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<v Speaker 1>Now one of your pudding. I got a string going

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<v Speaker 1>on here, something just cause my dog. Something killed your dog,

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<v Speaker 1>my dog. We're flying through the air over the tree.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know how it did it, Okay, Damn, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>really confused. All I saw was my dog coming over

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<v Speaker 1>the fence and he was dead. And once you hit

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<v Speaker 1>the ground like, I didn't see any cars. All I

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<v Speaker 1>saw was my dog coming over the fence. Sat, what

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<v Speaker 1>are you putting? We got some wonder or something crawling

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<v Speaker 1>around out here? Did you see what it was? Was?

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<v Speaker 1>It was standing enough. I'm out here looking through the

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<v Speaker 1>window now and I don't see anything. I don't want

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<v Speaker 1>to go outside. Jesus Quice, you better hello, get the

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<v Speaker 1>body out here. What quin on out there? I thought

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<v Speaker 1>of a bench about tech forty nine? I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>Easy ann out there? Yeah, I'm walking right. Hey.

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<v Speaker 2>There are stories we tell around campfires, urban legends passed

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<v Speaker 2>down through generations, and then there are the accounts that

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<v Speaker 2>make you question everything you thought you knew about the world. Tonight,

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<v Speaker 2>you're going to hear three of those accounts. These aren't

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<v Speaker 2>the typical Bigfoot stories you might expect, no blurry photographs

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<v Speaker 2>that could be anything no sensational claims about telepathic communication

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<v Speaker 2>or interdimensional portals. What you're about to hear are the

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<v Speaker 2>experiences of ordinary people who encountered something extraordinary in the

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<v Speaker 2>forests of the Pacific Northwest. A homeowner trying to solve

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<v Speaker 2>a simple problem with his garbage cans. Two loggers just

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<v Speaker 2>trying to do their job. A security guard working the

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<v Speaker 2>night shift at a remote research facility. Each of these

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<v Speaker 2>men would tell you they're practical, down to earth people.

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<v Speaker 2>They're not looking for fame or attention. In fact, most

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<v Speaker 2>of them have been reluctant to share their stories at all,

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<v Speaker 2>knowing how it sounds, knowing what people might think. But

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<v Speaker 2>something happened to them in those dark woods, something that

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<v Speaker 2>changed their understanding of what's possible. These accounts were shared

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<v Speaker 2>with me under the condition that I changed certain details

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<v Speaker 2>to protect their privacy, names, specific locations, some minor circumstances,

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<v Speaker 2>But the core of each story, the encounters themselves, remain

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<v Speaker 2>exactly as they were told to me. No embellishment, no

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<v Speaker 2>dramatic flourishes, just three men recounting the most unsettling experiences

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<v Speaker 2>of their lives. As you listen, ask yourself this, if

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<v Speaker 2>you encountered something that shouldn't exist, something that science says

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<v Speaker 2>is impossible.

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<v Speaker 3>Would you report it?

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<v Speaker 2>Would you risk your reputation, your credibility, everything people think

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<v Speaker 2>they know about you? Or would you keep it to yourself,

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<v Speaker 2>carrying the weight of that knowledge alone. The men whose

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<v Speaker 2>stories you're about to hear made different choices, but they

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<v Speaker 2>all agree on one thing. There are places in our

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<v Speaker 2>world where the impossible becomes possible, where ancient things still

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<v Speaker 2>walk among the trees, and where the line between myth

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<v Speaker 2>and reality isn't as.

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<v Speaker 3>Clear as we'd like to believe.

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<v Speaker 2>So settle in, turn off the lights if you dare,

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<v Speaker 2>and prepare to hear three encounters that will make you

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<v Speaker 2>think twice about those dark woods outside your window, because

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<v Speaker 2>after tonight you might never look at the forest the

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<v Speaker 2>same way again. I never believed in any.

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<v Speaker 3>Of that stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>Bigfoot, UFOs, ghosts all garbage to me. I'm a practical guy.

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<v Speaker 2>I work construction, hunt deer every season, and I know

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<v Speaker 2>the woods around my place like the back of my hand.

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<v Speaker 2>Been living in this little town in northern Washington for

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<v Speaker 2>fifteen years, and I thought I'd seen everything these mountains

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<v Speaker 2>had to offer. That changed last October I'd been having

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<v Speaker 2>problems with something getting into my garbage camp, not raccoons.

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<v Speaker 2>The damage was too extensive. Whatever it was could rip

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<v Speaker 2>the heavy duty plastic lids clean off and scattered trash

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<v Speaker 2>all over my driveway. My neighbor Dave suggested maybe it

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<v Speaker 2>was a bear, which made sense. We'd had a few

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<v Speaker 2>wander through town that fall. So I set up a

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<v Speaker 2>trail camera. Nothing fancy, just a basic model I use

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<v Speaker 2>for scouting deer. Mounted it on a pine tree about

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<v Speaker 2>twenty feet from where I keep my cans, angled it

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<v Speaker 2>down to catch whatever was causing the mess. For two weeks,

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<v Speaker 2>I got nothing but videos of my cat and the

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<v Speaker 2>occasional squirrel. I was starting to think the problem had

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<v Speaker 2>solved itself when I checked the camera on a Sunday

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<v Speaker 2>morning and found something I couldn't explain. The timestamp read

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<v Speaker 2>two forty seven am. The motion sensor had triggered, and

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<v Speaker 2>at first all I could see were the garbage cans

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<v Speaker 2>and the infrared glow. Then something moved into frame from

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<v Speaker 2>the right side. It was massive, had to be at

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<v Speaker 2>least eight feet tall, covered in dark hair or fur.

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<v Speaker 2>The way it moved wasn't like anything I'd ever seen.

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<v Speaker 2>Not clumsy like a bear, but not quite human either.

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<v Speaker 2>It had this fluid, careful way of walking, like it

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<v Speaker 2>was trying not to make noise. The thing approached my

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<v Speaker 2>garbage cans and just stood there for maybe ten seconds,

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<v Speaker 2>turning its head left and right. I could see its

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<v Speaker 2>profile definitely not human. The forehead sloped back and the

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<v Speaker 2>jaw protruded too far forward, but the shoulders were broad

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<v Speaker 2>like a man's, and it stood upright on two legs.

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<v Speaker 2>Then it grabbed one of my garbage cans with both

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<v Speaker 2>hands and lifted it over its head like it weighed nothing.

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<v Speaker 2>These aren't small cans they're the big ninety six gallon

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<v Speaker 2>ones the city provides. Even empty, I can barely drag

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<v Speaker 2>them to the curb, and this thing hoisted one up

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<v Speaker 2>like it was made of cardboard. It shook the can

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<v Speaker 2>once hard, and garbage scattered everywhere. Then it set the

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<v Speaker 2>can down and began picking through the mess. The way

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<v Speaker 2>its hands moved was the strangest part. They looked human

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<v Speaker 2>from a distance, but longer, with fingers that seemed too thin.

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<v Speaker 2>It would pick up items delicately, almost like it was

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<v Speaker 2>examining them before either eating them or tossing them aside.

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<v Speaker 2>The whole thing lasted maybe three minutes. When it was finished,

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<v Speaker 2>it looked directly at the camera. I swear it looked

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<v Speaker 2>right into the lens. Those eyes reflected the infrared light

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<v Speaker 2>like an animal's, but there was something behind them that

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<v Speaker 2>seemed almost intelligent. It tilted its head, studying the camera,

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<v Speaker 2>and then it was gone. Didn't run or crashed through

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<v Speaker 2>the brush, just melted back into the darkness like it

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<v Speaker 2>had never been there.

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<v Speaker 3>I must have watched that video fifty times that morning.

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<v Speaker 2>I kept thinking there had to be some explanation, maybe

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<v Speaker 2>someone in an elaborate costume playing a prank. But who

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<v Speaker 2>would do that and how would they know exactly where

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<v Speaker 2>to find my trail cam. I didn't tell anyone about

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<v Speaker 2>it right away who would believe me? But the mess

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<v Speaker 2>in my driveway was real enough, and it matched perfectly

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<v Speaker 2>with what I'd seen on the video. Plus there were

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<v Speaker 2>footprints near my fence line, not bear prints. These looked

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<v Speaker 2>almost human, but stretched out and wider, with what looked

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<v Speaker 2>like claw marks at the tips. Dave came over the

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<v Speaker 2>next day to help me clean up the scattered garbage,

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<v Speaker 2>and I almost showed him the video, almost, but at

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<v Speaker 2>the last second, I chickened out. Dave's the kind of

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<v Speaker 2>guy who'd posted on Facebook within five minutes, and I

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't ready for that kind of attention. Instead, I moved

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<v Speaker 2>the camera to a different angle and waited to see

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<v Speaker 2>if it would come back. It did three nights later,

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<v Speaker 2>same time, two forty something in the morning. This time

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<v Speaker 2>I was ready with the second camera positioned across the yard.

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<v Speaker 2>I wanted to get a better view, maybe catch it

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<v Speaker 2>from multiple angles. The first camera picked it up approaching

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<v Speaker 2>from the woods behind my house. It moved through the trees,

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<v Speaker 2>carefully testing each step before putting its full weight down.

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<v Speaker 2>When it reached the edge of my yard, it stopped

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<v Speaker 2>and stood perfectly still for almost a full minute, scanning

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<v Speaker 2>back and forth like it was checking for danger. The

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<v Speaker 2>second camera caught it in profile as it entered the yard.

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<v Speaker 2>The sheer size of the thing was incredible. Its shoulders

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<v Speaker 2>had to be twice as wide as mine, long muscular arms.

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<v Speaker 2>The legs were thick and powerful, built like tree trunks.

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<v Speaker 2>But it was the way it moved that stuck with me,

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<v Speaker 2>deliberate and controlled, like it knew exactly what it was doing.

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<v Speaker 2>This time, instead of going straight for the garbage cans.

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<v Speaker 2>It stopped about ten feet away and seemed to study them.

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<v Speaker 2>It circled around to approach from a different angle, always

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<v Speaker 2>keeping its head turned toward the house, like it was

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<v Speaker 2>watching for movement in the windows. When it finally grabbed

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<v Speaker 2>the garbage can, I got a clear view of its

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<v Speaker 2>hands on the second camera. The fingers were definitely longer

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<v Speaker 2>than human fingers, and there were four of them, plus

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<v Speaker 2>a thumb. The nails looked more like claws, dark and thick.

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<v Speaker 2>It handled the garbage can with surprising gentleness, this time

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<v Speaker 2>tipping it over rather than shaking it. As it sorted

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<v Speaker 2>through the contents. I noticed it was being selective. It

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<v Speaker 2>ignored most of the household trash and seemed to focus

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<v Speaker 2>on food scraps. It ate directly from containers, tilting its

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<v Speaker 2>head back to pour the contents into its mouth. The

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<v Speaker 2>movement was efficient, but animalistic. Then something happened that nearly

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<v Speaker 2>made me drop the camera. My porch light has a

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<v Speaker 2>motion sensor, and something must have triggered it, because it

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<v Speaker 2>suddenly flicked on, flooding the.

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<v Speaker 3>Yard with bright light.

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<v Speaker 2>The creature froze mid motion, a yogurt container halfway to

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<v Speaker 2>its mouth for a split second, I got a perfect

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<v Speaker 2>view of its face in full color. It wasn't human.

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<v Speaker 2>The eyes were dark and deeply set, the nose was

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<v Speaker 2>flat and wide, and the mouth was too large for

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<v Speaker 2>the face. The skin that wasn't covered in hair was dark,

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<v Speaker 2>almost black, and looked tough like leather. When it opened

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<v Speaker 2>its mouth, I could see teeth that were too sharp

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<v Speaker 2>and too numerous to be human. The porch light seemed

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<v Speaker 2>to panic it. It dropped the yogurt container and took

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<v Speaker 2>a step backward, looking around frantically. Then it did something

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<v Speaker 2>I'll never forget.

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<v Speaker 3>It looked directly at my bedroom window.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know if it actually saw me, but it

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<v Speaker 2>stared at that window for at least ten seconds. Then

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<v Speaker 2>it turned and walked quickly back toward the tree line,

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<v Speaker 2>not running, but moving with obvious urgency. Within seconds, it

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<v Speaker 2>had disappeared into the forest. I didn't sleep for the

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<v Speaker 2>rest of that night. I kept thinking about the way

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<v Speaker 2>it had looked at my window, wondering if it knew

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<v Speaker 2>I was there. The rational part of my brain kept

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<v Speaker 2>trying to find explanations. A person in a suit, some

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<v Speaker 2>kind of trained bear, maybe even a hoax involving animatronics.

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<v Speaker 2>But none of those explanations felt right when I watched

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<v Speaker 2>the videos again. The creature moved too naturally, too fluidly.

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<v Speaker 2>The proportions were all wrong for a person in a costume,

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<v Speaker 2>and the weight and strength that displayed handling those garbage

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<v Speaker 2>cans was beyond what any human could fake. And the eyes,

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<v Speaker 2>there was something in those eyes that no costume could replicate.

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<v Speaker 2>I decided to do some research. I spent hours online

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<v Speaker 2>reading about bigfoot sightings in Washington State, and I was

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<v Speaker 2>surprised to find how many reports there were from my

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<v Speaker 2>general area. Most of them sounded like nonsense, people claiming

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<v Speaker 2>they'd had conversations with the creatures or seen families of

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<v Speaker 2>them living in caves. But a few reports were similar

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<v Speaker 2>to what I'd experienced. Large bipedal creatures caught on trail

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<v Speaker 2>cameras or security footage, usually rummaging through garbage or investigating

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<v Speaker 2>camp sites. One report from a guy about fifty miles

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<v Speaker 2>north of me caught my attention. He'd had a similar

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<v Speaker 2>experience with something getting into his trash, and he'd also

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<v Speaker 2>captured it on a trail camera. The description matched what

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<v Speaker 2>I'd seen almost perfectly, down to the way the creature

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<v Speaker 2>had examined items before for eating or discarding them. I

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<v Speaker 2>reached out to him through the forum where he'd posted

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<v Speaker 2>his story. Turns out he was a retired forest ranger

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<v Speaker 2>named Bill, and he'd been dealing with the same thing

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<v Speaker 2>for months. We talked on the phone for over an hour,

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<v Speaker 2>comparing our experiences. He'd never posted his video online because

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<v Speaker 2>he was afraid people would think he was crazy, but

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<v Speaker 2>he described it in detail and it matched my footage exactly.

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<v Speaker 2>Bill told me something that made my skin crawl. He

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<v Speaker 2>said that after his first few encounters, the creature had

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<v Speaker 2>started showing up even when there was no garbage outside.

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<v Speaker 2>He'd catch it on camera just standing in his yard,

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<v Speaker 2>sometimes for twenty or thirty minutes at a time, like

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<v Speaker 2>it was watching his house. Bill's words stuck with me.

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<v Speaker 2>The creature was learning. Each time it came back. It

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<v Speaker 2>was a little more confident, a little more bold. He

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<v Speaker 2>thought it was trying to figure us out. That conversation

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<v Speaker 2>changed everything for me. I realized this wasn't just some

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<v Speaker 2>random animal looking for food. Intelligence behind its behavior, and

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<v Speaker 2>that made it infinitely more frightening. I reinforced my doors

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<v Speaker 2>and windows and started keeping a loaded shotgun next to

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<v Speaker 2>my bed. I also set up two more trail cameras,

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<v Speaker 2>covering different angles of my property. If this thing was

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<v Speaker 2>learning about me, I wanted to learn about it too.

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<v Speaker 2>For a week, nothing happened. The garbage can sat undisturbed,

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<v Speaker 2>and the cameras recorded nothing but the usual forest animals.

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<v Speaker 2>I started to hope that maybe it had moved on,

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<v Speaker 2>found a different food source somewhere else. Then Bill called me.

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<v Speaker 2>His voice was shaky when he told me what had happened.

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<v Speaker 2>The situation had escalated the night before. The creature hadn't

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<v Speaker 2>just gone through his garbage It had tried to get

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<v Speaker 2>into his house. He described waking up to the sound

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<v Speaker 2>of something testing his back door, turning the handle and

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<v Speaker 2>pushing against the frame. When he looked out the window,

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<v Speaker 2>he saw the creature standing on his back deck, peering

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<v Speaker 2>through the glass. It had stayed there for several minutes

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<v Speaker 2>before walking away. Bill was convinced the creature knew they

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<v Speaker 2>were watching, and he thought it was curious about them.

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<v Speaker 3>Now.

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<v Speaker 2>That night, I barely slept. Every sound outside had me

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<v Speaker 2>reaching for the shotgun. Every creak of the house settling

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00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:17.480
<v Speaker 2>made my heart race. I checked the trail cameras obsessively,

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00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:22.200
<v Speaker 2>but they showed nothing unusual. Around three am, I heard

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<v Speaker 2>a strange sound. It was a low, rumbling vocalization coming

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<v Speaker 2>from somewhere in the woods behind my house. Not quite

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00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.759
<v Speaker 2>a growl, not quite a moan, but something in between.

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<v Speaker 2>It lasted maybe ten seconds.

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<v Speaker 3>Then stopped.

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<v Speaker 2>I waited by the window for another hour, but I

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00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.600
<v Speaker 2>didn't hear it again. In the morning, I checked all

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<v Speaker 2>the cameras, but none of them had picked up anything.

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<v Speaker 2>Whatever had made that sound had stayed just outside their range.

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<v Speaker 2>The next few nights were quiet, but I could feel

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<v Speaker 2>something building. It was like the calm before a storm.

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<v Speaker 2>I started having trouble concentrating at work, and I caught

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<v Speaker 2>myself con instantly checking over my shoulder when I was outside. Then,

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<v Speaker 2>exactly one week after Bill's call, it happened. And stay

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<v Speaker 2>tuned for more sasquatch out to see We'll be right back.

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<v Speaker 2>After these messages, I woke up at two fifteen AM

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<v Speaker 2>to the sound of something moving around outside my house,

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<v Speaker 2>not in the woods, this time right outside my bedroom window.

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<v Speaker 2>I grabbed the shotgun and carefully peered through the curtains.

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<v Speaker 2>It was there, standing maybe fifteen feet from the house.

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<v Speaker 2>Just watching in the moonlight, I could make out its

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<v Speaker 2>massive silhouette against the lighter background of my yard. It

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't moving, wasn't doing anything threatening, just standing.

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<v Speaker 3>There like a statue.

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<v Speaker 2>I watched it for what felt like hours but was

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<v Speaker 2>probably only ten or fifteen minutes. Then, without any warning,

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00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:55.360
<v Speaker 2>it turned and walked directly toward my house. My heart

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00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:58.159
<v Speaker 2>started pounding as it approached the window where I was standing.

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00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.559
<v Speaker 2>It stopped just a few feet away, close enough that

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<v Speaker 2>I could have reached out and touched the glass between us.

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<v Speaker 2>This close, I could see details that the cameras had missed,

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<v Speaker 2>the texture of its hair, the way its chest rose

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00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:14.480
<v Speaker 2>and fell with each breath, the condensation forming on the

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00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:18.039
<v Speaker 2>window from its breathing. It raised one hand and placed

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<v Speaker 2>it flat against the glass. The hand was enormous, easily

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00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:25.879
<v Speaker 2>twice the size of mine, With those long, claw tipped

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00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:29.799
<v Speaker 2>fingers I'd seen in the videos, it pressed gently, not

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00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:32.480
<v Speaker 2>hard enough to break the glass, but firmly enough that

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00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:34.919
<v Speaker 2>I could see the skin of its palm deforming against

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<v Speaker 2>the surface. We stayed like that for maybe thirty seconds,

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00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:42.080
<v Speaker 2>just staring at each other through the window. Its eyes

292
00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:45.480
<v Speaker 2>were darker than anything i'd ever seen, like looking into

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00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:49.440
<v Speaker 2>deep water at night. But there was definitely intelligence there,

294
00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:52.440
<v Speaker 2>a kind of awareness that you don't see in other animals.

295
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<v Speaker 2>Then it did something that nearly made me pull the trigger.

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<v Speaker 2>It knocked on the window, three slow, deliberate taps with

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<v Speaker 2>one knuckle knock, knock, knock. I stumbled backward, the shotgun

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00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:08.960
<v Speaker 2>shaking in my hands. When I looked back at the window,

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00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:11.759
<v Speaker 2>it was gone. I ran to the front of the

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00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.680
<v Speaker 2>house and checked every window, but I couldn't see it anywhere.

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<v Speaker 2>It had simply vanished. I didn't sleep for the rest

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00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:20.799
<v Speaker 2>of the night. I sat in my living room with

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00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:24.839
<v Speaker 2>the shotgun across my lap, jumping at every sound. When

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00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:27.880
<v Speaker 2>dawn finally came, I went outside to look for evidence

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00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:31.519
<v Speaker 2>of what had happened. There, pressed into the soft dirt

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00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:36.160
<v Speaker 2>beneath my bedroom window was a single footprint. It was massive,

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00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:40.039
<v Speaker 2>at least eighteen inches long and seven inches wide, with

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00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:44.039
<v Speaker 2>clear impressions of four toes and what looked like claw marks.

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00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:47.319
<v Speaker 2>The depth of the print suggested something incredibly heavy had

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00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:50.480
<v Speaker 2>made it. But what really shook me was the handprint

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00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:53.440
<v Speaker 2>on my window. It was still there in the morning light,

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00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:57.519
<v Speaker 2>a clear outline in the condensation and dirt on the glass.

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<v Speaker 2>I took pictures of everything before the evidence could disappear.

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<v Speaker 2>That was three months ago. I haven't seen it since,

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00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:07.759
<v Speaker 2>but I know it's still out there. Sometimes I hear

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00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:11.599
<v Speaker 2>that low vocalization in the distance, and twice I found

317
00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:14.880
<v Speaker 2>fresh footprints at the edge of my property. The trail

318
00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:18.000
<v Speaker 2>cameras occasionally pick up movement in the trees, but never

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00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:21.160
<v Speaker 2>clearly enough to make out what's causing it. I've thought

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00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:23.599
<v Speaker 2>about moving, but part of me wonders if that would

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00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:24.559
<v Speaker 2>just make things worse.

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00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:27.759
<v Speaker 3>What if it followed me. What if leaving my.

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<v Speaker 2>Territory encouraged it to be more aggressive. Bill moved to

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<v Speaker 2>Arizona two weeks after his encounter. He said he couldn't

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00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:36.960
<v Speaker 2>take the stress of wondering when it would come back.

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00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:40.319
<v Speaker 2>I understand that feeling, but I'm not ready to give

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<v Speaker 2>up my home yet. I still have the videos, and

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00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:45.839
<v Speaker 2>I've shared them with a few researchers who study this

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00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:49.359
<v Speaker 2>kind of thing. Most of them believe the footage is genuine,

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<v Speaker 2>but none of them can explain what the creature is

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00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:55.319
<v Speaker 2>or what it wants. All I know is that somewhere

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00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:58.480
<v Speaker 2>in the woods behind my house, something is watching and

333
00:18:58.599 --> 00:19:02.039
<v Speaker 2>waiting that knocked on my window and wanted me to

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00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:05.599
<v Speaker 2>know it was there. And sometimes late at night, when

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00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:08.359
<v Speaker 2>I'm lying in bed, I wonder if it's still learning

336
00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:12.279
<v Speaker 2>about me and what it plans to do with that knowledge.

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<v Speaker 2>The first account you just heard represents something many people

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00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:19.839
<v Speaker 2>can relate to a simple problem that spirals into something unimaginable.

339
00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:25.200
<v Speaker 2>A man's home, his sanctuary, suddenly invaded by the impossible.

340
00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:28.480
<v Speaker 2>But what happens when the encounter isn't in your backyard,

341
00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:31.759
<v Speaker 2>but in the deep wilderness where humans are just visitors.

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00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:35.759
<v Speaker 2>Our next storyteller learned that lesson the hard way, he

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<v Speaker 2>discovered that there are places in the mountains where we're

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00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:43.000
<v Speaker 2>not welcome, where something older than civilization has prior claim.

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<v Speaker 2>This is the story of two men who ventured into

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00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:49.359
<v Speaker 2>territory that wasn't theirs and paid the price for their intrusion.

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<v Speaker 2>My dad always said the mountains would teach you respect

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<v Speaker 2>if you were smart enough to listen. He'd been logging

349
00:19:55.640 --> 00:19:58.279
<v Speaker 2>these hills for thirty years before I was even born,

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00:19:58.759 --> 00:20:02.200
<v Speaker 2>and he knew every trail, every creek, every stand of

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<v Speaker 2>timber from here to the Canadian border. When he passed

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<v Speaker 2>away five years ago, I inherited his small logging operation

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<v Speaker 2>and about ten thousand acres of timber rights spread across

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00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:15.839
<v Speaker 2>three different mountains. I thought I knew these woods too.

355
00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:19.839
<v Speaker 2>Turns out I was wrong. It started with the dogs.

356
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<v Speaker 2>I run a small crew, just me, my partner Jake,

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<v Speaker 2>and usually one other guy depending on the job. We

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00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:29.720
<v Speaker 2>were working a section about twelve miles up for at

359
00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:33.359
<v Speaker 2>Service Road forty one. Cutting beetle killed pine that needed

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00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:36.519
<v Speaker 2>to come out before it became a fire hazard. Nothing

361
00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:39.720
<v Speaker 2>unusual about the job except my dog Blue had been

362
00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:44.039
<v Speaker 2>acting strange all week. Blues a German Shepherd mix, Smart

363
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<v Speaker 2>as hell and usually fearless. He rides with me in

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<v Speaker 2>the truck every day and loves exploring the woods while

365
00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:52.799
<v Speaker 2>we work. But that week he wouldn't leave the cab

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<v Speaker 2>every morning when we arrived at the job site. He'd

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<v Speaker 2>whine and pace inside the truck, refusing to come out

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<v Speaker 2>even when I call. It wasn't like him at all.

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<v Speaker 2>Jake noticed it too. He said that dog was spooked

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<v Speaker 2>by something and he'd never seen him act like that.

371
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<v Speaker 2>I figured maybe he'd had to run in with a

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<v Speaker 2>porcupine or gotten into some poison. Oak dogs can be

373
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<v Speaker 2>weird about stuff like that, but looking back, I think

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<v Speaker 2>Blue knew what was out there before any of us did.

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<v Speaker 2>The first real sign something was wrong came on Friday.

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<v Speaker 2>We were working about a quarter mile up a skid trail,

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00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.400
<v Speaker 2>using the chainsaw to buck up a big pine we'd

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00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:32.640
<v Speaker 2>dropped the day before. The sound of the saw echoes

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00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:35.359
<v Speaker 2>in those hills, so we usually can't hear much else

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<v Speaker 2>while we're working. But during one of the breaks, when

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00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:41.640
<v Speaker 2>I shut the saw off, Jake grabbed my arm. He

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00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:43.960
<v Speaker 2>asked if I could hear something moving through the brush.

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<v Speaker 2>He'd been hearing it for the last ten minutes, he said,

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00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:49.920
<v Speaker 2>but every time I shut the saw off, it stopped.

385
00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:53.440
<v Speaker 2>We stood there listening for a couple minutes, but whatever

386
00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:56.960
<v Speaker 2>Jake had heard was gone. Still, it put both of

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<v Speaker 2>us on edge for the rest.

388
00:21:58.119 --> 00:21:58.599
<v Speaker 3>Of the day.

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00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:02.200
<v Speaker 2>When you're working alone in the woods with dangerous equipment,

390
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:05.880
<v Speaker 2>your survival instincts tend to be pretty sharp. If something

391
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:10.279
<v Speaker 2>felt wrong, it usually was That weekend. I couldn't stop

392
00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:14.119
<v Speaker 2>thinking about Jake's words. Something big moving through the brush

393
00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:16.920
<v Speaker 2>could have been an elk, I guess, or maybe a

394
00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:20.920
<v Speaker 2>black bear, but elk usually make more noise crashing through

395
00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:25.440
<v Speaker 2>the undergrowth without much care and bears well. They tend

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00:22:25.480 --> 00:22:29.680
<v Speaker 2>to avoid the sound of chainsaws and diesel engines. Monday morning,

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00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:32.240
<v Speaker 2>Blue refused to get in the truck. I had to

398
00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:34.759
<v Speaker 2>physically lift him into the cab, and he spent the

399
00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:38.640
<v Speaker 2>entire drive up the mountain shaking and whimpering. When we

400
00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:41.200
<v Speaker 2>got to the job site, he pressed himself into the

401
00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:44.960
<v Speaker 2>corner of the truck bed and wouldn't budge. Jake suggested

402
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:47.640
<v Speaker 2>maybe I should leave him at home. Whatever had him

403
00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:50.759
<v Speaker 2>spooked wasn't getting any better. But I'd been bringing.

404
00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:51.880
<v Speaker 3>Blue to work for six years.

405
00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:54.799
<v Speaker 2>He was part of the routine, and I figured he'd

406
00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:58.880
<v Speaker 2>get over whatever was bothering him another mistake. We spent

407
00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.519
<v Speaker 2>Monday and Tuesday finishing up the pine we'd been working

408
00:23:01.559 --> 00:23:04.519
<v Speaker 2>on and started scouting the next section we needed to clear.

409
00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:08.079
<v Speaker 2>It was higher up the mountain, maybe another mile up

410
00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:10.839
<v Speaker 2>the logging road, in a stand of old growth fur

411
00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:14.279
<v Speaker 2>that had been marked for selective harvest. The trees up

412
00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:17.839
<v Speaker 2>there were huge, some of them probably two hundred years old,

413
00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:21.200
<v Speaker 2>with trunks four feet across, beautiful timber.

414
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<v Speaker 3>But it would be tricky work.

415
00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:25.880
<v Speaker 2>The slope was steep and we'd need to be careful

416
00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:28.640
<v Speaker 2>about where the trees fell to avoid damaging the ones

417
00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:29.279
<v Speaker 2>we were leaving.

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00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:29.799
<v Speaker 3>Standing.

419
00:23:30.680 --> 00:23:32.839
<v Speaker 2>Wednesday morning, we drove up to the new site to

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00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:36.720
<v Speaker 2>start laying out our cutting plan. Blue was still acting strange,

421
00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:40.039
<v Speaker 2>but he seemed a little better. He actually got out

422
00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.599
<v Speaker 2>of the truck on his own, though he stayed close

423
00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:45.599
<v Speaker 2>to my legs instead of running off to explore like usual.

424
00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:48.799
<v Speaker 2>We were about halfway through marking the trees we wanted

425
00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:51.559
<v Speaker 2>to cut when Jake called out from about fifty yards

426
00:23:51.640 --> 00:23:54.519
<v Speaker 2>uphill from me. He wanted me to come look at something.

427
00:23:55.400 --> 00:23:57.240
<v Speaker 2>I walked up to where he was standing next to

428
00:23:57.279 --> 00:23:59.880
<v Speaker 2>a big fur and he pointed to something carved into

429
00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:03.279
<v Speaker 2>the bark about seven feet off the ground. At first

430
00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:06.480
<v Speaker 2>I thought it was just natural scarring. Bears will sometimes

431
00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:10.119
<v Speaker 2>claw trees to mark territory, but when I got closer,

432
00:24:10.359 --> 00:24:14.319
<v Speaker 2>I could see it was definitely deliberate. Four parallel grooves

433
00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:17.039
<v Speaker 2>had been carved deep into the bark, each one about

434
00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:20.359
<v Speaker 2>eighteen inches long and maybe half an inch wide. They

435
00:24:20.359 --> 00:24:23.400
<v Speaker 2>were fresh, too, sap was still seeping from the cuts,

436
00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:27.119
<v Speaker 2>and the exposed wood hadn't had time to darken. Jake

437
00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:29.119
<v Speaker 2>asked if it could be a bear, but he didn't

438
00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:32.759
<v Speaker 2>sound convinced. I've seen plenty of bear sign over the years,

439
00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:36.680
<v Speaker 2>and this wasn't quite right. The cuts were too uniform,

440
00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:40.160
<v Speaker 2>too deliberately placed, and they were higher than most bears

441
00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:43.839
<v Speaker 2>could reach, even standing on their hind legs. I agreed

442
00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:46.200
<v Speaker 2>it might be a bear, but I was already feeling

443
00:24:46.279 --> 00:24:49.200
<v Speaker 2>that prickle of unease that meant my instincts were trying

444
00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:52.519
<v Speaker 2>to tell me something. I suggested we keep an eye out.

445
00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:55.960
<v Speaker 2>We spent the rest of the morning marking trees, but

446
00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:59.319
<v Speaker 2>I noticed both of us were quieter than usual, listening

447
00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:03.000
<v Speaker 2>more carefully to the sounds around us. Blue stayed glued

448
00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:06.039
<v Speaker 2>to my side, occasionally letting out a low wine when

449
00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:09.480
<v Speaker 2>we moved deeper into the timber. Around noon, we broke

450
00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:12.599
<v Speaker 2>for lunch and walked back toward the truck. The logging

451
00:25:12.680 --> 00:25:15.519
<v Speaker 2>road curved through the trees, and as we came around

452
00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:18.079
<v Speaker 2>a bend, I saw something that made me stop dead

453
00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:21.279
<v Speaker 2>in my tracks. There were footprints in the dirt road,

454
00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:24.759
<v Speaker 2>big ones. They started at the edge of the pavement

455
00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:27.640
<v Speaker 2>where the forest service road ended, and continued up the

456
00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:31.319
<v Speaker 2>dirt logging road for maybe thirty feet before disappearing into

457
00:25:31.319 --> 00:25:35.079
<v Speaker 2>the trees. On the uphill side. Each print was huge,

458
00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:39.160
<v Speaker 2>easily twice the size of my boot, with clear impressions

459
00:25:39.160 --> 00:25:42.160
<v Speaker 2>of five toes. Jake saw them at the same time

460
00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:45.279
<v Speaker 2>I did. He asked what the hell they were. I

461
00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:47.480
<v Speaker 2>knelt down next to the clearest print and put my

462
00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:51.240
<v Speaker 2>hand next to it for scale. My hand, spread wide,

463
00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:54.720
<v Speaker 2>barely covered half the width of the print. The toes

464
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:56.799
<v Speaker 2>were long and appeared to have some kind of claw

465
00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.599
<v Speaker 2>marks at the tips, though not as pronounced as you'd

466
00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:02.880
<v Speaker 2>see from a bear. Jake asked how fresh I thought

467
00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:05.640
<v Speaker 2>they were. The dirt was still moist from a light

468
00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:08.319
<v Speaker 2>rain we'd had two nights earlier, and the edges of

469
00:26:08.359 --> 00:26:11.599
<v Speaker 2>the princes were sharp and well defined. I figured they

470
00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:14.880
<v Speaker 2>were pretty fresh, maybe from last night or this morning.

471
00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:16.960
<v Speaker 3>We followed the prints.

472
00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:19.000
<v Speaker 2>To where they left the road, but the forest floor

473
00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:21.599
<v Speaker 2>was too thick with pine needles and undergrowth to track

474
00:26:21.640 --> 00:26:25.400
<v Speaker 2>them any further. Whatever had made them had been heading uphill,

475
00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:28.319
<v Speaker 2>deeper into the timber we were supposed to be working.

476
00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:30.880
<v Speaker 2>Jake said he thought we should call it a day,

477
00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:33.920
<v Speaker 2>and I didn't argue with him. We packed up our

478
00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:36.519
<v Speaker 2>gear and headed back down the mountain, but I couldn't

479
00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:40.240
<v Speaker 2>stop thinking about those footprints. When I got home, I

480
00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:42.920
<v Speaker 2>spent the evening on the Internet trying to find some

481
00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:46.480
<v Speaker 2>explanation for what we'd seen. Most of what I found

482
00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:50.400
<v Speaker 2>was obviously fake, blurry photos and wild stories that were

483
00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:53.440
<v Speaker 2>clearly made up. But there were a few reports from

484
00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:56.839
<v Speaker 2>other loggers and forest workers in the Pacific Northwest that

485
00:26:56.960 --> 00:27:01.559
<v Speaker 2>sounded more credible, descriptions of large footprint, strange sounds in

486
00:27:01.599 --> 00:27:04.440
<v Speaker 2>the woods, and the feeling of being watched while working

487
00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:08.880
<v Speaker 2>in remote areas. One report really caught my attention. It

488
00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:11.599
<v Speaker 2>was from a logger up in British Columbia who described

489
00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:15.240
<v Speaker 2>finding similar claw marks on trees and tracks that matched

490
00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:18.359
<v Speaker 2>what Jake and I had seen. He'd also mentioned that

491
00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:22.559
<v Speaker 2>wildlife in the area had started acting strangely, avoiding areas

492
00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:26.000
<v Speaker 2>where they'd previously been common. That made me think about

493
00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:29.640
<v Speaker 2>Blues behavior and about how quiet the woods had been lately.

494
00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:33.920
<v Speaker 2>Usually we'd see deer sign, maybe catch a glimpse of elk,

495
00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:37.519
<v Speaker 2>or hear chipmunks chattering in the trees, but for the

496
00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:40.880
<v Speaker 2>past week the forest had felt empty, like everything had

497
00:27:40.920 --> 00:27:44.920
<v Speaker 2>moved on to somewhere else. Thursday morning, I almost decided

498
00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:47.599
<v Speaker 2>to work a different section, but we had a deadline

499
00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:50.319
<v Speaker 2>on this job, and the timber we'd marked was perfect

500
00:27:50.359 --> 00:27:53.119
<v Speaker 2>for what our buyer needed. Jake and I talked it

501
00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:55.759
<v Speaker 2>over and decided to be extra careful but keep working.

502
00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:58.359
<v Speaker 2>We brought a radio in case we needed to call

503
00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:00.839
<v Speaker 2>for help, and I convinced Jake to bring his thirty

504
00:28:00.839 --> 00:28:04.200
<v Speaker 2>eight to six rifle just in case. Blue still didn't

505
00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:06.119
<v Speaker 2>want to get in the truck, so this time I

506
00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:09.440
<v Speaker 2>left him at home. The drive up the mountain was quiet.

507
00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:13.359
<v Speaker 2>Both of us were tense, jumping at every shadow, listening

508
00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:16.279
<v Speaker 2>for sounds that didn't belong. When we got to the

509
00:28:16.359 --> 00:28:18.680
<v Speaker 2>job site, the first thing I did was check the

510
00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:22.480
<v Speaker 2>road for new tracks. There weren't any. The dirt showed

511
00:28:22.519 --> 00:28:25.079
<v Speaker 2>tire marks from vehicles that had passed since the rain,

512
00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:28.559
<v Speaker 2>but no more of the big footprints. I started to

513
00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:31.640
<v Speaker 2>relax a little, thinking maybe whatever had made them had

514
00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:34.599
<v Speaker 2>moved on. We unloaded our gear and hiked up to

515
00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:37.240
<v Speaker 2>where we'd been working. The claw marks on the tree

516
00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:40.240
<v Speaker 2>were still there and the sap had hardened into dark

517
00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:44.119
<v Speaker 2>amber drops, but everything else looked normal, so we fired

518
00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:47.200
<v Speaker 2>up the chainsaw and got to work. The first tree

519
00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:49.160
<v Speaker 2>we cut was a big fur near the bottom of

520
00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:52.839
<v Speaker 2>the slope. It fell clean, crashing down through the smaller

521
00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:56.519
<v Speaker 2>trees with a sound like thunder. As the echoes faded,

522
00:28:56.759 --> 00:28:59.599
<v Speaker 2>I heard something off in the distance. From somewhere up

523
00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:03.519
<v Speaker 2>the mountain, maybe a quarter mile away, came an answering sound,

524
00:29:04.279 --> 00:29:07.240
<v Speaker 2>a deep, booming call that didn't match anything I'd ever

525
00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:11.240
<v Speaker 2>heard in these woods. It lasted maybe five seconds, then

526
00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:14.400
<v Speaker 2>cut off abruptly. Jake asked if it was an elk,

527
00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:18.200
<v Speaker 2>but his voice was shaking. I'd heard elk bugle hundreds

528
00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:22.759
<v Speaker 2>of times. This wasn't an elk. It was deeper, more resonant,

529
00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:25.960
<v Speaker 2>and there was something almost intelligent about the rhythm of it,

530
00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:29.880
<v Speaker 2>like it was responding to the sound of the falling tree.

531
00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:32.400
<v Speaker 2>I told Jake we should keep working, but I made

532
00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:35.960
<v Speaker 2>sure the rifle was within easy reach. For the next hour,

533
00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:39.559
<v Speaker 2>everything seemed normal. We bucked up the fallen tree and

534
00:29:39.599 --> 00:29:42.640
<v Speaker 2>started working on the next one Jake had marked. The

535
00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:46.000
<v Speaker 2>chainsaw was loud enough to mask most other sounds, but

536
00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:48.240
<v Speaker 2>every time I shut it off, both of us would

537
00:29:48.279 --> 00:29:51.599
<v Speaker 2>stand perfectly still and listen. It was during one of

538
00:29:51.640 --> 00:29:55.240
<v Speaker 2>these quiet periods that we heard it again, closer, this time,

539
00:29:55.559 --> 00:29:58.480
<v Speaker 2>maybe only one hundred yards uphill from where we were working.

540
00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:02.319
<v Speaker 2>Stay tuned for more sasquatch out to see We'll be

541
00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:02.920
<v Speaker 2>right back.

542
00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:04.640
<v Speaker 3>After these messages.

543
00:30:08.759 --> 00:30:11.920
<v Speaker 2>The same deep booming call, but followed by something that

544
00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:15.960
<v Speaker 2>sounded almost like wood knocking against wood. Jake whispered that

545
00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:18.759
<v Speaker 2>it wasn't an animal. I had to agree with him.

546
00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:23.720
<v Speaker 2>The knocking sound was too rhythmic, too deliberate. Three sharp raps,

547
00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:28.160
<v Speaker 2>a pause, then three more, like someone was trying to communicate.

548
00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:30.680
<v Speaker 3>We decided to pack up for the day.

549
00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:34.039
<v Speaker 2>Whatever was making those sounds was getting closer, and I

550
00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:35.880
<v Speaker 2>didn't want to find out what it was while we

551
00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:38.960
<v Speaker 2>were alone in the woods. We loaded everything into the

552
00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:42.000
<v Speaker 2>truck as quickly as possible and headed back down the mountain.

553
00:30:42.839 --> 00:30:46.240
<v Speaker 2>That night, I called my dad's old logging partner, Ray,

554
00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:50.079
<v Speaker 2>who'd been working these mountains for forty years. If anyone

555
00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:53.119
<v Speaker 2>would know what we were dealing with, it would be him.

556
00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:55.720
<v Speaker 2>Ray said it sounded like we boys had stirred up

557
00:30:55.720 --> 00:30:58.880
<v Speaker 2>something that didn't want to be bothered. He'd heard stories

558
00:30:58.920 --> 00:31:03.079
<v Speaker 2>like ours before, usually from guys working the really remote sections.

559
00:31:03.839 --> 00:31:06.240
<v Speaker 2>Most of them ended up finding a different place to work.

560
00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:10.039
<v Speaker 2>I asked what kind of stories. Ray was quiet for

561
00:31:10.079 --> 00:31:12.559
<v Speaker 2>a long moment, then he told me about things in

562
00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:15.519
<v Speaker 2>the woods that weren't supposed to be there, big things,

563
00:31:15.960 --> 00:31:19.319
<v Speaker 2>smart things, things that didn't like machinery and noise, and

564
00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:22.279
<v Speaker 2>people cutting down their trees. He told me about a

565
00:31:22.279 --> 00:31:24.359
<v Speaker 2>crew that had been working up near Mount Baker in

566
00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:30.839
<v Speaker 2>the early nineties. They'd reported similar experiences, strange sounds, unusual tracks,

567
00:31:31.319 --> 00:31:34.640
<v Speaker 2>the feeling of being watched. The job foremen had pushed

568
00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:38.319
<v Speaker 2>them to keep working despite their concerns. Ray explained that

569
00:31:38.359 --> 00:31:42.279
<v Speaker 2>one morning they found their equipment vandalized, chains cut on

570
00:31:42.319 --> 00:31:46.720
<v Speaker 2>the chainsaws, tires slashed on the skidders, diesel fuel drained

571
00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:49.640
<v Speaker 2>from the tanks. But the weird part was that nothing

572
00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:52.799
<v Speaker 2>was thrown around or smashed up like you'd expect from vandals.

573
00:31:53.440 --> 00:31:56.680
<v Speaker 2>Everything was just disabled, like something wanted to stop them

574
00:31:56.680 --> 00:32:00.079
<v Speaker 2>from working but didn't want to destroy the equipment. I

575
00:32:00.119 --> 00:32:02.559
<v Speaker 2>asked if they ever figured out who did it. Ray

576
00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:05.359
<v Speaker 2>said they never did, but they found tracks around the

577
00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:08.960
<v Speaker 2>job site, big ones, and the guys swore they could

578
00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:11.599
<v Speaker 2>feel something watching them from the tree line while they

579
00:32:11.640 --> 00:32:14.920
<v Speaker 2>were cleaning up the mess. Ray's story didn't make me

580
00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:17.400
<v Speaker 2>feel any better about going back to work the next day,

581
00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:20.839
<v Speaker 2>but we had contracts to fulfill and bills to pay.

582
00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:24.400
<v Speaker 2>I decided we'd finish the job as quickly as possible

583
00:32:24.720 --> 00:32:26.000
<v Speaker 2>and then find somewhere.

584
00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:27.240
<v Speaker 3>Else to work for the rest of the season.

585
00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:30.319
<v Speaker 2>Friday morning, Jake met me at my house instead of

586
00:32:30.359 --> 00:32:33.160
<v Speaker 2>the job site. He looked like he hadn't slept much.

587
00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:36.720
<v Speaker 2>He said he'd been thinking about this all night. Maybe

588
00:32:36.720 --> 00:32:39.519
<v Speaker 2>we should just walk away from this job. It wasn't

589
00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:42.799
<v Speaker 2>worth getting hurt over. Part of me agreed with him,

590
00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:45.400
<v Speaker 2>but the stubborn part of me, the part that had

591
00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:49.039
<v Speaker 2>inherited my dad's pride in finishing what we started, wasn't

592
00:32:49.079 --> 00:32:52.559
<v Speaker 2>ready to give up yet. I suggested one more day,

593
00:32:53.079 --> 00:32:54.880
<v Speaker 2>we'd cut what we could and then move on to

594
00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:58.559
<v Speaker 2>something else. Jake reluctantly agreed, and we drove up the

595
00:32:58.599 --> 00:33:00.680
<v Speaker 2>mountain for what we both suspect it might be the

596
00:33:00.759 --> 00:33:05.359
<v Speaker 2>last time. The logging road seemed different, somehow, more oppressive,

597
00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:08.920
<v Speaker 2>like the trees were closing in around us. Even with

598
00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:12.640
<v Speaker 2>the windows down and the radio plane, the truck felt claustrophobic.

599
00:33:13.519 --> 00:33:15.559
<v Speaker 2>When we got to the job site, the first thing

600
00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:18.920
<v Speaker 2>I noticed was the smell. It was musky and wild,

601
00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:23.240
<v Speaker 2>like wet fur and something else I couldn't identify. The

602
00:33:23.279 --> 00:33:25.839
<v Speaker 2>odor was strongest near the tree line where the tracks

603
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:27.480
<v Speaker 2>had disappeared earlier in the week.

604
00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:31.079
<v Speaker 3>Jake asked if I could smell it too. I nodded.

605
00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:35.240
<v Speaker 2>Whatever had been watching us was close, maybe close enough

606
00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:38.640
<v Speaker 2>to see us right now. We unloaded our equipment quickly

607
00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:41.240
<v Speaker 2>and started working on the trees we'd marked near the road.

608
00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:44.160
<v Speaker 2>The plan was to stay as close to the truck

609
00:33:44.200 --> 00:33:47.079
<v Speaker 2>as possible and cut only what we could reach without

610
00:33:47.119 --> 00:33:50.880
<v Speaker 2>going deeper into the timber. The first tree fell without incident,

611
00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:53.000
<v Speaker 2>and we were bucking it up when I heard Jake

612
00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:56.240
<v Speaker 2>shout behind me. I shut off the chainsaw and turned

613
00:33:56.279 --> 00:33:59.519
<v Speaker 2>around to see him pointing up the slope. About seventy

614
00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:02.440
<v Speaker 2>yards of way at the edge of the timber, something

615
00:34:02.519 --> 00:34:06.279
<v Speaker 2>was standing between two large fir trees. At first I

616
00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:09.719
<v Speaker 2>thought it was just shadows in my imagination, but as

617
00:34:09.719 --> 00:34:13.119
<v Speaker 2>I stared, I could make out a definite shape. It

618
00:34:13.199 --> 00:34:17.079
<v Speaker 2>was tall, maybe eight feet, and broad across the shoulders.

619
00:34:17.840 --> 00:34:20.800
<v Speaker 2>Dark fur or hair covered most of its body, and

620
00:34:20.880 --> 00:34:24.000
<v Speaker 2>it stood upright on two legs like a person. The

621
00:34:24.119 --> 00:34:27.480
<v Speaker 2>arms were too long, the torso too wide, the head

622
00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:30.599
<v Speaker 2>too large for the neck. Jake whispered that he didn't

623
00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:33.639
<v Speaker 2>know what that thing was. As if it had heard him,

624
00:34:33.800 --> 00:34:37.320
<v Speaker 2>the creature stepped forward, slightly, moving from shadow into a

625
00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:41.119
<v Speaker 2>patch of dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy. For just

626
00:34:41.159 --> 00:34:43.079
<v Speaker 2>a moment, I got a clear look at its face.

627
00:34:43.760 --> 00:34:47.679
<v Speaker 2>It wasn't human. Then, without any warning, the creature raised

628
00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:49.840
<v Speaker 2>one arm and brought it down hard against the trunk

629
00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:52.719
<v Speaker 2>of the tree it was standing next to. The sound

630
00:34:52.800 --> 00:34:56.599
<v Speaker 2>echoed through the forest like a gunshot. Three sharp cracks

631
00:34:56.599 --> 00:35:00.480
<v Speaker 2>as it struck the tree, then silence. Ja said we

632
00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:04.719
<v Speaker 2>needed to go right now. I wanted to argue, to

633
00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:07.840
<v Speaker 2>stand our ground and prove we weren't afraid, but the

634
00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:10.199
<v Speaker 2>rational part of my brain was screaming that this was

635
00:35:10.280 --> 00:35:13.599
<v Speaker 2>not a fight we could win. Whatever that thing was,

636
00:35:14.039 --> 00:35:16.519
<v Speaker 2>it was bigger and stronger than both of us combined.

637
00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:20.119
<v Speaker 2>We started loading our equipment into the truck, moving as

638
00:35:20.199 --> 00:35:23.159
<v Speaker 2>quickly as possible while trying not to make any sudden movements.

639
00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:27.159
<v Speaker 2>The creature watched us the whole time, occasionally shifting its

640
00:35:27.199 --> 00:35:29.639
<v Speaker 2>weight from one foot to the other, but never coming

641
00:35:29.639 --> 00:35:33.440
<v Speaker 2>any closer. When we were almost finished packing up, it

642
00:35:33.480 --> 00:35:36.000
<v Speaker 2>did something that nearly made me drop the chainsaw I

643
00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:39.239
<v Speaker 2>was carrying. It cupped its hands around its mouth and

644
00:35:39.320 --> 00:35:41.719
<v Speaker 2>let out a long, loud call that seemed to shake

645
00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:45.039
<v Speaker 2>the trees around us. The sound was answered immediately by

646
00:35:45.039 --> 00:35:48.679
<v Speaker 2>two similar calls from different directions, one from higher up

647
00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:51.559
<v Speaker 2>the mountain, one from down toward the road we'd driven

648
00:35:51.599 --> 00:35:54.719
<v Speaker 2>in on. We weren't dealing with just one of these things.

649
00:35:55.239 --> 00:35:57.320
<v Speaker 2>There were at least three of them, and they were

650
00:35:57.320 --> 00:36:00.719
<v Speaker 2>coordinating with each other. Jake shouted for us to go,

651
00:36:01.079 --> 00:36:04.199
<v Speaker 2>jumping into the passenger seat, I threw the last of

652
00:36:04.199 --> 00:36:06.760
<v Speaker 2>our gear into the truck bed and slammed it into drive.

653
00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:09.760
<v Speaker 2>As we pulled away, I caught a glimpse of the

654
00:36:09.760 --> 00:36:12.719
<v Speaker 2>creature in my side mirror. It was following us down

655
00:36:12.800 --> 00:36:16.800
<v Speaker 2>the slope, not running, but walking, with long, purposeful strides

656
00:36:16.800 --> 00:36:20.360
<v Speaker 2>that covered ground faster than seemed possible. We hit the

657
00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:22.880
<v Speaker 2>paved road doing about fifty miles an hour and didn't

658
00:36:22.880 --> 00:36:26.159
<v Speaker 2>slow down until we reached town. Neither of us said

659
00:36:26.199 --> 00:36:28.840
<v Speaker 2>much during the drive, but I could see Jake's hand

660
00:36:28.920 --> 00:36:32.360
<v Speaker 2>shaking as he lit a cigarette That was six months ago.

661
00:36:33.159 --> 00:36:35.519
<v Speaker 2>We never went back to finish that job, and I

662
00:36:35.599 --> 00:36:37.840
<v Speaker 2>ended up paying a penalty to the timber company for

663
00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:39.000
<v Speaker 2>breaking our contract.

664
00:36:39.639 --> 00:36:41.880
<v Speaker 3>It was worth it. I've done some.

665
00:36:41.840 --> 00:36:45.159
<v Speaker 2>Research since then, talk to other loggers and forest workers

666
00:36:45.159 --> 00:36:49.639
<v Speaker 2>who've had similar experiences. Turns out we're not alone. There

667
00:36:49.679 --> 00:36:52.239
<v Speaker 2>are things in these mountains that most people don't know about,

668
00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:55.079
<v Speaker 2>things that have been here long before we started cutting

669
00:36:55.199 --> 00:36:58.519
<v Speaker 2>roads and harvesting timber. I still work in the woods,

670
00:36:58.840 --> 00:37:01.599
<v Speaker 2>but I stay closer to town now, in areas that

671
00:37:01.639 --> 00:37:05.199
<v Speaker 2>see more traffic and human activity. Jake took a job

672
00:37:05.239 --> 00:37:08.199
<v Speaker 2>with a construction company and won't even go camping anymore.

673
00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:11.239
<v Speaker 2>Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we'd tried

674
00:37:11.239 --> 00:37:13.679
<v Speaker 2>to tough it out, if we'd gone back the next

675
00:37:13.760 --> 00:37:16.719
<v Speaker 2>day and attempted to finish the job. Part of me

676
00:37:16.719 --> 00:37:20.280
<v Speaker 2>thinks they would have escalated things, maybe damaged our equipment

677
00:37:20.400 --> 00:37:24.000
<v Speaker 2>like Ray's story, or worse. But another part of me

678
00:37:24.079 --> 00:37:27.119
<v Speaker 2>wonders if they were just trying to communicate, to let

679
00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:30.119
<v Speaker 2>us know that section of forest was important to them somehow.

680
00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:34.320
<v Speaker 2>The way that first one had watched us, the intelligence

681
00:37:34.360 --> 00:37:38.760
<v Speaker 2>in its eyes, it didn't seem mindlessly aggressive. It seemed

682
00:37:38.760 --> 00:37:41.599
<v Speaker 2>like it was trying to tell us something. Either way,

683
00:37:41.960 --> 00:37:45.039
<v Speaker 2>I got the message. There are places in these mountains

684
00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:48.760
<v Speaker 2>where humans aren't welcome, places where older things than us

685
00:37:48.800 --> 00:37:52.320
<v Speaker 2>have prior claim. My dad always said the mountains would

686
00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:54.519
<v Speaker 2>teach you respect if you were smart enough to listen.

687
00:37:55.239 --> 00:37:59.760
<v Speaker 2>I'm listening now. Fear and territorialism. That's what defined our

688
00:37:59.800 --> 00:38:05.400
<v Speaker 2>laws encounter, A clear message delivered through intimidation and overwhelming presence.

689
00:38:06.199 --> 00:38:09.119
<v Speaker 2>But what if the message was different? What if instead

690
00:38:09.119 --> 00:38:13.159
<v Speaker 2>of driving humans away, these creatures were trying to understand us.

691
00:38:13.760 --> 00:38:16.559
<v Speaker 2>Our final account comes from a man whose job required

692
00:38:16.599 --> 00:38:19.000
<v Speaker 2>him to be alone in the wilderness, night after night.

693
00:38:19.880 --> 00:38:23.400
<v Speaker 2>Unlike our previous storytellers, he didn't stumble into an encounter.

694
00:38:23.920 --> 00:38:27.480
<v Speaker 2>The encounters came to him, and what developed over months

695
00:38:27.480 --> 00:38:32.760
<v Speaker 2>of careful observation was something unprecedented, a relationship. This is

696
00:38:32.760 --> 00:38:36.679
<v Speaker 2>a story about communication, trust, and the possibility that were

697
00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:40.719
<v Speaker 2>not the only intelligent species on this planet. Working security

698
00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:43.519
<v Speaker 2>at a remote research station wasn't supposed to be exciting.

699
00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:48.280
<v Speaker 2>That was actually the whole point I needed boring. After

700
00:38:48.320 --> 00:38:51.320
<v Speaker 2>eight years as a sheriff's deputy and three tours overseas,

701
00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:54.079
<v Speaker 2>I was done with adrenaline and danger and all the

702
00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:57.480
<v Speaker 2>complications that came with them. When the job posting for

703
00:38:57.559 --> 00:39:00.800
<v Speaker 2>a night security guard at the Cascade Environmental Research Center

704
00:39:00.880 --> 00:39:06.760
<v Speaker 2>crossed my desk, it seemed perfect, quiet location, minimal human contact,

705
00:39:07.119 --> 00:39:09.559
<v Speaker 2>decent pay, and all I had to do was walk

706
00:39:09.599 --> 00:39:11.719
<v Speaker 2>around a bunch of empty buildings once an hour and

707
00:39:11.760 --> 00:39:16.039
<v Speaker 2>make sure nobody was stealing scientific equipment. The research center

708
00:39:16.079 --> 00:39:19.559
<v Speaker 2>sits about forty miles northeast of Seattle, tucked into a

709
00:39:19.639 --> 00:39:23.639
<v Speaker 2>valley between two ridge lines of old growth forest. During

710
00:39:23.679 --> 00:39:26.840
<v Speaker 2>the day, it's home to maybe twenty scientists and graduate

711
00:39:26.840 --> 00:39:31.480
<v Speaker 2>students studying everything from salmon migration to climate change impacts

712
00:39:31.519 --> 00:39:36.000
<v Speaker 2>on forest ecosystems. At night, it's just me, a few

713
00:39:36.039 --> 00:39:40.719
<v Speaker 2>automated monitoring systems, and about six thousand acres of wilderness.

714
00:39:41.119 --> 00:39:43.599
<v Speaker 2>I'd been working there for three months without incident when

715
00:39:43.639 --> 00:39:47.280
<v Speaker 2>things started getting weird. My shift ran from ten pm

716
00:39:47.400 --> 00:39:50.599
<v Speaker 2>to six am, and most nights i'd see the same things.

717
00:39:51.199 --> 00:39:54.119
<v Speaker 2>Deer grazing on the grass around the main building, the

718
00:39:54.159 --> 00:39:58.280
<v Speaker 2>occasional raccoon getting into the dumpsters, maybe a coyote trotting

719
00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:02.239
<v Speaker 2>across the parking lot, normal wildlife stuff that you'd expect

720
00:40:02.239 --> 00:40:05.400
<v Speaker 2>in a place like that. The first sign something was

721
00:40:05.400 --> 00:40:08.599
<v Speaker 2>different came on a Tuesday night in late September. I

722
00:40:08.679 --> 00:40:11.599
<v Speaker 2>was doing my two am rounds, walking the perimeter of

723
00:40:11.639 --> 00:40:14.639
<v Speaker 2>the compound with my flashlight when I heard something in

724
00:40:14.679 --> 00:40:18.079
<v Speaker 2>the woods that I didn't recognize. It started as a low,

725
00:40:18.199 --> 00:40:22.800
<v Speaker 2>humming sound, almost like singing, but not quite musical. It

726
00:40:22.880 --> 00:40:24.920
<v Speaker 2>seemed to be coming from the forest on the north

727
00:40:24.960 --> 00:40:28.079
<v Speaker 2>side of the facility, maybe a couple hundred yards into

728
00:40:28.119 --> 00:40:32.199
<v Speaker 2>the trees. The sound would rise and fall, sometimes stopping

729
00:40:32.239 --> 00:40:35.320
<v Speaker 2>completely for thirty seconds or more before starting up again.

730
00:40:36.239 --> 00:40:41.280
<v Speaker 2>I'd heard plenty of animal sounds during my time, there owls, coyotes, elk,

731
00:40:41.760 --> 00:40:44.239
<v Speaker 2>even the occasional cougar scream that could make your hair

732
00:40:44.280 --> 00:40:45.079
<v Speaker 2>stand on end.

733
00:40:45.880 --> 00:40:46.760
<v Speaker 3>But this was different.

734
00:40:47.360 --> 00:40:50.440
<v Speaker 2>It had a rhythm to it, almost like it was intentional,

735
00:40:51.039 --> 00:40:54.199
<v Speaker 2>like something was trying to communicate. I stood at the

736
00:40:54.280 --> 00:40:57.400
<v Speaker 2>edge of the parking lot listening for maybe ten minutes.

737
00:40:58.199 --> 00:41:01.639
<v Speaker 2>The humming continued the whole time, never getting closer, but

738
00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:05.800
<v Speaker 2>never moving away either. Eventually, I finished my rounds and

739
00:41:05.840 --> 00:41:08.400
<v Speaker 2>went back to the security office, but I kept the

740
00:41:08.400 --> 00:41:10.840
<v Speaker 2>windows open so I could hear if it started up again.

741
00:41:11.599 --> 00:41:14.639
<v Speaker 2>It didn't, but I had trouble concentrating on my book

742
00:41:14.679 --> 00:41:17.800
<v Speaker 2>for the rest of the shift. Something about that sound

743
00:41:17.800 --> 00:41:19.800
<v Speaker 2>had put me on edge in a way I couldn't

744
00:41:19.880 --> 00:41:23.679
<v Speaker 2>quite explain it. Reminded me of something, but I couldn't

745
00:41:23.679 --> 00:41:27.119
<v Speaker 2>figure out what. The next night was quiet, and I

746
00:41:27.159 --> 00:41:29.199
<v Speaker 2>started to think maybe I'd just heard wind in the

747
00:41:29.239 --> 00:41:32.199
<v Speaker 2>trees or some piece of equipment I wasn't familiar with.

748
00:41:32.920 --> 00:41:37.480
<v Speaker 2>But Thursday night it happened again, same time, around two

749
00:41:37.559 --> 00:41:40.679
<v Speaker 2>a m. Same location in the forest to the north,

750
00:41:41.400 --> 00:41:45.360
<v Speaker 2>the humming sound rising and falling with that strange rhythm.

751
00:41:45.679 --> 00:41:49.559
<v Speaker 2>This time I decided to investigate. I grabbed a powerful

752
00:41:49.679 --> 00:41:52.840
<v Speaker 2>led flashlight from the security office and walked toward the

753
00:41:52.840 --> 00:41:55.679
<v Speaker 2>tree line. The humming stopped as soon as I left

754
00:41:55.679 --> 00:41:58.800
<v Speaker 2>the parking lot, like whatever was making it had seen

755
00:41:58.880 --> 00:42:02.320
<v Speaker 2>me coming. I spent twenty minutes walking along the edge

756
00:42:02.320 --> 00:42:04.960
<v Speaker 2>of the forest, shining my light into the trees and

757
00:42:05.039 --> 00:42:09.000
<v Speaker 2>listening for any sound. Nothing whatever had been out there

758
00:42:09.119 --> 00:42:11.960
<v Speaker 2>was gone, or at least it wasn't making noise anymore.

759
00:42:12.480 --> 00:42:14.519
<v Speaker 2>But as I was walking back toward the buildings, I

760
00:42:14.559 --> 00:42:17.760
<v Speaker 2>found something that made me stop. There were footprints in

761
00:42:17.800 --> 00:42:21.119
<v Speaker 2>the dirt near the maintenance shed, and they definitely weren't human.

762
00:42:21.920 --> 00:42:25.199
<v Speaker 2>Each print was huge, at least sixteen inches long and

763
00:42:25.199 --> 00:42:29.280
<v Speaker 2>maybe six inches wide. They had five distinct toe marks.

764
00:42:29.639 --> 00:42:31.960
<v Speaker 2>I followed the tracks for about fifty feet before they

765
00:42:32.000 --> 00:42:35.519
<v Speaker 2>disappeared onto the gravel of the parking lot. They seemed

766
00:42:35.519 --> 00:42:38.239
<v Speaker 2>to be heading from the forest toward the main research building,

767
00:42:38.719 --> 00:42:41.039
<v Speaker 2>then back toward the trees on the opposite side of

768
00:42:41.079 --> 00:42:44.480
<v Speaker 2>the compound. In the morning, I mentioned the tracks to

769
00:42:44.559 --> 00:42:48.039
<v Speaker 2>doctor Sarah when she arrived for work. She came out

770
00:42:48.079 --> 00:42:50.039
<v Speaker 2>to look at them with me, and I could see

771
00:42:50.039 --> 00:42:52.840
<v Speaker 2>the concern on her face as she examined the prints.

772
00:42:53.199 --> 00:42:55.480
<v Speaker 2>She said it could be a bear, though she'd never

773
00:42:55.519 --> 00:42:58.760
<v Speaker 2>seen bear tracks quite like these, and they were much

774
00:42:58.880 --> 00:43:01.239
<v Speaker 2>larger than what they tip a saw in this area.

775
00:43:02.400 --> 00:43:04.800
<v Speaker 2>Doctor Sarah had been working at the research center for

776
00:43:04.880 --> 00:43:09.199
<v Speaker 2>eight years and knew the local wildlife better than almost anyone.

777
00:43:09.280 --> 00:43:12.760
<v Speaker 2>If she was puzzled by the tracks, they were definitely unusual.

778
00:43:13.719 --> 00:43:16.239
<v Speaker 2>I asked if any of her researchers had reported anything

779
00:43:16.280 --> 00:43:22.119
<v Speaker 2>strange lately, unusual animal behavior, sounds. They didn't recognize anything

780
00:43:22.239 --> 00:43:26.519
<v Speaker 2>like that, She thought for a moment, actually, yes. A

781
00:43:26.559 --> 00:43:29.280
<v Speaker 2>few of their graduate students had mentioned that the wildlife

782
00:43:29.280 --> 00:43:32.000
<v Speaker 2>cameras they had set up for the mammal survey had

783
00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:35.159
<v Speaker 2>been malfunctioning. They kept getting triggered in the middle of

784
00:43:35.159 --> 00:43:37.840
<v Speaker 2>the night, but when they checked the images. There was

785
00:43:37.880 --> 00:43:42.440
<v Speaker 2>nothing there, just empty forest that got my attention. I

786
00:43:42.480 --> 00:43:45.000
<v Speaker 2>asked how long that had been happening. She said about

787
00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:48.039
<v Speaker 2>two weeks. They'd assumed it was a technical problem with

788
00:43:48.079 --> 00:43:51.199
<v Speaker 2>the equipment, but the cameras were all relatively new and

789
00:43:51.239 --> 00:43:54.199
<v Speaker 2>had been working fine before. I asked her to show

790
00:43:54.239 --> 00:43:57.239
<v Speaker 2>me where the malfunctioning cameras were located, and it turned

791
00:43:57.239 --> 00:43:59.840
<v Speaker 2>out they were all positioned in the same general area

792
00:44:00.079 --> 00:44:02.960
<v Speaker 2>where I'd been hearing the humming sounds. That couldn't be

793
00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:06.280
<v Speaker 2>a coincidence. Doctor Sarah agreed to let me review the

794
00:44:06.280 --> 00:44:09.159
<v Speaker 2>camera footage from the past two weeks. Most of it

795
00:44:09.280 --> 00:44:12.559
<v Speaker 2>was exactly what she described. The cameras had been triggered

796
00:44:12.559 --> 00:44:15.920
<v Speaker 2>by motion sensors, but the images showed nothing but trees

797
00:44:16.000 --> 00:44:19.280
<v Speaker 2>and undergrowth. But there were a few frames that caught

798
00:44:19.320 --> 00:44:23.559
<v Speaker 2>my attention. In three different images taken on different nights,

799
00:44:23.960 --> 00:44:27.119
<v Speaker 2>there were areas of darkness between the trees that seemed

800
00:44:27.119 --> 00:44:31.519
<v Speaker 2>too uniform, too solid to be natural shadows. They weren't

801
00:44:31.519 --> 00:44:34.320
<v Speaker 2>clear enough to make out details, but something about their

802
00:44:34.360 --> 00:44:37.880
<v Speaker 2>size and shape suggested they might be large animals moving

803
00:44:38.039 --> 00:44:41.320
<v Speaker 2>just at the edge of the camera's range. I printed

804
00:44:41.320 --> 00:44:44.719
<v Speaker 2>out the clearest images and studied them for hours. The

805
00:44:44.719 --> 00:44:47.559
<v Speaker 2>more I looked, the more convinced I became that something

806
00:44:47.639 --> 00:44:51.320
<v Speaker 2>large was moving through that section of forest carefully, staying

807
00:44:51.480 --> 00:44:54.800
<v Speaker 2>just outside the range where the cameras could capture clear pictures.

808
00:44:55.679 --> 00:44:58.800
<v Speaker 2>Friday night, I came to work prepared. I brought my

809
00:44:58.880 --> 00:45:02.159
<v Speaker 2>personal digital camera with a telephoto lens, a pair of

810
00:45:02.199 --> 00:45:05.840
<v Speaker 2>military grade night vision binoculars I'd kept from my army days,

811
00:45:06.199 --> 00:45:09.559
<v Speaker 2>and a digital voice recorder. If something was going to happen,

812
00:45:09.840 --> 00:45:13.760
<v Speaker 2>I wanted to document it properly and stay tuned for

813
00:45:13.840 --> 00:45:15.000
<v Speaker 2>more sasquatch out to see.

814
00:45:15.000 --> 00:45:15.880
<v Speaker 3>We'll be right back.

815
00:45:15.960 --> 00:45:23.239
<v Speaker 2>After these messages, the humming started right on schedule at

816
00:45:23.280 --> 00:45:27.679
<v Speaker 2>two am. This time, instead of investigating immediately, I set

817
00:45:27.719 --> 00:45:30.599
<v Speaker 2>up my equipment in the security office and observed from

818
00:45:30.639 --> 00:45:34.239
<v Speaker 2>a distance. Through the night vision binoculars, I could see

819
00:45:34.239 --> 00:45:37.239
<v Speaker 2>into the forest much more clearly than with just a flashlight.

820
00:45:38.000 --> 00:45:41.960
<v Speaker 2>At first, I didn't see anything unusual, just trees and undergrowth,

821
00:45:42.519 --> 00:45:44.719
<v Speaker 2>all rendered in the green and black palette of the

822
00:45:44.840 --> 00:45:48.400
<v Speaker 2>night vision. But after about ten minutes of watching, I

823
00:45:48.440 --> 00:45:51.320
<v Speaker 2>caught sight of movement about one hundred yards into the trees.

824
00:45:52.039 --> 00:45:55.679
<v Speaker 2>Something large was moving between the trunks, staying in the shadows,

825
00:45:55.960 --> 00:45:59.639
<v Speaker 2>but definitely there. I adjusted the focus on the binoculars

826
00:45:59.639 --> 00:46:02.159
<v Speaker 2>and try to get a better look. What I saw

827
00:46:02.199 --> 00:46:04.760
<v Speaker 2>made me drop the binoculars and reach for my side arm.

828
00:46:05.519 --> 00:46:08.000
<v Speaker 2>It was walking upright on two legs, like a person,

829
00:46:08.480 --> 00:46:12.079
<v Speaker 2>but it was massive, easily eight feet tall, with shoulders

830
00:46:12.079 --> 00:46:15.320
<v Speaker 2>that had to be three feet across. Its entire body

831
00:46:15.400 --> 00:46:18.280
<v Speaker 2>was covered in dark hair. The way it moved was

832
00:46:18.320 --> 00:46:21.800
<v Speaker 2>amazing for something that large. I fumbled for my camera

833
00:46:21.840 --> 00:46:24.079
<v Speaker 2>and managed to get the telephoto lens pointed in the

834
00:46:24.159 --> 00:46:26.840
<v Speaker 2>right direction, but by the time I found the creature

835
00:46:26.840 --> 00:46:29.519
<v Speaker 2>in the viewfinder, it had moved deeper into the forest

836
00:46:29.599 --> 00:46:33.719
<v Speaker 2>and was mostly obscured by trees. I took several pictures anyway,

837
00:46:34.199 --> 00:46:37.719
<v Speaker 2>hoping I might catch something useful. The humming had stopped

838
00:46:37.719 --> 00:46:40.239
<v Speaker 2>as soon as I'd started moving around in the office,

839
00:46:40.360 --> 00:46:43.239
<v Speaker 2>and within a few minutes I couldn't see the creature anymore.

840
00:46:43.840 --> 00:46:46.639
<v Speaker 2>But I knew what I'd seen there was something living

841
00:46:46.679 --> 00:46:50.000
<v Speaker 2>in those woods that shouldn't exist. I spent the rest

842
00:46:50.039 --> 00:46:52.800
<v Speaker 2>of my shift reviewing the photos I'd taken, but they

843
00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:55.719
<v Speaker 2>were all too dark and blurry to be useful as evidence.

844
00:46:56.480 --> 00:46:59.639
<v Speaker 2>Shadows and tree branches that could be interpreted as almost

845
00:46:59.719 --> 00:47:03.239
<v Speaker 2>any thing. Still, I knew what I'd observed through the

846
00:47:03.320 --> 00:47:08.280
<v Speaker 2>night vision binoculars. Saturday and Sunday nights were quiet, no humming,

847
00:47:08.639 --> 00:47:13.360
<v Speaker 2>no strange tracks, no mysterious camera malfunctions. I started to

848
00:47:13.400 --> 00:47:16.079
<v Speaker 2>wonder if the creature had moved on, maybe found a

849
00:47:16.079 --> 00:47:19.880
<v Speaker 2>different territory that didn't involve late night encounters with curious humans.

850
00:47:20.440 --> 00:47:24.159
<v Speaker 2>But Monday night everything changed. I was doing my one

851
00:47:24.239 --> 00:47:27.199
<v Speaker 2>am rounds when I noticed that the motion sensor lights

852
00:47:27.239 --> 00:47:31.679
<v Speaker 2>around the research facility were acting strangely. They kept flickering

853
00:47:31.679 --> 00:47:34.480
<v Speaker 2>on and off in sequence, as if something large was

854
00:47:34.559 --> 00:47:37.519
<v Speaker 2>moving around the perimeter of the compound, but staying just

855
00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:40.800
<v Speaker 2>outside the range where I could see it clearly. I

856
00:47:40.840 --> 00:47:43.079
<v Speaker 2>went back to the security office and grabbed my night

857
00:47:43.159 --> 00:47:46.639
<v Speaker 2>vision binoculars. From the office window, I had a good

858
00:47:46.760 --> 00:47:49.199
<v Speaker 2>view of the entire compound, and I could see what

859
00:47:49.280 --> 00:47:52.840
<v Speaker 2>was triggering the lights. There were three of them, three

860
00:47:52.880 --> 00:47:55.760
<v Speaker 2>massive upright figures moving through the trees at the edge

861
00:47:55.760 --> 00:47:59.519
<v Speaker 2>of the facility's grounds. They weren't approaching the buildings directly.

862
00:48:00.079 --> 00:48:03.760
<v Speaker 2>They were definitely circling the compound, staying about fifty yards

863
00:48:03.800 --> 00:48:06.840
<v Speaker 2>out in the forest. I watched them for nearly an hour.

864
00:48:07.480 --> 00:48:10.840
<v Speaker 2>They moved with coordination and purpose, like they were conducting

865
00:48:10.920 --> 00:48:14.480
<v Speaker 2>some kind of reconnaissance. Occasionally, one of them would stop

866
00:48:14.519 --> 00:48:17.360
<v Speaker 2>and seem to study the buildings, turning its head to

867
00:48:17.440 --> 00:48:21.360
<v Speaker 2>examine different structures before moving on. The largest of the

868
00:48:21.400 --> 00:48:25.480
<v Speaker 2>three was enormous, probably close to nine feet tall. The

869
00:48:25.519 --> 00:48:28.480
<v Speaker 2>other two were slightly smaller, but still massive compared to

870
00:48:28.519 --> 00:48:31.920
<v Speaker 2>any human. All three were covered in dark hair and

871
00:48:32.039 --> 00:48:34.760
<v Speaker 2>moved with that same fluid grace I'd seen in the

872
00:48:34.800 --> 00:48:38.760
<v Speaker 2>single creature a few nights earlier. Around two thirty am,

873
00:48:38.920 --> 00:48:41.400
<v Speaker 2>they stopped circling and gathered together at the edge of

874
00:48:41.400 --> 00:48:45.039
<v Speaker 2>the parking lot. I could see them clearly through the binoculars,

875
00:48:45.599 --> 00:48:48.920
<v Speaker 2>three huge upright figures, standing just at the border between

876
00:48:48.960 --> 00:48:51.880
<v Speaker 2>the forest and the open ground around the research facility.

877
00:48:52.599 --> 00:48:55.239
<v Speaker 2>They seemed to be communicating with each other, though I

878
00:48:55.239 --> 00:48:58.119
<v Speaker 2>couldn't hear anything from inside the office.

879
00:48:58.159 --> 00:49:00.280
<v Speaker 3>One of them, the largest.

880
00:49:00.320 --> 00:49:03.360
<v Speaker 2>Kept gesturing toward the main research building with movements that

881
00:49:03.440 --> 00:49:06.679
<v Speaker 2>looked almost human. Then they did something that I still

882
00:49:06.679 --> 00:49:10.639
<v Speaker 2>have a hard time understanding. In unison, all three of

883
00:49:10.679 --> 00:49:14.360
<v Speaker 2>them turned and looked directly at the security office. Even

884
00:49:14.400 --> 00:49:17.119
<v Speaker 2>through the night vision binoculars, I could see their eyes

885
00:49:17.199 --> 00:49:21.400
<v Speaker 2>reflecting the infrared illumination. They knew exactly where I was.

886
00:49:22.199 --> 00:49:24.719
<v Speaker 2>For maybe thirty seconds, we stared at each other across

887
00:49:24.760 --> 00:49:28.880
<v Speaker 2>the parking lot. I felt like prey being evaluated by predators,

888
00:49:29.280 --> 00:49:31.920
<v Speaker 2>and every instinct I had was telling me to run,

889
00:49:32.800 --> 00:49:35.639
<v Speaker 2>but I forced myself to stay calm and keep watching.

890
00:49:36.519 --> 00:49:39.000
<v Speaker 2>Then the largest of the creatures cupped its hands around

891
00:49:39.000 --> 00:49:41.480
<v Speaker 2>its mouth and let out a long, low call that

892
00:49:41.519 --> 00:49:45.039
<v Speaker 2>I could hear clearly even through the closed windows. The

893
00:49:45.079 --> 00:49:48.079
<v Speaker 2>sound was immediately answered by the other two creatures, and

894
00:49:48.119 --> 00:49:51.360
<v Speaker 2>then by more voices from deeper in the forest. There

895
00:49:51.360 --> 00:49:54.079
<v Speaker 2>weren't just three of them, there was an entire group

896
00:49:54.119 --> 00:49:57.440
<v Speaker 2>out there, and they were communicating with each other. I

897
00:49:57.480 --> 00:50:00.480
<v Speaker 2>reached for my radio to call for backup, then realized

898
00:50:00.480 --> 00:50:03.480
<v Speaker 2>how crazy that would sound. What was I going to

899
00:50:03.519 --> 00:50:06.639
<v Speaker 2>tell the Sheriff's department that I was being surrounded by

900
00:50:06.639 --> 00:50:10.639
<v Speaker 2>a family of bigfoot. The creatures watched the security office

901
00:50:10.639 --> 00:50:13.840
<v Speaker 2>for another few minutes, then melted back into the forest

902
00:50:13.880 --> 00:50:18.400
<v Speaker 2>as silently as they'd appeared. Within seconds, they were gone,

903
00:50:18.719 --> 00:50:21.840
<v Speaker 2>leaving only the normal sounds of the night forest. I

904
00:50:21.880 --> 00:50:24.719
<v Speaker 2>didn't do any more rounds that shift. I stayed in

905
00:50:24.719 --> 00:50:27.719
<v Speaker 2>the security office with the doors locked and my weapon ready,

906
00:50:28.239 --> 00:50:32.719
<v Speaker 2>jumping at every sound until sunrisese. When Doctor Sarah arrived

907
00:50:32.719 --> 00:50:35.079
<v Speaker 2>for work the next morning, I was still sitting at

908
00:50:35.079 --> 00:50:39.440
<v Speaker 2>the desk, exhausted and shaken. I told her everything, the

909
00:50:39.519 --> 00:50:42.800
<v Speaker 2>humming sounds, the footprints, what I'd seen through the night

910
00:50:42.920 --> 00:50:46.440
<v Speaker 2>vision binoculars. I expected her to think I was crazy

911
00:50:46.519 --> 00:50:49.199
<v Speaker 2>or having some kind of breakdown, but she listened to

912
00:50:49.239 --> 00:50:53.119
<v Speaker 2>the whole story without interruption. When I finished, she was

913
00:50:53.239 --> 00:50:56.320
<v Speaker 2>quiet for a long time. Then she said something that

914
00:50:56.400 --> 00:51:00.199
<v Speaker 2>surprised me. She told me they'd been getting reports. I

915
00:51:00.239 --> 00:51:03.519
<v Speaker 2>asked what kind of reports. She explained they'd been hearing

916
00:51:03.519 --> 00:51:06.320
<v Speaker 2>from other research stations and field teams in the area

917
00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:13.559
<v Speaker 2>unusual wildlife behavior, strange sounds, equipment malfunctions. Two of their researchers,

918
00:51:13.639 --> 00:51:16.199
<v Speaker 2>working on a stream survey about ten miles north of

919
00:51:16.199 --> 00:51:18.960
<v Speaker 2>the center, had reported feeling like they were being watched

920
00:51:19.039 --> 00:51:22.480
<v Speaker 2>for their entire three day field work session. They said

921
00:51:22.519 --> 00:51:26.880
<v Speaker 2>they kept finding large footprints around their campsites. Doctor Sarah

922
00:51:26.880 --> 00:51:28.719
<v Speaker 2>pulled out a folder from her desk and showed me

923
00:51:28.760 --> 00:51:33.639
<v Speaker 2>several photographs. They were footprint casts made by various researchers

924
00:51:33.639 --> 00:51:37.159
<v Speaker 2>over the past month, all from different locations within about

925
00:51:37.159 --> 00:51:40.800
<v Speaker 2>a twenty mile radius of the research center. Every cast

926
00:51:40.880 --> 00:51:44.960
<v Speaker 2>showed the same basic features, large five toed prints and

927
00:51:45.039 --> 00:51:49.119
<v Speaker 2>a depth that suggested extreme weight. She explained that they'd

928
00:51:49.119 --> 00:51:51.880
<v Speaker 2>been trying to figure out what species could be responsible.

929
00:51:52.480 --> 00:51:56.039
<v Speaker 2>Nothing in the known fauna of this region matched these characteristics.

930
00:51:56.800 --> 00:52:00.519
<v Speaker 2>I looked through the photographs and reports. The evidence was overwhelming.

931
00:52:01.280 --> 00:52:04.360
<v Speaker 2>Whatever I'd been encountering at the research facility wasn't an

932
00:52:04.440 --> 00:52:08.159
<v Speaker 2>isolated incident. There was a population of these creatures living

933
00:52:08.159 --> 00:52:11.159
<v Speaker 2>in the forest throughout the region. I asked what she

934
00:52:11.239 --> 00:52:14.519
<v Speaker 2>wanted to do about it. She considered the question carefully.

935
00:52:15.239 --> 00:52:18.400
<v Speaker 2>Nothing for now. If these creatures had been living in

936
00:52:18.400 --> 00:52:21.760
<v Speaker 2>this area without causing problems, she didn't see any reason

937
00:52:21.800 --> 00:52:25.039
<v Speaker 2>to disturb that balance. But she'd like me to continue

938
00:52:25.079 --> 00:52:28.800
<v Speaker 2>documenting any encounters I had. Take photos, if I could

939
00:52:29.280 --> 00:52:34.480
<v Speaker 2>record any vocalizations, note their behavior patterns. She paused, then

940
00:52:34.519 --> 00:52:37.159
<v Speaker 2>added that I should be careful. If these were a

941
00:52:37.239 --> 00:52:41.920
<v Speaker 2>previously unknown species of large primate, they could be potentially dangerous.

942
00:52:42.440 --> 00:52:46.519
<v Speaker 2>I shouldn't take any unnecessary risks. That night, I came

943
00:52:46.559 --> 00:52:49.559
<v Speaker 2>to work with better equipment. Doctor Sarah had loaned me

944
00:52:49.599 --> 00:52:53.320
<v Speaker 2>a high resolution camera with infrared capability and a digital

945
00:52:53.360 --> 00:52:56.320
<v Speaker 2>recorder sensitive enough to pick up sounds from several hundred

946
00:52:56.360 --> 00:53:00.679
<v Speaker 2>yards away. If the creatures returned, I'd be ready. They

947
00:53:00.679 --> 00:53:03.880
<v Speaker 2>didn't show up Monday or Tuesday night, but Wednesday, around

948
00:53:03.880 --> 00:53:07.320
<v Speaker 2>two am, I heard the familiar humming sound from the forest.

949
00:53:08.159 --> 00:53:10.840
<v Speaker 2>This time I was able to record it clearly and

950
00:53:10.880 --> 00:53:13.920
<v Speaker 2>get several good photographs of shapes moving between the trees.

951
00:53:14.679 --> 00:53:17.800
<v Speaker 2>The pattern continued for the next two weeks. The creatures

952
00:53:17.800 --> 00:53:20.880
<v Speaker 2>would appear every few nights, always around the same time,

953
00:53:21.440 --> 00:53:25.000
<v Speaker 2>always maintaining their distance from the buildings, but clearly observing

954
00:53:25.079 --> 00:53:30.639
<v Speaker 2>the facility. I documented everything, their movements, their vocalizations, their

955
00:53:30.679 --> 00:53:34.920
<v Speaker 2>apparent social structure. What struck me most was their intelligence.

956
00:53:35.480 --> 00:53:37.840
<v Speaker 2>They weren't just random animals wandering.

957
00:53:37.480 --> 00:53:38.519
<v Speaker 3>Through the area.

958
00:53:38.800 --> 00:53:43.079
<v Speaker 2>They were deliberately studying the research facility, learning our routines,

959
00:53:43.599 --> 00:53:47.199
<v Speaker 2>testing our responses. The way they communicated with each other

960
00:53:47.239 --> 00:53:51.119
<v Speaker 2>and coordinated their movements suggested a level of cognitive ability

961
00:53:51.159 --> 00:53:54.440
<v Speaker 2>that was remarkable. They also seemed to understand that I

962
00:53:54.519 --> 00:53:58.239
<v Speaker 2>was documenting them. On several occasions, I caught them positioning

963
00:53:58.280 --> 00:54:01.760
<v Speaker 2>themselves to avoid the infrared care or moving in ways

964
00:54:01.800 --> 00:54:05.559
<v Speaker 2>that kept them in shadows where photography was difficult. They

965
00:54:05.639 --> 00:54:08.599
<v Speaker 2>knew they were being observed, and they were actively avoiding

966
00:54:08.679 --> 00:54:12.320
<v Speaker 2>creating clear evidence of their presence. After a month of

967
00:54:12.360 --> 00:54:16.639
<v Speaker 2>regular encounters, something changed. I was doing my usual two

968
00:54:16.760 --> 00:54:20.039
<v Speaker 2>am observation when I noticed that only one creature was

969
00:54:20.079 --> 00:54:23.679
<v Speaker 2>present instead of the usual group of three. It was

970
00:54:23.719 --> 00:54:27.039
<v Speaker 2>the large one, the apparent leader, and instead of staying

971
00:54:27.079 --> 00:54:29.679
<v Speaker 2>at the edge of the forest, it walked directly toward

972
00:54:29.679 --> 00:54:33.719
<v Speaker 2>the security office. I watched through the night vision binoculars

973
00:54:33.760 --> 00:54:36.360
<v Speaker 2>as it approached to within about twenty feet of the building.

974
00:54:37.079 --> 00:54:40.480
<v Speaker 2>It stopped there and stood perfectly still, looking directly at

975
00:54:40.519 --> 00:54:43.679
<v Speaker 2>the office windows. Even though I knew it couldn't see

976
00:54:43.679 --> 00:54:46.039
<v Speaker 2>me clearly through the one way glass, I felt like

977
00:54:46.079 --> 00:54:49.159
<v Speaker 2>it was making eye contact with me. We stayed like

978
00:54:49.199 --> 00:54:53.119
<v Speaker 2>that for nearly ten minutes. Then the creature did something extraordinary.

979
00:54:53.760 --> 00:54:56.000
<v Speaker 2>It reached down and picked up a small branch from

980
00:54:56.000 --> 00:54:56.559
<v Speaker 2>the ground.

981
00:54:57.320 --> 00:54:58.199
<v Speaker 3>Very deliberately.

982
00:54:58.400 --> 00:55:00.880
<v Speaker 2>It placed the branch on the concrete walkway in front

983
00:55:00.880 --> 00:55:03.760
<v Speaker 2>of the security office, then stepped back and watched to

984
00:55:03.760 --> 00:55:06.760
<v Speaker 2>see if I would respond. I had no idea what

985
00:55:06.840 --> 00:55:10.239
<v Speaker 2>to do. This was clearly some kind of communication attempt,

986
00:55:10.679 --> 00:55:12.519
<v Speaker 2>but I didn't know what it meant or how I

987
00:55:12.519 --> 00:55:17.559
<v Speaker 2>should react. Eventually, I decided to acknowledge the gesture. I

988
00:55:17.639 --> 00:55:20.800
<v Speaker 2>turned on the exterior lights briefly, then turned them off again.

989
00:55:21.599 --> 00:55:24.679
<v Speaker 2>The creature seemed to understand that I was responding. It

990
00:55:24.719 --> 00:55:26.800
<v Speaker 2>picked up another branch and placed it next to the

991
00:55:26.800 --> 00:55:30.480
<v Speaker 2>first one, then looked at the office again. I flashed

992
00:55:30.519 --> 00:55:34.039
<v Speaker 2>the lights twice. The creature placed a third branch, then

993
00:55:34.039 --> 00:55:38.199
<v Speaker 2>a fourth, each time I responded with the lights. We

994
00:55:38.280 --> 00:55:41.199
<v Speaker 2>continued this pattern until there were seven branches arranged in

995
00:55:41.239 --> 00:55:44.920
<v Speaker 2>a neat line on the walkway. Then the creature stepped back,

996
00:55:45.280 --> 00:55:47.880
<v Speaker 2>looked at the arrangement for a moment, and walked back

997
00:55:47.920 --> 00:55:51.440
<v Speaker 2>toward the forest. Just before it disappeared into the trees,

998
00:55:51.840 --> 00:55:55.079
<v Speaker 2>it turned and made a sound, not the usual humming,

999
00:55:55.440 --> 00:55:58.000
<v Speaker 2>but a shorter, sharper call that sounded almost like a

1000
00:55:58.039 --> 00:56:01.920
<v Speaker 2>greeting or farewell. In the morning, I showed Doctor Sarah

1001
00:56:02.000 --> 00:56:05.480
<v Speaker 2>the arrangement of branches. She was fascinated by the encounter

1002
00:56:05.559 --> 00:56:08.719
<v Speaker 2>and agreed that it represented clear evidence of intelligence and

1003
00:56:08.760 --> 00:56:12.719
<v Speaker 2>attempted communication. She said it was trying to establish a.

1004
00:56:12.719 --> 00:56:13.599
<v Speaker 3>Dialogue with me.

1005
00:56:14.440 --> 00:56:18.760
<v Speaker 2>This was remarkable behavior for any non human species. That

1006
00:56:18.880 --> 00:56:23.119
<v Speaker 2>encounter changed my relationship with the creatures. They still appeared regularly,

1007
00:56:23.480 --> 00:56:26.800
<v Speaker 2>but there was less tension in our interactions. They seemed

1008
00:56:26.800 --> 00:56:29.480
<v Speaker 2>to understand that I wasn't a threat, and I began

1009
00:56:29.519 --> 00:56:32.199
<v Speaker 2>to feel less like I was being evaluated and more

1010
00:56:32.280 --> 00:56:35.480
<v Speaker 2>like I was being accepted. Over the following weeks, I

1011
00:56:35.519 --> 00:56:39.199
<v Speaker 2>had several more communication sessions with the large creature. It

1012
00:56:39.239 --> 00:56:41.679
<v Speaker 2>would approach the security office and we would go through

1013
00:56:41.760 --> 00:56:45.559
<v Speaker 2>variations of the branch and light routine. Sometimes it would

1014
00:56:45.599 --> 00:56:49.559
<v Speaker 2>arrange objects in different patterns. Sometimes it would make different sounds,

1015
00:56:50.159 --> 00:56:54.119
<v Speaker 2>always seeming to test whether I would respond appropriately. I

1016
00:56:54.159 --> 00:56:58.480
<v Speaker 2>started leaving small gifts, apples from my lunch, interesting rocks

1017
00:56:58.519 --> 00:57:02.320
<v Speaker 2>i'd found, sometimes just clean water in a bowl. The

1018
00:57:02.360 --> 00:57:07.280
<v Speaker 2>creature would examine these offerings carefully, sometimes taking them, sometimes

1019
00:57:07.360 --> 00:57:10.960
<v Speaker 2>leaving them untouched. There didn't seem to be any pattern

1020
00:57:11.000 --> 00:57:14.239
<v Speaker 2>to what it accepted, but it always acknowledged the gesture.

1021
00:57:15.000 --> 00:57:17.480
<v Speaker 2>I've been working at the research center for eight months now,

1022
00:57:17.760 --> 00:57:21.039
<v Speaker 2>and I still have regular encounters with the creatures. They've

1023
00:57:21.039 --> 00:57:23.400
<v Speaker 2>become a part of my routine, and I think I've

1024
00:57:23.400 --> 00:57:26.880
<v Speaker 2>become a part of theirs. We have an understanding, a

1025
00:57:26.960 --> 00:57:32.039
<v Speaker 2>relationship built on mutual respect and careful communication. Doctor Sarah

1026
00:57:32.039 --> 00:57:34.280
<v Speaker 2>and I have discussed whether to report our findings to

1027
00:57:34.320 --> 00:57:37.800
<v Speaker 2>the scientific community, but we've decided to keep the information

1028
00:57:37.920 --> 00:57:41.519
<v Speaker 2>within our small group for now. These creatures have managed

1029
00:57:41.559 --> 00:57:44.360
<v Speaker 2>to remain hidden for who knows how long, and they

1030
00:57:44.400 --> 00:57:48.119
<v Speaker 2>deserve to continue their existence without interference from humans who

1031
00:57:48.199 --> 00:57:52.519
<v Speaker 2>might not understand their intelligence and peaceful nature. Sometimes I

1032
00:57:52.559 --> 00:57:54.920
<v Speaker 2>wonder what would happen if more people knew about them.

1033
00:57:55.599 --> 00:57:59.159
<v Speaker 2>Would they be protected and studied respectfully, or would they

1034
00:57:59.239 --> 00:58:04.079
<v Speaker 2>become subject of exploitation and harassment. I've seen how humans

1035
00:58:04.119 --> 00:58:07.280
<v Speaker 2>treat other intelligent species, and I'm not sure our track

1036
00:58:07.320 --> 00:58:11.159
<v Speaker 2>record inspires confidence. For now, I'm content to be their

1037
00:58:11.159 --> 00:58:14.440
<v Speaker 2>neighbor and occasional friend. They've taught me that there are

1038
00:58:14.480 --> 00:58:17.800
<v Speaker 2>still mysteries in the world, still things we don't understand

1039
00:58:17.840 --> 00:58:21.719
<v Speaker 2>about the intelligence and complexity of the natural world. And

1040
00:58:21.800 --> 00:58:24.599
<v Speaker 2>on quiet nights, when I hear their humming songs drifting

1041
00:58:24.639 --> 00:58:27.840
<v Speaker 2>through the forest, I'm reminded that we share this planet

1042
00:58:27.880 --> 00:58:31.960
<v Speaker 2>with creatures far more remarkable than most people could ever imagine.

1043
00:58:32.960 --> 00:58:37.480
<v Speaker 2>Three encounters, three very different outcomes. One man learned to

1044
00:58:37.559 --> 00:58:41.000
<v Speaker 2>live with being watched, another was driven from his workplace

1045
00:58:41.079 --> 00:58:45.000
<v Speaker 2>by creatures defending their territory, and the third found something

1046
00:58:45.079 --> 00:58:49.440
<v Speaker 2>unexpected connection. Each of these men face the same choice

1047
00:58:49.440 --> 00:58:54.239
<v Speaker 2>when their encounters ended, speak or stay silent. The homeowner

1048
00:58:54.280 --> 00:58:58.079
<v Speaker 2>eventually shared his trailcam footage with researchers, though he's never

1049
00:58:58.119 --> 00:59:02.320
<v Speaker 2>spoken publicly about what happened. The lagger changed careers and

1050
00:59:02.400 --> 00:59:05.559
<v Speaker 2>moved to a different state, carrying his experience like a

1051
00:59:05.599 --> 00:59:09.719
<v Speaker 2>weight he can't set down. The security guard continues his work,

1052
00:59:10.000 --> 00:59:13.800
<v Speaker 2>maintaining a careful relationship with beings that science says don't exist.

1053
00:59:14.280 --> 00:59:16.599
<v Speaker 2>But maybe the most interesting detail is what they all

1054
00:59:16.719 --> 00:59:18.119
<v Speaker 2>agree on when you talk to them.

1055
00:59:18.599 --> 00:59:19.360
<v Speaker 3>This isn't over.

1056
00:59:20.199 --> 00:59:23.079
<v Speaker 2>The homeowner still hears sounds in the woods behind his house.

1057
00:59:23.719 --> 00:59:27.119
<v Speaker 2>The lagger gets reports from other crews working in remote areas.

1058
00:59:27.679 --> 00:59:30.320
<v Speaker 2>The security guard knows his relationship with the creatures is

1059
00:59:30.480 --> 00:59:34.039
<v Speaker 2>just beginning. They're out there in the deep forests of

1060
00:59:34.079 --> 00:59:38.159
<v Speaker 2>the Pacific Northwest, in the remote mountains where humans rarely venture,

1061
00:59:38.679 --> 00:59:42.559
<v Speaker 2>and sometimes, as our first storyteller learned, in the woods

1062
00:59:42.599 --> 00:59:46.519
<v Speaker 2>behind suburban homes. They've been there longer than our cities,

1063
00:59:46.920 --> 00:59:50.679
<v Speaker 2>longer than our civilization, watching and waiting and adapting to

1064
00:59:50.760 --> 00:59:55.360
<v Speaker 2>our encroachment into their world. The question isn't whether they exist,

1065
00:59:55.920 --> 00:59:58.760
<v Speaker 2>The question is what they want from us. Are they

1066
00:59:58.800 --> 01:00:02.199
<v Speaker 2>simply trying to co exist, staying hidden in the shrinking

1067
01:00:02.280 --> 01:00:05.559
<v Speaker 2>wild places. Are they studying us the way we might

1068
01:00:05.599 --> 01:00:09.440
<v Speaker 2>study them, or are they waiting for something, some change

1069
01:00:09.480 --> 01:00:12.559
<v Speaker 2>in our relationship with the natural world that will determine

1070
01:00:12.559 --> 01:00:17.960
<v Speaker 2>our future interactions. One thing is certain, the encounters continue.

1071
01:00:18.000 --> 01:00:22.480
<v Speaker 2>Every month, new reports surface from hunters, hikers, forest workers,

1072
01:00:22.679 --> 01:00:27.119
<v Speaker 2>and ordinary people who stumble into something extraordinary. Most keep

1073
01:00:27.159 --> 01:00:31.159
<v Speaker 2>their experiences to themselves, knowing how it sounds, knowing what

1074
01:00:31.239 --> 01:00:34.480
<v Speaker 2>people will think. But a few, like the men whose

1075
01:00:34.480 --> 01:00:38.119
<v Speaker 2>stories you've heard tonight, eventually find the courage to speak

1076
01:00:38.920 --> 01:00:41.880
<v Speaker 2>because in the end, these aren't just stories about mysterious

1077
01:00:41.920 --> 01:00:43.000
<v Speaker 2>creatures in the woods.

1078
01:00:43.480 --> 01:00:44.599
<v Speaker 3>There are stories about.

1079
01:00:44.360 --> 01:00:47.639
<v Speaker 2>The limits of human knowledge, about the hubris of thinking

1080
01:00:47.679 --> 01:00:52.239
<v Speaker 2>we've cataloged and understood everything on our planet. They're reminders

1081
01:00:52.239 --> 01:00:56.000
<v Speaker 2>that there are still frontiers, still mysteries, still things that

1082
01:00:56.039 --> 01:00:59.320
<v Speaker 2>can make us question everything we think we know. The

1083
01:00:59.320 --> 01:01:02.320
<v Speaker 2>next time you're driving through dense forest, or camping in

1084
01:01:02.360 --> 01:01:05.159
<v Speaker 2>the wilderness, or even just looking out at the tree

1085
01:01:05.239 --> 01:01:09.639
<v Speaker 2>line behind your house, remember these stories. Listen carefully to

1086
01:01:09.679 --> 01:01:12.280
<v Speaker 2>the sounds of the night, watch for movement in the

1087
01:01:12.280 --> 01:01:16.400
<v Speaker 2>shadows between the trees, and ask yourself, in a world

1088
01:01:16.400 --> 01:01:20.199
<v Speaker 2>where we've mapped every continent and explored every ocean, what

1089
01:01:20.320 --> 01:01:23.199
<v Speaker 2>else might be out there watching us from the darkness.

1090
01:01:24.039 --> 01:01:27.280
<v Speaker 2>Some questions are better left unanswered, but that doesn't stop

1091
01:01:27.360 --> 01:01:28.079
<v Speaker 2>us from wondering.

1092
01:01:29.519 --> 01:01:34.480
<v Speaker 4>They say, you don't gotta go home, but you can't stay.

1093
01:01:42.800 --> 01:02:00.159
<v Speaker 1>Out in.

1094
01:02:05.880 --> 01:02:12.000
<v Speaker 4>Joy, this chard, that chid everything, call me bride back,

1095
01:02:12.360 --> 01:02:18.719
<v Speaker 4>No joy for me. Joy staying right, you call it

1096
01:02:18.960 --> 01:03:23.480
<v Speaker 4>right away. Still still still conduct doussas, still stays uses

1097
01:03:23.840 --> 01:03:32.000
<v Speaker 4>stains us fas