Hey, y’all, and welcome to Southern Macabre! I’m Aeryn and I’m so glad you tuned in today! This episode was a lot of fun to research and write so I think you’re going to enjoy it. It may even be a little bit educational, but in a fun way.
Are cryptids paranormal? Absolutely! A cryptid is a creature whose existence has been suggested, but lacks scientific fact. The definition of paranormal is denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Each of these creatures, like haints and ghosts, make amazing camping stories – especially in the south.
Before I tell you about southern cryptids, I want to point out that these creatures were often used to keep children from exploring the woods. Over time, people would tell of blood thirsty creatures lurking just beyond their tent on camping trips.
I’m going to start with the most famous, or is it infamous?, cryptid. Bigfoot. Of course, Bigfoot sightings aren’t just in the south. There is a Bigfoot statue in Shawnee National Forest in Herod, Illinois. Lots of drunks out in the woods have seen a tall ape man with large feet all over the world. Okay, maybe not just drunks.
Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, has been spoken of in the United States for centuries and was a popular tale among Native Americans, loggers, miners, fur trappers, prospectors, and others far braver than I. There are even cave paintings in California resembling this biped.
Bigfoot is said to be a biped (he walks on two feet like most humans), he’s between six and nine feet tall, and is covered in black, brown, or reddish colored hair. He is typically described as broad shouldered, with no neck, and long arms.
Michael Rugg, owner of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Northern California, claims to have smelled Bigfoot, stating, "Imagine a skunk that had rolled around in dead animals and had hung around the garbage pits".
I have actually had encounters with Sasquatch and asked him to be a guest, but my teenage son doesn’t think I’m funny and refused. This guy is fourteen with longish hair, a moustache, he’s 6’5” tall, and weighs 205 pounds. Also, when he’s in his, “I don’t need to shower” mood he has an odor similar to what Michael Rugg described. What does that sound like to y’all?
In all seriousness, below the Mason-Dixon line you often here Sasquatch referred to as the Skunk Ape because of that smell Mr. Rugg described. A lot of people have claimed to encounter that smell before fleeing from the area it was coming from.
Other names for Sasquatch/Bigfoot in the south are the Alabama Screamer (apparently he screams ‘round these parts), Skunk Ape (mainly in Florida and other southern states), Wood Booger in Virginia, and Honey Island Swamp Monster in Louisiana. I’ve called him Sasquatch for as long as I’ve been able to pronounce it.
The Alabama Screamer has helped us get our kids out of their swimming pool late at night more times than I can remember. For some reason if it’s completely silent they get even more scared and bolt for the house faster. Simply telling them to get out never works, but tell them you see glowing red eyes or you heard something does the trick. Even my youngest who calls my bluff and isn’t afraid of anything gets out and heads inside with the others.
Here in Alabama we have the Bankhead National Forest and it is massive! Lots of people visit to bird watch, camp, and hike the many miles of trails. My family and I wanted to camp there, but most Bigfoot sightings seem to occur in Bankhead National Forest. I’m a sceptic, but I don’t really want to be proven wrong. If that makes sense.
My husband was traveling through Bankhead National Forest at night a whi
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