The year is 2023 in September. A nature’s photographer and experienced survivalist, Joe Adams has planned a 10 day hike and camera study of the wilderness in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California. A stretch of remote forest and mountain scape known as the John Muir Wilderness. The Indian tribes of the region make a point of avoiding this land even though it is full of game that could be hunted. Why people do not take heed of these subtle clues, I’ll never know as they were here a long time before we were, and apparently have a good reason for how they exist with the land.

What we are about to uncover, if this tale is actually true, would explain much about the mysterious rash of people going missing in these wilderness hiking trails, especially the ones who choose to go into the least traveled paths that extend deep into the darkest expanses of the woods. Places where few if any campers, hunters, or fishermen even think of penetrating, but it is these areas where the most go missing and few are ever found alive if at all. Joe was one of those committed nature lovers who apparently valued photography more than his own safety! He is survived only by his last notes left on his audio files, camera footage, and waterproof journal.

Joe Adams could hardly wait to get his personal trek started. He had his backpack loaded with a tent, food, canteens, navigational gear, cell phone, camera, but no weapon! Cardinal rule number one, carry a weapon! Joe also had another interest, and that was to gather scientific evidence, if he could find it, pertaining to “The Forest People” as some Indian tribes call them. So, Joe felt he was prepared and that this would be another one of his routine excursions into nature’s perfect paradise, or so he thought. Fate awaited an unsuspecting Joe Adams.

In the very first day or two of his ill-advised foray into the forest shaded by the thick canopy of trees above, Joe reveled in the ecstasy of unspoiled wilderness and sunlight filtered by the leaves and branches of the thick greenery that towered above him as he walked atop dried leaves and pine needles of the wildlife trails that wound deep into the unforgiving den of remote existence that lay in wait for the inspired photographer. He happily recorded into his thoughts of appreciation for his adventure into the pristine forest that hugged the slopes of the Sierra Nevada’s.

Chronology of Events: Timeline to Missing

Joe Adams follows a rocky trail leading to a triple alpine granite lake basin described by the notes of a previous explorer a year before. He notices that his GPS is cutting out as the signal breaks up due to the depth of the valley and slopes of the mountains. He notes that the weather is mild and his backpack doesn’t feel that heavy. The trails have become more challenging than expected. He sets up his campsite on a flat elevated area that overlooks the alpine lakes as evening quickly approaches.

Day 2-3:00AM Joe plans on an early morning hike at 4 AM, but hears heavy foot falls in two legged pattern circling his tent. This is not the search for food by some animal that sniffed his cooking from earlier. The sounds are unlike bear or cougar. Whatever it is has made a wide circle around his tent. A very careful inspection of Joe’s camp! They subside just before dawn. Inspection of the campsite reveals 18 to 22 inch long bare foot tracks in the muddy grounds near the lakeshore. He takes 250 frames of exquisite photographic material during sunrise, a special time to catch the picturesque scenery.

This same day unusual structures discovered further along shoreline. Interwoven branches and limbs that have intelligent patterns twisted by hand and broken requiring incredible strength! Joe is fascinated at the complexity of the design. This is nothing that could have been constructed by anything else but………

September 24^th Day 3-Hard time sleeping unusual calls coming from several directions. Loud noises that cannot be identified. At 2:00 AM these non-human but powerful and deep voices echo off the granite walls of the lake basin and seem to be carrying a conversation! Multiple sources of calls moved within close distance of the tent! Unable to sleep! By dawn the entities withdrew, once again leaving deep toed impressions along the sandy shore.

Have found more detailed woven structures. Tried to take more photos but distracted by more voices, branches being snapped, and the vague outline of seemingly tall figures lingering in the background of the dense trees. Inspecting photos taken during the day seem to show outlines of dark upright bipedal beings barely discernible, but there none the less! The mist has lingered over the landscape today obscuring efforts to take clear photos. Now considering cutting the trip short!

September 25, Day 5-Planning to stay up in order to further investigate visitation at the camp. Now vocalizations are closer and intense with the entities now walking very close to the tent casting eerie shadows! One figure at least 8 feet tall, and massively built! Conversation is clear now and breathing can be heard! Several beings communicating back and forth. Recorded 40 minutes of conversation which is a definite language! Conversation seems to be about me! This incident began before 10:45 and lasted until 1:00 AM before they withdrew.

Even though this is a tremendous scientific discovery and I have recorded voices and observations in my journal, I am terrified and have decided to leave in the morning! Packed up first thing in the morning and began the trek out but found huge uprooted trees with fresh dirt in the roots strewn across the path that I took in. The trail is blocked by immense trees that would take super human strength to move! I’ve checked other GPS routes out but they are even more challenging then the way I came in. They won’t let me leave! Tried 2 other ways out and ran into more complex barriers even a woven curtain of thatched together twigs and limbs that made passing though impossible! I’m trapped!

September 27, Day 6-Early morning rise and found a structure built around my tent overnight while I slept. It is a fence-like enclosure with only one entrance in or out! It faces the lake. 2 days of rations left and weather seems to indicate snow storm imminent! Creatures seem to understand that I need food and have brought fresh fish and a neat pile of berries to keep me fed, but I’m a prisoner now! On this night they approach my tent. 5 of them, all different types but sharing the combination ape and human features. Of the group the leader seems to be the tallest, a 9 foot specimen, and looks to weigh 400 pounds. Has piercing eyes that meet my gaze with a knowing and intelligent sense of awareness. These are no animals! There seems to be a hierarchy and they have a social command structure. Tonight will an attempt to strike up direct communication with them.

Walked 200 yards within the group of five creatures and everything went wrong. Was injured, knocked violently to the ground, camera broken and my ankle is badly sprained. Bad weather is closing in, temperature dropping. Don’t think I can last much longer!  I had intended to try to have intelligent conversation with them, but they were angered that I ventured out of my tent prison. Don’t think I’ll be alive much longer. Of the group, one apparently adolescent, smaller than the others approached me and gestured to examine my camera showing awe and interest, but when the leader took over, he grabbed it from me and smashed my camera. I think they knew now I had been filming them and were angry over that!

The leader grabbed me and dragged me into a circle that the others surrounded. I shouldn’t have taken my backup camera, my phone, and GPS device as they examined each instrument and then smashed them against the rocks! Their angry vocalizations echoed off the granite walls of the lake. Thought I was a goner then and there. The small one, I call him “The Teacher,” seemed to plead with the big alpha male on my behalf. Then all became less hostile as the leaders seemed to go into a lecture to the others. I figured they were deciding what to do with me! I was urged and pushed back into my tent prison to await whatever their plans were. As the temperature dropped and the pain of my injuries grew, I began to lose all hope fast.

After hours of waiting, I could hear the breathing of at least one of the Sasquatch despite the wind and snowfall into finally the voice of the leader startled me. The tone was urgent. I emerged and as though something were very important, I was prodded to follow! In my condition it was hard to keep up! My ankle was in bad shape and I was weak from loss of sleep. We were headed to a new site. Finally I collapsed out of exhaustion and they carried me. We arrived at a new structure, more complex and better engineered than the last. It was embedded into a granite cave entrance.

We entered a warm and dry enclosure with a fire pit providing warmth and lighting. Floors were covered with woven wooden mats. There were drawings on the walls that had artistic quality. Several of the bipeds were there. The alpha male made a softly spoken speech to the others who occasionally vocalized. The young one who showed interest in my camera was there too. This adolescent seemed to show concern and even empathy toward me. At the end of this talk given by the huge male, he turned toward me and pointed to the fire pit, and made a slashing motion with one of his long fingers across his throat! That meant they had decided to kill me, I understood! 

September 30, 2023 Day 9. After observing what appears to be a communal society that is self-sufficient, highly specialized, all participants part of an effort at contributing to the community, and a population designed not to exceed the production its output, I made a very disturbing discovery! What appears to be a graveyard of past visitors. There have been others before me. Other hikers, campers, fishermen, hunters, and even researchers appear to have met the same fate as I have. They have unwittingly crossed into forbidden territory and been captured as I was. They were kept as captives, fed and looked after for a while, and eventually died! I have found clothing, cameras, cell phones, backpacks, and shoes of the deceased. Were they allowed to die of natural causes or were they liquidated? This does not look good. I have vowed to escape if possible. There are bones as well some of it scavenged. Very disturbing.

These Sasquatch type creatures have established an incredible network of underground caves that intersect with one another for miles deep beneath mountains such as Mt. Rainier. These tunnels and corridors are apparently climate controlled by primitive means but habitable no matter if they seem ancient or not. These bi-pedal entities have done an excellent job of engineering a parallel civilization well-hidden form the modern day world. Now I realize how all the missing persons have resulted from disappearances caused by run-ins with these creatures, who feel compelled to capture and hold those who have stumbled upon this remote culture who exist on the fringe of man’s civilized existence!

I have taken the liberty of exploring a system of well caved cave walls, chambers for food preparation and tool making, but what was really shocking was what I found in the deepest compartment! There I found well preserved and organized artifacts as well as dozens of human skeletons! All grouped together according to years of capture! I was sickened! All of it was well documented as though these creatures thoroughly study humans, and constructed a history of mankind going back perhaps centuries.

October 1^st-Planning an escape. Even with my injured ankle. Will attempt an exit. If I can just get to a main trail might be able to attract attention or park rangers. One thing I now understand what happened to the others captured. Feelings of isolation, hopelessness, sense of futility eventually kill people who are cut off from friends, family, and freedom! This settlement is much like a sophisticated society with cave museum of captured personal effects, photos, clothes, journals, organized according to dates and eras.

October 3^rd, have come to understand now. They have been capturing humans in order that their culture remains undiscovered by outside world. This settlement that I am being kept at is but one extension of a huge continental underground existence that stretches across North America! They’re major concern is remaining hidden from modern man’s encroachment into the wilderness unless they become exposed and their civilization is disrupted by human intrusion! Over the centuries they have carefully studied human movements and development. They’re aware of human technology and have countered it with their own methods of stealthily existence in remote wilderness secluded from being seen by aircraft, motorists, and even investigating parties of rescuers whenever a human disappears! They are very wary of people as a threat while studying us intently to predict behavior and movement that could contradict efforts of the creatures to exist without being discovered.

Their moral and spiritual existence can only be explained as rationalizing what they do with humans as justified to keep their existence from being compromised. They even consider their savage attacks when they feel they are necessary as justified if they feel massively threatened as a group. The danger they present to campers, hikers, hunters, and fishermen who have explored too deep into their territory is the key to large numbers of missing persons where no clues are found but ravaged campsites and personal belongings strewn over the forest floor, but rare discovery of corpses.

On the final night that I anticipate my life to be allowed to go on there seems a full moon celebration of sorts. From the young adolescent I’ve befriended, the one I call “The Teacher” these creatures have a ritual called “The Returning” in which they consider returning humans back to nature to end their suffering. I am assured by The Teacher through his gestures and simple translations that it will be painless! He has brought me my last meal, exquisitely prepared, and a gift! It is a carved stone with intricate inscriptions in it. It is a well-crafted artifact. I realize that this young one is conflicted over my fate, and wishes his culture would reconsider, but apparently this is not to be. After my last attempt at escape my captors were not angry so much as acting like parents disappointed at the behavior of a disobedient child. The Alpha Male made a gesture that this would be the last time my escape would be tolerated, and I think it led to this moment now, which seems to me to be the end! I have my water proof journal and digital recorder as evidence of my findings and for researchers to examine and learn of the fate of dozens of people who have disappeared due to these secretive “Forest People” that the indigenous tribes in the area are very aware of, and too, share a history of interaction with. Final Entry.

Joe Adams was never seen or heard from again once friends notified authorities that he’d failed to return from his lonely trek into the unknown. The Sierra Nevada’s had claimed another soul who had dared to push beyond the safety of modern civilization, which is debatable with all the politically motivated mass shootings and rioting that go on in big cities and towns these days.

His torn tent and disheveled campsite were located some 12 miles from where he had intended to settle for the majority of his journey. His smashed cell phone, GPS locator, and radio were located, but several yards from the campsite his journal and recorder were found as if some had wanted to leave a clue to what Joe’s ultimate fate and experiences had led to. After 21 days the search was called off and no evidence of the shelters or complex habitations were located! No trace of who or where he had been escorted to were ever found, but as in all disappearances noted by David Paulides in his 411 Book Series, weather had played a role in obstructing search efforts as dangerous terrain features were covered by deep snow. Fear of those rescuers being injured or disappearing themselves put an end to further efforts.