Bigfoot Society - Something Walked Beside Us in the Dark — Garden of the Gods Encounter

Episode Date: February 6, 2026

In this episode, we journey into the rugged sandstone cliffs and shadowed trails of Garden of the Gods in southern Illinois, where Amanda recounts a night that changed her understanding of the wilderness forever. Visiting the remote reaches of the Shawnee National Forest, what began as a peaceful evening under the stars slowly unfolded into an unsettling experience marked by strange lights in the sky, an eerie silence in the woods, and the unmistakable sound of something walking just out of sight beside her.Amanda shares what it felt like to move through the darkness with an unseen presence pacing her step for step, how the atmosphere of the forest shifted around her, and why the location itself now carries a deeper weight for her. Rooted in firsthand testimony and grounded in the geography of one of Illinois’ most iconic natural landmarks, her account offers a vivid glimpse into the mystery that still lingers in this secluded corner of the Midwest.Join us as we explore Amanda’s chilling experience in Garden of the Gods and the quiet, unsettling questions that remain about what truly moves through those woods after nightfall.🗣️ Share Your StoryHad a Bigfoot encounter or strange experience?Send it to [e-mail] – your story might be featured on the show!🎥 Watch & Subscribe on YouTube🔴 Subscribe here → Bigfoot Society YouTube💬 Leave a comment & let us know your thoughts!📞 Leave a voicemail with your story → Speakpipe (Use multiple voicemails if needed)👥 Share this episode → Watch & Share🎧 More episodes → Podcast Playlist🌲 Recommended: New Jersey Bigfoot Encounters💥 Support the Show & Get Perks✅ Join the community on Supercast – Become a Member✅ Listen ad-free & early on YouTube – Join Here📱 Let’s ConnectInstagram: @bigfootsocietyTwitter: @bigfoot_societyTikTok: @bigfoot.society🧰 Tools & Partners I Use (Affiliate Links)These help support the show at no extra cost to you:Beam (Better Sleep): Try BeamWildgrain (Better Bread): Join HereSeed (Probiotics): Get SeedMedi-Share (Healthcare): Learn MoreLMNT (Electrolytes) Free Sample Pack with your first purchase! : Get LMNTOrganic and non-GMO groceries delivered for lesshttp://thrv.me/uarEhS🎙️ Podcasting Tools:Repurpose.io: Try ItDescript: Sign UpStreamyard: Start RecordingRiverside.fm: Try Riverside🎧 My Audio Interface: View on Amazon☕ Buy Me a Coffee – Support Here🛍️ Grab Some Merch – Shop on Etsy📬 Mailing Address:Bigfoot Society125 E 1st St. #233Earlham, IA 50072

You're listening to Bigfoot Society and I'm Jeremiah Byron. In this show, we go beyond the campfire stories to bring you first-hand encounters from people who say they've seen something impossible. From backwoods trails and remote mountain haulers to quiet farms and crowded highways, the stories come from everywhere, and each one leaves us with more questions than answers. These are the voices of the people who've lived it. So settle in because today you'll hear another account that just might change the way you see the woods forever. So stay with us. All right, Bigfoot Society. You've got the privilege of talking to Amanda today.

Amanda is the first time on the show, but you've heard another version of what happened to Amanda. Back in episode 660, I talked to Shelley about what happened to them in the Garden of the Gods area of southern Illinois, down the Shawnee National Forest, I believe. So Amanda reached out and she's like, hey, I would love to share my version of what I experienced during that encounter because they were both present for it. So it's a very special thing. This has happened, I think maybe once one other time on the show. So it's very cool when you get two different individuals and two different episodes sharing about the same encounter and different people remember different things. It's very interesting. So welcome to the show, Amanda. How are you doing today? I'm doing all right. How about you?

Hey, doing great. Doing great. I was really excited to see your email come out of the blue. And this will be a fun chat as well. So let's get right into it. I got a few questions for you off the bat. Is there anything else that you would like to share about yourself before you get going? Um, well, back then when this happened to us, um, I was a very lukewarm Christian. And this experienced me so much that I am on fire for God now. So it was, it was a very, very scary experience. That's fascinating. I would imagine, I'm going to make a note, we will chat about that later for sure. What was your general experience level in the outdoors before this? Okay. So in the outdoors before that, I went hiking a lot. I was always a hiker. I always loved

camping, been down to Brown County, been camping all over Michigan. again. And, yeah, just hiking basically everywhere I could. Were you interested in Bigfoot or Sasquatch before this encounter, or was this completely out of the blue? This was completely out of the blue, actually. before this, I actually did not really believe in Bigfoot or Sasquash. But when we got down there, there was this big statue of Sassie the Sasquash.

So I knew the area was known for Bigfoot. And I'm just like, yeah, whatever. And we took pictures with the statue and some funny pictures and everything else like that. But I was not really a believer before this experience. Gotcha. And had you had any other weird things happen out of the blue before this experience, not necessarily related to Bigfoot, but other things that might be not normal? Yes, actually.

Okay, so just to go back in time, my grandmother actually told me that when I was one and a half years old, I would get so scared laying in bed because I would look up to the ceiling and point in say black shadow. I've always been able to see demonic figures. Unfortunately, my sister and I opened a door with the Ouija board way back before high school. And ever since then, I was seeing black shadows. I don't anymore as of 2020, but before 2020, I saw them all the time. I went through sleep paralysis like crazy. And yeah, it was just insane. It was very, very scary.

Okay, so that's extremely interesting. So you said when you use the board, that's when the black shadows happened. But you were also having like dark figures when you were much younger as well. Yes, I was. for some reason I was just

always able to see them before I completely gave my life to Christ. Okay, that's extremely interesting. Some individuals are very, very sensitive to

the part of the world that we cannot see. Most people cannot see with their eyes. That is extremely interesting. What was the date and the date of this encounter again? It was either 2014 or 2015. I can't completely remember.

I think it was 2015. It was late June in the summer. Okay. And just so it's documented, would you be able to describe exactly where this happened? Uh, yes, actually. Um, okay, so it was about nine or ten o'clock at night. And we decided to go into the park from our campground to the Garden of the Gods. We laid on top of a rock. And we saw all these beautiful stars, the Milky Way, and a bunch of shooting stars. And then as soon as we got back, to the parking lot, we see this big orb of light. And then it just, it just disappeared in an instant. And then we sat there and watched three other types of UFOs for a little bit.

And then on our way, we decided to leave. I felt pretty uneasy, to be honest. And on our way back to the camp. ground, everything was completely silent. I didn't hear any bugs, nothing. So we were walking on a paved path and the woods was right next to it. And as soon as we would walk, there was something that was bipedal in the woods walking next to us. We would stop and, it would stop. And then once we kept walking again, it would start walking again.

I did hear sticks break. And at this point, I was completely freaking out. And I was just saying the Our Father prayer in my head the entire time to the way back to the campground. And it was a very, very scary experience. I will never, ever forget. My goodness, how long do you think that experience lasted in all? Oh, I would say probably about maybe 10 minutes or so, possibly a little longer.

Was there any, were there any strange smells during that time? I did not notice any. Gotcha. And, you know, you can hear, you can hear something walking along with you, the sticks breaking. How far away would you estimate that that was from you guys? Basically right next to us. It was very, very close. Okay.

So, you know, maybe to put a distance on, are you thinking maybe 10 feet? less than 10 feet? Probably about 10 feet. Okay. And you had said, I'll just ask you, so at the time, it's around 10 feet away from you,

it's walking alongside. How good was your vision? Was it, were you able to see things? Was it by a flashlight? No, it was completely dark, completely dark.

And we decided to turn, our flashlights off because we didn't want to disturb whatever it was. Gotcha. At any time, do you feel like you were able to see a part of what was 10 feet away from you? Actually, no, because of how dark it actually was outside. because we were on the paved path and we couldn't really see into the woods. So, no. But there was something.

And that was one of the most scary experiences of my entire life. Absolutely. I mean, I can't imagine going through that when it's so close to you. what were the main things looking back on it now that you're thinking okay what was in there was a Sasquatch as compared to

like a bear or a deer were there any clues that that kind of steered you in that certain way actually yes because it was bipedal I knew it wasn't an animal everything was dead quiet.

And then once we got home from the trip, I actually did some research on UFOs in the area first. UFO sightings, and there was a lot. And then a lot came up about Sasquash as well and how UFO sightings are usually tied in with other paranormal things, like Sasquash. So that's when I started believing. That's what it was.

Absolutely. Were you and, were you and Shelley having any sort of conversation back and forth when you were walking to get back to, I believe you're going back to the parking lot, right? Right. Right. in the parking lot we were having conversation but when we were walking back we were actually pretty quiet from what i remember now gotcha you've mentioned already that you seem to have a very heightened spiritual awareness and yes i think some listeners can also know what that is uh where if you're in a certain area, something is out of the ordinary.

It's kind of like you got spidey sense going off. It's all depending on what your background is. Some people might say, oh, the Holy Spirit was really kicking in, or you're getting weird vibes. There's all sorts of ways to look into it. Did you have anything like that affecting you at the time? I had this feeling in the pit of my gut that it was something, demonic just because of my background with seeing black shadows and experiencing demonic things.

So that's what led me to start saying the Our Father in my head, the whole way back, basically. And I felt like that was pretty much protection. Sure. How many times do you think you said the whole prayer? on the way back? Oh, I would say probably about 10 times maybe. Okay, wow, sure. Was there any interesting things that happened when you started saying the prayer or when you got to certain parts of the prayer?

Um, you know what? Not that I can recall. I just remember feeling protected. Gotcha. Now, you get back, you get back to your destination, things are great, or how was it when you get to that area where you're headed? Okay, so when we got back to the campsite, everything seemed normal again. I still kind of felt scared and uneasy. We were sitting by the campfire, and I got pretty tired. I felt protected, so I just went into the tent and went to sleep. And then it was, I think, about 3 o'clock in the morning, Shelly woke me up in the tent.

I have never seen her so scared in my entire life. And she was telling me that her car doors were kept locking and unlocking by themselves. So I told her, get in here. Stay in the tent. Oh, my goodness. That is extremely intense. So she comes into the tent. And you guys, you're trying to probably settle down, maybe get to sleep.

But did things continue to happen? after you both were in the tent? You know what? Not that I remember because I fell back asleep pretty quick, but I know she stayed in the tent with me because of how scared she was. I mean, I was up for, you know, about 15 minutes or so talking to her about all this, maybe even longer. and then I just went back to sleep.

I think she probably had trouble sleeping, but she did stay in the time. Gotcha. So you get through the whole night, and then what was the conversation like that next morning between the both of you? We were just baffled in just like, what happened.

Of course, and we were talking about because we've experienced things together too, like demonic attacks, black shadows and all that. And we were talking about how, of course, this would happen to us, you know?

And that's pretty much it. And we actually did go hiking the next stay, but we did leave that night. I could not stay another night. I was way too scared. Oh, sure, sure, definitely. This hiking that took place, was it in the same area you had been the day before, or was it a completely new area? It was a different trail. And I remember along the trail, you know, there was water sources and everything because I know a lot of big foot from what I

researched live near water sources. We were like up on a cliff basically hiking around a creek that was running through the rocks. So it was a completely different area that we hiked. It wasn't Garden of the Gods. It was a different trail. I don't remember the name of it, though. Sure. After this night happened to you,

did you have any conversations with any individuals in the area about what it happened? I know you mentioned there's the statue, and I know there's a general store in that area, too. Yes, there is. And I did not have any conversations with anyone about it. What was your viewpoint towards Sasquatch after that? Oh, after that, after the research I did, oh, I definitely became a believer in Sasquash.

I knew that's what it was. I knew that's what it had to be. I mean, what else would be bipedal. in that area. And from the research I did with all the connections with the UFOs and Sasquash and paranormal stuff, I had no doubt in my mind. Gotcha. Did you share this story with anyone else after this experience? Actually, I did.

And a lot of people thought I was. crazy. So I basically just stopped sharing the story. Gotcha. And unfortunately, that is a pattern. It's why I do this show. So there's a place for people to share and not have to go through ridicule.

Because I'm guessing you'd probably just talk to maybe family or friends and the response was not the best. Exactly. Exactly. Gotcha. Did you guys ever return to this location at any future time to check it out again? No, we did not. I remember my husband wanted to go there because he is the only one who believed me. We weren't married at the time yet, but we were together.

We've been together for 16 years. We got married in 2017. But he wanted to go there and I'm like, I'm not going back there. No, no. Right. Why do you think it is that he believed you? He saw how scared I was and how serious I was about it. Sure.

And he knows me very well. So he knows all my backstory and everything. He also has had experiences with me in my parents' basement with a demonic figure and he was able to say in Jesus name get out of here and it stopped it left so he knows all of that background

okay so he's got a I would imagine he has a similar background to you then with how you your worldview things of that nature yes he does so you have had multiple experiences in years past, not only with this gentleman, but with with Shelly, where you have experienced what you're saying is demonic interactions. Yes, exactly.

I can remember one time specifically, because she had this roommate. I don't want to share much of her story, but. She definitely attracted demonic things, brought them home. And we were at Shelly's house while the roommate was gone. And I can remember us walking down the stairs and it felt so heavy. And I felt like we both felt like we were being choked. And then we got down into her kitchen and it smelled like frankincense and then it dissipated. Wow.

It did dissipated by itself or did you have to use the name of Christ? I, myself in my head, was using the name of Christ. I may have said it out loud. I honestly don't remember, but yes. Okay. So I'm thinking back through the whole timeline here. So this encounter in Garden of the Gods happened in 2015. But then earlier you had said that in 2020, there was something important that happened that kind of shut things down.

Can you share what that was if you're comfortable doing so? Yes. Actually, I, okay, so because I was a lukewarm believer before, I actually started becoming more and more on fire with God. I started reading my Bible more. I read the entire Bible many times. Every morning now I wake up and start my day praying. And basically ever since then, I have not had any crazy experiences. It's stopped. That's extremely interesting.

It's almost like, you know, you put on the armor of God, right? Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Was there, so was there a. situation that happened that made that kick that off you know why all of a sudden you're starting to you know read the bible more pray etc you know what i would say that it was extreme depression i i wasn't happy where i was in my life really and i needed god in my life like really in my life and to be the core of my life.

I get that, yeah. I think we can get to a place that is so, so deep and so dark, and you have to, you have to figure out, you know, what, what you're going to stick with. And yeah, there's a lot of people where, you know, that point, they just reach out.

I get that. I get that. Wow, that's a fascinating, fascinating account. So since that time, nothing, I mean, I'm sure you go hiking. You've gone hiking since that time? I have gone hiking in all over Michigan, basically, like all up and down the coast, and nothing crazy ever really happened. Wow. Another thing I want to make sure I ask about is after the encounter, did you have any strange dreams or anything happen out of the ordinary like that? Well, after the encounter, I would still get sleep paralysis and that ended in 2020 when I,

started getting closer to God. Okay. So I would say that. And I have seen a few black shadows since then, but nothing compared to that experience in 2015. Sure. Can you share exactly what sleep paralysis is for listeners who aren't familiar with that? Yes. Okay.

So sleep paralysis is where you cannot move your body, but you're awake. And you can actually even, like your soul can actually even sit up out of your body. I remember one time a long time ago, I woke up with my face pressed up against the ceiling. I looked down at my body and my foot was stuck in my foot, the foot of my actual body that was laying on the couch. I was able to see my ex-boyfriend laying on the other couch, and I could not wake myself out of it. It was so scary. it's it's really hard to explain but it's like your mind is awake but you can't move your body to wake your actual body up that does sound pretty pretty horrifying it's kind of like out-of-body type experience in a way i don't know um yeah

Did you, you also said, so you have seen a little bit of shadow activity, but not, not a ton, but that does happen very fleetingly. Yes, yes. But still nothing since 2020. Is there anything you do when that happens to be like, oh, okay, got to make sure it's to shut down? Before that, okay, so I did actually, even though I was a lukewarm Christian, I did give my life to Christ in 2009. And that's when I met my husband. He's the one who actually led me to do that. And all the experiences I've had, I did call on the name of Christ, and that's when it would stop.

it's extremely interesting because that is a common pattern that you hear and of course there is power in that name but the interesting pattern as well i is when witnesses say they they've used that name and then the bigfoot activity stops and that is something i'm still trying to figure it out because we don't know exactly what big foot is right. And I don't know. Do you have any thoughts yourself about what Bigfoot is exactly? Actually, yes. I think Bigfoot is probably a remnant of the Nephilim that were the fallen angels that made it with humans. And they're actually mentioned in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. So they survived the flawed. And I'm thinking that could be one creature that's a remnant of that. Yeah, I got you because they're mentioned in Genesis and as a book of judges, I believe, as well. Genesis numbers, Jude and two Peter. Gotcha. And that's just the stuff that is in the canon.

I mean, there's all the stuff that's outside the canon, too, the books that are in our current Bibles. I believe they're mentioned in, like, probably the book of Enoch, stuff like that. So. Exactly. Very, very interesting stuff. Do you and Shelley still keep in touch?

Actually, we just recently got in touch again. We kind of had a little falling out. by the way, she says hi. We did have a little falling out, but we both basically had to work on ourselves. And that's when I really started reading the Bible and everything. But we recently just got in touch again and everything's been great. I mean, we've been talking every day and it's been nice. She's living about two hours away from me, so I can't go see her often.

And I haven't seen her since our fallout, but we do talk. Well, that's great. You guys were able to work through things. You know, that is something that happens, but I'm glad you were able to work through it. Now, another question about your experience. I want to ask you is, did you ever? take any time to do any research to see if people had experienced or had an encounter in the same area that you guys had that happen? You know what? No, I have not specifically done research on that. I just did the research starting with the UFOs and then how it connected with Bigfoot.

And it did, I mean, lists that people had encounters there, but I didn't go really any further than that. Sure, sure. Were there any interesting things you found from your research about how UFOs connect to Bigfoot? From what I read, where there's a lot of UFO activity, there's a lot of times a lot of Bigfoot activity or other paranormal activity like dogman or other creatures, ghosts, just stuff like that.

It feels like there's some parts of the world or the U.S. or even your own state that there's more of these encounters with weird things reported than in other areas. Do you have any thoughts about why that might be the case, or is that something you've noticed? You know what? I actually don't really have any thoughts on that. I do notice that all the things that I've read about UFOs and everything, are usually in the U.S. I haven't really read anything about any other countries. Very interesting.

Since this experience, have you ever wanted to dive more into the whole Bigfoot subject, or is it a thing where you had your experience, things are kind of under control now and that's okay? Um, basically I had my experience. I don't ever want to have one again. So that's that. I feel protected now. I feel like I can go hiking anywhere, really. And I don't think that I would ever have another experience. At least I would hope not. That's cool, though. And I would imagine, and what would you attribute that feeling of protection to? Christ, definitely. That's fantastic.

And I want to make sure, Amanda, that you were able to share everything from your experience, anything that anything that came out of it, etc. Yeah, that was pretty much, pretty much it. That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for spending some time this afternoon. I do appreciate it in allowing this conversation to happen. And I know there's a little bit about Bigfoot, but there's some other stuff too. So I think it was a very interesting conversation. But thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Thank you. Have you ever heard all the accounts of Bigfoot activity around Oak Ridge, Oregon, and you think to yourself, man, I would love to get out in those woods and experience it for myself. Well, guess what? This year, you can. If this is interesting to you, stay tuned because it's pretty cool. Sasquatch Summerfest is coming up July 10th through the 11th, 2026. It's going to be even better than the previous year's reason number one. I'll be one of the speakers. It's going to be wild. I'll probably I'll say this.

There may be stuff you haven't heard anywhere else because let's just say sometimes it's well you just got to be there. We'll leave it that. More about looking for Bigfoot in the Oak Ridge Woods. Now check this out. You may know Jason Kenzie

from his documentary series searching for Sasquatch. Well this year you can not only go to the festival but you can also sign up for a trek deep in the wild forest outside of Oak Ridge with Jason Kenzie to the Bigfoot spots to look for Bigfoot. There's only eight spots to sign up for this. And yes, this will also be filmed for the next chapter in his documentary series,

which is searching for Sasquatch. This is a once-in-lifetime deal. It's just, trust me, it's going to be a wild, wild experience. to get a ticket head on over to Sasquatch Summerfest.com and listeners can use the code B-S-P

like Bigfoot Society podcast in order to get a two-day pass for the price of a one-day pass. So thanks to Priscilla for giving me that code so that you guys can

get a little help with the cost there. Appreciate that, Priscilla. I hope to see you at the booth in Okrits this year. We can talk about your encounter. I was able to talk to so many people last year and the year before. It is an incredible time. You're not going to want to miss it.

And I'll see you there. Before we wrap this episode, I want to say something directly to a very specific group of listeners. If you're in the military, any branch, or forces, and if you've seen something that no one can explain, or if you're a national park ranger or forestry worker who's been told to stay quiet, if you're a pilot who's seen something strange down on the ground, or if you're with the FBI, a federal agency, or working intelligence, and you've stumbled upon something you're not allowed to talk about, and if you're a firefighter, paramedic, or search and rescue responder,

who's heard screams or found tracks that didn't make sense, if you're in the logging industry on a remote oil field or trucker with government, contracts and you've had something happen that you've never told a soul and if you're a biologist a wildlife specialist or a field researcher under contract who has found evidence you're not allowed to report if you're a pastor a missionary or someone on a spiritual retreat and you saw something that shook your faith or if you work in the shadows CIA NSA or anything with clearance and you've seen what the public hasn't then i want to talk to you even if it's anonymous

you can reach me at bigfoot society at gmail.com the world needs to hear what you've been forced to carry alone and you're not alone you've got the story

we've got the mic see you in the woods thank you for listening to this episode of the bigfoot society podcast every encounter we share reminds us that the world is bigger and stranger

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And that's where you can hear tomorrow's episode today, early and ad-free, and members-only episodes every week. Also, it's a place to connect with other people that are into the big foot subject as much as you are. Thanks again for following along with the big foot society. Until next time, keep your eyes open, trust your gut, and never stop asking, whatever. else might be out there and see you in the woods.