It is not unusual for us to receive e-mails related to Bigfoot sightings, but when a sighting becomes a close encounter of the ape kind, now that’s a different story.

Jason Richardson is an avid 48 year old hiker. He has done the Appalachian trail and climbed countless European mountains. He had never imagined the situation he found himself in during a simple hike in Northern California.

It was a full day hike consisting of 9.5 miles across the beautiful South Lake Tahoe, ending in Mount Tallac’s summit, which sits at 9,735ft above sea level.

Richardson’s experience made him feel confident that he would be able to finish the trail in less time than a full day. He carried enough food and water to manage for about 17 hours and just in case something went wrong, he carried a small-one person camouflage shelter attached to his backpack.

“I had a clear idea where I was going, I carried enough food and water for a day and I determined the trail wouldn’t take that long. Boy was I wrong.” Says Richardson in the email. “I gotta say the first ten hours of the trip were enjoyable, it is a good time of the year (late Spring) to do some bird watching and you can spot some cool animals here and there. Of course, you always have to keep a close eye on the bears, but carrying strong pepper spray gives you an edge should any bear problem arise.”

He had reached for a water bottle, hanging on the side of his backpack, when he noticed the awkward sound; a guttural, human-baby voice.

“Hell, I thought I should check, it could have been an abandoned baby or who knows,” he describes what happened next, ” Then, as I put the bottle of water down on the ground, I headed to the bush where I thought I’d heard the sound. When I woke up I had no idea where I was and my head hurt wonders.”

By Miguel Vieira from Walnut Creek, CA, USA [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Jason was inside a small cavern, and the sound of running water nearby drew him back to his full senses. When he looked up he saw an image he will never forget.

“There were two big bear-like creatures, standing up, seemingly arguing with each other in that same guttural tone of voice I had heard earlier back on the trail. I felt the back on my head and I noticed I had some blood. Something or someone had hit me hard enough for me to pass out and the carried along the trail inside a small cave or something. Their paws didn’t have claws, and I can tell they resembled human features. To be honest I wasn’t able to make out fingerprints or nothing, but what struck me hard was that they were completely hairless up to the elbow. Their torso and legs were covered in thick red hair, and their feet were even hairier, I couldn’t see any toes. No nails neither.”

If this story hasn’t caught your attention yet, wait to see what Jason has to say about the creatures’ upper bodies.

“I was terrified, I had no idea what was going on and it looked more like a nightmare or something. I thought maybe I had eaten something wrong or the water had gone bad, and I was hallucinating. But I wasn’t, what I was watching was real. My hands and ankles were tied up with some type of plant material. They stood tall, I calculated probably between eight to ten feet, and I wasn’t able to see their heads well. Then they approached me, and I pissed my pants, literally. I am not ashamed to say this, I was so fearful I had no idea if this was it you know? That’s when I saw their heads. Their necks were hairless and they reminded me of vultures. Their heads had red hair, but also black feathers or I don’t know what it was, but it looked like feathers to me. Their eyes were dark, very dark and big as they got close to me. They weren’t communicating with each other anymore. The tallest one grabbed me by the tied legs and pulled me across the cave, dropping me on the cold surface. I was silent, I was afraid if I talked it would make them upset and make it worse. Then the shortest one came by and kicked me in the chest, I almost lost conscience again. They left me alone for five minutes or so and when they came back they were carrying what looked like tools, made out of wood and stone. They set my hands and legs free but I didn’t move. I sat back, with my back on the wall of the cave, and I could feel water run inside my shirt. I think I was getting sick. Then they approached me again and grabbed me by the arms and legs and they threw me outside of the cave. They threw a sharp rock at me and it hit me on the back. I ran like I had never ran before. I didn’t have a backpack, food or water. I found the trail and got back to my vehicle. When I checked my watch I realized I had been captive for about ten hours. I didn’t report this incident. This is the first time I share the story with someone. I was embarrassed to talk about this. As I was driving back home I saw two kids with sticks playing by the edge of the woods, next to the road. They were very tall and had long hair. I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Was this a couple of Bigfoot or was it something else? Was Jason Richardson under the influence of some drug? Real or not, the truth is this is a story nobody would like to experience. Oh, and who were those kids?

Thank you Jason for sharing your experience.