BFRO #45665: Memory told of a late night close encounter from a parked vehicle outside Gatlinburg

📍 Location

📝 Description

The reason I never told anyone was because I found it hard to believe myself, much less what other people would say or think about me. I recently began working at an ARMY hospital and befriended someone who had a very near experience with what was considered a juvenile Sasquatch. After 17 years that night is still very vivid and etched in my mind. With the help of Google earth maps I was able to find the exact spot that I had my encounter back in December 17, 1997. It was just as I had remembered and as I had described to my friend. The first time I saw it, again after all these years, the hair on my arms and neck stood on end and a cold chill ran through me. Amazing! After 17 years and never having told anyone I experienced that night over.It was December 17, 1997 my friend had wanted to take me to this spot that she said looked spectacular under a full moon. We reached the spot that had a clearing of deforested area to the right with a 45 degree grade. The road was cut against the mountain edge and it was a spectacular view with a fresh coating of snow that had fallen. The section of the road had a landing cut at the end of the curve and we had backed up into the landing where we could see any oncoming traffic. We had been there approximately an hour and the cab in my truck had gotten a little too cold so I turned on the truck and put the heater vent on. My friend had noticed something in the road when the windshield defrosted, we were staring at a full grown male boar that was rooting through the snow on the edge of the road. This thing was huge and it made me regret not having my rifle or bow with me. It was one of those chance of a lifetimes seeing something like that just 60 to 70 yards away. We were downwind from him and we must have watched that boar root for about 10 minutes when all of a sudden it sniffed the air and was gone. It ran like it feared for its life across the road and up the left side of the mountain that had the same 45 degree grade going uphill. My friend and I both wondered what would�ve made it run like that. I turned the truck off and we listened for any kind of noise that could have spooked him. We both talked about what would�ve made it run away like that. She joked that it was probably a black bear since they were common sightings out there. Maybe 5 minutes had passed when she peered out the windshield and pointed to the tree line and told me to look. She and I both thought it was a black bear and with the tree line in the background it was really hard to make out the shape. It wasn�t until it was approximately at the same spot the boar was and it was standing upright that I had to really strain to see what I thought I was seeing. We were still downwind from the spot where it was standing and had not noticed us yet. It was standing upright but it seemed it was looking at the ground as if tracking the boar. I watched it for a good 5 minutes and I tried to tell myself that everything in my mind was negating that it was not a black bear. First black bears do not stand and rear up unless provoked or if they need the height to look at something in the distance. Second, if it does stand up it does not walk a good 20 to 25 yards on two legs like this form did coming out of the tree line up a 45 degree slope. Third, when bears rear up on their hind legs their front arms and feet come towards the center of their mass and this form had long arms that swung at its side. As it stood over the spot where the boar had been rooting I was staring in disbelief. Mind you, my friend and I had not been drinking and neither one of us smokes, so there was nothing in our systems that could have created this image. There was a complete full moon but it was behind the form so all I could really see was the outline of it and I strained to see its face and form a little better. I reached to the left side of my dash and pulled on the light knob and then the high beams. There stood a figure approximately 8 to 8.5 feet tall. I could see the steam of its breath as it folded its left arm over its face and blocked my high beam light from its face. It stood there frozen as if he were trying to figure out what was causing this light. It looked puzzled and tried to see between its fingers at my truck but the lights must have really blinded it because it kept dodging its head back and forth to get a better look at us. We were at a stale mate; I was in disbelief at what I knew I was looking at and it was in disbelief at these two lights that were peering at him from the darkness. He tried to move to the side and the lights still bothered him because in an instant his face went from puzzlement to one of anger. I remember seeing his eyes. His eyes were this glowing amber red color and his brow was frowned which only intensified more the longer the lights shined upon him. He grunted and the steam from his mouth was a great billow of smoke caused from his hot breath hitting the cold midnight air. It looked like he was

🔍 Circumstances

Yes. One. Cannot come forward due to being married.

🌤️ Weather Conditions

past midnight, full moon, snow covered mountain, clear skies no snow falling.

ℹ️ Additional Details

past midnight, full moon, snow covered mountain, clear skies no snow falling.

🔗 Sources (1)

👥 Community Contributions

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