We turned off the main highway onto the forest road. Travis drove slowly, we had not been in here for a couple years and much had changed. The forest was thicker and the underbrush was taller the old forest road was bumpier. Gravel pinged under the truck as we drove along. About a mile down the road Travis pulled up and stopped and pointed to the left. He said that’s where the old homestead was, you couldn’t see anything but tall undergrowth and the trees that had once been small were now 8 to 10 feet tall. The little homestead and corral had been totally concealed and Travis said, it would take us a couple of hours to bushwhack down the old trail to get there.
We had hunted out of that corral many times bagging deer and hogs. Plus it had been a good place to set up our audio equipment for sounds Travis just shook his head and drove on. Then said no bushwhacking today Pop not enough daylight left. I wasn’t too disappointed, though I really doubt I had two hours of steady bushwhacking in my whole body anyway, no I think I’ll leave that for Brandon and Travis to do.
Well, the little forest road had a few new washouts but they weren’t to bad. And so we bumped along until we came to the first hunters camp and we stopped in there and had a look around.
This hunters camp was probably as large as 4 acres, and this is where our friend Tim Sermons and his crew of researchers had had their sighting just a few days before. I was excited for them. But not just for the sighting, but because seven researchers were able to have the same experience at the same time, and I believe that that is a bit historic, I don’t believe that has ever happened before. I brought Tim onto my radio show the big thicket watch, and now this Thursday, December 5 at 8 PM we will have some of those researchers on to give us their personal experiences and tell us what they saw that night.
I believe that this will be a good and informative show.
Well Travis and I bumped out of the first hunters camp and made our way to the last one which was our destination. We scouted a bit up and down the trails and as it began to get dark we broke out our audio equipment and found a good spot about 150 yards away and set our recorder in a tree. Then we walked back to the truck and hunkered down to listen to the night sounds and what ever it may bring. After a couple of hours just listening. We were suddenly rewarded with the sounds of limbs being broken out of trees. It was so loud we could hear them crystal-clear and we were amazed that this went on for several hours. And we also recorded several low suspicious whoops and chatters I can tell you it was very exciting.
Soon Tim pulled into the campground which was deserted, but for us. After greetings all around Tim broke out his thermal and him and Travis begin to monitor it and I leaned back against the truck. Closing my eyes I listened for the big man and for the forest to return to its normal business, but it was about an hour before everything returned to normal. Tim and Travis begin to get hits on the thermal and I went over to have a look, sure enough there were heat signatures moving through the trees and brush it was not something substantial, but it was there and it was moving. Travis is very excited about this type of technology, especially since we do a lot of our work at night. In the wintertime.
Suddenly not too far away and totally unexpected. There was a loud scream with a whoop that followed the end of it. We all stood very quiet listening to the night and digesting this one event Tim decided to answer and after several long minutes was rewarded with an answer back. This went on back and forth first a creature and then Tim as if they were having a conversation then it would all stop for a little while and when it picked back up the creature was closer and on they went again Tim put out his recorder and I believe the creature had moved up within a couple hundred yards from us. With the limbs breaking and now, creatures, talking back and forth. The night had become full of energy and we were all very excited from the outcome this night had brought us. I am sure the creature knew that we were the hairless ones, but still he came closer and spoke with us. I have often wondered what these creatures think of us invading their territory and tring to talk to them, I’m sure. We are as alien to them as they are to us and as mysterious as well. Our machines fly overhead bring with them great noise, and our cars and trucks and RVs rumble down the Park roads occasionally one of the creatures may throw a rock out and you hear hit the bed of your truck. What is he trying to tell us our perhaps is it just a game. I’m sure they love to see our reaction as a rock flies in to our camps and rolls up to our feet. We try to take it with a grain of salt, but for most campers who are not, used to this phenomenon as we are. I’m quite sure it’s a comical reaction to them. Perhaps that’s why they do it, but we really don’t know their mind, but I’m sure they know us as the creatures that cut down whole forests and leave nothing but emptiness behind.
This night had been very exciting to us because they spoke to us and they let us hear all their night endeavors as humans we call this world ours, but I believe we really are the trespassers. The forest is there world they live with it, and it provides for them. All they need.
Until next time the hermit.
sasquatchmountain 