WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:10.199 I grew up really poor. I never knew my father, 2 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:14.720 and my mother was abusive. I think life turned her 3 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.440 that way and she took her frustration out on me. 4 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:20.760 Because of the way things were, I tried to spend 5 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:24.320 as much time as I could away from home. Things 6 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.320 were clearly different in the seventies for kids like me. 7 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:31.440 The bullying and the obvious signs of abuse were often 8 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:36.840 overlooked or ignored by teachers and grown ups. My school 9 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:39.799 had what they called Eco Week, where they would take 10 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:42.799 us up to cabins in the mountains. Well I loved 11 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:46.799 Echo Week. Not knowing my father meant that I never 12 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:51.079 went on fishing trips or camping trips, and unlike other boys, 13 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:52.920 I had no one to show me how to bait 14 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.600 a hook. I never had the chance to relive the 15 00:00:55.679 --> 00:01:00.399 hunting stories that fathers passed down to their sons. We 16 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.880 all piled into the school buses. The popular kids sat 17 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:08.640 anywhere they wanted. I scrambled to find a seat. Getting 18 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:12.200 to the camp area the first time was completely overwhelming. 19 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:17.519 I had never been to anything like this. We were 20 00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:21.280 assigned to a cabin, each with four bunk beds. The 21 00:01:21.319 --> 00:01:24.799 windows were small, which allowed light to stream into the cabin, 22 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:27.480 but high enough to keep anyone from spying on you 23 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:31.400 from the outside. We each chose a bed and we 24 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:35.840 laid out our sleeping bags. My bunk mate was a 25 00:01:35.959 --> 00:01:39.959 heavy set boy with glasses named Eric. He was quiet 26 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:42.680 and he was shy, and he became an immediate target 27 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:46.040 for the older bullies in our group. I was big 28 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:48.680 for my age, and I had learned a long time 29 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:50.920 ago how to put up a front thanks to the 30 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:55.239 frequent beatings from my mother. The bullies were fooled by 31 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:59.640 my tough demeanor and generally left me alone. After a 32 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:04.760 night sitting around the campfire roasting sh'mores, the counselors ordered 33 00:02:04.840 --> 00:02:07.920 us back to our rooms for the night. I helped 34 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:10.960 put the supplies away and douse the fire, and in 35 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:13.759 lieu of not having a healthy role model in my life, 36 00:02:14.199 --> 00:02:17.599 I craved the attention of the adult counselors, who probably 37 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:21.360 had no idea how important their encouragement was to a 38 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:25.240 lonely kid like me. I was starved for affection and 39 00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:29.000 severely lacking when it came to my own self esteem. 40 00:02:29.960 --> 00:02:33.319 I was the last one back to the cabin. The 41 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:35.879 lights were off, but I heard whispers and I saw 42 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:40.080 a glare of flashlights through the windows. I quietly opened 43 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:44.319 the door to my disgust. Our roommates had Eric surrounded. 44 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.520 His pajamas were around his ankles, and he was clutching 45 00:02:48.520 --> 00:02:52.199 the waistban of his tattered shorts. Whatever they had been 46 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:56.560 planning for my poor, humiliated bunk mate, my arrival had 47 00:02:56.599 --> 00:02:59.879 preempted it. I hit the lights of the cabin and 48 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:06.199 stared down Eric's abusers. Alerted by the commotions, several counselors intervened. 49 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:09.960 They took note of the situation and promptly moved Eric's 50 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:14.520 tormentors to different cabins For the remainder of our stay. 51 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:17.800 Eric and I were the sole occupants of our own cabin. 52 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:22.319 We laid in our bunks one night and Eric opened 53 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:26.039 up to me about his own horrible childhood. We had 54 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:29.000 both been believed and victimized, but what had happened to 55 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:33.120 him was unspeakable, and whether out of pity or empathy, 56 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:37.080 we became buddies. They'll pay for that, said Eric to 57 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:41.280 me one night. My friends will take care of them, who, 58 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:45.039 I muttered, You haven't seen my friends. They look into 59 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:48.919 the windows each night, they're watching over us. Well. I 60 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:52.960 drifted off to sleep. Certain Eric's remarks were the revenge 61 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:57.719 fantasies of a picked on kid. Well, during the last 62 00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:00.800 night of our stay, something drew us all from our cabins. 63 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:04.560 Our ex roommates had been discovered sitting in the dirt 64 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:10.080 near the camp restrooms. They were babbling incoherently, oblivious to 65 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:14.439 the gawkers staring and pointing at them. The counselors led 66 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:17.759 them away. Eric and I returned to our room and 67 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:20.439 tried to get some sleep before the journey home. In 68 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:25.079 a few hours, we sat together on the school bus, 69 00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:27.519 but Eric and I hardly said a word to each other. 70 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:31.680 Maybe it was like a sleep. We were halfway home 71 00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:34.600 before I noticed our former roommates weren't on the bus 72 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:38.079 with us. Well. I heard later that their parents had 73 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:40.079 been summoned to the camp in the middle of the 74 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:44.839 night to take them home. One day, Eric took a 75 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:47.879 walk out into the woods, and he never came back. 76 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:51.079 There were rumors he had died, or that he had 77 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:55.079 run away from his abusive household. I like to think 78 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:58.519 that somewhere out there he simply found a nicer set 79 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:05.959 of friends. The account you read of the UFO account 80 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:10.639 in Oklahoma from rusty is one hundred percent true. I 81 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.120 was a police officer at the time. I'd rather not 82 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:16.879 say what department that night I was on duty, but 83 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:20.079 I was planning on using a few hours of comp time. 84 00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:23.800 As I was headed in, a traffic officer called the 85 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:27.279 police department advising that it appeared that a jet was 86 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:31.480 in trouble and to please contact the base. We had 87 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:35.000 previously served as support after one of the training jets 88 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.959 had crashed, so this was not an unusual request. Everyone 89 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:43.839 was immediately on full alert waiting for confirmation, and a 90 00:05:43.879 --> 00:05:46.759 few minutes passed and I headed toward another area for 91 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:50.439 better observation, and meanwhile, the public had lit up the 92 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:53.160 phone lines to report the light that they were seeing. 93 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:57.920 We watched this ball of light as it descended diagonally 94 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:01.160 toward our city, and suddenly he had appeared to stop 95 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:06.160 in midfall, and dispatch advised east side officers to go 96 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:11.040 to a different radio channel for further instructions. After switching 97 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:14.199 to a different channel, we were advised to stand by 98 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:18.439 and we watched the light stop and remain stationary before 99 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:21.519 dispatch ordered me to the station to help with the 100 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:25.079 phone traffic. A few minutes later, when I arrived at 101 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:28.399 the police station. I was informed by my sergeant that 102 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:31.920 we were on a full alert from the base, and 103 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:36.000 a minute later, the infamous red telephone rang. Now this 104 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:40.199 phone had never rung before. Everyone always said that it 105 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.800 was a hotline to Washington, DC, and that night we 106 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:47.879 found out that that was true. My sergeant had a 107 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:50.600 deer in the headlights look on his face as he 108 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:54.800 stared at that phone. The other sergeant answered it and 109 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:58.560 immediately jumped out of his chair instead of attention. I know 110 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:02.759 that's weird and it's almost comical. But after several yes, sirs, 111 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:05.040 he hung up and looked at us and he said 112 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:10.160 it's him. He said that until we know the situation, 113 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:13.959 the base is in charge. He also said that we 114 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:17.480 were not to speak about this incident. It was then 115 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:21.000 that the base contacted the police station, advising us that 116 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:24.279 they had fully armed jets in the air and we 117 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:27.879 were advised that they were in pursuit of this object. 118 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:31.639 And for the next hour, that craft was between Kansas 119 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:35.839 City and Houston airspace and it was going back and forth. 120 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:40.399 No aircraft on Earth could have covered the distance between 121 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:44.519 Kansas City and Houston in six minutes flat. It was 122 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:47.800 like a game or something. It would stop until the 123 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:50.560 jets got closed, and then it would take off again. 124 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:55.639 Radar documented every bit of this. The lights of the 125 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:58.879 jets looked like ping pong balls compared to the beach 126 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:03.759 ball sized light of this object. After the incident was called, 127 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:07.279 everyone was told to stand down. The military in some 128 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:11.519 odd ball suits showed up for depbriefing. Well. I played 129 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.519 it off as if I didn't see anything. Being a 130 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:17.199 female back then was reason enough for the suits to 131 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:21.600 ignore me. I was told later that the military instructions 132 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:25.360 were don't acknowledge anything and keep it out of the press. 133 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:29.120 From what I saw, it appeared that over half of 134 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:33.039 that craft was in shadow. I honestly couldn't begin to 135 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:36.360 estimate the size. The last time I saw it, it 136 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:39.000 went straight up and it disappeared in the blink of 137 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:43.159 an eye. Whatever it was, it wasn't from our world. 138 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:50.120 My name is Wayne, and this is about an encounter 139 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:53.039 with a bigfoot. My father and I were on a 140 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:56.960 hunting trip in the foothills of North Carolina. We had 141 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:00.000 set out corn debate deer in the area the week before. 142 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:03.200 We decided to camp out in the area and go hunting. 143 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:07.320 The following morning. At four o'clock in the morning, I 144 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:10.000 was awoken by the sound of some rustling around of 145 00:09:10.039 --> 00:09:13.039 some leaves and the snapping of twigs on the ground, 146 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:16.320 and as if the tent just enough to look outside 147 00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:20.080 to see what it was. Fifty feet away I saw 148 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:23.480 something that at first looked like a bear eating a deer. 149 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:27.200 The deer was still moving or twitching, as if it 150 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:31.480 had just been killed. Within a second, a horrible odor 151 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:35.519 hit me, smelling like something in decay or rotting. It 152 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:39.039 was terrible. It must have heard me move because it 153 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:42.799 quickly stood up on two feet. It wasn't a bear, 154 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:46.279 and I realized what I was seeing. I fell back 155 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:49.000 into the tent lifted my rifle in the direction of 156 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:52.240 the beast. Then I heard heavy footfalls of this thing 157 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:55.639 charging the tent, and within a second we were both 158 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:58.320 lifted into the air like we were in a sack. 159 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:01.120 The big foot I had picked the tent up and 160 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:04.919 was dragging us along the ground. I worked the rifle 161 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:07.519 around and got off a few shots. This made the 162 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:10.399 creature release its grip on the tent and we fell 163 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:14.360 to the ground through the holes. I shot through the 164 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:17.720 tent fabric. I saw a blinding white light for just 165 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:22.360 a second, and then everything went deathly quiet. My father 166 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:26.120 breathing was all I could hear. My father asked in 167 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:28.639 a panic state, what was going on, but it took 168 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:31.879 me a while to compose myself to telling what had happened. 169 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:35.080 We both got out of the tent with our firearms, 170 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:38.600 but the creature was gone. The only thing that remained 171 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:42.879 was the mutilated deer. We packed our gear and we 172 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:46.000 left it daylight, and on our way out, thinking the 173 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:49.279 event was over, we saw a line of black SUVs 174 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:52.559 parked along the road. A couple of men stepped out 175 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:55.559 and waved us down and we stopped. They came to 176 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:58.720 the window and asked several questions about why we were there, 177 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:02.279 and then they asked if we had seen anything unusual 178 00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:06.080 while camping. Well, I've heard and read about these things, 179 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:08.759 and I kept my mouth shut. I told the man 180 00:11:08.840 --> 00:11:12.759 we hadn't seen anything. Apparently he believed my life and 181 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:16.960 we drove home. I've never shared this story with the public, 182 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:19.440 but I think it's now as the right time, seeing 183 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:22.519 more and more people are coming forward and deciding to 184 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:29.840 share their experiences. Well, that's a short compact, scary, terrifying, story. 185 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:34.759 Holy crap. I mean, he sees a bigfoot. It comes over, 186 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:38.279 picks the tent up, dragon, where's it taking you? Where 187 00:11:38.360 --> 00:11:40.960 was it dragging you to in the tent? And then 188 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:43.200 you got off a couple of shots. Thank god you 189 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:46.039 had a firearm. It lets you go. And then there's 190 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:49.840 this white light which brings in what I don't know. 191 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.879 I don't know what that means, but it leads me 192 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:58.320 to believe like this thing was I don't know, interdimensional. Whoop, 193 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:03.039 this bright light happened and it disappears. Man, what a 194 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:05.799 scary story. I really appreciate you sending it. Wayne. That's 195 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:08.320 a good one. That's a real good one. Thank you. Man. 196 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:14.440 I was born in nineteen sixty seven, the year that 197 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:18.919 Roger Patterson shot the famous Bigfoot film. I was a 198 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:22.440 suburban ten year old living in a medium sized Midwestern 199 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:25.279 town with no knowledge of the film when my family 200 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:29.000 moved to the country. The years spent on our land 201 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:32.960 in the adjacent two thousand acre wildlife refuge gave me 202 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:36.399 a great appreciation for nature. I know that if you 203 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:39.720 sit quiet enough for long enough and listen closely to 204 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:44.799 the natural world, it will always amaze you. The years 205 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:48.519 following my childhood were spent outdoors as much as possible. 206 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:52.600 I've hiked and swam, and climbed and kayaked bikes, be 207 00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:58.159 lunked and backcountry camped on five continents. The world's deserts 208 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:01.000 and rainforests and too many out and range is to 209 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:04.879 mention have been my playground. It taught me two things. 210 00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:08.120 Don't look at the sky full of stars and tell 211 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:11.759 yourself there is no other life in the universe. And 212 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:15.200 don't look at a planet full of unexplored places and 213 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:20.639 say that things like Bigfoot can't exist. Although I would 214 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:23.519 never have denied their existence, it didn't mean that I 215 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:27.360 expected to see one. The topic has always interested me. 216 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:31.159 Movies and books and articles and web sites and the 217 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:34.720 like have always drawn me in, But to see one 218 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:39.840 never thought about that. My girlfriend Carrie didn't have the 219 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:43.360 advantage of a lifetime in the wild. Hers was a 220 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:48.200 much more conventional story. She graduated early from high school 221 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:51.240 and zoomed through college and got married and had three 222 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:55.720 kids and explored nothing. Three years ago when we met, 223 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:58.559 I opened those doors for her and discovered that she 224 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:02.600 had a natural inclination for the wilderness. It paved the 225 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:06.799 way for a lot of wonderful adventures together. Even while 226 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:09.120 we were climbing mountains in the dark to see the 227 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:14.320 sunrise or swimming in the lagoons of extinct volcanoes, Carrie 228 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:16.960 never looked at the sky and thought the same things 229 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.879 that I did. She only giggled at the prospect of Bigfoot, 230 00:14:21.440 --> 00:14:25.039 and once she even suggested that I exercise a little 231 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:29.039 caution about that topic when speaking in certain circles, saying 232 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:32.440 we wouldn't want others to think you're as crazy as 233 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:36.639 I know you are. The irony of that statement would 234 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:41.080 come back to haunt her. The Pacific Northwest may not 235 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:45.039 house the largest forests on Earth, but it certainly does 236 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:48.480 not fail to impress. It's been a favorite place of 237 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:53.559 mind for a long time. The Redwoods are unparalleled, so 238 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:56.759 it was inevitable that Carrie and I would eventually hike there. 239 00:14:57.799 --> 00:15:01.679 We took six days off from our responsibilit put backpacks 240 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:05.600 on our shoulders, and got on a plane. The first 241 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:08.399 day was spent gathering a couple of items that aren't 242 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:11.519 allowed on airplanes. I learned a long time ago to 243 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:15.039 pack light and never check a bag. There's nothing worse 244 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:18.080 than arriving at base camp five days before your climbing 245 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:22.200 gear does. On bigger trips, we may ship supplies ahead, 246 00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:25.200 but on a little adventures it is easier to buy 247 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:28.440 a folding knife and one fuel sell for your camp 248 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:33.000 burner after arrival. In addition to this, we grabbed some 249 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:35.600 fruit and smoked meat and fish, and a few other 250 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:38.279 items to keep us going over the next few days. 251 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.080 After a good night's sleep, we ventured out for the 252 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:46.360 first day. The unseasonably warm weather carried hints of smoke 253 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:50.519 from the fires burning to the north. The smell was constant, 254 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:54.360 but it wasn't overbearing. The sky was a surreal shade 255 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:58.399 of orange draped over intermittent fogs and a constant smoky 256 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:01.840 haze that left us feeling like we had stepped onto 257 00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:05.960 a movie set. It was unlike anything we had ever seen. 258 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:10.799 We hiked in northern California for four days, a total 259 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:15.320 of forty two miles, with only rare encounters with other hikers. 260 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:19.840 Most visitors to our national parks and wild places rarely 261 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:23.200 go beyond half a mile into the woods. Safer for 262 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:27.039 them and better for me, was my opinion. On our 263 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:29.480 fifth and final day out, we decided to take the 264 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:33.039 trail that I had been on twice before. It's eight 265 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:35.840 miles of not too difficult trail that ends in a 266 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:40.799 nice mile stretch along the Pacific coast. We started early 267 00:16:40.919 --> 00:16:44.720 in conditions that hadn't changed in days. It was smoky 268 00:16:44.759 --> 00:16:48.399 and warm, and it was orange. Having done well with 269 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:52.360 our rations, we nibbled periodically on whatever was left, knowing 270 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:56.399 that our next meal would likely be in an airport restaurant. 271 00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:00.840 Several miles in, at what was roughly the half way point, 272 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:05.519 we came across two bull elk. That's not uncommon to 273 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:09.039 see Roosevelt elk on many of these trails, and as 274 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:11.640 long as you stay aware and give them adequate space, 275 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:16.039 it usually works out. These elk had decided to bed 276 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:18.960 down twenty yards from each other, directly in the middle 277 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:22.400 of the footpath. We held up behind a ten foot 278 00:17:22.440 --> 00:17:25.960 diameter redwood that was about the same distance from the elk. 279 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:29.000 Milling around for a bit, we talked, and we made 280 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:31.799 enough noise that the boys definitely knew we were there. 281 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:35.519 They didn't pay us any attention, though, they were more 282 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:38.240 interested in soaking up any light that made it through 283 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:42.480 the hazy canopy above. Because there didn't seem to be 284 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:45.720 any immediate danger we waited and watched them a bit, 285 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:51.400 and we contemplated an alternate route around them. Four years earlier, 286 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:54.359 I had come across some females and yearlings while on 287 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:57.400 this trail, and that ended with me and my hiking 288 00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:00.640 partner sitting ten feet up in a tree and holding 289 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:03.319 on for dear life while a bull smacked the trunk 290 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.920 below us for an hour. He was definitely making a 291 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:10.440 statement that I didn't care to have these two bulls repeat. 292 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:14.440 Changing course in the redwoods isn't as easy as one 293 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:17.880 might think. Often if you leave the trail is to 294 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:20.839 go straight up or straight down, and you simply don't 295 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:25.279 step over down redwoods unless you're Paul Bunyon. And worse, 296 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:28.960 sometimes it's fifteen feet up and then fifteen feet back 297 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:32.519 down through a heavy voliage that includes ferns as big 298 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:35.839 as cars. And I've walked to within ten feet avelt 299 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:40.400 more than on one occasion. Before they reveal themselves. Everything 300 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:44.480 is that big out there. I decided to try and 301 00:18:44.519 --> 00:18:47.279 make the bulls uncomfortable by getting down on one knee 302 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:50.839 and moving closer. I had moved in several yards and 303 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.799 they were now looking right at me. But discomfort wasn't 304 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:58.039 the expression on their faces. It wasn't working, so I 305 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:01.599 began to shuffle back a few feet. When they simultaneously 306 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:05.519 turned ninety degrees and abruptly stood up. I no longer 307 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:09.920 had their attention. Carrie stepped forward and put her hand 308 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.640 on my shoulder, and as the elk leaped off the 309 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:16.480 path and disappeared into the forest, crashing and breaking branches 310 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.880 as they ran, I turned and looked at her, and 311 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:23.079 at that moment, a strong smell wafted it in and 312 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:28.279 overpowered the smell of smoke. It was curiously familiar, but 313 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:31.680 everything was happening so quickly that I didn't process it. 314 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:35.599 Carrie's grip on my shoulder got suddenly tighter as her 315 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:39.319 hand began to tremble. When I looked at her again, 316 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:43.039 what I saw scared me. Her eyes were wide and 317 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:46.640 her face had gone nearly white. She could see something 318 00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:50.039 that I couldn't. I didn't stand up, but I turned 319 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:52.880 back and looked to where the elk once lay. And 320 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:57.279 then it happened, with a sort of grunting sound and 321 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:01.720 a tremendous leap, A huge hair covered things sprang from 322 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:05.480 the ferns below the footpath and landed not thirty yards 323 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:10.799 in front of us. It was absurdly large, way bigger 324 00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:13.279 than either of the bull elk that had stood there 325 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:17.839 moments before. I knew exactly what I was looking at. 326 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:20.039 There was no doubt in my mind I was staring 327 00:20:20.039 --> 00:20:23.799 at the same thing Patterson filmed all those years ago, 328 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:27.960 massive and very dark brown, standing on two legs, attached 329 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:33.119 to these giant feet, and it was staring at us. First, 330 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:35.039 it looked at Carrie, and then at me, and then 331 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:38.039 back at Carrie again, and over and over for what 332 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:42.759 seemed like an eternity. I was frozen in fear. I 333 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:45.480 wanted to run, I wanted to scream, or to cry, 334 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:48.079 or at least close my eyes, but I couldn't do 335 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:52.160 any of those things. Carries grew up, tightened to the 336 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:55.319 point that she was causing me pain, and then she 337 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:59.759 let go. She didn't step away, she remained directly behind me. 338 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:03.559 And then my girlfriend did something I would never have imagined. 339 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.880 I felt her open the top compartment of my pack 340 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:10.359 and remove one of the two apples we save for 341 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:15.039 the coast trail portion of our height. The apple sailed 342 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:18.319 over my head toward the beast that was staring at us, 343 00:21:18.359 --> 00:21:20.799 and it fell short and rolled off the trail and 344 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:24.400 out of sight. Well this seemed to anger it, because 345 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:27.400 it huffed once and then a second time, even harder. 346 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:33.279 I whispered again, and Carrie replied, what, throw the other apple, 347 00:21:33.319 --> 00:21:37.680 and throw it hard, I said. She reached for the apple, 348 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:40.559 and I saw the beast squint its eyes. The look 349 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:43.599 we were getting was far more intimidating than when it 350 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:48.799 first landed on the trail. Carrie chucked the second apple hard, 351 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:52.359 and time crawled as I watched the apple sail toward 352 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:55.559 the creature in slow motion, heading straight for its head. 353 00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:59.319 It was definitely going to hit it. For a second, 354 00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:02.279 I wondered how angry being hit by an apple would 355 00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:06.160 make it. And then, with little effort and amazing speed, 356 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:08.839 it reached up and caught the apple about a foot 357 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:12.400 from its neck and pushed it into its mouth, all 358 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:16.920 in one fluid motion. I was so taken aback that 359 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:20.279 I fell from my knees and was now sitting sideways 360 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:23.279 on the ground, and Carrie dropped to her knees next 361 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:26.480 to me as we watched in amazement while this bigfoot 362 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:30.480 chewed the apple, huffed again in our direction, turned in 363 00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:33.319 the same direction that the elk had gone, and with 364 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:39.240 two big steps, disappeared silently into the forest. It took 365 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:42.039 several minutes before either of us caught our breath and 366 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:45.799 snapped out of it, but neither said a word. We 367 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:49.759 communicated by watching each other's breathing and nodding, and after 368 00:22:49.799 --> 00:22:52.240 a bit I gave her a gentle smile and she 369 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:55.599 answered with one of her own, and we clasped hands 370 00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:58.480 very quickly walked the last three and a half miles 371 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:03.000 to the trailhead. We didn't speak much on our journey 372 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:07.279 home or for the next week. Eventually we discussed it. 373 00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:09.799 I had to know what made her think to throw 374 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:14.480 the apples. She smiled and said, the Dixie cryptied guy. 375 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:19.119 Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, don't blame anything 376 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:22.599 on the Dixie cryptied guy. Okay, all right, let me 377 00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:25.920 give back. The Dixie cryptied guy told a story about 378 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:29.880 a grandpa who gave a bigfoot his grandson's squirrels, and 379 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:33.680 it seemed to work for them. We still occasionally talk 380 00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:37.079 about what happened that day. We've even shared the story 381 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:40.599 with a few friends and family. Neither one of us 382 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:44.680 expected for that to happen. We both hope it never does. Again, 383 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.200 it's so far from our normal reality that it's hard 384 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:53.599 to process. I never tell anyone exactly where it happened. 385 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:55.599 I don't want people to go out there looking for 386 00:23:55.680 --> 00:23:59.799 these things. The woods are dangerous enough without running around 387 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:02.960 trying to find something four or five times your size. 388 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:06.559 And my advice is to enjoy the stories and watch 389 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:10.319 the movies, but hope that you never make contact. Whatever 390 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:15.119 man touches, he destroys. Maybe the Bigfoot have figured that out, 391 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:17.720 and that's why they're so elusive.