I've got a Bigfoot story. Never been so scared in my life. Before I got shacked up with my girl, I used to hike and camp a ton. More than fishing even. I also do a lot of trail work for skiing and like to use the game trails to get to a lot of places that are total bushwhacks otherwise. It's not totally uncommon for moose or deer to pass by your tent so I'm no stranger to big traffic either. I will usually tuck my tent in a place where I won't be stepped on and just stay quiet and let them pass unless something is sniffing around.
So a few years back, I had my whole exped pack, cutting gear, camping stuff and food and was hanging out in my tent at camp up on the peak after eating some dinner, completely exhausted. Like... Sleep of the dead exhausted. My eyes were super heavy, by body was rocked from hiking and working and I couldn't wait to crash. I was drifting off in pure sleeping bag bliss- And then I heard it. More like a howl or scream, but at a volume and bass level I've never experienced. It wasn't close, but it was close enough to rip me back awake and make my hair stand up on end. Even the echo was intense! I was no longer tired. In fact, I was now wide awake. Straining my ears. Waiting and listening in the pitch black. I'd say about 30 seconds or so after I heard the noise, there was a distant crashing noise- breaking of sticks and crushing of leaves at a frantic rate- something was running through the woods and not the game trail. Now my heart is bating fast and I'm trying to breathe quietly so I can hear, and it is getting louder really quickly. Definitely getting closer and it's really REALLY noisy, usually you don't hear anything substantial like that in the woods. Now my heart is pounding and I'm practically holding my breath as I hear the noises coming closer and closer to me until I hear a massive crashing noise and then a ridiculous struggle. Leaves, branches, everything- you could hear a massive struggle and then what sounded like a dear trying to scream or bellow and then being choked out or something. It sounded positively horrific. I've heard coyotes get something near my camp before but this was big and guttural. Not even close. So here I am, pitch black, listening to a life and death struggle probably 20 yards or so away and I'm convinced it's a bear. Has to be. What else could take down a deer like that? Then it came again. The howl. Like a siren, it was so close and so loud it went right through me. I may have wet myself or perhaps I just instantly sweated out a gallon I still don't know. My blood went ice cold, my hair stood on end, my heart probably stopped and now I'm definitely holding my breath. No more struggling noise but definitely light rustling going on over there. After about two minutes (or was it a hundred years??) it stopped. Not a single noise was heard for at least 30 seconds and I have never listened harder in my life.
Then a twig snapped literally AT my tent. RIGHT THERE. IT WAS RIGHT FKN THERE!!! I stayed statue still. Not one breath. Praying in the pitch black OHPLEASEOHPLEASEOHPLEASE I smelled the most foul smell and then... I heard it's breath! Low and deep, I strained my ears... Listening... Waiting... For a chance to tell you that this story is completely made up. BOO!!!
