Geographical Index > United States > Texas > Montgomery County > Report # 14795
(Class B)
Submitted by witness Bo Rodman on Wednesday, May 31, 2006.
Print found in Sam Houston National Forest along Lone Star Hiking Trail
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YEAR: 2006
SEASON: Summer MONTH: April STATE: Texas COUNTY: Montgomery County LOCATION DETAILS: Richards Loop of the Lone Star Hiking Trail NEAREST TOWN: Montgomery OBSERVED: My dad and I were walking on the Lone Star Hiking trail loop, in Sam Houston National Forest. We were on the loop back towards to the car. There had been forest fires in the region and there were soft ash spots all around.
We had just taken a brake and then were off again. We were stepping over a log when I noticed what looked like a footprint in the ash.
We looked at it and it was definitely a barefoot foot. You could see the outlines of toes. And having done research before hand I know in ape footprints there is an arch in the middle, which this print did have. To make sure it wasn’t just a harder spot I touched it and it was as soft as the rest so there is no other explanation for why that was there.
We looked around for other prints. We didn’t find any. But all the ground around it was harder and not ash, so it would have been hard to make an impression. I jumped on it and no impressions were made I weight around 205lbs.
The print wasn’t huge but it was bigger than my foot which is 13 1/2 - 4E (4E-widest size foot).
I was convinced it was not human because no one would be walking around barefoot, and mainly because of that arch.
OTHER WITNESSES: 2 - resting during walk TIME AND CONDITIONS: Day around 11:00 A.M. ENVIRONMENT: foresty very woodsy, pines
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Doug Ratliff:
I spoke with Bo on the phone for ten minutes or so. He seemed very genuine and sincere.
The Lone Star Hiking Trail is a 140 mile long trail through the Sam Houston National Forest, broken into several segments. Bo identified the Richards Loop as the segment that he and his father were on.
About BFRO Investigator Doug Ratliff:
Doug Ratliff currently works as a Systems Reporting Analyst in San Antonio, Texas. He served in the U.S. Army trained as a physical therapy assistant. He attended the BFRO's third Olympic Penninsula expedition ("Oly Pen 3") in August 2005.
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