; Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal

Monday, February 03, 2020

Trailed by Bigfoot in Lamar County, Texas


The following account was recently forwarded to me:

I was born and raised in a little town west of Paris, Texas in Lamar County. While I was growing up I had heard of Bigfoot. It wasn't something I spent much time thinking about but I would watch the documentaries with my two brothers. I guess I didn't actually consider it real. I had never seen one and didn't know anyone who had. So for me, It wasn't real.

It was Summer and my brothers and I were out of school. Just as we did every year we were spending as much time as we could at the lake. We had a trail behind our house that went straight through the woods to the local lake. The trail was about a mile long, but when you're a kid it doesn't matter how far you have to walk as long as you got to go swimming with your friends. My brothers and I were both good swimmers so mom didn't worry about us too much. Occasionally she would drive over to the lake and check on us. But most of the time we were on our own. We would get there after our chores were done and stay until just about dark. Sometimes she would let my brother pitch a tent with their friends and spend the night at the lake. I was never allowed to do this because I was a girl, But that was OK with me. Mom and Dad would pitch a tent in the backyard for me and my friends.

It was on a Friday and my brothers were setting up their tent by the lake. My friends and I had been swimming most of the day when my mom came by with a late lunch for us. She had picked up burgers from a local fast food place. I didn't really want anything so I had my soda while the boys ate their burgers. Afterwards, it was right back in the water. Mom yelled after me to start home before dark. I had walked home plenty of times without my brothers so tonight wouldn't be any different. The sun was starting to sink low in the sky and most of my friends had already left for the day. I knew I should be heading home too but I chose to stay just a few more minutes and help my brothers gather firewood. I grabbed the bag that contained my uneaten cheeseburger and headed for the path in the woods.

As I walked I began to feel more and more uneasy. I kept telling myself that there was no reason to feel this way. I had walked through here many times and a lot of them were alone after dark. I had gone about a quarter of the way when I heard a short snorting sound that I wasn't familiar with. I stopped to listen. I knew that wasn't a deer. I stood there silently but the woods were quiet. Actually, they were a bit too quiet. Usually, there was the sound of frogs and crickets with it being this close to the water but tonight they didn't make a sound. I started to walk again, but this time a little faster. I kept scolding myself for being afraid. This time, as I walked I heard a deep grunt. It stopped me dead in my tracks. There was something in the woods with me! I had no clue what was out here with me but I knew it wasn't normal. I kept hearing my mom's words, 'Get home before it gets dark.” Now I was really wishing I had listened.

As I began to walk I thought I could hear footsteps. The steps seemed to be matched up with my own. I needed to stop and listen but to stop walking was the last thing I wanted to do. I finally took a deep breath and stopped. I heard it...three more steps right after mine. I was sure of it. Someone was in the woods with me. Had someone been watching us at the lake today? I was absolutely terrified. It was all I could do to keep myself from breaking into a full run. For a split second, I thought about going back but I was now about half way so it would be best to just keep heading home. Then I wondered if anyone would hear me if I screamed. I heard a low grunt and started walking again. I needed to get closer to home. If I got closer to the house they may hear me if I started screaming. I pictured mom in the kitchen cooking dinner with her radio tuned to a country station and her singing along. Dad would be in the living room with the news on. The central air would be whirring along. They would not hear me no matter how loud I screamed.

I continued my fast walk with my heart beating in my ears. My sweaty hand clutched the bag tightly that contained my uneaten lunch. I had forgotten all about it until I felt the cramp in my fingers. The footsteps had begun again just as I started to walk. They didn't sound exactly the same as they had before. I was straining my ears trying to find out why they sounded so differently. When I realized what it was my heart froze with complete terror! These footsteps were now behind me on the trail! I stopped and spun around before thinking. There behind me was something nightmares are made of! About fifteen feet away from me this creature that had stopped too. It stood there in the middle of the dark trail looking at me. I couldn't make out much detail because it was dark so I assumed the hair was black. It looked to be about eight foot tall and about four feet from shoulder to shoulder. Out of reflex, I let out an involuntary scream! When I screamed this thing tilted its head to the side much like a dog will do when it hears something it doesn't understand. I began to slowly back away from it. After just a few steps it let out a grunt that sounded like a huge ape. It was a deep, throaty sound. It took a step toward me and I let out another scream then threw the bag at it. I turned and ran for home as hard as I could run. I didn't slow down until I reach the back porch! When I went inside it was pretty much like I had described. There is no way they would have ever heard me screaming! I went to my bedroom and sat down on the bed. My mind was still trying to sort out what had just happened. What had I seen? Just thinking about it again gave me the creeps.

I would never be able to walk those woods in the dark again. I may not be able to walk them in daylight. Where had this thing come from? Has it always lived here? I had so many questions. I wanted to talk to my brothers about it but I knew they would never believe me and would tease me relentlessly. I fell asleep that night thinking about the way it had tilted its head when I screamed.

The next morning I waited around the house until my mom drove into town and I got her to drop me off at the lake. My brothers were getting ready to go swimming. They both asked what had happened to me last night. I didn't know why they were asking me this and I was curious as to how much they knew so I responded, “nothing, why?' Then they proceeded to tell me that one of them got hit with my fast food bag last night while sitting by the fire. Naturally, they assumed it was me teasing them. And the other one kept hearing me scream really late Last night. How could they have heard me scream late at night when I made it home pretty early. I knew I couldn't tell them what happened but I really wanted to. They said their friends told them that the screams were coming from a Bigfoot. A few of them got scared and went home. I laughed right along with my brothers. How silly to think there was a Bigfoot in these woods. HH

NOTE: Very detail account. It came to me third-hand, but was said to have occurred in 2016. Lon

The Essential Guide to Bigfoot

Beyond Boggy Creek: In Search of the Southern Sasquatch

Sasquatch in Texas: The Track Record

Monsters of Texas

Texas Bigfoot In My Backyard: Based On Actual Events

Lon's Suggested Reading List - Books & Films / DVDs

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