It Reached Down! | Georgia

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Thank you.

It's an honor to be on your show, Jeremiah. I appreciate it.

Thank you, Thank you. I appreciate that as as well. You know, Jeff, I'm going to say, if there's anything that you would like the listeners to know about you for contact wise, feel free to share that as well. But I will go ahead and give the floor over to you and feel free to take us back to when this all happened.

I'll start with the context of my background.

I mean, I grew up in the wilderness, a lot at chaffelt of backwater basin.

When I was younger.

My parents had we had one hundred and eighteen acres, and our neighbors had a thousand or more acres of small playing and remote wilderness. So I spent a lot of time as a youth in the woods in the Chaffelaya, and then obviously meandered on later in my career that

Northwestern part of Georgia.

And one of the things that caught my eye was, I was I had saw I was working on a project at the time. I was right now on a project and I saw your your presentation about northwest Georgia, and it was like, oh my goodness. I said, I had this this experience up there on the Yellow Mountain Trail, and I guess I'll just go go from there with that.

Jeremiah.

It was June eleventh, twenty twenty two, and I was, you.

Know, there was a lot.

I was working on a project, A lot was going on, and typically what I do is I just take a break. Me and a wife had been had been talking in the morning about some things, and you know, I kind of ed said, look, I need a break from from this and I'm going to go for a walking on a trail. And I've done this, you know, thousands of times.

Know, and my mother in law and father in law.

But what happened was I went out on a new trail and I broke all the rules. And I should have known better, because I mean, part of my career doing paramedica and doing consultation work for some of these old companies was teaching them about seeing a wearing and scene safety and those kind of things.

So I went up there.

This was supposed to be a you probably heard this before, supposed to be a thirty minute walk.

Just go do a walk on this trail. Figured i'd go up.

To the peak of a yellow mountain and come back down. And I got I got out there, and I didn't bring my day back with me. I didn't bring any water because it was just gonna be a quick hike cup And I got on the trail and I found weirdly enough, I got to the top and I find this this little cairn at the at the top. The trail doesn't have doesn't get partly any activity, which was kind of curious for me too, because it's like, wow, this is like people don't really come out here all

So I, you know, just said.

Well, I thought it was a great experience to be able to see, you know, these ancient trees in this.

Particular area I was at. So I went down.

Past ADDIE's Gap and went into what they called Chestnut Mountain, and I'd found these beautiful waterfalls and the cave systems and everything, and was having a pretty great adventure. I found these towering blueberry bushes and you know, waterfalls, like I'd said, the cave systems, and then I said, well, I've started realizing I'd been out there more than thirty minutes, and the wife would get concerned. So I turned back around to go back up, and I don't know how

Make a mistake like that.

But I came back up and was going down the trail and started walking and said, I figured, all right, I'm going back over passing the cairn, I'm going back down. And I got on the trail and realized these trees didn't look the same and the forest didn't look the same, and I realized that I was going in the wrong direction of where I had originally came from, and so I went back around. And of course where I'm at up there, there's no phone services nowhere for me to

Starting to get a little.

Bit more concerned, and then I finally figured out a way to get to a steep enbank and came back around to the sub what I would I would find out later on, was the southern part of Cooper's Creek, and it was getting to be dark, and I was like, oh boy, I'm really going to get it for being being late now. And I followed what I thought was a path that was going to bring me right out, and it wasn't. It was another hour and a half before I actually reached down near a seldom used forestry road,

So so around the first.

Bend, I didn't, I didn't there. It was very well moonlight, and you could see, you know, you could hear water, you know, gurgling in the in the nearby creek to my right. You could see they where it was inclining up into the mountains to my left, and you could see animals obviously moving around in the forest, you know, which is quite common there with where I was at.

When I made the.

Third bind, I saw a shadow or something go across the road, and I just took it to be either a deer or a bear or just you know, because that's they're quite common around here.

And and didn't think none of it.

And a weird thing had happened just before I got made that third bind. There was and I was still in my head thinking that I'll you know that that I was heading toward Mulky Branch and then I'll just get on Mulki Branch got roaded and I saw an offshoot trail and it was a fork in the road, and it was you know, something said, you know, don't take that that particular trail, so I was gonna take it. I was thinking, well, maybe I'll just take a short cut.

Something just below me on that.

Particular trail, which was right next to us until some kind of a creek or some kind of waterway at the time, something moved and I didn't think.

I first, you know, it moved.

I didn't think much of it, but it stomped, and when it stopped, it shook and it shook the ground, and I was like, goodness, that's a big bear, you know. That's the way I was thinking. Was still wasn't thinking anything else but bear or something big, you know, Except it stomped again, and I said, wait, it's not on

So I said, okay, well we're just going to go around and just mose.

I almost thought about running back, and I said that would have probably been a bad idea.

So at this.

Point, it kept coming forward and I just man, I didn't know what to think, so at for a moment there, I clicked my light on and shined my light up, and when I did, there was a group of trees.

It's just like yesterday. There was some laurel bushes.

There was a sweet shrub bush right in there, right next to the road system, and then there was a it was a dumb tree, I guess. And this hand comes up and breaks a branch right right above me, and I'm like, and the first thing is it's a hand.

That that that freaked me out right off the back.

The second thing that freaked me out about it was the height of the hand from the base of where it was coming from. You know, it was if I had to guess, I mean, just an estimate, the branch from the road to the to the top had been at least from where I was gathering. From from where this thing was standing, it would be at least eight to nine feet. And I was like freaked out already.

Man.

I ain't never been scared of any animal in my life. But when you see something like that, now that size, in that setting, and you're by yourself, and there's I had nothing, no weapon of any sword, and I don't I don't even think a gun would have done.

Anything to this. But by the time I'd finished running, I didn't stop. I mean, IM was heaving.

By the time I must have gone ten ten at least ten miles from when I gathered just he even dry, even you know, throat feeling like I had sandpaper in it because I was exhausted. But I kept kept on up on hiking through and running, and I finally came out into an open area, an open field, and I opened it looked like an open pasture where there was moonlight and there's mountains all around, pine covered mountains. And I looked over to my left and realized i'd shine

Like I told Dave, Maccara when I.

Reported to him a couple of days later, the water up here was the best water I ever drank in my life. And then I said, you know, and then and down and then waiting for my family was probably one of the creepiest things I ever had to do, waiting for somebody to come and get me.

And I was I wasn't going to report.

Because I was embarrassed more than anything getting lost and then running into you know, I run into an obviously bigfoot. I was embarrassed on on that. But then you know, I'm still you know, trying to process it all. And my daughter at the time, Caitlin, had had kept in, you know, telling me, I need I need to report I need to report this. I need to report it to the to the to the Bigfoot place, which is just down the road from us. And that's when I called.

Man.

That is such a fascinating story. It's also a great cautionary tale. It is something that you know, people will say, yes, you know, we hear stuff like that. You know what could happen even if you're only going out for half an hour. Make sure you got a day pack. That's what I try to do myself. You never ever know

Man.

Regarding the hand that you saw that was about eight to nine feet up, were there certain details that you first saw that made you think, oh, this is some kind of huge primate hand up here.

Yeah.

The nail color and the decreases, that's what what threw me. And then obviously the hair. The hair was more like you know what I'm saying, I mean, gorilla handed. It's just it just blew my mind. It was like, let me wait up. You know, I'm thinking bear claw, you know, bear scratching on a blog or whatever, and he's just you're not gonna be bothered with me. That's the first

That was blowing.

But man, I still think, man, if I'd have went on that Fort trail, what would have happened if I'd have ran into that thing?

Because there's nothing there was, you know.

You know, there's those moments when you realize there's nothing you would have been able to do, you know, and it makes.

Me go back.

And I started researching, like, did not David Poliita stuff after that, and it made me start wondering, well, well, if you run.

Into something like that out there and it's.

Decided, well today you're on the menu, you know, And I don't know if it's on you know, I don't know if it's omnivore or what.

I know. It broke a branch like it was a toothpage. It was. Man, it took me two years to go back in the woods.

Brother, Oh wow, is that the woods in general or just this one area of woods that you wouldn't go back in for two years.

Just that particular area, that particular area.

And actually, to be honest with you, if I'm gonna be honest, I mean as far as like remote force, I haven't know. I didn't go back in I made I may didn't make a trick. About a year ago, I did.

I went on.

I drove back up to the top of Duncan. Me and my father in law were up there, and you know, so I wasn't alone that time, but that we drove up and we were just looking at one of the local creeks.

But that was it.

As far as like remote, I haven't been back in there, you know. And I try to make a drive to a yellow mountain in this park and just listen, you know, And but that was it. Yeah, it's carried me. It spooked me for a while. It spooked me for a while. I'll tell you that much. For God, it goes out, It goes out in the woods all the time.

Like I do.

Yeah, absolutely, now going into the woods. Now, do you find yourself preparing differently when you go on day hikes like that?

Absolutely? Absolutely? If I go on, but I don't, we don't. The last time I made a made it, we made an attempt. We have the seventy acre park nearby, so that that's plenty of fun for me these days.

It's got the river and all of that.

But if I do make any type if I'll go with and I'm using going with somebody now, I'll carry a pack. We carry a day pack. You know that you know, obviously protect ourselves, if you know what I mean. Oh my goodness, it's that eerie feeling though after you know, it's like the same feeling I had, like when I when I came came out of the loud of Cooper's Creek.

So you know, I love talking to the guys up at the Expedition Bigfoot Museum, which is no relation to the show. I always point that out. But when you talk to David, what was his reaction when you told him where the area was that you had that encounter. Was it, oh, that's kind of a new place, or like, yeah, there's been other things that have happened there too.

He made me feel more at ease when he told me, he said, Jeff, the police you went walking through is a Bigfoot hotspot.

So that was an eye opener.

I said, great, I said, of all the places I decided to go trap it around, which I was just going to be honest. I was going down to see some of the there's an ancient forest that runs up that runs down south past Chestnut. I was going to check those beautiful trees out because even as a kid, we had these giant, five hundred thousand year old ancient cypress, and then out.

Here these woods make those make those.

Trees back in the swamp look like toothpicks, I mean these ancient trees. So yeah, when I told Dave when I when I when I explained to him where he knew, he was like right off the back and all that. Then when I said, you got to tell me more about this feral people thing, man, He's like, he said, yeah, that's the thing. I'm like, oh my goodness, but yeah, he yeah, it was a hot spot. Yeah, I walked into I don't know how I did it, but I walked right smacked.

In the I should have known it. It's such an ancient police you know.

I saw a fella I talked when I actually I ran into a fella that was talking about I was telling him about He was asking me about being chaffel line in this in cypress, and I was still I used to deer hunt off of them. I'd sit on top of one of these cypress, and I said, they were so big you could literally I mean they the cypress and needs would grow together and make make caves inside of him. I said, but it ain't nothing like out here. He said, no, it's nothing like out here.

So it was.

And then once I got to see some of these giant polplers that are, man, I don't know how old these trees are, and these great oaks and all of that. It was beautiful.

Man.

It was, I mean one of the best, best and worst experiences in my life. I can tell you that much.

It was wild.

Who the people that you you told about what you saw, how was their reaction? Did they believe you or did they find it hard to believe what you had seen?

My?

Uh, my my daughter she she she she she believed she because she was there. She came and picked me up. And and then her boyfriend the time, he said, man, this was nightmare like. He looked where I was at and how I came out the woods and you know, and he said, it was like nightmare. Fewel man, where you came out at us? Said you telling me and all of that, and then they knew.

I mean I was.

I was, man, I've never been that beat up. Oh my goodness, I was beating. They had to like literally get me into the car. They had water, some more water, but yeah, they they had. My wife was more, you know, more concerned with the idea that you know, that I was out there and that with a predator that could have you know, could.

Have taken me down and all that. My father and mother in law.

My father law says, we don't go out there without We don't go out there without weapon.

He does. My mother in law had no. Yeah, they had no no.

Yeah when I came, because they know when I talk about you know, these things. Yeah, he said, no, we ain't going out there with that now. And we definitely don't go out there at night. I can tell you that much.

Yeah.

Yeah, So yeah, the general consensus was, yeah, I saw something out there. But that's the thing that you know, that's what I was more worried about than anything. How am I going to explain this to people. That's the part that it just gets me, is like, man, I mean, at this point, I don't care if people believe me or not. It's it's the idea that I know what I saw out there that night. I've seen a lot of animals in different places. You know, Komoda dragon swimming

I can tell you that much the way.

Thinking about how this affected you when you saw that hand break that branch, uh, was it similar to being affected by seeing any of these Safari animals that you've mentioned that you've had run ins with, like going over to Africa or anything like that.

The closest thing that comes that comes to mind was this giant bull elephant that when we were we want the last round, we going obviously going to just like you see them as far as the big armored trucks. So you got that with you, but that wouldn't have stopped this particular bull elephant.

It was that feeling we was.

I was with a guy named Renaissy, and I was with one of my good friends, Mustafa. He lived in the area, so he knew he knew the animals. Sometimes I couldn't spy the animals because I wasn't used to a different color pattern. And he could spot like a guinea or he could spot a you know, a water hog before we could.

And all of that, and I mean brilliant, but neither none of.

Us expected a bull elephant to push down a big, old, giant teak tree that was man the size of some of the the Appalachian oaks around here, just pushed it down and then started at us. And moustaf areknew right then and there when he did that, he was showing a display that we needed to get out of there because he was gonna come and run. He was defending his There was a big herd of elephant there, but

Yeah, sometimes when people have experiences like this, it ends up putting them on a just kind of a quest to figure out what other things like this are happening around their area. Is that anything you experienced or was the the most of that? Just going up to talk to David mkhera.

Well, well, first, Dave's Dave's place over there at Terry Hill. It's amazing. I mean, he's he's taking a science, scientific approach to it and his his concepts and his ideas. I mean, I mean that was one of the things that when when we would bring when we brought friends to when we're interested in the play, they wanted to go see you know that the scientific approach he's.

Got to it.

But yeah, I took a deep dive into the boogers they call him. I want to know more about but that, And then I saw that you had you had done one, you'd done an interview with I believe one of the Bigfoot people about about them. And then there's this fella out of mortgage and that's talking about other cryptid stuff. It's places, I mean if there's ever going to be a place you're going to find something like like these, these animals. This this is the place because of the

That was my big thing.

And nobody's given a really given a They're they're staying anywhere from five hundred million to maybe a billion years old, these mountains. They're really not given an accurate estimate of It's kind of it's. Yeah, if there's ever in the diversity of life up here, it's just off the chain of never seen anything like you.

Man, whew.

So it sounds like there are definite areas in this national forest where things could hide and very rarely be seen if they didn't want to.

Yeah, I definitely believe that.

I mean, just I didn't realize the cave systems how intricate they are. They've got caves, they talk about the deepest cave systems up in Tennessee and all because we we had a cabin up there and like Ruby Falls, but they they're cave systems. I mean, just one of the one of the guys were watching before this, this this thing happened with the Bigfoot.

Actually venture twins.

They go down in these cave systems, and I was blown away by the They've got canyons of cave systems up and the around in this area, and it's yeah, if something wants to hide, it can hide around here.

Do you have any advice for people that find themselves in a situation close to it what you experienced that night?

My best advice is, don't go out there at night, and if if you, if you find yourself you know, and and that, make sure you bring a day pack with you when you go and all that, and bring a backup compass. Don't don't be you won't be able to have a phone. You won't use the phone up there. There's no phone service up there in those in those areas, and you won't be able to use GPS, even if even using the garments up there. I've heard stories from locals, I mean, people in at that that they got lost

Oh boy, absolutely, I think that's that's good advice. Jeff. It has been a extremely interesting account that you you shared with us, and I want to say thank you for coming on the show. If you had the chance to experience something like this again or to maybe get a better view of one of these creatures. Is that something that you would want to go towards having happen or not so much.

To be well, there's the curiosity to see you know. I guess it's like people like climb into a cage, you go see a great white shark.

You know, it's like that.

You know, there's the anticipation of the of the event and the action. Then you get the actual event if this thing comes bumping at you or whatever the sides.

Instead of breaking a branch throwing a rock.

You know, there's a there's a curiosity to know more about them. But at the same time as that is that underlying It's kind of like most of the stuff in the appellation is that beauty side of things, in that nostalgia. But at the same time you keep your mind about you. You know, it's kind of I'm up on the fence about that one. I don't think i'd want to run into one at night again, I can

Yeah, I would.

I would say so as well this experience. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary happening in your home after you got back from this experience over the years.

Other than I sat down and started writing down everything I could about it, and then, you know, I think I had to.

I had to find a sense of humor.

But well, we once we got over the initial show, we started to try to find a sense of humor about it. So like I wrote a song called Bigfoot, leave Me Alone, let Me Go Home, and that's that's. That's about all I could say about that. They you know, it's trying to make leavit, you know, because it's like I had to fall back on the stuff my years of working as a paramatic.

When you see some of the.

Darker sides of humanity and and and and deal with some of the more traumatic things, you know, you you you try to find a sense of humor or try to find a way to process and then move on, you know, or some surrounded by of course, I'm surrounded by force.

So yeah, exactly the area where you're at, there's a pretty much force everywhere. Before we do close out our our interview. I want to make sure just to double check was there anything else that you wanted to share regarding this account or anything that might be related to it.

That's you know, that's pretty much Jeremi. I mean, yeah, it's good talking to you about it. You know, it always feels good to talk about it and explain it, you know, without you know, trying to sound like you know you, you know, trying to you know, trying to keep it, you know, level ahead about it the way way it happened and and everything.

That's that. Yeah, thank you absolutely.

If there's anything that I can ever do to help, feel free to reach out and thank you for coming on the show to chat today.

Jeff, Yeah, thank thank you as well. Jerema you have a good day.

You as well. Just wanted to take a few minutes to say thank you to you all my listeners for listening to the podcast. Please take a minute to help out the show by subscribing on YouTube, making sure you hit the bell so you don't miss any notifications, and share the episode on YouTube with a friend. Also, if you're listening to us on a podcast, thank you so much. Make sure that you're subscribed, Share the show with a friend. Really,