Terrain Description: Swampy area in deciduous woodland. This occurred either in Big
Pocono State Park or in the woods bordering it, off of Railroad Avenue, near a Christian camp called Streamside. I was a 17 year old camp counselor at the time. There was a trail through this wooded area I had walked numerous times and had the notion that it would be fun to to there at night, to practice walking in the woods in the dark without a flashlight (I brought one but tried to use it as little as possible). I suppose it was a bit of a thrill-seeking kind of thing. In any case my idea was to walk to a spot I had identified in daylight, which I knew to be far enough from roads and houses to feel isolated and quiet, and to sit quietly in the dark for a period of time just to see what I might hear or experience. I had no belief or thoughts one or the other about Sasquatch or anything at the time, I was just a budding amateur naturalist who enjoyed being in the woods and was always seeking a new experience. I got to the place and sat down without the flashlight in near complete darkness. I don’t recall if it was overcast or if there was any moon, but I know that I could see almost nothing. I sat for perhaps 15 minutes in absolute silence, meditating in a sense I suppose. At that point I heard a rustling and distinct snuffling in the leaves near to where I sat on the trail. I listening for probably a minute, trying to decide what I’d do.
Part of me wanted to stay and see what critter might be bold enough to investigate me…but then I
thought what if it’s a bear? Honestly, I was more scared or worried that it might be a skunk than
anything and so ultimately I decided to make a bit of noise to scare off whatever it was. I couldn’t tell from the sounds whether it was large or small, just that it snuffed or snorted and that it was pawing at debris noisily. So I made a sound – I don’t remember what I did, maybe just spoke out loud – then I stood up, and prepared to head back down the trail when I heard a very very loud and very close bugling call. All I knew in that moment was that whatever made the sound was big and required big lungs. It was throaty and loud. It sounded to me as if it came from within 10 or 20 feet of where I stood, and sounded either distressed or hostile. I have called it a “bugling” sound because it started in a low-ish pitch and then rose sharply and sustained. At the moment I was not going through possible species in my head I was just alarmed and sufficiently freaked out to run. As I jogged along the trail to get out of the woods I heard the sound again. It sounded as if it were still where I had left it, and then to my left in the woods I heard a response call from the same animal. I can’t remember if I heard any further vocalizations after all these years but I at least heard those three…the initial one, the same animal (presumably) again, and then a response from a different spot at least a 1/4 mile or so from the first. So I huffed and puffed into the staff lounge at the camp, desperately wanting to tell someone about my experience and the only guy there at that late hour looked at me politely like I was nuts, so I cut my story short and laughed it off. The next day I told the one guy who I thought might have a clue about what it could be. He was
the resident nature expert who went by “Nature Joe.” I wish I could find Joe, as he was a phenomenal guy and a walking wildlife encyclopedia. He traveled from Florida every summer to camp, collecting animal companions along the way and would arrive with snakes, tortoises, even bats which would then share his cabin over the summer. In any case, Joe took me very seriously and was quite excited to get involved. He proposed we return to the woods that night with a small group of interested folks and see what we might find. I believe three or four of us went out that night. He instructed us in how to walk as silently as possible and how to make animal like sounds that would be non-threatening to wildlife. We were under strict orders not to speak until we had finished our little exploration. At one point, we clearly heard a bipedal creature crunching through the woods nearby. At another point Joe seemed to become aware of some sound and we would pause here and there to listen, then proceed, etc. He signaled for us to all shine our lights in one spot on his cue. We followed his instructions, and shined the light to our left at a specific spot only maybe 3 feet off the trail. A big bobcat froze in our lights and then casually loped off. He later said the bobcat was likely tracking us out of curiosity, and it was the safest thing to do to have scared it off before it got too bold. In any case, we did not see or hear my mystery creature that
night or any other – other than hearing the bipedal walking. So that’s my story. I sort of forgot about it for a while, and assumed it was something known. But in the last few years I looked up animal call audio and none of the known Pocono large animals make sounds that resemble what I heard. It was not entirely unlike the bugle of a male Elk. However there are no Elk anywhere near Northeastern PA and truly the sound in my recollection has more in common with primate sounds. I watched a monsterquest episode the other day and they played a purported Sasquatch vocalization and I about jumped out of my chair because it sounded so much like what I heard. I tried to tell my story in as unembellished a manner possible, but you’ll have to forgive the length. I’m a writer and I’m not good at brevity! I’d be happy to answer any other questions or talk about it further if anyone is interested.
Lighting Conditions: late at night, completely dark
Nearest Town or Landmark: Big Pocono State Park, Stroudsburg area
GPS Coordinates: I’d be guessing if I included this. I could possibly walk to the spot again if I could find the trail that was there. But it’s been a while.
Description of Encounter Area: Slightly boggy trail near the foot of Big Pocono mountain. southeast
of the mountain. Deciduous woods with a lot of mountain laurel if I remember correctly.
Are There Food and/or Water Sources in the Area? (if so, describe): The area was low-lying and
wet, and I believe there was a stream within a 1/4 mile of there. Not sure what food sources the
question has in mind, but it was a typical Poconos forest in July.