Adirondack Camper Describes Mysterious Footsteps Circling His Tent All Night

Posted Thursday, October 01, 2026

By Squatchable.com staff

There's something about a quiet, late-night encounter in the deep woods that gets under your skin, and a recent interview circulating online captures that exact kind of bone-chilling moment. A witness named Ted sat down with the host of the Adirondack Bigfoot YouTube channel to share an experience that has stuck with him for roughly three decades, and the details are the kind that make even seasoned researchers lean in a little closer. Ted's story takes place on Snowy Mountain, one of the more remote peaks in New York's Adirondack Park. Anyone familiar with the Adirondacks knows that the High Peaks region has long been whispered about in Sasquatch circles. The dense hardwood and conifer forests, the boulder fields, the miles of untouched wilderness, and the relative isolation from major population centers make it prime habitat for a reclusive, intelligent hominid trying to stay out of sight. Sightings in the Adirondacks have been reported for generations, often by hunters, hikers, and backcountry campers who venture far enough off the beaten path to find themselves in genuinely wild country. Ted was no stranger to the woods. He signed in at the trailhead, logged his plans for a full week of solo camping, and began the grueling three-to-four-hour climb up Snowy Mountain with a full pack. He made camp roughly four or five miles in, cooked dinner, and settled into his tent as darkness fell. Everything was peaceful. No wind. Total silence. The kind of stillness that only exists in true backcountry. Then, right outside the thin nylon wall of his tent, came the sound that changed everything. Heavy footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. Boom. Boom. Boom. Circling his tent in a methodical, bipedal cadence. Ted knew his woods well enough to rule out a deer or a foraging bear. Whatever was out there was walking on two legs, and it was heavy. The kind of heavy that presses the air around it. Running on instinct, Ted tapped the side of his tent and called out into the dark, "Hey, I'm here tonight. I don't want any problems. I'm leaving first thing in the morning." Whatever was out there heard him. It kept circling. Lingering. Heavy and purposeful in the shadows. Ted didn't sleep the rest of the night. By first light, he didn't bother searching for tracks. He packed up and made a blistering 45-minute descent down the mountain, hours faster than his climb up. He drove straight home, where his wife greeted him with the now-classic line, "What are you doing home? You're supposed to be gone a week." Ted told her what happened. She called him crazy. He hasn't been back to Snowy Mountain since, and that was over thirty years ago. What makes this interview especially compelling is what came after. Ted went on to describe a second encounter that happened in August of 2022 at a place called Black Leopard Camp in South Africa, where he heard three heavy, deliberate steps cross a wooden platform outside his tent, pause, and then three more steps on the opposite side. He said a Saint Michael prayer, then verbally declared he was a loyal Christian who follows Jesus Christ, and the footsteps stopped. He also mentioned capturing a photo of a green orb floating above a building somewhere in Africa, a photo he insists he did not take. Once back home on his five-acre property in the woods, he began hearing loud wood knocks at night, with no limbs or trees nearby to explain them. Eventually, after reportedly telling whatever was out there to "tell your kids to knock that stupid off," the activity stopped. The interview touches on a few themes that come up again and again in Sasquatch research. The idea that these beings may track or follow individuals after an initial encounter. The connection between orb sightings and Sasquatch activity, something researchers like David Paulides and others have noted over the years. The reported phenomenon of "mind speak," where witnesses describe an internal communication or impression rather than spoken words. And the recurring detail of heavy, bipedal footsteps circling a tent or shelter, a hallmark pattern in Adirondack and Northeast encounter reports. Ted's account is calm, grounded, and delivered by a man who clearly doesn't want attention. He simply wanted to share what happened to him, and he hasn't set foot on Snowy Mountain since. The host of the channel was so intrigued by the conversation that he mentioned planning a trip to Snowy Mountain himself this fall with two friends to take a look around. The full interview is worth the listen. Ted's demeanor, his second encounter in Africa, and the wood knocks at his home all add layers to a story that started with a quiet night and a pair of heavy footsteps in the Adirondack dark.