Encounter in Ohio w/pics

Hello all-

I've lurked on ATS for awhile, but as you can see, a new member.
I'm a video artist (and work as a freelance cameraman for independent productions) living in Brooklyn, NY. Due to my young career, I'd prefer to remain relatively anonymous at this time. I hope you understand why- the repercussions of perceived crackpot-dom can be pretty severe, especially in such a competitive market.
In September of last year (September 11th, actually, go figure) my P.A. and I had an encounter with at least two seemingly anomalous creatures while searching for a hard-to-find abandoned structure in northern Ohio, about 40 minutes outside of Cleveland. I can be more specific privately to users, but I'd prefer not to publicize the exact location, as it seems to be a spot used over time by what I gather is an endangered species.

We were making our way down a trail alongside a creek (the creek was on our left side going in, about 15-20 feet over from the trail after a steep drop of about 6 feet in general) hoping that it was the trail we'd heard about in regards to this structure we were looking to film at. There was a sharp bend in the creek and trail, around some dense brush past the base of a slow incline. Just before making the bend, we were faced with an odd-looking pile of branches and logs crossing the path, about 3 feet high. Right after we crossed this light obstruction, we both heard loud repetitive percussive sounds from across the creek, what sounded like a baseball bat being hit against a tree. We weren't immediately sure if there was a correlation, but the noise did catch us off guard, as we hadn't seen signs of other people in the area at that time.

Immediately after making the bend, however, we saw a series of primitive lean-to/teepee-like assemblages built along the path. I say "primitive" mainly because they didn't look like tools had been used, and most of the branch ends looked broken or ripped. A moment later we heard some loud brush crashing, as if something was running from about 60-70 yards ahead of us to a position almost directly to our right and uphill about 40-50 yards. A rock or some small hard object hit a tree trunk behind us, startling us both, and as we turned around to source the noise, we heard another movement through brush- a little quieter, from uphill, but from the back, over the incline we'd just passed. It sounded as though two animals or large people had navigated towards each other, but were still at a short distance, maybe 20 yards, if I were to assume that neither had quietly moved closer to the other.
I asked Jeff if he wanted to go back the other way, and admirably he said something along the lines of "We came all the way out here to find (the building), we should probably just keep going. Besides, whatever's out there, they sound fast, and there's one kind of in front of us and one behind us. If it's dangerous, right now we're f***ed either which way." Then- "But what's up with this ****?!", pointing at the structures. I had heard about stick structures in speculative relation to sasquatches before, due to stories I heard and read about while at an art residency I did in Maine several years before, in an area that some people thought was sometimes populated by...well, you know. As we were chatting somewhat nervously, we overheard weird whisper-like vocalizations from up the hill. These sounded like stage whispers in a way, overly loud, as if something was quietly "talking" over a distance or just couldn't speak any quieter. We paused, then "they" paused, then Jeff- "Ok, that's super f***** up." I agreed. We looked around, as I started to unpack my camera gear. I handed Jeff my digital still camera after deleting some shots on my almost-full card. More rustling from uphill happened, and another hard object hit a tree trunk right near us.
...

I pointed out to Jeff a strange sight- hanging over a low tree branch, about 10 inches out of our reach (Jeff and I are both around 6 feet tall), was a pruned branch with an upside-down J shape, kind of like a walking stick. The longer end was ripped at the end, coming to a sharp point. It was broken just before a split in the branch (whatveer that's called, when a branch splits in two directions). The other side was much shorter and blunt on the end, seemingly there just so it could be hanging like it was, somewhat like a coat hanger. It didn't look natural, and it definitely looked more than a little bit like a weapon. We walked on, after some "I sure hope that isn't what it looks like", and started taking pictures/video (sadly, we didn't take a picture of this possible tool/weapon, not that it would be proof of anything) along the path of what we were seeing. After about 5 minutes with the cameras out, we smelled this awful scent, like urine/rotten meat/skunk. I felt/heard this weird low bass sound from very nearby, almost like a quiet subwoofer buzz. I don't know if Jeff felt/heard this, and I have no idea if it had anything to do with these things or was a strange perceived product of my fear. Anyhow, "hearing" this noise made me stop where I was. I looked down at the trail, and saw a huge bare footprint in the slightly muddy trail. As I rose my head to tell Jeff, I saw out of the corner of my eye a large hairy creature, on two legs, about 25 feet down the path and just to the left, which at this point had a light downward slope to it. Jeff, bless him, took a picture just as this was happening.

I'm intrigued. Any more pics as evidence? Also, what happened after this was taken?

ummmm to me that looks like a branch. april fools. I dont think that is anything major.

I pointed out to Jeff a strange sight- hanging over a low tree branch, about 10 inches out of our reach (Jeff and I are both around 6 feet tall), was a pruned branch with an upside-down J shape, kind of like a walking stick. The longer end was ripped at the end, coming to a sharp point. It was broken just before a split in the branch (whatveer that's called, when a branch splits in two directions). The other side was much shorter and blunt on the end, seemingly there just so it could be hanging like it was, somewhat like a coat hanger. It didn't look natural, and it definitely looked more than a little bit like a weapon. We walked on, after some "I sure hope that isn't what it looks like", and started taking pictures/video (sadly, we didn't take a picture of this possible tool/weapon, not that it would be proof of anything) along the path of what we were seeing. After about 5 minutes with the cameras out, we smelled this awful scent, like urine/rotten meat/skunk. I felt/heard this weird low bass sound from very nearby, almost like a quiet subwoofer buzz. I don't know if Jeff felt/heard this, and I have no idea if it had anything to do with these things or was a strange perceived product of my fear. Anyhow, "hearing" this noise made me stop where I was. I looked down at the trail, and saw a huge bare footprint in the slightly muddy trail. As I rose my head to tell Jeff, I saw out of the corner of my eye a large hairy creature, on two legs, about 25 feet down the path and just to the left, which at this point had a light downward slope to it. Jeff, bless him, took a picture just as this was happening.
s285.photobucket.com...

i dont see any creature in any of your pictures. make sure you edit that creature in photo shop.

[edit on 2-4-2008 by 024ORP]

Ok, didn't realize how fast replies would come in. Here's a few other relevant photos to satiate the meantime, then I'll continue writing.
i285.photobucket.com...

i285.photobucket.com...

i285.photobucket.com...

Apologies for the double-posting just then, I wasn't sure if the direct pic had loaded properly.

i still dont see any creature in your pictures.

reply to post by greenpoint78


I'm not totally up on my big foot facts, I'm more into the UFO/Space section but I have watched enough big foot documentaries to have heard about the tee-pee like structures that are often found and the nests or tree caves they supposedly make, along with their habit of whacking large sticks against trees when people approach.

Your story I admit is intriguing, rich in detail, and the pictures are nice quality...please tell me you have more photos of the creature itself (drooling)?

Got any pics of the structures you said you found.Ohio has alot of bigfoot sightings,so I'm interested in seeing more pics if you got-em.

So anyhow, we heard movement (brush crashing) from nearby behind us just after Jeff took this, and the thing turned away and started crouching, moving quickly out of sight. I assume it went over the drop-off down to the creek, but after it was out of sight I didn't hear anything from that direction. We continued, taking pictures/video of some of the "structures". After about 20 minutes, we both somehow felt we were being watched again, sensed nearby movement, and heard several distinct growl or grunt-like noises. We decided to turn around, as it was starting to get late in the afternoon, and we hadn't felt welcome since we'd crossed that pile of branches. On the way out, upon crossing that pile again, we heard a clear and assertive vocalization, seemingly from one of these things. It was recorded on the camera- I'll try and upload that clip before I leave here tonight. I'm not sure how well the audio could be analyzed in terms of comparison to human vocal cords, but I'd be curious. It sounds a little different to me.

On our way back to the car, we saw several large footprints on a rough path going very steeply uphill. I started climbing up it to try to get some close photos while Jeff stayed on the old road we were walking down, talking on his cellphone. Getting about 15 feet up the path, Jeff and I were both hit, simultaneously, with two pieces of tree fruit/nut. Not sure what they're called- About 3 inches across, round, green flesh on the outside, nut-like core (someone...?). Each of us had two lobbed at us, both hitting us on the stomach and on the middle part of the right thigh. With that, I turned around, and we continued back to the car, seemingly being tracked by something uphill from us.

I resisted putting this up since then, partly because I didn't want it connected to me professionally/personally, partly because I didn't want to continue taking part while getting the usual tear-down that I see on most threads. I don't really care if you believe me, it's kind of difficult for me to believe myself. I don't need the attention, I just wanted my little shoddy partial evidence available for perusal by enthusiasts. Of course, I don't have DNA or hair samples, I don't have a dead specimen in my freezer, my story probably isn't going to change much in the way of skepticism. There are some areas on some of the photos that look interesting to me, but I don't want to get all moon-rock, so maybe I'll just leave it there for now, and see if others notice anything unusual.

To further information though, I had a few thoughts afterward about how I could've done things differently. For example, I was thinking about video resolution. Unless one of these things is incredibly close, or you happen to have a steadicam on, video resolution (even HD) is pretty shoddy for detailed evidence, especially in daylight outdoor shooting conditions (the shutter speed often causing motion blur). It seems to me that a more dependable route for decent evidence in the future might involve using burst mode on a digital SLR, which can get between 3 and 6 images per second. Just a suggestion.

I'll try to answer questions and take part in discussion, but please try and stay positive- I know I don't have a real prize-winning trophy from the experience, just some blurry mass, a big teepee shape, a strange sound. I have a busy life, I'm putting this up as a form of solidarity.

Thanks-
-J

reply to post by greenpoint78


Great story, thanks for telling it! You probably got pelted with walnuts, sounds like but who knows...I live in Ohio and have heard of Big Foot sightings here and there over the years.

Thanks for telling your story with so much detail and in a concise manner and I can't wait to hear the vocalization sounds! Will flag you for your efforts in this thread, good job.

Here's that video/audio excerpt.
At this point, as we were leaving the area, I was just letting my camera roll in case anything happened. Not exactly representative camerawork.

s285.photobucket.com...

I'll look through the rest of the footage again sometime tomorrow to see if there's anything else worth posting.

Thanks again-
-J

Thanks very much, LateApexer, for your nice replies- I appreciate them.

I was actually born in Cincinnati, I haven't been back for awhile. I'll admit it, I kind of miss the chili.
-J

reply to post by greenpoint78


Well, the chili here is different that's for sure! Seems it's a native acquired taste from the opinions of the out of town guests I've had over the years that beg to try it! I think Graeter's Ice Cream is better myself...anyway back to your thread...


And you're welcome about your post and I just listened to the audio you posted, over and over...

IMO, it doesn't sound like an animal, sounds like a male human yelling "Heeeyawwwwwww" but with that said, I have never heard a Big Foot either.

What is YOUR take on this experience? You haven't said. Are you convinced now that Big Foot exists? Just curious. You seem very rational, very observant so I'd love to hear what your opinion is?

LateApexer-

I agree, it does sound like a male human. The odd things about the noise (to me) are that, sure, we didn't see any other humans back there...but other than that minor point, the volume of the noise was notable. For the distance it seemed to be at, the "voice" doesn't sound particularly strained to me, and it had a kind of...wide quality to it. I'm not sure how else to describe it. But I didn't see whatever was making the noise when it occurred, so it's really hard for me to say what exactly was going on.
I mean, to my eyes, at at least one point I saw a really tall hairy animal on two legs that looked like a cross between a human and an ape. When I pictured these in my mind prior to this, I guess I'd imagined something that looked more like Chewbacca or Harry of Harry and the Hendersons. So- long brown flowing hair, and more slender I guess. These things had more like black fur than hair, and the skin (on the face and forehead, anyway, the only skin I could really see somewhat clearly) was almost pitch black. Barrel-chested, a huge chest. I guess we both could've been having a kind of group delusion/hallucination due to the odd structures that were around, it's certainly conceivable.
Was it a sasquatch? I can't really be sure, of course. Not to sound Clintonian, but I guess that depends partially on the definition of sasquatch. Maybe it's an unclassified bipedal ape rather than a sasquatch. Having watched the Patterson footage again, they looked quite a lot like that (though male and more muscular), whatever that was...but I'm not even absolutely sure the Patterson footage is "real", so I really am not sure. The developed sense of strategy they were displaying, and the tactics they were using, in retrospect, seemed very advanced and sensible for hunting-based life in the woods. I'm not a hunter, so I'm not sure how common that kind of misdirection might be. They seemed to be using a form of "speech" with each other, but some birds can "speak", so that, potentially, doesn't seem to be completely outside the realm of possibility.

Afterward, we were both pretty amazed that we weren't more directly threatened, considering that we seemed to be walking through the rough equivalent of their living room. The minor "threats" we did feel felt controlled; paced out at long, somewhat regular intervals, which felt weirdly respectful- almost like they were letting us cool down before reminding us again that we were somewhere we shouldn't be. But that's getting into a funny headspace, imagining their intended psychological effects. "Them", some unknown quantity.
Upon leaving the area, we noticed other big, ripped branches that seemed placed in odd ways, one side raised off the ground, almost like spacial markers, pointing in a direction. One jutting out over the road we were walking on seemed to be pointing toward another, past the road in a light clearing, that one generally "pointed" toward the area we had been. Pretty fascinating to me, the idea of these things having clear signifiers to each other, but positioning them in ways that could appear totally innocuous to the casual passerby...Along those lines, without more experience, it's really hard to pin down the point where "actuality" or a defined presence is and where speculative fancy starts taking over, so I guess I'd like to keep a healthy amount of my attention on that line.
-J

reply to post by greenpoint78


Well, if it counts for anything, I was ambivalent to the whole Big Foot issue. Like I said earlier, I have seen the latest "documentaries" out there on History Channel, Travel Channel etc...and I have to say, you presented as much "evidence" if you will, as these documentaries...If not more. I would imagine when the Big Foot enthusiasts awaken and find this post they will be very excited.

Of course you couldn't make a mold of the footprint you saw, but those are usually explained away as being from a large black bear in wet mud or some such malarky. In fact, I can't remember when I have seen even one documentary now that I think about it...that had such a detailed description, all the signs often displayed, the structures, the smells, the pelting with some sort of nuts, vocalizations heard by more then one person, photos of the tee-pee structures, an actual audio recording...granted, you don't know of what or who...but very impressive display in my opinion.

I have spent more then a few hours watching numerous documentaries that didn't display this much information on just one sighting. Very interesting.

So, bottom line it for us....are you now a Big Foot believer? Yes or no?

Oh and one comment I forgot...concerning the Patterson video, I remember when that was hot news from my childhood, and for some reason I thought it had been debunked, something about one of the main guys confessing to a hoax then switching his story back, I can't remember the details over the years because I didn't follow it much.

But I just saw a new investigation into it, can't remember if it was History, Nat Geo, Discovery or Travel channel, but they now seem to have really convincing evidence, through muscle bulges, forehead ridges visible, all sorts of things they can glean now that they couldn't back then with the older technology.

All right, I can't wait to read all the crypto-fans takes on this.

Is there a reason that you guys didn't snap a picture or at least point you camera in the direction of the lean-to to claimed you saw leaning up against a tree? Not that it would validate you story but it would certainly lend credit to event as you claimed it happened, as least for me. I'm not saying that your tale is fabricated, just curious, because if I had a camera with me that would be something of importance to me. Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

You've got one hell of an intricate story and your photos are non-descript. I can't tell if you're messing or are truly afraid, so I ask you this....

Will you revisit to confirm? If not, I am willing to. I live quite close and would be willing to go through the area during my trip home next week. I have super-sensitive camera equipment and would certainly spend at least 48 hours.

Hell, I'm going camping anyway, might as well be there right?

Let me know bud, U2U.