"My encounter happened in July of 1996 in the Trinity Mountains of northern California. My roommates and I are up for summer break from Humboldt State University and we decided to go backpacking for the weekend as we often do. We originally planned to visit the Ruth Lake trailhead but it was raining hard and our group decided to ask the rangers at the forest station where there was a good place to hike.

My roommates from the Los Angeles area decided to be smart asses to the ranger at which I was mortified as my dad spent many summers as a park ranger in Crater Lake, Oregon, and Mount Rainier, Washington I remember the ranger taking offense and I saw a gleam in his eyes when he pointed out 'a nice hike for you all.' He sent us to a trailhead in the Trinity Alps I only recalled this after the encounter, racking my brain to try and figure out how we ended up in such a surreal situation.

We hiked about five miles up Steed Canyon and found a flat piece of real estate next to the raging creek. There were some nice granite slabs that we hung out on and bathed from that afternoon, careful not to get swept away by the swollen creek.

At around 10 that night we were sitting around a pre-existing campfire on some logs that have been arranged around it in a square. We had all heard voices of what we thought were some people approaching our camp from above. We got ready to greet other backpackers but realized that they were coming from the top of the mountain down a very steep slope, not the trail that followed the creek of the canyon. Their voices were deep and sounded like the Samurai chatter as I've heard it described in other accounts. I couldn't understand it of course, but the tone was unmistakable. Basically, "Someone is in our territory and we're not happy about it!"

I directed my crappy flashlight after silhouettes as they skirted our campsite and caught a pair of eyes locked on me. They were whitish-yellow, large, and far apart. My reaction was one of disbelief and the basic mindset that I seem to adopt for the rest of the encounter, which I now suppose to be a survival instinct that helped me keep my sanity, is 'Now this isn't really happening to me.' I kept telling myself this over and over throughout the encounter.

I swung my flashlight off the spot and then when I came back to it the eyes were gone. Just then the stomping and hooting began, slow at first and then building to a crescendo. The ground shook with every stomp. We all shared looks of shock and disbelief and at that moment I experienced the worst fear of my life. I resigned myself to the fact that I would probably die soon. When The stomping and hooting finally stopped. I assumed the voice to be the male as it was deep and commanding. It barked some orders and I thought they were now about to attack. Below us were the higher pitch sounds of the females who responded to the orders.

A few moments later we heard huge splashes in the creek from upstream. Either they were throwing huge boulders into the creek or jumping into it. Their voices were excited now, like a party or celebration. Then it went silent maybe a minute or two later. We then heard the siren-like scream from the top of the canyon. I could feel it reverberate in my chest. I've had people try to convince me that these were just some people playing a prank on us. I always respond that there was no way a human can hike up that mountain that fast in pitch blackness. I also don't think anyone can scream that loud, even with amplification. Whatever made that noise was massive. It sounded like the cross between a lion and Tarzan, and it seemed to be proclaiming its dominance over the region. I was just relieved that I was still alive and that they had moved farther away.

After a while, I lay down in my tent. I heard something walking outside and pulled my sleeping bag from my ears. My tent mate asked if I'd heard anything, but I was still in the 'this can't be happening' mode, so I replied 'Nope.' 

Just then the campfire went dark with the silhouette of the creature. I literally choked on my scream, petrified to make any noise. I could only watch the shadow as I was completely paralyzed. I remember its fingers groping the seam of the zipper and its breath pushing the tent fabric in and out. I can think, but my body couldn't move. I thought I should grab my camera but was paralyzed with fear. I also remember getting the sensation that the creature knew I was aware of it and scared to death. I must have passed out from fear.

I don't remember anything after that until I woke up at daybreak. I searched the area with a very new perspective that morning and found a hair that I've since misplaced. I also noticed the trail had deep impressions, but no clear tracks. Other than that there was no trace of our encounter that night.

I've never been shy about telling my story. I will always recount the episode when requested even in potentially skeptical audiences. I've never really worried about what people thought of my account. I know what I encountered even if I didn't get a good look at the creatures. I've endured some ridicule but I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe and all who challenge me go away assured that I'm speaking the truth. They may not believe it but they all tell me they believe that what happened to me actually occurred."

Transcribed Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLf8AjRKdG4

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