Lindside Sasquatch Siting - 2007

YEAR: 2007
SEASON: Summer
MONTH: August
DATE: 12
STATE: West Virginia
COUNTY: Monroe County
LOCATION DETAILS: Northeast of Linside, WV off US 219
NEAREST TOWN: Lindside
NEAREST ROAD: US 219
OBSERVED: On the morning of August 12, I think I had an experience with a Sasquatch. I was walking up the driveway to the house just after getting the mornings newspaper. Because it happened to be very hot during the day, I laid the newspaper down on the ground to put my hair up. When I looked up after putting my hair up, I saw a big, tan-ish brown creature that had a sort of hump in its back. Its fur was short, and clumped together. It then ran off into the woods. I was frightened, so I ran back to the house. Once inside I heard banging on the trees in the yard. These hangings have been occurring quite frequently now. I've also noticed that wildlife activity in the area is low.
ALSO NOTICED: Poundings (wood knocking) were heard in the area shortly after the incident.
OTHER WITNESSES: The only witness was my mother, who only heard the poundings, and noticed that the wildlife in the area has greatly diminished.
OTHER STORIES: Yes, in 1997 in Pearisburg, VA (which is about 45 minutes from here) there was a sighting reported.
TIME AND CONDITIONS: Morning. Clear skies. About 90-95 degrees.
ENVIRONMENT: Hilly Terrain. Forest in the surrounding areas. Brushy.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stephen Willis:
I visited with the family and returned a few days later on a Friday evening. There was enough in their story to warrant a visit to set up recording equipment on a night the animals visited as part of a pattern. On the initial visit, I set up a game camera under an overhanging porch where strange noises had been detected late at night. The game camera recorded three images, none of any interest.The 12 year old witness showed me the exact spot where she observed the creature and talked me through its movements following discovery. She was about ¼ mile from the family home down a long driveway and observed it moving from one tree line to another. She said when the creature noticed her; it turned in her direction and took several steps toward her. Thereupon she ran back home yelling for her mother and sister.Her mother stated that K. is not easy to scare and upon seeing her face, asked what happened. It was obvious something was very wrong as she was visibly shaking.Following the initial sighting, several things have occurred. A second sighting behind the house (away from the road) where an upright creature was seen watching the youngest child. Noises and wood knocking come from the trees south of the house. The noises begin barely perceptible and increase in volume if no one reacts. The family is visible to the woods through the family room windows while watching TV. One time the adult ignored the knocking sounds and they increased in volume until one of the children listening to music with headphones could hear them. If anyone reacts to the noises, they stop.The family owns around 50 acres in Monroe County, WV which is mostly wooded. The property has a hidden pond in the woods which is teeming with frogs. I walked around the perimeter causing dozens of frogs to leap into the water. The family noticed dogs barking in the distance whenever the animals visted. The barking would trace the path of the animals as they approached. Dogs at one property bark until they depart, then the dogs at the next property would pick up barking. The situation reversed as they departed.
About BFRO Investigator Stephen Willis:
Stephen is retired from the U.S. Army. He has attended 15 BFRO expeditions so far and has led several on-site investigations of sightings.

Hinton Sasquatch Siting - 2008

YEAR: 2008
SEASON: Spring
MONTH: March
DATE: 29th
STATE: West Virginia
COUNTY: Summers County
LOCATION DETAILS: Take the Sandstone exit from Beckley, turn left where the visitor center is on right, go on the road leading to the center. There is a gravel trail going up into the hills where the first sighting was. From the beginning of the trail uphill approximately 150ft to the left was where the second sightings occurred.
NEAREST TOWN: Hinton
NEAREST ROAD: 64east
OBSERVED: My financee and I were coming down I-64 east from Beckley, West Virginia, at approximately 6:45 pm. My financee said, “Holy crap, I just saw Bigfoot, 3 possibly 4!" We turned around and high tailed it back to the spot. The sighting took place at the Hinton exit. There is a visitor's center off to the left. We went to the road she saw them and parked. I got out and looked around and within a minute I spotted the group. It consisted of 2 large and 2 smaller. The larger appeared to be at least 7 to 8 foot tall. The smaller ones were 2 foot smaller. They were solid black in color. The group was approximately 150ft away, towards the top of a small hill. The 2 larger were standing up hill from the 2 smaller ones sitting. The group was moving back and forth. The 2 larger would squat then stand back up again, at least 4 times. I then made a howling noise and the largest one began to sway back and forth between 2 trees. He looked like a gorilla at the zoo holding the bars and going back and forth. I howled again and he moved downhill towards one of the smaller ones and bent over near it. There was enough light behind them for me to see arms and legs and what appeared to be a huge upper body on the largest one. The reach I saw between trees had to be at least 6ft. My fiancée was very scared and said we need to go. We got back in the car and moved about 20ft. and I saw more movement. We stopped again and I got out and saw 1 of the larger ones walk over the hill. Then I saw one of the smaller ones stand up. We left at that point. My fiancée had been a skeptic to a point, I was always a believer. Tonight changed our lives forever. Of course we called several people to share our experience. Now I am here sharing with you.
OTHER WITNESSES: my financee
OTHER STORIES: Friend camped at Sherwood Lake. During the night a niece was awakened by something standing outside her tent, dropping pebbles on the tent.
TIME AND CONDITIONS: approximately 6:45 pm first sighting in great light second sighting light was behind the creatures
ENVIRONMENT: mountain ridge and woods with openings for light to come through
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stephen Willis:
• The witness and his fiancée watched the four animals over 15 minutes. • The two larger animals seemed aware of the human couple watching them. • The largest animal paid close attention to the witnesses. • The next largest paid more attention to the smaller pair and interacted with the small ones. It moved to close proximity to a young one and seemed to be communicating with gestures.• The facial details could not be observed, other than the face was covered by hair. • Body hair was long, 4-6 inches in length, could be seen hanging from the limbs when raised.• There were no vocalizations from the animals. • The creatures' arms came close to their knees when standing upright.The following weekend (April 5th), the couple returned to the sighting location.• A small dog (dachshund) was taken to the sighting area. It “went wild” when discovering what appeared to be a bedding area marked by vegetation crushed to the ground. It tugged at the leash wanting to proceed up the hill.• The witness stated the area gave him a “creepy feeling,” like they were being watched. April 6th, another trip to the sighting area.• Large track seen and photographed, 2” longer than a size 13 sneaker and 8” wide.• Scat found and photographed.• Several photos taken in a circle around the bedding area, using flash attachment.• Large rock thrown at the couple• Movement seen by 10-year-old nephew while adult was taking photos.• Large bipedal creature seen at the top of the hill they were standing on.
About BFRO Investigator Stephen Willis:
Stephen is retired from the U.S. Army. He has attended 15 BFRO expeditions so far and has led several on-site investigations of sightings.

Possible Names for Squatch from Around the World (a good place to copy and paste to Google)

The Wood Man
Boqs
Snanaik
Bushmen
Timber Giants
Big Figure
Bukwas/Bukwus
Wild Man of the Woods
Dzonoqua/Tsonoqua
Wild Woman of the Woods
evil seeker
Sne nah, or Owl Women
Tsadjatko, or giants
Skukum
Hecaitomixw, or Devil of the Forest
OehTsaaloh, or, Giants
Stick Indians
Sasquatch
Windigo
The Hairy Man
Nant’ina
Get’qun
Na’in, or Brushman
Koosh Taa Kaa, or Otterman
Nantiinaq
Urayuli
Miitiipi
Madukarahat, or Giant
Loo poo oi’yes
Yahyahaas
Yeti
Olayome
Oh-Mah
Stoneclad
Nun Yunu
Wi
The Stone Man
Kecleh-Kudleh
Ot ne yar heh
Stonish Giants
Ge no sqwa
The Stone Giants
Ge no’sgwa
The Stone Coats
Esti Capcaki
Albatwitches
Chiye tanka
Rugaru
The Big Man
Woods Devils
See’atco
Skookum
Yi’ dyi’ tay
Tsiatko
Seatco
Tso’apittse
Cannibal
Ste ye hah
Splintercat
Yeahoh
So’yoko
T’oylona
Atahsaia
Char-Manstetats
Nalusa Falaya
Shampe
Skunk ape
Swamp ape
Tornit
Ice Giant
Man-mountain
Chenoo
Gilyuk
Nyalmo
Orang Dalam
Bosjesman
Oo-el-en
Zoobie
Momo
Lizard man
Flint Monster
Kung-Lu
Stick Indian
Tuneq
Massikruman
Chuchunaa
Nakani
Nuk-Luk
Devil Monkey
Honey Island Swamp Monster
No Heads
No necks
Catamounts
Mount St. Helens gorillas
Goat man
Ft. Worth Monster
Fouke Monster
Boggy Creek Monster

Woods Devils

Woods Devils-Coos County, New Hampshire

Many years ago I lived up in Coos county in New Hampshire. Some of the old men would talk about things called "wood devils" that live in the woods. There aparently were alot more of these creatures back in the 1930's than there are now. These Wood Devils were tall and very skinny. They are grey colored and very hairy. I guess that people saw them mostly when they didnt expect to. They stay in the deep woods. They can run very fast. When a person walked through the woods he would nearly walk into one before he spotted it. They hide by standing upright and still aginst a tree. As a person aproaches it it will stand against the opposite side of the tree. As the person passes it will move so that the tree is always between the person and the tree. If it cannot hide it will still stay perfectly still until it knows the person sees it. They make awful screams. They have a semi human shape, but their faces dont look at all human. I have never seen one, but the people who said they did were regular church goers and would strap their kids for lying. I dont think they would carry on discussions of things they made up.

Mountain of the Dead

How creepy do you want it?
The famously eerie tale of nine dead Russian hikers, with all the bizarre details you can handle

By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

I admit only to this: I can get deeply creeped out, down to my very core, now and then and hopefully not all that often because, well, I still like to sleep at night.
Personally, I try to keep the creep to a minimum, not really wishing to dive down into that low, dark vibration much and hence I avoid most horror movies like the plague and I find slasher flicks and "torture porn" revolting and ridiculous and while monster flicks can occasionally be fun and thrilling, they're mostly just a cheap roller-coaster rides supplying no real nourishment of any kind. I know, that's not really the point. But still.
Ah, but the occult. The paranormal. The deeply weird, mysterious, unsolvable, disturbing. That can get to me. That has power. A good, deep creep-out, those unknowable things that get under your skin and crawl around and tug at the shirtsleeves of your fears, well, those are the things can last for years. Lifetimes. I love that. I hate that.
The final shot in "The Blair Witch Project." An oozingly possessed Linda Blair crawling down the stairs on all fours, upside down, backwards, in a full backbend, on her toes and fingertips, in the uncut version of "The Exorcist." The ending to (and overall creepy feel of) "Don't Look Now," the famous cult horror movie from the '70s with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie and the creepy little midget in the red robe. Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock," another classic '70s occult flick, chaste schoolgirls disappearing up a bizarrely haunted mountain — entirely fictional, but plays all too damn real.
But still, they're just movies. Fiction, mostly. No matter how good they are, they all kneel before the one true god of interminable creepiness: reality.
Here's one. It's called the Dyatlov Pass Accident. Oh my God, yes. I stumbled over this delicious tale just recently over at Metafilter and it's one of those stories that contains all the best elements of a deep, resonant creep-out. Inexplicable behavior. Bizarre factoids. Inconclusive evidence. Missing body parts. And not a single clue, almost 50 years later, as to what really happened.
The nutshell: In 1959, nine experienced Russian cross-country skiers — seven men and two women, led by a man named Igor Dyatlov — headed to the Ural Mountains, to a slope called Kholat Syakhl (Mansi language for "Mountain of the Dead," ahem) for a rugged, wintry trek. On their way up, they are apparently hit by inclement weather and veer off course and decide to set up camp and wait it out. All is calm. All is fine and good. They even take pictures of camp, the scenery, each other. The weather is not so bad. They go to sleep.
Then, something happens. In the middle of the night all nine suddenly leap out of their tents as fast as possible, ripping them open from the inside (not even enough time to untie the doors) and race out into the sub-zero temps, without coats or boots or skis, most in their underwear, some even barefoot or with a single sock or boot. It is 30 degrees below zero, Celsius. A few make it as far as a kilometer and a half down the slope. All nine, as you might expect, quickly die.
And so it begins.
Why did they rush out, unable to even grab a coat or blanket? What came at them? The three-month investigation revealed that five of the trekkers died from simple hypothermia, with no apparent trauma at all, no signs of attack, struggle, no outward injuries of any kind. However, two of the other four apparently suffered massive internal traumas to the chest, like you would if you were hit by a car. One's skull was crushed. All four of these were found far from the other five. But still, no signs of external injuries.
Not good enough? How about this: One of the women was missing her tongue.
Oh, it gets better. And weirder.
Tests of the few scraps of clothing revealed very high levels of radiation. Evidence found at the campsite indicates the trekkers might've been blinded. Eyewitnesses around the area report seeing "bright flying spheres" in the sky during the same months. And oh yes, relatives at the funeral swear the skin of their dead loved ones was tanned, tinted dark orange or brown. And their hair had all turned completely gray.
Wait, what?
The final, official explanation as to what caused such bizarre behavior from otherwise well-trained, experienced mountaineers? An "unknown compelling force." Indeed.
Here's the problem: All the convenient, logical explanations — avalanche, animal attack, secret military nuke test — fail. Russian authorities held a three-month investigation. Rescuers, experts picked through every piece of evidence. There were no signs of natural disaster. And if it was just an avalanche, why was the area closed off for three years following the event, and all related documents put in a secret Russian archive until 1990? If it was some sort of weird nuclear megablast (which I suppose may tint you orange, but won't turn your hair gray), what the hell happened to her tongue?
I love stories like this. I hate stories like this.
Sure, you want to go for the logical. Hell, who knows what hellish weaponry they were testing in the mountains in Khrushchev's Russia in the late '50s? Who knows what dark mysteries are buried in the landscape by the world's militaries as they test their dark deeds? The rule goes like this: Any weapon of horror and death man's mind can conceive, odds are gruesomely good the government or military has considered it. Or even built it.
Then again, maybe not. The "horrifying military experiments" theory, spawn of a thousand movies and conspiracy theories, has one fatal flaw: proof. What, 75 years of high-tech military advances and hundreds of billions of dollars spent and a million people working in various sinister branches of the military, and yet not one scrap of truly bizarre or outrageous military weaponry has popped up in the public sphere, been leaked or revealed or unearthed? This is the Internet/YouTube/nothing's-secret age — you'd think we'd get at least one piece of irrefutable evidence proving how the Pentagon has been testing 10-story remote-controlled radioactive spiders with lasers for eyes. Or something. Not that I trust the government, per se. They just aren't that smart.
This is both the joy and horror of stories like Dyatlov — they make your mind jump and bend and struggle. Logic fails quickly. Easy explanations don't work. Complicated ones feel incomplete. The creepiness takes hold, begins to burrow, make you squirm.
So of course, you jump further. You reach for the paranormal, metaphysical, unknowable, to things like UFOs and spirits and ghosts, dark forces and mysticism and the occult, because, well, that's where the action is. That's where we get to touch the void, dance on the edge of perception, realize how little we truly know of anything.
After all, if you really think all there is to this world is what your five senses show you, if you think there's always got to be a logical, earthbound explanation for stories like Dyatlov, well, you might as well just join a megachurch and wipe your brain and your intuition and your deep, dark curiosity clean right now.
As Dyatlov himself might say, his skin orange and hair gray and eyes wide wide wide, you think you know, but you have no idea.

Mission Statement

This Web Log is dedicated to the reporting and investigation of cryptozoology and conspiracy theories. Our goal is to promote factual, scientific evidence of the existence of cryptoids and conspiracies while debunking the purposeful deceit and lies of charlatans.