A trackway find, surrounded by more forest unknowns

In the fall of 2011, our group expedition was conducted in a vast wilderness area, in the southern Adirondacks.. where we had not held a group outing, before. This area, had some reported sightings before, and again after.. this outing took place.
Due to a very early cold spell in October, that threatened the east coast with heavy snow.. the attendance was low, and there were only three of us. We met up, and chose a campsite that we thought was suitable, that was naturally carved into a ridge line, with higher ground on each side of us. We thought it would be a great spot to be "observed" by anything that wanted to do so. It would not of been a great spot to set up tents, during a time when heavy rain was forecast.. but not the case here.
We kept one ear on the NOAA weather forecast, and set up our camp. Temps were only in the 20s, and did not break freezing, the entire weekend.
Taking an afternoon hike out of camp, we came upon an area we thought would be suitable for a night OP, that overlooked a grassy clearing, with the forest dirt road, and thicker forest on the opposite side . Upon investigating, we decided on a spot for a camera trap, and to hang pheromone bait. One investigator found a large area of matted down grass, that looked like deer had been using it as a bed down spot. Another, had found some questionable impressions on the roadside (in the softer ground) that resembled the shape of large human tracks, but did not offer much detail. Everything was carefully documented, as one investigator and myself started to slowly walk back to camp on the forest road, while the other finished photographing and measuring the impressions.
Branch snaps were heard, which drew my fellow investigator to the forest edge to listen, and then he walked a little ways in. More snaps were heard, that got him a little further into the thicker forest, while I watched him from the road. He then.. called us into the area, and sounded pretty excited. He explained how he had noticed a dark shape in the distance, that moved in between several trees, at around 70 yards or so away. Also, he pointed out what looked like several fresh tracks in the lite (half inch or so) of new fallen snow that still remained in the forest, from a day earlier. The tracks were quite deep (at least 1.5 " at the heal), and had a clear shape of a human-like foot, with the ball of heal clearly defined, and the outline of the toe area. No detail in individual toes were noted, due to the leaf and twig debris on the mossy mounds below the snow. It was also clear, that there was a higher (more shallow) ridge that was consistently noted at about 4-5 " from the back of the heal (seemed like a crossing high point.. break, or flex point of the tracks), on all the 12" tracks that were found.. as more were also found, that lead away from the road.. until we could no longer see anymore. This was impossible to follow.. in case anyone reading, is wondering why we didn't follow them (we did). We lost the trail, not far from the original find.
We were all convinced, that this was a fresh and substantial find, and it probably never would have ever been noticed, except for the investigator being drawn in by the branch snapping sounds, and the lite coating of snow.. that made the tracks pretty obvious, and easier to find. We were losing daylight fast, and decided to comeback the next morning, and continue to document and cast, the best tracks. It was very exciting, to say the least. It led us to think, that maybe something was watching us across the road in the clearing, from behind a tree and cover of the forest.. while we were doing our investigating and set up.
Back at camp.. we discussed our plans for the evening, while cooking some dinner. We all are believers in audio use in the field, so we all set up separate audio in various locations around camp, and I also set out a remote recorder, at another campsite.. that was next to the stretch of forest we found the tracks in. The weather forecast for the next day.. was sounding more "iffy", and we decided that we would listen more carefully in the morning, and decide or plans.. pending on the forecast, for the next days activities. We also decided not to pitch tents, with temps falling into the teens. We would all be in our vehicles, for the overnight. Also, being there was only three of us.. we decided against the out of camp night observation, because of the extreme cold potential.. and decided to just spend the night near a campfire, and act like campers.. and just see and note what happens.
During the evening, we made a few call outs and wood knocks, but heard no responses. There was a couple strange sounds, and a projectile of some kind.. that sounded like it bounced off the wooden privy outhouse. I decided to throw a small rock, back in the direction the projectile seemed to come from (up on the ridge above camp). I short while later, another was heard hitting in the same area, to our north.. near the back of camp, and outhouse. Maybe it was an acorn dropping on a calm windless night, or it was something being thrown. I don't think the right kind of White Oak trees, were up there, and not directly over the camp.. but it is something we will follow up on, if we do return.. which is very likely. We joked about this, and how the sounds were near the outhouse. A wide range of outhouse jokes, caused us to hurt our sides laughing.. obviously overtired from the drives, and the days activities and cold weather. The campfire, was a God sent. The sky was clear, and it was going to get.. even colder.
The next morning.. we ate, and packed up our equipment, and moved it over to the campsite closest to the forest area and trackway, while I retrieved my still running audio recorder. After another weather check.. the storm system ws predicted to dump 3-5 inches of snow in the county just to our east, and maybe even in our area, which was a downgrade from what was originally predicted. That made us decide to not spend another night in this forest, where a few inches of snow might make driving out, a real challenge on the steep rough roads, filled with large rocks sticking out, and the looming possibility of tree branches coming down , in a heavy wet snowfall.
Another trackway (that appeared to be coming from the south, and headed north, and an entrance to the area.. as the first one discovered ..was an exit..and headed south ) yielded a couple larger prints, also fresh.. that were Not there, the day before.. when the first trackway was found. This led us to think, another culprit (larger, as the tracks were in the 15-16" range) came back (maybe mama ?).. after we left, and went back to camp. It also demonstrated.. just how hard these impressions are to spot, without the lite snow (that finally melted from sunlight).. compared to the day before. These larger tracks, also ended up stopping, behind a tree. One track , that was cast, looked like at had smashed a branch down into it.. that would have caused a mighty sore foot, if it was a person in bare feet that did it. That notion.. is much more ridiculous, than thinking the tracks came from a sasquatch, IMHO. It was Very clear, that the tracks came from a barefoot, and not a boot.
We decided to stay packed, and get the trackway documented and casts made. This took much longer than expected, as the cold temps made ultracal 30.. take much longer than 30 minutes, like it normally would take to dry in warmer conditions. After hours of waiting, and going back (from the second campsite) and checking.. only one cast could be pulled out of the ground, while the other was just too tacky, to try and pull. We decided, it would be retrieved at another time, in the future.
Upon saying our goodbyes.. it was past mid afternoon. It took me until it just started to get dark, to get back to paved roads, and on toward home. The weather held nicely for the drive home, and the storm stayed well to my east, with the October snow dumping record amounts on New England and eastern NY, eastern PA, and NJ. I saw tons of deer on the drive out of the mountains, and narrowly missed hitting several, that bolted out near the sharp curves of the two lane road. In one larger town, I passed through (Old Forge).. they were walking right on the sidewalks, in the almost abandoned.. Saturday night, post tourist season.
Conclusions from this experience and outing..
Photos did not do the tracks any justice. Much more detail can be seen with the human eye, which is always the best camera. This is something to bare in mind, while researching.. to always document and describe what is found in as much detail as you can.. in the field, as the photos and casts ..will not only.. not impress viewers, but will not show details you noticed live in the field, with your own eyes.
The strangeness of the surrounding events, is uncertain.. from what could have been watching us before the trackway find, to what could of been thrown our way, when we sat at the campfire.
The audio results were interesting, as usual. My fellow investigator recorded some loud branch snaps and possible footfalls, from where he placed his recorder.. up on the ridge, above our first camp. Like most audio, it is inconclusive.. but confirmed the strangeness we experienced. The other investigator, took over.. because of the absence of our friend (do to his work place responsibilities) that usually records all our field events, at the base camp. He did a great job with this, noting and covering everything, and plans to compile a complete expedition report.. soon.
I recorded one vocalization, that was determined to take place after we all were in our vehicles, for the night. It was not audible from our camp, but recorded from the other camp, near the forest area that contained the partial trackways. I think it is consistent with other recorded audio from NY and PA, but is well within the human vocal range. The closet campers (hunters) to us, were at least a 10 minute drive away, so it being them.. was unlikely, but not impossible. Here is the link to the clip, from the overnight recording :

http://soundcloud.com/imonacan/ooooohooh-edit

There was another report of a sighting, taken by a fellow investigator.. from the same general area, that confirms that this is an area, worth further investigation.. Indeed .

Cancer.. how much does it suck ( let me count the ways )

I received some news, that took the wind right out of my sails. It turned my thoughts from home project goals, recording, camping and sasquatch investigations, into a more complex, agonizing, and puzzling mystery... called cancer. No, not me... but a recurrence in my son.
It is a heart breaker, to be declared cancer free, after almost 9 years of periodic scans and tests that showed... absolutely nothing. He was just 15 when diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma (a rare, cancer of the soft tissue.. often on limbs and the body extremities), having a fist sized tumor grow on his right thy... while my ex wife and myself were at the threshold of a divorce, in 2002. The tumor had not matastasized (or did it ?) and it was successfully removed, after chemo and radiation treatments, and 10 hours of surgery.. that left his leg a mess, and put him out of commission for a year. After more chemo, much rehab, an outstandingly positive attitude, and the desire to get back to a normal teens life...it seemed it was finally all behind him.
What exactly causes these left over cells, to lay dormant for 9 years, and then suddenly multiply and grow again ? Well... if you don't know, don't feel bad... because neither do the oncologists and treatment specialists. They thought they had gotten it all. That form of cancer, has a high probability of recurrence, but usually within the five years after the surgery and post chemo treatments.
A much smaller (but deep rooted) tumor is now growing next to his scar tissue, from the 2002 surgery. The choices for him, are not great. He can have the team of medical personnel, take the same approach to the problem, as was done in 2002 (chemo, radiation, surgery, more chemo, rehab) . It didn't end his problem then, and it is always possible, it could reoccur again. It could also end up spreading elsewhere, in the future (who knows ?...they sure don't). Fortunately, it looks to be contained to the leg again, from the results of his PET scan.. which is the only good news, so far. Amputation of the right leg, is another option. Even after this, it is not any guarantee, that the cursed growth could not reemerge elsewhere in his body. It would, lessen the needed radiation and horrificly strong chemo treatments required, if saving the leg was his choice. My son doesn't seem to shudder at all, at the thoughts of a prothstetic leg.. as long as the cancer is gone from his body and life. Still, no guarantees this would even do it. Better odds, but it's really all a gamble.
So, that is the choice a 24 year old has to make, and not a whole lot of time, to think it over. All I can do... is support his choice, and stand behind him, and help him in any way, that I can. I am no huge president Obama fan...but one thing I'll say, is that his health bill came at the right time for my son. He has already graduated from college. Like so many now in this current depressed economy, there are no decent job opportunities in his field of study, and his part time jobs do not offer any health insurance. Now... just imagine facing this personal crisis, without any health insurance. Fortunately, he is still covered on mine, until age 26. I thank God for this.
The hardest thing about this... is not knowing exactly what to do next, but also knowing that something has to be done, without delay. So Please, if you read this.. say a prayer for him.
Somehow I know he will get through this OK, like the last time. It won't be easy for him, or anyone involved that cares about him.. but he has.. an upbeat, "let's get it over with, so I can move on with my goals in life" ... attitude, that I am totally impressed and uplifted with. I can't say I would be the same, facing this kind of thing (for the second time) at his age, or even at my age. He is my hero, now. When I grow up... I want to be just like him.

A sighting in the forest

I wanted to post this entry, as I have (so far) kept this information, on a secure part of the home research forum, told only to trusted friends, expedition and forum members of NESRA, and some close family.

On October 23, 2010, during the Fall NESRA expedition, while out on what I refer to now as the "leafy knoll" , along with my two OP partners .. I had a brief, but electrifying sighting of a figure that I caught a glimpse of (that was on the move), with my Gen 2 night vision goggles.

We had made a plan in basecamp during dinner, for two other members, to call blast..on the hour, from their position near base, while two other investigators did some observing from various positions on the forest road, while the three of us I mentioned, took position on various observation points in the forest, on the selected knoll, where myself and another investigator had sat the night before. Our home basecamp man, would be coordinating and noting our events, back at our main camp.

Several of us, had heard a softer rapping (like wood on wood), coming from behind our position. The sounds were much like.. when one would test a hand held hardwood knocker, for the best tone, on a selected tree. This came from behind us, near the blazed trail that we had walked into this position, from.

The 3rd call blast from the basecamp, came at 10PM, and was an Orangutan vocalization. I was already panning the lower areas of the forest to the east and south with the goggles. I made sure that I was observing during all of the call blasts, and as much as possible in between times.

I'm not sure of the exact time of the sighting, but know that it came in the moments after the call blast.

The actual sighting facts :

I was panning with the goggles (facing south) slowly from left to right (east to west) near the edge of the heavier forest canopy, when a dark figure emerged (in an swath of open forest floor, that was very well illuminated by moonlight) from behind a lite barked, large mature (birch or beach) tree, and moved rapidly to the west, toward the direction one investigator had set out the bacon bate, hair trap, and game cam.
To describe the shape of the figure: It was thin and had a forward leaning gait. During this brief observation, I saw the top of the figure rear back and then go back forward again, before I lost sight of it. It never re - emerged from behind a set of two large trees, that were closer to my location. I noticed no eyeshine or arm swing, and could not define the head area (definitely was a rounded top) of the figure, very well.. from the rest of the body. I'm uncertain, if I viewed the entire length of the figure, or only saw it from the waste area...up. I say this, because I did not notice any leg movement. One thing for sure... the dark figure covered 20 plus yards, in less than 2 seconds. It seemed to me... to almost glide through, in a very rapid, smooth motion. The thin moving figure, was as dark in appearance, as the darkest objects (more distant trees) in my FOV, accept for the top head and rear upper body area, that was illuminated by moonlight. The observation lasted between 1 and 2 seconds, to my best estimate. Upon seeing this, I unleashed an emotional outburst, that caused me to fall forward and drop my goggles, and almost tumble down the hill in front of me. The fact that spotting this figure.. caught me by surprise, and the fact that it made no sound while on the move…did freak me out, and seemed almost unreal. It was however, very real. I was immediately joined at my position by the two others, asking me if I was alright, and what had happened, and about what I had seen. The view in the goggles, was as good as this night vision instrument gets, with some great assisted moonlight. Although there is some graininess with these Gen 2 goggles, the view was clear enough to see the details I have noted. The view was the typical green tube intensifier background. My on site estimate of the figure being 100 yds from me, turned out to be, not accurate at all, and an overestimate. This is due to the 40 deg view in the goggles, which gives somewhat of a tunnel vision, that can cause objects to be perceived as being further away, than they actually are. Here are the pair of goggles, I was using:

http://www.atncorp.com/atn-nvg7-2b-night-vision-goggles-sale

Shortly after the sighting, One of the investigators walked down to the spot where the moving figure first emerged, while I covered him with the NV. After doing some comparisons to him, in the same position… what I saw, was not any bulkier or wider (possibly less) than him, and not much taller (less than a foot). That evening, and the next day…we came up with no additional evidence that anything had passed through the sighting location. The leaf litter was heavy, and although we searched the area for signs of anything (hair, prints, breaks, skid marks on the forest floor)..we found nothing.
In addition to what I mention here, we heard the tapping knocks, some interesting howls or strange owl sounds from a distance, and a distinct (several second) growl sound, from the trail (near the creek) on our walk back to base. Here is a growl (# 3, and the first sound on the short Youtube spectrogram video), for comparison.. that sounded almost identical to what we heard. The following audio, was recorded by another investigator, on a solo outing.. several years before, in the same general area of the eastern Adirondacks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o7ryqgcATY



The theory and speculation of this sighting:

The three of us had discussed this incident on site, both Saturday night, and the following day on the revisit. The exact route of the figure, was in question. We all saw where it probably came from, and the route it took, based on what I saw. It is on the question, whether this figure was responsible for the tapping knocks, that we all heard, earlier in the night OP session. It is also a theory, that the figure did a sharp turn, and headed back south into the deeper forest…possibly after hearing my outburst, from my location on the knoll. More theory could be, that the call blast (orangutan vocals) done by the investigators in the basecamp.. could have put it on the move. The timing was certainly right. Whether this call blast had a positive or negative reaction on the figure, would be impossible to even speculate. In my case, if this call blast did indeed put this figure on the move… it was certainly a positive thing.

Summary thoughts:

I refer to this sighting as a “figure”. This is what I saw, a dark figure. Nothing that I could see from this distance and brief sighting, could define this as a sasquatch. I did however, think about something I saw on a website report, that very much resembled the shape of this moving figure. This is what I was thinking about in the field, soon after the sighting, and it stuck in my mind:

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=2405

Only the overall shape of the dark figure I saw, resembled the top sketch, in this BFRO report from 1990. I saw no face, arms, or even leg movements…which make me wonder, if the legs were in a depression, and out of my line of sight. The figure I saw was very thin, and when I compared it to my fellow OP investigator (from the same viewpoint)…was not any bulkier, and possibly less so.
In addition, the way the head sat on the body of the moving figure, resembled (very much), how the head sits on the body of the creature, from a sketch made by Whitehall, NY artist, Eric Miner (note the attached photo..with all credits to the artist mentioned). Also note, that I am only using this photo, to compare what is noted above, and the general posture of the figure, I saw. I did not see any face, or closer details, other than what I have described.
Any skeptical thoughts (including my own), that this could have been a man moving that fast... in that kind of terrian, out in the dark forest with no light, and making no sound...is laughable. Whether others chose to believe me, is totally up to them...and bothers me not, either way. Speaking of laughable.. I'm still snickering over the call blasts silencing the group of partying youths on the road, and hearing basecamp's radio transmission from the field. To silence the boom box, on a quiet night in the forest...was priceless .

This sighting offers no proof of anything to anyone, but confirms for me…that something is definitely out there, in this area. This was a team effort by all involved in the expedition, and the NESRA members that scouted this area, and have also had experiences (that did indeed, resemble my sighting) there, in the past.

Yard Vermin..... bird feeding gone wrong

This is the first in a series of entries I'm planning to blog, about the more common yard pest vermin, that has plagued my yard and environment, and the people that think they are doing good things by feeding them , and attracting them. This is not so much to critique the people that feed them, but to better educate them.... and present the facts, so that they can maybe (hopefully) make better choices, so we can all enjoy a greater variety of the wildlife, that is constantly around us, while not allowing our property to be contaminated and damaged, by over populations of these pest species. People can possibly get sick and ill from this problem. Just because they haven't yet, doesn't mean it can't happen. For all we know...it could have happened, already(?)
Let's talk about a species, the House Sparrow (or English Sparrow) that is an invasive species here in N. America, and has caused great problems, and devastated native song bird populations. Here in New York, it has greatly reduced the population and former range of our State bird, the Eastern Bluebird. These House Sparrows (or puttz's...called by many NYers) are cavity nesters (like the Bluebirds), but are much more aggressive by nature, and have 3-4 broods of young each season, to the Bluebirds 1, or 2 broods.
When I lived at my former residence on the western NY lake plains, near L. Ontario...the first several years I lived there, I saw no Bluebirds. I did my research and talked to some knowledgable folks, and joined the NY State Bluebird Society. I began building nest boxes, and placing them in pairs, on my property, and on State lands (where I had permission). I also took measures, to guard against the House Sparrows, by trapping them in the boxes, and in large cage traps, on my property.
Within 2 years...I'm pleased to say, that I had nesting Bluebirds, and these areas were no longer dominated by the non native (and unprotected) House Sparrows. There were farms nearby, so this was a constant battle. The invasive Sparrows, flourish on farms, due to the grain feed that supports them, and ample nesting opportunities. The farmer has no time, to deal with this problem...thus, the farm hopping spread of this species marched across the entire continent...from a few pairs that were released in NY City (brought over from England), around the turn of the century. If those well meaning folks...had only realized what they were really doing, and the consequences that would come of it !
To prove something to myself, I leg banded several of the trapped sparrows, and released them...at least 10 miles away from my property. The same year, I spotted one of the individuals again, and eventually re-trapped it. This time, I destroyed it, and all of the other ones I trapped...which numbered in the thousands, over the years I lived there. While monitoring my nest boxes, I personally witnessed cases, where House Sparrows had pecked to death, the little bluebird fledglings, and sometimes, the parents...and had constructed their new nest (in the newly taken over box), right over the top of the dead bluebirds...and began to mate and lay eggs. This species...as long as I have breath in my lungs, will never breed on any property where I live or reside on.
Let's look at the facts on what else can happen, when large flocks of this species are fed, and allowed to breed and flourish. First, ask yourself...what happens when over populations of humans or any species tales place...without the needed sanitary facilities or means to accommodate them ?
Here's what's happening in our yards, from a large pole feeder that is constantly supplied with cracked corn-millet cheaper spread feed:
There are large flocks of up to hundreds of these birds (I've counted over 400), that are in the trees, roofs, and sitting on the fences , gates, and walkways...that are a white wash of fecal matter. These flocks often go into our open garage, where I find the fecal droppings on the floor, and everywhere else...where I frequent, and where my little daughter plays and my family walks. I have to restrict my daughter from going to the area near the feeder (on the border of the yards), because of the constant mess and activity there. I tried to put out a kiddie wading pool for my daughter, last year. Changing the water daily, was not enough...as I saw these flocks of birds drinking and crapping, on and in the pool...constantly. This summer, I only set up a sprinkler for her to run through in the yard, and had to decide...that having a little pool for her, is not a good idea.
Ok, here are the facts on the diseases and problems that these birds are known to cause:

http://www.bird-x.com/birddiseases.html


http://ke4fej1.tripod.com/id4.html


Makes me wonder on the recent bed bug outbreaks, this hot summer...around the country. So..who likes bed bugs?
Does anyone that reads this, and Now knows the facts...really want their family, a neighbors family or visitors, sitting around in this kind of outdoor environment, getting this fecal matter on their shoes, clothes and hands...and then coming into the house (it can enter, by many means...including your window fans and air conditioner) ?? How about the innocents (like my daughter) that just want to play out in the yard ? The problem is (again) the large flocks of these birds, that are always around, producing this filth. A bird feeder that has a moderate population of birds that visit, does not present this problem, and any fecal matter.... is localized, and easy cleaned up... on or around the feeder. This is much more than just my opinions or angry ramblings....these are indeed, the facts.
We all enjoy feeding birds, and watching the feeders. Yes, I do also....and I want my neighbors and relatives to continue to enjoy it, as well.
There are things that can be done, to help prevent this from happening, and still be able to enjoy the same feeder watching pleasure...without, the large unchecked flocks of vermin, disease ridden invasive birds, that Are polluting your yard, and your neighbors yards.
First, make a change on what you are offering at the feeder. The cheaper cracked corn, millet small seed feed mix...is the main problem. Instead of putting this in the large hanging feeders where people walk, close to the house, put this feed (if you really must) in a platform feeder...Well away from the houses , near the very back of the yard. Refill your hanging (close to house) feeders, with Safflower seed:

http://www.ebirdseed.com/page/EB/CTGY/safflower

Thistle seed is great also, but more expensive.
You will get the same birds you enjoy seeing, but far less of the flocks of House Sparrows, and other pest birds (grackles, blackbirds, cowbirds) that you've been feeding with the millet seed.
I've learned from this info, also...and I am going to make adjustments. I have been putting out black oil sunflower seeds for years...but now realize that House Sparrows will eat them, readily...just as soon as the millet-cracked corn seed runs out, next door. Here's a little more info on what is best to put out, and what is not:


http://www.thewildlifeporch.com/2009/11/12/house-sparrow-problems-at-the-feeder

What people don't know, can hurt them, and others close by...in ways we never considered before. I post this... as a solution to help my neighbors, my family, and for anyone else that chooses to read this blog. Thanks for reading, and for considering these facts, and the information that I've gathered.

Getting lost in the forest.... it's not hard

Since this blog is mainly focused on my field experiences and outings, I thought I would write about this very humbling experience, that happened to me back in the spring of 2001.
I was at an all time low, concerning my home life and first marriage situation, and really needed to get away for the weekend. In fact, I decided to leave a day early and head for the Adirondacks, after throwing together (hastily) some food and belongings, and my outdoor gear. I took a quick look at a topo map, and decided I would backpack from the Moose River Plains recreation area, and take a foot trail into the depths of the West Canada Wilderness. This would certainly get me away from it all, for a couple days. I was somewhat prepared... gear wise, and wasn't in bad physical shape. Mentally though, I was kind of a mess at that time in my life, due to the stress of a marriage gone bad and an unbearable home life. I can say this with all seriousness... that your mental state should be normal and clear, before deciding to venture into any unfamiliar wilderness, alone. It effects everything you do, including your attitude, common sense, and decision making process.
When I arrived, late that Friday morning, I crammed everything I thought necessary into my large Kelty backpack...accept for the means to spend the night...the first bad decision. I actually thought more of packing my film camera, bulky lenses and minidisc sound recorder.. over a sleeping bag, thermarest mat, and little bivy tent (which I forgot to bring, and left at home)... a terrible decision. I actually thought I could make it back before dark, and be sleeping at a campsite, where my vehicle was parked. I only packed one flashlight, an old headlamp... another bad decision. I packed enough food for a day, but enough water for several...well, only half bad.
I was taught better while out in the field.. training, in my youth.. but didn't seem to heed that knowledge at all, and thought that I would have no problem sleeping anywhere, and would certainly come across a lean-to, to crash, if I really needed to... you know, it was the Adirondacks. I fancied myself as a pretty good outdoorsman, ready for any of it... or so I thought.
I had my trusty Garmin Emap GPS unit with fresh batteries...so, how could I get lost, or go down the wrong path ?
Leaving too late in the morning, was my first mistake. I thought I was going to walk a ways in, and walk back out.. and get out by dark. About seven miles into the hike, I realized I had better turn around, if I was going to make it out by dark. I had a headlamp and a flashlight for backup, but this trail was quite overgrown, being it still the spring and before Memorial Day, and it didn't look like there was much maintenance done at all. The deeper I walked in, the more narrow and hard to navigate, the trail was. The trail markers became harder to spot, and the forest became very thick, with many more mature trees that blotted out the sky.
I could see there was a pond through a clearing in the trees, and decided.. I would walk around it, and do some exploring, grab a quick bite to eat out of the pack, and then head back to the vehicle. The walking was slow and difficult, and I had to stop frequently to drink. It was somewhere on the far side of the pond.. while blazing, that I got turned around. Not only could I not backtrack, but I couldn't even find the damn pond. I must have stomped around for an hour looking for the reference marks I thought I had down pat, until the fear first came over me. I could not get a reading through the forest canopy with the GPS, to head me back toward the waypoint I recorded.. where I started to blaze off the trail, near the clearing. I spent the next hour or two, trying to get a GPS reading (in a bit of a hurry up panic), and find a decent clear spot to do it.. but it just didn't happen. It got thicker and thicker, and harder to navigate through. I was really pissed at myself at that time, and my emotions went from being mad, to feeling sorry for myself.. to the realization that I was losing the daylight behind the trees, and I was ... lost. Yes, me.. lost. It was really hard to admit that to myself, and I wasted a lot of valuable daylight time, not admitting it.
Finally, I dropped my gear in a clear spot near some pines, and started to gather some dry wood. I was going to be spending the night there, and should have accepted that fact, hours ago. I had no sleeping bag, but did have several emergency reflective cheapo blanket packets. I got a poor, smokey fire going, with some kindling, but the larger wood was quite wet, and did not burn at all. I had to keep gathering what smaller dry stuff, I could, and gathered a good pile of it. As darkness set in, the temps dropped. It was a day in the high 60s, but the temps were soon in the 40s, and falling, as it was the Adirondacks. I assessed what I had in my pack, for food and water. Enough water for several days, and enough food for a day. My headlamp crapped out in about 4 hours, and was down to the mag lite. I looked at the map and found my compass, and asked myself.. why I didn't use it sooner, and just walk east, to intersect the trail. I thought, that I might have been doing this, and thought I was.. by memory, and might have walked right by the poorly groomed trail, and maybe in between the trail markers. All kinds of awful thoughts popped into my head that night. Finally, I decided to save the flashlight, and had a little snack and drink, took a pee.. and then unwrapped the thin emergency blanket, and wrapped it around me. I took my pistol, flashlight, GPS, and water bottle, and crawled under the pine with the lowest branches. I said a prayer to God, for the first time in many months, and asked him to guide me out, somehow. If he did, I would do things different, next time out.. and share my experience and mistakes, with others.
During the night, I woke up many times.. only to realize where I was, and relive how a got there. I could hear a pack of coyotes howling and yipping, and it seemed like they were getting closer. My mouth was very dry, and it was really cold now. I guessed it was near freezing, and I could see a few stars though a gap in the pine, looking straight out from my forest floor bed of pine needles. I woke up, to hear something moving around me on the ground, and the hoots of a Great Horned.. that seemed to be mocking me, in my tired and unpleasant state of mind. The movement was an animal, but not something too big. After I didn't hear it anymore, I went back to sleep.. with my hand on the loaded pistol, for that false sense.. of some kind of security.
I awoke to the sounds of birds, with dew dripping down through the trees around me. The pine kept me dry, and probably prevented me (along with the reflective emergency blanket, and my chamois flannel shirt.. from getting hypothermia).
I crawled out, got the fire going, and looked at the map again.. and got a bearing with the compass, to head east - northeast. I felt a little better, but still knew my situation was dire, and that I had to make the right choices today, and stick to the compass heading.. keep moving slow and steady, conserve my food and water, and hope I could intersect the trail, and find it.
I felt like I was walking in circles, and would swear (literally) that I came upon the same trees, and rocks, and small creeks and markers.. I had before in the day, or yesterday. I felt like it was a scene from the Blair Witch Project movie, but nothing was after me.. accept the forest.. would not let me out. A haunting song by a band that I love, took over my thoughts, at this time.. while persisting to blaze through thick pines and dense thicket tangles, at the same compass heading I had promised myself, I would not vary away from :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGT4V6JmINA

Finally, after becoming very discouraged (but not letting myself sink into panic and dispair... like the late afternoon before)... I found a decent sized clearing where I would try the GPS again, and hope the batteries were still ok, after the very cold night. I was smart enough, to keep it inside the blanket, wrapped against my body.
I cryed out, in happiness.. when I got a position reading, right after the Garmin fired up. I had the area topo on the Garmin, and I was still in the area of the pond, and about a half mile east of the trail, and not far from the main intersection of the Northville - Placid main trail. Not more than a half hour of hard hiking later, I had the pond in view, and than came upon what I thought was the trail.. nope, not yet. It turned out to be a game trail, that finally lead me to the narrow foot trail, and I saw a very relieving site.. a trail marker on a tree. God did listen to me, and must have felt it was not my time yet, and gave me the inspiration to walk myself out of.. being .. good and damn lost. It was 2 PM, the next day from the morning I started out. I let out more breaths of relief, mumbling stuff to myself, and ate my last meal.. left, and drank up. It took another six hours to walk out, and back to my waiting vehicle.. just as dusk was settling in, again. Was never so glad.. to see that Ford F-150. I took a nap in the back of the truck, laying on the pad, and in the sleeping bag I didn't bring. I left.. well after dark, and had no bad feeling about going home to the ugly marriage I ran away from.. because I was alive, and unharmed. Just freaked out, and a little scratched up from ducking through briers and thickets, and as sore as I'd been in years, from the long hike.
I never told anyone where I was going, and knew that was dumb, and thought about how long I would have been gone and lost, before my soon to be ex-wife or teenage son, would have reported me missing, and / or someone found my vehicle near the trail head.
Years later, I read an article in Adirondack Life magazine.. about how the area I was in, had swallowed up many a hiker. Some were found, and others were never found. All of them in the "lost hikers" article, did not live to tell the tale I'm telling.. and the others like me, probably held off on telling it, until a moment like now came along.. and they decided to share their experience with others, about what they did wrong, and most important.. what they did right.. to be able to walk out, and not become one of the names in that article.

A witness sighting from the Philippines .... that can now be seen

In 1985, my wife (then a 10 year old girl) was walking home, taking a short cut through a large abandon lot that bordered a cemetery, that was surrounded by thick concrete walls. There was a very large and old tamarind tree in the corner of the lot. As she walked past the tree, she smelled what she thought was tobacco smoke . When she paused, turned, and looked back, she saw a large, dark, hairy figure sitting on a limb of the tamarind tree. The creature (she calls "Agta") was already staring down at her. She was able to see enough detail, to implant this fearful childhood image in her memory. I won't go into any further detail about the incident, because it can be read about.... here, on a post and write up I did a while back on several forums (the NESRA forum, an information inquiry and write up on the BFRO forum) :

http://s2.excoboard.com/BFRO/125234/2013756

I have spent quite a bit of time gathering all the information and details from my wife, about this incident. It was an emotional and somewhat terrifying experience for her. She agreed (at first, reluctantly) to share the details, and have a witness sketch done of the creature.
Getting someone willing to work with her (via myself as the middle man, to relay the info and details) on a sketch, has also taken some time. I was hoping that this could somehow be accomplished through the internet. I was lucky enough to hook up with several artists (recently) that were interested, on the "Search for Bigfoot" forum. I think that this helps to demonstrate, how these BF forums can be used in a positive manner, to help folks meet up with each other, that might have otherwise.... never done so, and now have opportunities, to work together.
One gentleman, was quite backlogged with folks waiting for his services ( that are well worth the wait).... but still, kindly offered to do a portrait, and work with myself and my wife.
Another gentleman also offered his assistance, and wanted the chance to work with an eyewitness, and see if he could be of help. I'm very pleased that we gave this person the chance. I provided all the details of the encounter, and some comparison sketches that we had looked through on another site (The Painted Cave), that my wife thought looked somewhat similar to what she witnessed, as this was a good starting point.
After a few email exchanges on information, the artist ( screen name - "Knuckledragger") sent me a very well done sketch, for my wife to review and critique. I was impressed by the artistic talent and accurate detail (based on the information given) in this portrait. I was even more amazed, by the reaction of my wife... that I noticed from the second she laid eyes on it... was emotional, wide eyed, and a bit fearful, from seeing this image on the monitor. I asked her to please look at it again (when she could), and tell me if it needed any changes, and what they were. She told me that it was all accurate, in regards to what she remembers seeing... but in a more "close up" way, than the wider field of her actual vision. I asked her many times...until she got mad at me (yes, this happens sometimes... lol) , and she concluded that there were only several details that needed to be changed in the portrait.
I think, that between my wife's implanted memory of the incident, my many hours of talking to her about details, and putting this down in written form, and finally... "Knuck's" portrait drawing talents, and understanding of the information provided .... made this come together, more quickly than any of us had expected.
So, what does the creature in the portrait look like ? In my opinion, it has the characteristics of many described eyewitness reports of sasquatch-like creatures and/or hominids around the world. I think there are more things human-like to observe in the portrait, than pongid. That said, I still can't come to any accurate conclusions, of what this is... maybe in a class all by itself (?) It has a very close resemblance (in Knuck's first sketch) to another drawing, from a book I have (The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates) by Coleman/Huyghe... page 123. The creature in that drawing ( Nguoi rung, or " forest people") has been seen by many, in Vietnam. To my knowledge, the artist had never seen the drawing in the book, until I sent him a scanned image of it, for comparison. By her say so...the creature my wife saw, did not have an upturned nose... but a wider, flatter one. What she also estimated, was a larger creature than the 6' tall Nguoi rung described in the book.
I think that Knuck has a great future as an artist, and helping out eyewitnesses transform their sightings, into a portrait, for all to see... if he should choose to do so, of course.
I'm glad that this has finally been accomplished, as I've been trying for almost two years, to get it done. My sincere Thanks, go out to everyone that was involved in the process. I'll be happy to share this with my friends, family and contacts in the Philippines, as well as any folks that might be interested in the N. American and International BF communities (researchers/investigators or enthusiasts) .
I have attached an image of the first sketch, and the finished painted portrait. I have blotted out the artist's real signed name on the portraits, to protect his identity.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm always looking for more info out of the Philippines, and to hear about other peoples experiences in the RP (both Pinoys and foreigners) . I plan to personally field investigate... into the mystery of this creature, in the future. The question on whether it's still out there, and where to find physical evidence of it... is what my goals will be. I'm uncertain if this can be accomplished or not, but plan on... at least trying.
Since this involves my wife, and the artist (and not just me)... I'm very serious on making sure, that these portrait images do not end up on forums or blogs, that search out and import other's materials and past communications, for their entertainment and/or ridicule purposes . The artist, has copyrighted his portraits and images. Respectful opinions and comments (including skeptical ones) , are always welcome. Thanks for reading, and understanding.

Iggy look-a-likes, and Whippoorwills...in Wawa land

I had never been to New Jersey, much less the Pine Barrens. The thought of 1.1 million acres of unique forested landscape between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, seemed interesting, and something I've always wanted to explore.
The spring NESRA expedition would take place there, in the Wharton SF...within the NJ Pine Barrens. I made the 7 1/2 hour drive there, after work in the the overnight hours. I was pumped up with instant energy drink, but that did not make driving through almost 90 miles of thick fog from Binghamton to Allentown, any better. AAA can shove their trip ticket, as I found a much better way to get into Jersey, than through the heart of Philly....and the 6 hour time estimate, is not for anyone using cautious and defensive driving skills, at night. I missed the exit I wanted, and came into the forest from the south, which turned out interesting, to see the pigmy pined forest on each side of the Atlantic City Expressway.
In the town of Hammonton, I experienced a lot of hurried (ride your bumper) type of drivers. I was in no hurry, and was just making sure I was following the right roads in. At a stop sign, I had to pull out left onto a divided highway, that had a fair amount of traffic. While waiting for my chance to pull out, I heard the constant horn of the driver behind me, and upon looking in my rear view mirror....saw him waving his arms and flipping me off, from his convertable sports car. Apparently, he thought it was Ok to pull out into on coming traffic with my big, loaded boat....and that I was driving like grandma (?) I could feel myself starting to get pissed, and when I finally did get the chance to pull out, I pulled over to let the jerk by me, and if he wanted to discuss the situation...all the better. My anger turned to amazement, as the dude drove by in the weird looking orange colored Lamborghini, and continued to throw me the bird...but didn't have the nuts to stop, and put it in my face, and tell me what he thought of my cautious driving. When I looked at his face, it was like a blast from the past...the splitting image of punk rock icon, Iggy Popp. Right down to the eyelashes, mop hair, short bangs style, no shirt, facial features...a dead ringer (a saw his act twice, on stage). It obviously wasn't the real "Iguana", as Iggy is well into his 60s now. So, for most of the weekend, I had this song buzzing around relentlessly, in my head (ever had that happen ?) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4hPnZUMBwA&playnext_from=TL&videos=wA7YkHY6O_U

I wonder if two roadies had to carry this dude into his leather bucket seat?
Conclusion, the closer you get to the megalopolus near the Atlantic (Beantown, NYC, Jersey, Philly, Baltimore,Washington).....the more aggressive and impatient, the drivers. All the more fascinating, that there is a large tract of wild forest left preserved, within this mass of humanity.
I arrived at the ranger station early, and walked around a bit. I took a nap, and then met my NESRA contact (Mike), who was the only one that would be at the meeting location, for this expedition. We got the skinny from the forestry people, and proceeded down the narrow white sand duned forest roads , to the heart of the forest, and parking area. We hiked into the primitive camp, and set up our tents and organized our gear. This was truly a large and beautiful area, next to a branch of river, that had very red-brown and slow moving to still waters. It turned out to be the norm, for this area, as we encountered the same in all of the water locations we visited. An explanation for this can be found here:

http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/pinelands/water.shtml

We hiked and scouted out a large open area, that we thought suitable for our first night operations location, where we would observe this area from a hill, with night vision.... and listen, with our audio setups. We had no success in finding any unusual tracks, accept for a couple questionable depressions...that could have come from many sources. I also did a test run on my new helmet cam, that seemed to need repositioning forward on my helmet, after my partner (Mike) pointed out that the angle of the video, was probably pointing up in the lower tree branches. Dinner was fast, as we were assaulted by mosquitoes (at dusk), that seemed to like flying into my mouth, and following the trail of hot Bush beans and giant hotdogs, from hand to mouth. Just one of the things you have to put up with, in a boggy environment. When my partner went to pick up our third member (John) at the ranger station..., I waited by the vehicle, and just listened in the dark, before the mosquitoes drove me into my vehicle....that was also filled with mosquitoes.....nice ! The good news was, I don't recall getting many bites...just constantly buzzed and annoyed. The tropical insect repellent I used overseas, seemed to do well here, also.
After John arrived, we let him eat, and helped get him set up in camp. The other two guys that were camping in the other end of the area, came down and talked while we were setting up, and asked Mike for a ride to their vehicle, claiming the forest station folks had not told them how to drive to the parking spot, where we were parked. The guy offered to buy our ice (that I needed) and anything else, for the ride. Possible... yes, but I found the story and the guys...a little far fetched. Just a feeling (survived , so far...with my gut feelings) I had about these guys. One was doing all the talking, while the other was looking a bit like Egor (a nutty, kiss ass, tag along type) that just grunted and looked around all crazy eyed. The shirt he was wearing "White Trash and Proud of It" gave the rest away...to me, anyhow. Other than this rather bold (but well ending) encounter, they kept to themselves...so, absolutely no harm done.
Our night opps took place on a hill we scouted out earlier, that overlooked a large open sandy area. We got a little excited when I heard and recorded a set of 9 distant knocks...that after further review and talking to John (he listened to the recorded track) back at camp...turned out to be our neighbor buddies chopping up more wood, for their fire. We were about a mile and a half out of camp, and well with in the pickup range of my dish and mics. The ongoing sound of Whippoorwill courtship (or maybe nesting?) could be heard all around in the forest. Other than that...a dead calm and silence, that was rather eerie. We were out, and up till 4 AM, but did not have any other results. While driving back to camp on the sandy narrow road, Mike's headlights revealed... none other, than our camp neighbors walking in the opposite direction. After talking for a bit, we found out, that they decided to walk (in the pitch black darkness) back (Lord only knows, how far) to get their vehicle. The Egor looking dude was sharing down at me, and saying nothing (like usual). That's when it hit me, that he really looked just like the older kid enforcer (Malachai) , from the first Steven King horror flick "Children of the Corn". There was something strange there, and I didn't want to find out, what. A comfortable distance between us , and them.... is what I wanted.
The Whippoorwill activity got rather intense, a couple hours before dawn. I think these recordings will attest to that, recorded from my tent set up in camp. I even got some owl action along with the whippoorwills. Some of the close up Whippoorwill events (within our camp) can be heard here, at these two links :

http://soundcloud.com/imonacan/155-clip-whippoorwill-courtship

http://soundcloud.com/imonacan/155-clip-whippoorwill-upclose-and-personal

The following day we hiked along a trail that followed the river, but after a while, we realized that there were no muddy or sandy areas (or riverbank) to speak of, to look for tracks...only an immediate drop off from the forest, into the red-brown water. We heard a dog barking, and then saw that a family had taken the dog along in the boat, for the canoe adventure. We turned around and hiked back, finding more spots to check out, away from the river...than near to the river.
We scouted out our 2nd night opp spot by vehicle, before we made an ice run. Our Saturday night position was next to a large pond and forested area, where we set up with chairs and our equipment, and silently viewed the pond and forest with night vision goggles.... and just listened. While Mike was test tapping trees for a set of wood knocks, I had heard what sounded like a whistle (through the teeth) coming from the forest on the east side of the pond. We walked up the road near the area, and scanned with the goggles (and saw nothing), and even tried a couple of our own whistles, to maybe provoke a response...but nothing. After I got home and reviewed the entire recording, the "whistle" turned out to be a deer blow. The clip can be heard here, and there are actually a few deer blows, and the sounds of a deer bounding around:

http://soundcloud.com/imonacan/pinebarrens6-19-10-clip-nghtopps

The next day, we packed up leisurely, and could tell it was going to get hot. On our first night there, we actually had the heat cranked in the vehicle, and bundled up in the tent.... as the temps went down much lower (clear sky and calm), than forecast. While hiking out of camp with full packs and equipment, we came across 3 younger guys that asked us where they could find the pump toilet, and some water...as they were running low (and probably had to crap). They also, did not have a vehicle anywhere nearby, and looked very exhausted...with a story of how they hiked all day, and didn't find this campground, slept out in the forest, and didn't seem to know exactly where they were. One of the guys followed me up and asked me (politely) if it would somehow be possible to catch a ride out of the forest, and if I owned the big vehicle. The three of them were all around my son's age (early twenties) and looked like... they'd really had enough. They also had a dog, that was thirsty. We gave everyone some water, and I rearranged my vehicle to accommodate sitting everyone for the ride out. Although I was happy to help out these guys, it did distract me from doing my own gear check, and the usual things one would do, before leaving a camp area.
We got everyone (and my vehicle) out of the forest without incident, and I ended up taking them to the nearest store, so they could eat, drink, and wait for their ride, in comfort. I said my goodbyes to Mike and John, and proceeded to drive to one of the famous area mini marts in this region (on Mike and John's suggestion), to check it out, and get another large cold drink for the long ride.
It was at the Wawa store, that it hit me like a hammer....my f@#%ing recorder was still in a tree and recording, from where I left it, near the parked vehicles for the last overnight.........damn. After multiple awe shits, and curses....there was no doubt...I Was going back for it. At least I was not yet out of Jersey, or even worse ...back home in NY, before the thought had occurred.
It took another 3 hours, before I was back by the same Wawa (where I stopped again for more drinks, and a sub). I did not go all the way back, to where we parked near camp, because of the fear of my big rear wheel drive"burban" getting stuck in them sand dunes, with no one around to help me. On the very hot and sweaty walk back in , I spotted a lizard sliding through the white sand dunes...very cool, and the only highlight of this little unplanned return. And after researching it..... came to the conclusion that it was definitely, this:

http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0077

So, what is with this Wawa thing here, I'm hearing.... and just what the hell is a Wawa ? It's Jerseys and Eastern PAs (and elsewhere in the region) version of our Seven Eleven.
Anyway, I thought it was a nice store, and it had it all..... and the AC was blasting. The people were even.... friendly ! I had asked Mike about it, earlier, and he seemed to think that the name could be a take off, on the Beach Boys classic song (Little GTO).
Well, after getting caught in an hour long Sunday traffic jam in the heat, from the Jersey shore crowd, all trying to get on the Turnpike, at once..... I'd really had enough. For the long seven hour plus ride home, I had That Beach Boys song (to replace the Iggy one) buzzing around in my head, relentlessly...but it Was, a damn good sub.