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<v Speaker 1>In the late nineties, I found myself working as an

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<v Speaker 1>electrical contractor at a nearby chemical plant. The men I

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<v Speaker 1>worked with there were older and not filled with as

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<v Speaker 1>much nonsense as me, and this led to a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of fun filled debate in the break room. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>one of our biggest debates was about who was the

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<v Speaker 1>greatest athlete of modern times. Partly tongue in cheek, I

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<v Speaker 1>asserted that it was Evil Knievel, based on the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that he put all of it on the line to score,

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<v Speaker 1>and that if he missed his goal, there was no

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<v Speaker 1>steak or hot tub waiting, but rather a visit to

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<v Speaker 1>the hospital or even to the morgue. After a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of debate and ribbing, the subject turned to Bigfoot. One

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<v Speaker 1>of the older men said, yeah, I guess you believe

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<v Speaker 1>in Bigfoot too, don't you, to which I replied, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I believe there's a possibility that Bigfoot does exist. I

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't rule them out. Again, these men, being hardened in

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<v Speaker 1>level headed hunters and fishermen, they laughed and made some

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<v Speaker 1>more smart remarks. It was all in good fun, and

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<v Speaker 1>none of us really took it seriously. Our silly break

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<v Speaker 1>room banter was just our way of blowing off steam

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<v Speaker 1>and forgetting for a few minutes the hard labor and

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<v Speaker 1>the intensely dangerous work conditions that we faced every day.

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<v Speaker 1>That day, my work partner Remo asked me, do you

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<v Speaker 1>really think Bigfoot could be real? And I replied, to

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<v Speaker 1>be honest, I hope it is. One thing is for sure.

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<v Speaker 1>When I get to Heaven, I'll find out. Remo then said,

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<v Speaker 1>if I tell you something, will you not mention it

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<v Speaker 1>to the other guys. I said, of course, knowing he

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<v Speaker 1>was about to tell me something that he trusted me with,

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<v Speaker 1>and so Remo began to tell me his story. Three

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<v Speaker 1>years ago, I went deer hunting. I have a regular

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<v Speaker 1>spot that I go to where I have a tree

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<v Speaker 1>stand set up up and there are plenty of natural

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<v Speaker 1>attractors for deer. I kill a deer almost every time

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<v Speaker 1>I go there. I had been there the weekend before

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<v Speaker 1>to make sure my stand was there and in good

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<v Speaker 1>shape so there would be no surprises. When I came

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<v Speaker 1>back to hunt, I was pulling into my parking location

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<v Speaker 1>well before sunrise. I got out and started loading up

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<v Speaker 1>my gear, and I saw an empty truck that had

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<v Speaker 1>obviously arrived before me. I knew this because there was

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<v Speaker 1>frost on the windshield, the rifle rack was empty, and

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<v Speaker 1>an empty bottle of apple scent was laying on the

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<v Speaker 1>ground next to the truck. I figured it was another

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<v Speaker 1>hunter who just liked the same area that I did.

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<v Speaker 1>The evidence of another hunter would normally discourage most but

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<v Speaker 1>it was a vast national forest area in northeast Tennessee,

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<v Speaker 1>in the Rhone Mountain area, and there was plenty of

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<v Speaker 1>room for more than one hunter. Also, for the most part,

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<v Speaker 1>this is an area where people are still neighbors and

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<v Speaker 1>consider it to one another. I began to hear a

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<v Speaker 1>ruckus coming from some distance away, deep in the woods.

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<v Speaker 1>This was gonna scare off the deer if these guys

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<v Speaker 1>keep it up. I put on my hat and vest,

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<v Speaker 1>and I started down the trail towards the location of

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<v Speaker 1>my deer stand. As I walked, I could hear limbs

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<v Speaker 1>breaking and someone yelling for help. Someone was in trouble,

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<v Speaker 1>so I picked up the pace. As I topped a

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<v Speaker 1>small rise and started down the opposite side, I caught

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<v Speaker 1>sight of a man running as hard as he could,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was in a panic. It had to be

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<v Speaker 1>this other hunter, as the man approached. I could see

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<v Speaker 1>the look of sheer terror in his eyes, and he screamed, run, run,

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<v Speaker 1>follow me, Let's run, and he never slowed his paste

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<v Speaker 1>as he ran past me. I followed him back down

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<v Speaker 1>the trail towards the trucks, and I noticed that he

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<v Speaker 1>did not have a rifle. This was really odd. Who

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<v Speaker 1>goes deer huh without a rifle. We reached the trucks

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<v Speaker 1>about the same time and he collapsed from exhaustion. Remo

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<v Speaker 1>questioned the man and asked what happened, fully expecting to

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<v Speaker 1>hear that he had stumbled onto a moonshine still or

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<v Speaker 1>a marijuana grow. These can be dangerous to stumble upon

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<v Speaker 1>because these groves are closely guarded. Monster was all he said,

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<v Speaker 1>over and over, Monster Monster. Even though his eyes darted

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<v Speaker 1>around wildly, checking in all directions, he took just enough

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<v Speaker 1>time before tearing down the gravel road at breakneck speed

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<v Speaker 1>to say that a ten foot tall, apelike black monster

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<v Speaker 1>had attacked him after he took a shot at it.

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<v Speaker 1>He claimed the shot only infuriated the creature, and it

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<v Speaker 1>charged his tree stand. In what seemed like a single movement.

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<v Speaker 1>The creature charged him, ripped the gun from his hands,

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<v Speaker 1>pulled the tree stand down to the ground with him

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<v Speaker 1>in it, and crouched down facing the man as it

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<v Speaker 1>burst forth with a deafening roar right in his face.

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<v Speaker 1>The hunter scrambled to his feet and tore through the

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<v Speaker 1>woods in terror. Remo was stunned. He wondered if this

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<v Speaker 1>was a trick to run him out of the forest

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<v Speaker 1>and his favorite hunting spot. After a self motivational pep talk,

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<v Speaker 1>Remo decided that it would take more than a crazy

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<v Speaker 1>fairy tale to keep him from getting a deer that day.

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<v Speaker 1>He proceeded back to the trail and made the hike

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<v Speaker 1>to his tree stand. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary

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<v Speaker 1>when he got there. Surely the other hunter had a

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<v Speaker 1>nightmare while sleeping in his stand, or maybe he had

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<v Speaker 1>mental problems, or it could have been under the influence

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<v Speaker 1>of drugs. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. Now. Remo

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<v Speaker 1>had settled into his stand and was ready for a

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<v Speaker 1>good hunt. He heard the crunch of dry leaves in

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<v Speaker 1>the distance, but he couldn't see the animal to the

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<v Speaker 1>faint light of the early morning. Maybe a deer was

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<v Speaker 1>heading his way. The animal was coming straight to him,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was perfectly positioned for the kill. The light

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<v Speaker 1>of the rising sun had revealed all the details of

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<v Speaker 1>the landscape for many yards in every direction, so he

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<v Speaker 1>scanned the woods, looking and waiting. He focused in on

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<v Speaker 1>something that was unusual and didn't belong in the woods.

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<v Speaker 1>The shapes were wrong. Not far away was the twisted

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<v Speaker 1>and mangled remains of a tree stand. The wind shifted

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<v Speaker 1>and a horrible smell overtook him as he looked around him,

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<v Speaker 1>searching for the animal and now what was producing that

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<v Speaker 1>nasty odor? And just beyond his stand on the ground

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<v Speaker 1>was the broken stock of a deer rifle. Something was

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<v Speaker 1>way off about this whole situation. The rustling leaves was

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<v Speaker 1>coming closer, but it was not the familiar sound of

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<v Speaker 1>a big buck. It was the heavy thud of two

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<v Speaker 1>feet walking. Becoming a bit unnerved, he decided to quietly

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<v Speaker 1>make his way down the tree and quickly jogged back

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<v Speaker 1>to his truck. He did not wait around to see

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<v Speaker 1>what this thing was. He got in his truck and

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<v Speaker 1>he left. I could see that he was embarrassed to

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<v Speaker 1>admit this, but I also seemed to be relieved to

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<v Speaker 1>have finally shared it with someone. His nervousness quickly left

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<v Speaker 1>as I assured him that I would not share his

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<v Speaker 1>story with the other men. Remo never said if he

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<v Speaker 1>ever went back to that spot, but I knew him

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<v Speaker 1>for years and he never mentioned hunting, just fishing. I

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<v Speaker 1>wonder sometimes if Bigfoot won a victory over the rights

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<v Speaker 1>to his territory that day. I cannot claim to know

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<v Speaker 1>the truth about this story, but I can vouch for

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<v Speaker 1>the man who shared it with me. He was an honest,

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<v Speaker 1>hard working, no nonsense man. He told me his story

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<v Speaker 1>at great risk of intense ridicule from others. I grew

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<v Speaker 1>up in the middle of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, so I

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<v Speaker 1>don't have stories of life on the farm other than

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<v Speaker 1>the two hundred acre form my grandfather had. That's where

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<v Speaker 1>my dad taught me to hunt. That being said, my

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<v Speaker 1>life was never normal. It was filled with unusual events,

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<v Speaker 1>like lightning streaking through my house during the summer thunderstorms.

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<v Speaker 1>To a small boy, the bluish streaks flashing through the

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<v Speaker 1>house were the greatest thing in the world. We had

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<v Speaker 1>a tall TV in tent of wired to a massive

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<v Speaker 1>sycamore tree for support, and I believe it acted like

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<v Speaker 1>a lightning conductor. It never hurt us or damaged the house,

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<v Speaker 1>but it made Mom jump and scream every time it flashed.

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<v Speaker 1>That's probably why I love lightning storms, not because a

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<v Speaker 1>mom jumping and screaming, but knowing it probably wouldn't hurt me.

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<v Speaker 1>I chased life with a camera for about four years,

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<v Speaker 1>and I got some amazing photos. I grew up in

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<v Speaker 1>the Deep South with all the legends of monsters in

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<v Speaker 1>the woods, ghosts everywhere, and things that go bump in

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<v Speaker 1>the night. It's taken seventy one years of living to

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<v Speaker 1>prove that most of them are real. I've hunted and

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<v Speaker 1>fished the woods and waters of Louisiana all my life,

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<v Speaker 1>beginning with trips to fishing spots that were just a

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<v Speaker 1>little wider than the fourteen foot boat my dad and

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<v Speaker 1>I were in. Well that's where the fish are. We

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<v Speaker 1>went to exotic places like Cockadri. I think that's how

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<v Speaker 1>you pronounce that cocodre, Cockadrie, Grassy Lake, False River, and

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<v Speaker 1>Bayou Pigeon. These waters were filled with alligators, an alligator

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<v Speaker 1>gar that could easily eat you, an alligator snapping, turtles

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<v Speaker 1>that could take a hand off in one bite. I

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<v Speaker 1>guess it's best to avoid anything with alligator in its name.

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<v Speaker 1>These waters were mostly surrounded by deep woods, dark places

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<v Speaker 1>that would inspire your mind to wander and wonder what

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<v Speaker 1>was out there, even though you didn't really want to know.

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<v Speaker 1>I took comfort knowing that our eighteen horsepower Evan rooted

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<v Speaker 1>outboard and motor could outrun anything that could swim up

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<v Speaker 1>to our boat. The time spent with my dad was

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<v Speaker 1>and is the best memories of growing up. He was

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<v Speaker 1>the guy that knew everything about everything, or so I thought.

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<v Speaker 1>Hunting trips were pretty much the same. We'd get up

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<v Speaker 1>three hours before sunrise and drive sixty miles to the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of nowhere to be in the woods before the

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<v Speaker 1>sun came up. That man walking in the dark to

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<v Speaker 1>our hunting spots, and if I had known what was

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<v Speaker 1>out there, I'd probably have never started hunting. But I

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<v Speaker 1>was reassured by my father that the guns we had

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<v Speaker 1>were all we needed to protect ourselves. His was a

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<v Speaker 1>twelve gage L. C. Smith double barrel shotgun and mine

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<v Speaker 1>was a four to ten bolt action, both loaded with

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<v Speaker 1>number six squirrel shot. And again, if I had only known,

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<v Speaker 1>my journey into the unseen realm started when I was young.

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<v Speaker 1>I had ongoing repetitive nightmares of going to an old

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<v Speaker 1>two story house that was haunted. Each level in the

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<v Speaker 1>house was more frightening and dangerous than the last, and

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<v Speaker 1>in my dream, if I ever had made it to

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<v Speaker 1>the attic, I knew I would die. I never did

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<v Speaker 1>get to the attic in my dream. Luckily I always

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<v Speaker 1>woke up first. Forty years later, I visited that house

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<v Speaker 1>the Myrtles near Saint Francisville, Louisiana. The ghosts were real

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<v Speaker 1>and the dreams stopped. I suppose I had met face

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<v Speaker 1>to face with my fears. Dealing with earth bound souls

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<v Speaker 1>or ghosts became a way of life for me in

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteen seventies. Most of them are lost and confused,

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<v Speaker 1>and they just need a little help finding a direction.

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<v Speaker 1>But some are evil and demonic, and although I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>like it, I had to deal with some of those too.

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<v Speaker 1>Knowing about UFOs was commonplace among all my friends. It

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<v Speaker 1>was a huge topic of conversation. In the nineteen sixties.

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<v Speaker 1>The US was engaged in the space race, and everyone

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<v Speaker 1>was interested in all the things about space. UFOs like Bigfoot,

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<v Speaker 1>were mostly whispered about for fear of ridicule. In two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand and six, while living on a farm in Tylertown, Mississippi,

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<v Speaker 1>I was photographing a thunderstorm and I managed to get

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<v Speaker 1>two clear photographs of a UFO. There. Again proved for

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<v Speaker 1>what I believed, and I sent the photos to Moufon

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<v Speaker 1>and never heard back from them. As for Bigfoot, that

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<v Speaker 1>story started when I was sixteen. The Roger Patterson Bigfoot

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<v Speaker 1>film from California had just come out, and I knew

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<v Speaker 1>it was real. I wanted to go there, but I

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<v Speaker 1>knew it was impossible. Not too much later, the movie

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<v Speaker 1>The Legend of Boggy Creek came out, and I thought

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<v Speaker 1>it was just another B grade scary movie and I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't pay any attention. Shortly after that, my first exposure

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<v Speaker 1>to Bigfoot came at a hunting camp in Morganza, Louisiana.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a twenty three thousand acre lease with two

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and fifty members in the hunting club. The club

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<v Speaker 1>had three camps. Days at the camp included getting up

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<v Speaker 1>two hours before dawn to be on an assigned stand

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<v Speaker 1>as the sun came up, and the drivers would turn

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<v Speaker 1>the dogs loose to get the deer up and moving well.

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<v Speaker 1>That lasted until noon after which we returned to camp

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<v Speaker 1>after the to clean whatever deer were killed. We hung

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<v Speaker 1>out around the camp for the afternoon, drinking beer and

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for supper to be cooked. Later. After supper, there

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<v Speaker 1>was more beer in the nightly card game. Well, myself

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<v Speaker 1>and another sixteen year old nicknamed Poncho had other plans.

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<v Speaker 1>Because it was a moonlit night, we walked down a

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<v Speaker 1>five mile gravel road at night to another camp with

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<v Speaker 1>no flashlights, no guns, nothing but my hunting knife for protection.

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<v Speaker 1>Because there had never been a sighting of a bear

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<v Speaker 1>or cougar, the worst thing that we could meet was

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<v Speaker 1>a deer, apossum, an armadillo, or a skunk. Right about

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<v Speaker 1>a mile into the walk, we could hear something walking

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<v Speaker 1>beside us in the bushes just off the road. It

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<v Speaker 1>sounded light enough to be a person, and it seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to walk on two feet. If we stopped, it stopped,

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<v Speaker 1>and if we walked, it walk. This went on for

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<v Speaker 1>a quarter of a mile, with both of us trying

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<v Speaker 1>to figure out what it was. We ran through all

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<v Speaker 1>the animals that we could think of. No way it

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<v Speaker 1>was anything that we'd heard or seen before. So what

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<v Speaker 1>was it? Was it a person? If it was one

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<v Speaker 1>of the men from our camp. They would have jumped

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<v Speaker 1>out to scare us. A lost hunting dog maybe would

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<v Speaker 1>have come to us. Deer don't follow people. I stopped

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<v Speaker 1>and cut a tall sapling to make a spear, and

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<v Speaker 1>Poncho asked why I did that. I told him, if

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<v Speaker 1>anything comes out of those bushes, I'm gonna stab it.

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<v Speaker 1>It finally faded off in the distance and we never

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<v Speaker 1>knew what it was. Two weeks later I heard on

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<v Speaker 1>the radio that on a recent night, a towboat pilot

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<v Speaker 1>had shined his searchlight on a large, upright walking animal

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<v Speaker 1>on the banks of the Mississippi River near where our

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<v Speaker 1>camp was. He said it was a bigfoot. By the

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<v Speaker 1>time I was twin and had a job that could

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<v Speaker 1>have paid my way to California, I was in love

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<v Speaker 1>and getting married so much for Bigfoot. I kept up

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<v Speaker 1>with the stories of Bigfoot as best as I could,

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<v Speaker 1>and now that I'm single again and retired. In October

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<v Speaker 1>of twenty eighteen, I finally made it to California. While

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<v Speaker 1>walking a boy scout tree trail in Jedediah smith Redwood

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<v Speaker 1>State Park, I found a sixteen inch bigfoot track. I

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<v Speaker 1>hoped I would find the bigfoot there. I did find

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<v Speaker 1>a big footprint, but not the bigfoot. I was like

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<v Speaker 1>a kid in a candy store. I was all but

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<v Speaker 1>dancing as I look for what made the print, but

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<v Speaker 1>I never saw it. I could feel eyes on me,

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<v Speaker 1>though something was watching me, and I'd call out to it,

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<v Speaker 1>come see me. I'm not afraid of you, and I

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<v Speaker 1>won't hurt you, and I won't run away. Come in

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<v Speaker 1>and see me. Nothing appeared or called back, but I

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<v Speaker 1>knew they were there. But what I didn't know was

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<v Speaker 1>that this trail is only twenty miles from where Roger

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<v Speaker 1>Patterson shot his film of Paddy. Had I known, I

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<v Speaker 1>might still be there today. Obligations brought me back to Louisiana,

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<v Speaker 1>and now I have embarked on a quest for bigfoot

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<v Speaker 1>near where I grew up. I headed for the area

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<v Speaker 1>with the most reported sightings of bigfoot in Louisiana. It's

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<v Speaker 1>the Kesachee National Forest. It is six hundred thousand acres

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<v Speaker 1>of commercial pine, timberland and hardwood bottoms, and there's lots

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<v Speaker 1>of room for bigfoot to roam. I made it here

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<v Speaker 1>in April of twenty nineteen, and I've been in this

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<v Speaker 1>area off and on. Since I camp here two to

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<v Speaker 1>three weeks out of every month, as close as a

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<v Speaker 1>half a mile from where I've found their tracks. I

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<v Speaker 1>have found numerous tracks and tree structures supposedly built by Bigfoot,

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<v Speaker 1>and had the extreme pleasure of actually getting a three

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<v Speaker 1>second full body view of one only one hundred yards away.

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<v Speaker 1>On September fifth of twenty nineteen, I was walking one

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<v Speaker 1>of the logging roads here, a stretch that I hadn't

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<v Speaker 1>walked before. It was eight thirty am, and I had

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<v Speaker 1>stopped to look for tracks around a small pond. I

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<v Speaker 1>had my Sony digital camera out. I zoomed out to

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<v Speaker 1>twelve hundred millimeters, looking around the edges of the pond,

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<v Speaker 1>not seeing any tracks of deer, codies, or Bigfoot or raccoons.

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<v Speaker 1>I turned the camera off and let it hang on

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<v Speaker 1>a strap connected to my backpack. Well. As I did,

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<v Speaker 1>I saw something move from the corner of my right eye,

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<v Speaker 1>and when I turned to see what it was, I

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<v Speaker 1>saw about three seconds of the seven foot tall creature

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<v Speaker 1>walk across the road one hundred yards away from me.

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<v Speaker 1>It takes five seconds for that camera to come to

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<v Speaker 1>life and be ready to take a photo, so I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't get photo. I think it had been paralleling me

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<v Speaker 1>as I walked, and when I stopped, it saw a

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<v Speaker 1>chance to get ahead of me, and it crossed the road.

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<v Speaker 1>It was covered in six inch long black hair and

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<v Speaker 1>was slender built. Unlike the reports of the massive hawk

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<v Speaker 1>like creatures. It had an easy gait, apparently in no

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<v Speaker 1>particular hurry. Its head was down a little and I

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't see a neck. The back of its head was

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<v Speaker 1>conical in shape, with a point straight above its head

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<v Speaker 1>as it looked down. Its hands reached almost to its knees,

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<v Speaker 1>and its palms faced towards the rear. It never looked

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<v Speaker 1>my way, either because it didn't see me standing there,

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<v Speaker 1>or it didn't want me to see it in the

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<v Speaker 1>first place, or maybe it did. I've wondered if it

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<v Speaker 1>wanted me to see it briefly, because I had been

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<v Speaker 1>looking for it and talking to them out loud as

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<v Speaker 1>I walked, calling for them to come out to visit me,

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<v Speaker 1>the same way I did in California. I do that

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<v Speaker 1>a lot here, and I've heard mumbled replies, and I've

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<v Speaker 1>even been whistled at by one while walking. Whatever the case,

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<v Speaker 1>I went to try to find it, but I couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>find any tracks because the ground was dry and hardest concrete.

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<v Speaker 1>Most of the accounts for my witnesses say that they

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<v Speaker 1>just wanted to get as far away as possible. I,

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<v Speaker 1>on the other hand, I wanted to get closer. Remember

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<v Speaker 1>I'm the guy that chased lightning. I've heard the tree

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<v Speaker 1>knocks people talk about in vocalizations, and answer to calls

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<v Speaker 1>one of my fellow researchers made. My goal currently is

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<v Speaker 1>to get another sighting and hopefully some photos. I've waited

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<v Speaker 1>fifty five years to get to this point. I guess

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<v Speaker 1>a couple more years won't matter.