YEAR: 1978

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

STATE: California

COUNTY: Trinity County

NEAREST TOWN: Hayfork/Hyampom

NEAREST ROAD: Hayfork/Hyampom road

OBSERVED: I and my former wife encountered three unusual events in a two year period, twice on horseback.

[First two are detailed in a different report.]

Thirdly, My former wife and a friend were riding a back trail to another friends house from the Hayfork fairgrounds after dark when my wife's horse alerted her that something was up ahead. She said "hey, there's somebody up ahead', it moved diagonally towards us into the brush, was fast, silent and never made a verbal sound. It was very large a black silhouette that looked human (I even said howdy to it) it caught us by suprize so i wasn't spooked untill long after the event and I really thought about it. I thought it was a huge untalkative hippie right at the moment. Sitting on my horse I was at head level with it. My horse about 30 yrds. past it was the one that got goofy and spun around a bit. We proceeded through the woods to our friends house and never said anything untill the next morning at breakfast.

ALSO NOTICED: The town dump is very near and bears frequent the area but this was no bear. The next day we went back to te location and did notice that the dry grass flattened where it stood.

OTHER WITNESSES: Two people, my former wife and my friend .We were riding to put up the horses.

ENVIRONMENT: Coastal mt. range of Ca. mixed to heavy conifer forest. Steep canyons very rugged near confluence of Hayfork and Trinity rivers.