May 28, 2025 • 30 mins
The blue mist shrouding the Great Smoky Mountains hides more than just breathtaking vistas and ancient forests – it conceals centuries of mysteries that continue to elude explanation. This rugged wilderness, spanning Tennessee and North Carolina, draws millions of visitors annually to its trails and streams. Yet beneath its serene beauty lurks an unsettling statistic: the Great Smoky Mountains ranks among America's five deadliest national parks, with 101 recorded deaths in just thirteen years.
More chilling still are those who simply vanish without a trace. Since record-keeping began, at least five people have disappeared completely in these mountains – six-year-old Dennis Martin in 1969, teenager Teresa Gibson in 1976, Polly Melton in 1981, Derek Luking in 2012, and murder suspect William Bishop Jr. Despite extensive searches across the park's 522,000 acres, no remains have ever been found.
What could explain these disappearances? Native American traditions spanning centuries describe an intelligent, reclusive species inhabiting these forested regions – tall, hair-covered beings walking upright that avoid human contact whenever possible. From ancient cave drawings to modern encounters, the descriptions remain remarkably consistent: creatures standing 7-10 feet tall, covered in reddish-brown hair, emitting distinctive odors and vocalizations that can't be attributed to known wildlife. Scientists have analyzed audio recordings revealing what appears to be structured communication, including infrasonic capabilities that affect human physiology. Meanwhile, researchers continue finding physical evidence – from massive footprint casts to complex forest structures – suggesting the presence of something beyond conventional explanation.
Most compelling are the firsthand accounts from witnesses who have encountered these beings, from hunters frozen in mutual observation with these creatures to families documenting gift exchanges spanning generations. Their stories, told with unwavering conviction, challenge our understanding of what remains undiscovered in Earth's diminishing wilderness. As one witness poignantly observed: "I don't care if people believe me because I know exactly how this sounds, but I know what I saw and what I heard." Perhaps there's wisdom in acknowledging that despite our technological advances, mystery still dwells in the shadows of our ancient forests, reminding us how much remains unknown. Subscribe now to explore more boundary-pushing investigations and decide for yourself what lurks beyond the edges of the known world.
I love hearing from listeners. Please write a review and rate the show. And please, tell your friends and share episodes on your social media.
You can connect with me by clicking the links below.
Facebook:
Instagram:
Website:
Tiktok:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carole Townsend (00:07):
For centuries, humans have reported seeing and
even encountering strangecreatures in the wild.
Often called mythical beings,these creatures seem to appear
and fade like wisps of smoke,and they've done so for
centuries.
Native American legends tell ofone such creature.
(00:29):
Their art depicts this creature.
Storytellers tell of anunnaturally tall being covered
in hair, with large features, awide mouth and a shy, secretive
nature.
Early settlers here in theUnited States have recorded
accounts of seeing and eveninteracting with this creature.
(00:52):
Hikers and inhabitants of theHimalayas and Southeast Asia
have reported seeing a similarbeing.
Kenyans, south Americans andthe Japanese have their own
tales of this elusive beast.
The stories span centuries,they span continents and the
(01:13):
accounts are eerily similar.
Come up here and sit beside metonight and let's talk about
this creature, where it livesand how it behaves.
You may be surprised by what Ihave to share with you.
(01:36):
Is there anything better than awell-told story?
I don't mean a movie or asocial media reel.
I mean a story told by askilled storyteller.
I don't mean a movie or asocial media reel.
I mean a story told by askilled storyteller.
I don't think so.
An engaging tale told in theright place, at the right time
and by the right person capturesus.
(01:56):
It captures our imagination.
It takes us away from the hereand now and carries us to the
world of what if, when we werekids.
Was there anything better thansitting around a campfire?
The cold, dark night at ourbacks, the warmth and light of
the fire drawing us closer,comforting us as we listen to a
(02:21):
well-spun tale?
I don't think that feeling evertruly leaves us, even as adults
.
Sure, it gets lost in thebusyness that we create in our
adult worlds, but it comes backto us in an instant, doesn't it?
When we gather again to tellour stories.
Here in the South, a welcomingfront porch is often where we
(02:46):
spin our tales now.
It's familiar and it welcomesothers to join us.
At the end of the day, whenwe've put away our cares and
responsibilities for just a fewhours, we sit and we talk and
maybe we rock in a comfortablechair and we're taken back to a
time when the story was thething, the only thing.
(03:10):
So join me tonight, won't you,as we step into another tale
that's rooted in both truth andin myth.
And to keep the dark and coldat bay, I'll turn on the light.
(03:33):
The following podcast containsmaterial that may be disturbing.
Listener, discretion is advised.
The Great Smoky Mountains are asub-range of the Appalachian
(03:56):
Mountain Chain, spanning a linealong the Tennessee and North
Carolina borders.
This mighty mountain chain gotits name Shako-no-He from the
Cherokee Nation, which, looselytranslated, means Land of Blue
Smoke, formed about 200 millionyears ago.
The Great Smoky Mountainterrain is rugged and densely
(04:21):
forested.
Streams and waterfallspunctuate the otherwise deep
blue-green vistas.
Rock outcroppings and hiddencaves also crouch among the
trees, making this magnificentarea a favorite destination for
explorers and for nature lovers.
An intricate network of hikingtrails crisscrosses these
(04:45):
mountains, beckoning more than10 million visitors every year
to lace up their boots, shouldertheir packs and leave the
stresses and anxieties of theireveryday lives at the trailhead.
While the Great Smoky Mountainsare indeed breathtaking in their
beauty and impressive in theirmagnitude, visitors would do
(05:09):
well to remember that thesemighty mountains are ancient,
foreboding and often treacherous.
These great ridges have bornewitness to the births and deaths
of civilizations and there'ssomething palpable, sometimes
terrifying, in that silentwatching and knowing.
(05:29):
Only the most elite hikers andadventurers dare to veer off the
rugged trails to explore thedense forests and craggy
formations on their own.
And yes, despite this region'spopularity among nature lovers.
A beautiful blue veil shroudsthe mighty peaks and cloaks the
(05:51):
deep green forests.
It winds above and through therushing and falling waters that
feed those forests.
It's dreamlike, it'smesmerizing and it's a reminder
that mystery shrouds the manydisappearances and deaths this
(06:11):
area has claimed and continuesto claim through the centuries.
While the vast region wasdesignated a national park by
President Calvin Coolidge in1926 remember this ancient
ecosystem is millions of yearsold.
Recent data from the NationalPark Service names the Great
(06:32):
Smoky Mountains among the topfive deadliest national parks in
the nation, recording 101deaths in just the past 13 years
.
Now, nearly half of thosedeaths is attributed to vehicle
crashes.
And, of course, there are theinevitable bear attacks and even
occasional run-ins with bobcats.
(06:54):
When man and nature cross paths, there are deadly accidental
falls, there are cardiac arrests, there are drownings, there are
suicides and there are murders.
And then there are thedisappearances.
(07:14):
Through july 22nd 2024, morethan 2200 people had been at the
center of search and rescueincidents in United States
national parks.
Many of those cases, of course,are children getting separated
from their parents and soonbeing reunited at guest visitor
(07:35):
stations.
Others are more serious casesthat involve multi-day searches,
and some disappearances havenever been solved and some
disappearances have never beensolved.
In the past few decades alone,great Smoky Mountains National
(08:01):
Park has swallowed four peoplewhole possibly five, and has
never spit them back out.
Six-year-old Dennis LloydMartin's disappearance is the
oldest on official record in thepark.
On June 14, 1969, this littleboy was playing hide-and-seek in
Spence Field near theAppalachian Trail.
He ducked behind a bush and hasnever been seen again.
(08:26):
On October 8, 1976, 16-year-oldTeresa Gibson was last seen
hiking with her group back fromAndrew's Bald Trail to the
parking area of what was thenknown as Clingman's Dome.
At around 10 minutes to 3 thatafternoon she simply disappeared
(08:50):
.
One member of her groupsuggested that she might have
tried to hike cross-country toClingmans Dome rather than
continue a half mile on thetrail, but that suggestion is
merely a theory.
No one knows what happened toTeresa is merely a theory.
No one knows what happened toTeresa.
On September 25, 1981, pollyMelton disappeared in the Deep
(09:15):
Creek area of the park.
She was hiking with two otherfriends, walked over a hill and
was never seen again On March 3,2012,.
Derek Luking was never seenagain On March 3rd 2012,.
Derek Luking was last seenleaving his hotel in Cherokee,
north Carolina.
Two weeks later, his car wasfound in a parking lot at
(09:38):
Newfound Gap in the park and hewas reported missing at that
time.
He has never been found.
There's actually one more personthe FBI considered for years to
be missing in the park.
His name is William Bishop Jr.
He disappeared in March 1976,but he was added to the FBI's
(10:02):
most wanted list in 2014.
According to the FBI, just oneday before Bishop was last seen
at a sporting goods store inJacksonville, north Carolina, he
allegedly bludgeoned his wife,mother and three sons to death
in Bethesda, maryland.
Bishop's car was found morethan two weeks later in the
(10:25):
Elkmont area of Great SmokyMountains National Park.
The FBI said he was chargedwith murder in Maryland and he
faced the federal charge ofunlawful flight to avoid
prosecution.
In 2014, for undisclosedreasons, the FBI believed Bishop
might have assumed a newidentity and could be hiding in
(10:48):
plain sight.
If this is the case and if heis still alive today, he would
be 88 years old, but neither henor his remains have ever been
found anywhere.
Five people that might not soundlike many disappearances over
(11:08):
the years in a park the size ofthe Great Smoky Mountains, but
even so, where did they go.
Remember, records of thesedisappearances have only been
kept for a very brief period oftime, considering the age of the
mountain range.
What could have possiblyhappened to these people?
No remains have ever been found, but remember, the park covers
(11:34):
more than 522,000 acres.
Much of that land is rarely, ifever, traversed.
And all of these questions leadus back to the reclusive
(11:55):
creatures that dwell in the bluemist in the forest.
Call the creatures what youwill bigfoot, sasquatch, yeti,
wendigo or any one of dozens ofother names, given this being by
various civilizations.
Do they really exist?
And if they do, could theysomehow be responsible for or
(12:16):
have knowledge about thedisappearances of these people?
46% of the world is covered inwilderness, but that wilderness
is occupied by less than 3% ofthe world population.
So what else is out there?
The more I delved intoresearching the Great Smoky
(12:39):
Mountains and the reclusivecreature that's been reported
for centuries to inhabit thearea, the more curious I became.
And when I began learning aboutNative American accounts of
this creature, that's when Ibegan seeing a correlation
between sightings anddisappearances.
Listen, I know what you'rethinking.
(13:02):
The mysterious creature we knowhere in the South as Bigfoot is
simply a myth, a tall tale spunby the lunatic fringe.
I know this because I thoughtthe very same thing, and I have
for years.
But as I sat with a NativeAmerican man recently whose
Salish ancestors inhabited thePacific Northwest hundreds of
(13:26):
years ago, I watched his face ashe told me the stories his
grandfather andgreat-grandfather told him.
I looked into his eyes as heshared photographs of cave
drawings that clearly depict avery tall, very hairy creature
that walks upright and towersover mere men.
(13:46):
I heard from this man thebeliefs that his people held
about Salish Sasquatch orSasquatch that these creatures
are part of a shy, retiring butadvanced and highly developed
civilization that avoidsencounters with humans whenever
possible.
I suppose I can understand that, given our track record.
(14:10):
Some civilizations, this man'sSalish ancestors included, have
imbued this being withsupernatural powers, though I
have a hard time imagining that.
There's one thing I've learnedin my many years of
investigative journalism I don'tknow everything.
My conversation with this manleft me wanting to know even
(14:35):
more.
My curiosity led me to theworld's largest Bigfoot museum,
located in Blue Ridge, georgia,with life-size replicas of the
creature, footprint casts andunexplained audio recordings
(14:56):
that hint at an actualintelligent language.
I was drawn into the sheermystery of it all language.
I was drawn into the sheermystery of it all.
The guttural sounds, whoops andscreams sound terrifying, but
those can be faked, couldn'tthey?
Scientists all over the globehave indeed identified many
(15:18):
sounds as being those of otheranimals and even humans, but
there are recordings of soundssuch as the 1971 Sierra Sounds
recording that can't beidentified by experts as being
made by any currently knowncreature.
These recordings include 80hours of Sasquatch or Bigfoot
(15:40):
communication that's beenverified by linguists,
investigators and even a navalofficer trained to identify
human and animal sounds.
Other recordings revealcommunication between these
creatures by banging rockstogether or by striking trees in
a recognizable pattern.
(16:01):
And then there are the infraredsounds emitted by these same
creatures, at least according tolinguists and other scientists.
These infrared sounds areintense, the range is striking
and the sound quality has aphysical effect on those who
hear it, ranging from fear tonausea to paralysis.
(16:28):
And the descriptions of thiselusive creature are strikingly
familiar Tall, broad, covered inhair, walking upright on two
legs.
They live in densely forestedareas.
They've been spotted peeringfrom behind trees, resting on
rock surfaces and wading increeks and rivers.
(16:49):
Hunters and researchers havefound large shelters made of
twigs, leaves and branchestucked away deep in the forest,
clearly built with intelligentdesign and purpose, with beds
made of leaves and moss, andeven with food caches.
There are too many reports tocount in which hunters and
(17:13):
explorers report rocks andsticks being thrown at them from
the cover of trees, often frommore than one direction.
They report the sounds andmovements of a very large
creature that remains out ofsight.
They consistently report aterrible smell that seems to
accompany the creatures, a smellsimilar to that of a skunk.
(17:36):
They report strange formationsfound in the woods, made of
branches and rocks that appearto mark areas for some unknown
designation.
Such accounts again spancenturies, not just decades.
There are many sightings andstories throughout Tennessee,
(17:58):
georgia and North Carolina.
In the Smokies, in fact, thephenomenon has grown so much
that there is now an annualSmoky Mountain Bigfoot
Conference where researchers,biologists, linguists and other
experts gather to discuss anddissect these sightings and
communications.
Some are debunked, somesightings and sounds are
(18:23):
attributed to other animals inthe wild, such as bears and
coyotes, but others simplycannot be explained away.
A bipedal animal that stands 8to 10 feet tall and weighs
around 500 pounds, covered inhair, found in heavily forested
(18:45):
areas, often with treacherousterrain, a creature that, no
matter the geographical area,seems to communicate with
screams, howls and low gutturalnoises, even infrared noise that
has a clear impact on the humanbrain.
They bang rocks together andhit trees with sticks too, to
(19:08):
communicate or to warn.
There are videos of thiscreature, but I've personally
never seen one that isn'tterribly grainy and, frankly,
suspect.
But there's definitelysomething out there.
What could it possibly be?
I had to know more.
So I went back to my researchin an attempt to find someone
(19:31):
who's actually seen the creature, and I did.
This particular incident tookplace in the Cumberland Gap in
Tennessee.
I reached out to this man, ahunter, at the suggestion of a
Bigfoot researcher who hadspoken at the Smoky Mountain
Conference on several occasionsfoot researcher who has spoken
at the Smoky Mountain Conferenceon several occasions.
It took a few weeks, buteventually the man, who
(19:54):
understandably wishes to remainanonymous, sat across the table
from me at a popular diner,clearly both eager and anxious
about sharing his experiencewith me.
Here's what he said and I'mquoting with me.
(20:15):
Here's what he said and I'mquoting I was a teenager at the
time and I was out huntingsquirrels.
I was crouched against a tree,waiting and listening for any
activity.
When I heard what I believed tobe squirrels running along the
floor of the forest you knowthat sound, leaves rustling and
clearly headed in a certaindirection, I nodded yes, because
as a young girl I often playedin the woods and can remember
(20:37):
that scurrying shuffle very well.
Quoting again here, I lookedaround the tree and saw
something big, covered inreddish-brown hair, walking down
the hill through the woods.
It walked on two legs like aman, but it was probably seven
or eight feet tall.
I could see it clearly fromwhere I sat and it was clear to
(21:00):
me that he had spotted me.
We just stayed there looking atone another, not moving, and I
was so scared I really thought Iwas going to vomit.
This probably lasted just a fewseconds, but it seemed like
hours.
Then it just kept walking,taking long strides and swinging
its arms, and when he got farback enough into some tree cover
(21:24):
, he turned and looked at meagain before he disappeared into
the forest.
Then he let out ablood-curdling scream and began
hitting a tree with the branch,and he was hitting it in a
distinct pattern.
It kind of reminded me of Morsecode, and the smell it was
(21:49):
awful, like skunk, but worse.
I'll never forget it.
That's the end of his quote.
When I asked him if, all thoseyears ago, he might have
remembered this incident with ayoung boy's imagination, he
answered no before I evenfinished the question, adding I
(22:11):
don't care if people believe mebecause I know exactly how this
sounds, but I know what I sawand what I heard.
I asked if he has had otherencounters with such a creature,
and he has not.
Now, I'm no psychologist or abehaviorist, but I have learned
over the years to read people'sbody language as I interview
(22:34):
them.
This man did not fidget.
He did not look away or seem tobe reaching for details as we
spoke.
In other words, I believe hebelieves what he told me.
I was fortunate enough to locateand sit down with another
gentleman who claims to havespotted and actually interacted
(22:56):
with this creature.
In late October 2008, thisman's 18-year-old son called on
his cell phone, obviouslynervous and very excited.
Get down here quick, he toldhis father, and bring a
flashlight and your shotgun.
The son was smoking a cigaretteon the back porch of the home
(23:17):
and his father was upstairsasleep.
Within minutes, the man wasstanding beside his son shining
his flashlight out into theheavily wooded area behind their
house.
Once the son pinpointed wherehis father should be shining the
light, both of the men gasped.
About 40 yards away, standingbehind a large oak tree, was a
(23:41):
very tall creature standingupright as would a man.
It was large and covered inhair and it was careful to
remain behind the tree.
When the man would move theflashlight to the right or the
left, the creature would stepout from behind the tree but
quickly dart back behind it.
When the light returned.
(24:01):
The three stood where they were, looking at one another until
the creature turned and walkeddeeper into the woods, taking
inhumanly big strides.
Within about two minutes of itsdeparture, the father and son
heard a blood-curdling series ofwhoops and screams, followed by
(24:28):
the unmistakable sound of alarge branch hitting the trunk
of a tree.
I listened to the audiorecording, as the son did have
the wherewithal to commit theirconversation and the subsequent
sounds to the voice memo optionon his cell phone.
What I heard made my blood runcold and the hair on my neck
(24:49):
bristle.
I've never heard anything likethose screams and howls.
The son also tried to video theencounter, but the quality of
the images is dark and poor.
And then there's the man who Imet while in Tennessee, when I
went there to button up myresearch.
If so, I thought His familyland abuts the national park,
(25:13):
and he told me a story that Istill turn over and over in my
mind, trying to figure out whatto make of it.
When his father was a young boy, hunting or exploring or doing
whatever young boys do when theyget lost in the woods and
daydreaming, he encountered whathe came to believe was Bigfoot.
(25:33):
He told his son all of thethings I've just shared, that
others saw and heard.
In the same situation, heencountered a very tall, hairy
creature who walked upright andwho smelled terrible.
I suppose that, being a youngboy, such an experience could
either be terrifying orintriguing, but this child was
(25:56):
intrigued, not afraid.
So he began his son told me,going back to the same spot in
the forest and leaving itemspresents.
He called them in a tree hollowfor this creature.
He would leave things like acoke bottle, a hair ribbon, a
top and some jacks, things likethat, and one day, to his
(26:20):
surprise, he found items in thatsame hollow that he hadn't put
there.
One time it was a glittery,water-polished rock, another
time it was four shotgun shells.
This exchange continued wellinto my new friend's childhood
(26:40):
and young adulthood Shoelaces,discarded sunglass lenses, the
skeleton of a squirrel, a skatekey, back and forth.
And one time, in the spring of1970, the creature left
something that haunts my newfriend to this day.
He left a young boy's t-shirt.
It was old, dirty and tattered,but the creature had placed it
(27:06):
there in that tree hollow as agift of sorts for the young man
had.
The being simply found theshirt?
In the dark interior of theforest Maybe.
What other explanation couldthere be?
I get it.
I too have always been a skepticand have thought of the legend
(27:27):
of Bigfoot as far-fetchedmountain lore passed on by
people with wild imaginations orsome sort of angle.
These encounters might be morebelievable if they happened on
the busy streets of Chicago orin a New York pub with a lot of
witnesses, but they don't.
For obvious reasons, thesecreatures prefer the wilderness.
(27:50):
For obvious reasons, thesecreatures prefer the wilderness,
an uncrowded habitat far fromthe reaches of man.
Is it beyond the scope ofreality to entertain the notion
of an undiscovered creature,reclusive, that lives in the
deep cover of forests in thedwindling unoccupied areas of
the world.
Again, all I know for sure isthis I don't know everything.
(28:13):
I know that there are mysterieslurking in the depths of the
ocean that are still being newlydiscovered, even today.
Is it so far-fetched to atleast consider that there are
creatures such as this oneliving in densely forested areas
, foraging for food, living incaves or in natural structures
(28:35):
they themselves have built?
Is it silly to think that therecould be rare encounters with
one of these creatures?
I'm not so sure anymore, andone must ask the question why do
some states, particularly thosewith what seem to be hot spots
for Bigfoot sightings, have lawsthat make it illegal to hunt
(29:00):
and kill the creature known asBigfoot?
Perhaps we'll have the answersomeday.
(29:22):
I'm Carole Townsend, veterannewspaper journalist and
six-time award-winning author.
You can find me on social mediaand check out my website at www
.
caroletownsend.
com.
As always, thanks for listening, and if you're enjoying these
tales of Southern history andlore, I hope you'll tell your
(29:42):
friends.
Subscribe to this podcast onSpotify, apple Play, iheart and
anywhere you listen.
My team and I referenced thefollowing materials to bring you
this episode of Front PorchMysteries Smoky Mountain Living
(30:06):
Magazine.
An article titled A Fascinationwith Bigfoot by Marla Hardy
Milling, october 1, 2020.
Expedition Bigfoot theSasquatch Museum in Blue Ridge,
georgia.
Various interviews withindividuals, the website
(30:28):
BigfootEncounterscom and theNational Park Service website
npsgov.
For centuries, humans have reported seeing and
even encountering strangecreatures in the wild.
Often called mythical beings,these creatures seem to appear
and fade like wisps of smoke,and they've done so for
centuries.
Native American legends tell ofone such creature.
(00:29):
Their art depicts this creature.
Storytellers tell of anunnaturally tall being covered
in hair, with large features, awide mouth and a shy, secretive
nature.
Early settlers here in theUnited States have recorded
accounts of seeing and eveninteracting with this creature.
(00:52):
Hikers and inhabitants of theHimalayas and Southeast Asia
have reported seeing a similarbeing.
Kenyans, south Americans andthe Japanese have their own
tales of this elusive beast.
The stories span centuries,they span continents and the
(01:13):
accounts are eerily similar.
Come up here and sit beside metonight and let's talk about
this creature, where it livesand how it behaves.
You may be surprised by what Ihave to share with you.
(01:36):
Is there anything better than awell-told story?
I don't mean a movie or asocial media reel.
I mean a story told by askilled storyteller.
I don't mean a movie or asocial media reel.
I mean a story told by askilled storyteller.
I don't think so.
An engaging tale told in theright place, at the right time
and by the right person capturesus.
(01:56):
It captures our imagination.
It takes us away from the hereand now and carries us to the
world of what if, when we werekids.
Was there anything better thansitting around a campfire?
The cold, dark night at ourbacks, the warmth and light of
the fire drawing us closer,comforting us as we listen to a
(02:21):
well-spun tale?
I don't think that feeling evertruly leaves us, even as adults
.
Sure, it gets lost in thebusyness that we create in our
adult worlds, but it comes backto us in an instant, doesn't it?
When we gather again to tellour stories.
Here in the South, a welcomingfront porch is often where we
(02:46):
spin our tales now.
It's familiar and it welcomesothers to join us.
At the end of the day, whenwe've put away our cares and
responsibilities for just a fewhours, we sit and we talk and
maybe we rock in a comfortablechair and we're taken back to a
time when the story was thething, the only thing.
(03:10):
So join me tonight, won't you,as we step into another tale
that's rooted in both truth andin myth.
And to keep the dark and coldat bay, I'll turn on the light.
(03:33):
The following podcast containsmaterial that may be disturbing.
Listener, discretion is advised.
The Great Smoky Mountains are asub-range of the Appalachian
(03:56):
Mountain Chain, spanning a linealong the Tennessee and North
Carolina borders.
This mighty mountain chain gotits name Shako-no-He from the
Cherokee Nation, which, looselytranslated, means Land of Blue
Smoke, formed about 200 millionyears ago.
The Great Smoky Mountainterrain is rugged and densely
(04:21):
forested.
Streams and waterfallspunctuate the otherwise deep
blue-green vistas.
Rock outcroppings and hiddencaves also crouch among the
trees, making this magnificentarea a favorite destination for
explorers and for nature lovers.
An intricate network of hikingtrails crisscrosses these
(04:45):
mountains, beckoning more than10 million visitors every year
to lace up their boots, shouldertheir packs and leave the
stresses and anxieties of theireveryday lives at the trailhead.
While the Great Smoky Mountainsare indeed breathtaking in their
beauty and impressive in theirmagnitude, visitors would do
(05:09):
well to remember that thesemighty mountains are ancient,
foreboding and often treacherous.
These great ridges have bornewitness to the births and deaths
of civilizations and there'ssomething palpable, sometimes
terrifying, in that silentwatching and knowing.
(05:29):
Only the most elite hikers andadventurers dare to veer off the
rugged trails to explore thedense forests and craggy
formations on their own.
And yes, despite this region'spopularity among nature lovers.
A beautiful blue veil shroudsthe mighty peaks and cloaks the
(05:51):
deep green forests.
It winds above and through therushing and falling waters that
feed those forests.
It's dreamlike, it'smesmerizing and it's a reminder
that mystery shrouds the manydisappearances and deaths this
(06:11):
area has claimed and continuesto claim through the centuries.
While the vast region wasdesignated a national park by
President Calvin Coolidge in1926 remember this ancient
ecosystem is millions of yearsold.
Recent data from the NationalPark Service names the Great
(06:32):
Smoky Mountains among the topfive deadliest national parks in
the nation, recording 101deaths in just the past 13 years
.
Now, nearly half of thosedeaths is attributed to vehicle
crashes.
And, of course, there are theinevitable bear attacks and even
occasional run-ins with bobcats.
(06:54):
When man and nature cross paths, there are deadly accidental
falls, there are cardiac arrests, there are drownings, there are
suicides and there are murders.
And then there are thedisappearances.
(07:14):
Through july 22nd 2024, morethan 2200 people had been at the
center of search and rescueincidents in United States
national parks.
Many of those cases, of course,are children getting separated
from their parents and soonbeing reunited at guest visitor
(07:35):
stations.
Others are more serious casesthat involve multi-day searches,
and some disappearances havenever been solved and some
disappearances have never beensolved.
In the past few decades alone,great Smoky Mountains National
(08:01):
Park has swallowed four peoplewhole possibly five, and has
never spit them back out.
Six-year-old Dennis LloydMartin's disappearance is the
oldest on official record in thepark.
On June 14, 1969, this littleboy was playing hide-and-seek in
Spence Field near theAppalachian Trail.
He ducked behind a bush and hasnever been seen again.
(08:26):
On October 8, 1976, 16-year-oldTeresa Gibson was last seen
hiking with her group back fromAndrew's Bald Trail to the
parking area of what was thenknown as Clingman's Dome.
At around 10 minutes to 3 thatafternoon she simply disappeared
(08:50):
.
One member of her groupsuggested that she might have
tried to hike cross-country toClingmans Dome rather than
continue a half mile on thetrail, but that suggestion is
merely a theory.
No one knows what happened toTeresa is merely a theory.
No one knows what happened toTeresa.
On September 25, 1981, pollyMelton disappeared in the Deep
(09:15):
Creek area of the park.
She was hiking with two otherfriends, walked over a hill and
was never seen again On March 3,2012,.
Derek Luking was never seenagain On March 3rd 2012,.
Derek Luking was last seenleaving his hotel in Cherokee,
north Carolina.
Two weeks later, his car wasfound in a parking lot at
(09:38):
Newfound Gap in the park and hewas reported missing at that
time.
He has never been found.
There's actually one more personthe FBI considered for years to
be missing in the park.
His name is William Bishop Jr.
He disappeared in March 1976,but he was added to the FBI's
(10:02):
most wanted list in 2014.
According to the FBI, just oneday before Bishop was last seen
at a sporting goods store inJacksonville, north Carolina, he
allegedly bludgeoned his wife,mother and three sons to death
in Bethesda, maryland.
Bishop's car was found morethan two weeks later in the
(10:25):
Elkmont area of Great SmokyMountains National Park.
The FBI said he was chargedwith murder in Maryland and he
faced the federal charge ofunlawful flight to avoid
prosecution.
In 2014, for undisclosedreasons, the FBI believed Bishop
might have assumed a newidentity and could be hiding in
(10:48):
plain sight.
If this is the case and if heis still alive today, he would
be 88 years old, but neither henor his remains have ever been
found anywhere.
Five people that might not soundlike many disappearances over
(11:08):
the years in a park the size ofthe Great Smoky Mountains, but
even so, where did they go.
Remember, records of thesedisappearances have only been
kept for a very brief period oftime, considering the age of the
mountain range.
What could have possiblyhappened to these people?
No remains have ever been found, but remember, the park covers
(11:34):
more than 522,000 acres.
Much of that land is rarely, ifever, traversed.
And all of these questions leadus back to the reclusive
(11:55):
creatures that dwell in the bluemist in the forest.
Call the creatures what youwill bigfoot, sasquatch, yeti,
wendigo or any one of dozens ofother names, given this being by
various civilizations.
Do they really exist?
And if they do, could theysomehow be responsible for or
(12:16):
have knowledge about thedisappearances of these people?
46% of the world is covered inwilderness, but that wilderness
is occupied by less than 3% ofthe world population.
So what else is out there?
The more I delved intoresearching the Great Smoky
(12:39):
Mountains and the reclusivecreature that's been reported
for centuries to inhabit thearea, the more curious I became.
And when I began learning aboutNative American accounts of
this creature, that's when Ibegan seeing a correlation
between sightings anddisappearances.
Listen, I know what you'rethinking.
(13:02):
The mysterious creature we knowhere in the South as Bigfoot is
simply a myth, a tall tale spunby the lunatic fringe.
I know this because I thoughtthe very same thing, and I have
for years.
But as I sat with a NativeAmerican man recently whose
Salish ancestors inhabited thePacific Northwest hundreds of
(13:26):
years ago, I watched his face ashe told me the stories his
grandfather andgreat-grandfather told him.
I looked into his eyes as heshared photographs of cave
drawings that clearly depict avery tall, very hairy creature
that walks upright and towersover mere men.
(13:46):
I heard from this man thebeliefs that his people held
about Salish Sasquatch orSasquatch that these creatures
are part of a shy, retiring butadvanced and highly developed
civilization that avoidsencounters with humans whenever
possible.
I suppose I can understand that, given our track record.
(14:10):
Some civilizations, this man'sSalish ancestors included, have
imbued this being withsupernatural powers, though I
have a hard time imagining that.
There's one thing I've learnedin my many years of
investigative journalism I don'tknow everything.
My conversation with this manleft me wanting to know even
(14:35):
more.
My curiosity led me to theworld's largest Bigfoot museum,
located in Blue Ridge, georgia,with life-size replicas of the
creature, footprint casts andunexplained audio recordings
(14:56):
that hint at an actualintelligent language.
I was drawn into the sheermystery of it all language.
I was drawn into the sheermystery of it all.
The guttural sounds, whoops andscreams sound terrifying, but
those can be faked, couldn'tthey?
Scientists all over the globehave indeed identified many
(15:18):
sounds as being those of otheranimals and even humans, but
there are recordings of soundssuch as the 1971 Sierra Sounds
recording that can't beidentified by experts as being
made by any currently knowncreature.
These recordings include 80hours of Sasquatch or Bigfoot
(15:40):
communication that's beenverified by linguists,
investigators and even a navalofficer trained to identify
human and animal sounds.
Other recordings revealcommunication between these
creatures by banging rockstogether or by striking trees in
a recognizable pattern.
(16:01):
And then there are the infraredsounds emitted by these same
creatures, at least according tolinguists and other scientists.
These infrared sounds areintense, the range is striking
and the sound quality has aphysical effect on those who
hear it, ranging from fear tonausea to paralysis.
(16:28):
And the descriptions of thiselusive creature are strikingly
familiar Tall, broad, covered inhair, walking upright on two
legs.
They live in densely forestedareas.
They've been spotted peeringfrom behind trees, resting on
rock surfaces and wading increeks and rivers.
(16:49):
Hunters and researchers havefound large shelters made of
twigs, leaves and branchestucked away deep in the forest,
clearly built with intelligentdesign and purpose, with beds
made of leaves and moss, andeven with food caches.
There are too many reports tocount in which hunters and
(17:13):
explorers report rocks andsticks being thrown at them from
the cover of trees, often frommore than one direction.
They report the sounds andmovements of a very large
creature that remains out ofsight.
They consistently report aterrible smell that seems to
accompany the creatures, a smellsimilar to that of a skunk.
(17:36):
They report strange formationsfound in the woods, made of
branches and rocks that appearto mark areas for some unknown
designation.
Such accounts again spancenturies, not just decades.
There are many sightings andstories throughout Tennessee,
(17:58):
georgia and North Carolina.
In the Smokies, in fact, thephenomenon has grown so much
that there is now an annualSmoky Mountain Bigfoot
Conference where researchers,biologists, linguists and other
experts gather to discuss anddissect these sightings and
communications.
Some are debunked, somesightings and sounds are
(18:23):
attributed to other animals inthe wild, such as bears and
coyotes, but others simplycannot be explained away.
A bipedal animal that stands 8to 10 feet tall and weighs
around 500 pounds, covered inhair, found in heavily forested
(18:45):
areas, often with treacherousterrain, a creature that, no
matter the geographical area,seems to communicate with
screams, howls and low gutturalnoises, even infrared noise that
has a clear impact on the humanbrain.
They bang rocks together andhit trees with sticks too, to
(19:08):
communicate or to warn.
There are videos of thiscreature, but I've personally
never seen one that isn'tterribly grainy and, frankly,
suspect.
But there's definitelysomething out there.
What could it possibly be?
I had to know more.
So I went back to my researchin an attempt to find someone
(19:31):
who's actually seen the creature, and I did.
This particular incident tookplace in the Cumberland Gap in
Tennessee.
I reached out to this man, ahunter, at the suggestion of a
Bigfoot researcher who hadspoken at the Smoky Mountain
Conference on several occasionsfoot researcher who has spoken
at the Smoky Mountain Conferenceon several occasions.
It took a few weeks, buteventually the man, who
(19:54):
understandably wishes to remainanonymous, sat across the table
from me at a popular diner,clearly both eager and anxious
about sharing his experiencewith me.
Here's what he said and I'mquoting with me.
(20:15):
Here's what he said and I'mquoting I was a teenager at the
time and I was out huntingsquirrels.
I was crouched against a tree,waiting and listening for any
activity.
When I heard what I believed tobe squirrels running along the
floor of the forest you knowthat sound, leaves rustling and
clearly headed in a certaindirection, I nodded yes, because
as a young girl I often playedin the woods and can remember
(20:37):
that scurrying shuffle very well.
Quoting again here, I lookedaround the tree and saw
something big, covered inreddish-brown hair, walking down
the hill through the woods.
It walked on two legs like aman, but it was probably seven
or eight feet tall.
I could see it clearly fromwhere I sat and it was clear to
(21:00):
me that he had spotted me.
We just stayed there looking atone another, not moving, and I
was so scared I really thought Iwas going to vomit.
This probably lasted just a fewseconds, but it seemed like
hours.
Then it just kept walking,taking long strides and swinging
its arms, and when he got farback enough into some tree cover
(21:24):
, he turned and looked at meagain before he disappeared into
the forest.
Then he let out ablood-curdling scream and began
hitting a tree with the branch,and he was hitting it in a
distinct pattern.
It kind of reminded me of Morsecode, and the smell it was
(21:49):
awful, like skunk, but worse.
I'll never forget it.
That's the end of his quote.
When I asked him if, all thoseyears ago, he might have
remembered this incident with ayoung boy's imagination, he
answered no before I evenfinished the question, adding I
(22:11):
don't care if people believe mebecause I know exactly how this
sounds, but I know what I sawand what I heard.
I asked if he has had otherencounters with such a creature,
and he has not.
Now, I'm no psychologist or abehaviorist, but I have learned
over the years to read people'sbody language as I interview
(22:34):
them.
This man did not fidget.
He did not look away or seem tobe reaching for details as we
spoke.
In other words, I believe hebelieves what he told me.
I was fortunate enough to locateand sit down with another
gentleman who claims to havespotted and actually interacted
(22:56):
with this creature.
In late October 2008, thisman's 18-year-old son called on
his cell phone, obviouslynervous and very excited.
Get down here quick, he toldhis father, and bring a
flashlight and your shotgun.
The son was smoking a cigaretteon the back porch of the home
(23:17):
and his father was upstairsasleep.
Within minutes, the man wasstanding beside his son shining
his flashlight out into theheavily wooded area behind their
house.
Once the son pinpointed wherehis father should be shining the
light, both of the men gasped.
About 40 yards away, standingbehind a large oak tree, was a
(23:41):
very tall creature standingupright as would a man.
It was large and covered inhair and it was careful to
remain behind the tree.
When the man would move theflashlight to the right or the
left, the creature would stepout from behind the tree but
quickly dart back behind it.
When the light returned.
(24:01):
The three stood where they were, looking at one another until
the creature turned and walkeddeeper into the woods, taking
inhumanly big strides.
Within about two minutes of itsdeparture, the father and son
heard a blood-curdling series ofwhoops and screams, followed by
(24:28):
the unmistakable sound of alarge branch hitting the trunk
of a tree.
I listened to the audiorecording, as the son did have
the wherewithal to commit theirconversation and the subsequent
sounds to the voice memo optionon his cell phone.
What I heard made my blood runcold and the hair on my neck
(24:49):
bristle.
I've never heard anything likethose screams and howls.
The son also tried to video theencounter, but the quality of
the images is dark and poor.
And then there's the man who Imet while in Tennessee, when I
went there to button up myresearch.
If so, I thought His familyland abuts the national park,
(25:13):
and he told me a story that Istill turn over and over in my
mind, trying to figure out whatto make of it.
When his father was a young boy, hunting or exploring or doing
whatever young boys do when theyget lost in the woods and
daydreaming, he encountered whathe came to believe was Bigfoot.
(25:33):
He told his son all of thethings I've just shared, that
others saw and heard.
In the same situation, heencountered a very tall, hairy
creature who walked upright andwho smelled terrible.
I suppose that, being a youngboy, such an experience could
either be terrifying orintriguing, but this child was
(25:56):
intrigued, not afraid.
So he began his son told me,going back to the same spot in
the forest and leaving itemspresents.
He called them in a tree hollowfor this creature.
He would leave things like acoke bottle, a hair ribbon, a
top and some jacks, things likethat, and one day, to his
(26:20):
surprise, he found items in thatsame hollow that he hadn't put
there.
One time it was a glittery,water-polished rock, another
time it was four shotgun shells.
This exchange continued wellinto my new friend's childhood
(26:40):
and young adulthood Shoelaces,discarded sunglass lenses, the
skeleton of a squirrel, a skatekey, back and forth.
And one time, in the spring of1970, the creature left
something that haunts my newfriend to this day.
He left a young boy's t-shirt.
It was old, dirty and tattered,but the creature had placed it
(27:06):
there in that tree hollow as agift of sorts for the young man
had.
The being simply found theshirt?
In the dark interior of theforest Maybe.
What other explanation couldthere be?
I get it.
I too have always been a skepticand have thought of the legend
(27:27):
of Bigfoot as far-fetchedmountain lore passed on by
people with wild imaginations orsome sort of angle.
These encounters might be morebelievable if they happened on
the busy streets of Chicago orin a New York pub with a lot of
witnesses, but they don't.
For obvious reasons, thesecreatures prefer the wilderness.
(27:50):
For obvious reasons, thesecreatures prefer the wilderness,
an uncrowded habitat far fromthe reaches of man.
Is it beyond the scope ofreality to entertain the notion
of an undiscovered creature,reclusive, that lives in the
deep cover of forests in thedwindling unoccupied areas of
the world.
Again, all I know for sure isthis I don't know everything.
(28:13):
I know that there are mysterieslurking in the depths of the
ocean that are still being newlydiscovered, even today.
Is it so far-fetched to atleast consider that there are
creatures such as this oneliving in densely forested areas
, foraging for food, living incaves or in natural structures
(28:35):
they themselves have built?
Is it silly to think that therecould be rare encounters with
one of these creatures?
I'm not so sure anymore, andone must ask the question why do
some states, particularly thosewith what seem to be hot spots
for Bigfoot sightings, have lawsthat make it illegal to hunt
(29:00):
and kill the creature known asBigfoot?
Perhaps we'll have the answersomeday.
(29:22):
I'm Carole Townsend, veterannewspaper journalist and
six-time award-winning author.
You can find me on social mediaand check out my website at www
.
caroletownsend.
com.
As always, thanks for listening, and if you're enjoying these
tales of Southern history andlore, I hope you'll tell your
(29:42):
friends.
Subscribe to this podcast onSpotify, apple Play, iheart and
anywhere you listen.
My team and I referenced thefollowing materials to bring you
this episode of Front PorchMysteries Smoky Mountain Living
(30:06):
Magazine.
An article titled A Fascinationwith Bigfoot by Marla Hardy
Milling, october 1, 2020.
Expedition Bigfoot theSasquatch Museum in Blue Ridge,
georgia.
Various interviews withindividuals, the website
(30:28):
BigfootEncounterscom and theNational Park Service website
npsgov.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.