DATE:            07/04/00

TIME:             9:00 A.M.

LOCATION:  Near Mio, Michigan, Oscoda County

TERRAIN:     National Forrest
 

OBSERVED:    I saw a BF the 4th of July weekend in the summer of 2000. Prior to my sighting I knew very little about them and never really thought about them. From childhood I guess I thought it was possible that they were real but I figured they lived in the mountains. It was such a shock to me when I saw it that I dismissed the incident from my head until about 6 or 7 months ago. It has made a huge impact on my life and I feel that it's important to prove bigfoots existence so we are not ignorant about facts in our lives and to protect their habitat. When I add a Bigfoot to the food-chain, as we know it, it makes me seem very misinformed about many different things. So to help others correct their way of thinking, I will recount my sighting and the one and only unknown scream I have heard in my 29 yrs. of life.

    It was a sunny day when my friend and I were driving to town to get some breakfast things and I decided we should drive over to a popular ORV spot to check out the scene for riding later that day. We drove through and saw that quite a few riders were showing up so we then headed back to town on Old State Rd.  The riding trails are located in the Huron National Forrest. Well, as we drove down the paved road I started rounding a curve and saw a bigfoot for its last step accross the road. It was leaving the side that there are trails on and entering the woods where the AuSable River flows through. My girlfriend was talking and I interrupted her and asked "Did you see that?" She asked what, did you see a deer? I said "No, it was big and black." She said it was probably a bear. I thought to myself that sure as hell was not a bear.  I must say that I was acting a bit freaked out and the thought of saying it was a bigfoot sounded really stupid to me.  She was kind of laughing at me probably because of the way I was acting.

That was the last thing I expected to see. There was no mistake about what it was, I just couldnt comprehend the fact that I saw it. As I reflect, I think that it disappeared quicker than it should have. My mind was mentally preparing to get a better view upon first laying eyes on it and it reached the tree-line in one step. After researching, it makes more sense since now I know that they have a long stride. Well, I slowed down and told her to look where I had seen it enter the woods since it was on the passenger side of the road. I looked also and we did not see anything, not even a space where it must have entered. I did not want to stop and exit the vehicle because it was huge and I had no desire for a close encounter. I saw a car coming around the next curve in the road so I sped up and continued on. I never thought about it again until about 6 months later. This is the description of what I saw and how I interpreted it:It did not look my way so I didnt see the face. It was solid black from head to foot. It stood straight and did not slouch. Although it is hard for me to understand it logically, it was between 10 and 12 ft. tall. I even told my husband that it could have been taller. The shoulder span was between 4 and 5 foot accross. It was truly the most biggest, living, man-shaped, thing I had ever seen. I also saw the rounded buttocks and the muscles of the shoulders, biceps, sides, butt and legs. The legs were long. It was a perfect view for me since it was broad daylight and it was totally surrounded by green treeline and grass. Its shape was very well defined. One of the reasons I believe bf to be very similar to humans is the fact that its body was shaped just like a very well built man. It was a male, looking similar to pattersons female. I did not see a neck but that doesnt mean it doesnt have one. The head was tall enough off the shoulders to provide a neck but it blended down to the shoulders which made me assume that it had long hair on the head that hung down flat.

      Well we went about our business and the next day we went canoeing. There were 5 adults and 6 kids. We canoed down the AuSable. I did not realize it because I already dismissed it from my head but we travelled within a half of a mile to where I saw the bf enter the woods the day before. Well anyway, we were an hour or two into our canoe trip when we started looking for a spot to pull off for a bathroom break. We found a spot that was kind of grown up but had previous use. We climbed a steep run-off to a small clearing. I spotted a small footpath that led into thick foliage along the river bank. I proceeded down it and did not feel comfy going so I went about 30 ft. more and still felt eerie so I went back to the group and to the other side where I found a dip in the ground. You could not see me from the waist down so that is where I went. I joined the guys in conversation when my girlfriend came up the river bank and said she had relieve herself so I told her about the perfectly secluded footpath. A minute or so after she left we all heard this terrible scream. It sounded close to me and it echoed down the river. It lasted about 3 to 5 seconds. It started with a high pitched sound like the squawk of a big parrot and then it ended with what sounded close to a bobcat growl. We in the group all said "What the hell was that?" we agreed we never heard anything like it. Just after it ended my friend came out of that footpath still doing her pants up. I asked her if she heard that and she said "Duh, it sounded like it was right next to me." She didnt get a chance to go and she said she would hold it. Well,we discussed what it could have been. I said it sounded like it was in the woods next to us. I really was expecting something to jump out at any second. The guys reassured me that sound carries on river so it could have been anywhere. Nothing ever jumped out and I felt safe with 5 adults and the kids playing down in the river so we talked for a few!

 Now it may seem that we should have known that it was a bf but not one of us knew anything about them. We concluded the scream to be a mountain lion which is not indiginous to the area but was recently reported to have ripped the face of a horse off. The lion was the closest we could come but it still did not fit since this had a different sound and was extremely powerful. A few minutes later one of the girls came up the bank and had to relieve herself. I took her to the footpath and waited at the opening. She promptly came back and said she did not want to go there and that she heard something growl. Months later I asked her if it sounded like a dog and she said no it was more like a bear. It was a deep, low growl. My nephew also came and had to go so I told him about the footpath and he said he would hold it. We all had that much talked about watched feeling. Our instincts I guess. We just ignore them most of the time. That is why I feel it is important to be educated about these creatures. It didnt hurt us but it very well could have. People need to know what to look for so as to avoid any bad confrontations. Thanks for your time and I hope you find evidence soon.
 

ACTIVITIES OF WITNESS(ES):   Driving down road talking, my friend did not see it
 

DESCRIPTION OF CREATURE:   Refer to report
 

OTHER NOTES:
 

OTHER OTHER NOTES:  I have many instances but do not have the time to list them since my 3 yr old is demanding my time already.
 

OTHER SIGHTINGS IN THIS AREA?:    Described in report, too many to name