A couple’s peaceful weekend hiking trip near Grafton Notch State Park took an unexpected turn when they witnessed what they describe as an 8-to-9-foot bipedal creature sprint across State Route 26 in broad daylight. “The car in front of us had to brake hard to avoid hitting it,” the witness reported. “Even at the distance we were behind them, this thing towered over their Subaru.”
Weekend Adventurers Become Reluctant Witnesses
The witnesses, described by BFRO investigator Jeff Sheppard as “busy professionals who like to get away on weekends to explore outdoor opportunities in Maine,” had spent August 2nd hiking and exploring the waterfalls at Grafton Notch State Park. Their spirit of adventure regularly brings them to Maine’s wilderness areas, making them familiar with the state’s natural environment and wildlife.
“We spent the day at the state park hiking and visiting the waterfalls,” the primary witness explained. Having completed their outdoor activities at Step Falls Preserve, they were settling in for the drive home around 1:30 p.m. when the encounter occurred. The clear summer conditions provided excellent visibility for what would become an unforgettable sighting.
The witness emphasized her familiarity with Maine wildlife, particularly noting that she “was hoping to see a moose that day” during their visit. This outdoor experience lends credibility to her ability to distinguish between known animals and what she encountered on Route 26.
The Highway Crossing
As the couple traveled southeast on Route 26, leaving the state park area, they noticed the vehicle ahead of them suddenly brake hard. “A large brown biped came out of the woods and ran across the street,” the witness reported. “It was pretty large, all brown, and moving very quickly.”
What struck her most was the creature’s unusual running style: “One thing of note is the way it carried its arms almost behind it as it ran across, which seemed odd and unhuman-like.” This distinctive locomotion, combined with the creature’s massive size, immediately caught their attention.
The investigator’s follow-up interview revealed additional details about the creature’s appearance and movement. “What stood out to the couple was the height of the creature, the odd nature of how the creature ran with its long arms held behind it and how fast (and smoothly) it crossed the road,” Sheppard noted. “It had a large head and a jacked, muscular build.”
The witness provided specific size estimates when pressed for details: “When asked how tall she thought the creature was she said it was likely between 8 – 9 feet tall. Even at the distance they were behind the other car, she said that the creature, leaning forward, towered over the Subaru type vehicle ahead of them.”
Immediate Investigation and Evidence
Concerned about what they had witnessed, the couple took immediate action to verify their sighting. “I had my husband drive up to the place where we saw the figure to make sure there weren’t any people on the side of the road or any parking areas,” the witness explained.
Their investigation revealed the isolated nature of the crossing location: “At the spot where the figure crossed its fully outside of the park — no parking lots, sidewalks, or any place someone could have gone other than directly into the woods.” Despite arriving at the crossing point within minutes of the sighting, they found no trace of the creature or any logical explanation for what they had observed.
“Even though not much time passed from where it crossed ahead and when our car got to the spot there was nothing in the woods or near the side of the road,” she noted. The couple opted not to exit their vehicle to search the area more thoroughly, but the lack of any visible human presence or parking areas eliminated conventional explanations for the sighting.
Distinguishing From Known Wildlife
The witness was emphatic about ruling out known animals in her assessment of what they encountered. “When asked about the possibility of it being a local animal, she said it could not have been a moose,” investigator Sheppard reported, despite her initial hope to spot one during their visit.
Her detailed comparison eliminated the most likely candidates: “She said it was not a bear. The color of the creature was a chocolate brown, not black like the local bear population. The speed that it ran at (on two feet) was too fast to be a black bear on two legs. It was also too large to be a bear both in height and body size.”
The bipedal nature of the creature’s movement was a key distinguishing factor. “It could not have been a moose as it was bipedal, and human-like,” she emphasized, drawing on her familiarity with Maine’s wildlife to make these distinctions.
Source Attribution
This account is based on the witness’s detailed report to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), documented as report #78973. BFRO investigator Jeff Sheppard conducted follow-up interviews within days of the August 2nd sighting to provide additional context and verification. The original incident report and investigator’s notes can be found at the BFRO database.
Regional Context and Significance
The sighting occurred in Oxford County, Maine, an area with a notable history of similar encounters. According to BFRO records, Oxford County has “more published reports than any other county in Maine,” with five first-person Bigfoot reports posted publicly and an additional 19 documented cases spanning several decades.
The Route 26 corridor, particularly near Grafton Notch State Park, represents prime habitat for large, undiscovered primates. The dense forest coverage on both sides of the highway, combined with the area’s remote nature and abundant wildlife, creates an environment where such creatures could potentially exist undetected.
The investigator noted the significance of the location: “This incident location is in Oxford County, Maine. The BFRO has more published reports in this county than any other county in Maine.” This pattern suggests either a population of unknown animals or a geographical area particularly conducive to such sightings.
Investigator Assessment
BFRO investigator Jeff Sheppard, a middle school technology and engineering teacher with extensive outdoor experience, found the witnesses highly credible. “I found her to be well-spoken and credible,” he reported. “She filed her report on the day of their incident and was hoping the car in front of them, that almost hit the creature, would also file a report validating what they saw.”
The immediate reporting of the incident, combined with the witnesses’ professional backgrounds and outdoor experience, strengthens the credibility of their account. Sheppard noted that the primary witness “had turned off her video camera after their hike” and expressed disappointment at missing the opportunity to document the encounter.
Lasting Impact and Perspective
The encounter has had a lasting impact on both witnesses, particularly given their initial skepticism. “Her husband was a skeptic when it comes to Bigfoot, and she thought they were only in the Pacific Northwest,” Sheppard reported. The Maine sighting challenged their preconceptions about where such creatures might exist.
The experience has also influenced their future outdoor activities: “She said she will likely use a dash camera while out exploring in the future,” demonstrating how the encounter has changed their approach to wilderness travel.
The witness remains convinced of what they observed that summer afternoon. “She feels that what they saw was likely a Bigfoot,” the investigator concluded. Despite her husband’s initial skepticism and her own limited knowledge of regional sightings, the encounter has left both witnesses with little doubt about what crossed Route 26 that day.
For two outdoor enthusiasts who simply wanted to enjoy Maine’s natural beauty, their drive home from Grafton Notch became an encounter that would challenge everything they thought they knew about the wildlife inhabiting the state’s vast wilderness areas.
