DATE:  September/October, 1997

TIME:  Midday

LOCATION:  Tennessee, Blount County

TERRAIN:  Wooded, secluded mountain creek

OBSERVED:   I was fishing a small mountain creek that runs through the mountains and goes under Cades Cove Road. This creek has only two ways to access it, one from the parking spot on Cades Cove Road, and another from a long trail (4 miles) that starts on the other side of the mountain range. I had waded the creek in from the CCR parking area and was fishing my way up stream. I had been making my way up deeper into the woods via the creek for about two hours.

I was downstream around a bend from a secluded campsite in which the
long trail I previously mentioned leads to, when a feeling came over me
that something was strange. I felt as though I was not alone. Not really
the presence of another person, but something? I looked around and saw
nothing. Not really panicked or scared I decided to take a break and climbed out of the creek and up the side to a large cropping of rocks to sit down and have a cigarette.

Having my smoke I scanned around the area looking for something out of the ordinary having still a strange feeling of being watched or observed. Across the creek on the opposite side of my position the creek bank is flat and full of ferns, thick laurels and some sapling trees. It then is a rock face and goes at a 45 degree angle up the mountain. Having not seen anything out of the ordinary I finished my smoke and was just sitting there when on the other side of the creek and about 100 feet up the side of the mountain a black shape burst from cover and scrambled furthur up the mountain in a half vertical, half horizontal line of escape. Whatever it was was big, and WAS NOT a Black Bear by the way it was rustling the trees in it's haste to flee. I could only get fleeting glimpes as it fled and am certain it was no animal i have seen out there before!

 ACTIVITIES OF WITNESS(ES):   Flyfishing

DESCRIPTION OF CREATURE:   Black and moving very fast. The trees branches were swaying as it went through that appeared to be  6 to 7 feet off the ground.

OTHER NOTES:   I have noticed odd rockpiles that I really did not think much about at the time.
I went back many times in the span of two years but have not been back there since 1999
after moving from that area.
 

FOLLOW UPS:   N/A

OTHER SIGHTINGS IN THIS AREA:  Yes