YEAR: 2003

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: March

DATE: 15 march

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Orange County

LOCATION DETAILS: ecolockhatchie river off st rd 50 between 2 spots where we drop the kayaks then drive 2 cars then drive back so we can float down stream and drive back so we dont have to paddle up stream then float back to the same spot where we parked the car get to see more of the river

NEAREST TOWN: south east orlando

NEAREST ROAD: colonial or st rd 50

OBSERVED: I was kayaking with a friend in econlockhatchie river in orange county the east side of orlando fl it was 2003 early spring or very late winter my friend was much slower than me so I was having fun suprising these very large alligators that were sunning them selves in the early morning sun.The river is very narrow and has tight winding corners which allowed me to pop around a corner and to my delight most of the time a huge gator would slip into the river silently I would glide over the spot thinking that gator has to be lurking on the bottom.Anyway The wind was light out the west very dry and cool a real treat for a floridian I paddled a ways on a strait with the wind blowing from the woods to the water when I smelled such a strong overwhelming oder musty thick moist pugent smell I never experienced before I looked to see what on eart could it be when I saw big patch of long flowing fur it was shiny and light brown and moving fast then this animal crashed through the woods with so much force that small trees were popping and snapping as it ran away from me and the river then that smell was lingreing over the area and was so strong I finnaly held my breath and had paddle to get some fresh air.I had heard that bigfoot smelled like that but I had no idea they had been reported in fl.Anyway I had watched monster quest for years and not one person ever mentioned the smell I only remember it from seventies on tv when i was very young I never reported this til now because I felt stupid and confused then after watching tonights episode where 2 different reports described that same smell I felt compelled also the location seemed very odd orlando fl just seemed too odd but internet searches showed many reports

OTHER WITNESSES: just me my friend is in total denial wont even admit that alligators or fish live in the river

OTHER STORIES: have been embarrssed to talk about it people dont understand I live in the suburban spral 4 some reason I always see animals when I even try to point them out other people are to slow

TIME AND CONDITIONS: early morning clear blue sky bright direct sun and cool about sixty degrees whuch is cool for florida

ENVIRONMENT: very thick woods very isolated creek like river with white sand banks very twisty lot of very big alligators deer pigs snakes

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Cathy Betz:

I spoke to the witness, GF, over the phone and he was more than willing to share his experience with me.

As stated in his report he was kayaking with a friend on the Econlockhatchee River. Leaving the friend far behind, GF was silently drifting towards a bank just before a sharp turn in the river when he felt a small gust of wind on his face.
“The smell hit me right then.” Exclaimed GF. “It was the most rankest, putrid odor I had ever smelled! It was so thick and pungent that I felt like I was choking. I gasped in a breath and let out an expletive when suddenly I saw something in the brush ahead of me. It looked sort of like a 3-foot wide piece of reddish-brown carpet rising up through the weeds. It just kept rising and rising until it was about 8 foot in the air, and then it turned to the left and ran!”
“I couldn’t see it completely because of the dense woods around it. All I could see was that it was about 3-foot wide and very muscular. When it ran, it ran fast and smooth, way faster than a man could run. Even a linebacker couldn’t have run that fast, especially through all of the thick growth. I could even see the tops of trees shaking when it ran.”
He stated that although he couldn’t get a good look at the body shape he could see that it had long and shiny, but scraggly hair that moved as it ran.
GF stated that he was approximately 6 feet away from the bank, and that the creature stood up about 8-10 feet away from the edge of the water.

GF stated that when his friend finally caught up with him he didn’t say anything about what he had seen. “I really doubt that he would have believed me.”

The Econlockhatchee River flows through vast parcels of both state forests and wildlife preserves. Much of the river is comprised of undisturbed wetlands and hardwood forests and is home to numerous species of wildlife.

About BFRO Investigator Cathy Betz:

Cathy has been a nurse for over 27 years and currently works in a busy ICU. An amateur naturalist, Cathy has been intrigued by the bigfoot phenomenon from an early age.
Attended the following expeditions:
- The 2006 Florida Expedition
- The 2007 North Carolina Expedition
- The 2008 South Florida Expedition
- The 2008 North Florida Expedition
- The 2009 Central Florida Expedition
- The 2009 Utah Expedition
- The 2010 TN Survey Expedition
- The 2011 East Texas Expedition
-The 2012 North FL Expedition
-The 2013 Michigan Upper Peninsula Expedition
For more information, please see the Florida BFRO

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