BFRO #38046: A loud, unknown vocalization startles solo hiker on shore of Goat Lake

📍 Location

📝 Description

Vocalization at close range with no actual sighting. Sunning at end of lake where the trail becomes brushy. Suddenly without any other sign/signal of someone/something being there, there was a loud vocalization starting with a low pitch howl increasing to high pitch howl almost ending in a high pitch hoop sound. Then dead silence. I jumped up and couldn't see anything but from the lakeshore the trail was pretty obscured and the woods thick. Sound was very close- I estimate 50-75 feet at most. I grabbed my belongings and got out of there fast hiking all the way back to my truck without stopping except to look back and listen a few times briefly. Beyond spooky, and puzzling. I have listened to many animal recordings online and nothing native to or not native to WA state sounds even close to this. It does sound strikingly similar to a couple of the recordings I have listened to on the website. I have no doubt I heard something that day that is outside of what species we know to exist in this part of the world. I took me this long because I can't stop thinking of it and when in the woods it has changed the way I view hiking alone, more wary and alert now, sometimes afraid even.

🔍 Circumstances

No, there were some campers at other end of lake who didn't seem to have heard or noticed anything.

🌤️ Weather Conditions

Mid afternoon

ℹ️ Additional Details

Mid afternoon

🔗 Sources (1)

👥 Community Contributions

Help improve this case by adding notes, observations, theories, or tags. Your contributions help the community understand patterns and connections.