WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:10.320 Here's another odd email that I received. The title The 2 00:00:10.359 --> 00:00:15.199 writer gives it as strangeness in the South forty Our 3 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:19.760 farm operation was several years behind the times. Our neighbors 4 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:24.079 planted straight rose using GPS and enjoyed the comfortable, controlled 5 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:28.440 environment of a modern tractor. We didn't always have the 6 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:33.679 luxury of a cab guided by dead reckoning. The tractors 7 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:36.560 that did have cabs were nothing more than a noisy box. 8 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:40.000 To shelter from wind and rain. I had learned to 9 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:43.679 layer clothing to utilize my own body heat. I actually 10 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:48.399 preferred to drive an open station unit anyway. There was 11 00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:52.079 something about the feel and smell of that evening. The 12 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:55.920 chill fall air was pleasant against my face, and I 13 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:58.560 could smell the rich earth as the dirt glided and 14 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:02.840 rolled through the three autumn plow I was pulling. I 15 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:06.200 was operating one of my favorite tractors. It was built 16 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:08.879 several years before I was even born, but it stood 17 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:13.079 up proudly to the duties ask of it. The old 18 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:16.640 farm all imperred like the well tuned machine it was, 19 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:19.959 and I admired the shine of the red hood before me. 20 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:24.719 Hents of warmth came from the exhaust stack that lightly 21 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:27.760 glowed from the work strain, and it was a wonderful 22 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:32.560 evening to be farming. Dusk was starting to darken the 23 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:37.640 pale clear sky. Now the colorful pastel canvas displayed shades 24 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:41.719 of blue, green and hints of red. It wasn't quite 25 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:45.319 dark enough to really need lights, but shadows were starting 26 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:49.920 to creep from the timbered field edge. Darkness was beginning 27 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:54.000 to claim the landscape. This particular area of the farm 28 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:59.560 could give a particular sense of foreboding. Tonight revealed to 29 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:04.079 be one of those nights of eeriness. I turned around, 30 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:07.120 was coming up the evening row was shaded by the 31 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:10.680 timber edge, and I noticed corn stalks were jamming up 32 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:13.919 in the middle plowshar, which would need kicking out before 33 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:17.719 it plugged tightly. I rolled to a stop and idle 34 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:22.039 the tractor down. Sighing dejectedly, I stood up and stepped 35 00:02:22.039 --> 00:02:25.000 backwards down to the U shape of the drawbar, and 36 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:27.439 I stepped further down until I was on the ground. 37 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:31.159 I took out an ear plug and let my hearing 38 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:34.840 adjust to the surroundings. And it was silent, just way 39 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:39.000 too quiet. The only sound was the tractor engine idling. 40 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:44.680 This was very peculiar. My eyes gazed slowly and carefully around, 41 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:51.039 but I didn't realize anything extraordinary. I should be hearing crickets, 42 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:56.840 maybe some woodland cadences, but I heard nothing. My footsteps 43 00:02:56.879 --> 00:02:59.879 loudly crunched as I maneuvered myself to clear the pl 44 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:05.319 i'll shear. My body felt like electric adrenaline was quickly flowing, 45 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:09.159 and this caused me to go on high alert. I 46 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.800 couldn't shake the feeling as if I was being watched, 47 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:15.199 and I quickly bent to my task. The sooner I 48 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:18.000 could get back on the operator's seat, the sooner I 49 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:22.199 could move on tink. I rocked. The size of my 50 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:26.080 fist hit the shear to my right. I jumped, barely 51 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:30.000 missing bumping my head against the plow frame. As I 52 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:32.520 turned to scan the tree line and other large rock 53 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:37.240 zipped inches past my head. There had been power propelling 54 00:03:37.319 --> 00:03:40.719 this object, and I heard a whiz sound as it passed, 55 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:44.360 impacting the ground with a hard thump. Behind me, What 56 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:49.759 the hell, I exclaimed, not finishing my thought, a very large, dark, 57 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:54.400 indescribable shadow moved directly in front of me. Out of 58 00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:59.520 the darkness, a man shaped form materialized. This was nobody 59 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:02.800 I reckon. Now, I judged the figure to stand at 60 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:07.599 least eight feet tall. A very primitive looking being with 61 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:12.000 menacing dark eyes stood just beyond my tractor. Dark hair 62 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.879 covered a majority of the neked body. This was very 63 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:19.680 decidedly a male, and I'm not going into detail on that. 64 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:23.920 Just trust me. He was well muscled and presented an 65 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.800 athletic body a wrestler or a football player would desire. 66 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:31.639 We stood within a few short yards of each other. 67 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:34.839 Now I was trembling with fear, but I stood my ground, 68 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:38.879 trying to hide my terror. I could feel a penetrating 69 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:43.639 gaze as if I was being measured and evaluated. Finally, 70 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:48.040 the mighty beast nonchalantly turned and walked away, as if 71 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:52.240 I were being dismissed. I heard a loud crunch behind me, 72 00:04:52.279 --> 00:04:54.920 and I quickly turned to see a large fleeting shadow 73 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:58.759 disappear into the woods on my right. There had been 74 00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:04.839 more than one shaking. I collected myself and I climbed 75 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:08.560 back in the operator's chair on wobbly legs, and I 76 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:11.600 was done plowing for the evening. In fact, I picked 77 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:14.120 up a higher gear to get back to the farmstead. 78 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:18.879 I didn't tell anybody about my encounter when I got 79 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:23.120 to the barn lot, who would believe me? Anyway, I 80 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:26.839 had been there and was still processing the event. Had 81 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:31.160 it been nothing but my imagination. The rock throne that 82 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:34.240 hit my plowsher had left a chalk like mark, though 83 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:38.920 I didn't get harassed about coming in. With darkness falling 84 00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:42.560 and the old, reliable im didn't have the best lighting, 85 00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:45.240 which made it hard to see at night, the bitter 86 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:49.319 chill was overtaking any warmth found. As the sunlight had retreated, 87 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:53.800 it was time to call it a day. Anyway, I 88 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:57.160 did overhear a mumbled comment about pushing the old tractor 89 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:02.600 too fast. My racing, bumping and creating a clatter was unusual. 90 00:06:03.480 --> 00:06:06.800 Vintage and antique equipment were treated with great respect on 91 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:12.439 this farm. I had great trepidation realizing I had to 92 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:16.319 go back and finish plowing the south forty. The duties 93 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:22.079 still needed completion, regardless of my attitude. The next morning, 94 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:24.920 I swallowed as much of my fear as I could 95 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:28.680 and I headed back to the field. The morning went 96 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:32.240 with no incident. It was slightly warmer as the sun 97 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:36.319 rose higher in the pale sky. My eyes were constantly 98 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:39.519 scanning all the scenery, and my head was constantly swiveling 99 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:44.639 in every direction possible. I was seeking any abnormalities hiding 100 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:47.800 in the darker forest, and it was difficult to stay 101 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:51.199 focused on the task at hand. And the electric adrenaline 102 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:54.959 feeling had returned, and I sensed I was being watched again. 103 00:06:56.879 --> 00:07:00.680 My nose soon alerted me to an offensive smell. It 104 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:04.720 was stronger when I neared the tree line. The pungent 105 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:09.879 odor of wet, rank, dirty talk, combined with the smell 106 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:13.879 of a dead animal attacked my sinuses. No skunk would 107 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:18.160 have smelled more pleasant. I had planned the plowing so 108 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:20.199 that I had worked my way to the edge of 109 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:23.759 the middle, and each pass drew me closer to the trees. 110 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:29.000 I dreaded my actions after last night's bizarre occurrence. The 111 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:32.040 tree line felt as if nothing was closing in, making 112 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:34.800 it easier for the spectators to reach out and grab 113 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:42.199 me off the operator's seat. My imagination had gone into overdrive. Fortunately, 114 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:46.040 the cornstalks weren't hampering the plow, and I wasn't real 115 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.920 comfortable with the idea of stopping to clean that plug 116 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:54.360 away anyway. I felt vulnerable enough. Slowly moving in the open, 117 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:56.920 and this was one of the very few times I 118 00:07:56.920 --> 00:07:59.920 would have rather dealt with the noisy confinement of a cow. 119 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:03.480 There probably wouldn't have been any more safety in an 120 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:07.160 enclosed area. That was nothing more than an idea, a 121 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:12.279 false sense of security. Another rock zip passed my ear 122 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:16.680 with fierce intensity. The projectile had been close enough that 123 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:20.199 I felt it brush the side of my face. One 124 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:23.560 inch closer and I would have been struck in the eye. 125 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:26.959 My immediate reaction was to mash the clutch pedal, bringing 126 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:31.240 the unit to an abrupt halt. Angry, I looked all 127 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:35.120 around but observed nothing out of the ordinary. Now it 128 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:42.000 wasn't the reaction of fear. I was mad. After calming myself, 129 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:46.000 I assessed the situation with more reason. The only place 130 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:48.720 of concealment the rock could have come was still a 131 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:53.759 good distance. Whoever or whatever made that pitch had more 132 00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:58.759 power and accuracy than a major league pitcher. Intelligence to 133 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:05.080 no vulnerable points was also demonstrated. This knowledge was rather disturbing. 134 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:09.080 I heard the sound of another tractor in the distance. 135 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:13.480 The volume was increasing, and I observed another plow unit 136 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:17.159 head to the field. I sat back down and eased 137 00:09:17.159 --> 00:09:19.919 out the clutch, and the old ms started forward with 138 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:23.120 a slight strain, and I had my doubts, but maybe 139 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:27.960 I'd be safer with the increase in numbers. The plowing 140 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:32.559 force soon increased again, and shortly there were three tractors 141 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:37.159 and plows working in unison. A three bottom plow pulled 142 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:39.799 by another M and an old John Deere fell into 143 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:44.679 the work, and the old A's distinctive chugging sound overtook 144 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:49.360 most of the created human noise pollution. The electric feeling 145 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:53.080 of adrenaline faded in short time, and I started to 146 00:09:53.080 --> 00:09:57.440 get more comfortable now that there was companionship. It never 147 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:00.519 occurred to me the unpleasant odor still lingered until I 148 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:04.159 observe one of the other operators sniffing the air. He 149 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:07.679 gave me a puzzled look and pinched his nose and shrugged, 150 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:13.159 indicating he had found the smell strange and offensive. He 151 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:16.000 asked me later when we stopped, if I had hit 152 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:23.480 a scump. Okay, this next story, I'm gonna leave The 153 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:27.080 writer doesn't say, but I'm gonna leave his name anonymous anyway, 154 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:30.679 and he claims this story is true. This is a 155 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:34.480 whopper right here. Again, all these stories that I read. 156 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:36.279 I have no idea if they're true or not, but 157 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:38.720 it's the way people send them to me. Well, I 158 00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:41.960 can't assume anything, so I don't. But I make a 159 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:44.799 judgment on those just like you do. But I'm just 160 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:47.320 not gonna say what I think. Does that makes sense? 161 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:49.960 All I do is read them, and it's up to 162 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:53.759 you to decide whether you believe him or not. Back 163 00:10:53.799 --> 00:10:56.720 in the nineteen seventies, when we heard whoops and knocking 164 00:10:56.840 --> 00:10:59.360 across the lake from the cab and my family owned, 165 00:10:59.720 --> 00:11:04.320 were told it was drunk hippies. It was, after all, 166 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:08.879 northern California. In the nineteen seventies, we lived in the 167 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:12.159 San Francisco Bay Area, but we were in the Sierras 168 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:16.519 year round. My family owned a cabin at six thousand 169 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:20.200 feet elevation in Pine Crest off of Highway one eight. 170 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:23.519 We skiing the winter and enjoyed the lake in the spring. 171 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:26.120 In summer, and we hunted deer and cut wood from 172 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:30.399 fall back in the winter. After high school in nineteen 173 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:32.759 eighty four, I moved up to our cabin to get 174 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:36.759 away from the city. The work was seasonal and during 175 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.759 the winter months we worked the local ski resort and 176 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:43.240 then from May to October. We were wilding firefighters in 177 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:49.519 the stan Stanislaw National Forest. I think that's how you 178 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:54.919 pronounce that st. St A n I S l e 179 00:11:55.080 --> 00:12:00.000 U S Stanislaw National Forest, and he says it all 180 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.000 this sounds great when you're nineteen. The first year with 181 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:07.960 the US Forest Service Department of Agriculture was nineteen eighty five. 182 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:11.559 I won the job of leeds sawyer on a thirty 183 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:15.240 man team. We were a hand crew who went where 184 00:12:15.320 --> 00:12:19.120 bulldozers and trucks couldn't go, either by humping in or 185 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:24.200 by helicopter. Usually, wilderness areas have never been logged, and 186 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:28.639 therefore they have no fire roads. The area of my forest, 187 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:34.200 the Stanislaw National Forest, occupies and contains the Immigrant wilderness 188 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:39.080 where Ron Moorhead recorded this Sierra Sounds. The first of 189 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:41.960 my three encounters occurred a few hours to the north 190 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:44.960 of the Plumus National Forest, in which the town of 191 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:49.000 Quincy is located. The main fire camp was at the 192 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:52.320 local fairgrounds, where the different teams from around the country 193 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:56.159 gathered to organize for the fight. Our team drew a 194 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:59.639 hell attack mission several miles beyond any type of road 195 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:03.559 into a old growth wilderness area and that meant we 196 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:07.879 would be dropped in by helicopter. We split the team 197 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:11.919 to fight two separate dry lightning strikes, each about an acre. 198 00:13:12.600 --> 00:13:16.919 It takes four trips to ferry the entire team. Being 199 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:19.759 the lead sawyer, I was always in the first flight 200 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:22.480 with one of my crew leaders to assess the approach 201 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:26.440 and fell any trees that needed to create rotor clearance. 202 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:32.799 Sometimes that meant repelling down and lowering my saw by rope. 203 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:37.480 I fell two trees and the landing zone was open. John, 204 00:13:37.559 --> 00:13:40.840 my crew leader, the First Nation's meewalk tribe member, and 205 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:44.480 I started to establish the approach by tying ribbons and 206 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:47.279 limbing up trees so the remainder of the crew could 207 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:51.679 easily follow. It was an easy fire. Half the crew 208 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:56.360 had ours out and coal before total dark. The plan 209 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:58.399 was to bivouac and keep an eye on the burn 210 00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:00.759 until the morning when the birds would pick us up. 211 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:05.399 It was a beautiful area with old growth forest and 212 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:09.559 barely any moonlight reaching through the forest floor. We each 213 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:12.200 took out our space blankets and found a good tree 214 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:15.080 to bed up against, and we were exhausted and we 215 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:19.919 fell asleep in no time. It was three thirty am. 216 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:23.320 When I suddenly awoke and found myself staring at the 217 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:26.360 outline of an eight to nine foot tall creature covered 218 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:30.039 in dark air. I could see it move as he 219 00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:34.960 was swaying. Years of hunting all over the Sierra Nevada 220 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:38.000 Mountains told me that this was not a bear, and 221 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:40.919 I started to reach for my chainsaw, but I couldn't move. 222 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:44.039 It felt like I was being held on every part 223 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:47.879 of my body. I was furious. I wanted to cut 224 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:50.440 this thing off at the knees, and that's when he 225 00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:53.360 turned and looked at me with I swear to God, 226 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:59.039 red glowing eyes. I was never scared. I was too 227 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:02.360 angry to be a friend. I was mentally yelling to 228 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:04.200 the big bully to let me go and give me 229 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:07.519 a shot. He looked at me as an older man 230 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:10.519 would at an nineteen year old, and as clear as day, 231 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:14.080 without making an audible sound, he said, thank you for 232 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:19.320 taking care of our home. You are our friend. Well. 233 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:23.039 I immediately felt calm, and we stared at each other 234 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:26.639 for a long minute or two. He had a human 235 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:30.320 face with only a beard for facial hair. He was 236 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:33.000 four feet, white at the shoulders, and his hair hid 237 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:35.720 any neck that he might have had, and his nose 238 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:40.360 was turned down, almost human like. His arms were along 239 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:43.240 with hands that hung down below his knees, and his 240 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:47.360 chest was ripped. I knew the chainsaw would have been 241 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:50.679 a bad idea. He was definitely a male, and he 242 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:53.240 was standing a mere four feet from me, and he 243 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:55.360 could have reached out and grabbed me at any moment. 244 00:15:56.840 --> 00:16:01.399 I started to listen with my ears. Everyone was snoring 245 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:05.679 and making normal sleeping sounds. I looked back at him, 246 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:08.559 and he honestly gave me a polite nod, and then 247 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:10.960 he turned and took three or four easy steps that 248 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:14.960 made no sound, and carried him in an unreasonable distance 249 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:19.240 to where he passed between two trees. At that point, 250 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:22.720 he just vanished where he had been looked like the 251 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:27.399 transporter Sparkles from a Star Trek episode. I'm no kidding. 252 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:32.000 It was like beat me up, Scottie type stuff. And 253 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:34.960 then it was dead quiet, and the guy sleeping four 254 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:38.200 feet away started whimpering quietly, and the guy next to 255 00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:41.960 him made a sound like he was soiling his pants. Well, 256 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:44.960 I stayed quiet until the sky turned purple in the east. 257 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:49.480 Before I finally got off to relieve myself. I turned 258 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:52.399 when I was done, and I saw John, my crew ball, 259 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:55.720 standing right behind me. He was looking at me with 260 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:59.720 a serious expression on his face. Who else was all? 261 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:04.240 He said? Later, I told two other guys and my 262 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.960 crew about the incident, and this is where the Bigfoot 263 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:11.480 and the government messed with my life and my freedoms. 264 00:17:12.119 --> 00:17:14.640 I was sternly ordered to go get the other two 265 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:16.839 guys and bring them back to that spot, while the 266 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:19.079 rest of the crew was sent to prep the LZ 267 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:23.119 for the choppers. John my boss, held up his hand 268 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:25.000 and he walked back to us, and he told us 269 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:28.119 not to speak, and then he advised us that as 270 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:31.960 employees of the federal government, we now had top secret 271 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:35.240 clearances and we were never to speak to anyone of 272 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:41.039 the bear encounter, not even amongst ourselves. I begged him 273 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:44.599 to answer just one question from each of us. He 274 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:46.960 gave me a disappointed look, and he walked away to 275 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:50.400 meet the others at the chopper. While the three of 276 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:52.680 us made our way to the meadow. I tried to 277 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:56.200 speak with my teammates, but to no avail. They were 278 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:59.359 both clearly in shock and would not utter a word. 279 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:04.160 We made the chopper ride back to town, where we 280 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:08.400 each met individually with top FS brass. I don't know 281 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:13.039 what FS Forestry Service brass. After a lengthy deep briefing 282 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:15.680 and some scary warnings, I headed for the showers and 283 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:18.759 then I went to chow. I was told that both 284 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:21.200 of my team members were sick and had been sent 285 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:25.079 home due to smoke inholation. I made the decision then 286 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:30.079 to shut up Levenworth Supermacs didn't sound too inviting to me, 287 00:18:30.680 --> 00:18:33.079 and when we left Quincy, we traveled back to our 288 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:36.000 forest to work and wait for the next fire call. 289 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:38.440 Now I did my best to act normal, but I 290 00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:41.880 felt like everyone knew my secret. It was a long 291 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.599 time before I was able to relax in my own 292 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:49.720 skin again. During the mid season, we were called to 293 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:53.039 go a couple of hours south to then Sierra National 294 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:57.759 Forest east of Fresno, near Sequoia an Yosemite National Park. 295 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:01.720 The fire was slow moving, so John and I hiked 296 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:04.240 up a ridge across the canyon from the burn that 297 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:07.559 was slowly moving up the opposite ridge through a stand 298 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.680 of trees. Along the other ridge was a logged area 299 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.079 that ran to the top, with a stand of trees 300 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:17.559 that ran along to its left and standing in the 301 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:20.440 middle of the logged area. About halfway up the ridge 302 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:24.039 was an eight to nine foot reddish brown bigfoot or 303 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:27.400 this guy right sabe. I don't know where that word 304 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:30.680 came from. It's pretty new. It's pretty new. People are 305 00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:33.880 using it all over YouTube, but we'll call them sabe. 306 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:37.599 Whatever it was standing there assessing the fire just as 307 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:41.000 we were, all I could think about was how the 308 00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:44.240 bully held me down with his frieze ray eyes the 309 00:19:44.319 --> 00:19:47.000 last time we met. Now, I put as much concern 310 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:51.480 into broadcasting one very clear message to this bastard, and 311 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:54.200 it was two words, but I don't want to repeat them. Here. 312 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:57.799 We were at least four hundred and fifty yards in 313 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:01.160 a tree line across the canyon, but he looked directly 314 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:04.920 at me. He gave me a slight wave by raising 315 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.720 his hand, and took another look at the fire. And 316 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:11.119 then he turned toward the opposite stand of trees, and wow, 317 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:15.160 he covered the three hundred yard side hill to the 318 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:18.240 opposite stand of trees and a time and speed that 319 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:21.920 was not physically possible by the physics that we understand 320 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:25.839 right now. The weirdest part was that he looked like 321 00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:31.480 he was gliding. Each stride covered huge distances, and then 322 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:35.240 just like before, he passed into a tree line and vanished, 323 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:40.000 and he was followed by two softball sized orbs. It 324 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:43.039 was midday and very clear, with all the smoke traveling 325 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:46.680 up over the other ridge well. I turned and looked 326 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:48.920 to John, and he smiled at me, and he said, 327 00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:52.279 what did you think of that bear? It didn't mind 328 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.880 speak to us so much as it sent an emphatic, 329 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:57.880 thankful feeling. Now I wouldn't want to be on this 330 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:02.440 giant's bad side. Nothing was said between John and me, 331 00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:05.359 but again, it didn't frighten me nearly as much as 332 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:07.960 it amazed me and made me angry at the jerks 333 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:10.559 who had been letting me run around this forest since 334 00:21:10.599 --> 00:21:13.119 I was five years old without telling me that the 335 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:18.200 Boogeyman was real. The last time I had occasion to 336 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:21.839 work with our fellow protectors happened midway through my second 337 00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:26.400 fire season. We were dispatched to Yosemite, which shares a 338 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:30.319 border with our home forest. We grouped at the top 339 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:34.240 of the glacier point at the ski area for helicopter operations, 340 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:38.799 and being in the first sortie, I got a great ride. 341 00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:41.920 We dropped over a glacier point and went straight toward 342 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:45.279 the valley floor, and the pilot pulled level at five 343 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:48.720 hundred feet and banked off El Capitain and then circled 344 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:53.359 toward Bridal Veil Falls, where the fire was located. On 345 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:56.039 this fire, I had to repel down and have my 346 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:59.359 saw lowered, and the boss made a couple of sweeps 347 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:01.880 while I was fed, selling three trees giving us the 348 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:05.799 clearance for the roads. I had already started to move 349 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:09.559 up the slope toward the fire, tying ribbons and limbing trees, 350 00:22:10.119 --> 00:22:13.079 and as I came over a rise, another sabe was 351 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:17.279 standing twenty feet away. Well, I started to laugh at 352 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:20.799 the silly smile on its face. He in some way 353 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:24.880 communicated that I met his kin and that I was welcome. 354 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.759 He had me follow him up rout I never would 355 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:32.039 have seen otherwise I was in a perfect spot to 356 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:36.079 start the initial attack on the burn line. The crew 357 00:22:36.119 --> 00:22:38.519 followed my trail up and John came over to me 358 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:42.599 and he said, you gotta love these bears. Huh. Well, 359 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:46.680 those are the official and unofficial encounters that I'm officially 360 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:49.799 not supposed to talk about. Thank you and the other 361 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:52.119 brave souls who gave me the courage to write the 362 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:55.440 wrongs that I can, and that's the end of his email. 363 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:59.480 I'm not sure I didn't read any wrongs in this email, 364 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:02.359 but I think there are many who were going to 365 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:06.960 find this type of encounter quite outlandish. You know. I 366 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:10.440 think this is like putting magical powers on these bigfoot 367 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:14.079 That's not me. I thought the story was great. I'm 368 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:16.720 not saying that, but I bet there are some if 369 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:18.680 I'm right, there are some out there who are going 370 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:21.039 to go, oh, this is kind of a crazy story. 371 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:24.680 But this guy obviously sounds like he knows about fire 372 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:28.480 jumping and firefighting in the national forests. And these guys 373 00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:31.039 are raw high dudes. They're not. They don't play around. 374 00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:34.799 They're in fantastic shape, they eat good, they exercise all 375 00:23:34.839 --> 00:23:37.799 the time, and they when they're fighting fires, they're out 376 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:41.960 there for days, days without sleep. I read a book 377 00:23:42.039 --> 00:23:44.480 not too long ago, well it was actually ten or 378 00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:49.519 fifteen years ago by Norman maclan. It was I think 379 00:23:49.559 --> 00:23:52.640 it was called young Men and Fire. It was about 380 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:55.559 the man Gulch Fire. I can't remember. Maybe it was 381 00:23:55.599 --> 00:24:00.640 in the sixties, maybe eight or ten firefighters died fighting 382 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:03.599 that fire, and they learned a lot from it. It's 383 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:07.279 a great book. Norman McLain. Norman McLain wrote the book 384 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:10.680 A River Runs Through It that was later turned into 385 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:14.680 a movie with Brad Pitt and some other guys, and 386 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:16.720 it's a good movie. It's a good movie, but the 387 00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:19.240 book is better. But he wrote a piece of nine. 388 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:22.359 A River Runs Through It is fiction, But he wrote 389 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:26.519 a piece of nonfiction called young Men and Fire. I 390 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:30.119 strongly recommend you read that book. Norman McClain was a 391 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:35.200 fantastic writer. He was a very smart, scholarly writer. And 392 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:38.119 when you can read stuff like that, you really learn something. 393 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:41.200 So I don't know, I'm just rambling about stuff that 394 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:44.119 came to my memory as I was reading this. And 395 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:47.079 these firefighters have always impressed me, you know, the kind 396 00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:49.319 of work they do and the things they're willing to 397 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:52.240 do to fight these fires. I think they're in it 398 00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:55.119 for the adventure. But to run into a big foot 399 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:57.079 out in the middle of the woods and him, do 400 00:24:57.200 --> 00:25:01.480 mine speak with you, you see orbs or involved. There 401 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:06.079