DATE:          07/18/00 and 07/19/00
 

TIME:           8:15 P.M.
 

LOCATION:   Near Glendale Springs, North Carolina in Ashe County along the South Fork of the New River
 

TERRAIN:      Mountainous, heavily wooded, rocky.
 

OBSERVED:  I was wade fishing the S. fork of the New River Tuesday evening when up on the mountainside to my left I heard a deep, loud snort.  I scanned the heavily wooded area thoroughly and saw nothing.  However, as I waded upriver fishing, I detected that something large up on the mountainside was following me as I fished.  I heard a couple of large limbs break as if a heavy animal stepped on them or possibly broke them off a tree.  I exited the river a few minutes later and walked back to my rental house on the opposite side of the river.

The next afternoon, (7/19 Wednesday), while fishing the same area, I heard what sounded like a fast, heavy tapping or knocking from the same area, as if something was beating or knocking on a large piece of wood or possibly a dead tree.  The speed and rhythm of the tapping sounded much like a woodpecker, but it was too deep and heavy sounding.  Also, on Thursday(7/20 at approx. 9:15 PM) while watcing TV, I heard a howling noise off in the distance and stepped out on the porch to try to hear it better.  I judged the howling to be approx. 1/2 to 1 mile away, but I could be off a bit on that, due to the mountainous terrain and the noise of the river out in front of the house.  It was about a 3-4 minute series of long, high pitched howls that just did not sound canine in nature or like anything else I had ever heard before.  Also, there were no answering barks or sounds from any local dogs or other animals.
 

Description of Creature:

Activities of Witness:  Wading in the river smallmouth bass fishing.  And, sitting and watching TV just prior to the vocalizations Thursday night.
 

Other Notes:  I read about some tracks being found in Glendale Springs a few years earlier, just a few miles away from this location.