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<v Speaker 1>I never had an experience with Bigfoot, and I don't

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<v Speaker 1>expect I ever will, at least not where I live.

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<v Speaker 1>But after listening to you recount many stories, I'd like

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<v Speaker 1>to share my thoughts with you. You may or may not

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<v Speaker 1>have read the books by Carlos Castanetta. In case you haven't,

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<v Speaker 1>Castanetta's mentor was a yacky Indian named Don Juan, and

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<v Speaker 1>he taught Castanetta sorcery. At least that's what he called

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<v Speaker 1>it to begin with. This was to grab Castanetta's attention,

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<v Speaker 1>but later he called it knowledge. The second book Castanetta

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<v Speaker 1>wrote their Ten of Them is entitled a Separate Reality.

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<v Speaker 1>The key to these realities is the ability to stop

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<v Speaker 1>the internal dialogue or in other words, the constant chit

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<v Speaker 1>chat of thought. If you think about it, we never

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<v Speaker 1>stop thinking. Even when we are sleeping, our minds are active. Apparently,

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<v Speaker 1>when we stop this internal dialogue, we open the door

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<v Speaker 1>to new realities and abilities. So many of the anomalies

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<v Speaker 1>surrounding the Bigfoot experience are almost identical to the experiences

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<v Speaker 1>Don Juan put Castanetta through, like being frozen to the spot,

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<v Speaker 1>or the feeling of being ill, or the now you

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<v Speaker 1>see me. Now, you don't type thing that Bigfoot displays.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't help thinking that due to the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>Bigfoot doesn't have the distractions of the modern world to

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<v Speaker 1>fill his or her mind, he or she has these

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<v Speaker 1>abilities that Don Juan taught Castanetta. I don't think they

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<v Speaker 1>come from other dimensions. Rather, I think some of them

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<v Speaker 1>have mastered the art of stopping the world, as Don

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<v Speaker 1>Juan calls it, in other words, stopping thinking, and they

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<v Speaker 1>can therefore jump from one dimension to another. The reason

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<v Speaker 1>I think this is because there are videos of mother

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<v Speaker 1>Bigfoots with young ones. If they did come from another dimension,

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<v Speaker 1>why on earth would they bring their kids with them.

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<v Speaker 1>That doesn't make sense to me. So I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>more a case that they're from our world but can

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<v Speaker 1>jump into another dimension when cornered. At least some of

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<v Speaker 1>them have this stability. And then he goes on the right.

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<v Speaker 1>Keep the stories coming, buddy. And by the way, I

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<v Speaker 1>love your accent. Oh man, this accent thing. This is

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<v Speaker 1>a big deal to get to some people. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know why, but it's just the way we talk down here,

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<v Speaker 1>so I can't disguise it anyway. This was an interesting

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<v Speaker 1>email and it's not so much that it has to

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<v Speaker 1>do with Bigfoot, but it intrigues me about this idea

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<v Speaker 1>of being able to stop thinking. I mean, think about that.

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<v Speaker 1>Our minds are working all the time. They never stop working.

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<v Speaker 1>I never stopped thinking. I think all the time, and

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<v Speaker 1>I wonder what it would be like to just in

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<v Speaker 1>a conscious way, remain conscious and stop thinking, go into

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<v Speaker 1>such a deep meditative state that you actually stop thinking

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<v Speaker 1>and kind of go blank for a few minutes. Would

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<v Speaker 1>you stop breathing? Would your heart? Would your involuntary organs

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<v Speaker 1>stop beating like your heart? Would you stop breathing? I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think so, they're involuntary, so, but I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>I just don't know what that would lead to, but

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<v Speaker 1>it is a fascinating concept. Sometimes. I've read a few

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<v Speaker 1>things about this remote viewing phenomenon that I think even

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<v Speaker 1>our military has used were people I'm not even sure

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<v Speaker 1>exactly what it is. That's how dumb I that's what

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<v Speaker 1>a moron I am with this stuff. I don't I

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<v Speaker 1>just don't have time to read up on it. But

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<v Speaker 1>it's interesting stuff to me, and I myself would love

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<v Speaker 1>to be able to just shut my mind down, man,

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<v Speaker 1>just for fifteen minutes a day. That would be fantastic.

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<v Speaker 1>And I wonder if I did, could I transport myself

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<v Speaker 1>to another place? Maybe not physically, but psychologically go to

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<v Speaker 1>another place. I don't know if that's even feasible or not,

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<v Speaker 1>but the whole concept is fascinating and if it has

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<v Speaker 1>to do with Bigfoot, it would make perfect sense. Now

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<v Speaker 1>here's the thing. We can all have opinions on any

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<v Speaker 1>of this stuff because none of us know anything about Bigfoot.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you think you do know something, you really don't.

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<v Speaker 1>You really don't. You're just acting like you do because

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<v Speaker 1>we don't know anything about these things, and all opinions

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<v Speaker 1>and ideas are up in the air. I mean, we

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<v Speaker 1>can come up with anything we want. This one seems

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<v Speaker 1>very interesting to me. Hope you guys enjoyed his theory.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks Keith for sending the email. Please accept the following account.

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<v Speaker 1>It is true and has turned me from a disinterested

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<v Speaker 1>skeptic into a thoroughly fence sitter. All right, here we go,

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<v Speaker 1>That's what he writes. All right, here we go. Let

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<v Speaker 1>me preface my story by saying that although I grew

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<v Speaker 1>up in a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, I've always

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<v Speaker 1>been a country boy at heart. My paternal grandparents had

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<v Speaker 1>a farm in central North Carolina, and when I wasn't there,

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<v Speaker 1>I wanted to be. There were rolling hills, creeks, and

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<v Speaker 1>milo fields, separated by tracks of hardwoods teeming with squirrels, rabbits,

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<v Speaker 1>and quail. Some of the happiest times of my life

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<v Speaker 1>were spent on this farm, roaming the woods, camping, hunting,

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<v Speaker 1>and fishing. For a young boy who craved adventure, it

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<v Speaker 1>was paradise. I would disappear into the woods for days.

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<v Speaker 1>Back then, it simply wasn't a big deal for a

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<v Speaker 1>young boy to go off camping by himself, as long

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<v Speaker 1>as his parents had a general idea as to where

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<v Speaker 1>he would be and when he would get back. Looking back,

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<v Speaker 1>I was probably safer in the woods on my grandfather's

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<v Speaker 1>farm than just about anywhere else. There are no dangerous

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<v Speaker 1>animals in this part of the state, and the only

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<v Speaker 1>things that caused me concern were ticks, chiggers, and the

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<v Speaker 1>occasional copperhead. When I wasn't playing Daniel Boone on the farm,

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<v Speaker 1>I would often go on trips with my boy Scout

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<v Speaker 1>troop in the nearby Ywary. He spelled it out phanatically

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<v Speaker 1>for me, you warri and see I pronounced it wrong.

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<v Speaker 1>In the nearby Yuari National Forest, if you aren't familiar

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<v Speaker 1>with it, this National Forest is about fifty one thousand acres,

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<v Speaker 1>with most of it in Montgomery County. I've hiked a

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<v Speaker 1>considerable amount of this forest, sometimes willingly and sometimes begrudgingly,

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<v Speaker 1>due to a directionally challenged assistant scout master who we

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<v Speaker 1>nicknamed lost Again Lewis Oh. That's so his shortcuts could

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<v Speaker 1>turn a five mile day hike into a twenty mile

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<v Speaker 1>overnight hike. I mention all this simply to establish that

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<v Speaker 1>from an early age I would regularly spend time in

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<v Speaker 1>the woods. I'm familiar with the local animals, and I

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<v Speaker 1>don't spook easily. Unfortunately, when relating a story such as this,

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<v Speaker 1>you feel obligated to qualify yourself in order to preemptively

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<v Speaker 1>silence some of the questions from armchair synics. I've never

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<v Speaker 1>really understood why, but to me, a lot of the

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<v Speaker 1>Yuari National Forest has a foreboding feel. There are places that,

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<v Speaker 1>even on a sunny day and winter when all the

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<v Speaker 1>leaves have fallen, seem unnaturally dark and sinister. Several books

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<v Speaker 1>written by local folkloreist Fred Morgan support this observation and

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<v Speaker 1>contain many accounts of disconcerting and often violent events that

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<v Speaker 1>have occurred in the area. In early March of twenty twelve,

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<v Speaker 1>I had a little time off and I decided to

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<v Speaker 1>load up my old land Rover and head out for

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<v Speaker 1>a remote camping spot in the northwest Uaris. I've always

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<v Speaker 1>preferred to hike, hunt and fish and camp alone. To me,

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<v Speaker 1>the solitude is cathartic. To my delight, the campground I

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<v Speaker 1>chose was completely deserted. There was a host site that

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<v Speaker 1>contained an older travel trailer, but its condition indicated that

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<v Speaker 1>it was abandoned. I selected a site at the very

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<v Speaker 1>end of a loop road, as far from the unoccupied

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<v Speaker 1>trailer and as close to the dense woods as I

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<v Speaker 1>could get. I planned on being there at least four

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<v Speaker 1>or five days, so I set up my large, six

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<v Speaker 1>person Cabella's dome tent rather than my smaller backpacking tent.

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<v Speaker 1>After eating supper, I decided to turn in early. It

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<v Speaker 1>was already getting dark and I was bushed. I settled

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<v Speaker 1>into my sleeping bag and turned off my lantern and

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<v Speaker 1>was very quickly fast asleep. Around midnight, I was awoken

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<v Speaker 1>by a distant howl that my sleep addle mind tells

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<v Speaker 1>me is probably a wolf, even though I know there

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<v Speaker 1>are no wolves in central North Carolina. In response to

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<v Speaker 1>the cry, a pack of dogs began to bay. I

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<v Speaker 1>lay still for a few minutes, listening to all the racket,

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<v Speaker 1>but soon it died down and all was quiet. Having

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<v Speaker 1>heard many odd noises while in the woods, and being

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<v Speaker 1>a pragmatic I chuckled to myself and tried to go

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<v Speaker 1>back to sleep. My sixth sense was tapping me on

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<v Speaker 1>the shoulder in saying that something wasn't exactly right, but

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<v Speaker 1>I closed my eyes anyway. Ten to fifteen minutes later,

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<v Speaker 1>as I began to drift back to sleep, the howls repeated,

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<v Speaker 1>and this time it was closer. Again. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>similar cry of a wolf, but the tone wasn't right.

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<v Speaker 1>It was lower and deeper. The dogs again reacted with

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<v Speaker 1>a chorus of yowling, but they seemed rather far away.

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<v Speaker 1>They were reacting to an unknown coller, but they were

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<v Speaker 1>not following it, or it had eluded them. At this point,

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<v Speaker 1>I was a bit puzzled, but certainly not scared. It

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<v Speaker 1>bothered me that I couldn't identify the animal that was

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<v Speaker 1>making the yells. But I knew for an absolute fact

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<v Speaker 1>that there were no dangerous animals in this part of

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<v Speaker 1>the state. Also, I had a pistol on me, and

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<v Speaker 1>what were the eyes that this animal, whatever it was,

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<v Speaker 1>would come directly to me into my camp. There was

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<v Speaker 1>no chance at all. Right, Again, I shrugged and closed

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<v Speaker 1>my eyes. This time I fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>Forty five minutes later, I'm jolted away by a rumbling

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<v Speaker 1>bellow that seemed right on top of me, and it

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<v Speaker 1>was just as loud, very loud. My first thought, as

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<v Speaker 1>I shook the sleep from my head was that someone

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<v Speaker 1>outside my tent was roaring at me through a bullhorn.

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<v Speaker 1>It was so close, so unidentifiable, and so loud that

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<v Speaker 1>I was immediately terrified. Even more disturbingly, as the scream

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<v Speaker 1>slowly died out, it was replaced by heavy breathing and

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<v Speaker 1>bipedal footsteps in the leaf litter heading towards my tent.

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<v Speaker 1>I tried to convince myself that this must be a

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<v Speaker 1>person playing a dangerous practical joke, but the steps were

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<v Speaker 1>much too heavy. I remember having the bizarre thought that

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<v Speaker 1>this prankster must be stomping around with anvils tied to

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<v Speaker 1>their shoes, and that absurd idea made me quickly realize

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<v Speaker 1>that this was no prank. There was an exceptionally large

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<v Speaker 1>and angry animal outside my tent, and I had no

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<v Speaker 1>idea what it was. Sitting up but still halfway in

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<v Speaker 1>my sleeping bag, I slowly and quietly scooched to the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of the large tent, ridiculously believing that somehow being

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<v Speaker 1>in the center would provide some safety. I quietly grabbed

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<v Speaker 1>my compact nine millimeter out of my duffel bag, and

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<v Speaker 1>I slowly flipped the safety and I listened. When you're

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<v Speaker 1>truly frightened, you feel flushed. Your senses seemed to sharpen,

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<v Speaker 1>and time appears to slow down. I could hear every

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<v Speaker 1>leaf and twig that broke under this creature's feet as

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<v Speaker 1>it approached. I also vividly recall turning my head towards

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<v Speaker 1>the oncoming noise, and with each footfall, seeing small ripples

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<v Speaker 1>being created and a half empty bottle of water across

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<v Speaker 1>the dark tent, exactly like in the first Jurassic Park movie.

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<v Speaker 1>Options ran through my mind. I could yell out and

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<v Speaker 1>hope that whatever this was would be startled and leave.

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<v Speaker 1>I could step out of the tent and confront it.

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<v Speaker 1>I could remain quiet and see what happened. I had

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<v Speaker 1>no idea what was outside, so I decided to sit

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<v Speaker 1>still and wait. The footsteps were getting closer, but they

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<v Speaker 1>slowed in pace. They stopped at what I guess would

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<v Speaker 1>be about ten feet away from my tent. I had

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<v Speaker 1>my pistol pointed in this thing's direction, and I was

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<v Speaker 1>debating whether to fire off a couple of blind rounds

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<v Speaker 1>through the tent wall. I'm very conscious about gun safety

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<v Speaker 1>and would normally never consider this, but abject terror can

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<v Speaker 1>result in bad decisions. In retrospect, I genuinely believe that

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<v Speaker 1>had this creature taken another couple of steps towards me,

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<v Speaker 1>I would have emptied the clip. Thankfully I didn't. The

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<v Speaker 1>animal was now standing still, and it began making an

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<v Speaker 1>odd snuffling sound that led me to believe it was

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<v Speaker 1>smelling the air. It reminded me of a pig running,

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<v Speaker 1>only deeper, and it was all followed by a long

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<v Speaker 1>and heavy excel. The animal was a few feet outside,

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<v Speaker 1>sniffing and grunning and snorting, trying to determine its next step,

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<v Speaker 1>and I was sitting in the middle of the tent,

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<v Speaker 1>sweating and horrified, with a death grip on my little pistol.

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<v Speaker 1>This went on for what seemed like several minutes, though

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<v Speaker 1>more likely it was only thirty to forty seconds. I

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<v Speaker 1>was so tense that my arm holding the pistol began

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<v Speaker 1>to shake, and I felt like I was going to hyperventilate.

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<v Speaker 1>I felt that I was close to a physical and

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<v Speaker 1>mental breaking point, and I knew that I desperately needed

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<v Speaker 1>for this to end. After a few more frantic seconds

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<v Speaker 1>of thought, I realized that, for good or bad, I

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<v Speaker 1>must try to take control of the situation. I resolved

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<v Speaker 1>to quietly slip out of my sleeping bag, slit open

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<v Speaker 1>the back tent, and jump out, ready to shoot. I

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<v Speaker 1>made a bit of noise while trying to slide my

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<v Speaker 1>legs out of the sleeping bag, and the animal let

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<v Speaker 1>out a grunt that almost sounded like a question. There

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<v Speaker 1>was an upward inflection at the end of the noise

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<v Speaker 1>that made me think it might have been confused. Looking back,

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<v Speaker 1>I believe it may not have been certain that I

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<v Speaker 1>was in the tent until I heard the movement. I froze,

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<v Speaker 1>and for a few more seconds there was an absolute

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<v Speaker 1>and terrifying silence. Then there was a deep in what

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<v Speaker 1>I imagined to be a derisive grunt. It sounded like a

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<v Speaker 1>bull snorting, but seemed to have an almost cynical tone.

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<v Speaker 1>It then began to stomp off in the direction from

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<v Speaker 1>which it came, grunting loudly with every step. As this

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<v Speaker 1>thing trudged off, I heard a loud cracking sound, as

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<v Speaker 1>if a large tree branch was being broken, and then

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<v Speaker 1>another deafening roar, the sound of something being dragged in

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<v Speaker 1>the leaves, and heavy footsteps continued to move away. I

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<v Speaker 1>stayed perfectly quiet until I couldn't hear it any longer,

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<v Speaker 1>and then I took a deep breath to relieve some

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<v Speaker 1>of the stress in my body. I was still on alert,

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<v Speaker 1>but slowly beginning to relax a little. After a few

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<v Speaker 1>more minutes of silence, I decided that the animal was

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<v Speaker 1>probably gone, but there was no way that I was

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<v Speaker 1>going to spend the rest of the night in that flimsy,

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<v Speaker 1>nih line tent. I grabbed my car keys and stealthily

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<v Speaker 1>unzipped the tent and crept to my vehicle. My pistol

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<v Speaker 1>was still in my hand. I would drive to the

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<v Speaker 1>closest town, find a well lit parking lot, and sleep

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<v Speaker 1>in my car. Tomorrow I would go back to collect

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<v Speaker 1>my gear. So I fired up my rover and turned

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<v Speaker 1>on the headlights, and to my horror, there was a

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<v Speaker 1>large tree limb about ten feet in front of the

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<v Speaker 1>truck blocking my exit. It was big enough that I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think I could drive over it without doing some

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<v Speaker 1>significant damage to my vehicle, but it was not so

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<v Speaker 1>large that I couldn't drag it partially out of the

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<v Speaker 1>way and drive around it. I decided, however, that I

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't going to get out of my car until daylight.

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<v Speaker 1>I turned off the lights, I lowered my seat all

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<v Speaker 1>the way back, I rolled my window down about a

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<v Speaker 1>half inch so I could hear, and I turned off

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<v Speaker 1>the ignition. The rest of the night is a blur

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<v Speaker 1>to me. Now. I didn't go back to sleep, but

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<v Speaker 1>there were times that I wasn't completely awake either. I

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<v Speaker 1>would start to not off, but my mind would not

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<v Speaker 1>allow it. Thankfully, nothing else happened, and at first light

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<v Speaker 1>I was able to break camp and move the tree

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<v Speaker 1>branch enough to get my vehicle out. When I returned home,

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<v Speaker 1>my wife immediately asked why are you back so soon?

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't want to lie, but I simply couldn't figure

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<v Speaker 1>out a way to explain what had happened without sounding

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<v Speaker 1>like a lunatic. So I just made up a story

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<v Speaker 1>about not realizing that there was no self service, that

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't feel comfortable being out of touch with her

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<v Speaker 1>for four or five days. Again, before this incident, I

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<v Speaker 1>had no real interest in cryptids. However, I immediately began reading

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<v Speaker 1>everything I could on them, focusing on reports from the

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<v Speaker 1>Yuari region. To my great surprise, I found several accounts

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<v Speaker 1>from this area, including a rather famous one. I learned

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<v Speaker 1>that I was remarkably close to the sighting made by

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<v Speaker 1>Michael Greene I think that's his name, who at the

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<v Speaker 1>time was involved with the BFRO in North Carolina, and

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<v Speaker 1>who had recorded thermal video of a humanoid figure snatching

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<v Speaker 1>a candy bar from the top of a tree stump

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<v Speaker 1>at a family gathering. Not long afterwards, my maternal grandmother,

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<v Speaker 1>who grew up just outside the northwest boundary of the forest,

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<v Speaker 1>became upset when she was told I had been camping

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<v Speaker 1>there alone. She said that I shouldn't go there by myself,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was too dangerous. Well, When I asked her why,

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<v Speaker 1>she wouldn't give me a straight answer. She would simply repeat,

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<v Speaker 1>just don't go there alone. You should not go there alone.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm still not convinced that I had an encounter with

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<v Speaker 1>the hairy linebacker, but I don't know what animal walks

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<v Speaker 1>on two feet and causes the ground to vibrate, roars

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<v Speaker 1>louder than a lion, and breaks tree limbs. If you

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<v Speaker 1>can come up with one, please let me know. However,

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't actually see anything, and the more practical side

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<v Speaker 1>of me believes that there must be a rational explanation.

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<v Speaker 1>If it was a bigfoot, then I'm glad I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>see it, and I'm very happy not having a close

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<v Speaker 1>up image of that ugly mug in my head. The

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<v Speaker 1>event alarmed me enough that I didn't go into the

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<v Speaker 1>woods for a while, but I couldn't stay away for long.

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<v Speaker 1>I gave away my tents, I bought some larger guns,

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<v Speaker 1>and eventually I purchased a small travel trailer. When I'm

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<v Speaker 1>out overnight. Now I sleep like a baby. Maybe it's

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<v Speaker 1>a false sense of security, but helps were made