Geographical Index > United States > West Virginia > Pocahontas County > Report # 14739
(Class B)
Submitted by witness on Tuesday, May 23, 2006.
Possible vocalization and stalking near Spruce Flat
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YEAR: 2004
SEASON: Fall MONTH: October DATE: 30 STATE: West Virginia COUNTY: Pocahontas County LOCATION DETAILS: [Edited out] NEAREST TOWN: Marlinton NEAREST ROAD: Highland Scenic Highway - Rt. 150 OBSERVED: I live in Pocahontas county near the Monongahela National Forest. It covers pretty much all of the county. It was on a mountain named Spruce Flat. I can look out my front window and see it. I have heard a howl much like the one from Ohio come from there. While walking down the road one night me and a friend heard a strange vocalization then the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the field to our right.
They sounded pretty intent, so I got out my gun. Then I heard a crunch and a thud as the footsteps went over the side of the hill to our left, circled around until it was right beside us at the bottom of the hill. It never showed itself.
It stayed out of the light but it did make another vocalization, the same one it made before coming down the field. It was sort of a high pitched hoot but it dragged out kind of long. It wasn't an owl. I am familiar with the local animals and the sounds they make. This was something new to me. I walked down the road farther and could see where this thing just pushed the old fence down. It had to be pretty powerful to do that even though it was an old fence
ALSO NOTICED: That was all that I found that night OTHER WITNESSES: Yes one my friend who was walking with me at the time. OTHER STORIES:
My father was up on the mountain once and said he could smell a horrible stench in the woods. He said it smelled like a dirty sweaty man who hadn't took a bath in a few years. The smell just came over the whole area. I was up the hill a ways from him but didn't smell anything. I still think somethings up there on that mountain it has some pretty dense woods and right down the road is Cranberry Glades. There are plants which exist only there. It is pretty much like a modern prehistoric habitat. I heard the same vocalization there as I talked about earlier.
The only other things I have heard about that area happened in the early 1900's at a logging camp. Some men saw a large light gray haired man like creature running along the tops of the log piles.
This one is kind of scary something dragged a mule under a cattle grate and tore it to shreds. When the farmer found this he heard very heavy breathing and loud footsteps in the frozen snow. He said it sounded like a huge man. And once a hunter saw something in a tree up there it took years for him to say what it was and all he said was he saw the devil. TIME AND CONDITIONS: Around twelve to one A.M. The weather was cold but calm without the flash light it was pitch black
When my father smelled the smell it was warm I think it was may and it was in the afternoon not sure of the year ENVIRONMENT: The environment there is very mountainous. There is farmland here and there and deep dense woods. On the other side of the mountain is Williams river, which is mostly a river bottom covered in laurel with patches of pine here and there. A lot of mountain creeks, both dry and running, a little swamp areas are here and there.
Cranberry is a huge bog area cave systems sprawled out all across the mountain. Old abandoned logging roads in certain areas of the woods are open, some areas have dense underbrush, thickets, and steep cliff sides. Natural springs and large rocks here and there. I don't know if they are still there or not but there was a large blackberry patch.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stephen Willis:
Last heard the vocalization three years ago. Fence broken down was about 3' tall, made of multiple strands of barbed wire. Sound of fence being broken was about 50 yards ahead of him and a friend. Witness reported it definitely ran on two legs
Witness and three friends had a subsequent sighting near Cranberry Glades in 2006, on the road leading away from the Glades viewing area. Creature was squatted down near a pine tree, standing to depart the area when illuminated by car lights. Eyes reflected orange, creature was about 8 feet tall with arms hanging below its knees. Hair was gray colored, almost white. Sighting lasted around 3 seconds.
During the BFRO's 2005 West Virginia expedition a team of three people (Mel Skahan - WA, Bill & Julia - DC) went to an area near the Glades Wilderness and heard what they said were distinct sound responses. The following year Dr. Taylor from Florida got a decent footprint cast from this same area.
About BFRO Investigator Stephen Willis:
Grew up in central West Virginia. Retired from the US Army in 2003. Small manufacturing business owner. Lived for almost 7 years in Germany and 1.5 years in the Mideast.
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