Too Close For Comfort In Oklahoma
An Interview With Bigfooter Randy
Harrington
By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher
Chickasaw National Park |
I’m constantly
intrigued by the little things people tell me about their bigfooting
experiences. So many details come to light that help us all put the pieces
together about how they live and interact with each other. Like the things that
were revealed when I was talking to Randy Harrington about his encounter with a
couple of them while bigfooting at an Oklahoma campground. While trying to get
pictures of the elusive creature, he found himself a little too close for
comfort.
Dorraine:
When was the encounter, Randy?
Randy: February of 2006.
Dorraine:
And where did this happen?
Randy: South central Oklahoma, Chickasaw National
Park, Rock Creek Campgrounds.
Dorraine: Okay, describe the terrain there. What kind of
area is it?
Randy: It’s
alongside a spring-fed creek running into Arbuckle Lake. Mostly pine tree's and
some hardwoods filtered throughout the camp areas and surrounding wooded
area's.
Dorraine: Describe
the events.
Randy: When
I pulled into the camp area, I noticed right off the bat that there was no camp
host at the front area, and as I pulled through the park there was nobody else
in the park. I was alone there. The park has a history of sightings with camp
sites visited by bigfoot there. So I was trying to make my campsite appear
abandoned. I had a tent and a table full of food set up as bait. I was in the
cab of my truck with blankets blocking all the windows. I had a parabolic
microphone taped to the outside roof of my truck with the ear phone cord
running through my driver door to my headset for listening. After a couple
hours of nothing, I started hearing something walking through leaves somewhere
in the park. I also heard trash can lids being taken off of the cans and then
being replaced back on the cans from other area's of the park. I heard a stick
or club being drug through the gravel pathways in the park as whatever was
walking had a stick with it. Then I heard a metal post get tapped then several
seconds later another post was struck..It sounded like the metal lantern posts
that is found at each camp site being hit.
And the cadence would suggest hitting the posts at different camp sites
as it strolled through the park. Eventually, whatever was coming through the
park came in behind my truck under cover of the tree's and stopped. I would
then hear it move slightly, then stop...then move slightly again. I was
straining and looking through a crack in my blankets and viewing down the
driver side of my truck to try to find where it was. Then I saw something
behind my truck 30 feet or so in the woods step out alongside the tree it was
[standing]behind with both hands holding the tree, and then step back behind
the tree. So now I knew where it was, and it looked like a person.
Dorraine:
You could see it clearly?
Randy: It
was cold that night, and there was a full moon that was very bright. Visibility
was excellent for the time of night it was (about 10 [o’clock] or so).
Dorraine:
Did you see that it was carrying something?
Randy: I never saw a stick or club in it's hand, but
I heard a loud tree knock at this point I am assuming it came from the
bigfoot. I was watching behind my truck.
Dorraine:
Did you hear anything else?
Randy: As soon as the tree was hit, I heard
something sloshing across rock creek about 30 to 50 feet behind the bigfoot
which was 30 foot or so behind my truck.
Dorraine: What
do you think was going on there?
Randy: Even
though I can only tell you what I heard, it seems the tree knock signaled
another one to join the bigfoot behind my truck because I was watching shadowy
movement in the tree's where I saw the first one.
Dorraine:
Were you hearing anything more at that point?
Randy: I heard the loudest owl call I have ever
heard from somewhere back there. Then a few seconds later another call exactly
the same with a warble at the end. There was a total of 15 to 17 calls every 10
seconds or so within a 3 minute period. They seemed to be getting louder and
louder from beginning until the last one. At that point, two creatures broke from the tree line
directly behind my truck. A large one was
in front with a smaller one just to his right flank but they were hustling to
get to the back corner of my truck. They were bumping into each other as they
approached, the big one was stooped over with arms swinging slightly side to
side with the smaller one just racing to get to my tailgate. The big one
stopped at the back driver’s side corner of my truck and grabbed my ladder
racks and stood straight up. This was the first time I had a size reference,
and he was huge. he was a head taller than my racks, and they measure 7 ft from
the ground. So this male was about 8 1/2 feet tall.
Randy showing and comparing height of the creature |
Randy: Even though there was a full moon, it did not
give the kind of light needed for details, but I saw light coming through the
hair on the shoulders, he was massive muscularly, with a v shaped torso, lean.
I saw the latissimus [dorsi] muscle come up to his arm pit and it looked like a
bodybuilder. I saw it's hand wrap around the side post of my racks with the
other hand on the rear cross beam.
Dorraine:
What was the color?
Randy: All I can say is it was a dark color, but I
can't say what that color was.
Dorraine:
How did it move?
Randy: He seemed very nervous, He was looking
towards the tent which was located at my 2 o'clock. He positioned himself in a
spot that put the truck between him and the tent, not knowing I was looking at
him at this point at about 10 to 12 feet. When he approached he was stooped
like a gorilla. His hands were very close to the ground without actually
touching the ground.
Dorraine:
Did they make any other sounds or verbalization?
Randy: Just the owl calls prior to stepping out of
the woods. I am assuming it was him making the calls because of the proximity
and the abruptness and they stopped immediately after they came out. And I
never heard them again after that.
Dorraine:
How did you feel when you saw him?
Randy: My
heart was racing from the initial beginning. But it took a long time to go from
when I started hearing it in the park looking in the trash cans until my actual
first sighting. When the first one stepped out and then back, my heart was
racing pretty good. Everything was moving at a pretty good clip up until the
large bigfoot stood erect at the back of my truck and I had my first look with
my truck as a comparison to just exactly how big he was. And I was in complete
panic mode at this point. I slowly closed the blankets with very little
movement right by my driver’s side mirror, and sunk back into the shadows of my
front seat very fearful of what could happen.
Dorraine:
What thoughts were going through your mind?
Randy: My
heart was beating so hard at this point. My head was down and I could see and
feel my shirt pulsating with my heartbeats. So I pulled my back off the seat
because I was afraid this creature could feel my heart beat through the metal
of my truck he was holding on to. And I desperately did not want them to know I
was there. My fear subsided somewhat almost immediately, because the bigfoot
climbed on the back of my truck. And you may think I am crazy for not being as
scared at this point, but at least I knew where he was instead of me thinking
it was coming up to try and look into the windows where I was at. I did not
know until the next day that he was only on my bumper, but I thought he was in
the bed of my truck. I even grabbed the ignition thinking if he climbed on my
cab I was gonna have to break cover and start my truck up to get out of there.
But I felt him on the back of my truck and I soon started hearing him rummaging
through the things in the back of my truck: camping supplies, Tupperware
containers, a generator, etc. At some
point they became interested in a couple small green propane tanks I had back
there. They accidentally tapped them together and then started tapping them
together on purpose. Then they left. A while later I heard what sounded like the
same metal lantern posts being struck that I heard on the bigfoots initial
approach, but did not realize until daylight the next morning when I got out to
look around and found my two propane tanks gone. So I may have been hearing the
tanks being struck together as they were leaving.
Dorraine:
How long was the encounter?
Randy: From the first footsteps in the leaves until
they left was at least an hour. The park is big with over 120 campsites, so
there were a lot of trash cans looked into before making his way up to the
campsite I was at 30.
Dorraine:
Were you able to take any pictures or video of anything?
Randy: I had a video camera right beside me in the
seat. But as things progressed and I saw the creature, I would not have opened
my door for a million bucks. I thought I was gonna be found dead of a heart
attack. My heart was beating so hard and fast. When I set this whole thing up,
I thought the safest way to get a photo was just hit my headlights and have the
camera rolling. I was desperately hoping
they would move in from of my truck, but they never did, they came in from the
rear and left the same way, along the creek.
Dorraine:
Did you look or see any tracks?
Randy: Just
dirty old scuff marks on my bumper the ground there is all gravel and leaf
litter.
Dorraine:
Did you notice anything else?
Randy:
Something came back a few hours later and got into the food on the table. I was
still hoping for something to move into position for my headlights to light
them up. But even this second visit did not pan out. Which I believe could have
been a female and a youngster by the way it sounded.
Dorraine:
What about the sound make you think that?
Randy: Well,
after the large male and the youngster left, I remained in the truck. My only
goal was take a picture of one. My hope from the beginning was to stay inside
the truck and hit my headlights and film them that way, while still safely
inside. Even when all this was taking place, through the fear and shock, My
main goal was to not reveal my position, and hope they would explore all area's
of the camp. And at some point end up in the beam of my headlights. That is why
I was being so patient in just waiting them out. Anyway, about an hour after
the two left, I am sitting there listening through the parabolic mic and I
start hearing something moving towards my area. It had been silent for a while,
so when I heard the movement, I was hoping for a return of the two bigfoot. I
still had never opened my door or anything to give it away that I was in there,
because you never know if you are being watched. So I hear something approach
and every few seconds I hear a small voice without a lot of volume let out a
scream/yell. It sounded almost like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. Like
it was being forced to come to the table. As whatever is approaching, something
yells/screams again and again with several seconds between vocals. Whatever it
was comes directly to the table I had set out with baits. The first encounter,
the male bigfoot and young, they never went to the table for the bait.
Randy: I think it was because I had it set up too
close to the tent. But after all this time with no movement from my tent, I
think they knew it was vacant. So whatever is at my table starts munching on
some of the food.
Dorraine:
What did you leave for them?
Randy: I had purchased a plastic container with
melon pieces in it and just had it laid open on the table with some apples.
Dorraine:
Okay, so then what happened?
Randy:
Whatever was at the table, and it would be [at] my 3 o'clock position, was
eating the melon pieces. And here is the weird part: When a bite was taken, you
could clearly hear a sucking sound much like you or I would do when eating a
peach. Since I was still set up for taking a picture, I thought this set of
creatures would move within inches of the front of my truck, and all this time I was
thinking was this is going to be successful because I am being patient and
sticking with my plan. Rather than trying to get out and they run off before I
even snap a picture. Anyway, they eventually leave also. So I am just sitting
there hoping and waiting while peeking out over the hood of my truck to see if
anything steps up. But that was the last visitors of the night. It had to be 3
or 4 o'clock at this time. My adrenaline still had me on edge. So it was easy
to just sit quietly and wait for another visit, or morning. And it was morning
that came first.
Dorraine: So
what happened in the morning?
Randy: There was something interesting about the layout
of the food. There was what appeared to be small hand prints at the edge of the
table. And right where those prints were, an apple was right there at the edge,
moved from the small pile of apples. It had teeth marks all the way around it,
but no bite taken out of it. Some of the melon pieces were sitting out of the
container with a nice arc from a bite taken out of the square piece.
Dorraine:
What was that all about?
Randy: It
almost looked like maybe a small bigfoot was at the edge of the table, and momma
rolled an apple over to keep him busy while she ate the melon pieces. That is
only what it had sounded like, and what the food on the table showed the next
morning
Dorraine:
Had you seen any of this happen from the truck?
Randy: I did not see either of these creatures this
second time around. I was in my driver seat trying to be quiet when they
approached, and the table was set up on the passenger side of my truck. I had an ice chest and other things loaded all
in the back seat and passenger seat. So I could not move to that side of the
truck without jostling the cab. And I still was hoping for them to move into
the front of my truck for a picture. So I did not risk trying to move over and
look through the blankets on that side of the truck.
Dorraine: Do
you think any of them ever knew you were in the truck?
Randy: I really don't believe they were ever aware I
was in there. The big one was looking in the direction of the tent before I
close the blankets and retreated back into my seat.
Dorraine: Did you ever get a look at their faces at
all?
Randy: I saw
no details of their faces, the young one moved directly behind the tailgate
after approaching. That would be to the right of the big one. It was about 10 or 11 PM at this point. Even
though there was a full moon, and it would be easy to walk in that kind of
brightness, it did not afford me the ability to see anything but shadows in the
head area of the creature. One thing that stood out to me was being able to see
light through the hair on top of the shoulder.
Dorraine: When this event took place, I know you were
pretty shook up at the time, but looking back on the situation now, how much
danger did you feel you were in? Or did you?
Randy: I really did not have time to entertain the
thought of being in danger. I don't think danger was anything that I thought. I
think I was in shock. After having many,
many ways to think it through, and now having the hindsight. And at the time, not knowing what was going
to happen, even as it unfolded, and compared
to now knowing what happened, I think I’d just describe it as feeling like I
was in danger. But in all reality, I may have been going a little into shock.
Dorraine:
Describe the events when you left the area.
Randy: I
started calling people on my cell phone as soon as they left, even though it
was 3 or 4 in the morning. I was busting to tell someone. My friend who lived a
few towns away showed up and we went over everything that happened, and looked
for evidence on my truck.
Dorraine:
What did you do in the days and weeks after the encounter? Did you tell anyone
or alert authorities?
Randy: I have been back there many times. I have
talked to people who have seen them in the park, I have talked to Park
officials and camp hosts etc. But never reported it to any law enforcement or
anything like that.
Dorraine:
This a curious detail about the garbage cans in the beginning. You said you
heard them being removed and replaced. Even a careless human would just throw
the lids on the ground, but they put them back on. Do you suppose it was a
deliberate attempt to not leave evidence that they had been there?
Randy: Well,
After my encounter..I contacted a man named Charles Hallmark. He had been
researching the park for several years. He was very generous with his knowledge
and willing to share them with me. He had experimented with baits for a few
years in the park in an attempt to get finger prints. There was a cabin about 5
miles south of the park that had activity. The guy would put a cantaloupe under
a milk crate with a large stone on top. When he would return a few days later,
the cantaloupe was gone but there were scrape marks where the crate was pulled
forward and then lifted back to where it was originally, minus the cantaloupe. Also, Charles Hallmark told me one he would
place a cinder block on top of the cans he was baiting. Upon initial inspection
the cans looked untouched. But inside the can where he placed several baits in
a rolled up bag....all looked the same until he picked up the bag....it would
be noticeably lighter. They would only take a small amount (maybe 1 hamburger)
from the bag and re-roll it up and place it back in the can and put the lid
back on, and the cinder block too. Charles said it hardly ever snowed down
there. But one time it did when he was baiting, and tracks were left next to
the trash can, except they came down the road from Veterans Lake (gravel road
with cedar woods on both sides) and retreated the same way. So yes, they do try
to show they were not there.
Dorraine:
Since the encounter, have you had any additional thoughts, developed any
philosophies?
Randy: Just
nagging questions. Hardly a day goes by I don't relive some of those events in
my memory. A few years ago I had a
therapist put me under regression therapy to try and get more details from that
night. When you can't get answers about what happened to you, you spend a lot
of time scouring sighting reports and trying to talk to other witnesses to help
understand what you saw. It becomes a consuming quest for an understanding.
Dorraine: Thanks so
much, Randy. *******DF
©The Crypto Crew
[Photos : Randy Harrington]
This post sponsored in part by
facebook.com/TheCryptoCrew
Now you can get our blog on your Kindle!
I think this is one of the best blogs on this subject i have ever seen!!!!
ReplyDeleteHeard this Guys story once on a blog show I think, great encounter. I wanna see one!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of bigfoot sightings in that park system. R.I.P. Charles Hallmark.
DeleteOh !! this is the nice way to understand the big deal.You have really choose the best one topic to present here. i also thing that you can perform your duty very well.
ReplyDelete