1 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,199 Speaker 1: This is an email from a woman named Shelley, and 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,279 she's from the Pacific Northwest. And this is a really 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:18,000 interesting kind of violent story. It's pretty scary. She begins 4 00:00:18,039 --> 00:00:20,879 the email. She tells me she's a seventy year old 5 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:25,199 retired nurse. She's a twenty seven year veteran of the 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,359 Navy and the Army. She was in from nineteen sixty 7 00:00:28,399 --> 00:00:32,600 seven to nineteen ninety four. She's been to Japan and 8 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:37,880 Saudi Arabia, and she deals with veterans who suffer from PTSD. 9 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,439 She's also a disabled combat veteran due to exposures to 10 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,520 environmental contaminants in the area that her unit was in 11 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,399 in nineteen ninety one. Gustin, that was kuwait. But here's 12 00:00:50,439 --> 00:00:55,079 what she writes. I grew up in Oregon and frequently 13 00:00:55,159 --> 00:00:58,880 went hunting and fishing with my father every year since 14 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,920 I could hold a fishing pole or legally hunt with him. 15 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:04,760 I guess you might say that I knew most of 16 00:01:04,799 --> 00:01:07,560 the animals that are normally found in the area near 17 00:01:07,599 --> 00:01:12,439 where I lived and hunted during these expeditions into the wilds. 18 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,519 I've never seen, heard, or smelled anything that might be 19 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,319 evidence of a sasquatch that lived in the areas where 20 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,560 we hunted. I've also been skeptical that such a creature 21 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:29,640 existed even after the Patterson film was released. While I 22 00:01:29,719 --> 00:01:32,400 was on active duty, I came home on leave for 23 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,480 hunting season, which occurs around my dad and my own 24 00:01:35,599 --> 00:01:40,079 birthday every year. The last hunting seasons that I went 25 00:01:40,159 --> 00:01:43,280 with my father before he could no longer hunt. This 26 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,519 last hunt trip was near the area where my encounter 27 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,400 would occur, and we've seen bears and big cats and 28 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,680 elk and deer in that area. I have three cats, 29 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,519 and I've always kept three since I left active duty. 30 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,079 My cat's age and pass on, and I take them 31 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,680 and bury them in the same area that all of 32 00:02:03,719 --> 00:02:07,799 our pets have been buried over the years. Since there 33 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,919 are bears in the area of our little pet cemetery, 34 00:02:11,319 --> 00:02:14,479 I carry a side arm when I'm up there. I 35 00:02:14,599 --> 00:02:17,520 also remain alert to the sounds around me because of 36 00:02:17,599 --> 00:02:22,439 bearing big cats. My big time cat, I'm going to 37 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,080 try to pronounce his name, Shot in Yeger. Shot in Yeger. 38 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,080 It's a German name. I'd spell it for you, but 39 00:02:29,439 --> 00:02:32,800 just suffice it to say Shot in Yeger passed away 40 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:37,080 the day before the encounter. On June eighteenth of twenty nineteen, 41 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:40,639 the afternoon of the nineteenth, I took him up to 42 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:44,680 the little pet Cemetery below Harness Mountain, which is located 43 00:02:44,719 --> 00:02:49,439 in Douglas County in Oregon. I was digging the small 44 00:02:49,479 --> 00:02:52,680 grave and was nearly done when I heard what I 45 00:02:52,759 --> 00:02:55,159 thought was a bear moving through their brush on the 46 00:02:55,199 --> 00:02:59,240 small hill above the pond. The breeze shifted and I 47 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,479 got a whiff of a strong musky smell, and I 48 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,680 thought I had a bear, either stalking me or passing 49 00:03:05,719 --> 00:03:10,159 close by. I drew my pistol and I chambered around, 50 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:15,240 and what happened next caught me totally by surprise. There 51 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,159 was a loud grunt and something started to stomp through 52 00:03:18,199 --> 00:03:20,960 the trees, and it was snapping branches as it went. 53 00:03:22,199 --> 00:03:27,280 The dry ground made the stomping sound like hollow drum beats. Well, 54 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,960 I finished digging the grave while the creature circled me, 55 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,960 stomping and grunning, And when it was the opposite of 56 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,879 me across the pond, it picked up a big rock 57 00:03:36,199 --> 00:03:40,199 about the size of a medium Hermiston watermelon and threw 58 00:03:40,199 --> 00:03:44,280 it across the pine toward me. It landed a short 59 00:03:44,319 --> 00:03:47,039 distance from the bank, and it splashed water up to 60 00:03:47,039 --> 00:03:50,919 where I was digging. Well. This was disconcerting, so I 61 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,560 finished the burial without any ceremony, and I stacked some 62 00:03:54,719 --> 00:03:57,400 large rocks on the grave that I had hauled up 63 00:03:57,439 --> 00:04:00,280 with me to protect it, and then I I got 64 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:04,000 ready to leave. While I was still there, I heard 65 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,159 branches being snapped, and at one point I saw a 66 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,039 large snag maybe twenty feet tall and a good eighteen 67 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:16,360 inches thick get pushed over. I finished up, and then 68 00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:18,759 I loaded my tools back into the pickup and I 69 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,839 got ready to drive off, and I heard another loud 70 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:25,519 grunt from the hill behind me. I got in and 71 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,480 pulled out onto the main road and started to drive away. 72 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,160 As I passed through a clump of brush near the 73 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,800 swampy area, a rock came flying from the brush and 74 00:04:35,879 --> 00:04:38,759 hit my windshield, knocking a big round chip out of 75 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:42,600 it down the road a bit. A long piece of 76 00:04:42,639 --> 00:04:45,439 branch hit the pickup and landed in the bed. So 77 00:04:45,519 --> 00:04:48,879 I sped up and I got out of there. The 78 00:04:48,959 --> 00:04:51,399 rock that hit the windshield had dropped down into the 79 00:04:51,399 --> 00:04:54,560 opening between the windshield and under the rear edge of 80 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:58,160 the hood and The rock was larger than a soft ball, 81 00:04:58,519 --> 00:05:02,279 and the branch measured eight feet long and four inches 82 00:05:02,399 --> 00:05:05,800 thick along the length. It was too large and heavy 83 00:05:05,879 --> 00:05:10,279 to have been easily thrown by a human. After reflecting 84 00:05:10,319 --> 00:05:12,920 on this encounter, there must have been more than one 85 00:05:12,959 --> 00:05:15,680 of them, based on the distance between where the rock 86 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:19,879 was thrown and where the branch was thrown. I went 87 00:05:19,959 --> 00:05:22,120 back up there a couple of weeks later to check 88 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,759 on the fresh grave to be sure that it had 89 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,720 not been dug up by a wild predator, and I 90 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:33,600 planted some native iris. The new grave was untouched, but 91 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,720 on top of the three little graves, I found that 92 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,839 some large flat river rocks had been placed on top. 93 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,160 The nearest source for those type of rocks was fifteen 94 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:49,639 miles away. As I was leaving on this trip, another 95 00:05:49,759 --> 00:05:52,959 rock was thrown at my pickup. It was as I 96 00:05:53,079 --> 00:05:56,120 drove away, and this one landed in the bed, doing 97 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,800 no damage. The rock was close to the same type 98 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:02,519 and size as those being used on the newer logging 99 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:07,360 roads in the area. In the summer of twenty nineteen, 100 00:06:07,439 --> 00:06:10,000 it was a dry year and many of the springs 101 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,600 had dried up. In the pond was probably the only 102 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:17,240 source of water near These creatures may have been trying 103 00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:19,680 to drive me so that they could access the water. 104 00:06:21,079 --> 00:06:24,480 I never saw the creatures that I encountered, but one 105 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:28,720 thing is for sure. Bears don't stomp, nor can they 106 00:06:28,759 --> 00:06:34,160 throw rocks or sticks. I've heard later that when sisquatch 107 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:38,319 throws rocks, they lobbed them underhanded. But the rocks that 108 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,360 were thrown at me were thrown with a flat trajectory, 109 00:06:41,639 --> 00:06:45,439 like a baseball. I didn't take time to search for 110 00:06:45,519 --> 00:06:48,519 the tracks or any other evidence of what had been 111 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,759 trying to intimidate me. I felt that I was not 112 00:06:51,879 --> 00:06:54,759 welcome in that area, at least when I was there. 113 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,639 There has been elkin deer hunting since my encounter, so 114 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,160 many of these creatures have moved on. It has now 115 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:05,560 been a year since I've been up there last, but 116 00:07:05,639 --> 00:07:08,839 I will be going back when my elderly cat passes on. 117 00:07:10,959 --> 00:07:14,040 Since this encounter, I have a video camera set up 118 00:07:14,079 --> 00:07:16,639 in my pickup and I now explore the back roads 119 00:07:16,639 --> 00:07:19,920 in the area where I live, and when I record 120 00:07:19,959 --> 00:07:24,120 the intro to each video, I jokingly say, maybe I'll 121 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,319 catch the big Harry Goull on this trip. Well, I 122 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:30,240 guess maybe I'm looking to catch one of these creatures 123 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:35,240 on video, but I enjoy the videos of wildlife, wildflowers, mountains, 124 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:40,560 waterfalls and whatever I do find. And she signs off 125 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:45,199 as Shelley of the PNW, and she reminds me that 126 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:50,480 PNW means Pacific Northwest. I actually knew that one. Can 127 00:07:50,519 --> 00:07:53,079 you believe that that's one of them? I actually knew, 128 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:56,040 But I thought this was a crazy story. I mean, 129 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,399 you've got a pet cemetery. I don't know. Whenever we 130 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,279 have pets die, we just kind of we just bury 131 00:08:03,319 --> 00:08:06,480 them in the yard, or you know, if it's not 132 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,800 a real close pet, or if it's a chicken or something, 133 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:10,360 we just throw them out in the woods and let 134 00:08:10,399 --> 00:08:15,120 the predators get them or scavengers. But the pet cemetery thing, 135 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,360 that's kind of a neat idea to find a place 136 00:08:17,399 --> 00:08:19,800 out in the middle of nowhere and bury your pets. 137 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:23,079 I like that idea. I've never thought of that. To 138 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,639 be there saying goodbye to a treasured pet and then 139 00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:31,079 be harassed by bigfoot is And I know people say, well, 140 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,799 you're in their area, blah blah blah. If they're as 141 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,559 smart as people think they are, then they know what 142 00:08:37,639 --> 00:08:41,200 this woman's doing. She's carrying a dead cat. She's digging 143 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,399 a hole to bury the cat. She's not coming in 144 00:08:44,519 --> 00:08:47,240 moving in on their territory. And if they're as smart 145 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,919 as people think they are, they should know that. And 146 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,879 I don't. It kind of bothers me that they harass 147 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:55,679 people that are just not doing much of anything but 148 00:08:55,840 --> 00:09:00,159 walking or whatever. I mean, I'm not really mad about it. 149 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:04,639 I'm just like, I don't know. I guess I have 150 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:06,919 a bit of a heart for this woman because she's 151 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,240 bearing a pet. We have a lot of pets, and 152 00:09:09,279 --> 00:09:12,840 I love them. And I don't know. I'm just rambling on, 153 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,360 but I thought it was a great story. You know, 154 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,279 obviously they can be dangerous. One of those rocks could 155 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:20,919 have come through the windshield and hit her in the 156 00:09:20,919 --> 00:09:24,240 head and killed her. Come on, that stick four inches 157 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:28,559 round and eight feet long. That's a dangerous weapon. That's 158 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:30,720 the way it went. And she doesn't seem to be 159 00:09:30,759 --> 00:09:33,159 too scared, so she says she's going back out there. 160 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:35,639 I think that's pretty cool. I think that's pretty cool. 161 00:09:35,799 --> 00:09:41,960 So thanks Shelly for sending the story. In nineteen eighty two, 162 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,399 when I was in the Air Force and stationed at 163 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,639 Fairchild Air Force Base and spoke in Washington. I was 164 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:51,559 training to be a survival instructor, so I spent a 165 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:55,840 great deal of time in the Connects, Sue, I don't 166 00:09:55,919 --> 00:10:02,679 know Ka, n IKSU connect Sioux National Forests. I've always 167 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:04,799 loved the piece I feel when I'm out in nature. 168 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,320 I've never hunted, but did a lot of camping and fishing. 169 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,480 While I was in training. I had to learn to 170 00:10:11,799 --> 00:10:16,240 set traps and field dress game and tan hides. Also 171 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:19,240 learned to make jerky and smoked fish and a smoker 172 00:10:19,279 --> 00:10:22,320 that we made in camp. I know how to live 173 00:10:22,399 --> 00:10:26,080 out in the middle of nowhere. In nineteen eighty two, 174 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,279 my ex husband and I drove from spoke In to 175 00:10:29,399 --> 00:10:32,440 the West Coast Beach outside of Seattle to spend the 176 00:10:32,519 --> 00:10:35,799 day and have some fun. It was off season, so 177 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,679 we had the beach to ourselves. The drive back was 178 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,440 long and we started late for home. We were both exhausted, 179 00:10:43,519 --> 00:10:45,919 so we decided to make camp. On the way back. 180 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:49,600 We found a stretch of woods between the road and 181 00:10:49,639 --> 00:10:52,159 the river. It was pretty far back in there, but 182 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:54,759 the state or county had set up a little camping 183 00:10:54,799 --> 00:10:59,240 area with brick grills and stone picnic tables. Because it 184 00:10:59,279 --> 00:11:01,720 was late in the year, it was getting chilly. No 185 00:11:01,759 --> 00:11:04,559 one else was around, which meant it would be quiet 186 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,399 and peaceful. We set up our tent and we made 187 00:11:08,399 --> 00:11:10,519 a fire and ate dinner, and then we went to bed. 188 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,320 And something woke me up at two am, but I 189 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:16,720 didn't know what it was. I lay there listening, thinking 190 00:11:16,919 --> 00:11:20,840 maybe an animal of some sort was walking around the campsite. 191 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,360 I was wide awake now, but I couldn't hear anything now. 192 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:27,960 I didn't notice before we went to sleep, but now 193 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:31,320 I was aware that there were no sounds of insects, birds, 194 00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:36,080 or any other animals. It was just too quiet. I 195 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,000 tried to convince myself that it was because it was 196 00:11:39,039 --> 00:11:41,399 so cold out, and I tried to go back to sleep, 197 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,000 and the longer I laid there, the more antsy I got. 198 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,080 I didn't know why, but I was uncomfortable and I 199 00:11:48,159 --> 00:11:51,320 was scared. It got so bad that I had to 200 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:55,519 get up and see if there was anything going on outside. 201 00:11:55,759 --> 00:11:58,120 I climbed out of the tent, doing my best not 202 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,159 to wake my husband. He had a way of making 203 00:12:01,159 --> 00:12:03,919 me feel like an idiot and laughing at me about 204 00:12:03,919 --> 00:12:07,879 these things. Since I was already upset, I didn't feel 205 00:12:07,879 --> 00:12:10,360 like I needed the extra burden of him picking at me. 206 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,720 And I sat there at the picnic table, watching and listening, 207 00:12:13,799 --> 00:12:18,840 but I couldn't find anything wrong. Even so, this uneasy 208 00:12:18,919 --> 00:12:23,440 feeling I had was getting worse. After thirty minutes with 209 00:12:23,639 --> 00:12:25,960 nothing going on, I kicked myself in the butt for 210 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,519 being so silly, and I crawled back in the tent. 211 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:32,600 I still couldn't go back to sleep. In fact, I 212 00:12:32,759 --> 00:12:37,080 was growing more and more afraid. Finally I decided to 213 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,159 get back out. For some reason, I knew there was 214 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,039 something out there that was dangerous and I couldn't see it. 215 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,039 More than anything, I wanted to leave, but I was 216 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,639 worried about waking my husband up for something that I 217 00:12:49,639 --> 00:12:54,480 couldn't explain. The terror built until I began to cry, 218 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,039 even though I still didn't know why. When I couldn't 219 00:12:58,039 --> 00:13:00,759 take it anymore, I woke him up, and when I 220 00:13:00,799 --> 00:13:03,799 tried to explain what I was feeling, I was astonished 221 00:13:03,799 --> 00:13:06,240 to find that he didn't make fun of me or 222 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:10,759 get mad. He just got up and started packing. We 223 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:13,279 loaded up the car, and we left, without ever knowing 224 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:17,039 the reason for my terror. Now i've thought about it 225 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:19,679 often over the years, and I've tried to work out 226 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:24,320 why the whole thing happened. Then, in twenty eleven, I 227 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:29,159 learned about the capture of Geary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer. 228 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,120 The river we can't buy was the Green River, and 229 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,360 we could see the bridge where he'd dumped one of 230 00:13:35,399 --> 00:13:39,639 his victims from where we camp. I've often pondered what 231 00:13:39,759 --> 00:13:42,399 I was so afraid of that night, and could it 232 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:45,639 have been something to do with him or his victims. 233 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:48,559 I've never had the gift of discernment that my little 234 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,759 sister has, nor have I ever had a supernatural experience. 235 00:13:53,799 --> 00:13:56,559 I don't know why I would have been so afraid 236 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:01,840 of something that I couldn't see. After listening to your storytelling, 237 00:14:02,159 --> 00:14:05,639 I have to wonder if that uncomfortable feeling was because 238 00:14:05,639 --> 00:14:09,639 a sasquatch was nearby. It seems that others have felt 239 00:14:09,639 --> 00:14:13,799 that way when they've had their experiences. I'll never know why. 240 00:14:14,519 --> 00:14:17,600 Was it a serial killer, was it a sasquatch or 241 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:22,200 was it just me? Gary Ridgeway was caught due in 242 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:26,879 part to the assistance of Ted Bundy. Bundy offered his help, 243 00:14:26,879 --> 00:14:30,799 and ultimately because of his advice, they caught Ridgeway. It 244 00:14:30,879 --> 00:14:33,679 was nearly twelve years after Bundy died, but it was 245 00:14:33,759 --> 00:14:37,759 by acting on Bundy's intricate knowledge and understanding of his 246 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,919 own kind that they were eventually able to arrest and 247 00:14:41,039 --> 00:14:49,240 convict Ridgeway. Here's a story about a bigfoot in Virginia. 248 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,039 This is really good and it's got some interesting twists 249 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,000 and a little bit of trivia with it. The writer 250 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:01,120 gives the story a title, The Danville wild Man, and 251 00:15:01,159 --> 00:15:05,600 he actually writes it's a true experience by Posey Gilbert. 252 00:15:05,639 --> 00:15:07,919 Now I don't know if he's the author or what. 253 00:15:08,279 --> 00:15:10,559 But I don't know, but I'm gonna read the story 254 00:15:10,559 --> 00:15:13,080 he sent it. So when people send me a story, 255 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:15,559 I assume they wanted on the podcast. So that's what 256 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:19,120 I'm doing here. In nineteen fifty eight, my parents and 257 00:15:19,159 --> 00:15:21,960 my siblings and I went to visit my grandmother's parents 258 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:26,399 who lived back in the mountains and rolling hills of Danville, Virginia. 259 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:30,200 Whenever it started to get dark, Grannie would say, it's 260 00:15:30,279 --> 00:15:33,200 time for y'all to come inside now, because the wild 261 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:35,559 Man would be coming out soon. How do you like 262 00:15:35,639 --> 00:15:38,600 that voice? I'm practicing on doing some voices. Anyway, let's 263 00:15:38,639 --> 00:15:42,559 move on. I was seven then and always imagined a skinny, 264 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:46,360 little unshaven cartoon cave man running around in the leopard 265 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:50,440 skin carrying a big club. I thought it was really 266 00:15:50,519 --> 00:15:53,799 just another Boogeyman story to keep kids in line. At 267 00:15:53,879 --> 00:15:56,360 least that's what my older brother Chuck said it was 268 00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:00,559 when I asked him about it the next day. As 269 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,799 she often did, my Aunt Bella, to keep us from underfoot, 270 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:08,000 told her two oldest sons, Billy and Jimmy, to take 271 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,039 us with them into the woods when they went to 272 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:14,360 gather some firewood. As we scoured the forest floor for 273 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:18,000 kindling and dry broken branches, Billy and Jimmy took to 274 00:16:18,039 --> 00:16:21,039 showing us the various wild berries and plants and roots 275 00:16:21,039 --> 00:16:23,559 and mushrooms that we could eat and those that were 276 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:27,279 poison us and that we should not even touch. We 277 00:16:27,399 --> 00:16:30,519 came on a clearing that was surrounded by tall trees, 278 00:16:30,559 --> 00:16:32,879 and Jimmy said it would be better if we spread 279 00:16:32,879 --> 00:16:36,600 out a bit and looked around. The truth is that 280 00:16:36,639 --> 00:16:39,480 this was an adventure for Chuck and Ie, but this 281 00:16:39,679 --> 00:16:43,679 was just another chore for them. Board they climbed the 282 00:16:43,679 --> 00:16:46,360 two giant trees in the clearing and they watched Chuck 283 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,799 and Ie. As we did their work. I was assigned 284 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:51,919 the kindling, while Chuck was told to look for the 285 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,600 thicker branches. They knew that we wouldn't find anything in 286 00:16:55,679 --> 00:16:58,200 that clearing, but that way they could keep us busy 287 00:16:58,240 --> 00:16:59,840 in an eye on both of us at the same 288 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:04,559 time time. I was getting frustrated because I couldn't find anything. 289 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:06,799 And then I went to the edge of the clearing 290 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:08,799 and I saw that it dropped off on to the 291 00:17:08,799 --> 00:17:12,200 lower level. I saw what I thought was a pile 292 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,160 of twigs and branches, and I jumped down and I 293 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:17,839 ran over to it. And as I neared the pile, 294 00:17:18,039 --> 00:17:21,000 I found myself not standing before a mound of twigs 295 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,400 and branches, but in front of what looked like an 296 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:28,599 igloo of woven branches and sticks, or a big upside 297 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,759 down burd nest. I immediately started to call for Chuck, 298 00:17:32,799 --> 00:17:34,839 and in a matter of seconds, he and my two 299 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:38,240 cousins were standing at the top of the bank. They 300 00:17:38,279 --> 00:17:40,880 were all out of breath and pale with worry as 301 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:43,319 they looked down at me. What the hell are you 302 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:46,599 screaming like that for, Billy asked, I thought it was 303 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:49,000 a damn snake. It got a hold of you, Jimmy 304 00:17:49,039 --> 00:17:52,519 scolded me. They had gotten there so fast that it 305 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,519 startled me. They must have started to run toward me 306 00:17:55,559 --> 00:17:58,279 when they saw me jump down off the bank. What 307 00:17:58,319 --> 00:18:01,880 did you come down here for, anyway, Chuck asked, between gasp. 308 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:05,640 Look look what I found, I said, happily, pointing to 309 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:09,720 my discovery. I ran over and started to crawl into 310 00:18:09,759 --> 00:18:12,720 the opening. Boy, get your ass out of there, Jimmy 311 00:18:12,759 --> 00:18:15,680 screamed to me. That could be a bear cave. That 312 00:18:15,759 --> 00:18:18,920 ain't no bear cave, I encountered. You can look right 313 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,640 through the branches and you can see there's nothing in there. Yeah, 314 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,200 but the bear might be coming back. We need to go, 315 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:28,880 Billy said, ending the conversation. Let's go. I think we 316 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:32,799 got enough wood. Anyway. We never spoke about it again 317 00:18:33,039 --> 00:18:36,119 after that, but it's like anything strange that happened to me, 318 00:18:36,519 --> 00:18:40,000 and it never left my mind. What was that thing 319 00:18:40,079 --> 00:18:43,000 and who had built it? For years afterwards, it would 320 00:18:43,079 --> 00:18:48,200 cross my mind. And then last year on Monster Quest 321 00:18:48,559 --> 00:18:51,200 they did a program on what they call the grass 322 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:56,039 people or the Grassman of Ohio, which was another name 323 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,720 used for Bigfoot like creatures. I was cooking and not 324 00:18:59,759 --> 00:19:02,359 really watching it until they flashed a picture of the 325 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:04,720 thing I found that day out in the woods with Chuck, 326 00:19:04,799 --> 00:19:10,119 Billy and Jimmy. There's also a documentary called Southern Fried Bigfoot, 327 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:12,839 and in it they talk about the fact that Bigfoot 328 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:17,160 has a lot of different names boogers, wildman, skunk apes, 329 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:20,799 depending on the locality it is being seen in, but 330 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,759 it is all the same or similar creatures. The name 331 00:19:24,839 --> 00:19:27,920 they commonly use for it in Virginia is the wild Man. 332 00:19:28,519 --> 00:19:31,799 In fact, when you enter Danville, there's a sign that says, 333 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,559 Welcome to Danville, Home of the Bigfoot. Well, shouldn't that 334 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,240 say home of the wild Man? If they use I 335 00:19:39,279 --> 00:19:43,400 don't know. He gives a link for the Monster Quest 336 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:47,680 Ohio Grassman Part one video. I guess it's a YouTube video, 337 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,200 and there's also a Monster Quest Ohio Grassman Part two, 338 00:19:52,279 --> 00:19:55,559 Legend of Boggie Creek. Now, how could it be The 339 00:19:55,599 --> 00:19:59,720 Ohio Grassman Part two? The Legend of Boggy Creek Boggy 340 00:19:59,759 --> 00:20:03,240 Creek in Arkansas. I don't know. There's a few things 341 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,559 in there that just kind of confuse me. However, it 342 00:20:06,599 --> 00:20:08,759 was a good The meat of the whole thing was 343 00:20:08,799 --> 00:20:12,960 a good story. The shelter that he found that. You know, 344 00:20:13,039 --> 00:20:15,920 those things don't just build themselves out there in the wild. 345 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,559 So it's either a person going out there, I don't know, 346 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:23,480 maybe being creative, or it's some kind of animal that 347 00:20:23,839 --> 00:20:27,440 is able to use its hands and actually build a structure, 348 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,359 because no other animal, save a monkey, can build those 349 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:33,880 kind of things because they don't have hands and arms 350 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,279 to manipulate things. I mean, raccoons do, but they're not 351 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:41,000 strong enough to bend those type of limbs. Let's see 352 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,079 what other animal has hands. Possums kind of do, but 353 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,319 I don't know that they use them for manipulate them. 354 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,200 I know raccoons do because they clean their food and 355 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:52,440 they you know, they feed themselves with their hands. Bears 356 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:55,640 have pauls, but they don't really use them to manipulate things. 357 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,599 They just use them to capture and climb and stuff 358 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:02,160 like that. Anyway, my mind is just wondering, and I'm 359 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,359 rambling on all that to say, this was a great 360 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:08,400 story and I really appreciate the man sending it. Thank you, sir.