Geographical Index > United States > Arizona > Coconino County > Report # 24405
(Class A)
Submitted by witness on Tuesday, August 12, 2008.
Man tells of his scary encounter while traveling Route 66 in a snow storm
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YEAR: 1973
SEASON: Winter MONTH: December DATE: near Christmas STATE: Arizona COUNTY: Coconino County LOCATION DETAILS: Mountains, North West of Flagstaff, AZ. NEAREST TOWN: Flagstaff, AZ. NEAREST ROAD: Route 66 / Highway 40 OBSERVED: My wife and I with our three month old baby girl in the back seat were traviling N.E. on Highway 40/Route 66 through the mountains near Flagstaff, AZ. This was right in the middle of a snowstorm. I stopped to read the map and reasure our directions. While looking at the map, I turned the rear view mirror light on to help see the map. in the mirror I caught sight of a huge manlike figure running up behind the vehicle, I turned to get a better look and my wife turned too. She screamed (Oh My God)! It was clear to see a huge hairy (black & brown) furry being. It was very tall, large head and long arms, running on two feet toward our vehicle. No other vehicles or tracks in the snow. Large pine trees bordered the highway. ALSO NOTICED: No other vehicles on the road.
No other tracks in the snow, other than ours. OTHER WITNESSES: My wife and Myself.
Our daughter was only three months old. OTHER STORIES: Not really. TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was dusk and snowing pretty good. ENVIRONMENT: Pine Forest, Mountains
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Lyle McKinley:
I spoke with the witness on the phone and the following details can be added:
The witness & his young family were on their way home to Denver from Los Angeles for the Christmas holidays in December 1973 when the sighting occurred.
In the late afternoon, while traveling on Route 66 just west of Flagstaff, AZ, the witness hit a strong snowstorm and pulled off the side of the road to gain his bearings and check his map. He thought he might be lost because he hadn't seen another vehicle for miles and didn't even see any tire tracks in the snow covering the highway. He was driving a VW beetle vehicle, which he left idling on the south side of the highway.
While looking for the map, he glanced up to catch the sight of what appeared to be a large, bulky, two-legged figure running toward their stopped car from the rear. He mentioned that the figure had unusually long arms and legs for a man. The head appeared pyramid shaped but rounded on top. It appeared to be covered in black or brown dark fur and no clothes were observed. From his vantage point inside the car, he estimated the figure's height to be near 10 feet tall. He quickly put the car in gear (he felt threatened and that his family might be in danger) and tried to accelerate away from the fast approaching figure. The witness stated that the creature actually chased his car and came within 15 feet of the rear of his vehicle before he reached a speed of 45 mph and began to put some distance between himself and the figure. The figure remained on 2 legs for the duration of the encounter and at one point even raised its arms over its head.
At the time, the witness was 24 years old and a member of the US Navy and DID NOT believe in the existence of Bigfoot type creatures. He said that he assumed any reports of those creatures, or the Yeti, were hoaxes or just imagined by people. This experience changed his perspective and he's now a firm believer in the existence of Sasquatch. He currently works for the US Mint in Denver.
When asked why he thought it wasn't a human, he responded that they did consider the possibility of a stranded motorist seeking help, but that he didn't see anything that would indicate another human was anywhere near his position...no other vehicles of any sort (broken down or otherwise), no tire tracks in the snow, no headlights, nothing. Also, the figure "was too tall to be a normal human being; the head was too large and did slope down towards the shoulders. The speed at which it was running in the snow was amazing. The face was pretty much covered with the same color as the rest of its body, almost black in color. Maybe a little bit lighter."
About BFRO Investigator Lyle McKinley:
Mr. McKinley has a college degree in biology from the University of Arizona and is a high school biology teacher. He has attended Arizona Expedition 2006, Arizona Expedition 2008 and Arizona Expedition 2009.
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