YEAR: 1970

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: April

STATE: Tennessee

COUNTY: Sevier County

LOCATION DETAILS: From Gatlinburg,take Hwy 441(Newfound Gap Rd) towards Cherokee,NC.Just past the park entrance sign is where the sighting occurred.

NEAREST TOWN: Smokemont

NEAREST ROAD: 441

OBSERVED: In late spring of 1970 while traveling south between Gatlinburg, Tn and Cherokee, N.C. on Hiway 441 somewhere near the state line in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We sighted a very tall hairy creature. We were crusing down the road wondering if we would see any bear and as we rounded a curve there was this creature coming from the right side of the road down grade from some small trees and bushes that still had leaves. It moved across the road directly in front of us and after entering the bushes on the left side of the road angled off the same direction we were traveling. We could still see it's head for a few seconds before it dissapeared. I would guess the height to be somewhere in the 7+ foot tall range. It had a very long stride and walked like a human swinging it's long arms with it's stride. It covered the distance of 100 ft or so in seconds.
It never looked at us, there were no noticable features that stood out. It was tall, slender, smooth clean straight hair that coved the whole body and it's head just seemed to come out of the body with no noticable neck. We were flabergasted at the sight of it and tried to convince ourselves it was a bear. But we knew it could not be because of the way it walked and it's height, no nose protruded nor could we see any facial features as it never even looked at us nor showed any sighns of us being there. We were crusing along probably around 45 MPH with almost no other traffic on the road that day. It happened so quickly that my wife never had time to pick up the camera in her lap and get a picture.

OTHER WITNESSES: 2 Sightseeing from the car

OTHER STORIES: never been back there

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Mid Morning

ENVIRONMENT: Very clean grassy with shumak type bushes along the road and each side but was clear for 20 ft from the road side

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator MB Pope:

The witness was interviewed by phone. He was quite matter of fact and certain of his sighting. The witness and his wife were driving through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the animal walked out in front of their car, moving from one side of the road to the other side. The witness stated the following about the sighting and the animal:

-The animal crossed the road (on 2 legs) in 5-6 steps.
-The animal was about 7 ft tall.
-As the animal walked, it looked forward, never turning the head nor hesitating as it walked.
-The hands were folded up slightly, palms facing backwards.
-The arms were long and reached towards the knees.
-The shoulder to hip area was long.
-The hair/fur was (somewhat) lighter than a walnut brown color, but in that shade. Hair/fur appeared to be about 3" in length and uniform in its length.
-The animal was "very clean" and not shaggy at all.
-The animal walked with arms straight to the side and seemed to walk with his broad shoulders "back".
-The head did not appear to be pointed. The neck was not visible.
-The animal appeared to be "very human-like".

About BFRO Investigator MB Pope:

Lives in coastal South Carolina and is self employed in construction and development. Loves the outdoors and has hiked throughout the Pacific Northwest, the Rockies, Chile, Argentina, and the Appalachians. She attended BFRO in SC (2007), NC (2008), and Georgia (2008). She will be attending the 2009 expeditions in North Carolina and Georgia.