YEAR: 1968

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

STATE: Pennsylvania

COUNTY: Bucks County

LOCATION DETAILS: Tohicken Valley Park is a public state camping facility. It may or may not cause a problem if curiosity seekers come to check out the area and do some amateur investigating. It is near a tiny hamlet area for tourists (Pt Pleasant). There is a rafting/canoe business, and antique store and restaurant facility.

NEAREST TOWN: Point Pleasant, PA

NEAREST ROAD: Tohickon Hill Road

OBSERVED: Here goes, I guess depending upon how you look at it I am either the luckiest person where Bigfoot is concerned or unfortunate in that coming forward in some people's eyes makes me either a story teller or a nut. My sighting occured on a 1968 family camping trip near the Delaware River in Tohickon Valley Camp Grounds in Bucks County, PA. I was 16 yrs old. I rode by bike over to explore the newest camping area that was as yet unfinished. As I rode through a clearing down a dirt road I had the unnerving feeling I was being watched from the bushes. I told myself that I was being silly and proceeded to ride into the entrance tree covered area. I noticed the new bathhouse, wanted to check it out and parked my bike along side a split rail fence. After finding the door locked I turned around to go back to my bike and that is when I saw not 8 ft away the most frightening and butt ugly creature I have ever seen. It was standing upright on the other side of the split rail fence. It had both hands on the top railing all the while shifting its weight back and forth rocking from side to side. I could clearly see the face in the sunlight but details of the body were lost in the shadow of the shade of the trees. It had a wild eyed look upon its face with the body language being restless. I must have been in shock as I calmly decided to get the heck out of there and back on my bike. When I got back to the our camp site I wanted to tell someone but I didn't even believe what I had just saw. I had no point of reference except that it was about 5'5 and monkeyish looking but not human. After I got home I wanted to tell my Mom or Dad or neighbor but was afraid they would make fun of me or think I was crazy. I kept asking myself how I was going to sleep that it would cause me nightmares. So I decided then and there to put it out of my consciousness. Everytime I thought how frightened I was, I pushed it out of my mind. Eventually I succeeded. Fast forward to 2002 and I find your BFRO website. (It has taken me another 5 years to get up the courage to write this report). I never gave it much thought about Bigfoot and Washington/Oregon state but it was interesting to see that this research was genuine and scientifically based. I was surprised to see so many reports here in PA. As I was reading about other sightings one night, the memory of that camping experience came flooding back with the realization that I had come face to face with a Bigfoot. Upon reflection, I now realize that I have had three more encounters (1978-Bucks,1997 and 2005-Berks County).

ALSO NOTICED: Another encounter about 11 years later on another camping trip at same area.

OTHER WITNESSES: only myself.

OTHER STORIES: As a side note, on a prior camping trip myself and some other kids were in the Swimming Pool registration area and asked if the hiking area behind the pool was open to campers. The life guard said "Yes" but warned jokingly, "Watch out for bigfoot". I said "Are you serious"? The other lifeguard said that other campers had reported seeing a monkey creature down at the creek bed. I thought that was a cruel thing to spread unfounded rumors to scare campers. It angered me. Maybe after reading my report, other campers, park personnel or local people might also come forward with their experiences.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: early afternoon. Clear, sunny warm day.

ENVIRONMENT: This is a forested area cleared out for Swimming Pool facility and camp ground area.

Follow-up investigation report:

I spoke to the witness in great length on the evening of September 16th 2007. Now in her fifties she recounted the sighting in great detail. The following can be added in reference to the face of the animal.

It had a round face with no hair present. It looked like an ape. The skin color was not as dark as a Gorilla but not as light as a Caucasian person, somewhere in between like a tan or very light brown. The noise of the animal could not be made out as the witness was drawn to the eyes. The eyes were large but in proportion to the head. They looked like the eyes of a primate with a white sclera and dark iris. The witness had the impression that this was a young male, surprised and excited when she noticed it.

At 25 years of age the witness returned to the area with her husband and mixed terrier dog that was very protective and aggressive at times. They were tent camping when the dog started to whimper. They then felt the ground begin to shake as if something large was passing near their tent. Shortly after this they exited the tent to see what it could have been. They noticed what looked like a large man that apparently covered quite a bit of ground in a short period of time moving through a high grass field, across a road and heading into a cornfield. This took place approximately between 11:30PM and 12:00AM.

I asked the witness how this figure seemed to move. She replied by saying it was very fluid and swift. It seemed to know where it was going and had no trouble traversing the rugged terrain in the dark. The witness could not help but think why would another camper walk into a cornfield at that time of night?

This was the last the time the witness visited the location