Something Walked Beside Us in the Dark — Garden of the Gods Encounter

0:00 You're listening to BIGFA Society, and I'm Jeremiah Byron. In this show, we go beyond the campfire stories to bring you first hand encounters from people who say they've seen something impossible. From backwoods trails and remote mountain haulers to quiet farms and crowded highways. The stories come from everywhere, and each one leaves us with more questions than answers. These are the. Voices of the people who've lived it. To settle in, because today you'll hear another account that just might change the way you see the woods forever. So stay with us, all. Right, BIGFA Society. You've got the privilege of talking to Amanda today. Amanda is a first time on the show, but you've heard another version of what happened to Amanda back in episode six sixty. I talked to Shelley about what happened to them in the Garden of the Gods area of southern Illinois down the Shawnee National Forest, I believe.

0:57 So Amanda reached out and she's like, hey, I would love to share my version of what I experienced during that encounter because they were both present for it. So it's a very special thing. This has happened I think maybe once one other time on the show. So it's very cool when you get two different individuals in two different episodes sharing about the same encounter, and different people remember different things. It's very interesting. So welcome to the show, Amanda. How are you doing today? I'm doing all right. How about you? Hey, doing great? Doing great. I was really excited to see your email come out of the blue, and this will be this will be a fun chat as well, So let's get right into it.

1:46 I got a few questions for you off the bat. Is there anything else that you would like to share about yourself before you get going? Well, back then, and this happened to us, I was a very lukewarm Christian and this experience changed me so much that I am on fire for God now. So it was it was a very very scary experience. That's fascinating, I would imagine. I'm going to make a note. We will chat about that later for sure. Did you what was your general experience level in the outdoors before this?

2:33 Okay, so in the outdoors before that, I went hiking a lot. I was always a hiker. I always loved camping. Been down to Brown County, Uh been camping all over Michigan, and yeah, just hiking basically everywhere I could. Were you interested in Bigfoot or Sasquatch before this encounter or was this completely out of the blue? This was completely out of the blue. Actually, before this, I actually did not really believe in Bigfoot or sasquash.

3:24 But when we got down there, there was this big statue of Sasse, the Sasquash, so I knew the area was known for Bigfoot, and I'm just like, yeah, whatever, And we took pictures with the statue and some funny pictures and everything else like that. But I was not really a believer before this experience. Gotcha, and had you had any other weird things happen out of the blue before this experience, not necessarily related to Bigfoot, but other things that might be not normal?

4:14 Yes? Actually, okay, So just to go back in time, my grandmother actually told me that when I was one and a half years old, I would get so scared laying in bed because I would look up to the ceiling and point and say, black shadow. I've always been able to see demonic figures. Unfortunately, my sister and I opened a door with the Ouiji board way back before high school and ever since then, I was seeing black shadows.

5:01 I don't anymore as of twenty twenty, but before twenty twenty I saw them all the time. I went through sleep paralysis like crazy, and yeah, it was just insane. It was very, very scary. Okay, so that's extremely interesting. So you said when you use the board, that's when the black shadows happened, But you were also having like dark figures when you were much younger as well. Yes, I was for some reason. I was just always able to see them before I completely gave my life to Christ.

5:46 Okay, Yeah, that's extremely interesting. Some individuals are very, very sensitive to the part of the world that we cannot see. Most people cannot see with their eyes. That is extremely interesting. What was the date and the date of this encounter? Again, it was either twenty fourteen or twenty fifteen. I can't completely remember. I think it was twenty fifteen. It was late June in the summer. So okay, and just s it's documented. Would you be able to describe exactly where this happened?

6:34 Yes, actually, okay. So it was about nine or ten o'clock at night, and we decided to go into the park from our campground to the Garden of the Gods. We laid on top of a rock and we saw all these beautiful stars, the Milky Way and a bunch of shooting stars, and then as soon as we got back to the parking lot, we see this big orb of light and then it just it just disappeared in an instant. And then we sat there and watched three other types of UFOs for a little bit, and then on our way we decided to leave. I felt pretty uneasy, to be honest, and on our way back to the campground, everything was completely silent. I didn't hear any bugs, nothing.

7:45 So we were walking on a paved path and the woods was right next to it, and as soon as we would walk, there was something that was bipedal in the woods walking next to us. We would stop and it would stop, and then once we kept walking again, it would start walking again. I did hear Stick's break and at this point I was completely freaking out, and I was just saying that our father prayer in my head the entire time to the way back to the campground, and it was a very very scary experience. I will never ever forget.

8:39 My goodness, how long do you think that experience lasted in all, oh. I would say probably about maybe ten minutes or so, possibly a little longer. Was there any Were there any strange smells during that time? I did not notice, Sonny, gotcha? And it excuse me? And you know you can hear you can hear something walking along with you the stick's breaking. How far away would you estimate that that was from you?

9:24 Guys? Basically right next to us? It was very very close, okay, so you know, maybe to put a distance on. Are you thinking maybe ten feet less than ten feet? Probably about ten feet. Okay, And you had said, I'll just ask you. So at the time, it's around ten feet away from me, it's walking alongside how how good was your vision was it? Were you able to see things? Was it by flashlight?

10:07 No? It was completely dark, completely dark, and we decided to turn our flashlights off because we didn't want to disturb whatever it was. Gotcha? At any time? Do you feel like you were able to see a part of what was ten feet away from you? Actually no, because of how dark it actually was outside, because we were on the paved path and we couldn't really see into the woods.

10:56 So no, but there was something, and that was one of the most scary experiences of my entire life. Absolutely, I mean, I can't imagine going through that when it's so close to you. What were the main things? You know, looking back on it now that you're thinking, okay, what was in there? Was a sasquatch as compared to like a bear or a deer. Were there any clues that kind of steered you in that certain way? Actually? Yes, because it was bipedal, I knew it wasn't an animal. Everything was dead quiet. And then once we got home from the trip, I actually did some research on UFO was in the area, first UFO sidings, and there was a lot and then a lot came up about sasquash as well, and how UFO sidings are usually tied in with other paranormal things like sasquash. So that's when I started believing that's what it was.

12:21 Absolutely, were you and were you and Shelley having any sort of conversation back and forth when you were walking to get back to I believe you're going back to the parking lot. Right right right, we were in the parking lot, we were having conversation, but when we were walking back, we were actually pretty quiet from what I remember. Now, gotcha, You've mentioned already that you seem to have a very heightened spiritual awareness, and yes, I think some listeners can.

13:07 Also know what that is. Where if you're in a certain area, something is out of the ordinary, it's kind of like you got you got Spidey sounds going off, or it's all depending on what your background is. You know, some people might say, oh, the Holy Spirit was really kicking in, or you're getting weird vibes. There's all sorts of ways to look into it. Did you have anything like that affecting you at the time? I had this feeling in the pit of my gut that it was something demonic, just because of my background with seeing black shadows and experiencing demonic things. So that's what led me to start saying that our Father in my head the whole way back basically, and I felt like that was pretty much protection.

14:05 Sure, how many times do you think you said the whole prayer on the way back? Oh? I would say probably about ten talkings maybe? Okay, Well, sure, was there any interesting things that happened when you started seeing the prayer or when you got to certain parts of the prayer. You know what, not that I can recall. I just remember feeling protected. Gotcha. Now you get back, you get back to your destination, things are great. Or how was it when you get to that area where you're headed?

14:54 Okay, so when we got back to the campsite, everything seemed normal again. I still kind of felt scared and uneasy. We were sitting by the campfire, and I got pretty tired. I felt protected, so I just went into the tent and went to sleep. And then it was I think about three o'clock in the morning. Shelly woke me up in the tent. I have never seen her so scared in my entire life. And she was telling me that her car doors were kept locking and unlocking by themselves.

15:41 So I told her to get in here, stay in the tent. Oh my goodness, that that is extremely intense. So she comes into the tent and you guys trying to probably settle down, maybe get to sleep. But did things continue to happen after you both were in the tent? You know what? Not that I remember, because I fell back to sleep pretty quick. But I know she stayed in the tent with me because of how scared she was. I mean I was up for you know, about fifteen minutes or so talking to her about all this, maybe even longer, and then I just went back to sleep.

16:35 I think she probably had trouble sleeping, but she did stay in the. Tent, gotcha. So you get through the whole night. And then what was the conversation like that next morning between the both of you. We were just baffled in just like what happened, of course, and we were talking about because we've experienced things together too, like demonic attacks, black shadows and all that, and we were talking about how, of course this would happen to us, you know, and that's pretty much it. And we actually did go hiking the next day, but we did leave that night. I could not stay another night. I was way too scared.

17:43 Oh sure, sure, definitely. This hiking that took place, was it in the same area you had been the day before or was it a completely new area? It was a different trail. And I remember along the trail, you know, there was water sources and everything, because I know a lot of bigfoot from what I researched, live near water sources. We were like up on a cliff, basically hiking around a creek that was running through the rocks.

18:29 So it was a completely different area that we hiked. It wasn't Garden of the Gods. It was a different trail. I don't remember the name of it though. Sure after this this night happened to you, did you have any conversations with any individuals in the area about what had happened? I know you mentioned there's the statue, and I know there's a like a general store in that area. Too, Yes, there is, And I did not have any conversations with anyone about it. What was your viewpoint towards Sasquatch after that?

19:09 Oh? After that? After the research I did? Oh, I definitely became a believer in Sasquash. I knew that's what it was. I knew that's what it had to be. I mean, what else would be bipedal and in that area? And from the research I did, with all the connections from with the UFOs and Sasquash and paranormal stuff, I had no doubt in my mind. Gotcha? Did you share this story with anyone else after this experience?

19:51 Actually? I did, and a lot of people thought I was crazy, So so I basically just stopped sharing the story. Gotcha, And unfortunately that is a pattern. It's why I do this show, so there's a place for people to share, and I have to go through ridicule because I'm guessing you'd probably just talk to maybe family or friends. And the response was exactly exactly, gotcha. Did you guys ever return to this location at any future time to check it out again?

20:32 No, we did not. I remember my husband wanted to go there because he's the only one who believed me. We weren't married at the time yet, but we were together. We've been together for sixteen years. We got married in twenty seventeen. But he wanted to go there, and I'm like, I'm not going back there, No, no, right. Why do you think it is that he believed you? He saw how scared I was and how serious I was about it. Sure, yeah, and he knows me very well, so he knows all my backstory and everything. He also has had experiences with me in my parents' basement with a demonic figure and he was able to say, in Jesus' name, get out of here, and it stopped. It left, So he knows all of that background.

21:43 Okay, so he's got it. I would imagine he has a similar background to you then with how you your worldview things. Of that nature. Yes, he does. So you have had multiple experiences in years past, not only with this Jong Bok with Shelley, where you have experienced what you're saying is demonic interactions. Yes, exactly. I can remember one time specifically because she had this roommate. I don't want to share much of her story, but she definitely attracted a demonic things brought them home and we were at Shelley's house while the roommate was gone, and I can remember us walking down the stairs and it felt so heavy, and I felt like we both felt like we were being choked. And then we got down into her kitchen and it smelled like frank and since and then it dissipated.

23:05 Wow, it did dissipated by itself? Or did you have to use the name of Christ? I myself in my head was using the name of Christ. I may have said it out loud. I honestly don't remember, but. Yes, Okay, So I'm thinking back through the whole timeline here. So this encounter in Gardener of the Gods happened in twenty fifteen, but then earlier you had said that in twenty twenty, there was something important that happened that kind of shut things down. Can you share what that was if you're comfortable doing so?

23:52 Yes? Actually, I okay. So because I was a lukewarm believe or before I actually started becoming more and more on fire with God, I started reading my Bible more. I read the entire Bible many times every morning. Now I wake up and start my day praying, and basically ever since then, I have not had any crazy experiences it stopped.

24:34 That's extremely interesting. It's almost like, you know, you put on the armory of God right. Exactly? Yeah, exactly? Was there? So? Was there a situation that happened that made that kick that off? You know why, all of a sudden you're starting to you know, read the Bible more, pray, et cetera. You know what, I would say that it was extreme depression. I wasn't happy where I was in my life really, and I needed God in my life, like really in my life and to be the core of my life.

25:27 I get that. Yeah, I think. I think we can get to a place that is so so deep and so dark, and you have to you have to figure out, you know what what you're going to stick with And yeah, there's a lot of people where and that that point they just reach out. I get that. I get that. Wow, that's that's a fascinating, fascinating account. So since that time, nothing, I mean, I'm sure you go hiking. You've gone hiking since that time.

26:11 I have gone hiking in all over Michigan basically basically, like all up and down the coast, and nothing crazy ever really happened. Wow. Another thing I want to make sure I ask about is after the encounter, did you have any strange dreams or anything happened out of the ordinary like that. Well, after the encounter, I would still get sleep paralysis, and that ended in twenty twenty when I started getting close to God. Ok So I would say that, and I have seen a few black shadows since then, but nothing, nothing compared to that experience in twenty fifteen.

27:17 Sure, can you share exactly what sleep paralysis is for listeners who aren't familiar with them? Yes, okay, So sleep paralysis is where you cannot move your body, but you're awake, and you can actually even like your soul can actually even sit up out of your body. I remember one time, a long time ago. I woke up with my face pressed up against the ceiling. I looked down at my body and my foot was stuck in my foot, the foot of my actual body that was laying on the couch. I was able to see my ex boyfriend laying on the other couch, and I could not wake myself out of it. It was so scary. It's it's really hard to explain, but it's like your mind is awake, but you can't move your body to wake your actual body up.

28:33 That does sound pretty pretty horrifying. It's kind of like out of body type experience in a way. I don't know. Yeah, did you? You also said so you have seen a little bit of shadow activity, but not not a ton. But that does happen very fleetingly. Yes, yes, but still nothing since twenty twenty. Is there anything you do when that happens to be like, Okay, gotta make sure it's a shut down. Before that. Okay. So I did actually, even though I was a lukewarm Christian, I did give my life to Christ in two thousand and nine, and that's when I met my husband. He's the one who actually led me to do that. And all the experiences I've had I did call on the name of Christ, and that's when it would stop.

29:42 It's extremely interesting because that is a common pattern that you hear, and of course there is power in that name. But the interesting pattern as well is when witnesses say they've used that name and then the Bigfoot activity stops. And that is something I'm still trying to figure it out, because we don't know exactly what Bigfoot is, right, and I don't know do you have any thoughts yourself about what Bigfoot is exactly? Actually, yes, I think Bigfoot is probably a remnant of the Nephilum, that were the fallen angels that mated with humans, and they're actually mentioned in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, so they survived the flood, and I'm thinking that could be one creature that's a remnant of that.

30:50 Yeah, I got you, because they're mentioned in Genesis and as a Book of Judges I believe as well. Genesis numbers Jude and to Peter. Gotcha. And that's just the stuff that is in the cannon. I mean, there's all the stuff that's outside of the canon too, that the books that are in our current Bibles. I believe they're mentioned in like probably the Book of Enoch stuff like that, so exactly, very very interesting stuff. Do you do you and Shelley still keep in touch?

31:32 Actually, we just recently got in touch again. We kind of had a little falling out, by the way she says, Hi, we did have a little falling out, but we both basically had to work on ourselves and that's when I like really started reading the Bible and everything. But we recently just got in touch again and everything's been great. I mean, we've been talking every day and it's been nice. She's living about two hours away from me, so I can't go see her often, and I haven't seen her, you know, since our fallout, but we do talk.

32:22 Well, that's great. You guys were able to work through things. You know, that is something that happens, but I'm glad you were able to work through it. Now, another question about your experience I want to I want to ask you is did you ever take any time to do any research to see if people had experienced or had an encounter in the same area that you guys had that happen. You know what, No, I have not specifically done research on that. I just did the research starting with the UFOs and then how it connected with Bigfoot, and it did, I mean lists that people had encounters there, but I didn't go really any further than that.

33:18 Sure, sure, were there any interesting things you found from your research about how UFOs connect to Bigfoot? From what I read, where there's a lot of UFO activity, there's a lot of times a lot of Bigfoot activity or other paranormal activity like dog Man or other creatures, ghosts, just stuff like that. It feels like there's some parts of the world, or the US, or even your own state, that there's more of these encounters with weird things reported than in other areas.

34:10 Do you have any thoughts about why that might be the case, or is that something you've noticed. You know what, I actually don't really have any thoughts on that. I do notice that all the things that I've read about UFOs and everything are usually in the US. I haven't really read anything about any other countries.

34:50 Very interesting. Since this experience, have you ever wanted to die more into the whole Bigfoot subject or is it a thing where you had your experience? Things are kind of under control now and that's okay. Basically I had my experience, I don't ever want to have one again. So that's that I feel protected now. I feel like I can go hiking anywhere really, and I don't think that I would ever have another experience, at least I would hope not.

35:35 That's cool though, and I would imagine and what would you attribute that that feeling of protection. To christ Definitely. That's fantastic. And I want to make sure Amanda that that that you were able to share everything from your experience, anything that came out of it, etc. Yeah, that was pretty much pretty much it.

36:16 That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for spending some time this afternoon. I do appreciate it in allowing this conversation to happen. And I know there's a little bit about Bigfoot, but there's some other stuff too, so I think it was a very interesting conversation. But thank you so much for coming on the show today. Thank you. Have you ever heard all the accounts of bigfoot activity around Oakridge, Oregon and you think to yourself, Man, I would love to get out in those woods and experience it for myself. Well guess what this year you can. If this is interesting to you, stay tuned because it's pretty cool. Sasquatch Summer Fest is coming up July tenth through the eleventh, twenty six. It's gonna be even better than the previous year's reason number one, I'll be one of the speakers. It's gonna be wild. I'll probably I'll say this. There may be stuff you haven't heard anywhere else, because let's just say sometimes it's well, you just gotta be there. We'll leave it that more about looking for Bigfoot in the Oakridge Woods. Now check this out. You may know Jason Kenzie from his documentary series Searching for Sasquatch. Well, this year you can not only go to the festival, but you can also sign up for a track deep in the wild forest outside of Oakridge with Jason Kenzie

37:50 to the Bigfoot Spots to look for Bigfoot. There's only eight spots to sign up for this, and yes, this will also be filmed for the next chapter in his documentary series, which is Searching for Sasquatch. This is a once in a lifetime deal. It's just trust it's going to be a wild, wild experience. To get a ticket, head on over to Sasquatch Summerfest dot com and listeners can use the code B sp like Bigfoot Society Podcast in order to get a two day pass for the price of a one day pass. So thanks to Priscilla for giving me that code so that you guys can can get a little a little help with the costs there.

38:39 Appreciate that, Priscilla. I hope to see you at the booth in Oakridge this year. We can talk about your encounter. Was able to talk to so many people last year and the year before. It is an incredible time. You're not going to want to miss it, and I'll see you there. Before we wrap this episode, I want to say something directly to a very specific group of listeners. If you're in the military, any branch or forces, and if you've seen something that no one can explain, or if you're a National Park ranger or forestry worker who's been told to stay quiet, or if you're a pilot who's seen something strange down on the ground, or if you're with the FBI a federal agency, or working intelligence and you stumbled upon something you're not allowed to talk about.

39:26 And if you're a firefighter, paramedic, or search and rescue responder who's heard screams or found tracks that didn't make sense. If you're in the logging industry, on a remote oil field or a trucker with government contracts and you've had something happen that you've never told a soul. And if you're a biologist, a wildlife specialist, or a field researcher under contract who has found evidence you're not allowed to report. If you're a pastor, a missionary, or someone on a spiritual retreat and you saw something that shook your faith, or if you work in the show shadows, CIA, NSA or anything with clearance, and you've seen what the public hasn't, then I want to talk to you, even if it's anonymous.

40:12 You can reach me at Bigfoot Society at gmail dot com. The world needs to hear what you've been forced to carry alone, and you're not alone. You've got the story, We've got the mic. See you in the woods. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Bigfoot Society podcast. Every encounter we share reminds us that the world is bigger and stranger than we think, and that the truth is often hiding just beyond the tree line. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe to the channel on YouTube. Hit the Bell so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with a friend who's into mysteries, monsters, or the unexplained. And if you're listening to us on Spotify or Apple Podcast, please follow the show there and leave us a five star positive review because all that helps more people discover the show. And remember, if you or someone you know has had a bigfoot sighting, please I'd love to hear from you, so email me at Bigfoot Society at gmail dot com and let's start the conversation. If you haven't gotten a chance yet, check out our membership community over at www dot Bigfoot Society podcast dot com and that's where you can hear tomorrow's episode today early in ad free and members only episodes every week. Also, it's a place to connect with other people that are into the Bigfoot subject as much as you are. Thanks again for following along with the Bigfoot Society until next time, keep your eyes open, trust your gut, and never stop asking what else might be out there?

41:39 And see you in the woods.