YEAR: 2005

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

STATE: Alabama

COUNTY: Talladega County

LOCATION DETAILS: cheaha state park

NEAREST TOWN: Anniston

NEAREST ROAD: not sure

OBSERVED: Every year me and a group of my friends camp in cheaha state park. Year before last, we where sitting outside our tent around the camp fire and it was about 11:00 at night. We where the ONLY ones in that camp site, so it was very quiet. We started to hear stange low noises almost like an old chainsaw trying to crank. Following that was a very high pitch humming noise. The sound was getting closer and closer. We took out our spot light and scanned the woods. What we saw was very disturbing....it appeared to be an up right figure, that was hairy and had a grey tent to its fure. It was standing behind a tree and was slightly hunching over, like it was hiding from us. We could see its back bowing out of the right side of the tree and its head coming out of the left. Theirs no doubt in my mind that it was an ape-like creature. It stood still for about 30 to 60 seconds. Then we decided to take the light off of it, to maybe see if it would move....about 10 seconds later we turned the light back on and it was gone! The next night we heard two seperate creatures but neither showed up.

ALSO NOTICED: the year before this icident we heard the noises but did not see the creature....WE DO HAVE PICTURES OF FOOTPRINTS

OTHER WITNESSES: There where five other witnesses, and we where simply camping

TIME AND CONDITIONS: night time, clear skys, no wind

ENVIRONMENT: mountain like terrain, very lush vegitation, creek bottoms

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Kevin Smykal:

Interviewed witness on 4-18-07. Sighting was made by a group of six campers that were led by a minister. They were all in agreement about what they saw. They all realized what they were looking at was not a bear or any other known animal. They said that it froze like a deer in the headlights. The group estimates that they were 20 - 30 yards away and their spotlight was very powerfull. It's eyes glowed yellow in the spotlight.

It's height was estimated at 6' 8" - 7' 8". It had a dark gray face along with 3 - 4 inch gray hair of a fairly uniform length. It's head appeared to be slightly conical and wide. They only saw it's face from the nose up, as the tree was blocking the lower portion. It was also stated that it had a very muscular, human-like build.

On earlier camping trips to this same location they have heard strange vocalizations and what sounded like something large walking through the brush on two legs.

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Cheaha Mountain State Park in Talladega County, Alabama

About BFRO Investigator Kevin Smykal:

Kevin Smykal is a mechanical contractor in northern Florida.
He attended the following BFRO expeditions:

• 2006 Central Florida (Lake County)
• 2007 Central Florida Private Expedition
• 2008 South Florida Expedition
• He helped organize the 2008 North Florida Expedition and is assisting with the organization of the upcoming 2009 Central Florida Expedition

He helped organize the 2011 & 2012 North Florida expeditions.

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