Hi Jedi! Really great report! The first one is a "not for sure" but the others sure aren't. With the "not for sure" experience I had, while I observed a lot - I was not sure of what I saw so I never consider it anything more then something I wonder about now. Loved reading about your sightings - thanks!

Dave, the silence can be very eery indeed!

or even eary.....

No, the Doctor doesn't want to do both knees at the same time. I want to have them both done at the same time but he is overly cautious because he feels it triples the risk of problems. Also he feels that a person recovers quicker when only one replacement is done, then the other. He says the patient makes better progress because they have at least one "good" knee to help exercise with. It looks like sometime the latter part of August for the 1st one then sometime in late February for the 2nd one. I want to be recovered from the 1st one in time for "opening day of deer season" and I have a Hog Hunt in Lousianna scheduled for the 2nd weekend of February 2006 so it will have to be after that. BUT, because of all this I am having problems getting down to the farm to checkout my game cameras, watch from the stands and keep track of the place. Well, I'll let everyone know what is going on about the surgeries and any photos that I might get from the cameras before, between and after the operations and as the seasons come and go.

~~ radmohunter ~~

A friend of our had both his knees replaced at the same time last year. Before he was up and around again, he wished he had listened to the doctor and done one at a time. He did make a full recovery and is doing just great. He's able to do things he hasn't done in years, but said he wouldn't recommend the double replacement to anyone.

I wish you good luck with the surgeries.

Hi Jaylee! That is 100% good advise. If both legs are out of commission at the same time - yes indeed, that would be the last thing anyone should do. I don't think I've ever run across anyone that had both done at the same time even.

It was just awful for both him and his wife Laurie. She's a tiny little thing and he's a big guy. He couldn't even go to the bathroom without her help. She ended up having to hire someone to stay with them for a few weeks until he was walking again.

The veteranarian that takes care of my animals had both his done, one six months after the other, and he didn't have any problems and was back at work pretty quickly after both.

Both at the same time sounds brutal!

Geepers, this is the "not for sure encounters" thread, but just one more distraction here and I'm done. They're starting to do disc replacement in backs and sounds like there just might be some real success there. Instead of trying to pound together worn out discs (or whatever it is they do with them) they're actually starting to take them out and replace them with plastic ones. A softer plastic I'm sure. Even after years of doing healthcare in rehab - I have to say I've never seen a successful back surgery. Maybe the time has come and not any too soon. Not sure if it's at experimental at this stage or not. Word of warning with back surgery though - you have to be mindful of adhesions with any surgery and they hurt also. Sometimes that scar tissue can hurt you worse then the former problem ever did. Okay, I'm done!

Hello all..Im fairly new to this forum but wanted to share my "not sure" strange encounter.

Mine occured in Nov 2002 hiking alone on Hemp Top Trail (noo. not smoking it..Cherokees used to make rope from it in area) in the Cohutta Wilderness area of North GA. This area is in the southern applachian mountains and connects with the Big Frog Wilderness area of Tennessee to complete about 45,000 total acres of wilderness. At the time I was not involved with Bigfoot Research so did not know what I do now. Anyway, I was about 3 miles down the trail heading north along a ridge when I heard a great crash off to my left. it wasnt like something was running away, it was like a tree was being violently shook. Way out of place.. Then I heard another one off to my right and then..the feeling set itn..I cant describe it well, yet it was almost a feeling of dread..of something chasing me or watching or like something was just about to happen or jump out. I shook it off to black bears and whistled loudly as I jogged back 3 miles with my pack on. I was pretty shook..and was always looking back over y shoulder. On the way back I saw my first pack of wild boar rooting around about 75 yards down the ridge.

I will be going back to this area to explore with a BFRO friend of mine and possibly spend the night. If I get anything I will be glad to share..

Thanks,

Nick

Well, here are a couple or few more "not sure" encounters. I was housesitting at my families place this summer, just myself, daughter and my oldest son was there nights. Just for the fun of it we had set up a couple game cams, nothing came of that though. I usually got up quite early with the dogs, fed the other animals, then relaxed with a cup of coffee out on the patio. One morning I heard a noise, kind of between a yell and a howl, just once, it reverberated so even at the distance I figured it was coming from, it was quite loud. Also, this may or may not fit in, but the dogs were extremely nervous acting the entire time we were there. There were times the rat terrier would look towards the woods, then head to the garage. Nothing could get him out for the rest of the day. So, nothing extraordinary but thought I would put it on here anyway.
Another was maybe a year or two ago when we were on hwy 61 and saw something on the bank across the river. It might have been a bear but it seemed to walk quite a distance upright. NOT an expert on bears so wont make any assumptions beyond that!!
The last I am going to tell about is second hand from my sisters. They had been on a walk on county rd. 2, not far from the family place. All of a sudden they heard this gods awful noise, they said it sounded like a angry pig/scream, again VERY loud. They were on a little gravel turn around that led off of the country rd. and the noise didnt stop and seemed to be pacing them until they were a good ways down the hill. Something warning them off? Its interesting anyway.

Just want to chime in and thank the most recent contributers to this long thread --- so many well told experiences. It has been hard lately to keep up with the forum due to personal events but I do check in occasionally and I love reading these "not sure" accounts. All the heavy stuff is on the other threads, and after spending an hour trying to catch up on the politics, the theorizing, and the (unfortunately) bickering it's so nice to end up here and catch my breath, relaxing a bit while I read other peoples' hair raising, shorts soiling experiences!

I'm not sure if this will qualify as a "not so sure encounter", but where it took place, the oddity of the event, and the whole experience have made me wonder ever since. This has become one of the scariest bedtime stories for my daughters, and it still wigs me out a little when I tell it.

In the fall of 1990 or 1991, I returned to the North Coast of California to do some salmon fishing with a resident there who was a friend from college. He had lived in Ferndale all his life and fished almost every day during the salmon and steelhead runs.

We left in the late afternoon to drive south on US 101 several miles to access the Eel River just south of a 101 bridge crossing. We turned west onto a logging road and paralleled the river until we came to a locked gate. We parked on the edge of the road, "suited up", and headed to the river. We walked around the gate and headed downstream along the dirt road until we found an opening in the thick alders to get to the river. Below the alders was a band of old growth redwoods, with a thick undergrowth of ferns and lots of slash. We eventually popped out onto the river gravel bed and commenced to fishing and walking downstream.

We fished our way a couple of miles downstream without success, never seeing another person. The sun began to set, as ominous clouds starting rolling in. We realized that we would be hard pressed to reach the car before it got dark. We did have a couple of small flashlights with us, but they provided little comfort. We hiked the river bank until we could see the 101 bridge. It was almost completely dark by this point and starting to rain pretty hard. Both of us had spent much time in the woods, so we weren't concerned......yet.

We started up through the old growth redwood forrest. As the rain got heavier, the light grew dimmer, and the ground grew slippier, and we began to struggle to advance through the obstacles with 9' fishing rods in our hands. There was no clear trail through the forrest, so we tried just continuing up hill to the alders and the road. We both fell several times and eventually regrouped at the base of a large redwood to decide what to do. We both had waders and raincoats on. It wasn't that cold so we figured that we could wait out the rain and the dark and get out in the morning. But my friend's wife and two young children were waiting for us back at his house. We knew that they would panic and a search party would be out for us before morning. We didn't want to panic his family, so we decided to try to get out one more time.

We slowly navigated our way through the wet forrest, falling several times, but eventually reaching the alders. Once we got there, we knew we had it made. We arrived at the road minutes later and started up towards the gate and our truck. When we arrived at the gate, we noticed the most odd part of this experience. With our flashlights, we saw, in a mud puddle right beneath the gate, an animal heart. There were no other signs of any other animal parts anywhere in the immediate area. We had not noticed, and I have been accused of being overly observant, the heart on the way in. It could have been there, and missed because of the excitement of going fishing, but we sure didn't see it.

The heart was about the size of a softball, only heartshaped. Not heartshaped like a valentine, but like a heart one would dissect in a anatomy and physiology class. I am not an expert, but all I could think is that it was either a cow, deer, or human heart. It looked fresh, maybe because it was wet. I don't recall seeing fresh, bright red blood on it. We looked at each other, decided we had enough of this grand experience, and got the heck out of there. Sure enough, his wife was somewhat panicked when we arrived home at about 10:00 p.m., but hadn't called the authorities yet.

To this day, I cannot explain this event. It almost felt like a "warning" with what appeared to be an intentional placement. However, it could have been something completely natural. Because of the heavy rain and darkness, no sounds or smells were detected. After what we had just been through, we were just glad to be out of there and headed to a warm, dry, home. And glad that it wasn't one of our hearts.

I have had two other experiences in the woods that I can't explain, one of them also in the North Coast area, but neither as "weird" as this one.

Loonsquatch

Cool story Loon, Defnitly up their on the weird stuff-o-meter.

Peace,

Boss

Oh yeah, Welcome..

It was a very strange experience, indeed. I'm sure that the person that was with me remembers it quite well also. He still lives in the area, but I haven't spoken to him for a couple of years. We were both completely baffled by what we saw. More like freaked out.

I did not think of BF until years later. Just searching for plausible explanations for an unexplainable event.

Loonsquatch

Glad you liked it. Wait a minute ........... cochise.................southeast az........ you wouldn't happen to live in that little town where U.P. has the wye track that runs out to a power plant would you? I worked with a steel gang down that way in 2002 from Cochise to Willcox. In fact I was loading equiptment in Willcox the morning space shuttle Columbia didn't make it home.

Cochise,

I see it's your birthday!



Thanks for starting this thread, it's one of the best!

Reading Loonsquatch's experience made me think of something we experienced on a camp in scouts.

There were about 20 of us in one camp site (this was on Vancouver island, a bit north of Victoria) we had just gone into our tents for the night when this *music* started up from the next door site. Now I say music because it is the closest to what can describe it. Hmmm, think of your self in a field of crickets, now think of and really bad artificial version of it… with a lot of base.

It went on all night and it was one of the strangest/freakiest/scary experiences that I have had while camping... We jokingly referred to them as "Devil worshipers". We never did se them and left ASAP the next morning. Who knows maybe it was a satanic cult with your hearth thing.

TKD

Hi everybody, just got back home from a little trip up north. No, not Squatchin' this time (darn it).

v-hunter -------- Sounds like you were somewhere very near here, for sure. I live in tiny town they call Pearce. It's a half hour from Willcox and the RR track runs through Dragoon Pass, only about seven miles from here.


Former-Northwester --------- SShhhh. I stopped having birthdays when my friends started bringing a fire extinguisher for insurance before lighting the candles on my cake. But you made me smile with your birthday wish and now I can't that silly Beatles song out of my head.

TKD -------- Aliens. Them was aliens.

Well; here's the closest I (think) I may have been. Not so much an "not sure encounter" as just some input. I have been hunting and fishing all my life in Connecticut. I have seen rare wildlife in this area, moose, bobcats, etc. There have been several times, most recently last November, where I had the DISTINCT feeling of something/someone watching me. Actually raised the hair on my neck and as I said I am used to being in the woods alone in the dark, early in the AM, deep in state forests, ect. This particular time was late in the afternoon on some land in Union, which if you know CT you know it borders Mass and there are some large and heavily wooded areas. The only sounds I heard where some rustling in mountain laurel which at the time I passed off as squirrels, birds, etc. But I'll never forget that feeling of being watched that really bugged me out and made me hustle to my truck. Now, it could have even been another hunter who was hiding in the laurel and just simply thought it would be funny to bug me out but you are required to wear hunting orange at that time of the year and I surely would have seen him as most of the leaves were gone. Who knows? I personally belive CT is too populated to harbor BF but at the same time believe SOMETHING is out there. OK, I'm sure this was a lot of reading for a not very excitable story so I'll get off my soapbox....

The feeling of being watched is one of creepiest sensations a human being can have, in my opinion. It's only really happened to me once but it's a feeling I'll never forget. Strangely, last summer when I was with my son (Devorak) in Washington's forests looking for Sas, even though we had a few hair raising events happen to us, neither of us left there able to say we'd had that feeling --- which makes me think it's a genuine although not well understood sense.

I wonder if any in depth study has been done?

Thanks for your contribution, scooter.

I agree that the feeling of being watched literally makes the hair raise up on my neck. :willies:
Just spent some more time at the family place and got back last night.
So here's another "not sure". It was in the very early morning hours (around 2 or 3 am). I had been restless so was up reading. I heard something making a kind of "barking" noise, almost like a dog, hard to explain, but something about it just wasnt canine. Also, as in other vocalizations heard, it was WAY too loud to have come from something small.
The other thing was, my youngest son (who is SO placid and laid back to almost be comatose,lol. Nothing gets to him.) was around during the weekend before I left. We were talking and he said he had seen something in one of the pine trees further away from the house along the field road. Claims it looked like a monkey.( Not the BIG ones we talk about,lol) Got me to speculating what a baby Sas might actually look like and if they climb trees. ( The other theory being it was an escaped exotic pet.)

Here's my "Not Sure". It happened when I was 5, but I remember it like it was 10 minutes ago. At the time, we rented an old farmhouse outside of Dellroy, which is on the end of Atwood Lake. The house sat close to the road, on a hill sloping down towards the back (west). The hill bottomed out a short ways behind the house then rose back up to a barn and then woods. There were fields and brush to either side of the house, then heavier woods across the road. A drive ran past the south side of the house going to the barn.

Now to the incident. My room was on the SW corner of the house with one window on the south side. My bed was situated opposite the window with my head against the far wall. Early one morning something woke me up. It was just getting light enough to notice through the blind (one of those spring/roll up blinds). I was awake for only a minute when I started to feel scared, I don't know why, but I was getting a sudden feeling of dread. It just got worse by the second until I was on the verge of panic. My mom's two female cats and their kittens were in my room and when I looked down at them they were all backed against the wall, looking at the window wide eyed. That cinched it for me, it was time to head for mom and dad. In that instant, before I could make my run for safety, a huge shadow went by the window. It didn't stop or anything, it just went right by. With that, me and my blanket dove down and under the bed. That's where I stayed until mom and dad came downstairs a good while later. I told them what happened. At first they didn't beleive me, but after a bit, my dad went outside. He came back a few minutes later and told mom that I wasn't allowed outside on my own anymore. He was emphatic that she be with me if I was outside at all.

I never thought anymore about it till years later when I started learning more about BF. We moved to Massillon within a couple months of this incident. My dad still hasn't told me what he found. Even now that I'm 33 he won't say. He has mentioned a couple of things that have happened to him. I'll try and add his recounts when I get a chance.

Orca

Scooter,

I posted an encouter similar to yours in that I had the Distinct feeling of being watched. This was a feeling that turned into absolute panic! I don't know or understand what happened to me but we do have another sense that picks up on something.

By the way, my "panic" state was in the exact location of a BF encounter by someone else. I personally think there is a connection.

I have to laugh about it now, after the fact. I can see myself pulling a "My Cousin Vinny" when he went outside his cabin and just unloaded the revolver into the woods because of the owl scream.

Scott

I'm curious about this feeling of being watched. The only time I experienced that was at Coldwater Lake at Mt. St. Helens. I don't really recall any trees there that would hide any large animals, because Coldwater Lake was itself formed by the eruption in 1980. I just remember some sparse scrubby brush at the south end of the lake and on the sides of the valley the lake was in.

This was back in the mid-90s -- I think it was the weekend of the 15th anniversary of the eruption, which would make it 1995? When I was there, it was at the end of a day-trip from Portland, OR, where I stayed for two weeks doing training for my old job. A group of four of us trainees took advantage of the weekend we had there and drove up to Mt. St. Helens. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for driving and seeing the beautiful landscape. It wasn't until we had turned onto a two-lane road and passed by a very tall chain-saw carving of a sasquatch that I realized where I was -- the heart of bigfoot country! :doh:

I really didn't think about it much after that, except as we drove around the south side (I think) of Mt. St Helens and stopped at a small road-side museum about the eruption. The area was densly forested, and I thought it was indeed excellent bigfoot territory. Anyway, we drove back around and on Spirit Lake Memorial Highwy past some spectacular views along the North Fork Toutle River, and finally up to Johnston Ridge Observatory in late afternoon. After exploring the observatory, we started the return trip and stopped at Coldwater Lake. I was just really creeped out as we wandered around the south end of the lake, between the deserted little parking pad and the shore. I just felt like there were "others" there watching. :willies: I couldnt keep my eyes off the northwest side of valley. The four of us didn't stay long, then headed for Portland as the sun set. I'm not sure if my companions felt the same as I did. I was just glad to leave.

Just feeling weird doesn't even count as a "not sure" in my book, but I was wondering what everyone else thought. What about that area? Any interesting post-eruption stories on the north side of Mt. St. Helens where everthing was destroyed?

Thig

That's because I was there watching you, hoping you would drop your wallet.

Wanted to see me bend over, huh? I did kinda get the impression that whatever was watching me was kind of a perv. :help:

Uhhhhh, nooooooo.

Keep the stories coming people, these are great reads.

Hey any of you newbies out there just lurking, now is the time and here is the place to speak up!!!

Not sure encounters are safe, you won't get slammed, cuz you ain't sure!!!!

Who's next?

Hey scotto, hope I didn't offend (I don't think I did). Just kiddin around.

Yep, I think these "not sure" encounters are the best -- really feaky. So who has new ones?

Anyone...
Someone...
Beuller?

On being watched:

I think I posted something about this a year ago. I go to a lot of conferences. One day, in responce to a 'being watched' thread on this website, I decided to non-scientificly test the theory. I stared at folks a few rows in front of me, and over several seats. Amazingly, after a minute or so, they would turn around and look at me.

Perhaps they were bored with the lecture, and wanted to check out the crowd. Perhaps I am a remote viewer. Who knows. Just an anecodetal tale.

No, I'm cool. Takes more than that.

JUst spent some time back in this thread again-haven't been in it for a while. Thought I would do the courtesy of getting up to the top again-anyone have anything to add? Thanks to everyone who has--by far one of the most enjoyable reads on the board IMHO.

OK; now I'm reading this post, here all by myself, about quarter of ten PM, absolute quiet here in the room- I was reading a post a few minutes ago about scary experiences, and all of a sudden a ******* fan that was on a chair behind me crashed to the floor and scared the absolute s**t out of me.
I'm not sure if that counts as a "not sure" encounter, but I am sure about one thing- I need to go change my friggin didies now.

But worth it, for the belly laugh I just had!

In the Northern Sierras we used to frequently camp at a remote lake that was snowed in until mid May, usually. We had a lot of fun timing our trips just right so that we were the first people to break trail into to the lake. It involved a lot of 4x4ing, getting stuck and shoveling snow (I was younger then and it seemed like fun at the time).

The place, by the way, is Taylor Lake in Plumas National Forest. One year, I think it was 1987, we got in to the lake first and were the only people there during the three day trip. The lake is in a small, beautiful alpine setting right below a peak known as Kettle Rock.

We set up camp on the western corner of the lake in a nice spot that is tucked away by itself with a barely visible 4x4 trail leading to it. On this trip I went with my girlfriend (who is now my wife) and a friend along with his girlfriend.

After the camp was set up me and my girlfriend went for a walk around the lake while the other two stayed in camp. The sun had set as we were walking back and for some reason (I cant for the life of me remember now) we got in a big argument. We stopped maybe 100 yards from the camp and proceeded to "have it out" arguing back and forth. We were standing on the sloped embankment above the lake with heavy timber all around. It was getting dark, but I had a flashlight in my hand (that was not on) while we continued to argue. In those days we could really bang out some yelling matches and we both lost track of time while we argued for what must of been 30 to 4o minutes.

When we started the session it was still light enough to see all around. As we progressed, the light faded to the point where it was fully dark. Not that we noticed as both her and I were bantering back and forth for all we were worth. It was at this point when we were both interrupted with a very loud crack of a branch breaking that could have been no more than 30 feet from us up the slope away from the lake. This wasn't a twig breaking. It was so loud that it sounded like something six inches in diameter snapping apart. It stopped the argument instantly and we did not hear any other noice (like, for example, the broken branch hitting the ground).

I grew up in the area and was used to being in the woods. I've ran across bears and other animals and have never been afraid like I got right then. We both turned toward the noise and I held up the flashlight that...failed to work. Sounds pretty dramatic and corney, but that's exactly what happened. I slapped it on my palm a couple of times with no joy. That's when we both sprinted back to camp, where our two friends were. My wife still jokes that I took off and left her standing there before she started to run, too.

Before this happened I had no interest in Big Foot or the stories, thinking somehow that that sort of activity only happened over in the Trinity Alps on up the coast. But, after this event I wasn't sure anymore. We looked over the area the next day and found no prints (it was very rocky). There was a large old growth (White Fir I think) at the spot where we heard the noise. The lowest branches were well over my head.

Of course I wasn't sure what it was. But, I am reasonably sure that something became interested in our argument and crept up to observe. And, maybe when it got dark enough to avoid being spotted, it snapped the branch. For years I've really been regretting that the flashlight didn't work.

That event perked my interest about Sasquatch and it wasn't until a day hike last month in the Hoover Wilderness by Sonora pass that we had a more convincing episode. My wife posted that account on the BFRO site (it's in the recent additions for August).

What a terrible thing to happen--even to a Patriots fan!

Sea Bass, it might be too early in the morning yet and I might be missing something - but I can't tell which sighting is your wife's sighting - I think because you've only told us what area it was near and not the specific location. The location itself would be what it would be listed as. Sorry if I missed it, but where did the sighting occur? Thanks!

Hi Laurie, it was in Mono County, California.

samoyedowner; good one.....
Hopefully we'll have better luck against you guys than we did against the Panthers....... :blacknblue:

Yeah--I was surprised by that. Though we are really "feeling it" here after our first two games, Tennessee and Houston really weren't big challenges--I am VERY anxious about the outcome of Sunday. Think it will be a good one!

Bigfoot marriage counseling!

But I guess I owe you one, Scooter--hope to see the Pats again in the AFC championship game.

Howdy folks...

Just got back from VA and the Apple Butter festable, and kinda debated about posting this, because it could've been something else, had it not been what sounded like two pieces of wood being smacked together I would'nt have...but here goes...

My inlaws own a cabin in VA and we were there for the Apple Butter festable. On Saturday night/Sunday morning about 12:00 AM my father in-law and myself were sitting in the back portch ( talking politics as usual ). We both heard what sounded to me like 2 pieces of wood being hit together( he described it as someone taking an Axe to a tree )...

The first sound sounded like "Thok" then the second "SMACK", my father in-law said " what was that ? I said " I have no clue ( but really I was thinking about the reports of wood knocking, father in-law and family don't believe there could be a BF )" about 30sec. after that, all hell broke loose in those woods folks, there was gun fire that sounded like a mini war. I heard 3 distinctive guns, a high powered rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Then there were the dogs bawling...

My father in-law said " I hope they know there is a house up here ", I said "ya I hope so too". The gunfire lasted for about 3-5 min. then quit, didn't hear anything else for about 10 min. then I thought I heard a shout "over here", father in-law thought he heard the same thing...

I had talked with the locals the next day, none said they heard anything ( they're early to bed, early to rise folks ), one stated that it could've been coon hunters, but didn't know why they would've been useing high powered rifles...

I didn't go trekking to where I thought it happend for several reasons, first it was raining real hard, and second that property is posted and the owner will take pot shots at you if you cross it, and he sees you...

So there it is...the skeptic side of me says maybe it was the owners kids tracking a bear, but it doesn't explain the "Thok" and then "SMACK" we heard...

Wow! The gunshots are curious at the very least. Kind of scarey to have neighbors that would take pot shots if anything comes near their property. Yikes! I hope you never have to venture over to their house for anything. We haven't been near the wilds this year, but I know the next time we go up, I'm going to listen for those wood knocking sounds. I know I've heard them before and never really gave them a thought because I wasn't aware of the activity and what it was being attributed to. Of course the thought was in my mind what was going on to make that kind of noise and long after it should have been quiet for the night. One of the last times we were up at a resort we like to stay at we had gone for a walk real close to the resort. It struck us odd that everytime we would start walking we would hear loud cricket sounds and when we would stop the sounds would stop. I am sure it was just a cricket - but I was rather intrigued that perhaps something as small as a cricket might be watching our actions and act accordingly. The cricket sound wasn't coming from an area large enough to hide anything. Keep your eyes and ears open.

This thread is very worthwhile and interesting so I am going to :bump:

Maybe we'll get some new posts!

Okay. I'll chime in. My profile says, "no" to the encounter question because I don't quite fee justified to thinking of this event as a maybe. When it occurred, I never even remotely connected it to a possible BF encounter. In fact, the thought of BF never entered my mind until delving into this topic a few weeks ago.

Anyway, back in what would be about fall of 1997 my ex-girlfriend and I went camping for a night on the spur of the moment. I lived about 1 hour north of Atlanta at the base of the North Georgia mountains at the time, so doing a night camping meant only tossing a few things into my old full-sized Ford Bronco and running up the road about 40 or so minutes. I don't recall the exact location, but it would have been near Dahlonega.

I've never been the type that goes to sleep quickly. My mind and imagination have always been active (which always then had me skeptical of my instincts). When we arrived at the site, it was already long after dark and we had already eaten. So we just started a fire and pitched the tent. No one was immediately around our site. We sat up for a bit talking then went to bed. Those not familiar with North Georgia should know the forests are thick with lots of ground cover, thickets and such and thick deciduous mixed with pine. In the fall, the forest floor is ladden with twigs, branches, and dry leaves -- all the things that crunch when stepped on and in the dark of night, it is suprising how far such sounds can travel.

What I expect would have been about midnight, I lay drifting between sleep and wakefullness as my girlfriend slept soundly. Though I've tent camped throughout my childhood and did a stint in the military, I always felt uncomfortable in a tent -- one of those deals when everything can see you and your silhouette (if you have a flashlight on), but you can't see squat. Right as I'm remembering why I don't like tents, I begin to hear crunching sounds. I tell myself to relax, thinking that in the quiet of night, a squirrel on fallen leaves sounds as big as a possum, a possum as big as a hog, a hog as big as a bear. But the sounds get closer and are accompanied by gutteral sounds I cannot even remotely connect to a familar animal. For sure it was not a deer snorting. For sure it was not a pig rooting around. And it did not sound "bear like." The sound was very deep. But what really freaked me out was that as the sound kept getting closer, it at least to me sounded entirely biped and heavy, as if something very big on two legs was picking its way up the low grade hill toward our site.

At this point my imagination is in overdrive and I'm frozen listening. I HATE that feeling of vulnerability. I'm just over 6'3" and then a fairly solid 220 pounds, so I don't typically feel physically threatened, but something about this had me feeling really scared, to the point that I felt foolish. But not foolish enough to just lay there in that tent and not trust my instincts at that exact moment, so I loudly woke my girlfriend up. When I begin rustling the noise receded and the gutteral sounds ended, so by the time my girlfriend was awake enough to pay attention she did not hear anything.

Did not matter to me though. What I felt was too damned creepy. I told her I was going to sleep in the truck. She thought that was silly and we got into a mild argument, ending with me telling her basically that she was welcome to sleep there, but I was getting the &%# out of the tent and into that big truck. She chose to join me!

I have not thought about that event for years and pretty much forgot about it. I sure felt foolish and embarrased that my studly ass was a such a wuss though. Fortunately, my girlfriend never ribbed me about it. But all these years later reading these threads has me wondering what the heck that was. As I related the story to my wife last night it still gave me chills and made my eyes well up with that creepy feeling I had then. I've learned over the years that I can largely trust my feelings of uneasiness and in fact caution people, especially woman, to listen to their "fear" instinct, believing it to be an evolutionary adaptation that warns us on a level before our concious mind can discern the rational reason. And I'm still certain to this day that the sound was biped in nature. But who knows what it was -- certainly not me.

Thanks for listening and sorry for the long-winded post.

-- Coolcryptids

coolcryptids, that was one cool experience! Thanks for sharing.

Probably spent more time writing that then I did thinking about these past 8 years! At the time, afterward all I felt was embarassed and like a coward, so I just did not want to think about it.

...by the way, thanks Laurie!

-CC