WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:08.720 The first encounter took place in the summer of nineteen 2 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:13.519 seventy six at Cougar Hot Springs, nine miles outside of 3 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:18.079 Blue River, Oregon, in the Willamette National Forest. I was 4 00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:20.800 living in the woods in Willamette National Forest with my 5 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:25.199 boyfriend in a semi log cabin. I say semi because 6 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:28.519 it had a roof and walls on only three sides. 7 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:33.200 There was no bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom. A fire pit 8 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:35.719 stood in front of where the fourth wall should have been. 9 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:40.240 The nearest home was nine miles away. Since it was 10 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:44.280 a national forest, regular housing was not allowed. We were 11 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:47.039 about a mile from the actual hot springs for which 12 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:50.119 the place was named, but it was mainly frequented by 13 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:53.880 hippies back then, since hiking had not yet become popular. 14 00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:57.560 The cabin could only be reached by going up a 15 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:01.640 small path on a steep old, gross timber covered mountain side. 16 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:05.799 There were no roads beyond the highway below, no campers 17 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:10.159 or camping, or no dwelling of any kind. No one 18 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:12.959 was hanging around the cabin during the day. It was 19 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:15.879 only used by us and an occasional friend or to 20 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:19.959 at night. We were hiding from the police. I had 21 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.959 run away from home to escape my alcoholic stepfather. The 22 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:27.400 hot Springs was a party place with a lot of 23 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:31.280 pot smoking and drinking. It was not a family place 24 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:36.599 by any means. One moonless night, as we were climbing 25 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:39.319 up to the cabin at about one in the morning, 26 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:44.280 sounds erupted all around us. We were only about halfway 27 00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:47.400 into the woods, and being comfortable with the path, we 28 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:52.640 hadn't brought a flashlight. There were multiple voices, all yelling 29 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.319 at the same time. If you could call it yelling, 30 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:58.920 it was more like singing in the sense that the 31 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:03.760 sounds were controlled. They started with one octave, held the 32 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:06.840 note for about a minute, and then changed to another octave. 33 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:11.919 They were voices in unison, almost like a choir. It 34 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:15.159 went on for a good ten minutes. They weren't human, 35 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:18.240 at least they didn't sound human, but what else could 36 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:21.800 they be. It was like a Gregorian chant with all 37 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:25.840 the monks chanting just one sound. All that chanting at 38 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.439 once was terrifying. We found the little cops of tall 39 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:34.159 pine trees and cowered down to the ground, hugging ourselves 40 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:37.919 to a tree trunk for protection, and frantically whispering to 41 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:41.520 each other, what is that? There were no lights of 42 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:44.919 any kind, just voices coming from all directions, and they 43 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:49.520 surrounded us. They weren't human voices, but they weren't mechanical either. 44 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:54.199 They were organic and changed in perfect unison with perfect precision. 45 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:57.960 They were close enough that we should have seen something. 46 00:02:58.439 --> 00:03:01.199 If they'd been a human, we should have seen them. 47 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.560 Even if they'd been a bunch of aliens, we'd have 48 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:09.159 seen something lights or figures moving about. At least if 49 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:12.439 it had been a Satanist Wickens, both of which are 50 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.599 known to use the woods for their various rights, we 51 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:18.840 would have seen or heard someone or something because these 52 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:23.199 sounds were right on top of us. But we saw nothing. 53 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:27.039 There were no shadows, no movement, and no other sounds either. 54 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:30.240 It was like we had stepped into a different world. 55 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:34.599 It was nothing like we'd ever heard or experienced before. 56 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:40.439 In April of twenty nineteen, it was Easter weekend and 57 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:44.479 we were camping in our RVs in Tobec Canyon, Colorado. 58 00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:48.639 We'd planned on boondocking, no electric or sewer hookups, just 59 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:53.479 generators in the hilly canyons outside of Tobec Canyon, east 60 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:58.199 of Grand Junction, not far from the Colorado River. There 61 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.319 was a decent sized group of us, and so we 62 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:03.680 circled our RVs like a wagon train, leaving a huge 63 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:07.759 place in the middle for the campfire. Ours was parked 64 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:10.599 next to a ravine that was full of wash from 65 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:14.759 the many commonly occurring flash floods in the canyon lands 66 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:18.399 and deserts. The ground was a mix of scrub grass 67 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:22.560 and red earth. All around us were ridges and slopes 68 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:27.600 covered in boulders and dotted with small cave openings. The 69 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:30.560 first night, we played music, we cooked dinner, We made 70 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:33.759 some'mores and drank wine, and hung out in chairs around 71 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:38.319 the fire. The kids, ranging in age from three to thirteen, 72 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:41.000 rode their bikes and played around the RVs when they 73 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:45.040 weren't at the fire, making more s'mores. My husband went 74 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:47.480 to bed early because he'd been up since four thirty 75 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:50.079 that morning. He and my son in law had come 76 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:53.120 up early to set up camp. My daughter is a 77 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:58.399 full time nurse and I had not retired from teaching. Suddenly, 78 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:00.920 my husband stuck his head out the door and asked, 79 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:05.360 why is someone slamming into the RV? What I exclaimed, 80 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:08.319 We're all sitting here by the fire. No one's around 81 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:11.680 the RV. Or slamming into it. And then I asked, 82 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:16.480 was it many Many was a tiny men pin? No, 83 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:19.040 he said, it was too heavy, like a person. Someone 84 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:22.319 slammed into the RV. Many's too small. She couldn't have 85 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:25.600 done that. I had a creepy feeling in my gut 86 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:30.199 at that point, but I didn't say anything. The next day, 87 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:33.279 everyone went to explore one of the red earth covered 88 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:36.439 ridges while I took a shower. They said they were 89 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:38.360 going to wait for me, but the three year old 90 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:42.480 twins got antsy, so they all went ahead. I didn't 91 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:44.600 know it, but one of the women found a huge 92 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:48.240 footprint on top of that ridge. She took a picture 93 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:50.800 of it, but it wasn't until later, when she posted 94 00:05:50.839 --> 00:05:55.040 it to Facebook that I knew anything about it. In 95 00:05:55.079 --> 00:05:58.079 the early hours of the next morning, around four am, 96 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:01.399 my husband jerked me awake and was loudly what was that? 97 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:05.480 What was what? I asked, still half asleep. You didn't 98 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:10.000 feel that, he said, emphatically, No, what I answered, confused. 99 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:14.199 Someone slammed into the RV hard enough to rocket, he said, 100 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:16.839 and then he added, I'm not going out there to 101 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:20.439 find out what it was. I knew then what was 102 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:25.279 going on inside I was freaking out. My husband knew 103 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:28.759 I believed in Bigfoot. Later we talked about it, he 104 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:30.639 said it was a person big enough to rock the 105 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:35.240 entire RV. This RV is thirty five feet long. It 106 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:38.680 has a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room in a second 107 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:42.920 small room with two bunks. We eventually went outside to 108 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:46.800 look for footprints, but we didn't find anything. We searched 109 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:49.120 down in the ravine as well, but there were no 110 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:55.360 footprints there either. On a warm June day in twenty 111 00:06:55.639 --> 00:06:59.639 nineteen at Sequoia National Forest, my family and I were 112 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:04.480 high one of the seldomly used pathways. As we entered, 113 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:08.680 we'd heard woodknocks and sounds like monkeys. There were no 114 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:12.360 other sounds at all, no birds or insects, and no wind. 115 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:15.720 At one point, we heard something huge slamming to the 116 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:19.839 ground not far from us. We thought it was an airplane. 117 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:23.759 When we witnessed a commercial airliner crash into some houses 118 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:27.160 in San Diego in nineteen seventy seven, there was a 119 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:30.279 mushroom cloud of smoke, so we looked up, but we 120 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:33.519 didn't see any of that. We knew it wasn't an 121 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:38.120 earthquake either. Later, as we headed out, we came across 122 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:40.839 some park rangers in the parking area who wanted to 123 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.480 ask us some questions, and we told them about the sound, 124 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:47.160 and they told us it was a tree that had fallen. 125 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:51.720 They said nothing like that ever happened before. We thought 126 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:54.920 that was odd because trees come down there every year. 127 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:58.839 They didn't elaborate, so we assumed they must have been 128 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:02.160 referring to the fact that it was a warm, windless day, 129 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:07.680 not a snow storm or other inclement weather. On Monday, 130 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:12.800 December second, twenty nineteen, in Grand Junction, Colorado, my husband 131 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.920 had gone to bed early. He's a chef and Tuesdays 132 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:18.240 or truck Day, meaning he has to get up early 133 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:21.040 and be at the restaurant to check the food delivery. 134 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:24.480 He has no trouble sleeping with the television and lights on, 135 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:27.600 so as always I was up much later than him. 136 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.720 I'm retired now finally as a teacher. Our house is 137 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:35.679 on the edge of town in a semi rural area 138 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:40.159 known as Orchard Mesa, next to the Colorado River. To 139 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:43.919 the west, it extends into the Colorado National Monument, which 140 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:47.720 is similar to a small Grand Canyon. To the south, 141 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:50.960 it is the LaSalle Mountain Range, and the Arizona, New 142 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:57.360 Mexico and Utah borders. East of US are fields, farms, vineyards, pastures, 143 00:08:57.399 --> 00:08:59.919 and small hills, all connected to the bottom of the 144 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:03.240 ten thousand foot high Grand Mesa, at the top of 145 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:06.919 which is a collapse volcano that forms the largest mesa 146 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:11.639 platform in the country. It's dotted with alpine meadows and 147 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:16.000 hundreds of lakes, past which the Colorado River winds as 148 00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:20.519 it makes its way to our orchard Mesa. The river 149 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:23.519 in this section is heavily wooded on both sides, and 150 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:27.320 all sorts of animals frequent the river. We have a 151 00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:30.360 few crab avel trees in the garden section of our yard, 152 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:33.279 as do our neighbors. We also have grape vines and 153 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:36.919 mulberry trees, all of which are inviting for various animals. 154 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:40.279 And our house sits on half an acre and closed 155 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:43.559 by a tall wooden fence, except for one section that 156 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:46.399 is blocked off by both a huge shed and a 157 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:50.120 small one connected by a gate. This is to keep 158 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:53.440 our dogs from escaping through our neighbors short wire fence. 159 00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:56.360 We used to keep a garden back there, but life 160 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:58.600 is sort of gotten in the way and now it's 161 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:04.039 abandoned and full of tall. As my husband slept and 162 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:07.279 I watched TV, our dog Daisy ran through the dog 163 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:10.919 door out into the backyard and immediately started barking like 164 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:15.879 someone was out in the road. Walking by my other dog, Timmy, 165 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:20.919 who generally ignores Daisy's youthful antics, perked up his ears 166 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:23.279 and then jumped off the bed and ran out the 167 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:27.240 door to join her. I was a bit surprised and 168 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:30.759 frankly a little concerned that they might wake up my husband. 169 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:34.159 It was not entirely unusual for them to bark at 170 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:37.759 the fence. People walk their dogs down to the river 171 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:40.879 all the time, but this time the barking was different. 172 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:45.679 Instead of the typical intermittent barking interspersed with running and 173 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:49.320 pacing along the fence, they were barking on the move, 174 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:53.919 as if they were hysterical. I knew immediately something was 175 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:56.679 in the yard. I panicked with the thought that they 176 00:10:56.720 --> 00:11:00.279 may have cornered a rabbit, skunk, or a coon. I 177 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:03.320 didn't want to have the break up any fights, even 178 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:06.399 more so I didn't want to get bit. And furthermore, 179 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:09.720 we once saw a raccoon in our garbage area, big 180 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:13.320 enough to be mistaken for a dog. If that's what 181 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:16.639 they were up against, I knew they would be outmatched. 182 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:20.440 With all of this running through my mind, I jumped 183 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:22.840 out of bed and grabbed a flashlight from the cupboard 184 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:26.159 and headed outside. I could see them all in the 185 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:30.360 small shed, barking towards the abandoned garden area. I was 186 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:33.039 grateful for the fence between them and whatever they were 187 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:35.200 barking at, and I yelled for them to stop it 188 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:39.440 and come on. In twenty years of teaching, in thirty 189 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:42.279 eight years of parenting has given my voice the kind 190 00:11:42.279 --> 00:11:46.399 of authoritative sound not to be ignored. But the speed 191 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:49.759 with which they responded was more than just a little surprising. 192 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:52.799 I figured it must have been a raccoon they were 193 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:58.120 barking at. Bears were already hibernating. Dogs would have barked 194 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:00.960 back or even fought back. The cat would have run 195 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:04.720 off right away. After I ushered the dogs back into 196 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:07.279 the house, curiosity got the better of me, and I 197 00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:10.559 turned the powerful flashlight I was using back on the yard. 198 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:14.480 I stepped as close to the little shed as fear 199 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:17.519 and caution would allow, and I raised the light a 200 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:21.360 little higher, and I caught movement behind and a little 201 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:24.559 above it. The problem was I shouldn't have been able 202 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:28.039 to see anything above the shed. The only thing back 203 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:31.120 there to stand on was the neighbor's flimsy four foot 204 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:35.159 high wire fence. However, I could see a bulky shape 205 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:38.240 moving around back there, like someone hunched over in an 206 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.720 orange and tan coat. My mind started racing with thoughts 207 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:46.480 and questions. Is that the neighbor's teens going up to 208 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:50.200 no good again? Those kids had proven themselves to be 209 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:53.559 trouble in the past, so anything was possible. And then 210 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:57.519 I realized the person in question was coming into my yard. 211 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:02.039 I couldn't believe they weren't reacting to the light. It 212 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.759 was all happening so quickly, though, that I didn't have 213 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:08.200 time to do anything but watch while this person moved closer. 214 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:12.000 He or she or it was moving in a weird 215 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:16.600 gliding way. There was no head bobbing, just a smooth glide. 216 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:19.639 I thought, is that a cat on top of the roof? 217 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:22.720 But it was too big? Why was it so big? 218 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:25.279 Was it a raccoon? How did it get up the 219 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:29.679 side of the metal shed? And then the moment hit, 220 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:33.679 the exact second when my eyes revealed the truth and 221 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:38.320 my mind accepted it. It had stopped gliding and turned 222 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:41.799 towards me, creating a silhouette made up of an apex 223 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:46.360 center and sloping shoulders. This wasn't something on top of 224 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.679 the roof. It was something behind the shed, and if 225 00:13:49.720 --> 00:13:52.279 I could see it, this something had to be taller 226 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:57.000 than eight feet. I knew what it was. I couldn't 227 00:13:57.039 --> 00:14:01.320 breathe as I stared at that classic Patty style bigfoot silhouet. 228 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:05.759 I could see long tan hair streaked with brown covering 229 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:09.440 its head. I don't remember its eyes. Maybe I didn't 230 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:12.240 want to make eye contact. That would have made it 231 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:16.840 more real and more dangerous. It froze, and my mind 232 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:19.879 began to tell me I was only seeing stone where 233 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:23.759 it was standing. I couldn't be seeing anything. I thought, 234 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:26.159 this is my fault, and it's here they know me. 235 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:29.519 This is my fault. I kept staring at the stone 236 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:32.559 image in front of me, burning the picture into my mind, 237 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:36.320 proving to myself I was seeing it, and telling myself 238 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:39.840 I wasn't crazy. I could feel it looking at me. 239 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:45.840 Fright dissolved into flight. Run, I mentally screamed at myself. 240 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:50.120 Instantly I turned and ran back inside, slamming the locked 241 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:55.039 door behind me. More questions came. Should I wake my husband? 242 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:57.360 What should I do? Oh? My god, I don't know 243 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:01.360 what to do. He won't believe me anyway. I know 244 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:04.440 he knows now that these things exist, but he won't 245 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:07.879 believe that there's one in our backyard. It's just too 246 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:11.559 much of a coincidence. Not knowing what else to do, 247 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:14.440 I turned to the group chat on messenger, where I 248 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:19.360 had shared my other experiences. Fortunately someone was online and 249 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:22.600 I was able to relate the entire event. He told 250 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:26.159 me to go back out there. What heck, no, I said, 251 00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:32.120 there's no way, try, he said, somewhere down inside. Maybe Foolishly, 252 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:35.960 I found the courage to take his advice. At his request, 253 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:39.080 I put him on live feed, and carrying my phone 254 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:43.320 in the flashlight, I went back outside. I was grateful 255 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:46.360 for the light behind that shed that revealed no silhouette. 256 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:49.759 This time, my adrenaline was so high, so much so 257 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:54.320 that I barely noticed the icy cement under my stocking feet. 258 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:58.279 But standing out there and facing my fear was quickly 259 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:02.919 erasing the terror that had gripped me earlier. The next day, 260 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:06.120 as instructed by my friend, I went back out and 261 00:16:06.159 --> 00:16:09.360 took pictures, and when my husband got home, I told 262 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:12.759 him the entire ordeal, and we walked out together to 263 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:16.200 look at the grass that was tamped down. There was 264 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:19.600 a path leading to the neighbor's wire fence. There were 265 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:23.159 spots that could be giant footprints, but all too grassy 266 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.399 to be sure. But it was evidence enough for me, 267 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:29.399 so I examined the shit and confirmed that there was 268 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:32.159 no place for a raccoon to climb on top of it. 269 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:40.360 I took pictures of everything. It's been five years since 270 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:44.600 this happened. Although I didn't actually see anything, I can't 271 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:48.399 just explain away what happened either. I guess that's why 272 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:52.080 it stays with me to this day. I bought a 273 00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:56.000 fifth wheel located in Henderson, Texas. It was parked in 274 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.919 an RV camp just outside of town. The park was 275 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:03.159 surrounded by a large, fairly dense forest, and there were 276 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:06.200 about fifteen other RVs park there as well, with the 277 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:10.440 woods behind us. I had never stayed in an RV 278 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:12.960 before I bought it to get out of the city 279 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:17.559 and rest. I'm a retired nurse. I was glad to 280 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:19.720 get out of the city and travel for a while. 281 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:23.319 I had my dog with me, my buddy and traveling 282 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:28.519 companion of thirteen years, Roscoe. Roscoe and I enjoyed going 283 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:32.200 for long walks. Sometimes we'd venture into the forest behind 284 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:35.759 the fifth wheel. It was quiet back there and peaceful. 285 00:17:36.200 --> 00:17:40.160 It had a calming effect on me at times, though 286 00:17:40.279 --> 00:17:42.680 it could be a little spooky. It was almost like 287 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:46.359 I could feel eyes watching me. There was one event 288 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:49.319 during my stay in that area that I will never forget. 289 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:52.240 Roscoe and I were off on one of our walks. 290 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:55.440 We decided to take the trail leading into the forest. 291 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:59.079 We took our usual walk around and then started back 292 00:17:59.160 --> 00:18:04.559 up the trail. Suddenly, Roscoe whined softly. He stood alert, 293 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:09.119 sniffing something beyond my senses. The hair stood up on 294 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.799 his back as he stared deeper into the forest. I 295 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:15.680 couldn't tell what he was seeing, or smelling or sensing. 296 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:18.759 Not knowing what he knew only served to make me 297 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:23.200 even more nervous. Then his tail went down, the hair 298 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:25.880 on his back stood more rigid, and his neck rough 299 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:29.920 fluffed up. He had a look that I've only seen 300 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:33.160 when he doesn't like whatever he's seeing. It was a 301 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:37.160 warning look of danger. I softly said his name, and 302 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:40.559 in response, He whined again and looked straightforward, as if 303 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:46.039 to say, Mom, there's something out there. Roscoe will chase cats, 304 00:18:46.039 --> 00:18:48.599 and he's been known to be slightly protective of me 305 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:52.640 around strangers, but this was more than usual. It was 306 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:56.000 something different. He was truly spooked and he stood there 307 00:18:56.039 --> 00:18:58.559 for a few more minutes, but I couldn't see or 308 00:18:58.599 --> 00:19:02.400 hear anything. Eventually we moved up on the road to 309 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:06.799 my trailer. That night was a little weird as well. 310 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:09.480 I like to go out on my porch and sit. 311 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:13.000 There's something truly magical about the sounds of the crickets 312 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:16.160 and nightbirds, and course with the tree frogs and the 313 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:20.000 katie DIDs. It was a nice way to end each day. 314 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:23.960 But that night there were no sounds. It was deathly quiet. 315 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:28.279 There were no crickets, no birds or anything. Rather than 316 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:33.559 being relaxing, it was a bit nerve racking. The next day, 317 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:36.279 when Roscoe and I took our walk, we started down 318 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:39.319 the trail into the woods again. This time there was 319 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:43.119 a small tree branch leaned over the trail. It wasn't 320 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:46.599 like it had broken and fallen it was damaged. It 321 00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:49.839 was just leaned over to block the trail. I thought 322 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:53.119 it was rather peculiar, and Roscoe was acting funny again. 323 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:55.799 He was looking down the trail and acting like he 324 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:59.000 didn't want to go into the forest, and I decided 325 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:01.559 we take a different raph for the next few days 326 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:06.119 and check out the camp instead. That evening, I took 327 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:09.319 my usual seat outside of my trailer. This time I 328 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:12.200 heard some weird breaking noises in the forest behind me, 329 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:16.039 but I didn't get up to investigate. The hair was 330 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:18.200 standing up on the back of my neck and I 331 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:22.599 got this really creepy feeling that I couldn't shape. I 332 00:20:22.680 --> 00:20:26.480 left there a week later for better camping spots. While 333 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:28.960 we were there, I never actually saw anything or even 334 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:32.599 really heard anything other than some breaking sounds, but that 335 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:35.680 was one that stayed with me and probably always will. 336 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.440 Thank you for reading this. It was nice to share 337 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:46.119 it with someone.