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<v Speaker 1>I live in Kluyd County in North Wales, United Kingdom.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm lucky to live in such a beautiful place, surrounded

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<v Speaker 1>by hills and woodland and an abundance of farms. We

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<v Speaker 1>also have a lot of paved roads that lead to

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<v Speaker 1>the more secluded areas. There was a spot on one

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<v Speaker 1>of these narrow roads to nowhere that I and my

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<v Speaker 1>friend Scott liked to go where we could chill out

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<v Speaker 1>and enjoy some good banter and good chap. The spot

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<v Speaker 1>we frequented was a lay by about a third of

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<v Speaker 1>the way up a damaged road with a steep incline

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<v Speaker 1>and many hairpin turns as it snaked in an s

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<v Speaker 1>up the side of a small mountain. The road was

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<v Speaker 1>edged with forty to fifty foot conifers, some ash in

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<v Speaker 1>a few large oaks. Just off the road was a

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<v Speaker 1>large piece of woodland. I say large because on our

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<v Speaker 1>tiny island, three hundred acres is large. On this stretch

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<v Speaker 1>of where there are no street lights. Homes were few

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<v Speaker 1>and far between and were in set back, so any

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<v Speaker 1>lights from them didn't reach the road. It was dark

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<v Speaker 1>as dark can be out there at night. One fall evening,

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<v Speaker 1>Scott and I visited our usual spot with another friend

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<v Speaker 1>we called Jack. We had been there maybe an hour,

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<v Speaker 1>paying no mind to any of the surrounding area outside

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<v Speaker 1>of the white ninety two Nissan Murker we had bundled into.

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<v Speaker 1>We were laughing and having a good time, just enjoying

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<v Speaker 1>each other's company. We hadn't even noticed how quiet the

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<v Speaker 1>woods were. Suddenly the inside of the car went silent

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<v Speaker 1>as well. Everyone stopped talking and Scott reached past the

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<v Speaker 1>steering wheel to silence the radio. We were all sure

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<v Speaker 1>we had heard something really close. A thud made me

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<v Speaker 1>wind down the window on the passenger side to listen.

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<v Speaker 1>That was when I realized I couldn't hear anything in

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<v Speaker 1>the woods. We have an abundance of why life in

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<v Speaker 1>this area, another reason I feel so lucky to live here.

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<v Speaker 1>There are rabbits and squirrels, red fox, badger, deer owls,

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<v Speaker 1>and other birds of prey like kite and buzzards. At

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<v Speaker 1>that moment, none of them were making a sound. Not

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<v Speaker 1>even the insects could be heard. The only noise that

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<v Speaker 1>broke the silence was the light rustling that was coming

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<v Speaker 1>from a field that was situated up a steep embankment

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<v Speaker 1>just to our left. It was coming from the other

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<v Speaker 1>side of the field. We thought nothing of it until

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<v Speaker 1>we heard another thud right next to my open window.

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<v Speaker 1>A rock the size of a small melon had been

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<v Speaker 1>thrown with great power and even more impressive accuracy towards

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<v Speaker 1>us and landed a couple of feet short of the vehicle.

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<v Speaker 1>It hit the ground so violently that I was sprayed

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<v Speaker 1>with muddy rain water right into my face. That was it.

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<v Speaker 1>My window came up. Not that a window would have

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<v Speaker 1>stood a chant against a rock that size, but it

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<v Speaker 1>made me feel better knowing there was something between us

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<v Speaker 1>and whatever had just hurled a thirty pound rock. We

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<v Speaker 1>were considering our options, which in all honesty shouldn't have

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<v Speaker 1>taken as long as it did. It was obvious that

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<v Speaker 1>we should have just gotten the heck out of Dodge

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<v Speaker 1>at that very moment, but for some reason we stalled

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<v Speaker 1>on making our getaway. I looked up and out of

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<v Speaker 1>the front window, and then quickly hushed the others, telling

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<v Speaker 1>them to look dead ahead. Our car was pointed as

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<v Speaker 1>though we would drive straight up the hill to the

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<v Speaker 1>next hairpin that was perhaps fifty feet away. The inclined

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<v Speaker 1>put the gravel level at about ten to twelve feet

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<v Speaker 1>higher than we were. We all saw it. Rather, we

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<v Speaker 1>saw its eyes, two big, round, amber colored eyes, hovered

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<v Speaker 1>about six inches apart and what I estimated to be

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<v Speaker 1>some eleven feet off the ground. This thing must have

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<v Speaker 1>been immense in height and stature. I have always been

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<v Speaker 1>a bit big for my boots, with a chip on

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<v Speaker 1>my shoulder, A naturally brave person. It helps, being five

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<v Speaker 1>foot ten and two hundred and thirty pounds of muscle

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<v Speaker 1>from manual farm work and many hours in the gym.

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<v Speaker 1>Jack isn't a small guy either, standing six feet tall

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<v Speaker 1>and weighing around two hundred and fifteen pounds, but Scott

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<v Speaker 1>was a mere five ten and one hundred and seventy pounds.

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<v Speaker 1>Being the brave boy I am, I got out of

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<v Speaker 1>the car to get a better look. Scott and Jack

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<v Speaker 1>were both yelling, what the hell are you doing? Jake,

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<v Speaker 1>come back, get back in here. We need to leave.

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<v Speaker 1>I gave them a soft hush and started to slowly

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<v Speaker 1>make my way up towards the eye shine. Maybe I

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<v Speaker 1>was hoping it was an owl perched on a low branch.

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<v Speaker 1>As I got nearer, I realized this wasn't the case.

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<v Speaker 1>I started to make out the creature's outline, and as

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<v Speaker 1>I did, I stopped dead in my tracks. This thing

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<v Speaker 1>was enormous. I was now maybe thirty feet away from it,

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<v Speaker 1>and I could see that it had short but very

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<v Speaker 1>thick legs, a long body, and thick long arms. If

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<v Speaker 1>it had a neck, it was half an inch long.

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<v Speaker 1>Either that or its shoulder muscles were the size of

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<v Speaker 1>a grown pig. It was easily ten or eleven feet

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<v Speaker 1>tall and four to five feet wide at the shoulders.

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<v Speaker 1>I just stared as it made a low huff with

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<v Speaker 1>every breath. That was when I turned from a big,

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<v Speaker 1>brave boy to a scared little girl and started walking

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<v Speaker 1>backwards towards the car. I got back in and quietly

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<v Speaker 1>said drive. There was a pause before he reacted, but

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<v Speaker 1>before Scott could turn the key in the ignition, we

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<v Speaker 1>heard another thud. There was another rock, slightly smaller than

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<v Speaker 1>the last, and it had been thrown and fell just

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<v Speaker 1>shy of the vehicle. This time, I screamed at Scott,

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<v Speaker 1>just drive, Scott, and he did. Never before has a

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<v Speaker 1>one thousand cc hatchback been driven so quickly. Fair play

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<v Speaker 1>to Scott for the previous unseen skill. Thinking about it now,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think whatever this creature was wanted to hurt us.

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<v Speaker 1>It just wanted us to go. Mission accomplished and we

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<v Speaker 1>got out, Nor did we return to this spot for

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<v Speaker 1>several weeks. I had another encounter with this thing, and

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<v Speaker 1>it happened some months later in a different area of

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<v Speaker 1>our surrounding woodlands, but only two miles or so from

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<v Speaker 1>the spot I visited with Scott and Jack. I was

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<v Speaker 1>hiking alone in the springtime near a derelic castle called

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<v Speaker 1>gerich Garrick Castle. I'm sure I got that wrong. It

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<v Speaker 1>has been long abandoned, though many attempts have been made

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<v Speaker 1>to restore the castle. It was in the middle of

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<v Speaker 1>the afternoon, with many hours of daylight left. I'd heard

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<v Speaker 1>stories of dogs going missing here, but I figured they

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<v Speaker 1>just ran off and never found their owners, as it

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<v Speaker 1>is a large area. However, I found evidence to suggest otherwise.

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<v Speaker 1>I came across a small black fur At first I

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<v Speaker 1>thought it was a locals farm sheep that had strayed

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<v Speaker 1>and perhaps caught its wool on the brush. As I

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<v Speaker 1>got closer, I realized it was fur and not wool.

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<v Speaker 1>A little further up the trail I found some more

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<v Speaker 1>a lot more a full labrador's coat of black fur.

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<v Speaker 1>There were a few bones lick clean. Some had been splintered,

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<v Speaker 1>as if bitten with great force. I started to get

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<v Speaker 1>the feeling that I was being watched. That's when I

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<v Speaker 1>heard a loud wood on wood not I shot to

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<v Speaker 1>an upright stance and stared intently in the direction from

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<v Speaker 1>which it came. But I saw nothing. After my previous

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<v Speaker 1>encounter several months earlier, I wanted nothing to do with this.

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<v Speaker 1>I turned back into the frightened little girl again. I

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<v Speaker 1>spun around and high tailed it back down the trail

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<v Speaker 1>and broke the tree line faster than I knew I could. Lily, Hush, Lily,

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<v Speaker 1>quick barking, Lily, Oh my gosh, this dog. That's my

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<v Speaker 1>little pug. She won't shut up. She barks at everything.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry to interrupt this story. I spun around and

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<v Speaker 1>tailed it back down the trail and broke from the

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<v Speaker 1>tree line faster than I knew I could. I've told

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<v Speaker 1>no one about these two encounters until now. Neither Scott

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<v Speaker 1>nor Jack have spoken of it either. I didn't even

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<v Speaker 1>tell them about the second encounter, nor have I had

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<v Speaker 1>another encounter or seen any signs of it since in

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<v Speaker 1>my mind. There's nothing that is going to tell me otherwise.

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<v Speaker 1>Although I thought bigfoot Sasquatchannetti lived in North America and Russia,

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<v Speaker 1>I know now that they are on UK soil as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Bigfoot lives in my town discreetly and quietly, without being

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<v Speaker 1>seen or heard by the majority of people. I hope

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<v Speaker 1>to God that it stays that way. I grew up

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<v Speaker 1>in North Texas, where my dad, my brother, and I

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<v Speaker 1>used to chuckle about my grandmother always talking about Bigfoot.

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<v Speaker 1>She was from Oklahoma. Although we have no records to

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<v Speaker 1>prove it, we believe she was Choctaw Indian. Her name

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<v Speaker 1>was Annis Nation. We always thought she was off her rocker.

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<v Speaker 1>That is until one weekend when I was in high school,

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<v Speaker 1>I went deer hunting with my dad and brother. We

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<v Speaker 1>were out at a deer lease just west of Jacksonboro, Texas.

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<v Speaker 1>Dad had his truck and we were staying in one

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<v Speaker 1>of those pop up crank style campers. Each end of

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<v Speaker 1>the camper folded out, forming the twin sized beds where

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<v Speaker 1>we slept. The walls, if they could be called that,

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<v Speaker 1>were made of heavy duty cellophane style plastic. They were

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<v Speaker 1>not clear, which allowed for little privacy, but in the evening,

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<v Speaker 1>light and motion could be seen inside the camper. We

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have much luck hunting our last day there, so

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<v Speaker 1>we all crashed relatively early. Dad was sleeping at one

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<v Speaker 1>end and my brother and I were sleeping at the other.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometime in the night, I was awakened when I felt

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<v Speaker 1>the camper shake a little. My Dad and brother were

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<v Speaker 1>both sound sleepers, I'm not. It took a moment to

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<v Speaker 1>register that I had felt something, but it was late,

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<v Speaker 1>and I was tired, and I was only half awake.

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<v Speaker 1>I blew it off and tried to go back to sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>A few minutes later, the camper shook violently. This time

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<v Speaker 1>I was wide awake. I looked around me as an

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<v Speaker 1>uneasy feeling crept over me. I was trying to figure

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<v Speaker 1>out what could have made the camper shake. When it

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<v Speaker 1>shook again. I was mentally searching for an explanation while

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<v Speaker 1>trying to contain my panic. When it shook a third time.

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<v Speaker 1>Every few seconds. Now it was rocking as some some

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<v Speaker 1>one we're trying to get the last nut out of

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<v Speaker 1>the bag of airplane peanuts. Uneasiness jumped to fear when

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<v Speaker 1>I saw the silhouette of something on the side of

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<v Speaker 1>the camper, perfectly outlined by the full moon, was something ginormous.

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<v Speaker 1>I could clearly see the shape of its head on

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<v Speaker 1>top of its massive shoulders that had to be five

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<v Speaker 1>or six feet wide. The top of the camper was

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<v Speaker 1>eight feet tall. We were all well over six feet tall,

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<v Speaker 1>and we could all stand easily inside the camper. Add

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<v Speaker 1>to that fact that it sat a couple of feet

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<v Speaker 1>off the ground. But the head on this silhouette outside

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<v Speaker 1>of the camper was at the top of the camper

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<v Speaker 1>when it pressed up against the camper, as if it

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<v Speaker 1>were trying to see in. I glassed at my brother

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<v Speaker 1>next to me and my dad across the way. I

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<v Speaker 1>was mortified to see that they were both sleeping like

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<v Speaker 1>babies through the whole thing. I was too terrified to

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<v Speaker 1>move or make a sound. There were several thirty six

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<v Speaker 1>rifles close by, but I sincerely believe none of them

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<v Speaker 1>would put a dent in that thing. All I could

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<v Speaker 1>do was lie there and hope that it would eventually

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<v Speaker 1>go away. I guess it finally decided there wasn't anything

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<v Speaker 1>of interest inside the camper, at least not anything worth

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<v Speaker 1>tearing it open to get at, and it wandered off,

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<v Speaker 1>not seeing it didn't provide the relief one might expect.

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<v Speaker 1>I was awake until daybreak That morning. I went out

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<v Speaker 1>and looked around where it had been standing. There was

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<v Speaker 1>a greasy face print on top of the plastic covering.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't mention it to my dad or my brother,

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<v Speaker 1>and that was the last time I ever went honting.

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<v Speaker 1>There are still many things in this world that we

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<v Speaker 1>don't know about. Bigfoot is one of them. With tens

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<v Speaker 1>of thousands of encounters, we can't all be mistaken or lying.

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<v Speaker 1>If the government knows about them and comes out and

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<v Speaker 1>says they are real, it will cause a lot of problems,

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<v Speaker 1>affect everything from the national parks to the oil and

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<v Speaker 1>timber industries. I also believe some of these things are

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<v Speaker 1>dangerous and have killed people. But if the government doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>know about them or doesn't admit they exist, how many

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<v Speaker 1>more people will die? I have a couple of pretty

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<v Speaker 1>tame encounters I'd like to share. In twenty fifteen, I

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<v Speaker 1>moved to Montana. I'd always loved the idea of living

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<v Speaker 1>in the mountains and exploring in nature. By twenty and sixteen,

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<v Speaker 1>i'd finally become a resident and was chomping at the

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<v Speaker 1>bit to go on my first deer hunt up in

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<v Speaker 1>Little Bear Canyons south of Bozeman. I'd driven up the

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<v Speaker 1>ten mile access road using my spotting scope. Along the way,

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<v Speaker 1>i'd spotted a really nice buck mule deer along with

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<v Speaker 1>a few dos up on the side of Wheeler Mountain.

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<v Speaker 1>I parked at the base, partially blocking an ATV trail

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<v Speaker 1>to let people know the area was occupied. I walked

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<v Speaker 1>for about a mile and then tested the wind. I

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<v Speaker 1>figured if I went straight for them, they'd catch my

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<v Speaker 1>scent and my hunt would be over for the day.

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<v Speaker 1>I decided to make my way around the mountain above

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<v Speaker 1>them and come down from the top. After about three

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<v Speaker 1>hours of stalking carefully making sure not to spook anything

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<v Speaker 1>else that would alert the deer to my presence, I

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<v Speaker 1>finally made it to the top. It was very thickly

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<v Speaker 1>forced it to one side, so I decided to stick

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<v Speaker 1>close to that tree line for cover while I worked

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<v Speaker 1>my way down to the deer. When I got to

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<v Speaker 1>thirty yards from the trees, I began hearing some kind

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<v Speaker 1>of grunting. I stopped, thinking maybe it was a bear

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<v Speaker 1>or some other large creature. I couldn't make out the

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<v Speaker 1>sound very well, but whatever it was definitely new. I

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<v Speaker 1>was there and was walking towards it. I took a

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<v Speaker 1>knee and I listened. It had grunted off and on

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<v Speaker 1>for about five minutes when I heard what sounded like

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<v Speaker 1>a large branch breaking. Now I was thinking it might

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<v Speaker 1>be a moose. Everything went dead silent. I checked the

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<v Speaker 1>place where I'd last seen the deer to see if

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<v Speaker 1>they were still there, and they were, but now they

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<v Speaker 1>were looking in my direction. I remained down on one knee,

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<v Speaker 1>not moving in an inch, and began slowing my breath

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<v Speaker 1>to try to keep calm. I thought whatever it was

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<v Speaker 1>would looten's interest in me and move off. I looked

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<v Speaker 1>back over the tree line, squinting to try and locate

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<v Speaker 1>the source of all the noise. The sun was up

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<v Speaker 1>all the way by now, warming my cheeks against the

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<v Speaker 1>frosty air. It was seven am. Shadows were casting everywhere

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<v Speaker 1>in the forest. Another five minutes passed since I'd heard

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<v Speaker 1>the limb snap, and I hadn't seen anything else, so

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<v Speaker 1>I turned my attention back to the deer. I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>want to walk into the forest after all that noise,

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<v Speaker 1>so I looked for a different route to get down

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<v Speaker 1>to them. I saw one game trail that was my

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<v Speaker 1>best bet, and, due to the fresh layer of snow

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<v Speaker 1>that had fallen that morning, my least slippery option. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>it took me closer to the thick forest. With my

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<v Speaker 1>hand resting on the grip of my side arm, I

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<v Speaker 1>started walking towards the trail. I was only ten yards

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<v Speaker 1>from the trees when a perfectly healthy, maybe eight inch

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<v Speaker 1>in diameter lodge pole pine fell across the trail that

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<v Speaker 1>I was planning to take. At this point, I was

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<v Speaker 1>feeling nervous, so I decided maybe something or someone was

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<v Speaker 1>just saying this isn't your day. And since sound of

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<v Speaker 1>the crashing tree had sent the deer bounding over the

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<v Speaker 1>next ridge, I made the decision to not test whatever

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<v Speaker 1>it was stopping me. I turned around and went back

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<v Speaker 1>to my truck, following the same way that I had

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<v Speaker 1>come in. I have a great respect for nature and conservation.

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<v Speaker 1>I've hunted deer since I've been old enough to hunt

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<v Speaker 1>on my own, and I listened very closely to what

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<v Speaker 1>nature tond El Meet in twenty fifteen, and I only

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<v Speaker 1>moved to Montana also got my CDL. Needless to say,

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<v Speaker 1>I've spent a lot of time trucking in Montana, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's my second encounter. At the beginning of twenty nineteen,

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<v Speaker 1>in early February, I was asked to hol a load

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<v Speaker 1>of hay down to Utah Idaho state line. The weather

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<v Speaker 1>was bad the night before, so I decided to leave

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<v Speaker 1>a couple hours later than usual to allow the road

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<v Speaker 1>crews time to stand the roads. It was nine eighteen am,

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<v Speaker 1>and I will never forget it. I was almost thirty

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<v Speaker 1>miles south of Enis, Montana, going about forty five miles

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<v Speaker 1>an hour. The roads were still a little slick, and

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<v Speaker 1>I was taking my time in being careful. I was

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<v Speaker 1>almost to the point where the road parallels to Madison River.

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<v Speaker 1>As I rounded the bend, I looked down into the

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<v Speaker 1>clearing across the river, and there it was. It was

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<v Speaker 1>about one hundred and fifty yards from the road, covered

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<v Speaker 1>in black hair from head to toe. It was walking

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<v Speaker 1>back towards the forest, but it stopped and turned to

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<v Speaker 1>look back at me. Its shoulders were extremely broad and

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<v Speaker 1>it was incredibly tall. Its hair was blowing in the

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<v Speaker 1>wind that was coming off the canyon. I had a

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<v Speaker 1>perfect view of it. There was no question about what

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<v Speaker 1>I was seeing. There was a small mound up ahead

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<v Speaker 1>that was going to block my view for a split second,

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<v Speaker 1>so I slowed down. When I came to the mound,

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<v Speaker 1>I decided if I saw it again on the other side,

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<v Speaker 1>I was going to stop and try to take a picture.

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<v Speaker 1>And it was still there, but running towards the forest. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>by the count of three, it had covered the roughly

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<v Speaker 1>two hundred yards from the river to the forest, and

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<v Speaker 1>it was gone. I called a friend of mine who

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<v Speaker 1>lives in Indiana. First. He's a strong believer in bigfoot,

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<v Speaker 1>and I told him what I saw. He said, finally,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not alone. I've always loved movies and stories about bigfoot.

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<v Speaker 1>My wife and I often talked about the possibilities of

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<v Speaker 1>seeing one. She's somewhat of a believer, so I called

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<v Speaker 1>her next. I had debated about telling her for a

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<v Speaker 1>good reason, and our conversation went something like this, good morning, darling,

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<v Speaker 1>You'll never believe what I just saw. Really, what did

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<v Speaker 1>you see? I finally saw a bigfoot? She started to

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<v Speaker 1>laugh at me. Yeah, right, No, seriously, Look, I want

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<v Speaker 1>to believe you. Any other time I would have if

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<v Speaker 1>you hadn't been watching Bigfoot documentaries all weekend. Crickets started chirping.

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<v Speaker 1>We love to go back to this conversation. We like

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<v Speaker 1>to tease each other about it, but I don't think

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<v Speaker 1>she will ever believe me until she sees one for herself. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>we may never go back to where I saw it.

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<v Speaker 1>We recently moved to Texas from my work. Hopefully, one day,

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<v Speaker 1>on one of our mountain excursions, we will get another

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<v Speaker 1>glimpse at one of these amazing creatures. Mhm