WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:09.240 I was seventeen years old in nineteen sixty nine when 2 00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:11.800 my brother asked me if I'd like to join him 3 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:14.439 on a three day hike up in the back country 4 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:19.879 of Yosemite National Park. He had just come home from Vietnam. 5 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:23.399 Even though I had camped out many times with my family, 6 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:26.719 I had never been on a hike for that long before, 7 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:31.199 so I said yes. The first day, we followed a 8 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:34.119 steep path that dropped a thousand feet to the river. 9 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:37.359 It was about the end of April, which is early 10 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:41.399 spring in the high country, and Yosemite is a big place. 11 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:45.399 We didn't see anyone else throughout the entire trip as 12 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:48.719 we traveled over hill and dale in the beautiful Sierra 13 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:53.200 Nevada Mountains. The first night, we camped near a babbling stream. 14 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:57.240 After lunch the next day, we walked through a sunny 15 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:01.600 alpine meadow covered in light green, knee high spring grasses 16 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:05.959 and flowers. The meadow was situated in a valley surrounded 17 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:09.799 by tall wooded hills, and it was a spectacular sight. 18 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:14.760 And then we entered an aspen forest dappled with sunlight. 19 00:01:16.439 --> 00:01:19.439 There we noticed the faint smell of a skump. It 20 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:22.000 was weak enough that We figured the skump must have 21 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:26.719 left some time ago, so we kept on walking further 22 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:30.439 into the grove, we came across a newly built windowless 23 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:36.560 ranger shed constructed of thick corrugated steel. All the necessary 24 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:39.640 tools and equipment to repair trails in the back country 25 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:42.840 were kept there so the forest rangers wouldn't have to 26 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:46.159 haul them back and forth. We knew this because the 27 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:49.000 front and one side were torn off, with the heavy 28 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:54.480 metal corrugated panels scattered all over the nearby woods. We 29 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:57.239 stood there gawking at it for several minutes, trying to 30 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:01.120 figure out how this could have happened. My brother said 31 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:04.079 it must have been a big bear, freshly awake from 32 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:08.639 its winter hibernation that did it. But on closer inspection, 33 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:12.039 there were neither claw marks nor teeth marks on any 34 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:15.439 of the eight foot long panels. Some of them were 35 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:18.879 curled into themselves like a sea, and others were thrown 36 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:22.680 up to thirty feet away. It was as if someone 37 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:26.039 tall had peeled the sheets off like peeling a banana 38 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:31.479 and tossed them aside. Nothing inside the shed was disturbed. 39 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:34.800 Whatever peeled away the panels had no interest in the 40 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:40.000 contents The bears in California are mostly small brown bears 41 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:43.560 like on our state flag. A doubt a bear like 42 00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:45.879 that could have reached high enough on the shed to 43 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:48.240 grab the top of a panel and rip it away. 44 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:52.400 It was unnerving to consider what might have been able 45 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:55.439 to do that kind of damage. Let's get out of 46 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:57.800 here and put a few miles between us and this 47 00:02:57.960 --> 00:03:00.840 place before we stopped for the night. My brother said, 48 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:05.120 I was more than happy to comply. Neither of us 49 00:03:05.159 --> 00:03:08.560 had ever heard the word sasquatch or bigfoot at the time. 50 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:12.840 My brother was carrying a small hunting knife, but that 51 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:16.159 was it. We had no guns and no bear spray. 52 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:21.159 A small, steady breeze kicked up in the late afternoon 53 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:24.840 that stayed with us all night. When we got there, 54 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:27.199 we were too tired from our long hike to build 55 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:30.120 a fire, so we had supper of salami and cheese 56 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:33.240 on bread with a sigh of fruit, and then we 57 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:35.479 hung our food pack up in the tree and went 58 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.840 to bed, and the wind gently swayed our tent for 59 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:43.400 the whole night. The sun had not quite set behind 60 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:47.919 the tall trees when we fell asleep. Sometime later, something 61 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:50.840 woke me up. I had been dreaming that I was 62 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:54.759 having a conversation with someone who reminded me of Little Abner. 63 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:58.719 I know I'm dating myself now, so I should explain 64 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:01.919 that Little Abner was a comic strip character in the 65 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:05.919 Sunday Comics when I was growing up. He was a big, 66 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:10.680 dark haired man with muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I'm not 67 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:13.919 entirely sure the person in my dream was human, or 68 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:17.759 that it was even a dream. In any case, we 69 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:21.439 talked for a short time, and then something completely woke 70 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:26.360 me up. Instantly, I realized something heavy just outside the 71 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:29.319 tent was hitting the ground next to my head, and 72 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:34.319 I could feel the vibration of the impacts. I laid there, 73 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:38.160 frozen in fear as it, whatever it was, took a 74 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:44.040 long inhaling sniff only twelve inches from my head. There 75 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:46.879 was no doubt that it had taken in my scent 76 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:51.319 right through the thin material of our pup tent. Too 77 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:54.240 afraid to move, I listened intently to see if it 78 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:56.399 would move to my brother's side of the tent and 79 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:00.720 sniff there. Instead, he grabbed the tent pole by our 80 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:05.759 heads and started shaking violently. Wake up, Wake up, I screamed, 81 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:09.079 and as soon as I began to speak, the shaking stopped, 82 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:13.360 so my brother didn't see it. He accused me of 83 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:16.319 having a nightmare induced by the sight of that shit, 84 00:05:16.439 --> 00:05:19.439 and told me to go back to sleep, and then 85 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:22.439 he rolled over with his back to both me and 86 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:27.000 the tent pole. Again, something grabbed the pole and shook 87 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:31.759 it violently for three seconds. There's something outside shaking the tent, 88 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:35.879 I said, It's just the wind. He answered angrily, Please 89 00:05:35.959 --> 00:05:39.800 go back to sleep. My brother is more than just 90 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:43.439 a brother. He and I are great friends. Never before 91 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:47.000 nor since had he ever spoken so gruffly to me. 92 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:50.759 That was as much a shock as the tent shaking. 93 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:53.639 I was between a rock and a hard place, and 94 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:57.040 I was sweating bullets from the fear of what was outside, 95 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:01.920 and thoroughly crushed by my brother's reaction. Well, I laid 96 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:05.199 there and fought back the panic and frustration, and listened 97 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:08.279 for anything that might be moving around outside the tent. 98 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:13.560 The gentle breeze covered all the subtle noises, and finally, 99 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:19.680 either from shock or exhaustion, I fell asleep. At daybreak. 100 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:22.839 We got up. There were no signs of anything having 101 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:25.399 been around the tent, so we took down the pack 102 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:29.439 and had some water. We decided we walk a couple 103 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:32.839 of miles of then stop and eat breakfast. My brother 104 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:35.199 was like a mountain goat, and I had twisted my 105 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:38.639 ankle on the first day, so I was constantly lagging 106 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:42.639 seventy five feet behind him. But as we walked along, 107 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.079 I began to have a dialogue in my head, as 108 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:47.720 if someone were interviewing me in a sort of a 109 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:52.120 get acquainted, friendly talking manner. It was as if someone 110 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:55.920 else was asking the questions and I was answering them. 111 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:59.319 We were still in that high valley, so there were 112 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:03.160 no trees on either side of our trail. Clearly there 113 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:06.319 was no one around me, but the conversation continued in 114 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:09.959 my head for a mile or so. I felt a presence, 115 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:13.839 so I kept glancing around to see if anyone was there, 116 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:17.920 but no one was there, and still the questions kept 117 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:21.920 popping into my head and I kept answering them, and 118 00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:25.519 then suddenly it stopped. It was as if the interview 119 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:29.120 was over, and when it was over, I felt a 120 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:32.800 little silly for having thought about myself and my life 121 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:36.399 as if someone were there listening to me. It was 122 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:40.319 a bright, sunlit day, but I was alone, Why would 123 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:42.519 I go on and on about my life and my 124 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:47.319 family like that. I've only recently learned about mine to speak, 125 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:50.360 and knew nothing of it at the time, and it 126 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:54.639 was a very strange feeling. Well, at that point I 127 00:07:54.720 --> 00:07:58.120 decided to enjoy the walk, and eventually we were back 128 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:01.560 at the Big Trees again. There we came across a 129 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:05.240 log jam around a deep pool blocking our way. The 130 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:08.600 trees were about three feet in diameter. My brother went 131 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:11.319 around to the riot, where it was real swampy, and 132 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:13.480 I chose to go to the left and jump from 133 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:18.360 log to log while keeping my feet as dry as possible. Well, 134 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:20.920 one log turned out to be a bad choice. The 135 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:23.439 far end was anchored on the bank, but the end 136 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:26.160 closest to me was under the log that I had 137 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:28.959 been standing on, and I soon learned it was just 138 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:32.000 floating in the water, and as soon as I jumped 139 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:35.919 down on it, it began to sink. The crystal clear 140 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:38.759 pool was about eight to ten feet deep, and as 141 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:42.919 I jumped, I heard run in my mind. With a 142 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:45.320 burst of speed, I made it to the other end 143 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:47.879 of the twenty five foot log before it sank too 144 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.639 deep and dumped me in the icy snow melt. It 145 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:55.720 was the easiest run I had ever experienced. It felt 146 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:59.279 like I was feather light, even with a pack. It 147 00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:02.159 was almost like someone was pushing me while lifting up 148 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:05.080 the pack to take the weight off me. The log 149 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:08.120 was sinking fast, but I seemed to be flying over it. 150 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:12.000 I managed to get across with only one wet foot. 151 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:15.840 Even as I was running, though, I couldn't help but think, 152 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:20.240 what is happening to me? At the other end, my 153 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:23.480 brother was blanched white as he fumbled to get his 154 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:26.440 pack off. He thought he was going to have to 155 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:30.480 dive in and help me out. At seventeen, it hadn't 156 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.039 occurred to me just how dangerous the route I had 157 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:37.720 taken was, and that maneuver in particular was very dangerous. 158 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:40.919 If I had fallen in with the backpack, the water 159 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:44.080 absorbed by the sleeping bag alone could have been enough 160 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:48.639 to drag me under. This probably all sounds ridiculous to 161 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:52.559 anyone listening, but it is how I remember it. Something 162 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:56.559 weird happened on that log. There's no way anyone could 163 00:09:56.600 --> 00:09:59.639 have been behind me. No one was there but my brother. 164 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:03.159 He was in front of me. Even if someone had 165 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:06.039 been there, their weight would have caused the log to 166 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:10.720 sink even more. The explanation I have come up with 167 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.360 is absurd, to say the least. Many thoughts have run 168 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:19.279 through my mind. Was an invisible, hovering sisquatch pushing me 169 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:23.480 along and holding up my backpack? Or was something helping 170 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:27.120 a human to save a life. It's definitely one for 171 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:31.240 the book of the Weird. Now I know I'm probably 172 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:33.960 making a mountain out of a mole hill. I wouldn't 173 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:37.000 blame you if you laughed at my story. I'm laughing 174 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:41.200 right along with you. The only reason I think sisquatch 175 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:44.759 is because of the destroyed ranger shed and the smell 176 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:47.720 of the skunk just before we found it. And I 177 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:51.039 suppose it could have been any benevolent spirit who saved me. 178 00:10:51.480 --> 00:10:55.360 But something did. As unbelievable as it sounds, it is 179 00:10:55.480 --> 00:11:00.639 exactly what happened. Nothing else of any significance happened on 180 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:03.519 that trip. We never spoke of it again, and I 181 00:11:03.559 --> 00:11:07.480 forgot all about it. In recent years, I've listened to 182 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.919 a lot of bigfoot stories on YouTube. It wasn't until recently, though, 183 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:15.879 when another person mentioned being sniffed through their tent, that 184 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:20.039 all that came back to me. Having something large sniff 185 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:24.600 you through a tent is incredibly unsettling. Perhaps that's what 186 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:28.120 caused me to repress the memory until now. I never 187 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:31.039 saw a side squatch, nor do I know what the 188 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:35.360 interviewing thing was. I'm just glad that whatever or whoever 189 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:37.600 it was was there to save my life when I 190 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:45.679 needed it on that log, God blessed them for that. Okay, 191 00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:48.559 here's a story about a dog, and you guys are 192 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:51.919 going to have to decide whether this is a Bigfoot 193 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:56.120 event or something else. But it's a great story. It's 194 00:11:56.240 --> 00:12:00.919 really a good, real mystery kind of story. This is 195 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:04.440 a true story about my dog and our farm near 196 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:09.919 North Ogden, Utah. Crystal Blue is my dog's name, but 197 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:14.480 everyone calls her Mama. She's a Blue Healer mix and 198 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:19.279 in twenty nineteen, she was a year old. She loves 199 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:21.919 to run all over the property and she roams the 200 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:28.039 neighbor's property too. Around midnight on a cold night in February, 201 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:31.399 I led her outside to do her business. It was 202 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:34.639 snowy and a fresh blanket of snow covered the ground. 203 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:38.600 After letting her walk outside, I walked back to my 204 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:41.679 room to get a cigarette. It was a few minutes 205 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:44.480 before I got back to the porch and I lit 206 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:49.399 up and finished my cigarette, and then I called for her. Typically, 207 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:52.080 she comes back to me right away, but she didn't 208 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:56.600 on this night, so I yelled louder. Still she didn't come. 209 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:02.919 After several attempts, I became warmed. I rushed back inside 210 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:05.440 and found my roommate and asked if he would help 211 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:08.240 me to find my dog. I think he saw the 212 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:12.039 worry in my expression. Well, he agreed, and we went 213 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:15.320 back outside and we called some more. She was gone. 214 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:20.039 She never came back. Her tracks in the snow were obvious, 215 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:23.360 so we began to follow them, and from the tracks, 216 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:26.200 we saw that she left the porch and then made 217 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.519 two circles around the yard and then headed for a 218 00:13:29.559 --> 00:13:34.399 fence that separated our property from our neighbors. The tracks 219 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.320 finally turned and it appeared that she had gone under 220 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:42.039 the fence. From there were three tracks and then nothing 221 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:48.200 but pristine's snow. This area is open, with no trees, 222 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:52.080 shrubbery or buildings close by. It was as if she 223 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:56.200 vanished into thin air, and to us it looked impossible. 224 00:13:57.080 --> 00:13:59.360 Neither of us could wrap our head around this. But 225 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:03.919 here we were looking at it By this time, I 226 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:06.799 was beginning to panic and on the verge of losing it. 227 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:09.759 My roommate calmed to me a bit and said that 228 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.279 we would keep looking. And we spent an hour searching 229 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:17.399 everything and everywhere on our property and the neighbors. There 230 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:20.639 was no sign of the dog anywhere, not a sound, 231 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:25.360 not a track, zero evidence that she went anywhere after 232 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:30.240 the tracks ended under the fence. I wanted to keep looking, 233 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:33.919 so we split up and we searched everything again. This 234 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:37.240 took about an hour. It was still snowing, I was 235 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:42.360 bawling uncontrollably, and we were soaked and freezing. We needed 236 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:44.840 to get warm, but I wouldn't give up, so we 237 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:48.080 split up again to cover the same ground a third time. 238 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:53.039 Stumbling now in the snow, I started for the front 239 00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:55.879 end of the property while my roommate went the other way, 240 00:14:56.559 --> 00:14:59.159 and I suppose I walked less than a football field 241 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:02.200 when some my dog was right in front of me. 242 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.279 She acted like she had not seen me in a month, 243 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:08.799 and I immediately scooped her up in my arms when 244 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:11.360 I hugged her, and then I stood and yelled for 245 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:16.399 my roommate, I've got her. My roommate, Jim and I 246 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:19.320 had spent hours out looking for this dog, and we 247 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:23.000 were both soaked and cold. The weird thing was is 248 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:26.840 that Mama was dry, like she had never gone outside. 249 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:32.159 Even her paws were dry. How was this possible. I 250 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:34.720 don't know what happened to my girl that night, but 251 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:38.000 I know that several times that month, I saw lights 252 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:41.120 in the sky that I had never seen before. And 253 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.879 it wasn't just me, many people who lived in that 254 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:48.679 area saw them. I believe my dog had been abducted 255 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:53.679 that night the lights were there. I remember telling them, 256 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:56.519 thank you for sending my dog back in, to please 257 00:15:56.759 --> 00:15:59.879 never take her again, and since then they have not. 258 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:03.720 She's almost four now, and I thank the Lord for 259 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:11.000 her every day. All Right, this last story is from Bruce, 260 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:15.759 and you're gonna think this story is totally nuts. You're 261 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:20.120 gonna think this guy's office rocker. I wouldn't say that, 262 00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:25.480 because as weird as this story is, it actually jogged 263 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:28.960 a memory that I had that I had forgotten. And 264 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:31.600 I'm not gonna tell the story. I'm gonna tell his story, 265 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:35.600 not my story. But at some point I'll probably tell 266 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:37.919 my story, but I need to think on it so 267 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.879 that I can remember. Try to remember as many details 268 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:45.000 as I can. But let's get into Bruce's story, because 269 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:48.759 this is a doozy. I've decided to tell you about 270 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:52.080 my encounter I had back in the early nineteen seventies. 271 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:56.960 Something tells me that even the diehard bigfoot enthusiasts might 272 00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:00.200 think I'm nuts. But after listening to one of your 273 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:03.759 tales about two duck hunters seeing a bigfoot and then 274 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:08.200 telling everybody they knew in spite of not being taken serious, 275 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:11.559 I knew that I would eventually tell this story to you. 276 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:15.759 Like the duck hunters, I too, tell the story as 277 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:19.440 often as I can, not because people believe it, but 278 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:22.599 just to tell the story. I have yet to have 279 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:25.799 anyone stop me in mid stream before the tale is over. 280 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:29.799 I'm in my sixty third year now, I don't much 281 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:33.480 care if people believe me. When I was fifteen, I 282 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:37.240 decided to hitchhike to Atlanta, Georgia, where my older brother 283 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:41.000 had moved a few years before. It was summer break 284 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:44.160 and I had nothing but time on my hands. I 285 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:47.839 remember the day was hot when I departed an arbor, Michigan. 286 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:51.720 Now remember the further south I went, the hotter it got. 287 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:55.599 The weird thing about this trip was the first guy 288 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:58.000 that picked me up was going all the way to Florida, 289 00:17:58.400 --> 00:18:01.440 and he happened to be a real friendly guy. This 290 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:04.799 was when Interstate I seventy five was just being built 291 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:08.240 through the tallest mountains of Tennessee, and though the road 292 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:11.240 was perfect, the downside was that there were no rest 293 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:15.119 stops where one could stop to relieve himself, nor were 294 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:18.880 there gas stations or anything else. By the time we 295 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:22.680 got to the Kentucky Tennessee state line, I had to pee, 296 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:25.960 but for some reason I decided to pass up the offer. 297 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:30.920 When I had the chance, somewhere in the highest elevations 298 00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:34.839 of Tennessee, I practically ordered the driver to stop as 299 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:36.680 soon as he could so that I could get rid 300 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:40.680 of what felt like several gallons ready to explode. He 301 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:42.759 told me that he would pull over at the next 302 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:46.400 lookout pull off, which was a paved area for equipment 303 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:50.319 and supplies used earlier before the crews headed further down 304 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:53.400 the road. It was like a sign from God when 305 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:56.279 we came upon one of these lookouts and the place 306 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:59.880 was full of cars. I bolted from the car and 307 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:02.799 hopped over the guardrail, and I made my way down 308 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:06.839 a paved ditch, I noticed that the older lady we 309 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:09.599 had parked next to was watching me the whole time. 310 00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:12.200 I thought I had found a place to peace so 311 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:14.799 that I had some privacy, But when I looked up 312 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:17.480 over my shoulder, I could see her stretching her head 313 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:20.960 watching me, and I walked further down past a hill 314 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:25.200 that blocked her view. It was a long time emptying 315 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:28.119 my bladder, and while I stood there, I heard a 316 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:30.599 noise that sounded like a chipmunk, but it was a 317 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:35.000 lot bigger. It was coming nearer, and I expected to 318 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:38.759 see it cross the ditch any second. I don't know 319 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:41.599 if I was in shock or that I had to 320 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:44.680 pee so bad, but when this thing popped out of 321 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:48.079 the woods just fifteen feet below me, I didn't move 322 00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:52.000 a muscle other than a steady flow from me. Relieving myself, 323 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:55.000 I didn't move at all and became part of the 324 00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:59.319 landscape as best I could. I was thinking that if 325 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:01.599 I lived through this, no one will believe me if 326 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:04.799 I tell them. And as I was musing over the 327 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:08.680 fact that these creatures have been extinct for millions of years, 328 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:12.799 the creature turned its head my way and made squeaking 329 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:16.839 chirps as if from a giant chipmunk. But mind you, 330 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:21.960 this was no chipmunk. It was a five foot tall dinosaur. 331 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:27.440 I'll give you a moment to compose yourself. It was 332 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:30.839 standing broadside in front of me, facing to my left, 333 00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:34.960 and he was fixed on my position. This thing had 334 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:38.680 huge muscular legs with a stretched out tail, just like 335 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:42.119 in the pictures, and it had little arms which were 336 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:44.680 bent up at the elbows with its hands closer to 337 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:48.920 its head. Its head was a dino typical, having a 338 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:53.079 large jaw filled with several razor sharp teeth. At least 339 00:20:53.079 --> 00:20:56.839 that's what they look like to me. This whole encounter 340 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:00.319 lasted for no more than thirty seconds, but in my 341 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:04.920 vulnerable position, it seemed much longer. With a couple of 342 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:07.880 more squeaks, it turned and continued its journey to the 343 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:11.839 left of me, and it disappeared into the woods. After 344 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:14.720 I finished my business, I walked up the mountain, hoping 345 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:17.720 that the old woman had seen what had just taken place, 346 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:21.319 but she was no longer there. So of course I 347 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:24.319 had to tell someone about my strange encounter, and I 348 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:26.759 told the dude that I'd been traveling with for the 349 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:30.039 past few hours, and even though I felt better about 350 00:21:30.079 --> 00:21:33.440 telling someone, this man didn't have a thing to say, 351 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:35.839 but I could tell by the look on his face 352 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:38.839 that he thought I was crazy, which after I had 353 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:44.240 finished telling my story, he didn't hesitate to confirm. I 354 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:47.279 saw what I saw, and it doesn't matter what people think. 355 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:53.079 I know it's true. Over time, people have suggested various 356 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:56.160 animals that it might have been, but nothing ever came close. 357 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.559 Years later, I happened to be in my home in 358 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:03.240 Michigan and a TV commercial came on advertising the new 359 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:08.240 King Tut exhibit, which would open the following weekend in Chicago, Illinois. 360 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:11.880 The commercial was from the view of a man holding 361 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:15.000 a camera as he walked past a giant dinosaur on 362 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:17.839 the main level of the museum and up a set 363 00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:20.680 of stairs to the Tut exhibit, and then down the 364 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:23.200 hall to the left, where there was a closed door. 365 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:26.640 The camera came to that door and then slowly opened 366 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:31.720 the door, revealing my old friend from Tennessee, meaning I 367 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:35.680 could see the dinosaur there in the background. I instantly 368 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:38.240 blurted out to my wife, who, by the way, also 369 00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:42.200 thinks my Dino's story is a figment of an overreaching imagination. 370 00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:46.799 We're going to Chicago, I said. The following weekend, we 371 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:50.599 were in the car headed to the dinosaur exhibits, King 372 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:54.759 who I wasn't interested in, some old has been King. No, 373 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:57.480 I had unfinished business and I was about to have 374 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:01.519 the proof at my fingertips at any moment. We arrived 375 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:04.480 in Chicago and pulled into the museum, and it didn't 376 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:07.720 take long before I was viewing firsthand the same view 377 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:12.160 I'd seen days before in the commercial. We quickly passed 378 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:14.920 the giant dinosaur on the main floor, and I was 379 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:17.200 thankful that it wasn't the one that walked out on 380 00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:19.440 the trail so many years ago, because it was a 381 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:23.160 big one. We flew past the King what's his name, 382 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:26.000 and as the door down the hallway was beckoning me 383 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:31.039 to come closer. Finally, after decades, I would soon be 384 00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:33.559 standing face to face with the creature I had seen 385 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:37.480 in Tennessee. My hand turned the knob on the door, 386 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:40.160 and when it swung open, there it was on a 387 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:44.119 platform three feet off the ground behind the door. Honey, 388 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:47.680 that's the exact same one. This is the creature I saw, 389 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:50.960 I said to my wife. I wasn't aware of how 390 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:54.559 many people were in the room until it suddenly got quiet, 391 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:58.480 but now only in a whisper, I repeated myself, to 392 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:01.319 make sure my wife understands and what I had experienced 393 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:05.920 all those years ago. I still don't think she believes me. Well, 394 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.160 that's my story, and I'd be interested if anyone else 395 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:12.559 has had such an encounter other than that. Thank you 396 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:15.519 again for allowing these kinds of stories to be told. 397 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:21.720 Have a good day, Bruce. Oh, someone sees a dinosaur 398 00:24:21.960 --> 00:24:27.160 in nineteen seventy, Okay, that sounds pretty crazy. However, like 399 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:30.720 I said before I started this story, I saw something 400 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:33.880 when I was a kid. I think I was maybe 401 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:37.720