YEAR: 2022

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: January

DATE: 16

STATE: California

COUNTY: Humboldt County

LOCATION DETAILS: From the south, drive 51 miles north of Leggett on Highway 101 to exit 667 in Redcrest. Turn right at the bottom of the offramp and make an immediate left up Avenue of the Giants. Drive 4.25 miles north to the trailhead.

Trailhead address: 30780 Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Pepperwood, CA 95565
Trailhead coordinates: 40.44307, -123.98633 (40° 26'
35.05"N 123° 59" 10.78" W)

NEAREST TOWN: Redcrest

NEAREST ROAD: 101 south

OBSERVED: We’ve been hiking a local trail in Redcrest, CA for the last 19 years called the Drury-Cheney trail. This is a trail that we hike regularly; I’m talking like 3-4x a week. It’s always a family affair me (30 years old), my son (2), my mom and dad (50’s).

In the summer we hike the trail nearly everyday. We’ve never, ever gotten the creeps in those woods. The last two hikes have really changed that. After today’s hike has me thinking that we may not ever go back, I’m not sure. We were hiking along, gabbing and visiting. It takes us quiet awhile to finish up an otherwise quick trail because my son (who’s two) really sets the pace. We were nearly done, on our way out when a loud....and I’m talking loud....yell/scream/guteral screetch echoed through the woods.

My family and I have grown up in the Redwoods, we’ve heard everything that nature has to offer in the way of animal sounds. It wasn’t a raven, a fox, a bear, a lion, a deer bleet, a chipmunk, or a hawk. It was sounded like a human, but the fact that it traveled through the woods so clearly and loud really shook all of us. Today’s sound was nothing we’ve ever heard before. It was LOUD and defined.

It was just far enough in the distance for whatever it was to get its point across without making us petrified. It stopped my mother, me and my son in our tracks. There was no doubt that we all heard the same thing. My dad was talking and didn’t hear it this time, but my dads hard of hearing and doesn’t hear the best at certain tones. When we told him what we heard, he said he knew exactly what we were talking about because it happened last time he hiked the trail with my mom.

We all got the feeling that we were being watched and that feeling didn’t go away until we started driving off. When we got back home my dad shared that he’s heard that sound before and heard it the last hike before . For that particular hike, he took with my mom only. My dad said he hadn’t said anything before because he didn’t know what it could be and didn’t want to scare us. He said that through the the last few hikes he could feel that we were being watched, hearing things move in the brush and feeling like something was wrong the last few hikes.

I don’t know it could be exactly. We’re no stranger to Bigfoot stories here in the PNW, but this time was a strange one for sure.

OTHER WITNESSES: 4 witnesses total.

We walking along a well established trail, talking and visiting.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 1330

ENVIRONMENT: Redwood forest

About BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

Matthew Moneymaker is originally from the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles, California.

- Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

- Founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization,1995.

- Writer and co-producer of the Discovery Channel documentary "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science", 2001.

- Co-producer of the TV Series "Mysterious Encounters" for the Outdoor Life Network (OLN Channel), 2002.

- Producer of the "2003 International Bigfoot Symposium" (Willow Creek Symposium) DVD set, 2004.

- Co-host of "Finding Bigfoot" on Animal Planet Channel, 2010 - 2017.

- Current Director of the BFRO