A few years prior to 2023, Tabitha and Nicholas, two experienced long-distance hikers, set out on the Power Creek Trail near Cordova to reach the Ohman Falls cabin. After successfully navigating an initial major landslide approximately 0.8 miles into the trek under heavy rain, they reached a low saddle section of the trail filled with clear standing water and deep mud. Nicholas stepped off the trail to avoid the pool, prompting Tabitha to discover a fresh series of massive, water-filled muddy tracks that initially resembled large double bear prints. Continuing cautiously through the dense foliage, they began hearing a rhythmic, metallic 'crack-crack' sound of rocks being systematically struck together. As they progressed another 40 feet, the cadence accelerated into a rapid, high-speed clicking that mirrored the chattering warning bark of a squirrel, causing Tabitha's neck hair to stand up.
Moments later, the heavy sound of a bipedal entity walking directly down the slope toward them echoed through the trees. Hunkering down near a narrowed, overgrown corridor of the trail, they observed a large dark figure pacing back and forth across the path ahead. Assuming it was an unusually dark black bear, they slowly backtracked toward the landslide zone to provide space. Upon resting near the slide boundary, the high-speed rock-clacking erupted again. Nicholas attempted to deter the presence by shouting and loudly striking two large stones together; in response, a massive dark humanoid abruptly peeked out from the brush just 25 yards in front of them before drawing back.
Moments later, the creature dropped onto all fours and executed a rapid, highly unnatural 'spider-crawl' sidestep directly down the center of the trail toward them, exposing a dark-furred body coupled with a shockingly human-like face. As it stood up fully on two legs with a strange, rotating hip movement, Nicholas dropped his stones in horror. The couple panicked, fleeing blindly across the unstable rockslide area—sustaining numerous cuts and abrasions—only to look back from the halfway point and observe the silent, massive figure standing motionless on the trail watching them. As they ran down the mountain, the rapid rock-clacking pursued them closely through the thick shoreline brush, prompting Nicholas to halt and deploy an entire canister of bear pepper-spray in a wide defensive semi-circle before they successfully escaped the drainage.
