YEAR: 1993

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

STATE: Virginia

COUNTY: Greene County

LOCATION DETAILS: Off Skyline Drive near Swift Run gap

OBSERVED: I would like to say up- front , that this is a different thing for me to do by far : I reside in Virginia & am originally from the upper New England area of Vermont.

I have been a woods person in my native New England all of my life , being known by my peers & family members as an individual who enjoys the outdoors , with my extreme likening for fishing native New England trout:

With that understood of myself : I am by far a very observant person as well as very analytical .....to say the least .

A few years ago, in 1993.... while hiking up into the mountains with my German Shepherd (with great intelligence) I had something occur that can only be explained as having something to do with this elusive creature on this database, that I myself.... had never really taken a whole-hearted belief in previously.

I had decided this day to hike into the mountain (as I routinely would do) to retrieve some wonderful deep-green moss I had once noticed on a ridge over-looking a valley-ravine, I had been there several times in previous trips to the mountain.

So, my dog and myself started off on a very nice & wonderful sunny mid-late afternoon, we hiked way up into the mountain to where I had once found a really nice antique bottle dump, (where you can find great vintage collectibles in the ground)

I had already done a very good job of searching that area for nice things previous, but I stopped over anyway: so we then continued on to the location of where the deep-green moss crept anciently across this ledge.....just like a carpet ( a very large area ) I just loved looking at it, my idea was to bring some of it back to our garden at home , where we plant flowers....within pathways and such :

I spent sometime gathering up a lot of this by skimming it off the rocks surface with a pointed steel shovel I brought along, my very smart shepherd and myself.... just having a routine great time & on a great day! It was getting late when we decided to get on back.... Because we had quite a distance to re-trek to home.

I was toting this 50 lb. Or more, sack of mountain moss on my shoulder and carrying my spade in the other hand, making my way cleverly through the thick brush to return home , my very keen shepherd always at my side at command , just a few feet in front of me as I made my way , I was getting within only a couple miles from our home when this occurred :

I was coming down a steep incline with thick small trees and surrounded by huge ancient trees....with a mud & rock bottom clear mountain creek running down the middle of this slight valley ravine , I had the feeling that something was observing me, as I strode forward....along with my amazingly smart dog.

Just the second I felt that way.....i looked up as did my dog , and in a split half second ( if it can be measured like this in this situation) I observed about 100 yards ahead standing tall to the hill-side tree's growing from the hillside itself , was something that just disappeared as quickly as viewing it :

As it happened...my shepherd (who always heeds my commands) bolted like I never had ever seen her go , I immediately set the sack down with my spine tingling a bit , I called up through the primitive valley , her name....again , again , again & again....and much more , she was a long ways of very quickly , ( she was also very , very fast )

Finally after about 3 or 4 minutes, she came back to me...nearly crawling, now ...in order for this to have happened to her.... being very energetic & naturally fast & keen) I was amazed, and new without a doubt...she had to have gone a very long ways, and had seen something.... most likely....

I made of her & gratified her for returning to me , and after a few minutes we started toward the very hillside where it had been (whatever it was ) and as I approached the spot I felt was just about where this may have been , it smelled so bad...like something was unclean of itself , in a hygiene sort of way as well as rotten breath or stink from a dead carcass or fur :

I looked down at the ground & around a bit....but no signs of prints or anything obvious , so I started up the sheer ravine hillside on an angle , clinging to some trees and pulling myself up the hillside in a neat manner :

I got to the top , rested with the sack at my feet... ( sweating ) and I gave the whole of the basin below me...a very slow careful micro observance with my eyes...... Nothing at all , so , I started down the long flat stretch ahead of me to my home.

I return to my home , climb over the fence & tote the sack over to my garden and spend the remaining hour or so, transplanting the moss to my liking , ( I didn’t finish it all up ) we had 3 shepherds back then ( including the female that was with me that day ) but the other two dogs were inside at home :

I came inside and mentioned this curious experience to my wife, and she thought it rather interesting also : we went on with our normal routines for the evening & through the following morning , I hadn’t really harped on it to much....because I hadn’t actually seen anything for certain...as I feel my female - dog had .

So we got up in the morning and let our three larger shepherds out to do there stuff , and they flew out the door and all ran strangely right toward the direction of where I had placed all this mountain moss in the garden.

I made my way over to there also....being curious myself now , and when I got to the spot..i got a rush up my spine , because I smelled the very same awful erroma there in the garden area , and it was not the moss at all ! Because the smell has never been there , and was not there when I placed the moss there the night previous.

Yet here was this awful smell , along with my dogs....all going slightly crazy with there noses to the ground , ( it was almost as if something had made it's way back....following my trail... Back to my home...to see where I was going or what I was up to.....in other-words.....being as curious of myself as I would be it ( whatever it was ) if that is what occurred... That would make this thing one smart...you know what!

Anyhow, that is my story, and it happened like that, and I think it a bit odd, since then...I am not as apt to go off to that area hiking.... as I used to, or at least not solo.

ALSO NOTICED: Yes , a few larger ( man handle size rocks ) turned over ...as if something had been searching for insects underneath them : ( no one goes out there for fishing or anything at all : I have never seen anyone out on this mountain with a purpose or anything even close to needing a reason to turn over such large rocks ...to forage for any reason such as fishing.

OTHER WITNESSES: Hiking, gathering moss & enjoying a routine mountain journey with my keen dog.

ENVIRONMENT: Remote wilderness, land I was on ( privately owned ) backs up against the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. old logging roads out there , cliffs , ravines creeks ( a few ) ancient old walnut tree's , ferns , pines , berry's , briar's , hardwood , sheer steep hills , one after another , cut deep : also old homesteads from the 1930's out there.