YEAR: 1999

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

STATE: California

COUNTY: Tuolumne County

LOCATION DETAILS: This occurred in the Emigrant Wilderness, just outside of Kennedy Meadow. Take the trail to Relief Reservoir. This happened near the first major bridge that crosses the Kennedy Soda Can Creek, at a flat that is good for camping.

NEAREST TOWN: Strawberry

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 108

OBSERVED: During the last week of August, 1999, myself and a friend left the Kennedy trailhead about an hour before dark. After about 1.5-2 hours of hiking, we decided to camp. We had just crossed the first major bridge over the Kennedy Soda Can Creek, and we doubled back a ways to a flat spot to camp for the night. We were about 15 yards from the creek itself. Around midnight to 1:00 a.m., I was drifting off to sleep when I heard a large, heavy, two-legged creature walking across the creek. Since the creek was deep, I could clearly hear it splashing. It would walk a little while, stop, then continue. This went on for about a minute. Although we did see another camper about 200-300 feet away, I can't imagine why someone would be walking across the creek at that time of night.

ALSO NOTICED: No, I didn't notice any smells, other sounds, or footprints.

OTHER WITNESSES: One. I was trying to sleep. My friend did not hear anything.

OTHER STORIES: Sometime between 1961 and 1963, while I was staying at a rented cabin at Strawberry, I had walked down to the creek, near the road that goes out of the backside of Pinecrest Lake (very near the old bridge). I was about 200-300 feet from the cabin, and only 15 feet from a small pine tree, when all of a sudden it began shaking violently. It shook for several seconds, stopped, then did it again. I ran back to the cabin and never saw what caused the shaking.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Between midnight and 1:00 a.m. There was a full or near full moon that night, which allowed us to hike at night.

ENVIRONMENT: Pine Forest, at about 8,000 feet in elevation.

Follow-up investigation report:

I talked with the witness by phone. No additional details can be added to the report.