1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,100
[Cow mooing]

2
00:00:06,100 --> 00:00:08,920
You can call me Cowl.

3
00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:14,080
I live in Northwest Arkansas and spend most of my free time wandering short sections

4
00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:19,640
of the Ozark Highlands Trail, plus a mess of side tracks that the locals know in the

5
00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,240
maps don't.

6
00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:26,680
I'm not a hunter, I'm not a researcher, and I'm not out here chasing anything except

7
00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:28,400
some piece in quiet.

8
00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:33,360
I've always been the "it's probably a raccoon" kind of guy.

9
00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,440
After the night, though, that I'm about to describe for you, I do still think a raccoon

10
00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:45,160
is a raccoon, but I no longer say "probably" about every sound I hear in the dark.

11
00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:48,920
This happened last fall, last weekend of October.

12
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,640
We'd had a warm snap, and a big win came two days earlier that brought down a carpet

13
00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,080
of leaves.

14
00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,520
My hiking partner was my cousin, Dean.

15
00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:03,160
He and I grew up fishing the buffalo and dragging beater canoes across gravel bars that would

16
00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,080
skin your shins if you slipped.

17
00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:12,200
We both sleep just fine on rocks, and we don't mind playing oatmeal for our breakfast.

18
00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:17,080
We set out late morning from a county road pull-off, aiming at one of those bluff spring

19
00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,440
shelters at the locals call under rocks.

20
00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:25,840
It's an overhang with a little seap that drips year-round down the back wall, and then

21
00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,240
runs in a down cut to a narrow creek.

22
00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:34,680
If you hit it at the right time, the sand under the drip line will show you all the prints

23
00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:41,360
of raccoons, possums, deer, bobcats, anything else, just as clear as can be.

24
00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:45,960
You can see who's been in the neighborhood, or at least who's been ticking a stroll through

25
00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:47,320
there.

26
00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:53,680
By the time we hit the site, the light was a soft yellow, and the air smelled of wet leaves.

27
00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,960
Oak and hickory, mixed with a scratch of cedar.

28
00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:04,360
The overhang runs maybe 30 feet left to right, with a floor of hard-packed dirt, coarse sand

29
00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:10,080
along the drip edge, and a ledge at the back where the water collects into a shallow bowl

30
00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,960
before wicking down through a seam.

31
00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:17,560
You can put three tents under that rock if you set them right, but we don't bring tents

32
00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:18,840
for there.

33
00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:24,320
We string a tarp to keep the drips off of us, and we sleep fine under that.

34
00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:30,360
There wasn't a soul around, just one irritating gray squirrel with a big, chattery mouth who

35
00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,200
kept yelling at me, just like my ex-wife did.

36
00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,520
I walked the site the way my dad taught me.

37
00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:39,680
Scan for Widowmakers.

38
00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:41,200
Check the wind.

39
00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:48,120
Find what might trip you in the darkness, and move it, and always check for broken glass.

40
00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:53,440
I did my usual toast scuff through the damp sand at the drip line, and I saw deer hooves.

41
00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:59,160
A coyote pad was some nail prints, and a raccoon's handprints all over, like a crazy little

42
00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,280
toddler had been at it.

43
00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,720
But there was nothing odd.

44
00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:08,120
We set up on the right side of the overhang where the floor is flat.

45
00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:14,600
Dean hung the bear bag line high off a tulip popular in front, even though you don't normally

46
00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:16,320
see a lot of bear through there.

47
00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,280
It was just habit.

48
00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,920
We keep a tidy camp.

49
00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:23,680
Fire was made at the edge of the overhang floor.

50
00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:28,640
This would reflect light and heat back to the wall behind us.

51
00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:30,600
Suppor was cheap and easy.

52
00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:36,360
Ramen noodles dressed up with some summer sausage coins that we browned in our small skillet.

53
00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:42,240
I know some folks hate cooking smells in the back country, but we were a good mile and a half,

54
00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,880
maybe two miles from anything you might call a trailhead.

55
00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:50,480
When we figured the raccoons already had our number and location, as soon as we clink

56
00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,560
the spoon on the side of the skillet.

57
00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:59,200
So we ate, and we kept the small fire going for quite a while after we were done cooking.

58
00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,840
Putting on dry oak sticks, but no big logs.

59
00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:07,960
And we let our socks steam out while the last of daylight faded.

60
00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:14,400
Night comes in the woods in stages, and you can not only see them, but hear them.

61
00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:19,840
First, you hear the birds trailing off, and then they go silent.

62
00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:24,800
The breeze will die down, and the last squirrel will stop chattering.

63
00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:30,880
Suddenly, your little fire crackling sounds as loud as the creek.

64
00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:35,720
Overhead the rock will keep the dew off, but the bluff catches and holds the sound like

65
00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,320
an echo canyon through there.

66
00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:43,120
You can whisper to each other from twenty feet away, and if you're basing that rock, it

67
00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,440
sounds like you're just across the kitchen table from each other.

68
00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,880
We weren't in the dark more than ten minutes when we heard the first thing that wasn't supposed

69
00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,040
to be part of the normal night sounds.

70
00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:56,040
It was a whistle.

71
00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:01,960
I don't mean the kind you blow, and this wasn't a bird, and it wasn't a person whistling

72
00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,480
with their lips either.

73
00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:10,600
It was two distinct notes, space between them, but soft like someone calling a dog late

74
00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,600
at night, and they didn't want to do it too loudly.

75
00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:19,400
It came from the left of the overhang, from the slope where the laurel and the young beaches

76
00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,840
crowed a heavily used game trail.

77
00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:26,440
Just two notes, then nothing.

78
00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:28,600
Dean and I did the same thing.

79
00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:33,000
We stopped mid-sentence, looked at each other, and listened.

80
00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:37,160
Then we shrugged it off like it must have been some strange bird.

81
00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,000
We went on talking about a coworker of deans.

82
00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,720
I do remember that conversation.

83
00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:48,600
Sometimes we carried whiskey with us in a small flask, but we didn't have any that night,

84
00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:50,160
and I wish we had.

85
00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,640
It just helps to calm you and to ignore all the weird sounds out there.

86
00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:59,520
But instead we made tea in our mugs like a couple of old grandmaws and watched the steam

87
00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,520
from our mugs while we talked.

88
00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:08,200
Maybe ten minutes later there was a single plaque of stone on stone from the same direction.

89
00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,080
Now this sound was very deliberate.

90
00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:15,040
This wasn't some loud, cracking, furious sound.

91
00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:20,600
Dean looked at me and matter of factly said, "River rock, cooling in the creek.

92
00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,200
They crack sometimes."

93
00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:26,320
"On a ridge?" I said.

94
00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,080
He looked at me and said, "Okay, Mr. Science.

95
00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,200
Maybe it was an acorn that fell down and hit a rock."

96
00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,160
Anyway, we let that one go.

97
00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:39,900
The wind came in for just a few seconds, light and easy, just stirring through the oak

98
00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:40,900
leaves.

99
00:06:40,900 --> 00:06:45,640
I said our little pot back on the edge of the coals to warm a second cup.

100
00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:48,520
That's when the tapping started.

101
00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:50,920
Two tapping sounds.

102
00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:55,760
Then they would stop, then two more sounds, and stop again.

103
00:06:55,760 --> 00:07:01,400
The tapping was measured and slow, not frantic, angry, or any kind of a loud, cracking

104
00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:03,080
sound.

105
00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,720
It sounded like rock on rock.

106
00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:11,360
The taps were one thing, but the other thing was how close they were, and they were very

107
00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,160
close.

108
00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:17,480
We looked around to the dark edges that surrounded us, but we couldn't see anything

109
00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,520
through there.

110
00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:25,160
In between taps the firecrackles sounded louder than they were.

111
00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:30,080
After a few rounds of taps, it went eerily silent again.

112
00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,800
I looked at me and whispered, "Raccoon."

113
00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:39,040
And just as softly I replied, "Raccoon doesn't tap like your mom did before she opened your

114
00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,080
door."

115
00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,240
We sat frozen and listened.

116
00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:50,080
I strained to listen in the dark, and I heard something then, soft breathing, not heavy

117
00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:54,600
and not like a panting sound, just easy, normal breathing.

118
00:07:54,600 --> 00:08:02,320
I heard that, and I looked at Dean, because I saw he heard it too, like a tell by his face.

119
00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:04,560
Then the tapping came again.

120
00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:08,200
Two taps, a pause, then two more.

121
00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:11,440
Again, rocks on rocks.

122
00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,200
This time I pinpointed the sound direction better.

123
00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:21,160
I lifted my eyes without moving my head, focusing and looked beyond the pot to the edge of

124
00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:26,400
the firelight where the dark goes out beyond to more darkness.

125
00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:27,640
Something stood there.

126
00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:29,520
I was sure of it.

127
00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:34,800
I had strained to pick out a dark shape there in the darkness, but it was there.

128
00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:40,640
My skin felt as if a thousand ants were marching just under the surface as every hair on me stood

129
00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,880
straight up, or felt like it did.

130
00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,320
I'd say it was about thirty feet out.

131
00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:51,520
All into the darkness, safely away from any light from our fire.

132
00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:56,160
There was no eye shine, but we hadn't turned our headlamps on yet.

133
00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:58,400
But I saw it was there.

134
00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:02,720
Looking in that direction I should have seen the lighter night, showing through behind the

135
00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:04,960
branches of trees.

136
00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:10,640
But instead, there was an inky blackness that was taking shape right in front of me.

137
00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:15,240
If you've ever seen a dark shape in the darkness, you will know exactly what I'm trying

138
00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:17,360
to describe.

139
00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:23,260
I blinked several times just to make sure my eyes were seeing what I thought I was seeing.

140
00:09:23,260 --> 00:09:25,760
But yes, there was a shape there.

141
00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:29,800
I very tall and very large shape.

142
00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:35,240
It came a step closer, and it became one-shade lighter in the darkness.

143
00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:40,200
We didn't move, and it came closer yet again.

144
00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:45,240
I saw the outline taking shape, and it was not a comforting sight.

145
00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:50,160
It came within just a few feet of the fire, then came down to a type of a squat near the

146
00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:51,160
fire.

147
00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,040
I sat frozen in my spot.

148
00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:55,880
I kept blinking my eyes.

149
00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,280
Was this for real?

150
00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:00,440
Am I really seeing a big foot?

151
00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,240
Oh, but it was real, all right.

152
00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:05,200
I glanced over at Dean.

153
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:11,400
He was staring at the shape too, realization of what it was on his face.

154
00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:16,680
Just outside the small fire, I had set the lid from the pot upside down to rest the spoon

155
00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:17,680
on.

156
00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:20,960
I saw one arm come forward.

157
00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,000
It was long and muscular.

158
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,900
The large hand reached out and touched the lid tentatively, like it was checking the

159
00:10:28,900 --> 00:10:30,200
temperature first.

160
00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:33,680
Then it rubbed its fingers on the metal rim.

161
00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:38,800
The lid wobbled, making a light metallic echoing noise on the stone.

162
00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,960
It was close enough to the firelight that I could now make out features of the face as

163
00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:45,960
it was just a few feet from me.

164
00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:47,960
The face was broad and wide.

165
00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:51,560
The eyes set farther apart than seen natural.

166
00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:56,720
The eyes looked dark, solid black marbles with the fire light on them.

167
00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:00,440
The eyes were deep set under a thick brow line.

168
00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:04,080
Seeing that the lips was covered in dark, short hair.

169
00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:08,040
The further out from the center of the face, the longer the fur got.

170
00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:13,880
But the face was short, tight fur, think of a dog's muzzle.

171
00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,720
The eyes in the face had no expression that I could make out.

172
00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:24,480
It was like looking into nothingness, or maybe a statue, but at the same time I knew I was

173
00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,760
looking at an intelligent being.

174
00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:31,200
It was too cautious and careful not to be.

175
00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:37,440
Its fingers were still touching the metal pot lid, but it was still looking directly at me.

176
00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,040
Dean though thought it was looking at him.

177
00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,040
It pulled its hand back.

178
00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,600
It continued to look at us with a blank expression.

179
00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,000
It was a very unsettling feeling.

180
00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:54,280
To be looked at by something that clearly has intelligence of some kind, but shows no

181
00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,920
expression.

182
00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:02,880
It might be planning to kill you, or it might be planning to just walk away, kind of hard

183
00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:04,120
to say.

184
00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,760
I felt Dean's hand grip my jacket sleeve.

185
00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,320
He's a big man, but he was shaking.

186
00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,560
And I'm not saying that to make him small.

187
00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:16,800
I'm saying it so you know, we weren't out there playing with some raccoon and making up

188
00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:18,720
a big story.

189
00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:21,600
Dean is usually as steady as they come.

190
00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:25,560
I remember one time I was standing around and talking to him while he was up under his

191
00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:31,320
truck, changing the oil, and all of a sudden a copper head slid right up under there with

192
00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:32,640
him.

193
00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:39,160
But Dean, he was cool as a cucumber, killed it like it was nothing, but not that night.

194
00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,200
He was not cool as a cucumber at all.

195
00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:46,480
And I really wasn't in much better shape if I'm honest with you.

196
00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:52,080
And the quietest voice I have I said, "We see you."

197
00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,840
The eyes didn't move, but they changed.

198
00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:58,800
They hardened a little in their look.

199
00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:04,360
The eyes changed and it was like a shotgun blast as it stood straight up and walked off

200
00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:06,240
into the darkness.

201
00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:11,960
When it stood up, I had the split second thought that we were about to be torn to bits.

202
00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:14,680
But no, it just walked away.

203
00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:17,800
I looked at Dean and he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

204
00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:21,640
Later he said, "I looked exactly the same way."

205
00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,360
I probably did.

206
00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:28,680
Before we could say anything or process what we had just seen, there came that same two

207
00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,280
note whistle from further left.

208
00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:34,880
And this is the part that bothers me, even now.

209
00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:42,000
There was another soft whistle that came from the right of the overhang, like a reply.

210
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:48,680
The second was higher and shorter in sound, like made by something with a smaller chest.

211
00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:51,320
We still hadn't turned our headlamps on.

212
00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:56,400
I know that sounds counter to reason, but turning those bright lights on up against the rock

213
00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,720
turns it into a wall of light in a way we didn't need.

214
00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,040
It was like turning your brights on in heavy fog.

215
00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,600
It doesn't help you to see any better.

216
00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:11,600
Now, after a few minutes it seemed that was the end of it.

217
00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:16,720
We fed our little fire with a few more sticks that we had piled up, but we knew that wasn't

218
00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:19,120
going to last all night.

219
00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:22,360
We had not gathered enough for an all-night fire.

220
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:23,360
We didn't know.

221
00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,440
We might need one.

222
00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:30,800
Of course, during that time we were whispering back and forth about what had just happened,

223
00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,160
what we had just seen.

224
00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,920
Maybe ten or fifteen minutes went by.

225
00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,600
Then from up on the slope we heard a single wood knock.

226
00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:44,600
And from further down closer to the creek, another knock answered.

227
00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:50,040
We fell silent and listened, both of our eyes searching in the darkness, understanding,

228
00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:53,120
there was more than one of them out there.

229
00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,960
When silence came again, we resumed talking as if we didn't just hear all those sounds

230
00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:04,520
or see what we saw, but we were both listening to the night sounds all around us.

231
00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:09,400
As we were talking, my eyes picked up on the darkening of another shape where the first

232
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,400
had just been.

233
00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:13,600
It came straight on this time.

234
00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:17,720
Not slower hesitatingly as the one had done the first time.

235
00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:22,200
I say it like this because I'm not sure it was the same one.

236
00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:27,160
But the shape came straight to the edge of the fire light right within arms reach.

237
00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:31,880
Well, at least within its arms reach.

238
00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:34,360
And then came the hand again.

239
00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:38,880
It came out from the dark across the light and into it.

240
00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:45,600
A long arm with hair that caught the ember light red-brown, with finger pads wide and pale

241
00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,520
in the glow.

242
00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:52,640
And I saw those fingers reach out to touch the pot lid again.

243
00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,680
This movement was slow and deliberate.

244
00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:00,920
To this day my only guess with why it kept touching the metal is maybe there was nothing

245
00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:02,440
like it in the woods.

246
00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:04,640
I mean there really isn't is there.

247
00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:09,200
Metal is not normal or natural to find in the woods.

248
00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:13,000
It touched that pot lid then it picked it up.

249
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,640
Both arm and pot lid disappeared into the darkness.

250
00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:19,080
Okay, fine I thought.

251
00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:24,600
I can deal with the loss of a pot lid as long as this is the end of things.

252
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,680
But of course it wasn't.

253
00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:31,200
Now some will say we were crazy to not pack up and run right there or even forget packing

254
00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,200
up just run.

255
00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,720
And though doing that at dead night is a good way to break your leg or ankle.

256
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:42,080
And when you're running from something that makes the forest at home and presumably can

257
00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:48,200
see better than you in the darkness it really is not a good idea.

258
00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:49,960
So I watched the hand withdraw.

259
00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:54,120
There was a soft clucking sound from the darkness.

260
00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,000
Were those teeth clicking?

261
00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:57,000
Tongue clicking?

262
00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,640
I didn't know.

263
00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:04,920
And then a dry stick sailed over the fire and landed into the sand between our boots.

264
00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:07,880
This wasn't thrown to scare us or to hit us.

265
00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,800
This kind of throw was soft with no force.

266
00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:14,040
I have no idea what it was meant to be.

267
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:19,560
We heard more of the clucking sounds accompanied by other sounds that are difficult to describe.

268
00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:23,120
So we knew for sure there was more than one of them out there.

269
00:17:23,120 --> 00:17:26,600
And that was the main thing we picked up on.

270
00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:27,600
Dean whispered again.

271
00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:31,840
"I'm not sure we need to stay here tonight."

272
00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:36,960
In truth I did feel the same, but I didn't think heading into the dark was a better idea

273
00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,480
as I have just explained.

274
00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:42,880
For all we knew there could be twenty of them out there.

275
00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:47,880
And maybe the fire was the only thing that was stopping them from advancing.

276
00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:52,920
The minutes after that stretched into weird patterns, teeth and tongue clicks from different

277
00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:58,840
locations, hearing something moving and walking out there in the darkness, back and forth,

278
00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:02,480
like a pattern, like a soldier on guard.

279
00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,780
Twice we heard that two-note whistle, and it was always answered by a higher one from

280
00:18:06,780 --> 00:18:09,040
downhill.

281
00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:15,160
At some point we did turn on the headlamps, but we used our red filter mode and pointed

282
00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:16,760
them low.

283
00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:20,040
We really weren't trying to light up all the darkness out there.

284
00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,600
Let's give us some areas that we knew were clear.

285
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:28,360
And that's when we noticed pebbles lined up over to the left of the fire.

286
00:18:28,360 --> 00:18:30,680
Smooth river stones.

287
00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:36,360
We hadn't seen a smooth stone anywhere near the overhang all afternoon, and we sure hadn't

288
00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:40,080
seen or heard of them to be placed there.

289
00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,960
Around midnight the behavior around us changed.

290
00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:49,760
It wasn't coming close to the fire, but we heard heavy footfalls all around us.

291
00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,400
We tried with the red light to find them, but we never did.

292
00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:59,440
From above us on the overhang along the rim there was now the crunch of leaves and slow

293
00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:01,800
steady footsteps.

294
00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:06,920
It paralleled the lip of the rock as we sat under it, and twice it stopped directly right

295
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:09,040
over our heads.

296
00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:16,160
We heard a small, snicking sound, like a toenail nudging a rock, in very low, open mouth,

297
00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,720
exhale breathing from right above us.

298
00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:25,880
After maybe a minute it finally moved on, and when it did the smaller whistle came from

299
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,080
the right very close.

300
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:33,240
Dean said under his breath, "Okay, I don't like this man.

301
00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,400
This is officially weird.

302
00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:39,000
I agreed, but I didn't say it out loud."

303
00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:43,600
For several more minutes there were teeth and tongue clicks all around the shuffling and

304
00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:48,680
crunching of leaves, and the sound of branches moving, and there were a few more small limbs

305
00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:52,560
thrown into our space, which we were quite happy for.

306
00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:56,360
We broke them up and added them to our fire.

307
00:19:56,360 --> 00:20:01,560
We waited more than a half an hour, and together we carefully ventured just far enough outside

308
00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:05,440
the area to grab some more fuel for the fire.

309
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:10,600
Normally we never cut from trees, but we were desperate, and we weren't going to go far

310
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:15,920
from the overhang, so we cut several branches nearby, and we got enough to keep us hopefully

311
00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,320
till dawn if we were careful.

312
00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:22,440
The fire wouldn't be big, but we didn't want to be without it.

313
00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:27,440
Now, despite saying there's no way he could sleep that night, Dean was snoring soundly by

314
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,160
2 a.m.

315
00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:34,120
I know I dozed lightly a couple of times, at least, but according to my watch they didn't

316
00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:35,880
total an hour together.

317
00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:41,760
Once the fire popped more loudly than the other times, and it woke me up fast.

318
00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:45,600
I was thinking I heard someone step on something out there in the darkness.

319
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,960
Something coming close, but it was just the fire.

320
00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,880
When morning did come, I was awake.

321
00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:56,160
And here's the thing I discovered sitting there for hours like that.

322
00:20:56,160 --> 00:21:01,200
I was thinking a lot, and I realized I wasn't terrified or scared out of my mind during

323
00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:02,200
the night.

324
00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,400
I think unsettled is a better word.

325
00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:11,440
And before dawn, that unsettled feeling had turned to more of a dose of curiosity.

326
00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:16,600
Now when Dean woke up, we didn't talk too much about him falling asleep.

327
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:21,720
I know from experience that was a grace that he would and has extended to me before, even

328
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,800
when I swore I would stay up and keep watch.

329
00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:30,280
We stretched, we made coffee and oatmeal in the pot that now had no lid.

330
00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,760
Down at the drip line I did my usual toast-cuff, and then I knelt with my headlamp to look

331
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:36,560
at the sand.

332
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:41,360
Four impressions in a row led from the left side of the overhang across the wet sand.

333
00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:43,360
Then back into leaf litter.

334
00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:49,420
Not a full foot, just four foot and toes pressed where the ground was softest.

335
00:21:49,420 --> 00:21:50,840
It was wide.

336
00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,280
The big toes stood off just a touch from the rest.

337
00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:58,960
You could see where the water had pooled in the print overnight, and then wicked back.

338
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,200
The edges were crisp as cut from fresh clay.

339
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:06,920
I put my steel water bottle down beside just to eyeball the length.

340
00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,440
The bottle is nine inches tall.

341
00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:14,160
The impression was longer than the bottle by a hand width, so I'm calling that about 16

342
00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,000
inches, maybe a tad more.

343
00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:18,840
And it was wide.

344
00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:23,280
Next to it my boot looked downright dainty, like my three-year-old daughter's boot, when

345
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:26,240
she would line it up next to mine.

346
00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:30,080
I've seen human barefoot prints in sand my whole life.

347
00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:34,600
You know how human toes lay, but these weren't like that.

348
00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:38,640
The little toes there, they weren't curled, and they weren't narrow.

349
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:42,040
But I looked for a long time, and then I looked again.

350
00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:47,280
Then I stood up and I knew what I thought all night was dead on correct, no doubt about

351
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:48,360
it.

352
00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:51,240
We had been visited by Bigfoot.

353
00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:58,040
Actually several of them, though I only saw clear prints of one here, but that was enough.

354
00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,120
We broke camp slowly and carefully.

355
00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:04,800
We didn't talk much, and we minimized our noise.

356
00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,000
What was there really to say?

357
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,760
And that morning it felt wrong to talk with the force all around us so quiet, like we

358
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,120
were just calling attention to ourselves.

359
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:20,000
When we packed up, we left the smooth pebbles right where they had put them.

360
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:24,040
I didn't want to assume they were a gift for us to take.

361
00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:29,200
Maybe there were symbols of boundaries that were telling us, "Don't cross these at night."

362
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,480
Who knows what's in the mind of a Bigfoot?

363
00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:37,200
Wiking out we had the sense that somebody was following us at a distance.

364
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,920
Of course it could have just been some paranoia.

365
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,800
Who wouldn't have been after the night we'd had?

366
00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,360
But the feeling stayed right with us.

367
00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:49,560
And then we heard things that reinforced the idea.

368
00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,880
Once we heard some leaf crush off to our left.

369
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:57,840
And then the same on our right, like we had a flanking escort.

370
00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:02,360
It stayed with us all the way to the point where the slope pinches down to the creek

371
00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:05,880
and the trail there crosses a skinny log.

372
00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,200
Right at that spot we heard a heavy footfall.

373
00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:10,880
It's just one step.

374
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,480
And there was a single solid knock from way up slope.

375
00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:15,760
That was it.

376
00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:20,920
We crossed the log and the feeling of being watched and escorted completely left and the

377
00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:25,040
woods returned to squirrels and birds making all the noise.

378
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:28,080
I've gone back there twice since then.

379
00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:33,040
That's just two weeks later with a cheap trail camera that I strapped low to a sapling

380
00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:35,520
that looks down the under rock.

381
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:43,200
I got 57 frames of my own rear end moving around and one blurred night time shot of something.

382
00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:45,200
I don't know what.

383
00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,200
The rest of the night?

384
00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:48,200
Nothing.

385
00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,480
In the morning I found the camera had been tilted to look straight down at the ground.

386
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:53,960
Now that could have been a raccoon.

387
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:57,360
Could have been me not tightening the strap enough.

388
00:24:57,360 --> 00:25:03,240
The second time in January after a fresh snow I found big melt ovals under the drip line

389
00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:08,680
where something had stood there a long time and warmed the ground up enough to melt snow.

390
00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:10,880
There were no prints.

391
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:17,240
Just oval hollows and a single neat stick triangle leaned against a rock at the edge of the

392
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:18,240
site.

393
00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:23,240
When I told my wife she said I was just making symbols up and reading things out of kids

394
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,640
and teenagers doing weird things in the wood.

395
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,400
Maybe I am.

396
00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:31,240
But I did not move the triangle.

397
00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,400
I'm going to finish it this way.

398
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:41,160
That night I saw the face in the fire light clear and defined well as much as anything

399
00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:43,200
is in the fire light.

400
00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:44,680
And I saw the body.

401
00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:45,680
It's shaped.

402
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:51,880
It's outlined in its height which I guess to be in the eight-foot tall range.

403
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:57,200
I saw defined fingers with an opposable thumb take our pot lid.

404
00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,960
Though why I really can't guess.

405
00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:02,120
And those were some big fingers.

406
00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:04,680
Big, meaty fingers.

407
00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:07,480
Not little raccoon paws.

408
00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,640
I heard sounds that I still struggle to describe.

409
00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:15,320
And to this day I can find nothing like them anywhere on the internet.

410
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,400
And I had been looking and searching.

411
00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:22,680
I knew that night that I smelled something that I can only call wild.

412
00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:27,960
I know I found two impressions in wet sand under a drip line where deer and raccoon are

413
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,560
the more common visitors.

414
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:37,360
All the rest would be passed off by me if I hadn't seen the face and the arm and the hand

415
00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:39,400
and the fingers.

416
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:43,760
It makes me think of dozens of other nights out in the woods where I've had all kinds

417
00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:48,400
of weird things happen or I heard things that I didn't know what it was.

418
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:49,720
And what did I do?

419
00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:52,520
I would always just shrug it all off.

420
00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:57,760
I wonder how many more times has a big-foot crep close to my campsite.

421
00:26:57,760 --> 00:26:59,280
And I shrugged it off.

422
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:03,080
Now if you don't believe me, I'm okay.

423
00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,920
If you do believe me, I'm okay.

424
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:10,000
I'm not trying to sell a book or get on TV or any of that.

425
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:16,160
In fact, I would avoid either of those things if offered, but I do feel the need to tell

426
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:18,680
my story somehow.

427
00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:23,400
This was the only way that I feel I can do so without drawing attention directly to me

428
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,680
or my family.

429
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:31,400
If you do read this on your channel, please tell folks to be mindful when they're out there.

430
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:36,240
You don't have to be terrified of these creatures necessarily, but don't be disrespectful

431
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,040
either.

432
00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:42,200
Stop and behave as you would in heavy-bear territory.

433
00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:44,200
Be smart about your food storage.

434
00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:47,160
And don't shoot things blindly in the darkness.

435
00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,960
And don't provoke anything that wanders near if you can help it.

436
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:55,080
There are a lot of people out there who claim to know everything there is to know about

437
00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:58,640
these creatures, and they tell us all about their personality.

438
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,920
Well, I know we don't know anything.

439
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,000
Don't assume they are friendly.

440
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,200
Don't assume they are violent.

441
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:12,120
Don't assume anything because science has not proven anything.

442
00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:15,520
If you do encounter one, watch them carefully.

443
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,600
Be aware if there are others.

444
00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:21,760
Keep distance if you can and react accordingly.

445
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,880
The distance is the crucial thing.

446
00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:29,240
I don't claim to know everything about these creatures either, but I've looked into a big

447
00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:30,240
foot space.

448
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:35,680
I've seen his eyes and the cold intelligence that's there.

449
00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,000
They could have been thinking of anything at all.

450
00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:42,520
How to best pull me apart, chew on me like a big old chicken leg, or it might have been

451
00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:45,480
thinking of nothing at all.

452
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:51,080
We don't know, and I'm not convinced that I do want to know.

453
00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:52,960
You can call me Cal.

454
00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:55,760
I won't say exactly where this bluff is.

455
00:28:55,760 --> 00:29:00,640
The locals here already know, and the rest of you, well, maybe you'll figure it out from

456
00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,520
a map, but I hope not.

457
00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:05,360
I do still camp there.

458
00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:10,040
I leave the place cleaner than we found it as we always do, and the cup is still there

459
00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:11,560
at the seap.

460
00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:17,360
And many, many times I've found lines or stacks of smooth stones along the trail there,

461
00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,680
and definitely at the overhang.

462
00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:22,240
I don't disturb them though.

463
00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:26,960
If I see a pile and it looks like it's been knocked down, I do try to rebuild it.

464
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:31,680
Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but my heart is in the right place, I guess you could say.

465
00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:35,320
And I always make sure to gather more wood for the fire than I think I'm going to need

466
00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:36,320
that night.

467
00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,800
I suggest you do the same.

468
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:41,880
Signed Cal from Arkansas.

469
00:29:41,880 --> 00:30:00,080
[ Silence ]