BFRO #26348: Bipedal sounding pacing and possible vocalizations heard by Boy Scout leader and Scouts at Quetico Provincial Park

📍 Location

📝 Description

I have been a BSA scoutmaster for 10 years and one of my favorite things to do on our campouts around the campfire at night is read Bigfoot sighting reports to the boys from the BFRO website. Nothing makes them more quiet and compliant once going to bed than thinking that the big guy could be lurking around in the dark just beyond the campfire in the woods. The fact that I can make a very convincing bear-growl adds to the fun as well. I have done this around the campfire for years and it has always been great fun. Plus, many of the well-documented sightings make for great entertainment and it beats the heck out of telling ghost stories around the fire. I always secretly hoped I would have my own encounter someday and just a couple of weeks ago, I finally did.From July 10 to July 18, 2009, I took my boys on a camping/canoeing trip to the Quetico Provincial Park wilderness area in Ontario Canada, just north of Ely, Minnesota. Quetico Park is a limited access wilderness area that requires permits that must be applied for months in advance. It is a huge park about the size of Connecticut, with 500-600 lakes and pristine woodlands and islands. There are no roads and no motorized boats are allowed anywhere in the park, except for some native Indian guides with grandfathered access rights. It is a perfect place to go for a wonderful wilderness canoeing/camping experience.We checked in at the ranger station at Prairie Portage the afternoon of Saturday, July 11 and then struck out for a sandy beach camping area in a secluded cove on the northeast corner of Inlet Bay. This was a camping area on a sandy beach with thick, brushy wilderness extending back into the woods opposite the water for miles. The first night we were there was uneventful but the second night was pretty interesting.Most of the boys and 2 of the adult leaders had already gone to bed but a few of us decided to hang around the fire and just enjoy the evening. Joining me around the fire was another adult leader named Dave, 4 Eagle Scouts � including 2 of my sons and my nephew- and a 13 year old scout. It had gotten dark and we were just shooting the breeze when my oldest son Andy suddenly shushed us all and said �Do you guys hear that?� We all shut up and listened really close and what we heard startled us all. I have been wilderness camping for all of my 46 years and what I heard next was unlike anything I had ever heard before. Most animals will steer clear of fires and people but whatever THIS was was seemingly pacing back and forth in the woods just beyond our flashlight range. We heard very heavy bi-pedal footsteps walking through the dense brush just beyond our campsite, crunching twigs and making a lot of noise. Knowing everyone else was already in bed and considering the absolute darkness, the thick brush, and the fact that no one in their right mind would even be trying to walk around back there at night � we all were a little unnerved to say the least.Earlier that day, I had gone back into the woods to take care of nature�s business, hoping the mosquitoes would leave my lily-white rear alone long enough to get the job done without getting too bitten up. When I was back there though, I could not shake the feeling of being watched. Later on, as we discussed our encounter, my nephew said he had felt the same eerie feeling when he had done the same earlier the same day.Anyway, as we stood around the fire listening to this heavy bi-pedal pacing back & forth, the boys all decided that was their cue to get to bed in their tents, as if that would actually provide any protection from whatever this was. As they went to their tents, I stood there listening to the steps and I could hear deep heavy breaths � sort of like the Uruk-hai in front of Helm�s Deep in the Lord of the Rings �Two Towers� movie. There was no rock throwing or tree knocking � no apparent intimidation behaviors. It just seemed to be something satisfying it�s curiosity about who we were. When I heard the breathing I decided that maybe it was time for me to go to bed too, especially since some of the boys were getting spooked and I needed to set a good example of courage. So, I laughed about it and told them to get to bed before Bigfoot gets them. As I lay there in my tent, the footsteps began to fade away and whatever it was left us alone. My son Andy, ever the smart-aleck, asked me to tell some more Bigfoot stories but I said �No, I think we are all sufficiently weirded out for now�. Andy then asked Robert, the 13 year old who was out there with us, if he was freaked out and he sheepishly answered �Sorta.�A few minutes later, we heard some wolves howling in the distance and then we heard a closer, deep howl that sounded just like the Ohio Bigfoot howl, but without the dogs barking. When that howl was heard, the wolves abruptly shut up. I told the boys �That�s the big guy himself, you guys!� and the howl was repeated, though it sounded further away the second time. A moment or so later,

🔍 Circumstances

4 Eagle Scouts - my 2 sons, my nephew, and another Eagle scout; myself, another adult male, and a 13 year old scout.

🌤️ Weather Conditions

approx 11:30pm - it was dark, clear, and stars were out but it was still very dark.

ℹ️ Additional Details

approx 11:30pm - it was dark, clear, and stars were out but it was still very dark.

🔗 Sources (1)

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