Terror at Lake Tahoe

There are few things as peaceful as sleeping in the outdoors. The fresh air, the beautiful surroundings and a sort of instinctual longing for the wilderness, can make a camping trip a truly recharging experience. As I sit here writing this, it is my birthday and snow is falling here in Southern Pennsylvania. This story was submitted to me by a close, personal friend. He is a former marine (Thank you for your service brother.), a current law enforcement officer and one of the most honest and stand-up people I know.  For Your consideration…D.Boyer’s Story:

“I had just recently began the process to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, and knew as a single father that this was the best way to care for my Heavenly sent daughter. I was working as a Hotel Engineer in the, at the time, small town of Folsom. Yes, the same Folsom California of the famous Folsom State Penitentiary made well known by Jonny Cash. The Folsom Lake Hotel was tucked between the American River, the historic Folsom Sutter Street (the original Wild West Town of Folsom), and the Folsom State Penitentiary. Here at the hotel I made one of my closest friends who we will call Tony. Tony was a Navy Veteran who served aboard the USS Kearsarge in the mid ’90s as a Shipboard Fireman. Our dry humor and military obsessions really helped us kickoff a strong friendship. One day at work we had somehow got on the subject of camping and how great it would be to just take an entire week to disappear from the stresses and people of the world. To take some bare necessities in a pack and slip into some possible untouched territory of Northern California. That very next weekend guess who was out at the local outdoors outlet and a nearby Army Navy Surplus…both of us. We purchased strong rucksacks, MREs, compasses, combat knives, 782 gear (a military duty belt with shoulder load bearing suspension), canteens, water purification tablets, some canned goods, and energy bars. We felt confident that we could tackle any situation Mother Nature could toss our way. Tony and I both agreed that there was no chance we were going to trek into the wilderness without our trusty sidearms. Tony carried a Smith & Wesson .40cal and I carried a Heckler & Koch .40cal. We would stay sharp by going to an Indoor Shooting Range once if not twice a month, which we found was an additional means to stress relief. Recently in the towns and cities of the greater Sacramento area, there had been a string of Mountain Lion attacks and sightings. A couple of attacks ended fatally to a Mountain Biker and a morning jogger.

It was mid to late July and the weather was nothing but sunshine in California and we had decided on a clear destination that I had been to years before with my father, sister and brother called the Rubicon Trail. When I had been there with my family we had hiked the trail itself and watched lifted Jeeps and Rock Climber Vehicles traverse the treacherous terrain of boulders and natural obstacles that made their vehicles flex and twist. This portion of the Rubicon Trail was the final leg of the 3 mile stretch of its entirety. Only the best fit vehicles would ever make it to this point. While exploring with my family we had found a dried creek bed that led deep into lush forest and deep hidden valleys of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This is where we were heading. We did some research and confirmed that we could beat the Off Road rush of the annual Jeepers Jamboree by several days and planned this just in case something bad would occur; we would know that within days some kind of human interaction could be within proximity to where we were heading. We had packed our gear and checked everything twice as the rush of excitement coursed through our veins.

We both had made arrangements with work to take paid vacation beginning on a Tuesday so we could utilize a weekend to extend our venture to 6 days. Tony and I headed out at 0600 which placed us at the base of the Rubicon Trail by at least 0700. The trail began near a smaller lake just west of the “Big Blue” Lake Tahoe, it is called Loon Lake. It is believed that beneath the deep blue waters of Loon Lake are underwater caverns that tunnel to Lake Tahoe; a mountain ridge separates the two bodies of water and would place you at Rubicon Bay of Lake Tahoe or not too far from the Famous Emerald Bay of Lake Tahoe. The mountain ridge is home to Devil’s Peak, Guide Peak, and Lost Corner Mountain which are each surrounded by shear rock faces, dense granite rock, and thick green pines. The air is crisp and scented with its surrounding forest foliage of pine needles and wild flowers and the breeze sweeps through as if riding the peaks and valleys of the land; simply put it is one of earths paradises.

We reached the trail base and parked his vehicle at a cut out dirt lot which was usually used as a platform for a helicopter lift for supplies, tools, and replacement parts during the Off-Road Events. They would airlift loaded pallets to a halfway point on the trail where a camping area had been established where the off-roaders would rally to celebrate their success and rest if needed. We strapped up our packs, loaded our pistols, locked up Tony’s vehicle, and started down the Rubicon Trail. Tony had even wrote on a piece of paper the date and time we arrived, our names, and an expected date of return in case Park Rangers or a situation of emergency needs occurred and left it on the dash of his vehicle. Coming into the area of the Lake we had not seen one vehicle or person so we knew from the get go that we would be on our own and this is exactly what we wanted. We marched down the trail climbing over large rock boulders and uneven trail cuts for most of the morning and rounded a good portion of the lake when we decided to begin looking for an ideal place to call Base Camp. We had moved off the actual Off-Road Trail for quite sometime and found that several creek beds had run dry and in order to maintain a solid water source we would have to trek back a ways toward the lake. We cut across the forest interior and had run face to face with a large number of Doe (Deer) who strangely were all gathered together, in an opening of the forest, up against a large rock face. As we approached they only lifted their heads to see who we were and then continued to graze on the grass and weeds. There was easily 8 to 10 of them all so close together and it felt as if they were already use to having humans near because they didn’t even flinch to our entrance. We moved slower as we gained closer to gaze at them and reached about 10 feet to them before they lifted their heads again at us. Tony thought it was extremely odd that they acted in this manner. We felt that we were more uncomfortable than they were and we began backing away to get around them. We continued towards the lake and finally broke into an opening where a finger of the lake stretched to the forest line. In the middle of this was a sizable rock that reached a good 8ft out of the water, which would make a great jumping platform. On the right along the waters edge was a single tree which gave decent shade and nice leveled ground only 20 feet from the water. On the opposite side of the water was a higher rock ledge that cut away into the foot of the mountain ridge. We were still a good distance from the trails but if we had visitors we would be able to hear them by the acoustics of all the rock walls. It was so relaxing on how quiet and natural the atmosphere was; it was just us, the animals and the plant life.

We decided hands down that the single tree and the area around it was going to be our home for the next 6 days so we began with positioning the space for our tent and a clearing for a campfire. There was no shortage of stone to use to surround our campfire. We setup our place and had lunch and we decided to explore up to the foot of the mountain ridge which gave us an astounding view of the lake and outlining areas. We reached close to half way around the lake in the days total time and returned to base camp before dark. As the sun set we finished an MRE dinner to replenish our burned calorie count and awaited the darkness. When your out and away from all civilization there tends to be no light at all when the sun sets. This within itself gave us the most astonishing star spectacle you could ever imagine. It was something you would find in the movies. Both Tony and I had stowed fold-able tripod seats and stared into the vast space above us for hours. It was truly amazing to see just how much you don’t see in the sky due to the ambient lights of neighborhoods, cities, or even vehicle traffic. We saw countless shooting stars, satellites, and other questionable lights, but that is a whole other story. That night we settle in well and I know that I slept like a log after a full day of hiking and exploring. The following morning we got up a little before 0700 and began our breakfast routine which consisted of strong coffee, cigarettes, and a chilly hygiene bird bath provided by the lake. I packed 4 chicken eggs in a hardened plastic carrier that I had purchased during our shopping at the outdoors store. So we had fried eggs and canned corn beef hash topped with MRE Tabasco sauce for our day starter. We straightened out camp and began going over where we would like to hike out to today. We decided to see what we could find while heading West or Northwest of base camp. The terrain showed mild forest and what looked like a break from forest that opened into a vast plain of granite slabs into a deep valley. We packed the gear for a day trip, refilled and purified the water for our canteens, and completed a weapons check. And on we went…

We weaved our way through the untouched forest and was amazed at the amount of animals that call this earthly treasure home; from large Jack Rabbit, Deer, Bald Eagles, and Hawks, to Vulture, Chipmunks, Squirrel, and signs of bear, Mountain Cats, countless smaller birds colonies, and snake. Nature was exposing the unseen wild before us and proved that we were the guests in this land. Both Tony and I made extra sure that we did our absolute best at not leaving too much of our human footprint in our visit. But as we gained farther and farther into the virgin forest Tony and I began taking notice to little oddities within the forest. You can usually tell differences in particular game (animal) trails and usually find prints in the soft or moist ground however some game trails seemed to be used by something much larger and much wider than any animal we have observed. We also began finding stacks of younger trees around 6 to 8 inches in width leaning together in groups; much like you would imagine an Indian Tee-Pee to be formed. Many of these Tee-Pee structures would almost seem to be place strategically as to sit near the foot of a rock cliff to block out wind or be positioned in such a way to oversee an opening to a valley or creek bed. We also couldn’t explain some of these sized trees to be snapped over randomly and leaned in such a manner to make a right angle. What baffled us the most was that neighboring trees to these snapped trees, even some that were of similar size or less thick, where still standing and showed no signs of damage ruling out a possible snow slide during the winter months. It was just puzzling to us but we continued to press farther and soon forgot about it all together as we came to a large opening of sloped granite slabs bending downward into a steep valley cut. On the opposite side of this field of rock was a natural waterfall gushing from higher elevation. It must have been melted snow from the peaks rushing down the upper rock cliff face making what looked like an Art Gallery picture come to life as the water fell freely almost in slow motion. It was definitely a sight to see and one that you just will always remember. Tony and I decided to attempt to make it to the bottom of that waterfall and make it our resting point for lunch.

After we ate lunch and took some relaxation time near this amazing natural scene we prepared to begin a returning march mostly because the majority of our hike back was going to be at an upward grade which would give the both of us some good leg muscle burn. We marked a heading with our compasses and moved out. The afternoon sun against the solid rock slabs made the temperature feel like an oven and you could feel the waves of heat rush against your face. Needless to say it was refreshing when we made back into the tree line. We made it back to our Base Camp in good time and chose to refresh ourselves with a swim into the lake. This water was so clear and so pure that you could see fish swimming meters below you and could see where the sun could no longer reach it’s rays of light. I gives you a slight anxiety in the wondering mind of what could be in the depths. The ice water made your heart jump and your body would feel almost shocked each time you would jump in below it’s surface but as you got out you would feel the warm rush of the sun’s heat preparing you for another Icy Hot leap. We then spent the rest of our day simply relaxing along the lake at camp talking about past experiences and of the hike we conducted earlier. And soon enough the sun began to set behind the massive mountain in the distance. That night we spent near the campfire talking about work and other places we should plan to hike in order to disappear from the grid in the near future. We couldn’t help but become drawn again to the twinkling lights scattered across the sky as the darkness engulfed the entire setting. We talked and stayed up a bit longer than the last night and decided to completely open the top of Tony’s 4 man tent which gave us a tinted view of the skies above, nature’s nightlight.

I have always been somewhat of a light sleeper and this was simply due to a personal paranoia I had since my youth but found it very useful during times when danger may be amidst. I was abruptly awoken and felt alert from the inside, like a gut feeling telling me that something is just not right. I laid still and was staring directly up to the stars above through the tent’s top. I did not flinch nor adjust but rather quietly absorbed the surrounding of the tent. I felt, what could be explained best as, a deep bass type thud in the ground beneath. I felt this most in my back as it was flat against the ground with only the insulation of a sleeping bag between the contact. This was not a normal thud, as it pulsed in succession. Then I heard it…. a belting scream that sounded so human but in broken tones similar to a howl of a dog, wolf, or coyote but the pitch was deep and forceful in an almost war cry; as it echoed from across the lake. Now fully alert and alarmed, I slightly turn my head in Tony’s direction and whisper softly, “Please tell me you’re awake and heard that?” … Tony replies, “Yeah I am and I am not to sure if I want to know what the F*** that is…” I return saying, “I think it is a pretty solid idea to make sure that we are locked and loaded.” But then…the situation turned increasingly alarming as something answers back to the first cry from across the lake. A separate howling scream carries similar to the first one but this screaming war cry was answering back from only across the water of our base camp. Whatever this thing is it is slightly elevated to us and is opposite to us from the watering hole we claimed. I softly whisper to Tony, “Is my heart pounding the ground or I am I feeling thuds of something so large that it shakes the earth?” he answers, “It was in our camp and I woke up to hearing it breathing outside of the tent. I was too nervous to move or make a sound because I thought it was a bear but I know for a fact that bears don’t yell back and forth to communicate let alone sound anything like that.” and again from across the lake another long deep human like scream and then within a minutes time, the thing closes to us answers back but it has moved back and closer to us. It is now at the waters bank where the lake reaches toward the forest tree line right here at our watering hole. This animal, creature, or mystery has placed itself between us and the only escape route we have other than swimming into the lake. Another screaming howl stretches across the lake water and again our nearest threat answers back and has seemed to be closing in on us. I reach to my holster and duty belt to draw my pistol in the case that this thing closes the distance to our tent. I am running scenarios in my head as to “what would I do if…” and every solution is coming back to still being caught up within the tent unless we can unzip the one and only entrance and exit to our thin layered coverage of water repelling fabric; not to mention that Tony and I are still in the confinement of our individual insulated sleeping coffins (sleeping bags). Tony and I must have been reading each others mind because we almost simultaneously begin to unzip our sleeping bag zippers with the lightest ease trying our absolute best not to make any noise. Our hearts are pounding through our chest and the anxiety of not knowing exactly where this mountainous beast is, is causing every human sense to heighten to levels of panic. The creature across the lake howls again to our side of the water and we pause to wait for a reply from our closest intruder. It felt like forever as Tony and I had sat upright awaiting the screaming answer back…and then it happened. It had shifted back towards the opposite side of our watering hole but it was still closer to the forest line than the waters edge. Tony and I let out a quiet sigh of relief that it had not made its way back into our camp. Tony and I slipped out of the remainder of our sleeping bags and stayed crouched with pistols in hand. We continued to listen in amazement as these two things yelled back and forth at one another as if the creature across the lake was calling to the other and guiding it to the other side. We figured this because the one on the other side of the lake stayed static to one area and seemed to only shift slightly in location. As for the closest one to us, who came through our actual camp, we tracked through its responding cries/screams all the way to the opposite side. When we confirmed that it had rounded the farthest northeastern point of the lake we slowly and cautiously exited the tent. We maintained a low profile and tried are hardest to see if we could make out any shadow or silhouettes on the lake’s banks. Needless to say, Tony and I did not sleep. The communication continued up until the sunrise and completely ceased as the sun broke the horizon. It had appeared that both of the creatures did finally connect across the lake and I say this because the calls, a half hour before it all stopped, became somewhat different in tone and became shorter in the length as they went back and forth.

Tony and I sat there in a state of shock to believe all that we just encountered. As the sun broke the mountain tops we broke our silence to attempt to logically piece this altogether. We knew for a fact that whatever was creating these sounds was not any known animal that we have ever learned about or had ever experienced, even to include any exotic animals from a zoo. The sound was too human like and carried farther and stronger than we could ever yell. We were seriously dumbfounded to any explanation. We sat their around the campfire drinking coffee and catching ourselves staring across the lake waiting for another scream or possible movement along the banks. We never saw anything. We did gather ourselves and decide to see if we could find the path of the creature and search for any possible clues as to what it was. We made a day pack of anything we may need for our expedition around the lake and this included our spare magazines packed full with ammunition; and we moved out in search of answers. We began scouring the waterfront where the lake finger came closes to the forest line. The sand and clay was hardened from the constant beating from the California sun and with no one in or around the lake it was rare to see the water move out of its glass form of stillness. We still looked intently for animal tracks along the water. As we rounded the northern end of lake we came upon almost impassable terrain. This is where the lake met the base of the mountain range and it was made of boulder after boulder or parts of the mountain rock that peeled off of the the mountain and slid to a resting point among the other boulders before the water. We weaved back and forth within a maze of rock crevasses, plant life and solid rock for the remaining morning and early afternoon. We agreed that this task would have not been doable in the darkness of the night, it would be absolutely impossible. By mid afternoon we neared the northeastern end of the lake only after strategic climbing and balancing on the sharp grades and naturally cut rock.

We took our last leap on to the more solid ground of the opposite side of the lake. It was like an oasis of open forest with cool breezes flowing from the pine trees. The forest had much more vegetation than our side and the trees where spaced much more than the coverage on our side. It was serene and calming in a sense and we could truly see why the creature would want to be on this side. However there was something we immediately notice as we touched down on the opposite side…it was so so quiet. We didn’t hear the chatter of any birds or even the sound of bug life like the random cricket sounds within the wild; it was very eerily quiet. Tony and I took in the scene and again began to look for any signs of animals or signs of human interaction on this side of the lake. We walked the edge of the water to see if we could locate possible animal tracks but came up empty handed so we turned to penetrate the open forest. It was much easier to see through this scattered tree setting as it wasn’t nearly as dense. At this point Tony and I really don’t know what to look for anymore so it turns into a simple plan of exploring the uncharted territory. We had entered approximately 300 yards into the woods when we get slapped in the face with what smelled like death. It was a thick pungent smell that I can’t even fully describe but it would be similar to the smell of the Offensive and Defensive Lineman’s undergarments of the Folsom High School Varsity Football Team in a dank locker room but amplified by 100. It was raw and nauseating and quickly caused a headache as it set into your nasal cavity. We couldn’t immediate locate where or what was causing this smell and we cautiously pressed forward. It seemed to become stronger and stronger as we crept farther inland but you couldn’t verify from which direction the aroma was originating from. And then in happened… a terrifying roar reverberated through the once silent woods. It echoed through the rock formations of the mountain and the bass tone rumbled through your chest and throat. My heart dropped and I quickly felt my blood pressure twist as my face drained pale and my eyes widened in fear. My initial instinct told me that we were about to be attacked by a bear and most likely will never be found within this desolate land; but then we saw something that would forever change our future and view of what hidden mysteries lie within the earth’s most remote locations. The shadow stood up from base of a thick tree and it seemed to collectively continue to rise higher and higher from the ground. I felt my heart begin to race in sheer panic and disbelief as if we were ambushed. It’s face was fully flexed and it’s mouth gaped as it roared in pure anger and rage. The upper torso was as wide as I was tall and had such muscle definition through a coat of course matted hair with tinged spots of dirt and forest debris. It placed it’s left hand on the mid-section of the tree trunk as it continued to rise to what seemed like slow motion. The roar was ear deafening seemed to never end. The only thing I could even think about doing in reaction was to draw my pistol and flex every muscle in my own body as if to get ready to fight. I began to have tunnel vision as the trees to my left and right began to blackout of view and full focus was on the beastly shadow that stood near 10 – 11 feet only 40 to 50 feet before us. I managed somehow to draw my weapon and did not even aim down the rear sight and front post and instinctively fired in the direction of the shadow. A loud crack pierced the air and filled the forest as bark and splintered chips of wood exploded from the right side (opposite to the creature) of the tree that the shadow was holding on to. It again belting out another roar and flexed its muscles through its fur and then a second one appeared. From behind the roaring monster rose a second creature but this one was much shorter and had feminine features beneath it’s layer of course hair. The female creature arose and began to run in the opposite direction of us and moved like an Olympian as it hurdled and cut through the forest. The much larger shadow creature completed it’s second roar and then quickly turned and followed behind the smaller. It was just as agile and fast as it snapped thinner saplings with a mere wave of its thick arm or its massive grasp. We stared in fear as they both blended into the distance of the forest and could feel the thuds in the ground fade away.

I dropped to my knees and sighed in relief that I wasn’t eaten or pummeled by some deep forest creature. I holstered my pistol and turned to Tony as he was still frozen in amazement and his mouth still wide open. Without even looking at me Tony says, “We almost had our asses kicked by a Bigfoot…did this really just happen!?!” and I replied, “This has been the craziest thing I have ever experienced Brother…no one in their right mind will ever believe us but you and I, now know for a fact, that there are things here on earth that still have yet to make their full presence known.” Tony and I continued to plan annual wilderness escapes but never had the opportunity to make it back due to my enlistment in the United States Marine Corps and the conflict involved to the War on Terrorism. Tony still lives in northern California and I have since built a life on the east coast in the state of Pennsylvania. I do plan on disappearing for a week or so among the Appalachian Mountains to see what may be lurking within the thick landscape of the east. “

-D.BOYER

 USMC/PA STATE LEO

What strange hominids stalk the densely forested crags of the Sierras? It would seem that not only are the individuals in question lucky to have a had a sighting but perhaps even more so to have escaped to be able to share the tale.

Keep it creepy kiddos,

-C