside to order

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<v Speaker 2>us something to go. So we sat out in the

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<v Speaker 2>parking lot and ate our lunch. After we finished eating,

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<v Speaker 2>I pulled across the road to the only gas station

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<v Speaker 2>in this town to fill up the truck and the boat.

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<v Speaker 2>It was one of those old time full service stations

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<v Speaker 2>that you very rarely see anymore. This elderly man came

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<v Speaker 2>walking out and asked, fill her up. Check your year all.

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<v Speaker 2>I replied, yes, sir, I need both truck and boat

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<v Speaker 2>filled with gas please. As he was filling the last

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<v Speaker 2>tank up, he turned and asked, looks like you're going

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<v Speaker 2>on a camping trip. I replied, yes, sir, we're heading

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<v Speaker 2>up to the lake for a couple of days. He

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<v Speaker 2>turned and gave me a very strange look and then

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<v Speaker 2>asked what lake the one just up the road. He

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<v Speaker 2>then asked, I see you from out of state. Have

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<v Speaker 2>you ever been up there before? I said, no, sir,

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<v Speaker 2>this is our first time being up here. This put

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<v Speaker 2>a weird expression on his face, looking at me like

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<v Speaker 2>I was crazy or something. He then asked, what do

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<v Speaker 2>you know about this lake? Nothing other than I could

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<v Speaker 2>find on the internet that it was not fish very

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<v Speaker 2>much and not a very popular place. Why is that,

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<v Speaker 2>I asked, Is the fishing that bad up there? He said, Oh,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a lot of fish in that lake, just no

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<v Speaker 2>one goes up there anymore. Before I could ask any

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<v Speaker 2>more questions, a car pulled into the other side of

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<v Speaker 2>the gas pumps for service. So the man finished, took

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<v Speaker 2>my money and thanked me and told me good luck

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<v Speaker 2>as he proceeded to help the other customer. As I

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<v Speaker 2>was pulling out, I had this strange feeling inside that

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<v Speaker 2>this old man wanted to tell me something. I shook

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<v Speaker 2>it off and went on my way. Once we got

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<v Speaker 2>to the lake, I found a real nice spot right

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<v Speaker 2>by the water to set up our camp. After unloading

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<v Speaker 2>and setting our camp up, the sun was starting to

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<v Speaker 2>set I figured it would be best to wait until

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<v Speaker 2>morning to get the boat undone and lost. It's a

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<v Speaker 2>good thing I did. I turned the radio on for

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<v Speaker 2>some music while I got the campfire going. Bow was

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<v Speaker 2>checking things out around the camp. He seemed to be

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<v Speaker 2>happy with our spot, but he was acting kind of strange.

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<v Speaker 2>He kept sniffing the air and then making groaning sounds.

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<v Speaker 2>It was like he knew something was not quite right.

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<v Speaker 2>I had never seen him act like this. I would

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<v Speaker 2>give him a pat on the head and ask, what

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<v Speaker 2>is it, boy, what are you smelling? I was not

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<v Speaker 2>picking up any strange smell, so I didn't think anything

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<v Speaker 2>else about it. A little later that evening, I put

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<v Speaker 2>a pot of stew on the fire to get us

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<v Speaker 2>some dinner going. It was not long before you could

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<v Speaker 2>smell the aroma of stew cooking. There's nothing better than

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<v Speaker 2>food cooking on an open campfire. Everything was so nice

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<v Speaker 2>and peaceful with Bow and I sitting by the fire

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<v Speaker 2>chilling out, when all of a sudden, Bow jumped up

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<v Speaker 2>with the hair standing up on his back and started drowling.

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<v Speaker 2>I couldn't see anything, but I heard something messing around

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<v Speaker 2>in the brush. I kept asking, what is it? Bo,

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<v Speaker 2>what is it. I got the flashlight and shinded around

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<v Speaker 2>the area Bow was pointing at, and then I saw it.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a raccoon. I guess he smelled food and

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<v Speaker 2>came looking for a free meal. I told Bow it

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<v Speaker 2>was okay and to leave the coon alone. That was

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<v Speaker 2>going to happen. After a little bit of letting the

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<v Speaker 2>raccoon know who was boss, he then laid back down

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<v Speaker 2>and the raccoon made his way off into the woods.

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<v Speaker 2>I figured he would be back later in the night

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<v Speaker 2>to plunder through our stuff or to find a snack.

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<v Speaker 2>Bo and I had our dinner and then cleaned everything

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<v Speaker 2>up and put away to make it as raccoon proof

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<v Speaker 2>as possible. I then threw some bread out away from

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<v Speaker 2>the main camp with hopes that the raccoon would find

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<v Speaker 2>it and leave our stuff alone. It was getting a

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<v Speaker 2>bit late and I wanted to get an early start,

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<v Speaker 2>so I figured it was time for us to call

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<v Speaker 2>it a night. But Bou didn't want to go in

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<v Speaker 2>just yet and kept sniffing the air. I figured it

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<v Speaker 2>was that raccoon still messing around. I put the fire

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<v Speaker 2>out and then we got into our tent. I got

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<v Speaker 2>undressed and then crawled into my sleeping bag and shut

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<v Speaker 2>the lantern off. Later into the wee hours of the morning,

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<v Speaker 2>Bo woke me up, growling, and then he started barking.

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<v Speaker 2>I figured, once again it was that raccoon had come back,

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<v Speaker 2>and Bow heard him messing around. I spoke up, saying,

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<v Speaker 2>it's okay, Bo, it's just that raccoon, and I told

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<v Speaker 2>him to lie back down. He refused, and he kept growling.

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<v Speaker 2>I said, fine, let's go take a look. I opened

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<v Speaker 2>up the tent and a rank smell hit me in

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<v Speaker 2>the face. This was something I had never smelled before.

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<v Speaker 2>Before I could get out of the tent, Bow blasted

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<v Speaker 2>past me full charge. I grabbed the flashlight while commanding

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<v Speaker 2>Bow to stop and wait for me. Bo stopped but

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<v Speaker 2>kept his stand growling like a mad dog. I shined

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<v Speaker 2>the light in the direction Bou was looking, and there

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<v Speaker 2>it was tall, hairy, long arms, short legs. This thing

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<v Speaker 2>was huge. When the light shined on its face, this

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<v Speaker 2>thing let out a snarling sound at us that sent

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<v Speaker 2>chills to my spine. This sent Bow into attack mode.

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<v Speaker 2>Bow charged the creature. I yell stop, Bow stop, but

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<v Speaker 2>it was too late. When Bo got to this thing,

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<v Speaker 2>it grabbed Bow up like a twig and had him

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<v Speaker 2>by his throat. I screamed, please let my dog go.

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<v Speaker 2>I could see Bow was now motionless and thought this

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<v Speaker 2>thing had broke Bow's neck. I kept pleading, please don't

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<v Speaker 2>kill my dog. He's all I have in my life.

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<v Speaker 2>Over and over, I said, please don't kill my dog.

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<v Speaker 2>The creature just looked at me as I kept pleading

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<v Speaker 2>with it not to kill the dog. Then the creature

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<v Speaker 2>let go of Bow and he dropped to the ground motionless.

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<v Speaker 2>I could see Bow was still breathing, meaning he was

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<v Speaker 2>not dead. So I was trying to figure out how

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<v Speaker 2>to get him away from this creature when it dawned

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<v Speaker 2>on me what this creature might be. So I spoke

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<v Speaker 2>in a lighter tone, saying, you're a sasquatch. It just

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<v Speaker 2>stood there looking at me while I kept talking. I said,

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<v Speaker 2>we are not here to do you any harm, and

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<v Speaker 2>if you will please let us go, we will leave

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<v Speaker 2>right now. Just please don't kill my dog. Just let

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<v Speaker 2>the dog go and we will be gone. I don't

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<v Speaker 2>remember how I felt at the time. I know I

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<v Speaker 2>was terrified, but I was more concerned for Beau than

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<v Speaker 2>I was for myself. The creature raised its arm and

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<v Speaker 2>made a motion with its hands as if to tell

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<v Speaker 2>us to go. Then it stepped back a few feet,

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<v Speaker 2>allowing me to grab Bow up and put him into

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<v Speaker 2>the truck. I then ran to the tent and grabbed

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<v Speaker 2>my pants that had my truck keys and wallet. Then

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<v Speaker 2>ran to the truck and fired that motor up and

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<v Speaker 2>hauled out of there. As I was leaving, I could

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<v Speaker 2>see from my tail lights the creature was still standing there.

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<v Speaker 2>By the time I got to the hard road, Bou

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<v Speaker 2>had come to and started trying to get up. I

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<v Speaker 2>told him to lie still as I paid his head.

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<v Speaker 2>Once I made it out to the main road, I

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<v Speaker 2>figured we were far enough away to stop so I

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<v Speaker 2>could check Bo out. He seemed to be doing okay.

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<v Speaker 2>I take it this creature had choked Bow to the

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<v Speaker 2>point of passing out, but not to kill him. I

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<v Speaker 2>stepped out of the truck with my pants in hand.

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<v Speaker 2>I was wearing nothing but my underwear. I pulled on

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<v Speaker 2>my pants, jump back in the truck and hit the road,

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<v Speaker 2>knowing I left all my camping gear behind and knowing

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<v Speaker 2>I would never return for it. When I got back

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<v Speaker 2>to the small town, it was shut down tight not

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<v Speaker 2>a soul was around, not even a light on anywhere.

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<v Speaker 2>I kept going and did not stop until I was

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<v Speaker 2>clean out of that state. You can bet I will

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<v Speaker 2>never return to that place, no matter what I had

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<v Speaker 2>left behind. I would only become a laughing stock to

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<v Speaker 2>those locals if I did. I have no doubt they

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<v Speaker 2>know of this creature, but we're not going to let

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<v Speaker 2>anyone know about it, which I can understand. In our area,

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<v Speaker 2>we had a bad flood in nineteen fifty five. The

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<v Speaker 2>government decided it was going to dam the Delaware River

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<v Speaker 2>and started the Tos Island Dam project. They bought thirty

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<v Speaker 2>miles of river bottom, bulldozed two hundred year old homes,

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<v Speaker 2>displaced businesses, and created a real mess. There was squatting

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<v Speaker 2>and protesting, and then they found out that geologically they

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<v Speaker 2>couldn't put the dam in. My wife and I started

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<v Speaker 2>dating back in nineteen eighty three, and we didn't have

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<v Speaker 2>much money, so we went camping a lot. We used

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<v Speaker 2>the old church camp I went to as a kid,

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<v Speaker 2>which is located in the middle of what the government

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<v Speaker 2>is now calling a wild and scenic area. There isn't

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<v Speaker 2>a house for ten miles in any direction from where

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<v Speaker 2>we were. I decided to drive through the chest deep

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<v Speaker 2>thistles we walked through the previous year. My wife told

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<v Speaker 2>me not to do it because she was sure we

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<v Speaker 2>were going to get stuck. Five hours of jacking and

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<v Speaker 2>stuffing wood under the car and I finally got the

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<v Speaker 2>car unstuck. She is still mad at me today. We

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<v Speaker 2>set up camp on a bluff over a forty foot

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<v Speaker 2>drop to the water. We created the fire and pitched

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<v Speaker 2>our tent. We got our food safely hung in a

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<v Speaker 2>tree because we were in bear country. In fact, I

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<v Speaker 2>hunt there still today. Anyway, about nine thirties, just as

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<v Speaker 2>it was starting to get good and dark, something walked

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<v Speaker 2>up on our camp site. It proceeded to go from

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<v Speaker 2>the top of the bank around our site, just outside

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<v Speaker 2>of the firelight, to the top of the adjacent bank.

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<v Speaker 2>This went on for an hour until it broke a stick,

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<v Speaker 2>loud enough that my wife turned to me and said,

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<v Speaker 2>what was that. I said I didn't know, and she says,

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<v Speaker 2>what do you mean you don't know? Now? I had

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<v Speaker 2>been fishing since I could hold a ride, and hunting

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<v Speaker 2>since I was four years old. I spent more time

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<v Speaker 2>sleep being outside than inside when I was a kid,

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<v Speaker 2>So she knew something was up. I said again, I

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<v Speaker 2>didn't know, and it's been out there about an hour.

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<v Speaker 2>She asked why hadn't I told her, and I said

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't want to scare her. Meanwhile, I'm sitting there

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<v Speaker 2>with a hatchet under one leg, and if it lay

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<v Speaker 2>knife under the other, you only need to see the

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<v Speaker 2>movie Deliverance once to know we could be in big trouble.

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<v Speaker 2>After another hour, we couldn't stay awake anymore and went

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<v Speaker 2>in our tent to lay down. She fell asleep right away,

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<v Speaker 2>and I'm laying on top of my bag with my

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<v Speaker 2>knife and my hatchet. Ten minutes after we lay down,

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<v Speaker 2>this thing starts screaming at us. We both sit bolt upright,

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<v Speaker 2>and she says, what in the hell is that? I said,

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't know, and I'm not staying in here. This

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<v Speaker 2>scream was so loud it went right through you. It

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<v Speaker 2>had such resonance that it blurred my vision. It was

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<v Speaker 2>definitely territorial, and it was directed at us. I went

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<v Speaker 2>out of the tent and stood with the fire at

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<v Speaker 2>my back. There is literally nothing in that valley, and

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<v Speaker 2>there is no light pollution. I stood looking into the

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<v Speaker 2>inky blackness and said to myself, well, I know what

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<v Speaker 2>the problem is here. I stoked that fire up big,

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<v Speaker 2>went back into the tent and tried to sleep. In

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<v Speaker 2>the morning, I looked for an hour for tracks, but

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<v Speaker 2>there had been a really dry weather system that summer

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<v Speaker 2>and there was little sign left. That started thirty five

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<v Speaker 2>years of study. I have met nearly thirty people that

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<v Speaker 2>have had encounters, and just as many that know someone

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<v Speaker 2>who has had an encounter. I have lectured locally about

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<v Speaker 2>what I have found. I really don't care what people

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<v Speaker 2>think about what I say. They weren't in the tent

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<v Speaker 2>with me that night. I was in the Coastguard at

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<v Speaker 2>the time and quite sober. I'm a successful doctor and

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<v Speaker 2>mayor of my town for many years. I don't shy

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<v Speaker 2>from telling my story because folks, I don't know what

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<v Speaker 2>I know. There are woods in Pennsylvania where you could

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<v Speaker 2>stand twenty feet from me with the road flare in

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<v Speaker 2>each hand, and I wouldn't be able to see you.

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<v Speaker 2>Encounters like this change your life. I played that night

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<v Speaker 2>through my head on hundreds of nights, and I have

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<v Speaker 2>told that account to many people, many times