YEAR: 2011

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: 21

STATE: North Carolina

COUNTY: Yancey County

LOCATION DETAILS: Pisgah National Forest, Black Mountain Campground

NEAREST TOWN: Busick, NC

OBSERVED: My two friends and I were camping near Busick, NC, just east of the Smokey Mountain National Park. We were northeest of Asheville, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Busick is so small that google earth does not have a marker for it.) On the first of the two nights we were there, we heard wierd yells going through the woods right after dark. Later, while we were sitting near the campfire playing dominos, we heard the same yell and heard rustling in the woods nearby. We couldn't distinguish what it was because there were some people singing christian hymns at a small theatre nearby. Later that night, when I was asleep, my friends(they were brothers) were talking about the upcoming wedding of one of them this coming spring and the younger brother says that he saw it move through the woods very close to our camp. He told me about it the next day and I got kind of scared, since I may have seen a bigfoot in New Mexico back in 1994 while in the boy scouts. The next day the two brothers went on a long hike and I stayed in camp since I was experiencing foot problems and had no hiking boots. I got really bored so I decided to walk down what seemed to be a game trail into the woods for a few hundred yards. I noticed that there were a lot of trees that were broken, like something had bended them. None of these trees were very thick, but there were a few that I knew I could not snap. I started to get a little scared, like something wasn't right. I was only about a 1/4 mile from the campground, and I saw it. It scared the s**t out of me. I only saw it for about 10-15 seconds(maybe, I was so scared it could've been 5 seconds or it could have been a minute), and the best way to describe it would be that it looked like the bigfoot from Harry and the Hendersons only it was heavier and a little bit darker. I was probably about 15-30 feet from it when I saw it. We stared at each other for the duration of my sighting, and then it walked away as if I wasn't anything to worry about. I stood in that spot for a little while and then walked back to the campsite, stopping every now and then to look around for the thing. I told my friends about it and after describing the thing the one brother who saw it the night before said that it was probably the same thing he saw.

ALSO NOTICED: Broken and bent branches. The night after I saw it we didn't hear any of the wierd yells like we heard the night before so we figured it had gone away. We asked some people in Asheville if anyone has said they've seen a bigfoot and we got laughed at.

OTHER WITNESSES: Myself and my friend saw it, his brother only heard it.

OTHER STORIES: only on the NC page of this website

TIME AND CONDITIONS: My friend saw it just before midnight, when I saw it the next day it was about 2ish in the afternoon.

ENVIRONMENT: Appalachian mountains, forested, stream nearby.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Kevin Zorc:

I interviewed RS by phone on December 2, 2011, for approximately one and a half hours. RS indicates that he and two friends were camping in the Pisgah National Forest at the Black Mountain Campground on August 20-21, 2011. RS describes their camp site as being remote from a cluster of other occupied campsites, separated by an estimated 100 feet from other campers and up towards a ridge. Terrain was composed of rolling hills, average tree growth, ferns, poison ivy and a nearby stream near a ravine. Deer were observed previously in the park by the group, although none were viewed near the sighting area.

During the evening of August 20, RS indicates that while he and friends were engaged in typical campfire activities, they all heard numerous unidentified animal-type vocalizations during the evening. The sounds started low in volume and tone and ended in a higher/louder character, described by RS as sounding “angry.” Later, RS states that one of his companions observed a large figure moving through the woods, close to the campground, via the ambient light of the fire. RS was asleep during this event and does not recall any details.

RS states that on August 21, 2011, his two companions left to hike to Mt. Mitchell. The weather was sunny, sky clear and temperature was around eighty degrees. RS was unable to complete this hike with his friends and decided to stay at the camp. At approximately 2:00 PM, he decided to take a short walk alone, on a trail close to camp. RS proceeded approximately two hundred yards from his site and suddenly observed a large, 7’-8’ bipedal animal walking from his right, proceeding across a clear area to the left across his path. RS describes the animal as weighing 300-500 pounds, possessing 3’-4’ wide shoulders (like an NBA player) covered in dark brown, scraggly and matted six inch long hair. The animal proceeded in a casual manner, employed an estimated eight foot stride and arms swayed slower than leg movement. The animal stopped, RS stopped and they stared at each other from a distance of 35’-65’ away. RS states that at this distance he was unable to determine any significant facial features, but the face was the same color as the hair. He relates that he was terrified and the experience scared him tremendously. During the 15-30 second stare, RS made the following observations. Head shape was described as semi-conical, but not distinctly pointed. No visible neck was observed. Arms were described as long, hairy, hands extended to its knees. RS did not look at or observe the feet. Legs were muscular. RS felt the animal exhibited a demeanor of indifference. The animal did not appear to be engaged in any specific activity except travel. The animal was the first to break the stare and resumed moving through the wooded area, away from RS. No associated animal tracks or impressions were found after the event.

During this interview, I found RS to be a credible observer and witness. I feel it is highly probable that the animal RS observed on August 21, 2011 was a Bigfoot.

About BFRO Investigator Kevin Zorc:

Kevin Zorc enjoys outdoor activities; backpacking the Appalachian Trail and hiking around the United States. He attended GA 2011(#1), NC 2011 & 2013, Ohio 2012, West Virginia 2012/2013, Michigan UP 2012, California Central Sierra 2013/2014, California 2015 Expeditions and co organized the June 2014 NC Expedition.