Big Foot Sighting in Wilson Creek Recreation Area

As you know Sunday's Mountain Bike Ride was an extraordinary adventure that caused us to cross paths with many forms of significant wildlife. It started with at least one long snake and then while traversing the Fire Road towards Raider's Camp it seemed as if every puddle was holding hundreds, if not thousands of very alive and moving black tadpoles. While rolling by close to these puddles teaming with the pre-frog life forms I envisioned a frog pandemic that sent them down the mountain by the billions to eat the entire town of Morganton. Then just before the start of Raider's Camp Trail proper we were moving close together when 3(not 4) North Carolina Turkey Vultures each lurched to flight just above our heads. It was a bizarre sight indeed for each ominous black bird jumped out separately in 3 second intervals silently glancing down at us with scrutiny as they flew away in the direction we were headed.

Dicky and Becky spotted the unfamiliar feces of a large hairy upright walking creature. Then came the first sign that something big was about to go down. Just before the final rocky descent into the lower Creek Crossing on Raider's Camp I started picking up a whiff of what could only be described as a gamy hot musky smell that I imagined was coming from something bigger than a buffalo and a whole lot sweatier. I had just told Becky that something funky was in the air when she and Dicky stopped quickly to avoid running over a Berry laden turd in the trail. We had never seen anything like it, it could have only come from a large stinky omnivore that was lurking somewhere in the forest near us. We moved on a little spooked out down the trail for the Creek Crossing which was up to high thigh level.

Dicky went upstream a bit to look for a less wet way across leaving Becky and I alone to ford the cold rapids. We were almost all the way across when Becky looked up river and saw something that stopped her in her wet tracks. I watched her expressionless face go pale and contort with excited fear, her mouth opened slightly then she croaked, "Sasquatch!" Taken back and slightly confused I replied, "Gesundheit." "No, no", she exclaimed pointing up the creek, "Look a BF!" Then I managed something like, "Come on Becks, help me out, is your Boy Friend close by?"

I looked in the direction that she was and then I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a Big Foot crossing the Creek with a Niner on his back. I quickly pulled out the camera, zoomed the 15x lens all the way in and snapped the one image I needed to pull this story together. Solid evidence that a Big Foot does actually exist.

Original 'Big Foot' inspiration and photo credit: frame 352 of the Patterson-Gimlin film.