Bigfoot Society - It Reached Down! | Georgia

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

Jeff, a seasoned outdoorsman, shares a harrowing encounter with an alleged Bigfoot in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Despite years of wilderness experience, Jeff finds himself lost and terrified as a massive, primate-like creature appears before him. His detailed account includes an ominous hand-breaking branch and a frantic escape through dense forest, shedding light on the dangers and mysteries lurking in remote areas. Hear Jeff’s firsthand experience and his subsequent steps to ensure safety in future hikes.If you've had similar encounters or experiences, please reach out to [e-mail]. Your story could be the next one we feature!🔴 Subscribe to our Youtube channel and leave a comment here: https://www.youtube.com/@BigfootSociety?sub_confirmation=1Want to call in and leave a voicemail of your encounters for the podcast - Check this out here - https://www.speakpipe.com/bigfootsociety(Use multiple voice mails if needed!)Share this video with a friend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5v75Od-X38Watch more episodes of the Bigfoot Society podcast here – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3t1vwtsKh-MGeHs0XglFJE5LwUHpmJm_&feature=sharedRecommended Playlist – New Jersey Bigfoot Encounters - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3t1vwtsKh-Mk4032IyZtWgP6LVPU8uat✅ Help me help others share their Bigfoot Encounter by joining the community on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thebigfootsociety✅ Hear ad-free episodes early by joining the community on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Qq45W6iaTU8FE9kelxT7Q/joinLet’s connect:Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bigfootsociety/Twitter – https://twitter.com/bigfoot_societyTiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@bigfoot.societyAffiliate links mean I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support my channel at no additional cost to you.My Audio Interface: https://amzn.to/3L1q8XYPut some pep in my step by buying me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bigfootsocietyPick up some merch here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/bigfootsociety/?etsrc=sdtSend mail here:Bigfoot Society125 E 1st St. #233Earlham, IA 50072Send business inquiries to: [e-mail]

If you want something done right, you do it yourself. That's why you change your own oil. You wouldn't trust your engine to just anybody. So go with the full synthetic motor oil you can trust. Penzoil Ultra Platinum offers engine protection for the lifetime of your vehicle. So do it right with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. Stock up now at Walmart. Penn's Oil. Long may we drive.

Limited lubrication warranty for lifetime engine protection. Other conditions apply, including enrollment and receipt requirements. See pensoil.com slash warranty for full details and turn. Wellness looks different at every stage. The right support makes all the difference. Shake up your routine with vital proteins collagen peptides. With 20 grams of collagen sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine, it helps support healthy hair, skin, nails, bones, and joints.

Made with no artificial sweeteners, it's a clean way to fuel your body. So your wellness stays effortless wherever the day takes you. Vital Proteins. Stay vital. Visit VitalProtene's.com to get started. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. During Memorial Day at Lowe's, shop household must-haves for less. Save $80 on the Charbroil Performance Series 4-Burner Grill to chef up something special.

Plus, get up to 45% off select major appliances to keep things fresh. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Loos, we help, you save. Valid through 527, while supplies last. Selection varies by location. See Lowe's.com for details. Visit your nearby Lowe's on West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. Welcome to Bigfoot Society.

If you have Bigfoot activity to report from the same areas discussed in this episode, please reach out to me directly after this episode. And if you'd like to be on the podcast to discuss a personal Bigfoot encounter, please reach out to me directly at Bigfoot Society at gmail.com. Do you wish there is more Bigfoot Society to listen to every week? Well, there is now. If you become a supporting member over at Patreon, you get a special members-only episode every single week.

on Wednesdays and sometimes even more episodes. Head on over to patreon.com forward slash the Bigfoot Society. And now let's get on with the show. All right, Bigfoot Society. You've got the privilege of talking to Jeff today. Jeff is an individual that reached out to me after I had requested to see if anyone had had Bigfoot encounters in the Chattahoochee National Forest. He reached out through email, wanting to share something that had happened to him.

And we've already been talking in the pre-interview a little bit, and it sounds like it was a pretty traumatic experience. So welcome to the show. Jeff, how's it going today? Thank you. It's an honor to be on your show, Jim. I appreciate it. Thank you.

I appreciate that as well. You know, Jeff, I'm going to say, if there's anything that you would like the listeners to know about you for context-wise, feel free to share that as well, but I will go ahead and give the floor over to you and feel free to take us back to when this all happened. I'll start with the context of my background. I mean, I grew up in the wilderness a lot. At Chaffalo, Backwater Basin when I was younger, my parents had, we had 118 acres, and our neighbors had a thousand or more acres of swamp land and remote wilderness.

So I spent a lot of time as a youth in the woods in the Chalfaaya. And then, yeah, obviously it meandered on later in my career that I would go to remote places. I was a paramedic in New Orleans for 11 years. And then I got, you know, burned out with after Hurricane Katrina and the horizon spill and went on to just go do international safety, which is what a lot of my medic buddies do. And I had a partner that, you know, brought me over to Africa. And I was working as a company manager. So I got to see all different types of wilderness creatures, you know, lions up in the Yonkarri, game reserve.

I went four times into the game reserve. So I got to see elephants. And I got to see all certain different types of animals. And I got to learn about, you know, the primates, I was, you know, naturally when you're in Africa, you're curious about those kind of animals. And you find out that the guerrillas aren't just in the Varanji or in the mountainous areas. They're all over. They have lowland guerrillas when I went down toward the areas of Rabaka in the southern part of Nigeria. and was southwestern in northeastern part of Nigeria.

I've traveled a lot around Africa. And like I said, I've done a lot of international work, Indonesia. I got to see a lot of different animal species and all of that. But I never seen anything like I saw in the Chattahoochee. That was something. I guess I'll start that. We ended up moving up here in 2020 into the Appalachian Southern Appalachian Mountains up in the northwestern part of Georgia.

One of the things that caught my eye was I was, I saw, I was working on a project at the time I was right now on a project. And I saw your presentation about Northwest Georgia. And it was like, oh, my goodness. I said, I had this experience up there on Yellow Mountain Trail. And I guess I'll just go from there with that, Jeremiah. It was June 11th, 2022. And I was, you know, there was a lot.

I was working on a project. A lot was going on. And typically what I do is I just take a break. Me and the wife had been talking in the morning about some things. And, you know, I kind of said, look, I need a break from this. And I'm going to go for a walking on a trail. And I had done this, you know, thousands of times. It's nothing I haven't done before.

And there's been some times when I get out there, when I get out, especially in these beautiful Appalachian Mountains, the, you know, the wildlife, the scenery, the peacefulness of everything. I'll stay out there, you know, almost till dark. And sometimes I've got my butt chewed by my wife for being out a little too late, you know, and my mother-in-law and father-in-law. But what happened was I went out on a new trail and I broke all the rules. And I should have known better because, I mean, part of my career doing paramedic and doing consultation work for some of these oil companies was teaching them about seeing awareness,

seeing safety and those kind of things. So I went up there. This was supposed to be, and you probably heard this before, It's supposed to be a 30-minute walk, just go do a walk on this trail. I figured I'd go up to the peak of Yellow Mountain and come back down. And I got out there, and I didn't bring my day bag with me. I didn't bring any water because it was just going to be a quick hike up. And I got on the trail, and I found it weirdly enough I got to the top,

and I find this little cairn at the top. The trail doesn't get hardly any activity, which was kind of curious for me, too because it's like, wow, this is like people don't really come out here all that much. And then you look at the designage of the place that's kind of run down and broken off and that kind of stuff. So I, you know, just said, oh, well, I thought it was a great experience to be able to see, you know, these ancient trees in this particular area I was at. So I went down past Addie's Gap and went into what they call Chestnut Mountain. And I'd found these beautiful waterfalls and the cave systems and everything. and was having a pretty great adventure.

I found these towering blueberry bushes and, you know, waterfalls, like I said, the cave systems. And then I started realizing I'd been out there more than 30 minutes and the wife would get concerned. So I turned back around to go back up. And I don't know how it happened. To this day, I still get clowned about it from the family because I'm usually not want to, you know, make a mistake like that.

But I came back up and was going down the trail and started walking and said, oh, I figured, all right, I'm going back over, passing the Karen, I'm going back down. And I got on the trail and realized these trees didn't look the same. And the forest didn't look the same. And I realized that I was going in the wrong direction of where I had originally came from. And so I went back around. And, of course, where I'm at up there, there's no phone service. There's nowhere for me to look at my top of graphical map or anything like that.

So I said, okay, I'll just go back around this way. What I have experienced before in the Appalachian Forest was, you know, when you get on a trail out of your, a trail out of it could go for days. So it was like a little concerned at the time, but not overly concerned. So it came back up around and I don't know. I zigged and then zagged back across these trails for about another hour. And I was realizing, you know, starting to get a little bit more concerned. and then I finally figured out a way to get to a steep end bank and came back around to the, to the, what I would find out later on was the southern part of Cooper's Creek.

And it was getting to be dark and I was like, oh boy, I'm really going to get it for being late now. And I followed what I thought was a path that was going to bring me right out. And it wasn't. It was another hour and a half before I actually reached down near a seldom used forestry road, like just an offshoot. And by this time, I was like, okay, it's going to be about 10 o'clock. The moon's coming up.

I'm really like starting to feel it now. I'm like, oh boy, I don't really done a number here, but at least I found the forestry road. And where I was at, I made the mistake of thinking I was going north, which is going to bring me back up to MilkyGap Road. And I had another at least six, seven miles to walk to get to where my vehicle was. and where Yellow Mountain was up on the Duncan Ridge. So what ended up happening was, I made a mistake and went south and ended up going right into the southern port, heading toward Morgaton and such as and not even realizing it. And, you know, it was 10 o'clock at night.

I was on my third. I was heading. I realized where it was by this time because I recognized one of the forest trails, me and my wife had taken near Cooper's Creek. and then I crossed past the creek and kept going and I just figured all right I'll just meet it out here find a phone singing and I'll just call and get get my you know get my wife or somebody in the family to come pick me up and all that and I'll have a lot of explaining to once I get home so so around the first bin I didn't I didn't there it was very well moonlit and you could see you know you could hear water you know gurgling in the in the nearby creek to my right you can see we

where it was inclining up into the mountains to my left. And you could see animals obviously moving around in the forest, which is quite common there with where I was at. So I was making my second turn and not thinking of it and just wanting to just get on out of the woods, trying to conserve my battery, not using my light and just using the moonlight. When I made the third bin, I saw a shadow or something go across the road. And I just took it to be either a deer or a bear or just, you know, because they're quite comment around here and didn't think nothing of it. And a weird thing had happened just before I got

made that third bin. There was, and I was still in my head thinking that I'll, you know, that, that I was heading toward Milky Branch and that I'll just get on Mulkey Branch got roaded. And I saw an offshoot trail, and it was a fork in the road. And it was, you know, something said, you know, don't take that, that particular trail. So I was going to take you, I was thinking, well, maybe I'll just take a shortcut. I'll cut out all this extra distance, and I'll be able to get across through the woods and up on the other side over there.

But I decided not to, and good thing I didn't, because it was on the third bin that I was coming, that something just below me on that particular trail, which was right next to some kind of a creek or some kind of waterway at the time, something moved. And I didn't think, I first, you know, it moved. I didn't think much of it, but it stomped.

And when it stopped, it shook and it shook the ground. And I said, goodness, that's a big bear. You know, that's the way I was thinking. Well, still wasn't thinking anything else, but bear or something big, you know. It stopped again. And I said, wait up, it's not on four legs. It's on two. And it shook the ground again.

And it's, you know, kind of. I was like, at this point, I'm like, wait, it's getting a little closer than it ain't scared. So I'm going to holler at it and holler bear. So, hey, bear, hey, bear. And I make fun of people all the time about this. Oh, yeah, like, that's going to stop a bear. but I hollered again and I mean I holl it loud man

I mean I usually if I let my voice go and you know and it kept moving forward not even phased at what I was doing to and I said this is one big animal that's not scared of people so I said okay well we're just going to go around and just

mose your I almost thought about running back and I said that would have probably been a bad idea so at this point it kept coming forward and I just man I didn't know what the thing. So for a moment there, I click my light on and shine my light up. And when I did, there was a group of trees. I don't know if it's just like yesterday, there was some laurel bushes.

There was a sweet shrub bush right in there right next to the road system. And then there was a, it was a gum tree, I guess. And this hand comes up and breaks a branch right above me. And I'm like, and the first thing is, it's a hand. That, that freaked me out right off the back. The second thing that freak me out about it was the height of the hand from the base of where it was coming from. You know, it was, if I had to guess, I mean, just an estimate, the branch from the road to the top had to been at least from where I was gathering from where this thing was standing. It would be at least eight to nine feet? And I was like freaked out already. But then it was, you know, I'm thinking, Paul, you expect him, not hand.

And it was a primate hand. And it was the biggest thing I ever saw. life and I've seen gorillas before, man. Zoos out in the wild, you name it. And when I saw that, I, I ain't a lot of you. I panic. I ran like, I ran like, I tell people all the time. I ran like the devil himself was chasing me. And I ran and I did not look back and I

tell you that was the, I think by the time I finished running, I almost tripped over a box turtle on the way heading out. I didn't even, the whole time I kept thinking this thing was going to probably jump out and come after me. But I was scared to

deaf man I never been scared of any animal in my life but when you see something like that that size in that setting and you're by yourself and there is I have nothing no weapon of any sort and I don't even think a gun would have done anything to this but by the time I'd finish running I didn't stop I mean I was heaving by the time I I must have gone 10 at least 10 miles from what I gathered just heaving dry heaving you know so feeling like I had sandpaper in it because I was exhausted, but I kept on hiking through and running, and I finally came out into an open area, an open field, and it looked like an open pasture where there was moonlight, there was mountains all around pine covered mountains, and I looked over to my left and realized I'd shine my light

up because I couldn't really see, but I saw a sign. The signs showed the Cooper's Creek Wildlife Management area, so I was like, whoa, I said, how in the heck did I get this for? And I didn't I didn't even, at the time, I didn't realize it, but I had come out near Morganton and Suchas, which was way, way far from where I, you know, from where I was at, you know, from my hometown. And when it ended up happening, it was, I don't know how to, how to explain the rest of it. I came out, there still was no phone signal. It was the creepiest, eriest feeling, you know, realizing after I got my win that, that where I was at was, you know, it still had me creeped out that there might be things still out there

there coming and I just kept on moving. But there was a beautiful church, a beautiful Appalachian church down, and I saw a sign which kind of, to me, that has a, the word providence has a dual meaning for me now. Providence for me means, you know, with my writing and all of, you know, the home of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, but also for me, Providence is that church, that moonlit night where I got to come out and see this sign and this place and finally get some semblance and then get back to civilization, but totally freaked out by what I'm still trying to process even now. And I got to the to the to an asphalt road about a half an hour later. And I almost made a mistake and was going to go south again when I went and said, no, no, no, I'm going this one.

I'm going right to stop north. And I managed about about 15, 20 minutes later, I managed to get a text to my very, very worried wife, and it was almost one in the morning. And, man, I found the first, I hate to say, well, in the woods, when I had gotten dehydrant when I was getting turned around, I drank some of the spring water up there. And it was the finest, like I told Dave Baccaro, when I reported to a couple of days later, the water up here was the best water I ever drank in my life. And then I said, you know, and down and then waiting for my family, it was probably one of the creepiest things I ever had to do waiting for somebody to come and get me. And I wasn't going to report the, because I was embarrassed more than anything, getting lost,

and then running into, you know, I run into an obvious big foot. I was embarrassed on that, on that, but then, you know, I still, you know, trying to process it all. And my daughter at the time, Caitlin had kept in, you know, telling me I need to report. I need to report this. I need to report it to the, to the, to the, to the, to the, to the, big foot. place, which is just down the road from us. And that's when I called. And I, you know, at the time, I didn't know how I was going to approach it. But Mr. Dave was, Dave was great the way he, actually, it was kind of a funny thing, Jeremiah. He, he starts with, oh, so you saw feral people. And I went,

like, they got feral people. Like, I freaked out. I was like, you got fair people out of it. Which after seeing a big foot, I mean, I'm open for anything these days, man. But that's pretty much the extent of what happened. It took me, I guess, it must have taken, well, after getting, I got my butt chewed or about a family. They really got torn to me, but it took me about, it took me a couple of weeks to get my knees, hurt, my body, aches, and all of that. And then once we, my mean, the father-in-law sat down, it had been at least, I must have, I must have checked at least 27 miles, zigzagging back and forth across the mountains

and, you know, totally trying to figure out where I was to get out of, get out of there. But just, you know, simple, goofy mistakes like that, you know, and you get, you turn around, but never in my wildest news. I think I was going to run into something like that out there. That is such a fascinating story. It's also a great cautionary tale. It is something that, you know, people will say, yes, you know, we hear stuff like that, you know, what could happen,

even if you're only going out for half an hour, make sure you got a day pack. That's what I try to do myself. You never, ever know what you could get yourself into. you. And I think you're probably, you know, one of the luckiest guys in a while down there that nothing did happen to you and you were able to get to get back. So yeah, good for you, man. Regarding the hand that you saw, that was about eight to nine feet up, were there certain details that you first saw that made you think, oh, this is some kind of huge primate hand up

here. Yeah, the nail color and the the creases, that's what threw me. And then obviously the hair, the hair was more like, you know what I'm saying? I mean, it's just, it just blew my mind. It was like, let me wait up. You know, I'm thinking bear claw, you know, bear scratching on a blog or whatever, and he's just not going to be bothered with me. That's the first thing that got me. The fact that it cracked a branch that was about four inches, four inches in diameter like it was a, like it was a toothpick. Like, you're not. I would crack a little stick for, for Kendall, and that's what got me. Right.

And all of that. And there wasn't claws, you know, that, I was expecting claws, you know, I was estimating, I was figuring, oh, it's going to be about 800 pound, you know, black bear or something, because there's black bear all over the place around here. And when it wasn't claws, and then it was nails, that, that threw. And then, obviously, the reddish, grayish-colored fur on the, on the hand, that, that wasn't, you know, that's what it was like, you know, like, if you took the easiest, to describe somewhat like orangutine but not quite you had like you could tell that it's more of

used to a mountainous kind of a climate you know what I'm saying it's the best way I could describe it more of a salt the color it's slightly reddish but then it had colors of brownish gray in it too that was that was another thing but as far as the sea in the eyes or any of that and I saw when I saw the hand that was enough for me and I mean I caught thinking back a couple of days after it was like heard, I did see the silhouette, but I didn't, they were talking about grunts and groans and all of that and the smell. I didn't catch any of it. And that might be from where it was located, that was below him. But man, I still think, man, if I'd have went on that Fort Trail, what would have happened if I'd have ran into that thing? Because there's nothing, you know,

there's those moments when you're, there's nothing you would have been able to do. And all that. It makes me go back and I started researching, like, the David Polite stuff after that. And it made me start wondering, well, if you run it, to something like that out there. And it's decided, well, today you're on the menu. You know, and I don't know if it's omnivore or what. I know it broke a branch like it was a toothpick. It was, ooh, man.

It took me two years to go back in the woods, brother. Oh, wow. Is that the woods in general or just this one area of woods that you wouldn't go back in for two years? Just that one particular area, that particular area. And actually, to be honest with you, if I'm going to be honest, I mean, as far as like remote forests, I didn't go back in.

I made a, I made, didn't make a trek about a year ago. I did, I went on to the, I drove back up to the top of Dunk and me and my father-in-law were up there. You know, so I wasn't alone that time. But that, we drove up and we were just looking at one of the local creeks, but that was it. As far as like remote, I haven't been back in there, you know, and I did try to make a drive to Yellow Mountain and just park and just listen. You know, and but that was it. Yeah. It scared me.

It spooked me for a while. It spooked me for a while, I'll tell you that much. Oh, absolutely. For a guy that goes out in the woods all the time like I do. Yeah. Absolutely. Now, wellness, longevity, health is a lifestyle. Every week, a new trend explodes across the media landscape.

And depending on who's talking, it's either a miracle breakthrough or just expensive hype dressed up as science. Enter Kara Swisher. She's here to cut through the noise with her signature edge. sharp, skeptical, and allergic to nonsense. Don't miss the CNN original series Kara Swisher wants to live forever. An essential, smart, and genuinely entertaining guide to the booming longevity industry. Because let's be real. The non-stop stream of wellness promises,

AI-driven health claims, and expensive tech with sometimes dubious benefits isn't slowing down. Kara digs into what actually works and what it really costs, From access gaps to tradeoffs most people would rather ignore. We're all getting older, that part's inevitable. The choices that come with it? Not so simple. You might as well understand what you're buying into. Say 40% for a limited time.

Get started at CNN.com slash subscribe. Terms apply. Kara Swisher wants to live forever. New series now streaming with a CNN subscription. Today, every dollar counts. Make yours go further with AARP. $15 for your first year with automatic renewal, an AARP membership delivers benefits and savings

you can use right away. You can also access trusted resources and tools to help you stay healthy, protect your money, and plan ahead. And with a second free membership for someone in your household, you'll receive AARP benefits for two. Go to aARP.org slash iHeart to join today. By the time I hit my 50s, I'd learned a few things, like how family is precious.

Work can always wait. And 99% of people over 50 already have the virus that causes shingles. Not everyone at risk will develop it, but I did. The painful, blistering rash disrupted my life for weeks. Don't learn about your shingles risk the hard way. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today. Sponsored by GSK. Going into the woods now, do you find,

yourself preparing differently when you go on day hikes like that? Absolutely. Absolutely. If I go on, which I don't, we don't, we don't, the last time I made a, made, we made, we, we have the 70 acre park nearby. So that, that's plenty fun for me these days. It's got the river and all of that. But if I do make any type, if I'm using to go with, and I'm usually going with somebody now, I'll carry a pack. We carry a day pack, you know, You know, obviously to protect ourselves, if you know what I mean. Oh, my goodness. It's that eerie feeling, though, after, you know, it's like the same feeling I had, like when I came out of the out of Cooper's Creek, it was the idea that that thing could be, there could be that thing or a group of them, you know, watching, you know, watching you or keeping an eye on you, you know, and you don't even know they're there,

and they know you're there, but it's, it's, it's, yeah. I understand that animals, especially before, yeah, like deer. And so they're always aware of you. We get deer up on the top of the hill right here, right by the house and down in the valley and all of that. There's been times when I used to go walk the Duncan Ridge or the Benton Mackay or get down from the Duncan Ridge to Benton Mackay that, you know, you'd be sitting on a rock and, you know, a mountain line might come out and look at you and go back into the woods

or you might see a bear down in the valley, but you always know they're there, but just like with this, this Bigfoot, it, you know, it's there, but you hear the stories and you hear the myths and you hear all the stuff, and I scoffed it off,

but not now. No indeed not. So, you know, I love talking to the guys up at the expedition Bigfoot Museum, which is no relation to the show. I always point that out. But when you talk to, to David, what was his reaction when you told him where the area was that you had that encounter?

Was it, oh, that's kind of a new place? Or like, yeah, there's been other things that have happened there, too? He made me feel more at ease when he told me. He said, Jeff, the place you went walking through is a bigfoot hot spot. So that was an eye opener. I said, great. I said, of all the places, I decided to go trapping around in. which I was just going, to be honest, I was going down to see some, there's an ancient forest that runs,

that runs down south past chestnut. I was going to check those beautiful trees out because even as a kid, we had these giant 500,000-year-old ancient Cyprus, and then out here, these woods make those, make those trees back in the swamp look like toothpicks. I mean, these ancient trees. So, yeah, when I told Dave, when I, when I explained to him where he knew, he was like right off the back and all that. Then he's, when I said, you got to tell me more about this feral, people thing, man. He's like, he said, yeah, that's a thing. I'm like, oh my goodness. But yeah, he said, yeah, it was a hot spot. I walked in the, I don't know how I did it, but I walked right smack in the, I should have known. It's such an ancient place, you know. I saw a fella, I talked when I actually

I ran into a fellow that was talking about, I was telling him about, he was asking me about the chaffelion in the Cyprus and it was still, I used to deer hunt off of them. I'd sit on top of one of these cypress and I said, they were so big, you could literally, I mean, the Cyprus and these would grow together and make caves inside them. I said, but it ain't nothing like out here. He said, no, it's nothing like out here. So it was, and then once I got to see some of these giant poplars that, man, I don't know how these trees are and these great oaks and all of that.

It was beautiful, man. It was, I mean, one of the best and worst experiences in my life, I can tell you how much. It was wild. The people that you told about what you said, saw, how was their reaction? Did they believe you or did they find it hard to believe what you'd seen? My daughter, she, she, she believed. Because she was there. She came and picked me up. And then her boyfriend at, he said, man, this was nightmare. Like, he looked where I was at and how I came out the woods. And he, you know, and he said, it was like nightmare fuel, man, where you came out at.

I said, you telling me, and all of that. And then they knew, I mean, I was, man, I've never been that beat up. Oh, my goodness, I was beat. They had to, like, literally get me into the car. They had water, some more water. But, yeah, they hadn't. My wife was more, you know, more concerned with the idea that, you know, that I was out there and with a predator that could have, you know, could have taken me down and all of that.

My father and mother-in-law, my father-law says, we don't go out there without, we don't go out there without a weapon. He, he, he, he, he, he, my mother-law had no, yeah, they, they, they, they, yeah, when I came, because they know, when I talk about, you know, these things. Yeah, he, he said, no, we ain't going out there without, no, we definitely don't go out there at night, I can tell you that much. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so, yeah, the general consensus was, yeah, I saw something out there, but that, that's the thing that, you know, that's what I was more worried about than anything. How am I going to explain this to people?

That's the part that, that just gets me, it's like, man, I mean, at this point, I don't people believe you or not. It's the idea that I know what I saw out there that night. I've seen a lot of animals in different places. You know, commoda dragons swimming in down there into Komoda Islands. Who knew that they swam like gators? And this thing, yeah, I have no doubt. These things exist, no doubt. Yeah, you take a lot of precautions when we go out in the woods. I can tell you that much. The way thinking about how this affected you when you saw that hand, break that branch. Was it similar to being affected by seeing any of these safari animals that you've mentioned

that you've had run-ins with, like, going over to Africa or anything like that? The closest thing that comes to mind was this giant bull elephant that when we were, we won the last round, we go in, obviously, we're going to, just like you see them as far as the big armored trucks. So you got that with you, but that wouldn't have stopped this particular bull elephant. It was that feeling. I was with a guy named Rennerston. I was with one of my good friends, Mustafa.

He lived in the area, so he knew the animals. Sometimes I couldn't spot the animals because I was used to a different color pattern. And he could spot like a guinea or he could spot a, you know, a warthog before we could and all that. I mean, brilliant. But none of us expected a bull elephant to push down a big old giant teakot. tree that was, man, the size of some of the Appalachian Oaks around him, just pushed it down and then started Addison. And Mustafa knew right then and there.

When he did that, he was showing a display that we needed to get out of there because he was going to come around. He was defending his, there was a big herd of elephant there. But that was about if there's anything that came. And then the lowland, obviously when I was scuba diving down near the Ethiope River, the lowland gorilla when they were going across, because their, they're, they're feet are different than the silverbacks because they're more having to go across water and aquatic and climbing trees more than the silverbacks climbing through the mountain jungles and stuff.

Yeah, I'd say it was about like that, yeah. Except it was a big giant, it was three times the size of the silverback. Oh man. Yeah. Sometimes when people have experiences like this, it ends up putting them on a, just kind of a quest to figure out what other things like this are happening around their area. Is that anything you experienced, or was the most of that just going up to talk to David Bekara? Well, first, Dave's place over there, Cherry Hill, it's amazing.

I mean, he's taking a scientific approach to it and his concepts and his ideas. I mean, I mean, that was one of the things that when we were, bring, when we brought friends to, what we're interested in the play, they wanted to go see, you know, the scientific approach he's got to it. But yeah, I took a deep dive in the, the, the, the, the, I wanted to know more about, about that. And I saw that you had, you had done one, you'd done an interview with, I believe, one of the Bigfoot people about them. And then there's the, this fellow out of Morganton that's talking about other cryptic stuff. It's places.

I mean, if there's ever going to be a place, you're going to find something like these animals. This is the place because of the age of the mountains. I mean, I was doing research. I wanted to know how all these mountains were. That was my big thing. And nobody's given a really giving a, they're staying anywhere from 500 million to maybe a billion years old of these mountains. They're really not given an accurate estimate.

I mean, it's kind of, yeah, if there's ever, in the diversity of life up here, It's just off the chain. I've never seen anything like it, man. So it sounds like there are definite areas in this national forest where things could hide and very rarely be seen if they didn't want to. Yeah, I definitely believe that. I mean, just, I didn't realize the cave systems, how intricate they are. They've got caves.

We talk about the deepest cave systems up. in Tennessee and all because we had a cabin up there in like Ruby Falls, but they're cave systems. I mean, just one of the one of the guys, we were watching before this thing happened with the Bigfoot, Action Adventure Twins, they go down in this cave system. And I was blown away by the, they've got canyons of cave systems up and around in this area. And it's, yeah, if something wants to hide, it can hide around here. Do you have any advice for people that find themselves in a situation close to what you experienced that night? My best advice is don't go out there at night.

And if you find yourself, you know, and make sure you bring a day pack with you when you go and all of that and bring a backup compass, you won't be able to have a phone, you won't use a phone up there. There's no phone service up there in those areas. And you won't be able to use GPS. Even using the garments up there,

I've heard stories from locals. I mean, people in AT that they got lost or got turned around. So, yeah, make sure you have a backup compass and definitely water. Oh, boy. Absolutely. I think that's good advice. Jeff, it has been a extremely interesting account that you shared with us. And I want to say thank you for coming on to the show.

If you had the chance to experience something like this again or to maybe get a better view of one of these creatures? Is that something that you would want to go towards having happen or not so much? Well, there's the curiosity to see, you know, I guess it's like people that climb into a cage to go see a great white chart, you know, it's like that, you know, there's the anticipation of the event, then you get the actual event that this thing comes bumping at you or whatever, or decides instead of breaking a branch stone or, you know, there's a curiosity to know more about them,

but at the same time, there's that underlying, it's kind of like most of the stuff in the Appalachian, is that beauty side of things and that nostalgia, but at the same time, you keep your mind about you, you know, it's kind of,

I'm up on the fence about that one. I don't think I'd want to run into one at night again. I can tell you that much. Maybe from about two mile distance with a, with a zoom lens. That makes any sense. No, absolutely. That was a little too close for comfort for me.

Yeah, I would say so as well. This experience, did you notice anything out of the ordinary happening in your home after you got back from this experience over the years? Other than I sat down and started writing down everything I could about it. And, you know, I think I had to find a sense of humor. But once we got over the initial show, we started to try to find a, a sense of humor about it. So, like, I wrote a song called Bigfoot, Leave Me Alone.

Let me go home. And that's about all I could say about that. You know, it's trying to make levy, you know, because it's like I had to fall back on the stuff. My years working as a paramedic, when you see some of the darker sides of humanity and deal with some of the more traumatic things. You know, you try to find a sense of humor

or try to find a way to process and then move on, you know. Absolutely. Coast I'm surrounded by force. Yeah, exactly the area where you're at. There's pretty much force everywhere. Before we do close out our interview, I want to make sure just to double check. Was there anything else that you wanted to share

regarding this account or anything that might be related to it? No, that's pretty much. I mean, it's good talking to you about it. It always feels good to talk about it and explain it, you know, without, you know, trying to sound like, you know, trying to keep it, you know, level ahead about it and the way it happened and, you know, everything. That's that, yeah, thank you. Absolutely. If there's anything that I can ever do to help, feel free to reach out. And thank you for coming on the show to chat today, Jeff.

Yeah, thank you as well, Gemma. You have a good day. You as well. to take a few minutes to say thank you to you, all my listeners, for listening to the podcast. Please take a minute to help out the show by subscribing on YouTube, making sure you hit the bell so you don't miss any notifications, and share the episode on YouTube with a friend. Also, if you're listening to us on a podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you're subscribed, share the show with a friend. Really, it's all about sharing the show wherever you can. If you've

had a Bigfoot encounter related to the following or know someone who has, please reach out to me at Bigfoot Society at gmail.com or pass on my email. Here's the list. Number one, encounters from Franklin County, Texas. Number two, encounters from the entire state of Iowa. Number three, encounters from Oak Ridge, Oregon, or the surrounding area. Number four, any individuals that know about Bigfoot being flown off after the Mount St. Helen's eruption. Number five, Five, individuals that have had a big foot encounter while in the military. Number six, those that have had a big foot encounter in the southern New Hampshire or north central Massachusetts area, including Franklin County, Massachusetts. Number seven, individuals that have had a Bigfoot encounter in a Bible camp or Boy Scout camp setting.

Number eight, individuals that have had Bigfoot try to enter their house forcibly while they were living inside. Number nine, individuals that have actively have a Bigfoot living on their property. And lastly, any sightings that are in the Wachita National Forest Area of Oklahoma or Arkansas. A special thank you to all the Bigfoot Society, Patreon, and YouTube channel members. It's your support that helps keep the show going, and I extremely appreciate it. I'll see you back next time, listeners. Sasquit Summerfest, this year, July 11th through the 12th, it's going to be fantastic. July 11th through 12th in Greenwaters Park in Oak Ridge, Oregon.

And listeners, if you're going to go, you can get a two-day ticket for the cost of one. If you use the code BFS, like Bigfoot Society, but BFS, and it'll get you some off your cost. Priscilla was nice enough to provide that for my listeners. So there you go. I look forward to seeing you there. so make sure you head over to www.sasquatchummerfest.com and pick up your tickets today. On this episode of Plant Killers, we'll explore one nation's most notorious fruit and vegetable killer, bad dirt. What makes bad dirt so bad? The answer? The ingredients. But fear not, true crime enthusiasts.

This story has a happy ending. Miracle grow organic raised bed and garden soil. It's made with quality organic ingredients from upcycled green waste like compost and aged bark. Unlike the other guys who can't, Say the same. Looks like bad dirt's murdering days are over. Thanks to Miracle Grow. Join us next time on plant killers. By the time I hit my 50s, I'd learned a few things. Like how family is precious.

Work can always wait. And 99% of people over 50 already have the virus that causes shingles. Not everyone at risk will develop it, but I did. The painful, blistering rash disrupted my life for weeks. Don't learn about your shingles risk the hard way. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today. Sponsored by GSK. They say everything happens for a reason, but I suspect everything happens for a recesses.

Like this commercial break. Did you need 15 seconds away from music? Or 15 seconds to eat or Reese's? Perhaps it's true. Everything happens for a reeses. This is Daniel Fischel. And Ryder Strong from PodMeets World. As cat parents, writer and I know the feeling of being ignored.

ignored by our cats. I often wonder, does my cat even love me? Well, there's only one solution to solve that, Shiba. Feed your cat Shiba and go from feeling ignored to truly adored in 12 days, guaranteed or your money back. Sheba has so many incredible products that can satisfy even the pickiest eater. Like new Shiba grilled, made in the USA with the finest ingredients from around the world. They are savory strips in a succulent sauce that cats are sure to love. And it's 100% complete and balanced with essential vitamins and nutrients for adult cats like my bill. Made without artificial flavors or preservatives, no corn, wheat, or soy. To learn more, check out shiba.com. From the neon lights of the club to the harsh, buzzing lights of the office,

don't let the wear show on your face. Just swipe Mabeline instant eraser concealer to erase the night before, wherever that happens to be. Instantly covered dark circles and under-eye bags for a brighter, more awake look. This do-it-all-forms. also contours, corrects, and highlights, all while staying lightweight, crease-resistant, and smooth. It may be the world's greatest eraser. Find your shade of instant eraser concealer at your local retailer. On this episode of Plant Killers, we'll explore one nation's most notorious fruit and vegetable killer, bad dirt. What makes bad dirt so bad? The answer? The ingredients. But fear not, true crime enthusiasts. This story has a happy ending. Miracle grow organic raised bed and garden soil. It's made with

quality organic ingredients from upcycled green waste like compost and aged bark. Unlike the other guys who can't say the same, looks like bad dirt's murdering days are over. Thanks to Miracle Grow. Join us next time on Plant Killers.