YEAR: 2007

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

DATE: 14

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Alger County

LOCATION DETAILS: The sighting was approximately a third of the way down the trail as we walked in to Miner's Falls. It was on the north side of the trail just up an incline behind a stand of four or five trees, maybe more.

NEAREST TOWN: Munising

NEAREST ROAD: The road that goes by Miner's Falls to PIctured Rocks.

OBSERVED: We were walking in to see Miner's Falls and were approximately a quarter to a third of the way down the trail when we heard a loud banging of wood on wood. At first we just looked at each other and kept walking. Then we heard it again and it was a little louder. We hesitated and I asked her if she heard that. She said yes. We looked in the direction of the noise and sure enough. There was a stick banging back and forth between two trees that were in a growth of trees. It was a large stick and you could see the end of it very well so it had to be sticking straight out. I'd guess it was about six and a half feet up the tree you could see it. Just before the banging stopped there was a glimpse of something dark that couldn't be identified. It seemed to be standing up from leaning over. As fast as that, the noise stopped and I wasn't able to see anymore. My friend didn't even get the glimpse from her angle. It was clear all the way around that growth of trees so whatever it was, went straight away from us on the other side of those trees.

There was no smell or fear associated with this. Just the banging and a glimpse of something dark that had apparently set that branch down as we were able to see it had been leaned up against the tree as the trail circled around that area. We did not go up to the trees to investigate.

ALSO NOTICED: Another couple heading back from the falls with cameras met us after a bit and seemed perfectly normal. When the incident happened however, there was no one else around during the moments it happened.

OTHER WITNESSES: Two, my friend and myself.

OTHER STORIES: Only what has been reported on the BFRO website.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Early afternoon on a very bright and sunny day.

ENVIRONMENT: It was in the forest on an incline that led down to a sharp drop to the river below. It was in the area where all the numbered stops are to look at. There is a fungus growing on a tree right on the north side of the trail and the sighting was before that. I didn't have a paper to tell what number it would have been.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Caroline Curtis:

Miners Falls is a waterfall located on Miners River in the western portion of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The witness and her friend began hearing the wood knocking off and on for about a minute as they walked. At one point when they looked toward the noise they saw a stick hitting back and forth between two twin trees that were growing together. This was only about 20 ft. from them.

She preferred to refer to the stick as a limb because it was so large. There was about 18 - 24" between the two trees and they could see the limb knock back and forth between the two trees causing the wood on wood sound they were hearing.

The limb was straight out at a 90 degree angle and this witness believes she saw part of an arm, dark in color.

The witness has grown up in Michigan and there was no explanation or animal she knew of that could hold such a large limb, hold it straight out at that height while banging back and forth between two trees.

Photo of Miners Falls -

About BFRO Investigator Caroline Curtis:

• Worked as an Assistant to a Circuit Court Judge in Florida for thirteen years
• An avid outdoorswoman, growing up in the UP of Michigan on a family-owned fishing and hunting resort
• Certified Visual Tracker, Level 1
• Attended and assisted with numerous public and private BFRO expeditions
• She and the Florida BFRO organized South Florida Expedition 2008, North Florida Expedition 2008 and Central Florida Expedition in 2009.
  
• She and the Michigan BFRO organized the Lower-Michigan Expedition in 2011, Michigan UP Expeditions in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 and Wisconsin 2018
• BFRO Secretary for almost 20 years

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