YEAR: 2013

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

DATE: 26

STATE: North Carolina

COUNTY: Burke County

LOCATION DETAILS: Close to Lake James where I have seen some other strange happenings and limbs being broken

NEAREST TOWN: Morganton

NEAREST ROAD: Not sure of road name, just off Highway 126

OBSERVED: Was driving home tonight from a fishing trip. I saw something reddish brown looking over a guard rail. Could only see the head and part of the shoulders, for the rail was at the top of a hill. It wasn't a bear, or have never heard of a brown bear in the area. We do have some black bear here and there. The encounter/sighting was only for a few seconds as I drove by with high beams on.

ALSO NOTICED: I saw something blackish jump into the lake about 2 weeks before, but at the distance no ID or details could be observed. Also the sound of limbs breaking and knocking in the area I fish.

OTHER WITNESSES: My aunt was in the car with me, but she wasn't sure if she saw anything.

OTHER STORIES: I have seen things at a glimpse while driving Highway 181 entering Pisqah Forest before,and have heard about things in TN about 40 miles over the mountains.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Sighting was just after midnight.
It was a clear summer night, Hi temperature of 87 degrees low of 63 degrees. No precipitation. Moon was waning crescent one percent illumination.

ENVIRONMENT: Just past a bridge, fields on both sides of the road. About 4 miles or less from Lake James and close to Pisqah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Larry Sidwell:

I spoke at great length with the witness about his roadside sighting and lots of other strange things he has encountered near Lake James, just outside of Morganton, North Carolina.

The sighting took place on Frank Whisnant Road,on his way home from night fishing at Lake James, which is very close to Morganton. He was accompanied by his Aunt who did not see the creature. It was between 1:30 and 2 a.m. He spotted something on the side of the road, behind the guardrail. The embankment it was standing on behind the guardrail is very steep, and would be very hard for anything other than a biped to stand on. He only saw it from the shoulders up. He stated it had neatly maintained hair four to six inches long,and was a reddish brown in color. It had very broad shoulders and had to be very tall due to the steepness of the embankment, and the fact its head and shoulders were visible above the guardrail. Its facial features were human like, but the nose was described as not flat like an ape, and had a slight bridge.The skin was darker than the body hair. The entire sighting lasted five to ten seconds.

The witness has also viewed an upright creature jump into Lake James at the Linville Access Area. He stated a large upright creature jumped off an 8 ft. cliff into the water and was thrashing around like it was trying to catch another animal.

He has also heard limbs and trees being broken and strange howls in the same location.

Lake James and the surrounding area is in the Pisgah National Forest. There is abundant wildlife and waterways in the area. There has been lots of Sasquatch activity reported in this area.

About BFRO Investigator Larry Sidwell:

Larry became interested in Bigfoot at an early age after viewing the Patterson - Gimlin footage. Spent a lot of time in his youth hiking and exploring his families' farms in Clark County, Kentucky. Now resides in Bridgeport,WV.

BFRO public expeditions Larry has attended: 2012 West Virginia, 2013 Kentucky, 2013 West Virginia, 2013 Western North Carolina, 2014 North Carolina, 2014 ,Kentucky (Bluegrass Region), 2017 Maryland, 2019 Western Kentucky, 2020 Kentucky, 2021 Pennsylvania, 2021 Kentucky, 2022 South Carolina, 2022 Fall Tennessee, 2022 Kentucky.

Private expeditions Larry has attended: 2013 SEBFRO Nantahalla National Forest, 2014 Winter Uwharrie National Forest, 2014 Pisgah National Forest, 2014 Fall Uwharrie National Forest, 2015 Croatan National Forest, 2015 Forbes State Forest, Pennsylvania, 2015 Uwharrie National Forest, 2016 KBRO Kentucky, 2016 Monongahela National Forest, 2017 Monongahela National Forest, 2018 Southwest Virginia, 2019 KBRO Kentucky, 2021 KBRO Kentucky, 2021 ECE Spring Monongahela NationalForest, 2021 Fall ECE Monongahela, 2022 KBRO Spring Kentucky, 2022 KBRO Fall Expetion.

Conferences attended: 2013 Midnight Walkers Southeastern Bigfoot Conference, Dahlonega Georgia, and the 2014 and 2019 Ohio Bigfoot Conference, 2021 Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference, 2021 Cryptid Con Lexington, Ky, 2022 Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference, Gatlinburg, TN.

2023 BFRO West Virginia Expedition organizer
2024 BFRO West Virginia Spring Expedition organizer
2024 BFRO West Virginia Fall Expedition organizer