REPORT RECEIVED FROM: The GCBRO Online Report Submission Form.

 
REPORT POSTED TO GCBRO WEB SITE ON:  April 2, 2013
 

DATE:    04-18-09
 

TIME:     2 A.M.
 

LOCATION:   Pike County, Arkansas
 

TERRAIN:    Wooded
 

OBSERVED:    I had been camping in the woods about 2 miles from the Crater of Diamonds for 9 days. My site was about 120 yards from a river.So I already knew that the animals would be most active near the water coming and going to drink. I'm an avid camper and hiker.I spent 7 years in Montana fishing,hunting and hiking the wilderness. So the nightly parade of creatures moving around in the dark are nothing new to me.I have camped, hiked and fished all over the country. My site,on this trip, was among the huge pine trees and under brush in the area near the park.I lit no fires in the woods on this trip. The pine straw around me would go up in a second from a spark.All cooking was done with a pocket rocket stove and propane canister. My tent is painted to match the leaves and brush color in the woods.So if someone happen by it would still be very hard to see tucked under the over hanging edge of a bush Every night the same animals would come by like clock work. Deer, armadillo, raccoon,coyotes howling down by the river to each other,owl's and a pair of peacocks that screamed all night long every night but one.
After a long day of being in the Diamond Mine and finding nothing but blisters on my hands I made my way back to my camp site. As I walked the path to it I heard not a sound from any animal. No birds etc.. The woods were silent at 6:30 on this afternoon. I made it back to camp. Made dinner and recorded my events in my travel log."No diamonds found". As the sun went down I still had not heard a sound from the residents of this section of the woods.Hikers midnight came(when the sun goes down) and I prepped for bed.Hung my food bag in a tree that was bowed over about 30 yards from my tent and pulled it up about 20 feet from the ground and tied it off. Not even the masters of stealing,raccoons, could get to it. Zipped up my tent flap but left open the window flap for the air to come in. I got into my sleeping bag for the night.It was now passed 8:30, P.M.. I dosed off and even in my light sleep I did not hear any sounds of creatures.After years of being in the woods I had learned that you never really sleep deeply.I always have an open ear for trouble coming at me in the dark forest.All of the animals had left the area.Not even a sound coming from the river bank on this night. The coyotes made not a howl nor the ever vocal peacocks. The nightly visit from the Owl that always sat in the huge pine tree over my tent hooting. He did not show up either.
 At 2 A.M. I heard the most blood freezing growl I had every heard in the woods. The tone was so deep I could feel the sound waves bouncing off my body.It was like being next to a sub woofer. The tone of this creature was that deep. It was not a bear. I had a run in with one of them the 2nd day I was camped. They are very on purpose when they smell food and little stops them. But like most creatures they do not like loud noise. An M-80 fire cracker convinced the bear to go away. But this visitor was a silent walker. I never heard this creature coming at me in the dark. The place was surrounded by limbs,twigs and brush. Not possible to side step every piece on the ground without breaking one. Or so I thought.
I went from light sleep to wide awake in an instance. I sat up right and fought the urge to flee into the darkness. This was the most panic I had ever felt being on my own in the woods. I picked up my blade in one hand and my light in the other. I did not turn it on.Controlling my fear,rapid breathing and heart beat was on my mind as well as what had just awaken me. My thought was if it collapsed my tent on to me I might get at least one good stab in to make it go away. The creature was still making sounds.The tones deepen and got longer. I looked out of the open panel of my tent. There in the darkness was a figure standing on two legs. He or she was looking to the food bag I had in the tree. It was about 7 feet tall. Long Hair covered it's body.It never went down on all fours. Just stood there. Making noise like it was thinking or maybe a little upset that it could not get my food bag down. The smell it had didn't help either. It was a smelly thing.After about 1 minute it walked off into the woods.Of all the things it could have done it just wonder off.A black figure melting into the woods. I noted that it did not make a sound as it left my camp site. Just as it had not when it came up. I heard nothing the rest of the night. I never went back to sleep that night. Just sat there with my blade in hand and wishing for day light that didn't come soon enough for me that night.
The daylight began to filter in through the clouds at 5 A.M.. No sign of my unwelcome guest from just a few hours ago. I fired up my pocket rocket and made some coffee. Sat there and wrote in my log book about this night.The daylight was growing brighter and at 7 A.M. I left my flimsy shelter and went out to look at where this creature had stood. It left no prints in the pine straw.I went along the path it took. No prints in this type of forest floor covering.
The day brighten up and I went on into the Mine to hunt for diamonds. I did not see any more sign of the creature.As I made my way back that afternoon to my camp site. The woods where once again alive with sound and movement of animals.
On this night all the creatures went about their routine as if nothing had scared them away the night before. I don't know why I stayed where I was camped in the woods. I could have just as easily been stomped to death and the chance of anyone finding me was remote. That Bigfoot had made a choice to come into my camp but it had also made the choice to leave me in one piece. I still think about that a lot. It has taken me 3 years to even think of writing this event down for anyone else to read about.I told a few of my friends what had happened and they just looked at me like I was nuts. Most people do not think these creatures exist. But then again most people do not spend much time in the woods these days. So stories about meeting a hairy 7 foot man / creature is far off the beaten path for most.
I look back on this and I learned that I had been exposed to this before on a trip hiking the A.T. in 2008 during the summer. I was with other hikers and they had comment about how silent the woods were on Mt. Utica near Carvers Gap/ Mt. Roan on the N.C. T.N. state line.All of us had been hiking/ camping for years in the woods. But none of us had seen or heard anything on that trip. We had females with us that some experts say attract these animals.The next day on that trip the forest was alive with animals.I also thought about how silent the woods had been that day as I walked back to my camp site. It dawned on me that this creature may have found my camp site earlier that day and had been waiting to see if anyone would come back. That thought made me more nervous than before. A creature just sitting there in the woods waiting. It blends so well into the back ground you can not see it watching you but every animal around the area knows it's there and flees.
It took me two years before I made it back there to pick up my folding camp shovel I had left behind. I admit I was very nervous walking back into the area. It was still there.No one had even been into the area since I had left.
I stayed at the site for 3 more days after my encounter with the creature. Every night was the same with all the animals coming and going down to the river and making their nightly calls.The creature never returned. I did not hear any of the other campers at the Crater of Diamonds say anything about hearing or seeing what I had. But then again they were in a State Park camping area near the Crater.If you find yourself camping near there and the woods go dead silent. Be aware.You may find yourself being visited by an unwelcome silent walking guest. 
 

ADDITIONAL THINGS:  N/A
 

DESCRIPTION OF CREATURE:  About 7 feet tall. Long hair covered it's body. Walked upright on two legs. Very smelly. 
 

ACTIVITIES OF WITNESS:   Had been camping out in the woods near the Crater of Diamonds for many days. Walking to the Mine every day from my camp site and returning about 6 P.M..Evening  was about making dinner,reading and writing about the days finds in my log book. 
 

OTHER NOTES:   This area is home to black bears. The top of the food chain in the woods. Even they left when this creature came into this area of the woods.
 

HISTORICAL OR NEIGHBORING AREAS:  N/A
 

ADDITIONAL NOTES AND-OR FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS:  Upon contact the witness had no additional information to add to this report.

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