Adventure on Section 8....

Is this a trip report? Nay. Was this just a normal weekend hike? Nay, it was a journey of epic proportions. Allow me to back up for a moment if you will. I was soloing on section 8 of the Ouachita Trail..you know trying to tie up some of the loose ends and nab the entire trail by January.

For those that are interested in this sort of thing, I was carrying my Gregory Forestor (sz large/3800 ci), my Big Agnes Encapment (15 degree synthetic) Bag, MSR Miox water purifier, Big Agnes Air Core sleeping pad (25x78.2.5). On this particular trip, I was beta testing a new solo tent from Big Agnes...more on that later in the report.

...So back to my Journey of Discovery. I was approaching Flatside Wilderness Area from the west at mile marker 179...and after a steep climb decided to stay on top of the mountain. What I didn't realize was that I had run out of water....Dang camelbak sprung a leak! Anyway...so I'm on top of the mountain and I need water and its getting dark fast. Really Fast! I knew I was close to water, but that it would require a hike back down the mountain and then back up, so I decided to leave my pack stashed and just carry the MSR Miox and my camelbak (Thanks Duct Tape!) On my way down the south side of the mountain, I found a small creek...a tributary of the Alum Fork or something or other...maybe even the Alum Fork itself. It is worthy to not that the Miox takes about 30 minutes to be effective and I hadn't had anything to drink for about 3 hours and now I had to climb back up. But, I figure if this is as bad as it gets, then everything will be cool. Just to be sure I had enough water, I filled up my Tilley Hat with water for the nights cooking...(Those hats are so bomber) and I started the climb back up...halfway up the 'hill' it started getting dark fast, but luckily it was a full moon and so I didn't need my Petzl Zipka headlight. After making up the hill, in the dark, I now had to find where I'd left my pack...luckily I'm good enough with directions, etc... I didn't need to mark it with a GPS...I mean, heck I wasn't even carrying a compass (but thats another story, and I digress) When I found my pack, I picked it up to go and scout a campsite for the new Big Agnes Tent, but as soon as I picked up my pack, all of my gear fell out and the pack was shredded. Even through the heavy duty bottom of the pack, which was vinyl!! (yeah I know its a few ounces heavier, but I'm rough on gear). I figured a bear because all that was missing was my food. Dammit, but at least I've got water. So I just sat down and stared into the moonlight searching for some sort of inspiration.

It was then that I heard it....A low grumbling sound almost like murmered speach....then a high pitched scream...Well scream is a little overstating it...it was more like a squeltch...like on a walky talky...So now I'm thinking, there may be some other hikers up here and they're using the Motorla talkabouts to communicate with their spread out group. YES!! Salvation...I'll bet they'll have some extra food. So I grab up my pack (thanks again Duct Tape...I'm gonna make a pack out of that stuff one day) and begin walking east. Its a full moon, I've got water, and I'm gonna find some food now! I can hear the grumbling and squeltching in the distance and I'm getting closer. I must have been not watching where I was stepping because I trip and sprained my ankle pretty badly, but where I fell I noticed an open and empty Mountain House meal...it was my Chicken Breasts with mashed potatoes....Then I heard it again....This time I could tell that the grumbling was not murmered speach, in fact it wasn't a human sound at all and it was moving towards me. I was petrified in terror and excitment all at the same time.

Out of the distance a shadow grew...Illuminated by the full moon I could see only a shadow, but my other senses were becoming sharper every second...and I could smell the beast or being before I could make out what it was. My heart was racing, every blood vessell filled with precious adrenaline. The smell was like a wet dog, but much more potent. My eyes kept straining to see just a little further in the distance...Then i saw it.

Over 9 feet tall, tangled/matted hair, piercing yellow eyes...It was Sasquatch. I slowly backed away, as I could feel that he hadn't noticed me...the wind was at his back. Kneeling behind some scrub brush I allowed him to pass. The rest of the trip (2 days) was spent without a proper meal and only water, but I left with much more...The link was no longer missing...I had seen him.

Man, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has experienced this. It's nice to know someone out there shares a common experience with me.

...running out of water, I mean. What did you think I meant?

I can't wait to hear what happened on Section 9.

I tell ya what Mr. Admin....Its fine if you don't believe me. I know what I saw...what i smelled....and what I experienced. Its true. He lives up in the Flatside Wilderness area. I can take you up there and show you the spot and his foot prints... I'm going back this weekend to look for him again..I'm not hiking another section until I find where he spends his time.

Well, all I can say is you better be careful or you'll end up getting tossed like those guys in the Jack Links Jerky commercials.

Happy hunting.

That's how I know its not true. My old hound dog won't touch Mountain House foods, let alone bigfoot . Beef Jerky is what he is after, I have seen it a hundred times on T.V., lots of beef jerkey.

Dwight

Dude!!! Slowly back away from the keyboard!!!

lew1043 wrote:Dude!!! Slowly back away from the keyboard!!!

...or the pipe...

Yep that was a good one! You had me going! Reminds me of a time when a fellow here had me fooled, he made some real big foot prints out of a type of foam. Then he made tracks on the walking path here on the Saline river below Dierks Dam and then back tracked. He had me fooled till about 6 mon. later when he had to give up the secret!
I thought that big foot live here also!!

OH

Owl wrote:

lew1043 wrote:Dude!!! Slowly back away from the keyboard!!!

...or the pipe...

LOL! Now that's funny right there!

Jay wrote:

Owl wrote:

lew1043 wrote:Dude!!! Slowly back away from the keyboard!!!

...or the pipe...

LOL! Now that's funny right there!

I don't care who you are!