Backwoods Bigfoot Stories

• BWBS Ep:96 Missing: National Park Nightmares Vol.9

  National Park Nightmares: "The Vanishing at White Wolf"Peter Jackson was 74 years old the day he disappeared without a trace in Yosemite National Park. A veteran hiker in excellent physical condition, Peter had spent decades exploring America's wilderness areas with methodical precision. He never took unnecessary risks. He never strayed from his planned routes. And he never, ever failed to return when expected.September 17, 2016. Peter sends a simple text to his son: "On my way to Yosemite." It would be the last anyone ever heard from him.He checks into campsite #58 at White Wolf Campground, a remote facility at 8,000 feet elevation, paying for five nights through September 21st. His car, a well-maintained sedan, sits at the edge of a forest of lodgepole pines and white firs. His tent is pitched with military precision. Everything is exactly as it should be. Except Peter packed his royal blue Outdoor Products daypack and set off on what should have been a routine day hike. He never came back.When park rangers conduct their end-of-stay check on September 21st, they find Peter's campsite exactly as he'd left it four days earlier. His car is still parked at the site. His gear is neatly organized. But Peter is gone, and so is his blue backpack.This triggers one of the most extensive search operations in recent Yosemite history. Over 50 personnel from multiple agencies spend nearly two weeks combing through 50 square miles of wilderness. Search dogs follow scent trails that lead nowhere. Helicopters equipped with infrared technology scan dense forest canopy. Ground teams rappel into ravines and search areas so remote they haven't seen human footprints in years. They find nothing. Not a single trace of Peter Jackson.By October 2nd, with autumn storms rolling in and temperatures dropping, the inevitable decision comes. Peter's case is downgraded to "limited continuous" status. The active search ends. Park officials maintain that any new evidence will be followed up on, but the reality sets in for Peter's family: he's simply vanished into the vast wilderness of Yosemite National Park. For nearly three years, Peter Jackson becomes another statistic in Yosemite's growing list of unsolved disappearances. His case joins approximately 30 other active missing persons files, each representing someone who entered the park and never returned. The wilderness keeps its secrets well.Then, in August 2019, a trail maintenance crew working on erosion control in a remote area between Aspen Valley and Smith Peak makes a startling discovery. Hidden under a fallen tree, they find a weathered royal blue backpack. It's Peter Jackson's daypack, confirmed by serial numbers and distinctive wear patterns. But the location makes no sense. The pack was discovered approximately seven to eight miles from White Wolf Campground—far beyond Peter's typical five-mile hiking range. Even following established trails, reaching this spot would require a trek of over ten miles through challenging terrain.The discovery creates more questions than answers. What was Peter doing so far from his campsite? How did an experienced hiker end up in terrain he'd never ventured to before? And perhaps most intriguingly, the pack was found in Ackerson Meadow—an area that had only been officially added to Yosemite National Park in September 2016, the same month Peter disappeared.The formal announcement came just ten days before his final visit. Was Peter attempting to explore this newly protected land?Park rangers immediately organize a detailed search of the area where the backpack was found. For a week, specialized teams scour the terrain using metal detectors, ground-penetrating radar, and search dogs trained to find human remains. They cover two square miles of challenging wilderness, checking every fallen tree, rock crevice, and hidden ravine. They find nothing.The backpack itself yields few clues. It contains the standard gear of a day hiker: a partially empty water bottle, a weathered trail map, a small first aid kit, an emergency whistle, a weatherproof jacket, and several expired energy bars. What's missing speaks volumes—no cell phone, no GPS device, no camera. Nothing that might tell investigators where Peter intended to go or what happened to him.Theories abound but none can fully explain the mystery. Did Peter suffer a sudden medical emergency—a heart attack or stroke—in this remote location, somehow becoming separated from his pack? Did he encounter dangerous terrain, suffering a fatal fall while his pack remained behind? Was he exploring the newly added Ackerson Meadow when something went wrong? Or did environmental factors—sudden weather changes or disorientation—lead to a tragic end?Today, Peter Jackson's case remains open. His disappearance stands as a reminder of the wilderness's enduring mysteries and the limitations of even the most advanced search techniques. Park rangers continue to learn from his case, emphasizing the importance of detailed hiking plans and emergency communication devices. But most of all, Peter's story serves as a sobering reminder that in places of extraordinary beauty lurk equally extraordinary dangers.The last text message Peter sent still haunts those who knew him: "On my way to Yosemite." Three simple words that marked the beginning of a journey with no end, a mystery with no solution, and a wilderness that still keeps its secrets. Somewhere in Yosemite's vast expanse, answers may still lie waiting to be discovered. Until then, the question remains: what happened to Peter Jackson on that September day in 2016?If you have any information about Peter Jackson's disappearance, please contact Yosemite National Park at 209-379-1926 during business hours, or 209-379-1992 after hours. In the wilderness, we are all responsible for each other's safety. Stay aware, stay prepared, and most importantly, let someone know where you're going. Because the difference between a successful hike and a missing persons case can be as simple as a few words shared before you head into the wild.

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• BWBS Ep:95 These Things Are Smart!

  Tonight I share  five extraordinary encounters with unexplained forest beings across five decades and thousands of miles of American wilderness, told by witnesses who never met yet describe remarkably similar experiences.Olympic Peninsula, Washington - 1968 & 1973 A fire lookout witnesses a massive bipedal creature investigating a log in the remote Olympics. The witness describes intelligence in the being's eyes and the sensation of being observed. Years later, while hunting, he encounters multiple creatures communicating through wood knocks and territory marking with strategically broken trees.Adirondack Mountains, New York - 1976 & 1988 A biology graduate student conducting acid rain research experiences terrifying vocalizations and heavy bipedal footsteps circling her camp. Twelve years later, while camping with her husband, they both witness the same wood-knocking communication and glimpse a large, hair-covered figure—validating her earlier encounter and challenging her scientific understanding.Ozark Mountains, Arkansas - 1985 & 1997 An experienced hunter describes a creature methodically untying a rope supporting their game—showing dexterity and problem-solving unlike any known wildlife. Despite having a clear shot, he chooses not to fire after recognizing intelligence in the creature's eyes. His second encounter while hunting with his teenage son reveals territorial behavior through wood knocks and stone throwing.Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina - 2002 & 2005 A pastor on a solitary retreat encounters unusual branch arrangements and "offerings." He describes the creatures' apparent response to prayer, adding a spiritual dimension to the encounter. Years later, with his young nephew, they witness coordinated movement around their camp and discover a precisely arranged pile of pinecones topped with a wild strawberry.Humboldt County, California - 2019 & 2022 A wildlife biologist in California's redwood forests provides our most technical account, describing coordinated group behavior, tool use, and possible communication attempts. Her scientific training allows detailed analysis of vocalizations with infrasonic components and footprints suggesting creatures weighing 600-700 pounds moving with bipedal locomotion unlike any known mammal. What makes these accounts compelling is the consistent behavioral patterns described by witnesses separated by thousands of miles and decades: the same wood knocking communication, branch breaking patterns, gift exchanges, and sense of being observed by something intelligent yet non-human.Get Our FREE NewsletterGet Brian's Books Leave Us A VoicemailVisit Our WebsiteSupport Our SponsorsVisit Untold Radio AM

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• BWBS Ep:94 Wood Apes

  Tonight week on Backwoods Bigfoot Stories, I share five compelling firsthand accounts from professionals who encountered something unexplained in America's remote wilderness areas.From a National Park ranger in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains to a hunter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a search and rescue coordinator in Oregon's Cascades to a wildlife photographer in California's redwoods, and finally an environmental scientist in New Hampshire's White Mountains - each witness describes encounters with intelligent, bipedal beings that demonstrated complex communication patterns, territorial awareness, and deliberate avoidance of documentation.Most striking are the consistent elements across these independent accounts: rhythmic wood knocks in three-two-one patterns, gift exchanges, manipulation of human equipment, and apparent concern for lost humans - suggesting something unknown but intelligent shares our most isolated forests.Listen to discover what happens when trained observers with professional reputations at stake encounter something that defies conventional explanation.

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• BWBS Ep:93 Missing: National Park Nightmares Vo.8

  Vanished in the Sierra - The Mysterious Disappearances of Sandra Johnsen Hughes and Joel ThomazinIn this haunting eighth installment of National Park Nightmares, we delve into two perplexing disappearances that occurred just fourteen months apart in the rugged wilderness of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Join your host as we explore the baffling circumstances surrounding Sandra Johnsen Hughes and Joel Thomazin, two experienced outdoor enthusiasts who entered the wilderness and seemingly vanished without a trace.Our journey begins in the summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when 54-year-old Sandra Johnsen Hughes sought solace in the pristine wilderness of Sierra National Forest. A former Hawaii resident with college training as a park ranger, Sandra was no novice to the outdoors. We trace her final known movements from her last contact with family on June 26th through the mysterious discovery of her abandoned campsite on July 2nd—found in complete disarray, a state that contradicted her meticulously organized nature. The mystery deepens as we examine the puzzling sequence of events: her silver Saab crashed at suspiciously low speed, a barefoot sighting with an unexplained bruise on her face, her sleeping bag discovered miles away just inside Yosemite National Park's boundary, and the most baffling element—a reported sighting by hunters over a month after her disappearance. Could Sandra have survived alone in the wilderness for weeks without supplies? And what are we to make of the eerie account from a three-year-old boy who, a year later, claimed to see a woman matching Sandra's description lying face down in a meadow, insisting she was "already dead"?Our episode continues with 31-year-old Joel Thomazin, a U.S. Army reservist and father to a two-year-old son, who set out on what should have been a routine solo hiking and fishing trip in September 2021. With his distinctive bright red inflatable kayak and vintage 1918 Army steel cup, Joel planned a straightforward route from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to Lake Eleanor—a journey of approximately nine miles each way.Last seen by a park ranger on the afternoon of September 6th crossing above O'Shaughnessy Dam, Joel never returned on his scheduled date of September 9th. Despite extensive searches involving teams from multiple agencies, not a single trace of Joel or his distinctive equipment was ever found. We share the heartbreaking words of his wife Amanda, who asked for prayers that Joel would know "he is not alone out there," and examine the painful reality of how families cope with ambiguous loss when no closure is possible.As we conclude this episode, we reflect on the cruel paradox of these cases—how the very wilderness that draws us with its beauty and promise of solitude can also swallow us without witness or explanation. The disappearances of Sandra Johnsen Hughes and Joel Thomazin remain unsolved, joining over thirty cold cases in Yosemite's troubling history. Whether their fates were sealed by tragic accidents, deliberate choices, foul play, or something more mysterious, their stories remind us of the wilderness's power and our ultimate vulnerability within it.If you have any information about either of these cases, please contact the Madera County Sheriff's Office at (559) 675-7770 regarding Sandra Johnsen Hughes or Yosemite Search and Rescue at (209) 238-7046 regarding Joel Thomazin.

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• BWBS Ep:92 Bigfoot Lured Me In!

  Step into the ancient forests of the Olympic Mountains as we present a riveting first-person account that will challenge everything you thought you knew about the natural world. In this episode, we follow Mike Calloway, an experienced hunter whose annual elk hunting trip with his father transforms into something extraordinary—an encounter with an intelligence not recognized by science.Mike's journey begins with the familiar ritual of preparation—checking gear, studying maps, and making the long drive into increasingly remote territory.Having hunted these woods for fifteen years alongside his father Jack, a former Forest Service ranger, Mike knows the Olympic Peninsula intimately. Or at least, he thought he did.Their hunt starts routinely enough, with father and son separating at first light to cover more ground. It's during Mike's solitary trek along a promising ridge that the familiar rhythms of the forest are broken by something unexpected—three distinct knocks against wood, delivered with unmistakable purpose. What follows draws Mike deeper into the wilderness, the knocking seemingly tracking his movements, responding to his presence in ways that defy natural explanation.The culmination of this strange pursuit is a moment that will forever divide Mike's life into before and after: face-to-face with a creature standing eight feet tall, covered in reddish-brown hair, with hands—not paws—and eyes conveying an intelligence that stops his breath. Most astonishing is the deliberate communication, as the creature demonstrates it has been the source of the knocking, even responding to Mike's own tentative attempt at reply.That night brings even greater wonders and terrors when multiple creatures surround their camp, communicating through complex knocking patterns and haunting vocalizations that echo through the mountains.Objects are tossed into their campsite—not as threats, but seemingly as attempts at interaction. By morning, both Mike and his father have glimpsed something that shouldn't exist, something that challenges their understanding of reality itself. The aftermath of this encounter plunges Mike into a crisis of understanding. He tries drinking it away at first, then turns to obsessive research, finding reports of similar experiences spanning decades. A conversation with his father brings partial comfort—at least they share the burden of knowing—but no real answers. The world is bigger, stranger, more mysterious than they've been taught, and perhaps that's not such a terrible thing to discover.Months later, drawn by an irresistible need for understanding, Mike returns to the forest alone. This time, he brings not weapons but tools for communication—recording equipment, and small gifts that might interest creatures possessing obvious intelligence but no exposure to human technology. Over three days, he establishes increasingly complex communication through knocking patterns and receives an extraordinary response—his offered mirror is taken, replaced with a piece of bark polished to create a reflective surface, evidence of tool use and symbolic thinking that transcends mere animal behavior.he story culminates in a deeply personal decision. After witnessing his son's transformation and unable to fully rationalize their shared experience, Mike's father joins him on subsequent trips to the forest. Together over three years, they forge a fragile connection with these beings, learning enough of their percussive language to announce their presence and convey peaceful intentions. They choose to keep their discovery private, protecting these creatures from a world that would inevitably seek to study, categorize, and perhaps destroy what it cannot understand. This profound narrative invites us to consider what other intelligences might share our planet, moving silently at the edges of our awareness, and what responsibilities come with such knowledge. As Mike and his father continue their twice-yearly pilgrimages into the ancient woods, they carry a secret that has fundamentally changed them—a glimpse behind the veil of what we think we know about the world, and the humbling recognition that we are not alone.

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