2011 North Carolina
A good friend an myself went camping overnight in the Uwharrie (you R eee) mountains, in south central NC.
We drove back in about 2 miles into the forest, via the dirt access road, to our favorite camping spot.
This was mid week, in the fall, approximately very late October, very early November.
I know this because we wanted to go before gun season for deer started (including black powder season), as it can get crowded during that time.
The time we chose, was late bow season, mid week.
We were the only vehicle or people we had seen since we arrived at around 1pm.
We passed no one going in, observed no tents or otherwise occupied camp sites.
We observed no recently occupied camp sites for that matter.
The place was a ghost town, just as we had planned.
Our main reason for this trip was, quite frankly, to blow off steam from work. This would entail alcohol and our fair share of it. I want to say that right now and be honest about it.
Having said that, neither one of us were children, both being in our late 40s at the time of this incident.
Our times of drunken teen mischief and tomfoolery were long behind both of us.
We were going to sleep in my friends Suburban.
No frills camping, just a fire, some chairs, a cooler and a kerosene type railroad lantern.
After unloading what little gear we had, and rounding up some wood for the evening, we decided to set up some impromptu target shooting, as the woods were so vacant.
(at this time, the nearby outdoor range was closed).
We had brought along some handguns, just for informal shooting such as this. Not so much for protection I'll add.
Both of us have had been there before, and neither of us are scared of much in our woods.
We've hunted, fished, panned, rock-hounded, camped, etc., all over our area, and we had both been doing it since we were little kids.
I suppose my comment of no "tomfoolery" earlier may seem a bit suspect now, but we did shoot our guns.
We didn't go crazy "Rambo" style, but we shot several cylinders through each gun, and there were at least 4 guns there. .357s and .44s.
I hunt deer with a .44, so I was legitimately wanting to make sure my guns were "still on", and I felt confident with them still.
As one can assume, these guns bark quite loudly.
So loudly, that I was starting to re-think shooting them.
It was always a grey area in my mind if you can target shoot out there, I know you can hunt, but target shooting (not at the range) was tough to find a solid answer to.
My gut told me probably a couple shots, maybe, but no hellraising. So after a cylinder 2 or so per gun we stopped, and focused back on our primary goal.
By this time it was getting pretty dark in the woods anyways. We ramped up the fire, and started on our meal of brats.
Fast forward now.
We had already eaten, drank a good measure, laughing, discussing work in heated fashion, etc.
Again, no "carrying on" as such, just fellowship with plenty of beer.
After several hours, probably honestly only about 10pm or so if that (gets dark early as I said), the fire had all but vanished, except for a few tiny flickering blue flames over a red bed of coals.
I had hung the kerosene lantern behind me on a tree, on a large nail supplied by some previous attendee.
This was turned down basically to the smallest glow.
Basically like a candle.
Just barely enough faint light to see around the back of the vehicle.
It wasn't cold really, maybe mid 40s. Typical southern fall night.
Both my friend and I were silent by this time, not asleep, but I suppose just reflecting, enjoying the quiet glow of the coals.
Sitting there, staring at nothing, honestly thinking of nothing, both on a static channel basically, I heard something.
In the distance, I head rustling, or more appropriately, crushing of leaves.
The leaf litter at this time was legendary. It was so bad, deep I mean, you were constantly at peril of twisting an ankle in a root hole, or other obstruction.
As a matter of fact, both of us had already wiped out or nearly so at least once.
There has since been a burn in this area, but at that time, I don't know how long it had been since any fire control had been implemented.
At any rate, I sat there listening to this sound getting closer.
It was coming up a draw, towards our direction.
We were sort of on a middle step of hills, and this draw/gully was between us and the taller of three hills.
It was a pretty pronounced gully.
Behind us, was the smaller hill, although, it is probably better described as a gradual slope.
Again I'm listening to this crunch from this gully.
It is getting louder, ie. closer.
I'm not scared, more confused.
As I said, the leaf litter was like walking on Pringles. When we would walk to our latrine for example, the crunching was deafening to the point of being comical.
As I am sitting there listening to this, there is no doubt this is a biped walking up towards us.
I mean there is pure intent, "crunch" "crunch" "crunch" coming towards us.
The footfalls, as such, were on a slow, steady 4/4 time, if you understand that.
1, 2, 3, 4, "crunch", "crunch", "crunch", "crunch".
Maybe 1/2 second between steps.
I'm listening to this, and I notice my friend is looking over their left shoulder at that same direction.
(I'm looking straight ahead).
This is 100% pure biped. That is 100%. No other animal sounds like a biped like that, for that long, but us.
A 4 leged animal CAN sound like a biped for awhile, but every so many steps, they will double step. They can't help it, 'cause they've got 4 legs. Gonna happen.
At this point, I realize I have a revolver in a holster draped over my chair beside me.
The thought of arming myself never enters my mind.
I'm suddenly washed with the realization, that I've been shooting this gun, and also drinking, and here is a gamewarden who obviously heard us and now I'm gonna loose a $1000 hunting rig.
THIS is what I'm thinking about.
Not monsters.
However unlikely the "gamewarden" scenario may sound, I know at one time we had some crooked types who would take guns from people in cases like this.
Again, I suppose one could say THIS was the alcohol talking.
Why stomp 100yards up into someones camp, who obviously is armed, making T-total tons of noise that a dead man could hear, when all you had to do is sneak up the gravel road on foot, and slip in behind our vehicle?
My mind is totally flushing out any alcohol it had absorbed at this point.
There was line from an old cowboy movie, about how to sober a drunk up.
The comedic relief offered "nothin like a pack of howlin' injun's to sober a man up", or something of the like.
Forgive the slander, but it is true.
Fear works.
In my case it was my $1000 hunting rig and possible $$ fines though, not monsters.
By now the "biped" is right on us. within 25yards anyway (judging on our latrine distance).
And it stops.
Totally quiet.
Seconds seem like minutes as my friend and I just sit there looking off into the darkness.
There is no sound, no breathing, no smells, no illumination, nothing.
I'm expecting a Maglite beam to burn my pupils out any moment.
The little flicker of the lantern behind me does zero to help.
I do have a flashlight myself, a decent one actually, but it is on the cooler/table, just out of arms reach.
We continue to sit there, our heads totally staring at the place, a couple trees actually, where the "noise" stopped.
At this time, the "biped" made a sound, proving it was indeed still there.
It went "BAaahhhh".
Imagine a scoff "Baaahhhhh". Like Scrooge would've made.
This was no deer, bear, dog, goose, zebra, squid, moth.
I've deer hunted for decades, and have had herds around my stand for long intervals, observing their noises and communications.
NOT a deer noise, just like the footfalls were NOT a deer.
I'll admit, I'm no zoologist, but his was an animal noise I have never heard from anything other than human vocal chords.
After this "baaahhh" scoffing noise, that wasn't a scream or yell, just I suppose, a human level, the "biped" returned the way it had come.
Crunching away, in a steady cadence, back down the draw, through the way of most resistence and maximum noise.
My friend and I sat there for a few minutes longer, and my friend said with an eyebrow raised "buck?".
I just shrugged.
I suppose one could say that was alcohol too.
We retired shortly after this, no other noises were heard.
No smells, no nothing.
Both of us knowing full well, that wasn't a buck.
I laugh thinking, this "entity" walked up on our camp site, stopped, and stared at these two humans who didn't flinch, move, wink, blink, etc.
Just sat there totally emotionless and blank eyed staring.
"wow, these are some freakin old school cold dudes" it probably thought. HAH!
We left the next morning, and never said a word more about it. Picked up our trash, etc. rustling around the camp.
This is when I realized 2 things.
1) When we two bipeds walked around through the leaf litter, we "sloshed" through the leaves.
I'm 6'3 and I "sloshed" when I walked. Like someone making a "SHUSHSUSHSUSH" sound constantly.
NOT an individual "crunch crunch crunch" sound AT ALL.
Didn't put that together the previous evening.
2) When sitting down, and lookin gat the sound of the "bahhhh". It was clear it was 6-7ft off the ground at least, as the hill rolled down towards the draw/gulley. I drew a line with my eyes, and again, it was well above any deers head.
When we left shortly, there was still no one anywhere around any camp site.
No one came in that night by road either.
That gravel road is a pure washboard, and you can hear a vehicle many minutes before you see it.
Nobody came in.
My take away from this is basically confusion.
I had NEVER heard of any creature in the Uwharries.
I do know, I had a lame encounter with something that walks on 2 legs, with a leg length that allowed it to step over the leaf litter depth.
(you would tire very quickly trying to walk that way on purpose, I tried).
It walked with purpose, with out the aid of a flashlight, through the most difficult path.
It left the same way.
It had plenty of chance to disturb us further, but didn't.
I will add one last bit.
I had stuck a machete into a tree at our camp.
When we returned home, and I was unpacking my gear, it wasn't there.
I had thought my friend had gotten it, but did not.
There is zero chance I wouldn't have seen it.
Even if it had fallen on the ground, as that tree's base was dirt.
Have no idea what happened to that machete.
I have thought about this, and a few other things that have happened over the years I've hunted, and honestly, am having to rethink my earlier thoughts of a bigfoot type creature living in NC.
I had always thought, "Maybe Alaska or B.C".
Now? I'm not so sure there isn't something in the south too.
Thanks for the post,
D
A good friend an myself went camping overnight in the Uwharrie (you R eee) mountains, in south central NC.
We drove back in about 2 miles into the forest, via the dirt access road, to our favorite camping spot.
This was mid week, in the fall, approximately very late October, very early November.
I know this because we wanted to go before gun season for deer started (including black powder season), as it can get crowded during that time.
The time we chose, was late bow season, mid week.
We were the only vehicle or people we had seen since we arrived at around 1pm.
We passed no one going in, observed no tents or otherwise occupied camp sites.
We observed no recently occupied camp sites for that matter.
The place was a ghost town, just as we had planned.
Our main reason for this trip was, quite frankly, to blow off steam from work. This would entail alcohol and our fair share of it. I want to say that right now and be honest about it.
Having said that, neither one of us were children, both being in our late 40s at the time of this incident.
Our times of drunken teen mischief and tomfoolery were long behind both of us.
We were going to sleep in my friends Suburban.
No frills camping, just a fire, some chairs, a cooler and a kerosene type railroad lantern.
After unloading what little gear we had, and rounding up some wood for the evening, we decided to set up some impromptu target shooting, as the woods were so vacant.
(at this time, the nearby outdoor range was closed).
We had brought along some handguns, just for informal shooting such as this. Not so much for protection I'll add.
Both of us have had been there before, and neither of us are scared of much in our woods.
We've hunted, fished, panned, rock-hounded, camped, etc., all over our area, and we had both been doing it since we were little kids.
I suppose my comment of no "tomfoolery" earlier may seem a bit suspect now, but we did shoot our guns.
We didn't go crazy "Rambo" style, but we shot several cylinders through each gun, and there were at least 4 guns there. .357s and .44s.
I hunt deer with a .44, so I was legitimately wanting to make sure my guns were "still on", and I felt confident with them still.
As one can assume, these guns bark quite loudly.
So loudly, that I was starting to re-think shooting them.
It was always a grey area in my mind if you can target shoot out there, I know you can hunt, but target shooting (not at the range) was tough to find a solid answer to.
My gut told me probably a couple shots, maybe, but no hellraising. So after a cylinder 2 or so per gun we stopped, and focused back on our primary goal.
By this time it was getting pretty dark in the woods anyways. We ramped up the fire, and started on our meal of brats.
Fast forward now.
We had already eaten, drank a good measure, laughing, discussing work in heated fashion, etc.
Again, no "carrying on" as such, just fellowship with plenty of beer.
After several hours, probably honestly only about 10pm or so if that (gets dark early as I said), the fire had all but vanished, except for a few tiny flickering blue flames over a red bed of coals.
I had hung the kerosene lantern behind me on a tree, on a large nail supplied by some previous attendee.
This was turned down basically to the smallest glow.
Basically like a candle.
Just barely enough faint light to see around the back of the vehicle.
It wasn't cold really, maybe mid 40s. Typical southern fall night.
Both my friend and I were silent by this time, not asleep, but I suppose just reflecting, enjoying the quiet glow of the coals.
Sitting there, staring at nothing, honestly thinking of nothing, both on a static channel basically, I heard something.
In the distance, I head rustling, or more appropriately, crushing of leaves.
The leaf litter at this time was legendary. It was so bad, deep I mean, you were constantly at peril of twisting an ankle in a root hole, or other obstruction.
As a matter of fact, both of us had already wiped out or nearly so at least once.
There has since been a burn in this area, but at that time, I don't know how long it had been since any fire control had been implemented.
At any rate, I sat there listening to this sound getting closer.
It was coming up a draw, towards our direction.
We were sort of on a middle step of hills, and this draw/gully was between us and the taller of three hills.
It was a pretty pronounced gully.
Behind us, was the smaller hill, although, it is probably better described as a gradual slope.
Again I'm listening to this crunch from this gully.
It is getting louder, ie. closer.
I'm not scared, more confused.
As I said, the leaf litter was like walking on Pringles. When we would walk to our latrine for example, the crunching was deafening to the point of being comical.
As I am sitting there listening to this, there is no doubt this is a biped walking up towards us.
I mean there is pure intent, "crunch" "crunch" "crunch" coming towards us.
The footfalls, as such, were on a slow, steady 4/4 time, if you understand that.
1, 2, 3, 4, "crunch", "crunch", "crunch", "crunch".
Maybe 1/2 second between steps.
I'm listening to this, and I notice my friend is looking over their left shoulder at that same direction.
(I'm looking straight ahead).
This is 100% pure biped. That is 100%. No other animal sounds like a biped like that, for that long, but us.
A 4 leged animal CAN sound like a biped for awhile, but every so many steps, they will double step. They can't help it, 'cause they've got 4 legs. Gonna happen.
At this point, I realize I have a revolver in a holster draped over my chair beside me.
The thought of arming myself never enters my mind.
I'm suddenly washed with the realization, that I've been shooting this gun, and also drinking, and here is a gamewarden who obviously heard us and now I'm gonna loose a $1000 hunting rig.
THIS is what I'm thinking about.
Not monsters.
However unlikely the "gamewarden" scenario may sound, I know at one time we had some crooked types who would take guns from people in cases like this.
Again, I suppose one could say THIS was the alcohol talking.
Why stomp 100yards up into someones camp, who obviously is armed, making T-total tons of noise that a dead man could hear, when all you had to do is sneak up the gravel road on foot, and slip in behind our vehicle?
My mind is totally flushing out any alcohol it had absorbed at this point.
There was line from an old cowboy movie, about how to sober a drunk up.
The comedic relief offered "nothin like a pack of howlin' injun's to sober a man up", or something of the like.
Forgive the slander, but it is true.
Fear works.
In my case it was my $1000 hunting rig and possible $$ fines though, not monsters.
By now the "biped" is right on us. within 25yards anyway (judging on our latrine distance).
And it stops.
Totally quiet.
Seconds seem like minutes as my friend and I just sit there looking off into the darkness.
There is no sound, no breathing, no smells, no illumination, nothing.
I'm expecting a Maglite beam to burn my pupils out any moment.
The little flicker of the lantern behind me does zero to help.
I do have a flashlight myself, a decent one actually, but it is on the cooler/table, just out of arms reach.
We continue to sit there, our heads totally staring at the place, a couple trees actually, where the "noise" stopped.
At this time, the "biped" made a sound, proving it was indeed still there.
It went "BAaahhhh".
Imagine a scoff "Baaahhhhh". Like Scrooge would've made.
This was no deer, bear, dog, goose, zebra, squid, moth.
I've deer hunted for decades, and have had herds around my stand for long intervals, observing their noises and communications.
NOT a deer noise, just like the footfalls were NOT a deer.
I'll admit, I'm no zoologist, but his was an animal noise I have never heard from anything other than human vocal chords.
After this "baaahhh" scoffing noise, that wasn't a scream or yell, just I suppose, a human level, the "biped" returned the way it had come.
Crunching away, in a steady cadence, back down the draw, through the way of most resistence and maximum noise.
My friend and I sat there for a few minutes longer, and my friend said with an eyebrow raised "buck?".
I just shrugged.
I suppose one could say that was alcohol too.
We retired shortly after this, no other noises were heard.
No smells, no nothing.
Both of us knowing full well, that wasn't a buck.
I laugh thinking, this "entity" walked up on our camp site, stopped, and stared at these two humans who didn't flinch, move, wink, blink, etc.
Just sat there totally emotionless and blank eyed staring.
"wow, these are some freakin old school cold dudes" it probably thought. HAH!
We left the next morning, and never said a word more about it. Picked up our trash, etc. rustling around the camp.
This is when I realized 2 things.
1) When we two bipeds walked around through the leaf litter, we "sloshed" through the leaves.
I'm 6'3 and I "sloshed" when I walked. Like someone making a "SHUSHSUSHSUSH" sound constantly.
NOT an individual "crunch crunch crunch" sound AT ALL.
Didn't put that together the previous evening.
2) When sitting down, and lookin gat the sound of the "bahhhh". It was clear it was 6-7ft off the ground at least, as the hill rolled down towards the draw/gulley. I drew a line with my eyes, and again, it was well above any deers head.
When we left shortly, there was still no one anywhere around any camp site.
No one came in that night by road either.
That gravel road is a pure washboard, and you can hear a vehicle many minutes before you see it.
Nobody came in.
My take away from this is basically confusion.
I had NEVER heard of any creature in the Uwharries.
I do know, I had a lame encounter with something that walks on 2 legs, with a leg length that allowed it to step over the leaf litter depth.
(you would tire very quickly trying to walk that way on purpose, I tried).
It walked with purpose, with out the aid of a flashlight, through the most difficult path.
It left the same way.
It had plenty of chance to disturb us further, but didn't.
I will add one last bit.
I had stuck a machete into a tree at our camp.
When we returned home, and I was unpacking my gear, it wasn't there.
I had thought my friend had gotten it, but did not.
There is zero chance I wouldn't have seen it.
Even if it had fallen on the ground, as that tree's base was dirt.
Have no idea what happened to that machete.
I have thought about this, and a few other things that have happened over the years I've hunted, and honestly, am having to rethink my earlier thoughts of a bigfoot type creature living in NC.
I had always thought, "Maybe Alaska or B.C".
Now? I'm not so sure there isn't something in the south too.
Thanks for the post,
D
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