WEBVTT 1 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:10.279 It was late in the year and I was a 2 00:00:10.359 --> 00:00:13.599 sixteen year old son of a coal miner and an 3 00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:17.280 avid deer hunter. My father showed me an old wagon 4 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.039 trail that cuts around the top of the mountain, leading 5 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:22.839 up a couple of miles to an old farmhouse where 6 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:26.239 the deer hunting was likely to be good. To get 7 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:29.039 up there, even on my four wheeler, i'd had to 8 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:32.719 clear the road of small trees. There wasn't much left 9 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:36.359 of the old farmhouse beyond its stone chimney and foundation, 10 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:39.479 but I worked hard to clear a path out behind 11 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.399 where three or four apple trees stood in a field, 12 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:47.320 along with a few other small trees. Back behind that field, 13 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:49.960 I'd found a really nice deer trail, so I hung 14 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:53.640 my tree stand there and I left. Deer season was 15 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:57.679 still a week away. A week later, I was excited 16 00:00:57.679 --> 00:00:59.719 to make the two hour trip up to the old 17 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:02.719 farmhouse on my four wheeler because of all the good 18 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:06.040 sign I'd seen when I was up there before. It 19 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:09.040 was a foggy morning, the kind of heavy fog that 20 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:12.840 soaks in your clothes. It was so dense I had 21 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:16.799 to turn my headlights off to see. Once I got 22 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:19.519 up there, I left my four wheeler at the farmhouse, 23 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.359 and I began my track out to the deer stand 24 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:26.439 to begin the day. I was halfway to the stand 25 00:01:26.519 --> 00:01:29.439 when I heard something walking in the woodline that ran 26 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:32.760 down the edge of the field. That fog was really 27 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:36.400 setting the kind of slasher movie atmosphere that would put 28 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:41.680 anybody on edge. My vision was extremely limited, so I 29 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:45.760 took a few more steps and then I stopped. Whatever 30 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:49.959 it was took about three or four more steps. I 31 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:52.280 really didn't know what to think about that, so I 32 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:57.439 just moved on. Forty yards from my stand. I stopped again. 33 00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:02.519 I heard four or five more footsteps before it stopped. Two. 34 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:07.000 Between the dense fog and my dim flashlight, I couldn't 35 00:02:07.079 --> 00:02:10.240 see much, but I could definitely hear it. I knew 36 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:12.759 something was out there, so I quickly climbed up into 37 00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:17.159 my deerstand, and not a minute too soon, I could 38 00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:20.360 hear footsteps coming directly at me. As I climbed up 39 00:02:20.439 --> 00:02:24.039 the tree, I was thirty feet off the ground when 40 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:27.879 I heard it directly below. I felt the thud against 41 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:31.000 the tree, followed by another that made me think it 42 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:34.199 was going to climb up after me. I was trying 43 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:36.599 to get my flashlight out of my pocket and I 44 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:39.000 was fumbling with it when I dropped it, leaving me 45 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:44.159 blind and vulnerable to the foggy darkness. Now I could 46 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:47.840 hear this thing walking around and around my tree, and 47 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:50.360 I was sure at any moment it was going to 48 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:52.439 climb up the tree to where I was. So I 49 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:55.680 got my boat positioned and I was ready to do battle. 50 00:02:56.719 --> 00:03:00.560 My heart was pounding. I had no idea what was 51 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:02.960 down there or when it was going to come up 52 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.560 to see me. I was poised for action and holding 53 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:09.919 my breath when the sun broke the horizon, tracing the 54 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:13.560 line between land and sky and a familiar pink color. 55 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:17.199 Whatever was at the foot of my tree turned then 56 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:20.319 and walked down in a hollow somewhere off to my left. 57 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:24.560 I managed to stay in the tree and hunt all day, 58 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:27.000 but my mind kept going back to the thing that 59 00:03:27.080 --> 00:03:30.919 I had encountered in the pre dawn. I didn't see 60 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:34.520 any deer that day, and I stayed until dark, you know, 61 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:38.840 about the time deer start coming out. I finally had 62 00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:40.960 to accept that there would be no deer that day, 63 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:43.520 and I got my gear ready for the climb down. 64 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:47.520 Climbing down, I was eight feet above the ground, and 65 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:52.039 I heard twigs snapping. Something was coming from the hollow 66 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:56.080 behind me. Now, while I was still trying to identify 67 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:59.840 that sound, I saw a large black silhouette run pass 68 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:03.479 from my right. For a second, I thought it was 69 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:07.360 coming directly at me, but it wasn't. It was running 70 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:10.919 straight at the twig snapping thing from the hollow behind me. 71 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:16.639 They collided like a couple of Titanic football linebackers, slamming 72 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:21.199 their bodies against each other and exhaling furious roars as 73 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:24.800 they did so. I couldn't see anything in the dark, 74 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:29.160 but I could hear as an awful fight ensued. They 75 00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:32.040 were screaming and growling as they threw each other over 76 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:37.160 the ground, thumping and shaking the earth. Electric tension filled 77 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:39.800 the air as they regained their footing and charged at 78 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:43.600 each other again and again, knocking the wind from each other, 79 00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:47.639 slapping at and hitting each other, and then wrestling each 80 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:51.639 other to the ground again. My harness kept me from 81 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:54.560 turning around and seeing anything, so all I could do 82 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:59.240 was listen as the two combatants carried their fight down 83 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:02.879 into the hollow. I seized the opportunity and grabbed my 84 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:06.360 tree stand threw it on my back and walked as 85 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:10.639 fast as I could back to my four wheeler. On 86 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:13.920 my way back, I began to hear the twig snapping again, 87 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:18.519 like someone was stomping, but I didn't look back. I 88 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:21.120 didn't know if the fight was over and the victor 89 00:05:21.319 --> 00:05:24.720 was coming to claim his prize, or if this was 90 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:28.920 another one altogether. I just knew I needed to get 91 00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:32.680 to my four wheeler and get out of there. It 92 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:35.079 only took a second to get it fired up, and 93 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:38.639 I flew down the trail wide open, never looking back. 94 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:44.360 This is my story. I'm an outdoorsman. I've camped on 95 00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:48.439 that mountain all my life. I'm forty six years old now, 96 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:51.680 and I know there's something on that mountain. I hope 97 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:59.199 your listeners will find this story interesting. This is an 98 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:03.560 email from Crag and here's what he writes. I've included 99 00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:06.839 an encounter that both my son and I had back 100 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:11.560 sometime on Vancouver Island. I've always been a lover of 101 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:15.439 the back country, spending every possible moment in the forest. 102 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:21.240 This passion is the same in my son. Vancouver Island 103 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:24.959 was so different back then from our home in Langford, 104 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:29.079 just outside of Victoria. We could escape into the forest 105 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:33.800 in minutes. Within fifteen or twenty minutes, all indications of 106 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:40.399 humanity became distant for us. That was paradise. Virtually any 107 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:45.000 free time we had we were off exploring the amazing wilderness. 108 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:49.639 A beautiful weekend was forecast during the spring of two 109 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:53.839 thousand and five. On Friday, I closed down the job 110 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:57.079 site early, much to the thrill of my guys, and 111 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:02.120 headed home. Just afternoon. My son Alex had our pathfinder 112 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:06.759 packed for another weekend in the backcountry. Some extra excitement 113 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:10.120 for him was that there were no sisters coming this weekend. 114 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:15.120 They had recently discovered boys and parties. This was great 115 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:18.839 for them, but the start of my gray hair. No 116 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:23.759 sisters meant what he called real camping. No showers were required, 117 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:27.399 sleeping bags on the ground, and staring at the stars. 118 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:31.519 It was perfect. We took a slow trip up the island, 119 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.560 stopping for ice cream on the way. We made it 120 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:38.000 past Campbell River somewhere before we decided it was time 121 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:42.759 to head into the backcountry. A no entry gate appeared 122 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:46.279 and we squeezed the pathfinder around it and headed down 123 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:50.079 an old logging road. These were the best roads to travel. 124 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:53.839 We headed west for a couple of hours bumping and 125 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:57.560 crawling along the old road that had almost been completely 126 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:02.199 taken over by mother nature. Two hours before dark, we 127 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:05.759 came upon a little clearing beside a small creek and 128 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.600 it was perfect. That was home for the night. It 129 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:13.279 was hot dogs and burghers that night. We told tall 130 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:16.759 tales well into the night while roasting marshmallows by our 131 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:20.639 little fire, and later we crawled into our sleeping bags. 132 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:24.519 Around eleven, I drifted off to sleep, looking at the 133 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:27.839 sky full of stars and listening to my boy breathing. 134 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:31.879 Life couldn't have been better. We slept well that night 135 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:35.600 to a symphony of a forest combined with the background 136 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:40.279 of a babbling creek. We woke early on Saturday morning. 137 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:43.759 I'm not sure when, and I didn't care. It didn't matter. 138 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:47.159 It was cool and crisp. The morning dew was on 139 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:50.080 our face. There was a slight fog in the air. 140 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:53.279 The sun still had not crept above the trees in 141 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:58.360 the east. My son's excitement for the day ahead quickly 142 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:02.840 brought my Saturday morning burnout body back to life. Kids, 143 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:07.600 happiness and excitement can be contagious. It wasn't long before 144 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:10.159 the bacon and eggs were in the pan over the fire. 145 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:13.840 We even added potatoes and onions to round out the meal. 146 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:17.559 After we cleaned up and packed our gear away, we 147 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:21.559 decided some walking was a must. We explored the area 148 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:24.840 for a couple of hours, coming across an old, long 149 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:30.600 forgotten railway trestle. It was overgrown with trees brushing grass. 150 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:34.399 It was tiring, almost fifty feet in the air, and 151 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:37.960 it came to an abrupt end. It appeared that the 152 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:43.480 bridge construction had stopped midway. There was no falling section below, 153 00:09:43.639 --> 00:09:47.000 it just stopped. It was a bit haunting, I think, 154 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:49.519 and my son said, I guess they ran out of money. 155 00:09:49.919 --> 00:09:53.879 I think you're right, son. After getting back to our campsite, 156 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:56.120 we did another walk around to make sure that we 157 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:59.600 hadn't forgot something or left any indication that we had 158 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:03.799 been there, nothing other than footprints, and we were delighted 159 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:07.399 to see we had a medium sized bear visit while 160 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:10.600 we were away. It was too bad that we missed it. 161 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:15.519 We continued on down the island. We hadn't explored that 162 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:19.639 area before, and we just maintained a western compass heading 163 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:23.639 that was good enough for us. Lots of cool places 164 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:27.799 to see. There were huge trees and quiet meadows. We 165 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:31.840 saw elk and black bear and deer. We ran up 166 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:34.879 on the remains of what must have been an old homestead. 167 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:39.799 There was a fieldstone foundation and a fireplace. There were 168 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:44.360 remnants of rotted old logs and rough song lumber. It 169 00:10:44.440 --> 00:10:48.200 was almost completely lost to mother nature. It was a 170 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:54.120 typical Vancouver Island adventure. The sun started to sink in 171 00:10:54.200 --> 00:10:57.519 the western sky and we found ourselves creeping along a 172 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:01.919 trail not quite big enough for our little pathfinder, more 173 00:11:01.960 --> 00:11:05.879 of a large game trail actually. The saplings and brush 174 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:09.200 being bent over by our bumper and sprang back to 175 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:13.600 life after our passing. The trail seemed to go on forever. 176 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:18.639 It must go somewhere, we decided, so we battled on. Besides, 177 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:22.240 there was nowhere to turn around many areas with steep 178 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:26.559 drop offs. We broke from the dense brush into a 179 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:30.159 small clearing and straight ahead. The clearing ended at the 180 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:34.000 shores of a large lake. By the landmarks that we 181 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:38.279 could see, I think we were at Lake Kawakan. The 182 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:41.200 water was calm and flat, and the late day sun 183 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:45.080 glinted off the water. Here and there the clearing was 184 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:49.759 surrounded by brush. On three sides. A few feet up 185 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:53.519 the bank there was old growth fir trees that towered 186 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:58.639 into the air. They are nature's skyscrapers. The tranquil atmosphere 187 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:04.080 could mollify the hard soul. We turned the pathfinder around 188 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:07.480 so it was pointing back up the path. That's anal 189 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:10.919 I know, but it has saved us on numerous occasions. 190 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:14.639 We quickly set up camp and we prepped for the evening. 191 00:12:15.320 --> 00:12:19.000 My boy, he found some shotgun nine millimeter and forty 192 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:23.159 five shells laying around that, along with an overgrown fire ring, 193 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:25.879 told us that we weren't the first ones to enjoy 194 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:28.559 this view, but maybe we were the first to get 195 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:32.639 there that year. It was another great dinner over the fire, 196 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:36.039 A couple of steaks and some potatoes and onions cooked 197 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:39.519 in foil with lots of butter, topped off with a 198 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:42.399 couple of cans of coke for Alex and a seven 199 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:46.360 up for me. We were overstuffed and a walk was 200 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:50.840 in order. Alex had seen another path about a mile 201 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:54.639 back up the trail that headed into the trees. We 202 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:58.919 had our destinations set. I did have my spidy senses 203 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:02.320 acting up since we got there. A close bear or 204 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:05.960 a cougar. I thought that was no problem, nothing we 205 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:08.919 hadn't dealt with before. So I took my knife in 206 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:12.159 a can of bear spray. I hung them off my belt, 207 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:16.360 and we headed out. Alex had a superpower, as do 208 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:20.480 most kids his age. He could talk for hours NonStop 209 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:25.600 without taking a breath. That evening was no exception. We 210 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:28.080 made our way back up the path. We were laughing 211 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:31.559 and joking and teasing each other as always. It was 212 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:35.240 great fun. He was right. It was close to a 213 00:13:35.320 --> 00:13:37.919 kilometer and we came to a break in the brush 214 00:13:38.039 --> 00:13:41.759 off to our left, seeming to be more of a tunnel, 215 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:45.480 and it was about six feet wide and seven feet tall. 216 00:13:45.799 --> 00:13:48.879 And I followed the boy in Hey, slow down, wait 217 00:13:48.919 --> 00:13:52.679 for me, I said. We traveled about fifty feet into 218 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:55.279 this thick tunnel, and it was dark and it had 219 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:58.720 an ominous feel to it. Alex, wait the hell up, 220 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:02.120 I said. I ran forward to catching and I just 221 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:04.600 about fell over him at the end of the tunnel. 222 00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:10.039 He had stopped dead in his tracks. Looking up from him, 223 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:13.120 I was treated with old growth firs right up to 224 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:16.679 the shoreline. Tree trunks that were easily two to three 225 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:20.240 feet around. The first branches were twenty feet up, and 226 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:24.720 they twisted and entangled into the full canopy. Moss hung 227 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:28.000 from the lower branches, swaying in the breeze. There were 228 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:32.039 large ferns, some up to six feet tall, that spotted 229 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:36.360 the ground amidst the occasional boulder or fallen tree. The 230 00:14:36.440 --> 00:14:40.039 same sparkling lake off in the background, and the round 231 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:45.519 sun settling behind the trees. It was really peaceful. What 232 00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:48.639 the hell is that, he whispered, Watch your language, boy, 233 00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:52.639 I reprimanded him, putting my hand on his shoulder. Though 234 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:57.440 I felt tension, his muscles seemed tight. He was shaking slightly. 235 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:01.440 I followed his gaze down to towards the water, and 236 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:04.799 no more than one hundred feet away, about halfway between 237 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:07.960 us and the lake shore, was a dark figure standing 238 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.039 out among the greens and browns of the forest. I 239 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:15.320 thought it was an animal, but I wasn't sure. It 240 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:17.799 wasn't moving, and it should have been. If it was 241 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:20.799 an animal, it was watching the lake, and it was 242 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:24.200 not concerned with us. It had to have heard us. 243 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:28.159 This kid makes a lot of noise. It was about 244 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:31.480 five feet tall and four feet wide. It didn't look 245 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:34.159 like an animal, but if it was an animal, it 246 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:38.000 appeared to be looking at the ground. I stared for 247 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:40.879 a few seconds, trying to process what I was seeing, 248 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.960 and I bent over and I whispered in Alex's ears, 249 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:47.399 it's just a stump, son, Let's go on back. Now. 250 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:50.919 That is not a stump, Dad, He said, that's a 251 00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:57.519 sasquatch on que. The stump began to rise, and rise 252 00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:01.840 and rise some more. Now it was nine or ten 253 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:06.080 feet tall. This thing was huge. It had a massive 254 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:10.960 barrel chest, long, thick arms, and legs bigger around than 255 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:15.519 my waist. It was completely hair covered. I had spent 256 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.039 most of my free time in the forest and had 257 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:22.039 never come across anything like that before. To say I 258 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:27.000 was terrified was an understatement. A chill ran right through 259 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:29.759 my body and I began to tremble, and I was 260 00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:33.159 almost sure that I was about to lose my bowels. 261 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:40.240 Coherent thought was completely gone. We both stood frozen in speechless. 262 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:43.399 It began to swing its body around. It was in 263 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:46.759 no rush. As it turned to look at us from 264 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:49.919 this angle, I saw that I was wrong. It wasn't 265 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:55.000 looking down. Its delts made its neck look nonexistent. It 266 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:57.879 stared at us for what felt like an eternity, but 267 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:02.200 was probably only a few seconds. My mind started bouncing 268 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:04.440 back and forth, trying to figure out how to save 269 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:08.039 my son and not get us both eaten. Even in 270 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.279 the good physical condition I was in at the time, 271 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:14.039 I knew that it would end me with a single 272 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:18.559 swat of its giant arm. It finally made a noise 273 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:21.559 that I can only describe as being the same as 274 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:25.839 the raspberries that I would blow on my kid's stomachs. 275 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:29.519 It turned back and paused, as if it was taking 276 00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:33.440 the lake in one final time. It turned to its 277 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:38.480 right and slowly walked away, eventually disappearing into the denser forest. 278 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:42.680 Alex was bouncing off the walls all the way back 279 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:46.799 to camp Me. I couldn't say a word. I had 280 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:49.759 seen the Patterson Gimmelin film, and I had watched the 281 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:53.279 Legend of Boggy Creek at the theater when it came out. 282 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:56.960 Never ever did I think these things were more than 283 00:17:57.000 --> 00:18:02.440 a Hollywood creation designed to sell movie. When we got back, 284 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:05.759 I ducked around the truck and I vomited. It took 285 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:10.160 me a few minutes to collect my composure. Coming back around, 286 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:13.599 I discovered Alex had already stoked up the fire. It 287 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:17.119 was a blaze. What are you doing? I said, We're 288 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:22.200 getting out of here. A lengthy argument ensued. That fire, 289 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:26.839 the now pitch blackness of the night, the dangerous terrain 290 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:29.759 we encountered on our way in, and the fact that 291 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:34.440 the thing did nothing aggressive towards us won over my decision. 292 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:38.319 We slept in the truck, though, with the seats reclined, 293 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:41.480 keys in the ignition, or maybe I should say the 294 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:44.839 boy slept like a rock. I stared into the darkness, 295 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:48.440 jumping at every noise the whole night. My knuckles were 296 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:53.119 white from gripping my knife. Dawn finally came. I was 297 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:56.079 tired and grumpy. I worked with Alex to clean the 298 00:18:56.119 --> 00:19:00.319 campsite and we loaded the back of the Pathfinder, picked 299 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:03.720 our way along the path around the rocks and stumps, 300 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:06.680 avoiding the drop offs, finding our way back to the 301 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:10.279 main logging road, and in a few hours we were home, 302 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:15.559 just north of Victoria. We quickly discovered that mentioning our 303 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:20.200 encounter brought laughter and ridicule from others. Things were not 304 00:19:20.359 --> 00:19:23.279 the same back then as they are now. If you 305 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:26.119 admitted to seeing one of these creatures, you were either 306 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:31.799 on drugs, drunk, or crazy. Our lives changed that day, though, 307 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:36.240 we went from non believers to knowers. I started on 308 00:19:36.279 --> 00:19:40.440 a major research program. I absorbed any info that I 309 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:44.400 could get. I now see some previous strange happenings in 310 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:49.400 the forest as possible encounters, cryptids and aliens. To me, 311 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:52.559 none of these subjects were out of the question anymore. 312 00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:56.279 And rather than life and ridicule people, I listened with 313 00:19:56.400 --> 00:19:59.880 great interest to anything anyone had to say, no matter 314 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:04.359 how far fetched the story was. And yes, some stories 315 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:08.759 were the result of vivid imaginations. They were good stories, though, 316 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:12.160 but often bits of one person's stories matched to another, 317 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:15.640 and then another. It took me a few weeks to 318 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:19.759 get back into the backcountry again. The passion for exploring 319 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:23.599 has never eased. Though we now live in the backcountry 320 00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:27.160 of northern British Columbia. My son and I own a 321 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:30.960 small piece of land far from town. Neighbors are few 322 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:34.720 and far between, just the way we like it, and yes, 323 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:38.599 we sometimes hear the now familiar howls and screams of 324 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:41.799 the beast among the many other forest creatures. At night. 325 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:45.720 My son came across a bone pile not far from here. 326 00:20:45.799 --> 00:20:49.480 Last year. Some of the local youth get all excited 327 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:53.000 about a forest game they played called a Sasquatch tag. 328 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:57.039 I'm looking forward to learning about that. The natives are 329 00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:00.960 always complaining about them peeking in the windows on the reservation. 330 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:05.480 The general consensus up here is similar to most deep 331 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:10.480 woods towns. They are here. Leave them alone, and they 332 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:14.519 will leave you alone. And he signs off. Craig, Man, 333 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:17.319 who what a great story. I mean, he got the 334 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:21.279 experience Bigfoot with his son. And what's cool is I 335 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:23.880 think he said his son was nine years old, was 336 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:28.880 excited when he saw this thing. I don't know. I 337 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:30.720 think I would sit there and just watch it. I mean, 338 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:33.079 if it wasn't coming at me or something, I would 339 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:36.039 probably feel like his son. I mean would be I 340 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:38.519 would feel like a little kid. I gotta see this thing. 341 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:41.480 I gotta see it as long as it's visible. But 342 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:44.400 I understand Craig was shook up because he had a 343 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:47.039 son there with him and he didn't know exactly how 344 00:21:47.079 --> 00:21:50.440 this thing was going to go. But what a cool story, man, 345 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:52.559 What a cool story. And Craig, you said that you 346 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:55.559 may have some other incidents from where you live now 347 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:57.880 that you might write at a later date. I would 348 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:01.279 look forward to getting that because that sounds interesting. Either way. 349 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:03.799 Is a great story and I really appreciate it, and 350 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:05.799 thanks for doing such a good job right in it. 351 00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:12.880 I'm from the UK, I'm thirty eight years old, or 352 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:15.920 I was at the time, and I'm just an average guy. 353 00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:19.519 I got into snowboarding back in the late nineties and 354 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:22.559 I loved the mountains in the winter. I'd been to 355 00:22:22.599 --> 00:22:26.000 the European Alps many times and also a few times 356 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:30.720 in Ferny, British Columbia. I wasn't an experienced outdoor man 357 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:33.359 or anything, but I've always had a good sense of 358 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:37.960 what is normal and I'm pretty observant. A best friend 359 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:41.119 of mine and his girlfriend had recently moved to Aspen 360 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:44.640 for work. I'll not use their real names here, and 361 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:48.559 at the time they were working illegally. They invited me 362 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:51.880 over to stay for a few weeks for a snowy break. 363 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:55.799 It was a week before Thanksgiving in two thousand and seven. 364 00:22:56.559 --> 00:22:58.799 I landed and I hooked up with the couple let's 365 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:01.920 just call them Ned and Margo, and I stayed at 366 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:05.400 their house for a few weeks. I started to look 367 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:09.200 at Aspen Mountain opening times and I realized the mountain 368 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:12.720 was still closed. I had come out to snowboard, but 369 00:23:12.759 --> 00:23:15.680 I'd be waiting until it was nearly ready to go home. 370 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.319 Don't worry, mate, Ned said, I have a contingency plan. 371 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:23.480 He had recently bought a snowmobile and also a pickup 372 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:26.640 truck for his work, so all was going to be okay. 373 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:30.440 The first day out, we took the snowmobile up onto 374 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:34.359 the Aspen Ski Area. We parked the truck at the 375 00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:37.279 bottom of the Midnight Mine Road and we used the 376 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:41.400 snowmobile from there onwards. I think that's the route we took, 377 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:45.759 looking at Google Earth while I'm writing this. Myself and 378 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:48.119 Ned were the first to the top, and then we 379 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:51.880 went back for Margo. The snow was deep and the 380 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:55.039 mountain was empty. All three of us would use the 381 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:58.720 snowmobile to hitch back up to the top after each run. 382 00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:03.480 What a stunt placed with no one around. The snow 383 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:05.920 was above the tops of the shelters, so a good 384 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.599 two meters deep to the top. After a great day 385 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:12.880 of illegal writing, I know that now, but at the 386 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:15.839 time I didn't realize it was such a serious offense. 387 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:19.279 It was starting to get dark, so we set off 388 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:23.359 back home. Ned would take me halfway down the backside 389 00:24:23.400 --> 00:24:26.519 of the mountain, and then turned around to go collect Margo, 390 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:30.039 who was waiting at the top. I was dropped off 391 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:33.160 with the light fading fast on a good straight stretch 392 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:36.119 of track. It was a half a mile or so long, 393 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:39.920 and I would ski the rest of the way. This 394 00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:42.960 was a steep run, and there were patches of trees 395 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:46.079 down the valley on each side. The track came to 396 00:24:46.160 --> 00:24:49.160 a ninety degree right hand turn and down towards a 397 00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:53.079 patch of trees. I came to a turn and went 398 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:55.640 on my heel edge to stop and observe where I 399 00:24:55.799 --> 00:24:58.720 was going, when in the distance I saw something on 400 00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:01.079 the track in front of me. At a distance of 401 00:25:01.119 --> 00:25:04.680