While on a hike down a mountain trail in Shenandoah Mountains off Skyline
Drive in Virginia, I was following a small brook that according to the park
ranger would lead me to a waterfall at the bottom end. There I would make
camp for the night. About 1:00 am I heard this noise that scared the hell
out of me. Large rocks where being thrown from what seemed to be 200-300
feet away up the trail. My only exit strategy was to go through the same
path and that wasn't going to happen. Not at night and not on the same turf
as whatever was making that noise. I heard heavy footprints that came to
what I would say 100 feet from my location when I fired off a round from a
357 magnum aimed into the ground. What ever it was took off. I still didn't
go back into the tent that night .I spent the night leaned up against a
tree, covered up with a blanket with no fire.
The next morning I quickly made my get-away, I was so scared I left my tent
with only my food and water. At one point I believe I got a good look at my
intruder the night before. Understand there was a good 4-hour hike to the
car at this point. Two ridge peaks surrounded my exit path just as they did
at my venture down the hill. Halfway up the mountain I heard the same noises
I heard hours earlier. To my left lies the rising sun coming over a ridge
peak that was maybe 80 feet away.
Upon looking up I caught a clear view of halve a body standing over the edge
of the peak with the morning sun behind it. It was at that point I heard the
scream that has haunted me until this day. It sounded like a baby screaming
then turned into the deepest full winded howl I've ever heard. Right now,
just talking about it stands the hair up on my neck. I emptied every round
of the gun in the general direction of whatever it was and then it
disappeared. I ran as fast as I could, loading my gun at a full sprint up
hill cattycorner to the intruder. When I reached my car I almost started
crying. I really got the hell scared out of me. I told the ranger at the
gate where I-64 runs into the Blue Ridge Parkway and he insisted me wait for
a Ranger to get there and take over for him and show him the site to where
it all took place.
I did stay and let him follow me to the trail I had been on. When we did get
he had this look on his face and said this part of the skyline was supposed
to be closed down for the coming snow but the ranger who gave me a tip on a
cool campsite sure didn't say anything. I think at this point he was
basically saying that they were going to close it down to investigate. But
on the other hand use the up coming bad weather for an excuse.
Additional correspondence:
Thank you for replying to my letter. Let me clear up some information on my
report. I will try to add a map on my attachments to your mail. It was
October 02, 1998. No snow on ground and not very cold for the month of October in Shenandoah,
Virginia. The Blue Ridge Parkway, I-64 runs into Skyline Drive. I came from Norfolk
if you want to trace my steps to the mountains. When I-64 met the Skyline Drive I took a
right onto Skyline Drive in Shenandoah, followed it to a point between Red Gate Road and a
mountain named Hawksbill.
These two areas are about 5 miles apart. I parked the car at the recommended
area by the park ranger. Then hiked down to the area, about 2.3 miles into
the forest when the first incident occurred. It was after that, that the
hike was finished down the mountain. That night there was a disturbing
incident. It was on the way back up the trail (which took several hours to
do because of the steep incline and rugged terrain) that the second
encounter happened. And yes I am very sure I hit the creature. He was very
close, too close, at a 40-degree angle from my position. I have been a
marksman for sometime. I have been in televised sharp-shooter finals and
have served as range-master on two separate occasions my house is full of
sharp-shooting trophies, so I can honestly say that there is a very good
chance I hit him. I may have had the crap scared out of me but my hand never
shakes when I hold a weapon. I did run and reload at the same time. I ran
like a bat out of hell.
But due to the size of what I believe was a bigfoot there was no way I would
have gone up to check the kill, unless I had at least a Remington .700 mag
on my shoulder. It was the first time in my life I knew a round from a .357
would not take down the creature that I was shooting at.
Please respond back perhaps we can talk on landline next time. (757)
399 -xxxx. I will not be home until 7:00 pm Eastern, Tuesday through
Friday. I'm off Saturday, Sunday and Mondays.
Robert Williams, tcwilliamsr@xxxx.com
Report logged by Bobbie Short, Summer 1999.
