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Virgil Larson's 1976 tale of his encounter with a man-beast on the forested slopes of California's Mount Shasta ranks among the most incredible of all Bigfoot stories. Larson had lived much of his life among the trees, so when he heard footsteps approaching him one day as he sat smoking at the base of a tall Douglas fir, he remained at ease. He looked back casually to see a tall figure moving toward him at first and then veering away. Thinking it was a ranger coming to inquire about his forest activities, he shouted a greeting. The figure glanced back, but continued walking away, eventually dropping out of sight.
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Curious, Larson stood up to see where the "man" might have gone. Suddenly, according to Larson's story, the figure emerged from behind a bush and gazed at him with an ominous expression. Larson was stunned. This was no man, Larson recalls, but a large beast, about 7 feet tall with dark hair covering its entire body. Larson stood frozen for a moment. Then, as the beast turned and disappeared into the forest, Larson ran in the opposite direction to find his partner, Pat Conway. He told Conway about what he saw, and together they went back to the site to investigate the area. There was no sign of the creature, but a foul stench remained in the area where it had been seen last.
Larson remembers very little about the creature's appearance, but recalls distinctly the beast's bear-like gait. He could not say whether the monkey-man he encountered that day was actually a Bigfoot, but one thing is certain; the forests of Northern California are home to some of the tallest Bigfoot tales.
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