YEAR: 1987

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: March

STATE: Tennessee

COUNTY: Monroe County

LOCATION DETAILS: If you want to go their I will show you. I am not going to post directions.

NEAREST TOWN: Robbinsville, NC

NEAREST ROAD: HWY 321

OBSERVED: I was 15 years old. A friend and I were hiking down a trail in Cherokee National forest. We were headed to Slick rock creek to do some fly fishing. I was slightly ahead of my buddy on the trail. About 50-60 yards ahead of me some kind of animal crossed the trail. This creature was in plain view for about 5-10 seconds. It was trotting on all fours. It was mostly white or off white. this thing was big. It was the size of a large bear. I would guess at least 300 lbs. Its hair was kind of shaggy. More shaggy than that of a bear. at first I looked at my buddy and asked if he seen the thing. He said yes. I asked "what was it". He did not know but descibed the thing exactly the way that I seen it. The ground in this area was rock hard so no tracks were left. I am now 34 years old, but that memory has stuck with me ever since. Of course no one has ever really believed this story, but ever since I have had a huge interest in big foot and crytozoology.

ALSO NOTICED: Shortly afterwards some large limbs were shaken in a tree near us, but we did not see the thing again.

OTHER WITNESSES: 1 other witness who was hiking with me.

OTHER STORIES: you always hear a lot of tall tells about this area, but nothing that I ever took seriously.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was mid-mourning. On a sunny mild day. Probably in the 60s. It was ina heavily wooded area so it was shady even though it was a very sunny day.

ENVIRONMENT: Smokey mountians, Mixed forest. near a hiknig trail, near a creek bottom.

Follow-up investigation report:

I spoke with the witness and found him to be very down to earth and a knowledgeable outdoorsman. He has fished and hunted all of his life and has had numerous interactions with all of the Tennessee big game animals including black bears, wild hogs, deer, etc. He is a very credible witness, even though he was recounting a very incredible experience.

The witness was 15 years-old at the time of this event, and this was the first time he was being allowed to go camping alone with friends. There were 3 boys on the trip. One of them was 16 and had his drivers license. At the time of the encounter the witness and his 16 year-old friend were together. The third boy had lagged back and was out of sight behind them.

This encounter happened on Stiffknee Trail of the Cherokee National Forest. The boys were hiking in to fish Slick Rock creek. The witness stated that the first couple of miles are a very rugged hike and then the trail flattens out for the final 3rd of the distance. This encounter happened after the trail had flattened and took place somewhere between 9 and 10 am in an open wooded area.

As the witness recounted it to me, this creature came at a 45 degree angle from his right to his left at a distance of about 50 yards and was visible for a full 5 seconds or more. Although he initially indicated the animal was trotting, when pressed for details of the animal's gait it can better be described as 'loping'. This animal was immense in size, and the witness revised his original estimated weight to be closer to 400 lbs. The estimated height from the ground to the underside of the belly was 3 feet and the legs were described as very long. The color was very, very light - almost white, but not albino. However, there were darker patches of hair here and there.

The witness' view of the animal was quartering, and the animal turned its head to look at the boys as it loped across their path. The face was described as flat. There was very little hair on the face, and what hair was there was very short. There was no muzzle and no ears showing.

The witness knew immediately that he was not looking at a bear - both because of the coloration, and because of the shape and conformation of the animal and the absence of a muzzle or visible ears, but neither he or his friend knew what they were looking at at the time.

Although not reported frequently, it is not unheard of for bigfoots to run on all fours. Also telling is the fact that shortly afterward nearby trees were being shaken vigorously. Since the boys did not know what it was they had encountered, and were not frightened at the time, they continued on their way to their fishing destination without further incident.

Although it happened nearly 21 years ago this incredible event left a very lasting impression on this gentleman.