YEAR: 2002

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: 1

STATE: California

COUNTY: Alpine County

LOCATION DETAILS: Hwy 88 to Blue Lakes Rd. You go back to the PGE Campgrounds. Go the the Upper Blue Lakes campground and continue up the dirt road to Lost Lakes. If you continue on the road it takes you to Red Lake. Eldorado National Forest.

NEAREST TOWN: Woodfords

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 88 and Blue Lakes Rd.

OBSERVED: We heard something we can only speculate about but I can still remember clearly the sound. It was the middle of the night and I was awoken by the sound that started low and went to a high pitch scream. I'm sure my hair was standing on end. Then I heard it run off. It was right outside our tent. We were camping at Lost Lakes by Blues Lakes. Our altimeter read about 8400 feet. There were no other people in the camping area around the lake and it was very quiet. It was a week night and the nearest campers were down at the Upper Blue Lake Campgrounds. My husband is a very sound sleeper and did not hear it and said I must have dreamt it. He almost had me convinced when the next morning our friends who were camping with us and had their tent a little ways away asked if we heard the strange scream. He said he got up and went out side the tent to see what it was an was and saw nothing but there was a terrible smell outside. We still cannot give credit to another animal and our family are hunters and have spent many hours in the wilderness around the country.

OTHER WITNESSES: 3 of us here the sound and 1 smelt it.

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Night, I can't remember if the moon was out.

ENVIRONMENT: National Forest. We were camping by the lake and there was still snow pockets in August. The Pacific Coast trail passes by there.

Follow-up investigation report:

I talked with the witness by phone. The following details can be added to the report:
--The witness and her family were at the campground for 10 days. This event happened on the fourth night. It was also the second day that no one else but them had been camping at this spot.
--Nothing else happened the rest of their trip there.
--The witness had her dog in the tent with her and it went "nuts" after the scream.
--Whatever it was seemed close to their tent and ran off after the scream. It sounded heavy as it ran up the gravel road.
--Since they didn't think it was a bigfoot at first, they did not look for prints the next morning.
--The friend who smelled the animal said it was a very strong, bad odor.
--The witness and her family camp in this location yearly, and nothing unusual has ever occurred before.