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<v Speaker 1>I was five years old in the summer of nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>seventy six and me and my brother were on a

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<v Speaker 1>two week camping trip with my grandparents in North Idaho.

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<v Speaker 1>I was born in North Idaho, but my parents moved

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<v Speaker 1>us to Seattle, Washington when I was four years old,

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<v Speaker 1>so visiting my grandparents in Idaho for a month or

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<v Speaker 1>two in the summer became a regular thing when I

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<v Speaker 1>was a kid. My grandfather was an avid out doorsman

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<v Speaker 1>and had all the gear, with a truck and a

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<v Speaker 1>camper and a couple of Honda ninety trail bikes. Both

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<v Speaker 1>my grandpa and grandma were loving and kind people and

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<v Speaker 1>loved to go camping in the mountains of North Idaho.

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<v Speaker 1>We were camped in my grandpa's favorite camping spot on

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<v Speaker 1>a creek near the Saint Joe River. There was another

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<v Speaker 1>party camping nearby and they stopped to let us know

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<v Speaker 1>that a cougar had been seen earlier that morning walking

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<v Speaker 1>down the middle of the gravel road, and they wanted

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<v Speaker 1>us to be aware that it could still be around.

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<v Speaker 1>My grandpa thanked them and let them know that he

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<v Speaker 1>would tell them if he saw it. My grandpa took

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<v Speaker 1>me fishing while my brother and grandma worked on collecting

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<v Speaker 1>firewood for the fire pit. There was a part of

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<v Speaker 1>the creek that my grandpa could walk in without getting

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<v Speaker 1>too wet and fish a really good area on the

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<v Speaker 1>other side of the creek. I followed a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>into the creek, and then I lost interest and started

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<v Speaker 1>looking for cool rocks. My grandpa wasn't very far away,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe thirty feet or so, when his line got a

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<v Speaker 1>hit from a pretty big trout and he yelled for

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<v Speaker 1>me to get the net that he had forgotten on

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<v Speaker 1>the camp side of the creek. All I ran and

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<v Speaker 1>got the net, and I started heading back through the

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<v Speaker 1>water to give it to my grandpa. And after tripping

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<v Speaker 1>and falling in the water, I quickly got up and

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<v Speaker 1>looked at my grandpa's direction. I heard him yelling to

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<v Speaker 1>me stay there. I saw a movement on the bank

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<v Speaker 1>of the creek in front of my grandpa. It was

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<v Speaker 1>a gigantic cougar reaching down into the water and grabbing

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<v Speaker 1>the fish off my grandpa's fishing line. It happened so

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<v Speaker 1>fast that I didn't know what to do. I froze,

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<v Speaker 1>and my grandpa started swearing and yelling at the Krueger

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<v Speaker 1>and waving his arms in the air, and the cougar

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<v Speaker 1>stopped and dropped the fish and started heading into the

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<v Speaker 1>water toward my grandpa. While it was looking over its shoulder.

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<v Speaker 1>At the bank of the creek, a large black figure

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<v Speaker 1>walked on two legs and crashed through the trees. My

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<v Speaker 1>grandpa dropped his fishing pole as the cougar ran into

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<v Speaker 1>his legs while running away from this a black creature.

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<v Speaker 1>The cougar was gone in an instant. My grandpa left

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<v Speaker 1>his fishing pole and he grabbed me by the neck

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<v Speaker 1>of my shirt and he picked me up and started

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<v Speaker 1>heading out of the water to the camp side of

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<v Speaker 1>the creek. He didn't say a word and didn't stop

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<v Speaker 1>walking fast until we were almost to camp. He stopped

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<v Speaker 1>and put me down, and he told me to be

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<v Speaker 1>quiet and let him talk to Grandma. Grandpa raised his

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<v Speaker 1>voice a little and said to Grandma that damn sysquatch

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<v Speaker 1>is back again. Grandma started laughing and said, well, you

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<v Speaker 1>tell him we're not leaving. I wasn't sure what to think.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't feel scared, but more curious. My brother thought

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<v Speaker 1>that my grandpa was just kidding around and grabbed his

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<v Speaker 1>bike and went off toward the road. My brother was

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<v Speaker 1>nine years old and he was an independent kid. That night,

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<v Speaker 1>we had a campfire and I almost forgot what happened

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<v Speaker 1>earlier in the day. The air was warm, with a

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<v Speaker 1>slight cool breeze coming from the creek. We heard a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of strange noises in the bushes, but my grandparents

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<v Speaker 1>were really good at distracting us. It was time for s'mores.

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<v Speaker 1>Grandpa was an early riser and went out to see

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<v Speaker 1>if he could find his fishing pole. He looked around

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit, but he couldn't find it. My brother

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<v Speaker 1>was running around with a really cool stick that looked

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<v Speaker 1>like a machine gun. He was pretending to shoot the

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<v Speaker 1>enemy and was running in and out of the bushes.

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<v Speaker 1>My brother came out of the bushes and called for

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<v Speaker 1>my grandpa to come look at something that he had found.

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<v Speaker 1>So I ran over to see what was going on,

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<v Speaker 1>because my brother always had a way of finding really

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<v Speaker 1>cool stuff. My brother asked, Grandpa, is your fishing pole

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<v Speaker 1>really a tree catching pole? He pointed over to a

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<v Speaker 1>really big cedar tree, and the fishing pole was leaning

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<v Speaker 1>up against the trunk of the tree. It was almost

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<v Speaker 1>like someone had placed it there for safe keeping. The

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<v Speaker 1>line was broken and the metal loop on the tip

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<v Speaker 1>was bent, but my grandpa said it was almost as

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<v Speaker 1>good as new. The rest of the day was uneventful,

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<v Speaker 1>but that night I will never forget. We were all

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<v Speaker 1>sitting around the campfire listening to some music on a

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<v Speaker 1>radio tape player, and Paul said, the boys are back

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<v Speaker 1>in town. About two minutes later, we heard a whoop

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<v Speaker 1>coming from the creek area where we had seen the sisquatch.

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<v Speaker 1>Two more whoops came from the opposite direction, over the

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<v Speaker 1>gravel road that leads to our camp and then out

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<v Speaker 1>toward the Saint Joe River. The whoops continued for a

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<v Speaker 1>few minutes until it felt like they were right next

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<v Speaker 1>to us, and my grandpa told Grandma to take the

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<v Speaker 1>boys to the camper and get the beds ready. As

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<v Speaker 1>we were walking to the camper, a huge crash came

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<v Speaker 1>from the bushes where my brother found a fishing pole.

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<v Speaker 1>Two large black figures came out of the bushes, looking

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<v Speaker 1>like they were wrestling on the ground, and they were

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<v Speaker 1>making deep growling sounds. They didn't seem to be fighting,

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<v Speaker 1>but they were playing. I think the growling sounds reminded

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<v Speaker 1>me of two dogs playing together, but really deep sounding.

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<v Speaker 1>They acted like they didn't know we were there. My

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<v Speaker 1>grandpa was calm as can be, and my grandmother said

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<v Speaker 1>some swear words, and she pushed me and my brother

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<v Speaker 1>toward the camper, and I remember looking back, and the

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<v Speaker 1>two figures stood up and they walked toward the creek,

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<v Speaker 1>and I remember hearing them crashing through the water, and

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<v Speaker 1>then it was silent. There was no sound except for

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<v Speaker 1>the creek flowing. My grandpa said, the song was right.

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<v Speaker 1>The boys are back in town. He laughed and headed

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<v Speaker 1>to the cooler for a cold snack a beer, and

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<v Speaker 1>sat back down at the campfire ll I didn't feel

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<v Speaker 1>scared at all, maybe because my grandparents were so calm

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<v Speaker 1>and easy going about what was happening. My grandmother went

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<v Speaker 1>to bed, but us two boys and grandpa stayed up

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<v Speaker 1>all night listening to the radio and listening to the

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<v Speaker 1>night sounds. We didn't see her hear the sosquatch for

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<v Speaker 1>the next two days. My brother was oblivious about stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>and it seemed like he had forgotten what had happened.

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<v Speaker 1>And well, I was thinking about it all the time,

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<v Speaker 1>but I wasn't scared. My grandpa said, the boys the

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<v Speaker 1>Sasquatches were the keepers of the forest and they protected

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<v Speaker 1>everything there. My grandfather died when I was sixteen, and

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<v Speaker 1>I remember talking with my grandma about the cougar stealing

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<v Speaker 1>the fish and then running into my grandpa. My grandma

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<v Speaker 1>verified the story by reading from her diary. She kept

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<v Speaker 1>clearing detailed notes about all the times they went camping,

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<v Speaker 1>and that wasn't the only time sasquatch had visited them.

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<v Speaker 1>I ended up moving back to North Idaho when I

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<v Speaker 1>was twenty two, and I took care of my grandma

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<v Speaker 1>until she died when I was twenty eight. My mother

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<v Speaker 1>ended up buying my grandparents' house and she moved from

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<v Speaker 1>Seattle to North Idaho. My mother died several years later,

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<v Speaker 1>and my brother and I cleaned out the house and

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<v Speaker 1>we sold it. I have most of the diaries and

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<v Speaker 1>other things that my grandma I wrote about. I will

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<v Speaker 1>be compiling the information and I will eventually write about

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<v Speaker 1>the experiences my grandparents had as well as the experiences

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<v Speaker 1>I have had. I live in a small town in

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<v Speaker 1>north Mississippi. I'm not from here. I married a man

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<v Speaker 1>in the army in the mid seventies. I am from

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<v Speaker 1>Germany and I lived there until I was twenty two.

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<v Speaker 1>This year, I will turn seventy five years old. My

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<v Speaker 1>husband is gone now and I live alone, and I

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<v Speaker 1>do just fine. I've lived in the American South long

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<v Speaker 1>enough that if you met me on the street and

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<v Speaker 1>we spoke, you would have no idea that my first

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<v Speaker 1>language is German. I was determined not to stand out,

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<v Speaker 1>so I not only made sure to learn English quickly,

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<v Speaker 1>but I also spoke it with the local accent. The

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<v Speaker 1>German accent is difficult to overcome, but I did it.

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<v Speaker 1>I have no family in Germany, and I haven't spoken

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<v Speaker 1>the language in years to anyone other than my living children.

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<v Speaker 1>A few years before my husband died, he and I

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<v Speaker 1>vacationed out west. It was a great vacation and I

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<v Speaker 1>got to see some of the beauty of this continent.

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<v Speaker 1>We spent two days at the Grand Canyon. We drove

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<v Speaker 1>all across the southern Rim, stopping at every place of

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<v Speaker 1>importance or the places that had a view. The people

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<v Speaker 1>travel from all over the world to see the canyon,

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<v Speaker 1>and while we were there, I heard many different languages

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<v Speaker 1>spoken between family members. When I finally heard a couple

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<v Speaker 1>speaking German, I immediately approached them and explained that I

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<v Speaker 1>had not spoken the language in years. Did they mind

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<v Speaker 1>if I talked to them? Awhile? I think they were

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<v Speaker 1>as excited as I was. They had been in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States for three weeks, they didn't speak English and

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<v Speaker 1>had had a difficult time communicating during their stay. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>we were staying in Flagstaff for the night, and so

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<v Speaker 1>were they. They wanted us to join them for a

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<v Speaker 1>meal that night, and I accepted. Before I asked my husband,

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<v Speaker 1>I knew he wouldn't mind. We spent hours that evening

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<v Speaker 1>talking about everything from my home country. They were from

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<v Speaker 1>a town close to where I grew up. It was

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<v Speaker 1>a joy speaking to them, and even helping them, even

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<v Speaker 1>for only a short time, translate the menus and interpret

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<v Speaker 1>for them to the waitress who took our orders. The

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<v Speaker 1>conversation was lively, and I had no time to repeat

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<v Speaker 1>in English everything they had said in German. To my husband,

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<v Speaker 1>I know he felt left out, but he never complained.

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<v Speaker 1>I think he saw that it gave me a great

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<v Speaker 1>sense of pleasure to speak my native language again, and

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<v Speaker 1>it was a fun night that I will never forget.

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<v Speaker 1>Our life together we had three children, and I taught

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<v Speaker 1>each of them the German language. I saw an old

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<v Speaker 1>reason to deprive them of that part of their heritage.

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<v Speaker 1>Once the first two knew the language, teaching it to

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<v Speaker 1>my youngest son was a breeze. His brothers would fill

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<v Speaker 1>in the gaps, and there were many nights around the

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<v Speaker 1>table that German was the only language spoken. I have

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<v Speaker 1>no doubt that my husband had listened long enough that

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<v Speaker 1>he knew the language well enough to understand much of

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<v Speaker 1>what was said, but he always said he didn't. He

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<v Speaker 1>was that way. But when I would scream at him

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<v Speaker 1>in anger or frustration, he sure understood it then, and

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<v Speaker 1>I still laughed to myself about those times. Tragically, we

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<v Speaker 1>lost one of our sons in an accident. Nick crushed

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<v Speaker 1>both of us, and we spent a year grieving along

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<v Speaker 1>with his brothers. But it has been many years, and

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<v Speaker 1>while we never forget in the pain of that law

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<v Speaker 1>never leaves us, we learn to adjust and cope with it.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I've done that for years now. One thing that

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<v Speaker 1>helped me was to visit my son's grave on a

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<v Speaker 1>regular basis. Now my son is not there. I knew

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<v Speaker 1>this when I began my visits. My son is asleep now,

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<v Speaker 1>waiting to be raised again by our Creator. We are

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<v Speaker 1>Christians and we believe this or we know this to

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<v Speaker 1>be our hope. But even with the knowledge of our future,

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<v Speaker 1>in the state of my son's body and soul as

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<v Speaker 1>well now with my husband since his passing, going there

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<v Speaker 1>is comforting to me. I still drive and go there

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<v Speaker 1>once each week, still at the age of seventy five.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I talk to those men and I tell them

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<v Speaker 1>about my week, and I speak to them like they

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<v Speaker 1>are there, And even though I know they do not

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<v Speaker 1>hear me and know I'm not crazy, they don't speak

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<v Speaker 1>back to me, it still gives me comfort and hope.

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<v Speaker 1>My husband and my sons were and are hunters. Deer

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<v Speaker 1>season around our house was a festive time of year.

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<v Speaker 1>There's nothing a mother of three and joys more than

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<v Speaker 1>watching the excitement that came every opening weekend and even

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<v Speaker 1>throughout the season. My husband's family has land in the

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<v Speaker 1>Holly Springs National Forest. It's been passed down for generations

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<v Speaker 1>and remarkably, not one acre has ever been sold, and

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<v Speaker 1>that is where the boys hunt, and boy have they

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<v Speaker 1>taken some big deer from that area. My husband and

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<v Speaker 1>son are buried there with generations before them, some who

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<v Speaker 1>fought in the Civil War. So when I make the

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<v Speaker 1>thirty minute drive there once each week, it is a

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<v Speaker 1>serene and beautiful place to be, especially in the spring,

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<v Speaker 1>and to talk to the two men that I've lost.

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<v Speaker 1>My husband talked about a creature that roamed the woods

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<v Speaker 1>of their property. He called them buggers. For many years,

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know what he was referring to. I didn't

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<v Speaker 1>really care. There were occasions I thought he was joking,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe to even get a smile from me. Once the

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<v Speaker 1>boys were old enough to hunt, he insisted that I

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<v Speaker 1>have apples on hands so that they could take them

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<v Speaker 1>into the woods on their hunts. They would drop a

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<v Speaker 1>few apples at the base of the tree from which

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<v Speaker 1>they hunted, for the boggers to pick up later. He

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<v Speaker 1>never made a big deal of these creatures, but he

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<v Speaker 1>would talk about them like you and I would discuss

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<v Speaker 1>the behavior of a dog, any common animal. He once

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<v Speaker 1>explained to me what they were. He didn't want to,

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<v Speaker 1>but I had pestered him for some reason almost the

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<v Speaker 1>entire deer season to tell me what they were. I

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<v Speaker 1>needed to get an image in my mind so that

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<v Speaker 1>my imagination wasn't creating a creature that was nice when

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<v Speaker 1>it wasn't, or one that was sinister when it wasn't. Finally,

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<v Speaker 1>one evening at the dinner table, an evening that we

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<v Speaker 1>were only speaking English, he and the boys, who were

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<v Speaker 1>teenagers at the time, explained what the creatures were. Later

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<v Speaker 1>that week, we watched a movie on VHS called The

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<v Speaker 1>Legend of Boggy Creek. Creature in that movie was not

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<v Speaker 1>nice or it didn't seem to be nice, although it

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<v Speaker 1>never harmed anyone. The boys explained that the Boogers lived

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<v Speaker 1>in the forest and had probably been there for many years,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe even hundreds of years. They had all seen one

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<v Speaker 1>and spoke about the creature with great authority, much like

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<v Speaker 1>they would talk about anything else they knew well. It

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<v Speaker 1>was important to them to leave an offering with each hunt.

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<v Speaker 1>They always feel dressed their kill on the spot, left

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<v Speaker 1>the internals, or they left apples. They would simply drop

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<v Speaker 1>them from their tree stands when they arrived so they

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't forget. We bought the local grocery store out of

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<v Speaker 1>apples during deer season, and that is how I learned

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<v Speaker 1>about the Boogers. After my son's death, while at the cemetery,

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<v Speaker 1>I began seeing shapes move through the trees while I

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<v Speaker 1>was there. I wasn't sure what it was, and I

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<v Speaker 1>was never alarmed. They would come in and out a few,

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<v Speaker 1>never fully revealing themselves. I never put it together until

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<v Speaker 1>one day. I mentioned the strange events to one of

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<v Speaker 1>my sons while he and I met for lunch one day. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>those are Booger's mom, he said. They knew Jacob and

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<v Speaker 1>they see you visiting him. They know you're his mother.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know how they know, but they know. Otherwise

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<v Speaker 1>they'd scare you away. Well, I remember sitting in silence

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<v Speaker 1>after he told me this. I wasn't sure what to

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<v Speaker 1>make of it. I had never fully believed in these boogers.

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<v Speaker 1>I suppose since I had never experienced them, they were

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<v Speaker 1>a joke in my mind, because I wondered for years

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<v Speaker 1>whether my husband and the boys were laughing at me

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<v Speaker 1>all the way to the woods with their backpacks full

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<v Speaker 1>of apples. You do know apples are a favorite food

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<v Speaker 1>for deer, right. Well, I finally verbalized this to my son.

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<v Speaker 1>He smiled at me and he laid his hand over mine. Mom,

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<v Speaker 1>they're real now you've seen them. You just said it.

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<v Speaker 1>You just didn't know what you were seeing now the

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<v Speaker 1>same thing happened to all of us, and I'm sure

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<v Speaker 1>thankful that Dad was there to explain them to us.

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<v Speaker 1>He said, well, should I be afraid, I ask? I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think so. He said, if they wanted you afraid,

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<v Speaker 1>you would know it. You should keep visiting and don't

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<v Speaker 1>change anything. They will someday let you see them fully.

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<v Speaker 1>If it takes ten years, then it takes ten years.

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<v Speaker 1>But they will show themselves. They've done that for all

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<v Speaker 1>of us. One year ago this week, I began bringing

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<v Speaker 1>a bag of apples with me on my weekly visits.

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<v Speaker 1>I leave half on my son's grave and half on

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<v Speaker 1>my husband's grave. They are a few plots part. The

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<v Speaker 1>next week, the apples are gone. Now. That could be

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<v Speaker 1>deer coming into the cemetery and eating them, or other wildlife,

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<v Speaker 1>but I don't think so. Last week, after many years

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<v Speaker 1>of visiting the cemetery and hundreds of words to those

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<v Speaker 1>men who never hear me, two of the creatures showed

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<v Speaker 1>themselves to me. The temperature was in the seventies, which

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<v Speaker 1>is nice in January, and I had been there an hour,

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<v Speaker 1>sitting at the cheap little picnic tables the boys had

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<v Speaker 1>placed there for me. When I saw the same movement

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<v Speaker 1>I had seen so many times before, and one and

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<v Speaker 1>then two walked into full view at the edge of

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<v Speaker 1>the woods that encompassed the area. They never gestured, nor

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<v Speaker 1>did they make any sounds. They didn't really look my

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<v Speaker 1>way more than a few times. They just stood there

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<v Speaker 1>in full view, almost shy in a way, shifting their

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<v Speaker 1>weight from one foot to the other, like a child

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<v Speaker 1>might on his first day of school. They were enormous animals,

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<v Speaker 1>and I should have been terrified, but I wasn't thanks

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<v Speaker 1>to my son's explanation. I sat there and I watched

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<v Speaker 1>them until they walked back out the way they had come,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was over. As I walked to my car,

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<v Speaker 1>I whispered to my boys in that cemetery, your bookers

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<v Speaker 1>came to see me today, Well, I hope they heard me. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>at age seventy five, I feel like a child again.

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<v Speaker 1>This spring, when the weather turns warm, I want to

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<v Speaker 1>begin to bring my grandchildren with me to the cemetery

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<v Speaker 1>and I tell them about the creatures that live in

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<v Speaker 1>the surrounding forest. They are teenagers, and one or two

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<v Speaker 1>are in college, but I will invite them to go

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<v Speaker 1>with me when they are in town. I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>if they'll go with me, but they should. I'm hoping

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<v Speaker 1>their fathers will encourage it. They need to see this

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<v Speaker 1>and hear the stories.