I have an in-person interview with fellow Curyung Tribal Council Member Hillary, who was born and raised in Dillingham. She relays a few stories of encounters, as well as her growing up and being warned of the Hairy Man. For example, she grew up seeing uprooted trees stuck into the ground so often that it didn't occur to her that it wasn't normal until her teenage years.
My condolences to the family of Kerry Arnold, who was an inspiration to me.
This share is from Kathy, who lived on the Kenai Peninsula back in the 1990s. She had a neighbor who's husband was away, who called her over to look at something at her house. When Kathy asked her why, her neighbor said she needed someone else to see something because nobody would believe her.
Outside of Fairbanks in 2014, Kyle and his little brother were walking a trail and picking berries when they heard some odd noises that sounded like a low grumbling, and decided to leave. They realize they're being paced, so Kyle begins to trot but stops to prevent triggering a predator. Suddenly, his little brother sprints past him, so Kyle caught up with him and told him "walk, don't run!"
Back home, Joseph's family has a cabin off the Nushagak River, where he had an encounter back in the 1990s. One night while camping in the cabin alone, that was still under construction and had no glass in the windows, he heard a wolf howl far off in the distance that sounded like an imitation.
Jesse, a cannery worker from Dillingham, would go fishing at Silver Salmon Creek in his off time. On the second day of his camping trip, as he was cooking, he kept hearing a noise off in the distance he thought was a stray dog. Once he realized it wasn't a dog, he figured it could be a bear, but it wasn't close enough to him to be a threat wasn't worried.
A share from a relative (R) and his friend (RF) that took place off the Nushagak River near Henry's Slough while moose hunting. After spotting a bull from the water, they anchor their skiff and climb the bank, where they hear noise coming from another direction they assumed to be another bull. They decided to wait to increase the chances they both could drop one.
A share from Dan that happened when he was a kid in the 1970s off the Gulkana River. This experience is not typical of others in Alaska, as a Sasquatch saved Dan's life. Dan was lost while exploring and made a decision to enter the river while floating on a log to take him back to the Richardson Highway. Before he jumped into the water, which would have likely been a life-ending decision, a female Sasquatch rushed out of the woods and grabs him. Dan passed out from the terror, but woke up hours later in a dry area underneath some foliage and trees next to the highway
I did an interview with Mike who lives on a remote island in Alaska. He talks about stories from his elders, on the Hairy Man, and Little People.
Here are the images he shared:
Betty and John were house sitting for some friends, who were on vacation, to help protect their property during an ongoing theft problem in their area. They brought their RV and wedged it into the driveway and planned to camp in it while their friends were away.
Walter, Bernice, and their son Michael were on the Taylor Highway a few weeks ago near the Mosquito Fork. When they were coming upon a bridge, they thought they saw three people crossing over, but it looked like they had tails. Once they were closer, they saw the height of the sign on the bridge and determined those people were around 9' tall.
A share from Jack and Eric, where they had an experience three years ago while caribou hunting off the Maclaren River. Jack was aware of the Hairy Man, but still was a skeptic.
Back in 1978, Eric and a group of friend were in the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness area of the Tongass National Forest. During the day away from camp, they heard a scream in the distance, but figured it was an animal of some sort. When they returned to their camp, their equipment was moved, as if someone went through their things.
In the first week of August about 25 years ago, Daniel paid to fly into a spot on the Tikchik River to trout fish. While he was taking a break to eat a snack, he saw a dark figure in the willows, thinking it was a bear. He grabbed his .480 Ruger and began to scan the trees to spot the bear and look for cubs. To scare off the bear, he let out a scream and fired a shot.
A share from Ivan who had an encounter with his brother on the King Salmon River while searching for gold. On the third night, they set up a small camp, when they heard a scream that sounded like a woman being murdered. They went to check it out to offer help, but as they crossed the river and approached the bank, they had a realization that the source of the scream could be the Hairy Man.
Last winter, Brian headed to Delta Junction on the Richardson Highway to help a friend fix his snow machine. Near the Gulkana River, he noticed a black dot in the snow, which would likely not be a bear at that time of year. After helping his friend, he stayed the night and took off the next morning to head back to Anchorage. He felt ill shortly after leaving and pulled over near the Delta River to relieve himself when he noticed a black dot dart from his left to his right, prompting him to remember seeing the same thing the previous day.
