DATE:            July 2000

TIME:             1 a.m. EDT

LOCATION:     New River Gorge, Fayette County, West Virginia

TERRAIN:       Mountains
 

OBSERVED:    Let me say up front, I don't know if this incident was Bigfoot-related or not, but it was odd and has puzzled me since it happened.

Last summer I was one of three adults who took a church youth group whitewater rafting on the Upper New River Gorge in West Virginia. The night before we rafted, our group stayed at an established campground owned by the rafting outfitter. Because I was the only adult male along, I stayed with the 4 teenage boys in the group.
We were in tents at the end of a gravel road at the far end of the campground. These tents, two of them, were set on concrete slabs and covered by a platform and a tin roof. Our tents were probably 50 yards from the nearest tent. The gravel road was in front of us and a steep, wooded mountainside was behind us.

I and another guy were in one tent and three guys were in the other. About 1 a.m. my tentmate was asleep but the three guys next door were still up and talking. I was about to tell them to knock it off and go to sleep when WHAM!  A large rock hit the tin roof with enough force to rattle the sleeping platform and jolt my tentmate awake.
Thinking another camper was playing tricks, all the guys boiled outside with their flashlights, but saw nothing and no one. Shortly after they went back inside and went to sleep.

In the morning before they awoke I went outside and looked over the area. The rock could not have come from the nearest campsite because of the thick trees between us. It either fell from the sky or was tossed from the mountainside behind us, and the mountain, while climbable, was very steep. Also, after the other guys went to sleep, I stayed awake for at least an hour waiting to see if anyhone came off the hillside heading back to the camp. No one did. It was almost as if whoever or whatever threw the rock was telling us to shut up and go to sleep.
 
 

Activities of witness(es):   In tent, some talking, others sleeping.

UPDATE:       This is a follow up report from New River Gorge, Fayette Co West Virginia by Field Researcher Rick Vereen.

Field report of July 12, 2001.

I had went hiking at the New River Gorge State Park.   I spoke with some river
guides.  They had never seen anything unusual, however,  they had smelled unusual
smells and heard unusual noises at night in the fall season.  I took some
pictures of unusual tree markings, one that looks like a giant nest in the top of
a big white pine.  After 3 days of camping the vegitation and mosquitoes
were to bad to continue research at this time.

Second outing September 26-27, 2001 at Glade Creek Fayette CO WV  off of the New River approximately 10 miles from the New River Gorge Bridge area me and my Fiance' noticed tree snaps while walking along the river.   Later that evening my Fiance' smelled an unusual smell while walking to use the restroom. The following morning
while walking around we noticed where something heavy had walked across a
little stream leaving heavy prints in the mud that were unidentifiable.  Also noted at
this time of year these campgrounds are empty.   We were the only ones that we
knew of in the camp.

We went back the following weekend which was September
29-October 1 st 2001.   Weather conditions were clear and cool tempature around
35 degrees at night.   About 1 A.M. the first night we both did notice an
unusual smell.  After searching the wood line with flash light and seeing
nothing and heard nothing at this time we went to bed around 3 A.M.

Around 3:30 A.M.  my Fiance' heard loud noises in the woods behind us and trees
breaking and as she described some sort of a knocking noise but she couldn't
wake me up.  I plan another camping outing after WV hunting season has ended.