| Many years ago my hubby and I were out hiking with | | | | service. He'd never seen anything like these before. |
| a friend through a part of the Daniel Boone National | | | | And, since we had spent quite a lot of time camping |
| Forest in the north eastern part of Kentucky. It was a | | | | and hiking ourselves making sure to have field guides |
| really beautiful late Spring day when we were all | | | | for identification purposes most of the time we knew |
| wandering through looking at the various species of | | | | a lot of the types of animal tracks too. we were as |
| plant life, and occasionally getting a glimpse of some | | | | stumped as he was. |
| animal life in the area. | | | | The tracks were huge hoof prints, much bigger than a |
| Let me give you an idea of this history of Kentucky | | | | deer could make. They were bigger than either C.'s |
| before I go any further with my story. First of all, the | | | | hand, my hand, or my husband's hand with C. having |
| name Kentucky comes from at least a couple of | | | | the largest hands of the three of us. The tracks were |
| native American Indian dialects. Can-tuck, or | | | | very deeply embedded into the ground, over an inch |
| Can-tuck-ke, which means "the Dark and Bloody | | | | deep. And, the pattern of the hoof prints was very |
| Ground". NO native tribes ever lived in the Dark and | | | | odd because while they were made by an animal that |
| Bloody ground. This is/was the land where spirits and | | | | had quite obviously been running through the muddy |
| super-natural creatures dwelt. | | | | area, and the soft ground, they weren't leaving the |
| Of course, when the Europeans came, all they saw | | | | usual pattern made by a four legged creature. The |
| was a very fertile and abundant land rich in natural | | | | further we followed the tracks the more obvious the |
| resources and dismissed the various legends as | | | | evidence in front of our eyes became, however |
| superstitious nonsense. The various tribes that lived in | | | | unlikely or incredible it seemed. The tracks were being |
| the surrounding areas, that would later become the | | | | made by something running on TWO legs. The tracks |
| states of Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and | | | | weren't there when we passed through earlier on our |
| Missouri, would hunt and gather in the area, but they | | | | hike either, so they were very fresh. |
| would not live there. | | | | The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I |
| Now, back to my tale. We were meandering through | | | | realized what this meant, and apparently the same |
| this particular area spending the day leisurely taking | | | | thought had occurred to my hubby and our friend - this |
| rest breaks, chatting about various happenings going | | | | thing could still be very close. We had spent around an |
| on in the world and our everyday lives, and stopping to | | | | hour or so following these tracks trying to figure our |
| have our packed picnic lunch. We would occasionally | | | | what had left such big, deeply embedded, tracks in the |
| come across raccoon tracks, deer tracks, and various | | | | ground and now we were thinking that maybe this |
| bird tracks in the muddy areas as we hiked. As we | | | | wasn't such a good idea after all. The evidence |
| spent the day meandering down the Sheltowee trail, | | | | showed that whatever had made these tracks was |
| and occasionally stepping off for a break, or to check | | | | very big, and probably weighed well over 200 lbs. Now, |
| out a plant or item of interest we would notice, we | | | | our precious daylight was waning and we had |
| encountered nothing unseemly or out of the ordinary, | | | | wandered away from the main trail for about a |
| until we headed back that is. | | | | distance of a mile. We all decided to show a quick set |
| As the day progressed to well past the noon hour and | | | | of heels and made for the parking area and our cars. |
| began to make it's way towards setting we decided | | | | For next several days we discussed our little |
| to head back towards our vehicles while we still had | | | | adventure. My husband I are well educated in the |
| about 4 hours of sun and day light left. We made our | | | | "myths" and legends of classical history, and the rural |
| way back along the path we had walked and about a | | | | history of Kentucky, and we pondered, read, and |
| mile or so from the parking area we came across | | | | discussed about just what could have made such |
| some tracks that were quite out of the ordinary. So, | | | | tracks. We found no descriptions of normal animals |
| we began to look closely at them and follow them. | | | | that could have made such tracks. |
| Our friend, who I'll refer to from this point on as C., had | | | | So, what made these tracks? We knew from legend |
| some experience with tracking and knew about every | | | | and tales of such a creature that could have left such |
| track that could be made by the wildlife in the area as | | | | tracks, but saytrs aren't suppose to exist - are they? |
| he had spent a few years working for the Forestry | | | | |