About 1970 and about 1977, Both in Missouri 

Both incedents are a little fuzzy to me concerning locations and a few details because, at the time, they were curious events that I experienced, nothing traumatic, as I didn't know now what I was experiencing. The first occurred when I was in the Boy Scouts, about 1970. It was in Missouri, possibly by Taum Sauk mountain. We had hiked a trail for about 5 miles into the woods. We came to thru-cut clearing that went for a ways up and down the hills-- the kind that utilities are run through, although there wasn't any power lines or anything visible. We set up camp at the bottom of two typical Ozark hills. It was starting to get dark and my scoutmaster sent me and another kid out to look for firewood. The other scout looked about camp while I looked up on one of the hills by the edge of the woods. I was a ways up and was getting an arm full when a rock hit by m e and rolled down the hill. I looked about and saw no one so I convinced myself that I must have kicked it as it was a rocky hill and so continued up. Another rock! This time I knew someone threw it. I knew the rest of the scouts were at camp, yet someone out in the middle of nowhere was in the woods tossing rocks. I looked down the hill and yelled to my friend that maybe he would find more wood up here with me, but he said he was doing fine. All the while I was yelling to my friend, I was looking out the corner of my eye and I could see somebody behind a tree. What's more, there was more than one as I could hear them talking in between my yelling , although I couldn't make out what they were saying. I figured they had to be some hillbillies, seeing there was nothing around there. Just then my friend said to come back down as the scoutmaster said we had enough wood, which I gladly complied with and started on down. I went about 10 steps and quickly turned around in an effort to get a better visual on the tricksters. I did see them and was amazed at how much ground they had covered. They were near the top of the hill and were jumping over a log. I was able to see their silhouettes. One looked to be about my size, while the other was bigger and huskier with (what I thought was) a big
(hairy) coat on. It seemed to me they were barefoot too-- thus confirming my hillbilly suspicion. The scouts and scoutmaster didn't believe me and just said "well, just don't go up there, stay by camp".
Like I said, this was just a curious event of my life. We did not know anything about Bigfoot behavior then, or that they came in all different sizes! There had been reports of "MoMo the monster" just about that time, but I made no connection with what I saw until recently, by way of YouTube. 
The same can be said of my second incident. About 1977, I think near Pacific Mo., where we used to wade the Merramac river for fish. It was late morning as I remember it was sunny and starting to get warm, my friend said he found a new place to fish, and had caught some big ones previously. I followed him into the woods where I remember it was shady and cool. We had to climb over a couple of fallen trees as we entered. We walked along a small hillside trail towards the river when we kept hearing what I can best describe as "a hound dog with a sore throat" making a horrendous yelping sound-- and boy was it loud! I kept looking around for the source but saw nothing. I exclaimed to my friend, "What the h--l is that! I can't see anything!" He stopped and just looked off in a direction for a few moments and said, " I think I do". He just kept staring and ignoring me as I inquired what he saw. He pointed at a tree but I, once again, saw nothing. He didn't say he saw Bigfoot I don't think, if he did, I just thought he was joking and poo-pooed him. He just said "Let's go back". If I ever see him again, I will ask him what he saw. Once again, just a curious event-- nothing traumatic( for me), and as such, was forgotten-- until recently. I was watching a Bigfoot video and I heard the EXACT same sound I had heard so many years ago, and the memory came back. I won't go into other "curiosities ", such as finding unidentifiable doo-doo, and smelling mysterious smells like a skunk/urine/B.O. mixture, while in the Boy Scouts. Surely the answer to these mysteries were not to be found in our Boy Scout handbook, but are now, finally, coming to light. 

Dan Eckhard




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