A father and daughter hiking in Pennsylvania’s Michaux State Forest during the spring of 2019 encountered an enormous, rust-colored Bigfoot standing on the forestry road behind them. After silently watching the hikers, the apparent male raised one hand and made a deliberate gesture that they interpreted as a warning to leave the area.

PENNSYLVANIA: CREEPY & MYSTERIOUS COMMONWEALTH

CASE FILE:

Date: Spring 2019

Time: Not given

Location: Near Woodrow Road, approximately one-quarter mile east of the Appalachian Trail, Michaux State Forest, Adams County, Pennsylvania

Setting: An unused forestry road near a spring and dense woodland

Witnesses: An Adams County man and his daughter

Reported By: “J,” submitted to Lon Strickler

Phenomenon: Approximately 7-to-8-foot-tall male Bigfoot or Sasquatch

Environmental Conditions: Not given

WITNESS REPORT

A Familiar Forest

“I had been in the woods almost from the time I could walk, so I knew every creature that lived in the forests and mountains around my home in Adams County, in south-central Pennsylvania.

“I had even seen tracks left by a couple of animals that the Pennsylvania Game Commission says do not exist here, including wolves and mountain lions. However, the story I have to tell is not about either of those animals. It concerns an encounter my daughter and I had with a Bigfoot during the spring of 2019.

“We were hiking in Michaux State Forest, not far from my home. We did this at least once a week and usually followed the same trail, which was actually an unused forestry road.

“We would walk along the road for approximately a mile and a half until we reached a spring that crossed it. We would sit there and rest before hiking back out. Sometimes we brought something to eat, but most of the time we simply sat quietly and listened to the forest.”

Leaving Apples Behind

“My daughter had become interested in several YouTube channels that discussed Bigfoot and the practice of leaving gifts for them. On this particular day, we brought several apples to leave near the spring.

“I remember thinking that some raccoon or deer was going to receive a free meal, but I agreed to do it because it made my daughter happy.

“We had just left the spring when my senses told me that we were being watched. I know that sensation because I have also been in combat. The feeling of being hunted is unlike anything else.

“I stopped and looked around, but I did not see anything. I turned to catch up with my daughter, who was several steps ahead of me.”

The Coughing Sound

“That was when I heard a slight coughing sound coming from our right.

“My daughter heard it as well because I saw her eyes widen.

“She asked, ‘What was that?’

“I told her, ‘It’s just a deer warning the rest of the herd that we’re here.’

“I knew it was not a deer, and I believe she knew it too.

“‘Just keep walking,’ I told her.

“We continued down the road. We had not gone much farther when a tree limb snapped behind us. The sound was close, but it came from somewhere within the brush.

“We both stopped and turned toward it.”

The Entity on the Road

“We stood quietly, staring into the dense brush for several minutes. Then I noticed movement from the corner of my eye.

“When I turned my head, I saw a creature standing approximately 40 yards down the road, in the direction from which we had just come.

“My daughter saw it too. She took a deep breath but remained silent.

“We stood there looking at him. Yes, it was clearly a male.

“He appeared to be between 7 and 8 feet tall. He was broad across the shoulders and extremely muscular. His hair was approximately three or four inches long and rust-colored.

“He stood in the middle of the road and stared at us. He did not make a sound, and neither did we.”

The Warning Gesture

“What felt like an eternity was probably only a couple of minutes.

“The creature then raised his left hand with his palm facing us. He moved his hand forward as though he were pushing something away.

“My daughter and I looked at him, then at each other, and finally back at him. I shrugged because I did not understand what he wanted.

“He repeated the gesture. This time, he also made a soft grunt.

“We understood the message. He told us it was time to leave.

“We turned around and started walking toward the truck. My daughter wanted to look back, but something told me not to let her. We continued walking without turning around.”

Whoops from the Forest

“When we reached the truck, before we could climb inside, we heard a series of loud whoops coming from the area we had just exited.

“My daughter and I looked at each other and promised not to tell her mother what had happened. We knew that if her mother found out, she would never allow our daughter to enter the woods again.”

Returning to the Area

“We have returned to the area many times, but we have never seen the creature again.

“We did eventually find one indistinct footprint impression that measured approximately 19.5 inches long. It was not clear enough to provide much detail.

“I have also returned to the location alone. During one of those visits, I did not see or hear anything unusual, but I had the distinct feeling that I was not welcome there.”

COMMENTARY

I contacted the witness after receiving the account and obtained a more precise location. The encounter reportedly occurred near Woodrow Road, approximately one-quarter mile east of the Appalachian Trail and close to an area locally identified as primitive campsite number four.

Several aspects of the account suggest deliberate displacement behavior rather than an attempted attack. The creature reportedly created subtle sounds from within the forest, followed the hikers after they left the spring, positioned itself on the road behind them, and used an open-palm pushing motion twice. Only after the witnesses failed to respond to the first gesture did it add a soft grunt.

The alleged entity did not charge, expose its teeth, throw objects, or pursue the witnesses to their vehicle. Instead, it apparently remained at a distance and communicated that the hikers should continue away from the spring. The latter whooping sounds may have been a territorial display, communication with another animal, or a signal that the witnesses had left the immediate area.

The apples may or may not have played a role. The creature could have been watching the pair before they reached the spring, or it may have approached after noticing the food. It is also possible that the spring represented an important water source or a frequently used travel corridor.

The witness’s combat experience is noteworthy because he compared the initial sensation to the recognizable feeling of being observed or hunted. Such sensations are subjective and cannot establish what was present, but his immediate reaction occurred before the visual sighting.

The presence of two witnesses also strengthens the report's internal consistency. Both heard the coughing sound and the breaking of a limb, observed the same figure on the road, witnessed the hand gesture, and later heard the whooping vocalizations. Nevertheless, no photographs, audio recordings, hair samples, or usable footprint casts were obtained.

A standing black bear, a person wearing unusual clothing, or a combination of distance and poor visibility should remain among the conventional possibilities. However, the reported height, broad, humanlike shoulders, prolonged upright posture, visible hand gesture, rust-colored hair, and coordinated behavior do not readily align with an ordinary bear encounter.

Michaux State Forest contains more than 85,500 acres across Adams, Franklin, and Cumberland counties. The extensive trail system, gravel roads, mountainous terrain, limited cellular service, and long forested corridors provide the type of isolated setting frequently associated with reported cryptid encounters.

Phantoms & Monsters has received and archived multiple reports of alleged Bigfoot sightings, upright canines, unusual vocalizations, and other unexplained activity throughout the Michaux State Forest and the South Mountain region. This account remains particularly compelling because the entity appeared to communicate a clear and nonaggressive command: leave the area.

CASE NOTES

• The encounter occurred during the spring of 2019.
• The witnesses were a local man familiar with the forest and his daughter.
• The pair regularly hiked the same unused forestry road.
• Apples had been left near a spring as a possible Bigfoot gift.
• The witness sensed that he and his daughter were being watched before hearing anything unusual.
• Both witnesses heard a soft cough and a tree limb snap behind them.
• The entity stood approximately 40 yards away on the forestry road.
• The reported figure was 7 to 8 feet tall, muscular, broad-shouldered, and covered with three- to four-inch rust-colored hair.
• The witness identified the entity as male.
• The creature raised its left hand, its palm facing the witnesses, and made a pushing motion twice.
• A soft grunt accompanied the second gesture.
• The witnesses interpreted the gesture as an instruction to leave.
• Loud whooping sounds were heard after the witnesses reached their truck.
• A later footprint impression measured approximately 19.5 inches long but lacked sufficient detail.
• The witness subsequently returned alone and felt strongly unwelcome.
• No physical attack or direct pursuit was reported.
• No photograph, recording, hair sample, or footprint cast was obtained.

Readers interested in this encounter should explore other Phantoms & Monsters reports involving Pennsylvania Bigfoot sightings, Sasquatch territorial behavior, unexplained vocalizations, and cryptid activity throughout Michaux State Forest and the South Mountain region. Similar eyewitness accounts frequently involve remote forestry roads, springs, Appalachian Trail corridors, warning gestures, and the powerful sensation of being watched from dense cover. Lon

SOURCE NOTES

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources states that Michaux State Forest encompasses more than 85,500 acres in the South Mountain region of Adams, Franklin, and Cumberland counties.

DCNR identifies approximately 37 miles of the Appalachian Trail within Michaux State Forest and advises visitors that cellular service is limited throughout the forest.

The DCNR map directory provides the official Michaux State Forest public-use map, as well as separate maps for its hiking and shared-use trail systems.

FAQ

Where did the Bigfoot encounter occur?

The witness placed the encounter near Woodrow Road in Michaux State Forest, approximately one-quarter mile east of the Appalachian Trail and close to a locally identified primitive campsite.

How large was the reported creature?

The witness estimated that the apparent male stood between 7 and 8 feet tall. It was described as broad-shouldered, extremely muscular, and covered with rust-colored hair approximately three or four inches long.

Did the creature threaten the witnesses?

It did not physically attack or chase them. Instead, it raised one hand and made a pushing motion that the witnesses interpreted as an order to leave.

Were there two witnesses?

Yes. A father and his daughter both reportedly saw the creature and heard the sounds associated with the encounter.

Was any physical evidence discovered?

The witness later found an indistinct footprint impression measuring approximately 19.5 inches long. The impression did not contain enough detail to provide conclusive evidence.