Grassman: Ohio's Bigfoot

I appeared on the podcast, Bigfoot Eyewitness Radio, on February 18, 2020. In the beginning of the episode I provided a monologue of information about the Grassman and the reports that made it famous in addition to information about what it makes it different than Bigfoot. The blog post below is a copy of that monologue. The entire interview is available here.


   One of my first big impressions of Bigfoot was some time in the late 1970s watching the reruns of the original “In Search Of” television show that was hosted by Leonard Nimoy. I remember the voice of Spock presenting me compelling information telling me to believe in the possibility that such a wild creature or even a wild man may exist.

   While the series covered many paranormal and conspiracy theory themes the Bigfoot episode and imagery was one that made me question my preconceived notions of how the world worked around me and made me question what I thought to be true. I was raised to believe that such things did not exist, but I began to wonder if I was just told that so I could sleep better at night.

   I had little to worry about though as Bigfoot was a west coast thing. Nimoy had said Sasquatch sightings started in 1811 and a compelling incident in 1924 happened with miners in a gorge in Washington state near Mt. St. Helens that would eventually be called Ape Canyon.

   I knew beyond that television show that other sightings had happened in British Columbia and eventually a series of tracks discovered by a bulldozer operator named Jerry Crew in 1958 near Bluff Creek California would lead to the now famous generic moniker Bigfoot that was coined by the press. Bigfoot sightings continued to build and an all-time high in interest and debate into the creature’s existence boiled over in the 1970s along with the largest percentage of overall sightings, hoaxes or genuine, across the United States.

   My interest into the creature started a few years after I began investigating ghosts in 1996. I’m not sure exactly what it was that drew me to want to pursue cryptozoology and looking for mysterious animals that seemed unlikely to exist. It might have been something to do with infrasound or communication with extra sensory perception as I had researched in the ghost field. Granted, it might just have been the fact that this field, like ghosts and UFOs, is considered a paranormal field.

   Moving into the field of cryptozoology was an easy fit for me. I had spent many years hiking and backpacking solo in the woods of southern Ohio as well as my favorite spots in the Allegheny National Forest in neighboring Pennsylvania about a two-hour drive away. I have always enjoyed nature and animals and had challenged myself many years ago to learn how to track and stalk animals.

   Either way, I realized that Bigfoot was the king of the field of cryptozoology and despite wanting to learn all aspects of the field from others it seemed most groups in Ohio were geared toward finding Bigfoot. I did my own research and tried to find my own cases. Eventually I worked with the Sasquatch Research Initiative based in British Columbia, Canada and learned a lot about interviewing and conducting field investigations in a variety of cryptid research cases. It wasn’t much different than what I had been doing in the ghost field, but I learned new techniques that would help me doing interviews and investigations for any type of anomalous cases.

   In January of 2009 I joined Crypto Squad USA, a collection of bloggers who reported to Nick Redfern for the Regional U.S. Offices Of The Center For Fortean Zoology which is based in the United Kingdom. I went on to publish my own book on cryptozoology titled, “Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist” in 2014.

   Later that year the book was awarded in the top ten cryptozoology books of 2014 by Loren Coleman. Coleman also wanted to sell the book at his International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland Maine and along with that wanted to contribute a foreword to the book. So, a second edition of the book was launched in 2015. Along the way I have written articles for Cryptid Culture Magazine and have spoken at conferences and other events in Ohio and elsewhere talking about Bigfoot and other cryptids.

   Some people might wonder, what’s a guy in Ohio got to do with Bigfoot and what is this Grassman creature while we’re at it? Is there a difference between Grassman and Bigfoot? And maybe bigger and related questions are; why are there so many different names for Bigfoot all over the world? Are these all the same creatures? If there are so many names and sightings, why isn’t Bigfoot proven to be real?

   To begin to answer these questions let me first start at the beginning with the state of Ohio. I’ve lived in Ohio for over 45 years which kind of gives away my age a bit, but it may surprise some out there to hear that Ohio has a pretty rich history of Bigfoot sightings and ranks as one of the top states in sightings historically.

   Earlier in 2019 research leading up to the Travel Channel series “In Search of Monsters” compiled a listing of over 23,000 sightings across the United States. Of these sightings the most took place in Washington with over 2,000 sightings. Obviously, none of these are confirmed sightings and I’m sure that some of these are hoaxes, misinterpretations, and embellishments. The number two state for Bigfoot sightings is California followed by my neighboring states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, and then Ohio, followed by Oregon and Texas.

   The Bigfoot Field Researcher’s Organization, BFRO, has consistently ranked Ohio in the top five states through the years and other groups rank Ohio in the top eight in overall Bigfoot reports yearly on a consistent basis.

   Ohio was colonized by French fur traders in the early 1700s and then became a British colonial possession after the French and Indian War in 1754. After the American Revolution the land that now occupies Ohio became part of the Northwest Territory. Ohio became a state back on March 1, 1803 although a formal declaration was not made until 1953.

   Ohio is named after the Iroquois Indians word “O-Y-O” which translates to “great river”. The Iroquois inhabited the area of Ohio around 1650. Prior to the Iroquois other Algonquin language tribes inhabited the region for hundreds of years.  The Monongahela culture, Springwells, and Fort Ancient culture occupied parts of Ohio all the way back to 500 AD. Prior and during this time the Ohio Hopewell culture ruled the land back to 200 BC.

   Going back further, the Adena culture possessed the area back to 1000 BC and it is known that other cultures made their way to or through Ohio as far back as 14000 to 8000 BC. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the beliefs of these tribes when it came to large hairy hominids until the mid-1700s. It is here that stories were purportedly passed down about wild and hairy men of the forests. But these stories were never substantiated with witnesses or reliable accounts of sightings. Many of these sightings were woven into the folklore or superstitions and these were more like god-like creatures than flesh and blood men.

   The Ohio history of Bigfoot can unceremoniously begin in 1869 with a newspaper account from Gallipolis, Ohio. The area is in southeast Ohio along the Ohio River and oddly less than five miles down the river from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, which in just less than a hundred years would be known for its own creature; the Mothman.

   The account in Gallipolis was uncovered by cryptozoologist Mark A. Hall who sadly passed away back in 2016. The account from January of 1869 was documented in the Minnesota Weekly Record and told of a hairy creature that jumped on a man who was riding in a carriage. The beast grabbed the man and threw him to the ground where he began to bite and claw at him. The man’s daughter who was riding along in the carriage found the courage after a few moments to locate a stone that she threw and hit the creature in the ear causing what was explained as a gorilla to scamper back into the woods. Gorillas were only discovered just over two decades prior although they were well known through articles covering the exploits of zoologist Paul Du Chaillu. The article described the encounter as from a wild man who was naked, covered in hair and gigantic in height.

   The biggest case in Ohio history comes from near the village of Minerva Ohio. From the case files of Ron Schaffner comes the story as it happened back in 1978. Sightings began in July and August of that year with one incident with children running home crying and completely frightened from what they had witnessed.

   To get an accurate portrayal of the events as they happened, I will read directly from Ron Schaffner’s notes on the case:

The incidents leading up to the August 21 sighting began about the first of the month. Mrs. Cayton believes the creature's appearance were due to her husband (Herbert) cutting down the thick brush next to the pit and that he also dumped some garbage around for the raccoons. 

Several nights later, the Cayton's grandchildren and their friends came running in the house crying in a frightened state. They claimed to have seen a large hairy monster in the pit. Mrs. Keck, Mrs. Cayton and Howe Cayton went outside to see what had scared them. They saw a creature that was covered with dark matted hair. They estimated it to be about 300 pounds and 7 feet tall. 

"It just stood there," said Mrs. Cayton. "It didn't move, but I almost broke my neck running back down the hill." 

Mrs. Cayton claims that she later observed the creature in the daylight. It was sitting in the pit picking at the garbage. She could not make out any facial features due to the amount of long hair covering its face. She remembered that the creature had no visible neck. 

The sightings then really took off with the August 21st sighting. Evelyn Cayton's family and friends were out on the front porch when they heard noises in the direction of an old chicken coop just to the right of the house. They saw two pairs of yellow eyes that seemed to be reflecting a porch light. Scott Patterson went to his car and turned the headlights on in hopes of getting a better look. The eyes were on what appeared to be two "cougar-type" felines. Then, the party saw what looked like a large bipedal hairy creature step in front of the large cats as if to protect them. This creature then proceeded to lurch towards Patterson's car. 

The witnesses fled to the house and called the Stark County Sheriff's Department. While waiting for the deputies, the bipedal creature appeared at the kitchen window -- about four yards from the kitchen table. Patterson pointed a .22 caliber pistol at it, while Evelyn Cayton loaded a .22 caliber rifle. The creature stood outside the window for close to ten minutes. They all could clearly see the creature because of the back-porch light. They decided they would not shoot at it unless the creature made any advances toward them. The biped suddenly left without harming anyone. 

"It doesn't seem to want to bother anyone", said Mary Ackerman. "It was just curious. We all felt that it wanted to be friends." 

Deputy Sheriff James Shannon arrived about 15 minutes after the call was made and about five minutes after the creature left the scene. A strong stench was still lingering in the area when Deputy Shannon began to interview the witnesses. Shannon later told reporters that it smelled like "ammonia-sulphur." Extra deputies were brought in and they searched the entire area on horseback and in jeeps. (The land behind the Caytons' was an old abandoned strip mine and beyond that were dense woods going up a gradual hill.) Unusual, but unsubstantiated footprints were discovered. 

Then on August 22nd Mrs. Mary Ackerman of Minerva drove to the Cayton residence to pick up her daughter and a friend. (Mrs. Ackerman is Evelyn Cayton's daughter.) As she turned into the driveway, she saw the same creature standing on top of the hill next to the strip mine. She watched it until it walked out of her view. 

August 23rd: The creature appeared again at the Cayton residence. Howe Cayton was not sure if it was the same thing. He fired a gunshot into the air and the figure departed.
On September 8th During the late daylight hours, Mrs. Ackerman observed two ape-like animals across the strip mine. She stated that she thought the creatures were standing in a tree but was not sure because of the distance. Again, she watched them for a while, until they were no longer visible in the thick weeds. 

On September 9th Jim Rastetter interviewed Henry Colt who lives about five miles east of Minerva on U.S. 30. He told Jim that he was walking through some woods by his house when he caught a glimpse of an unknown furry animal. Mr. Colt said that the animal was squatting next to a tree and let out a sound similar to a loud cough. 

   Schaffner had investigated other reports of large ape-like creatures in Ohio. In May of 1977 in an area west of Dayton Ohio two 13-year-old boys were walking a dog when they first encountered an awful stink like rotten eggs. They then turned and encountered a 9-foot-tall creature with long arms that hung close to the ground. The boys and the dog ran with the creature chasing them to a soybean field near the home of one of the boys. Luckily, the creature had vanished.

   The Preble County Sheriff’s Office was contacted, and two deputies responded. Nothing was discovered. Later a farmer contacted another researcher who passed the information on to Schaffner that large footprints had been discovered. The farmer’s property was about a half a mile from the earlier encounter. The tracks measured 14 inches long by 7 inches wide with the distance between tracks about 6 ½ feet.

   Another major sighting that went on to become known as the Kenmore Grassman took place in 1988 and was investigated in 1995. Kenmore is a community located in the city of Akron Ohio in the northeast part of the state. Investigators Terry Endres, Joedy Cook, and George Clappison investigated the case.

Joedy Cook and his Grassman model with
me at right during the 2009 Ohio
Paranormal Convention.

   George Clappison interviewed Dale Atkins and his son Tim, the names are pseudonyms to protect their real names, at their current home in Fairlawn Ohio. Dale described growing up experiencing grassman on a number of occasions from hearing it crashing through the woods and swamps to observing tracks- three-toed tracks.

   Tim had also observed the creature while camping and fishing in the area. In 1988 Tim had rocks thrown at him from what he said was about a hundred yards away and the rocks dropped straight down when they hit and did not roll away. Tim went back home and got his father and they both observed a seven-foot-tall creature weighing an estimated 300 pounds. They were able to get about 30 yards away from it.

   The two described other incidents like this one that were very similar, and they considered the creature very intelligent and they thought it also had the ability to communicate with mental telepathy although that aspect is not explained in detail in the report.

   The team went to the original area in the earlier reports and were able to find areas in the woods where it looked like something big had gone through digging up roots and eating berries from the tops of bushes. They were also able to find and cast three-toed tracks.
There are dozens of other cases between these time frames conducted by these and other independent researchers as well as collected by larger organizations like the Bigfoot Field Researcher’s Organization.

   So, back to some of the original questions I asked; what makes the grassman the grassman and not a Bigfoot? Why are there two names for these creatures that seem to be the same thing? The answer is multi-faceted as part of it has to do with the location. I mean, who doesn’t want their own monster named after their own town or area? The Minerva case of 1978 is considered to be the biggest modern-day sighting of the grassman, yet the story behind it is referred to as the Minerva Monster.

   Another creature nicknamed the Cedar Bog Monster is named after an area south of Urbana Ohio. The entire region west of the Columbus area is rich with reports from the 1940s to today including the largest concentration of cases in the 1970s when the whole United States was Bigfoot crazy.

   British Columbia researcher Christopher L. Murphy, who co-authored the book Bigfoot Encounters in Ohio: Quest for the Grassman in 2006 notes that the difference between Grassman and Bigfoot are not in the creature’s description but in its habits. The height, weight, color, and footprints are all in line with traditional Bigfoot sightings elsewhere in the United States.

   There are a few interesting things to note on this as there have been many cases of three-toed prints. Three-toed prints are not solely a Grassman trait and does not define the Grassman as there have been five-toed prints discovered in similar cases. Momo, the Missouri Monster that terrorized residents in the city of Louisiana Missouri in the northeast part of the state along the Mississippi River back in 1972 was discovered to have three-toes, smelled like a skink and was also seen carrying a dead dog under its arm; which are all traits of the Grassman.

   Another famous creature that appeared off and on from 1971 to 1974 in the neighboring state of Arkansas was described as seven-feet tall, smelling like skunk and rotting flesh and left three-toed tracks. This creature was named the Fouke Monster that went on to have a movie made after it called the Legend of Boggy Creek that came out in 1972. Fouke is over 550 miles away from where Momo was seen so this is more than likely not the same creature.

   The Honey Island Swamp Monster was reported from 1963 through 1974 in Louisiana. This bipedal creature was also described as seven-feet tall, smelling of skunk and rotting flesh, and left behind three-toed footprints. Three-toed Bigfoot-like creatures have also been described in Iowa in 1978 and Minnesota in 1989.

   Some hypothesize that the largest mammal with three toes, the giant ground sloth known as the Megatherium could be behind these sightings. It is believed that the Mapinguari, a Bigfoot-like creature of Brazil could be a megatherium even though they are thought to have been extinct for over 11,000 years.

   Another hypothesis is that the three-toes might be caused from the inbreeding of Bigfoot creatures. Christopher Murphy outlined some general descriptions that define the Grassman that included; the creature cries like a baby but screams like a woman, also growls or barks, is known to kill dogs, is often seen in corn fields, has a strong odor like rotten eggs, have been seen in small groups with up to five individuals, and is often related to strange deer kills with the liver missing.

   The Ohio Grassman is different than most Bigfoot sightings in Ohio but many of these habits and features overlap other cases in Ohio and elsewhere. Many stories might be hoaxes, stories that are elaborate pranks that might include physical evidence such as tracks, nesting sites, or tree structures. Other cases might be fraud, the case was made up or based on something other than what was described being seen. The individual might want attention or just to add to the growing database of sightings. The most common type of explainable case is misinterpretation. Many sightings might be tree stumps, bears, deer, or just hearing sounds such as fox or owls and allowing the mind to fill in the blanks.

   Are there genuine Bigfoot and Grassman sightings out there? Possibly, but until hard evidence can satisfy a skeptical scientific community these stories will be nothing more than stories, urban legends, and fodder for newspapers. On May 31st of 2019 Frank Trussell of Minerva Ohio was driving his Dodge truck when he was turning left from Lunar Road to Spring Road. After making the turn Trussell’s truck went left of center and off the left side of the road taking out a fence post and part of the fence. He told deputies he swerved to avoid a large Yeti standing in the roadway. Do we believe Trussell or do we just laugh it off? The area is in rural country surrounded by farms. He was cited for operating a vehicle without reasonable control and a Yeti was nowhere to be found nor did anyone look for it.

   The latest sighting of a large bipedal creature took place this year at the Salt Fork State Park which is a known hot spot for Bigfoot sightings and is home to a few Bigfoot related conferences every year and even has a primitive campsite named Bigfoot Ridge. The stories continue to pile up but we are still far from many of the answers we seek and the proof that will bring this creature to reality.


References:

• https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/in-search-of-monsters/articles/the-8-best-places-to-see-bigfoot-right-now
• https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/phillylists/240566751.html
• https://exemplore.com/cryptids/Bigfoot-Sightings-Ohio-Grassman
• http://blakemathys.com/cc5.pdf  (1869 encounter)
• http://web.archive.org/web/20050205001108/http://users1.ee.net/pmason/unusual.html (Ron Schaffner’s notes on the Minerva Monster case)
• http://web.archive.org/web/20050204091213/http://users1.ee.net/pmason/grassman.html (George Clappison’s Kenmore Grassman case)
• http://www.bigfootencounters.com/creatures/grassman.htm (Differences from Bigfoot and Grassman by Christopher L. Murphy)
• https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/07/the-mystery-of-the-three-toed-bigfoot/  (Three-toed Bigfoot sightings)
• http://www.cryptozoonews.com/minerva2019/ (Minerva Monster 2019?)
• https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20200210/men-claim-video-shows-bigfoot-like-creature-in-ohios-salt-fork-state-park (2020 sighting at Salt Fork State Park)

Let the "silly season" begin!

When I first started out in the paranormal back in 1996 there were very few people that I was friends with that I told I investigated ghosts. Many in my family had no idea I was into such a thing and I even hid this interest from a girlfriend as much as possible back then as well. Over the years the paranormal has become mainstream and those of us that make our rounds at paranormal conventions or libraries have become in demand. Those strange paranormal people have now become "rock stars" and everyone wants to know about what we do. While many of us do this all year round October seems to be the popular time of year when libraries and other mainstream sources want to hear what we do since it coexists with the time of the year with Halloween.

For the first time since I began speaking yearly at public events I will only talk about cryptids this year. My first stop for the "fall tour" will be at the Floyd E. Younkin Branch of the Pickaway County Library located in Ashville, Ohio on Sunday, September 30th from 2-4 PM. I had done a similar event at the main branch earlier in the year but have customized this presentation just for this appearance as I normally try to do. The focus here will be the basics of cryptozoology as the well as the most popular creatures and will then focus on Ohio based cryptids.

My second stop will be the following weekend, October 5-6, 2018, at the Un-Con XII (Unconventional) in Piqua, Ohio, discussing cryptozoology as part of the theme of "Alien Freak Show". This event is part "comic-con" but also just for those geeks and nerds that like to hang out with others with like interests. This will be a first for me to attend an event like this and I will focus on connection of cryptozoology and UFOs to sync with the theme of the event.

My third stop of the fall will be on October 13, 2018 at the Albatwitch Day in Columbia, Pennsylvania. I have always wanted to attend this event and am very excited to be able to speak here along with friend Rick Fisher and fellow researcher Tim Renner. The event centers on the Albatwitch which is described as a 4 foot tall hairy bipedal creature that seems to enjoy apples with Chickies Rock seemingly the center of their historical sightings.

Westerville Public Libarry in Westerville, Ohio

My fall tour will then wrap up at a library located in Westerville, Ohio, which is just northeast of Columbus and will take place on October 30. This year, 2018, will mark the tenth consecutive year that I have appeared at the Westerville Public Library and I am deeply honored to make this appearance. The Westerville Public Library is the only library I am aware of that has my books in it. This year I will present a look at Ohio based cryptids instead of my typical ghost presentations I have done in the past. My theme is "Ohio cryptids and strange creatures" and will be the second time I have talked cryptids at this library with the last coming in May of 2016, but this will be a new presentation.

After that I will be looking forward to 2019 where I am already booked at a few events in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, with the biggest one I am looking forward to taking place in Farmington, Pennsylvania being the 3rd Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure which boasts 12 speakers and a number of special guests including the Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings, AIMS, or in other words the guys from the Mountain Monsters television show, making their second straight appearance. Bill Brock, host of the television show “Monsters Underground", Dr. Jeff Meldrum will be on hand as will Cliff Barackman of Finding Bigfoot.

Conference season in full swing!

My table at the Butler Paranormal Convention

I have been a part of paranormal conferences and conventions for years, but have made little effort trying to get into many of them in the last few years. This year, however, I was very fortunate to have been a speaker at the Butler Paranormal Convention in Butler, Pennsylvania as well as the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure within the past month. The Butler Paranormal Convention is in its 9th year and is presented by Brian and Terri Seech of the Center for Unexplained Events. The event took place back on April 16, 2016.

Fred Saluga receives a Lifetime Achievement award during the
Butler Paranormal Conference from Terrie Seech of BORU.

The event had Stan Gordon, Brett McGinnis, Ronald Murphy (Dogman), Thomas White (haunted roads of Western PA), as well as the host of the Paranormal News Insider Brian D. Parsons (balanced look at cryptozoology). Karyn Dolan was scheduled to speak, but she was unavailable due to sickness and Thomas White stepped in and did a fantastic job. This event is always well attended and beyond the speakers there were numerous paranormal and cryptid groups represented many years of investigation and research. This event is definitely one you don't want to miss in the future if you enjoy learning from very seasoned investigators/researchers while just mingling at the tables.

My tent (left) and the pavilion.

The Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure (May 6-8, 2016) was an idea created by Eric Altman. Eric is an excellent researcher and investigator of Bigfoot phenomenon who has branched out into other areas and is also the long time host of the Beyond the Edge radio show. His idea was to bring people together in a campground to hear speakers, experience workshops, and then take part in various expeditions being lead by experienced researchers. While it seems simple it has never been done on the east coast nor anywhere else that I am aware of. The event took place at Benner's Meadow Run Campgrounds in Farmington, Pennsylvania. This area is near Chestnut Ridge which is synonymous with Bigfoot and UFO sightings over the course of decades.

The event was wet from rain during Friday, but a night hike turned into an interesting sighting by researcher and speaker Steve Kulls the "Squatch Detective" as he got an interesting find on his thermal camera (his team later determined it to be a bear). I stayed at the camp ground to take a group out that included a few kids. I let them do "howls" and "woops", answered their questions as well as

During my presentation
Photo by Kenny Biddle

gave them some advice on tracking and other things.

The event on Saturday was held under a warm sun that helped curbed the cold morning and wet grounds. After an introduction to the program I was the first speaker doing a variation of my "Balanced Look at Cryptozoology" program. Steve Kulls was up next with a very deep look at Bigfoot with quite a bit of science and a level head. Also up was Dave Dragosin and then Stan Gordon. The speaker's lineup was mysteriously perfect, there was my presentation that discussed what cryptozoology was about with the others filling in the gaps and Stan Gordon finishing it off with his never ending research of cases that were peppered all around the area we were in. The event also had workshops that discussed some necessary tenets of field work. Of course the big hit of the weekend was having "Trapper" John R. Tice from the television show "Mountain Monsters". Tice was a HUGE draw for the kids and while I'm not a fan of the show John is a very down to Earth guy and really brought a nice dynamic to the event.

"Trapper" John R. Tice talks with fans during the event. He was
next to the booth of Steve Kulls who was next to me and to my
right was Stan Gordon.

Saturday night we headed out again for another expedition. There was still a large group heading out to a location near state game lands as well as a group staying behind at the camp grounds. The group at the camp grounds turned out to be a lot larger than we had anticipated, but we did the best we could leading them out on a trail that was just too small to support the 60 plus people that wanted to be involved. We hung out until around 11 PM when a storm began rolling in. It was a fantastic time and despite the muddy conditions I heard nothing but positive raves about the weekend. The event also had singer Walter Shrum who's song "Searching for Bigfoot" (watch highlight video below) had everyone singing the words "Bigfoot, Sasquatch, back in the woods, Bigfoot, Yeti, in your neighborhood!" It was also great to meet a lot of new people, those I only knew through social media, those I don't normally get to see or have not seen in a while. It was great catching up with Butch Witkowski as well as meeting ParaNexus member Anthony Holmes, meeting Kenny Biddle and hanging out with Jay Bachochin (who drove all the way from Wisconsin to attend) on Sunday afternoon just prior to leaving and of course the many other people I forgot to mention.

For me, I had one more event which I just concluded Thursday night at the Westerville Public Library just northeast of Columbus, Ohio. I did yet another variation of my "Balanced Look at Cryptozoology" program with the subtitle "Rumor or Reality" which explored legends in Ohio in addition to the basics program. This marks my eighth consecutive year at the library and I will return again in the fall for a ghost program.

Check out this awesome YouTube video created by Jay Bachocin from Chum Bucket Studios about the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure (and check out Walter Shrum's music!).

Second Edition for "Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist"

My fifth book, "Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist", was published in February of 2014. Since then, the book has been recognized in the July/August 2014 edition of "Skeptical Inquirer Magazine" in the New and Notable Section as a positive book review. At the end of the year it was again recognized as one of the The Best Cryptozoology Books of 2014 by renown cryptozoologist Loren Coleman. He labeled the book as "The Best Guidebook for The Cryptozoologist-In-Training of 2014." It was a huge honor to be recognized by a living legend of the field of cryptozoology for my work. It was also a huge honor to be reviewed by a skeptical organization and given a virtual "thumbs up" for a book that offered a balanced view on a controversial subject.

After Loren Coleman contacted me for a review copy, a few weeks later he let me in on the fact that the book would make his year end list. Loren also wanted to sell this book at his International Cryptozoology Museum that is located in Portland, Maine. He was also curious to know if I was interested in including a preface to the book supplied by him. Earlier in the year I had made some revisions to the book in order for it to be included in an online school (name withheld due to not being completed at this time) and knew of a few other changes I wanted to make. I had never considered having someone write a preface, or rather a foreword by definition, for one of my books, but if I was for this book it would be no one other than Loren. So, in March of 2015 I re-released the book as a second edition. It is still only available at my personal online bookstore at Lulu Press and will be available at Amazon and other online retailers soon as the first edition is still available.

Interestingly, this book was a lot of work but I really did it for fun as it was a "diversion" of sorts away from my ghost handbooks and my work on the "E4" Method that included several on-site client investigations and months of research prior to that. This book was a lot of fun to write and I felt like it connected to me more of a person as I used my past to talk about concepts of the book. My other books were successful in their own right and I enjoyed my "tour" with the "E4" Method book that included conferences in Maryland, Virginia, and several appearances in Ohio and Pennsylvania not to mention numerous podcast interviews which was still a lot of work. Offers to review the "Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist" seemed to come to me with little effort (there are more to come) and I had never thought of this book as one that would generate as much interest as it has so far. Every project I work on I attempt to expand my knowledge or experience with something, and while this book is still "self published" I am still proud of what it provides and I feel this is my best writing and overall book to date.

The “Handbook for the Amateur Cryptozoologist” explores the history and mystery behind some of the most elusive creatures found - and some that are still hidden. The handbook provides a well-balanced look at many concepts necessary to conduct proper client-based investigations. Cryptozoology has been shadowed under the umbrella of pseudoscience due to a myriad of problems. This book takes a skeptical, yet balanced, stance to help the newcomer or seasoned veteran gain solid footing into using a more scientific approach to the field. It will also arm you with the basic abilities necessary to become a successful researcher and field investigator in the field of cryptozoology. It explores the use of technology in the field as well as the methodologies behind investigations and expeditions that go beyond the television style of thrill-seeking. This handbook will be your basic guide to becoming a responsible and rational investigator in a field wrought with hoaxes and misinterpretations.

This book is available now at my personal bookstore at Lulu Press.

Spring Research Outing with the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society

I was invited along as a guest to the spring outing of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society lead by Eric Altman. The expedition would include around 30 extra participants (free event, but we paid our own expenses) who served as observers, researchers, trackers, and witnesses during the two day search for signs of Bigfoot and puma. The core of the PBS was there to facilitate the event and make sure that we all got what we came for.

I arrived at the Keystone State Park area on Friday, May 17 at around 2 P.M. in the warm spring sun. I pulled into site #73 at the hillside campground area that was about ¼ mile from the lake. I chose this site as it was only two sites away from the site of Eric Altman which served as the main base for the weekend. I quickly set up my small 6’X6’ tent, set up my day pack, checked my recording devices one last time and grabbed a quick snack before heading over to start the excursion. We were briefed as to what to expect, what we were doing, where we were going, and introduced ourselves to the rest of the group. We were then free to explore Keystone State Park and grab dinner before heading out on the first night excursion.

Keystone State Park is a 1,200 acre park in Westmoreland County near Derry Township in southwest Pennsylvania, about 40 minutes east of Pittsburgh. The centerpiece of the park is the 78 acre manmade lake (Keystone Lake) that was built in the early 1900’s for use in the production of Coke (not the drink) which is partially burned coal used to produce steel. The land was purchased by the state of Pennsylvania in 1945, but a mine close to the property lasted until 1953. The campground I was sleeping in was resting just above a catacomb of mines that were dug underneath it from the nearby hillside where an old cave entrance was sealed off. The area itself is chocked full of Bigfoot and UFO sightings and is only 16 miles from Kecksburg where a famous potential UFO crash incident took place in 1965.

Our first part of the expedition would take us out of the park into the surrounding area just west of the Allegheny Mountains. I joined up with group of guys that drove up a mountainous area to meet up with another group along a dirt road about a mile from the closest home. The two teams decided to split up and our team headed up a dirt road to a high point in the area where we would spend the next few hours. The guys I was with had never done any type of investigation and I quickly found myself as the one that was looked up to as the “lead” of sorts. The PBS member that came with the other group decided to stay behind along the road with the other group, but we were tethered together with a walkie talkie. I set up digital recorders along the road (which was along private property, so we could only use the road) to the southwest, northeast, as well as one a hundred feet out along a hillside away from where we stationed ourselves.

A Bigfoot “hunt”, “Squatch Watch”, or whatever you want to call it, is very similar to a ghost hunt where there is a lot of sitting, waiting, and a bit of interaction with the environment. We heard plenty of owls, saw some deer, but never heard anything else that night. At around 12:30 A.M. we were asked by the other group to come back down and I retrieved my recorders, packed up my chair and the four of us made our way back to the road full of disappointment, but still excited about that we had staked out the area and would have two more chances.

One thing about camping in a tent is that you really come to realize just how early the sun comes up and how even earlier it becomes really light outside. For me, I was out in the open and I was exposed to the light. Luckily, I had brought a sleep mask which gave me about an extra hour and a half of rest before the birds and the campground began to make enough noise. We met at 10:30 A.M. at the main camp and were given our direction to conduct hikes in various areas. I joined a different group of people, including Ghost Hunter’s International’s Rosalyn Bown. The six of us went to the same location I had been at the night before, but drove about 1/8 of a mile west and hiked down the opposite side of the road. We saw plenty of scat, more than likely from coyote, but nothing else out of the ordinary. It turned out to be a two mile hike through the woods culminating with another mile walking up the dirt road in a tiring finish; literally walking up the dirt road toward the top of the hill the entire way. We stopped at a small local bar on the way back to the campground, but not being a big drinker as well as knowing I was probably already dehydrated from hiking all day, I sat and had water. Rosalyn and I talked some shop and sipped our waters; it was a great end to the first part of Saturday.

Saturday night brought on an interesting excursion; Eric had all 30 plus attendees in addition to his team going to the same location. We drove in a convoy for the majority of the way before stopping along a dirt road. The road back to the investigation site was rocky and flooded in many spots. The only way in was either to hike or bus us in via 4X4s. We chose the latter and took two pickup trucks back about a half mile and then walked back another ¼ mile to a central meeting point. One group would stay at that spot while other groups would fan out to general areas in specific directions. I went with a guy named Joe who had not worked with PBS in a while, but certainly knew his stuff. We walked back about another ½ mile or so and set up our own minicamp with our chairs.

I decided to continue to hike down one of the paths to see what was south of us. The sun was set and it was beginning to get dark out, but I had yet to bust out any of my flashlights. As had been the habit I scanned the ground as I walked while glancing into the surrounding area for movement. My eye noticed a dark patch of dirt surrounded by old leaves which I scanned for tracks but found none. A few feet further I noticed another smaller spot of dirt that resembled the shape of a foot. I laughed to myself for thinking it was a footprint, but I as I knelt down and felt around I noticed a slight heel impression as well as potential toes. I was a little excited, but I fought to control any excitement as I figured it was merely Pareidolia or wishful thinking. I rushed back to the site to get Joe and the group to come down and take a look. We searched for prints ahead of and behind it, but found none. He was optimistic that it could have been a track, but was obviously old. We both concluded that it was inconclusive, but it was still a thrilling moment to find something that just might have been.

As the night settled in each group took turns call blasting. Joe demonstrated the various yells and whoops he used and we listened for responses. Other groups used recorded baby sounds, wood knocking as well as various calls. At one point we heard a quick succession of knocks from behind us just as Joe gave off a whoop. We all knew it was not a woodpecker and another group had heard it as well. It was again inconclusive evidence, but again it was an exciting moment. Overall I was impressed with how the groups communicated with each other and how the weekend was run. While it was just a random search for Bigfoot and big cat evidence we all had a fantastic time. Even though cryptozoology offers tangible evidence I realize just how elusive physical evidence can be as nature has a way of hiding its secrets. The Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society will conduct a fall expedition October 4-6, 2013 in a location to be determined.