YEAR: 2000

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: 9th

STATE: New York

COUNTY: Washington County

LOCATION DETAILS: 1/2 mile into the trail to Buck Mountain

NEAREST TOWN: Queensbury

NEAREST ROAD: Shelving Rock Road

OBSERVED: My wife and I were off the trail to take some photos since she works as a model and I wanted to get some pictures of her by the creek. There was one small Volvo or Audi parked at the trail head when we went into the trail and signed the Login Registration at the Trail Head. We had been at the location for 30 mintues, when we heard a very deep sound almost roaring sound from a very large mammel. I am an expericenced pack packer and had years of experience in boyscouts and have had many encounters with Bears, and on occasion, have had to take food bags away from a very large bear that stole a hikers food near avalance pass in the High peaks. I have heard Bobcats and Coy-dogs and this was no animal that I had ever heard, including a possible bigfoot sighting I had nearly 10 years ago.

The sound was so distict , so low, almost a cross between a scream and a growling sound. I had never heard anything like this in all my life. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I have never been as frightened in all my life. I tried to keep my cool with my wife who frightens easily. The sound came closer and closer and was coming from the other side of the creek from the trail. It make this blood curdeling scream/yell at least 7 times as it approached us and at one point it was about 25 feet away. As it came through the woods, we could hear large branches breaking and could tell it was starting to circle us. The sounds stopped, but we could just feel it looking at us. We were in total fear and we quickly gathered our things and ran down the trail, the whole time we could hear this very large animal tracking us to our right side along the creek.

OTHER WITNESSES: My wife

OTHER STORIES: The local Police chased a Bigfoot into the woods near Whitehall NY, about 20 miles North of the location a decade before.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 2 pm , partly cloudy with light rain.

ENVIRONMENT: Next to a creek 300 feet off the trail to Buck Mountain.

Follow-up investigation report:

I spoke by phone with the witness J. W. He is a level headed individual with moderate experience as an outdoorsman, esp in the Adirondacks. When questioned regarding he and his wife's encounter he recalled a faint "skunky" type odor at about the time of the encounter, but indicated that it may have been the wet debris on the forest floor, but was stronger than he would have expected. As you will note, this is a "sound only" report. Nevertheless the witness is quite credible as to what he experienced and has enough outdoors expertise, esp in the Adirondacks to state clearly that was not dealing with anything he has experienced before including bear, moose, bobcat, cougar etc. He reported that the most significant thing about his encounter was the overwhelming volume of the call, he stated that it would be physically impossible for a human to make such a loud vocalization.

He also indicated he experienced a profound fear response unlike anything he has ever experienced before, and that he has on occasion had to face down bears on his frequent camping trips in the area and is not given to being afraid in the woods. He was somewhat concerned in that this encounter took place less than 10 minutes drive from his house; for those (Bill P) who know the area, this is on the other side of Pilot Knob going East, near Hogtown road.

He also indicated that the noise followed him and his wife as they exited the area and he had the distinct feeling that he was not wanted there. His fear would be palpable to anyone speaking with him. This is the typical NY State marked trail with a small parking area and log-in book, however, I know the general area pretty well; there are miles and miles of wooded wilderness where few humans go. I have often nightfished off the West (more settled) side of Lake George and have marvelled at the fact that through miles and miles of fairly high mountains there can hardly be seen any lights at all at night on the eastern side.