6/22/09 update

Had the same feeling a couple nights at home walking from the truck to the house - it's a couple miles from the first incident. I got home Friday, and felt like I was being watched from the truck to the house. I got in, and 4 minutes later, the motion light went out. A couple of minutes later, something set it off again.

Also heard the same sound through the weeds behind the house...

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I went back this evening around 6:30. Only went about half way because I was in a hurry. I was traveling light - video camera and 1911 with one magazine (wished I had the extras...).

Had the same feeling close to the parking lot, and the spot from last time.

It's been raining here almost every day for the last week. Something (someone?) snapped a limb that sounded pretty dry or pretty large to get the loud crack. It sounded like it was coming from the old mining road above the gravel gas road I was on.

There were no cars in the lot. I didn't notice any human tracks. I did see an unfamiliar track, but it was small, maybe 2.5". It had (I think) five toes and a large pad - will have to do a screen capture to be sure...

I don't know of any homeless people who could have set up. Never seen any person. Never been far from the road, so haven't seen signs of a "grow" operation or anything like that.

Thinking "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me", helped with the electric sensation in my spine...

From the beginning of June

I thought I would go for a quick walk in the woods the other evening. I brought along a .45 and my video camera instead of my usual DSLR. As I started up the road, I thought I saw a glimpse of a light color that disappeared when I looked back up - explainable by sunlight.

I continued walking, and spooked two deer that took off running.

Usually, as I get closer to the end of the road, I can feel the hairs on my neck stand up and tingling in my spine like I'm being watched.

If it's friendly or ambivalent, we'll continue on our own way. If it's hostile and persists, there's a couple extra magazines...

So, I got to the end of the road, heard a deer up on the hill snorting at me. I turned around and headed back out.

I got halfway back out, when it happened...

What kind of animal makes a heavy, plodding sound moving through the brush (besides Bigfoot Roll Eyes Wink and the Wolfman who was reported seen in the general area 45 years ago)? It also doesn't run when you throw fist-sized rocks in the vicinity... No other cars in the lot. No "Hey, stop throwing rocks at me!" Whatever it was didn't come out of the brush to make a youtube debut...

As I focused intently on the area, the sound abruptly stopped. Was it sizing me up and decided I was too ready? I heard birds chirping all the way up and back, except at this time - maybe I tuned them out.

I headed for the truck, pausing to look behind me every so often.

So... Opossum? Raccoon? A bear was picked up in the area a couple years ago and transplanted. A couple others have been spotted and escaped.