YEAR: 2007

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: 18

STATE: New York

COUNTY: Warren County

NEAREST TOWN: Sabbath Day Point

NEAREST ROAD: Rt. 9

OBSERVED: My friend and I were hiking on a trail called Five Mile Mtn. We were at the top of the Mtn when I had this eary feeling about the woods ahead. I have never felt like that before in the woods during daylight. We started to smell rain in the air and it was getting chilly quick. We were already 2 hours into our hike at least. Anyways, we stuck with our gut feeling and starting heading back. About ten minutes later, a big rock came flying from the left heading towards the right and hit another rock and made a loud crack. The rock must have rolled for at least 5 seconds afterwards. I could tell by the sound the rock made when it hit, that is was a big rock. And the fact that it rolled for such a long distance afterward. It had to be someone or something very strong. We stuck around the area for another 5-7 minutes to see if we could see or hear anything but no luck. I had already known that this area has had its own encounters with bigfoot so I suspected that this was what it was. I decided to start throwing rocks back into the woods in the direction of the 1st rock as we continued walking back. I continued this down the trail. I was hoping to get a rock in return, and before long, I did. Another rock came in our direction. They were not thrown directly at us but above us and behind us. We were in shock. I just couldn't believe that someone or something was throwing rocks back at me. I continued throwing rocks into the woods as I walked and the rocks were returned. I felt as if it were playful at first, but it then became aggressive. We came to a pond and the trail wrapped around part of the pond. We heard a tree moving but it sounded like it was being shaken. the wind was definitely not making the tree make that sound. Keep in mind that something has been rock throwing for at least 20 minutes now. We stopped in this area and was trying to see where the noise was coming from. I couldn't see a thing. I decide to take a step in the direction of the noise and I felt my stomach drop. I knew there was something there. I couldn't see it but I could feel it. It was one of those feelings you just have to have yourself to understand. I moved back onto the trail and I decided to pick up a few rocks and start throwing them in that direction to see if I could get a return rock. It didn't take long before one came flying back. I decided to be brave again and try to step off the trail and throw a few rocks closer towards where the rocks were being thrown at me. This time I had a rock the size of a baseball. As I was throwing my rock, a rock bigger than mine was also in the air coming towards me. It came extremly close to my head. My friend was on the trail behind me so she had a clear view of the rock coming towards me. The rock hit a tree behind me and bounced onto the trail. There was no denying that these were not rocks now! The proof was there. It seemed that whatever they were, they were getting annoyed with me. The rocks were now being thrown directly at me instead of around me. We decided to knock it off for a little while and get the heck out of there. about 5 minutes down the way, I suspected that we were being followed out of the woods. So to see if something was still there, I picked up some rocks again. I started throwing them one after another without stopping. I must have thown about 5 or 6 when a rock came soaring down from the high cliff at us. I said to my friend "see I told you they were still here." I knew that whatever it was, was just as curious about me as I was of it. They continued to fire a few more rocks off the cliff at me; they were definitely trying to hit me! I looked so hard into the woods but I couldn't see a thing. I thought maybe it was just a person, but I don't believe that is was. Especially from the high cliff. A person would have been noticed easliy. The last but not least rock was the icing on the cake. I was not even expecting it. We were walking and talking for a few minutes and I was not throwing any rocks when a rock the size of a softball came down and wizzed past our heads. We both ducked and covered our heads out of instinct. If we did not duck, one of us would have been hit. That was it for me. I knew it was time to get out of those woods and stop messing around. It was an expierence we will never forget. I have no idea what is in those woods up there but that was the wierdest thing that has ever happened to me. We will chalk it up in our memory book. I will be returning to this area again.

ALSO NOTICED: There was a wining noise that we heard. It sounded like a baby animal. We didn't see anything though. We also heard a few footsteps possibly, and some deep knocks.

OTHER WITNESSES: One other person.

OTHER STORIES: Yes. Other reports on BFRO

TIME AND CONDITIONS: early afternoon.

ENVIRONMENT: Next to a small pond.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Paul J. Mateja:

The witness and a friend enter the trail head to Five Mile Mountain at the Tongue Mountain Range off of Route 9N

They walked in approximately 1.5 miles then turned north at a trail junction to Five Mile Mountain. Before heading north, they stopped at a small pond where they heard an unusual whining sound that they could not identify. They continued to walk another 1.5 - 2.0 miles. The witness thought that this particular trail was little used because it was not worn down as the other trails closer to the trail head. The Witness believes they were near Brown Mountain when the events began. As they reached the end of the hike, both witnesses became aware of the odd, eerie silence; up to this point they were hearing typical forest sounds of various birds. After a short while they headed back out, then the rock throwing began.

Rock throwing event points of interest:
- Rocks were thrown from the left (that is from the east, between trail and Lake George)
- Estimated rock sizes from as small as a golf ball to as large as a softball
- Witnesses did not see most of the rocks being thrown, but they were thrown with sufficient velocity to make a loud thud when they hit the ground. The other witness did clearly see one large rock sailing through the air as it passed over head.
- The rock throwing periodically continued as they walked out; to a point about midway between the trail head and the trail heading north
- At all times, the rocks were thrown from the east
- None of the rocks hit them but some came uncomfortably close

A broken tree limb was observed from the trail near Brown Mountain:
- aprox 3-5" in diameter
- estimated tree break at 10' height
- tree was green, not dead wood
- limb was not broken completely off, left hanging
- it is unlikely that it was a weather related event as no other tree damage was observed. However, this researcher is very cautious about attributing various tree breaks and structures to bigfoot/sasquatch. I have seen too many of such things that, in my opinion, could be explained by other causes. However, I have personally seen a few very good to excellent examples of tree breaks/twists, markers, and tepee-like structures that I could not explain by natural and weather related events or human activity.

Also note worthy, both witnesses also heard knocks, like a rock being hit against a tree.

About BFRO Investigator Paul J. Mateja:

Paul is a network administrator and systems analyst/programmer for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, NY. In addition, Paul and his wife Teresa own and operate a small organic farm in western New York State. He has attended and organized expeditions including New Mexico (Jicarilla), New York (Adirondacks), Pennsylvania and West Virginia.