1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: I have never shared my story except with my father, 2 00:00:10,199 --> 00:00:12,880 but I like to listen to and believe the stories 3 00:00:12,919 --> 00:00:16,320 from other hunters. They lived them, and who am I 4 00:00:16,399 --> 00:00:19,719 to tell them what they saw. It doesn't take much 5 00:00:19,719 --> 00:00:22,640 imagination for me to feel like I'm right there with 6 00:00:22,719 --> 00:00:26,920 the person in your stories at the time of their encounters. 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,679 My name is Bob and I'm seventy nine years old. 8 00:00:31,079 --> 00:00:34,359 I stopped hunting when I was fifty nine. I hated 9 00:00:34,399 --> 00:00:37,079 giving up hunting, but I had sport knees and it 10 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:39,679 was getting too hard to walk in the forest and 11 00:00:39,719 --> 00:00:43,880 the mountains. I sure miss the elk meat and the venison. 12 00:00:45,359 --> 00:00:49,159 I know that Bigfoot has been here forever. I started 13 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,640 to read about them when I was twelve. There wasn't 14 00:00:52,719 --> 00:00:55,039 much to read about them in those days, but every 15 00:00:55,039 --> 00:00:57,600 once in a while you would hear a strange story 16 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,679 that a hunter or a camper had seen one or 17 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,439 something they couldn't explain, or experience being harassed by something 18 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,640 they never saw. They just heard it or smelled it, 19 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:12,480 but no one talked about it for fear of being crazy, 20 00:01:12,519 --> 00:01:17,120 because no one believed that Bigfoot existed. I also never 21 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,280 spoke to any of my friends about seeing one. I 22 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,560 don't believe they would have believed me anyway. I saw 23 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,959 the only one I've ever seen when I was fifteen 24 00:01:28,079 --> 00:01:32,079 years old. It was October nineteen fifty six and I 25 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:37,760 was elking deer hunting on Canfield Mountain just outside of Cordelane, Idaho. 26 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:42,359 I lived just ten miles from Canfill Mountain, so after 27 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,560 school I used to drive my old car up to 28 00:01:44,599 --> 00:01:47,719 Canfield and find an old logging road and walk it 29 00:01:48,159 --> 00:01:51,799 three steps at a time until it got dark. The 30 00:01:51,879 --> 00:01:54,719 huge thing, at least eight foot tall and I would 31 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,040 guess five to six hundred pounds, stepped out of the 32 00:01:58,079 --> 00:02:01,439 trees onto the old logging road about twenty five yards 33 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,599 in front of me. It was getting dark and I 34 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,480 was on my way back to the car. I only 35 00:02:07,519 --> 00:02:10,680 saw it for maybe twenty seconds before it disappeared back 36 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,280 into the brush in the trees. I don't remember hearing 37 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:18,280 any bushes breaking or other noise as it disappeared. I 38 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,039 was probably too shocked to notice. I did see that 39 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,719 it was a brownish and black color. I don't recall 40 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:30,599 any odor. Its face was lighter and hairless. I don't 41 00:02:30,599 --> 00:02:34,879 recall the facial features either. It scared the crap out 42 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,840 of me. I knew immediately I wasn't looking at a bear. 43 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,599 I had my three hundred h and h MAG with me, 44 00:02:42,719 --> 00:02:45,280 but I never thought to shoot it. Hell, I couldn't 45 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:50,159 even move. My father was an avid hunter. He started 46 00:02:50,159 --> 00:02:53,280 me hunting with him when I was ten. He taught 47 00:02:53,319 --> 00:02:56,639 me that you only shoot or hunt what you're gonna eat. 48 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,680 He said he saw one in the nineteen fifties, seventy 49 00:02:59,759 --> 00:03:04,120 yards away while hunting on Brown Creek's saddle. He said 50 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,000 it was a good thing I didn't shoot it, because 51 00:03:06,039 --> 00:03:08,000 I probably would have just pissed it off and it 52 00:03:08,039 --> 00:03:13,080 would have killed me. I never stopped hunting on Canfield Mountain, 53 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,680 and I was back just a week later hunting there. 54 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,520 I figured I would probably never see another bigfoot again, 55 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,479 but I watched out for one every time I went 56 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,439 into the woods. I can recall the feeling I was 57 00:03:26,479 --> 00:03:30,080 being watched in other parts of northern Idaho when I 58 00:03:30,199 --> 00:03:34,199 was hunting. I listened to your show all the time. 59 00:03:34,479 --> 00:03:37,400 Thank you, Bob. I appreciate that it's a great show, 60 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,439 very interesting and good entertainment. I just wanted to tell 61 00:03:41,479 --> 00:03:44,919 my story, and you were right. The bigfoot story and 62 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,520 what they are is known by many, but for some reason, 63 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,120 no one is talking about it, but the honest people 64 00:03:51,159 --> 00:03:54,639 who have seen one. There's so many people who are 65 00:03:54,719 --> 00:03:58,520 phonies who want to join their sights and send money, 66 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,560 so many that know absolutely nothing about hunting or animals. 67 00:04:04,199 --> 00:04:06,840 They lie and they tear down good, honest people who 68 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:11,759 have had encounters with bigfoot. The old platitude, no evidence, 69 00:04:11,879 --> 00:04:16,480 no body, no DNA, phony pictures and so forth, and 70 00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:19,360 so many shows trying to make money off of bigfoot 71 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:23,120 with their phony shows about hunting bigfoot. I wish they 72 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,959 would see one and it would chase them. 73 00:04:26,639 --> 00:04:29,439 Speaker 2: I hope they have a lot of toilet paper with 74 00:04:29,639 --> 00:04:32,680 them so they can clean up. Why don't these brave 75 00:04:32,759 --> 00:04:36,240 hunters hunt in places that are active for bigfoot? Are 76 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:42,439 they afraid they might find one or be found by one? 77 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:48,040 Speaker 3: In Durant, Oklahoma, around nineteen eighty six or eighty seven, 78 00:04:48,199 --> 00:04:51,399 I was six or seven years old. My mother and 79 00:04:51,439 --> 00:04:54,680 I lived in an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town. 80 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,199 To the left of the house was a large field, 81 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,519 and at the back of the field there was a creek, 82 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,199 and the name of the creek was mineral by you. 83 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,120 It was summertime and my best friend and I decided 84 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,759 to take a single shot twenty two out to the 85 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:14,360 field to see if we could shoot some armadillos. It 86 00:05:14,439 --> 00:05:18,639 was just about thirty minutes past dark. The only form 87 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,240 of light we had was one of those old big 88 00:05:21,319 --> 00:05:25,160 square flashlights with the batteries, and they were almost dead, 89 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,399 so it was very poor light. We crossed the barber 90 00:05:29,439 --> 00:05:32,600 our fence that separated our house from the field and 91 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,079 started walking towards the creek, which was about five to 92 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:40,000 seven hundred yards away from the house. When we had 93 00:05:40,079 --> 00:05:43,120 traveled two hundred yards from the house, we noticed a 94 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:47,639 figure walking into the field from our left, maybe fifty 95 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:51,360 yards away, assuming it was a cow, but we weren't 96 00:05:51,399 --> 00:05:55,279 for sure. We continued forward until we were much closer, 97 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:59,560 maybe within ten or fifteen feet ten or fifteen feet 98 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:04,560 of the animal. Really, it was standing upright with its 99 00:06:04,639 --> 00:06:08,959 right arm facing us. As we got closer, it turned 100 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,600 and looked at us, and that's when we could tell 101 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:15,000 that we were not for sure exactly what this thing was. 102 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:20,879 It had gray hair and modeling clay grayish skin on 103 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:25,120 its face, and the hair was not extremely thick. You 104 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:29,600 could see the skin in several different spots. It was 105 00:06:29,639 --> 00:06:34,160 between six and seven feet tall, and was definitely not 106 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:38,399 a man. By this time, we were close enough to 107 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,560 almost touch it. This is blowing me away. We got 108 00:06:42,639 --> 00:06:45,720 a very good look at its face. It looked like 109 00:06:45,959 --> 00:06:50,360 its lips had vertical creases towards the edges. Its lips 110 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,639 were fairly thin and just slightly darker than the skin 111 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:57,920 on its face. It had large, square shaped teeth with 112 00:06:58,079 --> 00:07:01,040 several missing from what I could see, and it had 113 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,600 large brown eyes. It had the strangest expression on its 114 00:07:05,639 --> 00:07:09,160 face that was very hard to explain. It was almost 115 00:07:09,199 --> 00:07:14,079 amused and surprised at the same time. It looked at 116 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,160 us and then turned and walked maybe six feet away, 117 00:07:17,519 --> 00:07:20,279 and then it stopped again. When it turned, you could 118 00:07:20,319 --> 00:07:23,279 see that it had red clays stuck throughout its hair, 119 00:07:23,759 --> 00:07:25,959 like it had been in the creek for some reason. 120 00:07:26,959 --> 00:07:29,199 We were not afraid of it at this time, so 121 00:07:29,319 --> 00:07:32,920 we followed. The creature would let us get within six 122 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,920 or seven feet, and it would walk further towards the 123 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,240 creek and then stopped again. It did this several times, 124 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:43,040 with it stopping and waiting for us to get closer, 125 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:46,920 and then moving on and then stopping again, until we 126 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:49,680 were maybe one hundred and fifty yards from the creek 127 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,920 and the tree line. Whenever the creature entered the tree line, 128 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:57,480 we had an ominous feeling and decided not to follow 129 00:07:57,519 --> 00:08:01,920 it into the tree line, so we went home. My 130 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,480 mother was asleep when we got home, so we just 131 00:08:04,519 --> 00:08:08,759 didn't tell anyone about it. Not long after this incident, 132 00:08:08,879 --> 00:08:11,600 we had a dog go missing and my mother said 133 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,639 someone was peeking in the bathroom window while she was 134 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,879 in the tub. We called the police, but they couldn't 135 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:23,319 find anyone. A couple of years later, my cousin and 136 00:08:23,399 --> 00:08:25,680 I were at the same creek, which was about a 137 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,680 half a mile from my home. We found several large, 138 00:08:29,879 --> 00:08:34,200 bare footprints and a handprint in the bank of the creek, 139 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,000 and you could see where this thing had climbed about 140 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:42,759 eight foot off the bank and out of the creek. Charles, 141 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:46,159 I am just blown away that you boys walked right 142 00:08:46,279 --> 00:08:49,519 up to this thing and it didn't do anything. It 143 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,639 just kept walking, just keeping its distance six or seven 144 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:57,480 feet away. That is a phenomenal. It's a great encounter story. 145 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:02,600 I'm sure you will never forget it. I'm just at 146 00:09:02,639 --> 00:09:05,639 a loss for words because I've read so many of 147 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:07,639 these and this is one of the few that I've 148 00:09:07,879 --> 00:09:12,080 seen where boys actually followed this thing into the woods 149 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:15,320 that close. It's just crazy, all right, Charles, it's a 150 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,720 great story. Thank you so much for sending it in. 151 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 1: This is an email I got from a gentleman in Alaska. 152 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,360 This is great. Oh my gosh, this is fantastic. Here's 153 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,799 what he writes. I'm thirty one and was born and 154 00:09:33,879 --> 00:09:37,000 raised in Alaska. I've spent much of my life in 155 00:09:37,039 --> 00:09:41,159 the wilderness. I grew up north of Fairbanks as an adult, 156 00:09:41,399 --> 00:09:43,720 and I also spent a lot of time hunting and 157 00:09:43,759 --> 00:09:48,159 trapping near my mom's home village on the cusca Quinn River. 158 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,399 Before writing this email, I was asked by a family 159 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,720 member to keep the name of the village anonymous. But 160 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:59,080 it is a large Upik village on the main cusca 161 00:09:59,159 --> 00:10:04,000 Quinn River between Tululuksak and McGrath. I'll just leave it 162 00:10:04,039 --> 00:10:07,559 at that. There are several areas in Alaska that are 163 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,240 known to be Bigfoot hotspots. Some of these areas have 164 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:16,039 a bit of a disturbing history, places like Port Chatham, 165 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,120 which you probably already know about, but for those listening 166 00:10:19,159 --> 00:10:22,799 who don't know, it was a small fishing community abandoned 167 00:10:22,879 --> 00:10:26,200 over sixty years ago when the local people suddenly fled 168 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:31,440 the town. The town had numerous strange and unsolved disappearances. 169 00:10:32,519 --> 00:10:36,360 There are old stories about people finding human bodies ripped 170 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,679 apart limb by limb in the woods, along with various 171 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:44,879 Bigfoot sightings. There's another area along the Wrangele Mountains where 172 00:10:44,919 --> 00:10:48,600 locals say there are large, hairy, human like beasts that 173 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:53,080 are aggressive and don't like people. There are long rows 174 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:56,039 of hills behind my mom's home village that seem to 175 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,919 be one of those hotspots for Bigfoot activity. 176 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:00,279 Speaker 3: There. 177 00:11:00,399 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: The Yupik natives referred to the Bigfoot as hairy Man. 178 00:11:05,759 --> 00:11:09,759 One Native elder and a longtime family friend told me 179 00:11:09,919 --> 00:11:12,639 back when he was young, he and his dad were 180 00:11:12,679 --> 00:11:17,600 traveling by dog team while out getting firewood. Daylight doesn't 181 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:20,639 last very long in Alaska during the winter, and it 182 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:23,639 was well past dark by the time they were heading home. 183 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,080 He was riding in the sled and his dad was 184 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,720 standing behind him on the runners controlling the dog team. 185 00:11:31,519 --> 00:11:34,080 The dog suddenly stopped in the middle of the trail 186 00:11:34,159 --> 00:11:38,120 and became spoofed. They were whimpering and trying to turn around. 187 00:11:39,159 --> 00:11:42,840 The fear eventually subsided and they were able to continue 188 00:11:42,879 --> 00:11:46,600 on home. The elder telling me this story said that 189 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:50,039 back when they used to regularly travel by dog sled, 190 00:11:50,159 --> 00:11:53,000 it was known to be a telltale sign that a 191 00:11:53,039 --> 00:11:57,080 bigfoot was nearby when the dogs would stop and become spooked. 192 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:01,200 When sensing wild animals, the dog would become alert and 193 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:05,200 even aggressive, ready to fight, but there was a specific 194 00:12:05,279 --> 00:12:08,240 type of freaked out that would overtake them when picking 195 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:12,399 up the smell of a bigfoot. Here are a couple 196 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,879 of stories that happened to my grandfather on my mother's 197 00:12:15,919 --> 00:12:19,320 side and my two uncles. Both of these stories were 198 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:23,320 told to me firsthand by my uncles, and then lastly, 199 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,240 I have a story of my own I would like 200 00:12:25,279 --> 00:12:29,559 to share at the end. Back in the nineteen sixties, 201 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:32,000 my grandpa had a fish camp at the base of 202 00:12:32,039 --> 00:12:35,480 the hills, a few miles up the river from the village. 203 00:12:35,519 --> 00:12:39,279 Both my grandpa and my uncle Daniel saw strange large 204 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:43,320 tracks near their fish camp. My uncle Daniel was just 205 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:46,879 a kid, but he remembers it vividly. There was one 206 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:50,759 day they also found long golden colored hair stuck in 207 00:12:50,799 --> 00:12:54,759 the wooden slats of the smokehouse wall. And several salmon 208 00:12:54,879 --> 00:12:58,440 strips had been carefully picked off the horizontal poles in 209 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,639 the middle of the smokehouse. It's not uncommon for bears 210 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:05,279 to get into people's smoke houses, but when it's a 211 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:08,720 bear or any other wild animal, you'll know because of 212 00:13:08,759 --> 00:13:13,519 the mess and destruction they leave behind. This thing, whatever 213 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,360 it was, was able to pry its arm in between 214 00:13:16,399 --> 00:13:19,039 the slatted wall and reach all the way to the 215 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:22,200 middle of the smokehouse. It had to have a long 216 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:26,120 reach and a human like hand. It also only picked 217 00:13:26,159 --> 00:13:29,039 the choice salmon strips and left the rest of them 218 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:33,120 hanging on the pole untouched. It was smart enough to 219 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,960 not only stealthily steal some fish, but also smart enough 220 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:41,600 to know which fish strips were the best. The next 221 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:45,519 story is the best testimony I know of someone who 222 00:13:45,519 --> 00:13:51,080 has seen bigfoot tracks and examined them up close. Years ago, 223 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:54,080 my uncle Mark was hiking behind that same line of 224 00:13:54,159 --> 00:13:57,879 hills near the village. He came across an old fire 225 00:13:57,919 --> 00:14:01,919 line that local firefighters had bllen dozed in years ago 226 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:06,720 to prevent wildfires from reaching the village. It was springtime 227 00:14:06,759 --> 00:14:09,679 and with the snow melting and the torn up tundra 228 00:14:09,879 --> 00:14:13,600 along the fire line, it was all muddy. My uncle 229 00:14:13,639 --> 00:14:16,720 Mark saw two very clear big footprints in the mud 230 00:14:16,799 --> 00:14:21,039 crossing the fire line. Each footprint was about eighteen inches 231 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:24,080 long and five inches wide, and there was a six 232 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,919 foot stride between the two prints. He said he could 233 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,639 clearly see five toes, the shape of the foot, and 234 00:14:31,679 --> 00:14:34,559 the hill marked in the mud, just like a human foot, 235 00:14:34,679 --> 00:14:38,559 only much bigger. My uncle Mark has been tracking and 236 00:14:38,639 --> 00:14:41,600 trapping animals most of his life, and he knows what 237 00:14:41,679 --> 00:14:45,320 he's talking about when he says these were clearly giant 238 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:51,039 human like footprints. Something walking barefooted with eighteen inch feet 239 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:55,200 and six foot stride had recently crossed there. My uncle 240 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,279 said he started having a very eerie feeling and he 241 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:02,120 got out of there without looking from more tracks. And 242 00:15:02,159 --> 00:15:04,480 I have a story of my own i'd like to share. 243 00:15:05,279 --> 00:15:08,360 First off, I hate to disappoint the listeners, but I 244 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:12,039 personally have never seen or heard a bigfoot, despite all 245 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:15,679 the time I have spent in the Alaskan bush. However, 246 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,320 I did have a strange experience camping alone one winter 247 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,360 in December of twenty fifteen, I decided to hike to 248 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:26,639 the end of a valley about two and a half 249 00:15:26,759 --> 00:15:30,559 miles inland from the Coscoquin River. I would like to 250 00:15:30,559 --> 00:15:33,919 give more information on exactly where this took place, but 251 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:37,960 again I was asked to keep the location somewhat anonymous. 252 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:41,639 I will say, however, that this valley that I was 253 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,159 camping in was located between where my uncle Mark had 254 00:15:45,159 --> 00:15:48,080 seen the bigfoot tracks in the mud years ago and 255 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:51,600 where my grandpa had his old fish camp. So I 256 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:53,919 guess you could say it should be a good place 257 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:58,480 to encounter a bigfoot. I had explored and camped around 258 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:01,200 this valley before, but I had never gone all the 259 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:05,120 way in. So early one December morning, I packed up 260 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,720 some gear and I headed out. It was slow hiking 261 00:16:08,759 --> 00:16:11,799 because of the deep snow, and I didn't have snowshoes. 262 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,159 It took me three hours of non stop hiking to 263 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,879 reach the middle of this valley and find a place 264 00:16:17,919 --> 00:16:21,120 to set up camp. The weather was pretty clear, but 265 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,039 I could see off in the distance a big low 266 00:16:24,159 --> 00:16:27,399 coming in, and I knew it was probably going to snow. 267 00:16:28,559 --> 00:16:32,240 This place was covered in rabbit tracks. My plan was 268 00:16:32,279 --> 00:16:34,639 to set a bunch of rabbit snares, spend the night, 269 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,840 and then check the snares the next day before heading home. 270 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:41,360 When I saw the big winter low moving in, I 271 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:44,519 decided not to set any snares because they would probably 272 00:16:44,639 --> 00:16:47,720 just get buried in the snow. I was a little 273 00:16:47,799 --> 00:16:50,360 upset about that, but I decided it would still be 274 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,919 a nice time camping out. At mid afternoon, I cut 275 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:58,840 a big supply of firewood from some small standing dry 276 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,600 wood nearby and got a huge fire going. I ate 277 00:17:02,639 --> 00:17:04,759 a snack and made some tea with a pot of 278 00:17:04,799 --> 00:17:09,279 melted snow over my big campfire. I hiked all over 279 00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:11,759 that area and I saw country that I had never 280 00:17:11,799 --> 00:17:15,880 seen before. By late afternoon, it was getting dark and 281 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,240 I returned to my camp. For the next couple of hours. 282 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,119 As it was getting completely dark, I pretty much just 283 00:17:22,279 --> 00:17:25,400 sat on a log, drinking tea and waiting for my 284 00:17:25,519 --> 00:17:29,200 fire to burn down into a bed of coals. There's 285 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,279 an old trick when camping in the winter. Make a 286 00:17:32,279 --> 00:17:35,640 big fire, let it burn into a bunch of smoldering coals, 287 00:17:35,839 --> 00:17:38,640 and when it's melted through the ice and snow and 288 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,759 into dry ground, mix it with the dirt and sleep 289 00:17:41,799 --> 00:17:45,279 over it. The coals under the dirt will summer all 290 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:49,599 night and they'll keep you warm. As darkness fell and 291 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,039 my fire was burning down I started getting this feeling 292 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:56,759 that something was watching me. I know that sounds corny, 293 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:59,680 and I brushed it off. It's just my imagination, but 294 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:04,359 the got stronger. By ten o'clock, my campfire was nothing 295 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:09,079 but a bed of smoldering coals. It had been dark 296 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,079 for a long time now, and the only light was 297 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:15,599 the faint illumination from the coals dancing on the trees 298 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:19,720 around me. I got a sudden tingling sensation down the 299 00:18:19,759 --> 00:18:23,279 back of my neck and along my spine. I felt 300 00:18:23,279 --> 00:18:27,440 really uneasy, but I ignored it again. I told myself, 301 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,920 I'm a tough, alasking boy born in Bread. In the wilderness, 302 00:18:31,079 --> 00:18:34,680 nothing scares me. But down in my gut I knew 303 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,400 something was different. I've spent many nights alone in the 304 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,720 wilderness and hadn't felt what I was feeling this time, 305 00:18:42,079 --> 00:18:45,279 so I couldn't help. But since that something was off, 306 00:18:46,839 --> 00:18:48,920 I mixed the coals in the dirt down in the 307 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,519 hole where the fire had burned through the layers of 308 00:18:51,599 --> 00:18:55,359 snow and ice. Now, with the coals buried in the dirt, 309 00:18:55,519 --> 00:18:58,519 it was totally dark, and I clicked on my head lamp. 310 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,559 I laid some spruce bows over the smoldering heap and 311 00:19:02,599 --> 00:19:05,279 put my sleeping bag on top of the spruce bows. 312 00:19:06,079 --> 00:19:08,599 I crawled in my sleeping bag, and I then pulled 313 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,359 a small tarp over me to hold in the heat. 314 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,400 It was nice and cozy, and I fell asleep really quick. 315 00:19:16,759 --> 00:19:19,079 I'm not sure how long I was asleep, but it 316 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:22,279 was probably only about twenty minutes or so when I 317 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:27,279 suddenly woke up and felt almost paralyzed with fear, similar 318 00:19:27,319 --> 00:19:29,519 to what my elder friend had told me happened to 319 00:19:29,599 --> 00:19:32,640 him and his dad on the dog sled trail. I 320 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:36,200 forced myself to shake off the paralysis. I was about 321 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:38,960 to go back to sleep, but immediately got this urgent 322 00:19:39,039 --> 00:19:41,880 feeling that I needed to get the heck out of 323 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:45,839 there and quick. My whole body started tingling, and I 324 00:19:45,839 --> 00:19:49,039 felt like something didn't want me there. I could hear 325 00:19:49,079 --> 00:19:52,640 snowflakes gently hitting the tarp covering me, and I pulled 326 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,799 the tarp off, clicked on my headlamp, and saw it 327 00:19:55,839 --> 00:19:58,920 was snowing hard and the wind was picking up. I 328 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:01,599 didn't want to leave because my camp was nestled in 329 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,319 the woods, and I knew walking back home now in 330 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,119 the dark mint crossing areas of open tundra where it 331 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:13,920 would be blowing snow, so I stayed put. Suddenly I 332 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:17,799 felt again this unsettling feeling that I needed to leave 333 00:20:18,039 --> 00:20:21,680 right away. My heart started racing and my instincts were 334 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:24,720 telling me to get out of there. I had packed 335 00:20:24,799 --> 00:20:27,319 light on this camping trip because I knew I was 336 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:30,039 going to be hiking in a lot of snow, so 337 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:32,400 the only gun I brought with me was a Ruger 338 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:36,000 ten twenty two. Being armed with only a twenty two 339 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:38,559 long rifle didn't give me a lot of confidence out 340 00:20:38,599 --> 00:20:41,480 there alone in the dark, feeling like something wanted to 341 00:20:41,559 --> 00:20:45,920 hurt me, even with a twenty five round magazine. I 342 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:49,160 clicked my headlight back on and quickly packed everything up. 343 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,480 I stuffed my sleeping bag in tarp in my pack, 344 00:20:52,519 --> 00:20:55,079 along with a few other things, without taking the time 345 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:58,559 to brush the snow off. Within a couple of minutes, 346 00:20:58,599 --> 00:21:01,519 I was all packed up and I left immediately, heading 347 00:21:01,599 --> 00:21:05,319 for home. The wind had picked up even more, and 348 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:07,400 when I got out of the tree line into the 349 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:11,079 open tundra, it was basically a blizzard, just as I 350 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,799 had expected. I tried to find my trail from earlier 351 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,440 that day, but it was already covered up with snow. 352 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,880 I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. 353 00:21:21,319 --> 00:21:23,920 It was the middle of the night and blowing heavy snow, 354 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:26,000 which made me worried that I was going to get 355 00:21:26,039 --> 00:21:28,960 lost trying to hike home, but I didn't want to 356 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,960 return to camp either. I thought about heading back to 357 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,359 my campsite, and even turned around to do so, but 358 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,759 that horrible uneasy feeling hit me again as soon as 359 00:21:39,759 --> 00:21:43,599 I turned to walk back towards camp. For a moment, 360 00:21:43,759 --> 00:21:46,920 I wasn't sure what to do, but the uneasy feeling 361 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,880 I had motivated me to push on through the snowy 362 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:54,799 conditions and get home. I had an easier time seeing 363 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:58,440 with my headlamp off, because with it on, the light 364 00:21:58,519 --> 00:22:02,119 reflected so much blowing snow all I could see was white. 365 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,480 With it off, I could just barely make out where 366 00:22:05,519 --> 00:22:09,200 I was and where I needed to walk. Slowly and 367 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,279 with lots of praying to Jesus, I made it across 368 00:22:12,319 --> 00:22:15,240 the long trek of open tundra and into the next 369 00:22:15,279 --> 00:22:18,559 tree line across from the valley. I knew from there 370 00:22:18,759 --> 00:22:21,519 I was close to the old woodcutting trail that led 371 00:22:21,599 --> 00:22:24,960 back to the village. Once I got back into the 372 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,000 deep woods and sheltered from the weather, it was much 373 00:22:28,039 --> 00:22:33,000 easier to navigate. I eventually found the old woodcutting trail 374 00:22:33,039 --> 00:22:36,160 and followed it on the long height back to the village. 375 00:22:37,319 --> 00:22:39,559 When I finally saw the lights of the village off 376 00:22:39,559 --> 00:22:42,960 in the distance through the trees, I felt relieved. I 377 00:22:43,039 --> 00:22:45,680 was covered in snow and tuck her out when I 378 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,079 made it back to my uncle's house. But I felt 379 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,680 so grateful, and since I was back in cell range, 380 00:22:51,839 --> 00:22:55,480 I texted my mom that I loved her, even though 381 00:22:55,519 --> 00:22:58,359 it was really late. She texted me back. I was 382 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,359 just glad I made it out of the situation, and 383 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:05,400 I will never forget that unshakable, creepy chill I felt 384 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:10,400 camping back in those woods in that valley. Since this experience, 385 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,640 I've camped out alone several times in other places and 386 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,759 haven't experienced any freaky feeling or felt disturbed at all, 387 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,359 which helps confirm to me that there was something in 388 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,559 that valley that one night giving me chills. I've never 389 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,240 camped in that spot since then, and I have no 390 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,559 desire to thank you for taking the time to read 391 00:23:31,599 --> 00:23:34,559 this email and for letting me share these stories with you. 392 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:40,359 Signed Alex Alex's that's an awesome story. Man. You I'm 393 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:43,640 assuming you're a native person up in Alaska. Obviously your 394 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:45,839 family is there and they live in the villages up 395 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,880 in the Great White North. And you know, I never 396 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,160 get many stories out of Alaska at all. I think 397 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,319 we've had maybe two or three in the last two years. 398 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,519 And this is fascinating stuff because I don't know, I 399 00:23:59,559 --> 00:24:01,759 would think think that there would be a huge amount 400 00:24:01,759 --> 00:24:07,240 of bigfoot activity in Alaska. We get stories from Mississippi, Alabama, 401 00:24:07,319 --> 00:24:09,680 and we have you know, we have some pretty good 402 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:15,400 wilderness down here, but the southeastern United States is pretty populated. 403 00:24:15,839 --> 00:24:19,000 The places where this man lives is I mean, the 404 00:24:19,039 --> 00:24:23,880 population is probably nothing compared to here, and the wilderness 405 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:27,359 is so vast and expanse and full of woods and tundra. 406 00:24:27,559 --> 00:24:30,160 Like he was saying that, you would think that those 407 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,680 things would live in there. But I really don't get 408 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:37,759 many reports from Alaska. If anyone else has encounters from Alaska, 409 00:24:37,799 --> 00:24:39,680 I'd love to hear them. And I know there are 410 00:24:39,759 --> 00:24:42,200 stories from up there. I know there are, I just 411 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,200 don't get many of them, and I'd love to read 412 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:47,279 some more. Okay, I'm just babbling on let's let's let's 413 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,160 move along here. Thanks Alex. I didn't have to edit 414 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:52,680 a single word in this story, and I really appreciate 415 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:56,000 the way you wrote it. Apparently you listened in school 416 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:58,319 when you're in your English class and you did a 417 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:00,000 great job. Brother, appreciate you.