Emerson (2:54)
My name is. My name is Emerson. I'm the oldest of four siblings. I'm about to be a dad. My wife is due any day now with our first. Actually by the time this comes out, I might be a dad. So I'm excited about that. And I grew up in Michigan, spent most of my life in Michigan, just recently moved to Northern California. But yeah, this took place in Michigan. I grew up in like a Christian environment and sort of reacted against that. Like my, my family's in ministry. Like a lot of it's in ministry. Like my uncle's a pastor, my grandpa's a pastor. My parents have both been in and out of part or full time Christian ministry. And when I was like in my later teens, I started reacting against that a little bit. If you remember, like the new atheist movement, I was like pretty into that sort of thing and like pretty skeptical. And I guess it's kind of ironic because what happened to me that we're talking about today, that happened like right at the beginning of me becoming like a pretty hardcore skeptic for like, I don't know, five or six years or something like that. And this did not square well with the rest of it. And I honestly like tried not to think about it. Told a couple people, did not exactly get like a warm reception and then just kind of kept it to myself. But yeah, I was pretty, pretty active in like the online skeptic community for a few years after this happened. I'm surprised you haven't bumped into them a couple times. But it's just like a group of dorks on the Internet who try to like, well, I mean, like their purported goals. It's like, oh, we want to promote science and rationality and we want to, you know, we want people to have beliefs that are based on the evidence. You know, stuff that sounds really unobjectionable, but I just don't think they live up to their professed values. But anyway, they, it's just they have like a list of things that they don't like that they think is, you know, oh, no one should believe in them, you know, cryptids or ghosts or anything religious or aliens. They just have this list of things they don't like and then they attack constantly. And it's going to be hard for me not to go into ranting about them just because I was like a part of that group for several years and then just came to see how superficial their understanding of some of these things are. Like, they don't seem to understand what people really believe or like why they believe it. But I ended up getting kind of pulled into their orbit for a few years and then, yeah, only recently kind of left that. So when this happened, I was 17. I was living in Michigan and still in high school. So my girlfriend and I, we were. We'd been dating for about a year and a half. We were hanging out. We were trying to get away from people a little bit. So we were at my house. This is like a house that's like set back in the woods a little bit. Has like a really long driveway. It's just like surrounded by farmland and. Yeah. And forest in pretty much every direction. And there's literally only like a few hundred people who live in this town. It's like super rural. So we're kind of on the outskirts of Bloomingdale and. Yeah, we're just in the middle of nowhere. This was in the middle of the day. So this is like broad daylight. Like just right in the middle of the day, early afternoon. Yeah. And we just decided to go on a walk to get away from people. Like I said, I'm the oldest of four siblings, so I have these, you know, two younger brothers and younger sister that are around the house probably, and both my parents are there. So we probably just wanted to get away and get some privacy. So we were going on a walk through the woods. So we left the house and then just started heading off into the woods in the. You know, right after, like in the early afternoon. So we took like a trail, you know, into the woods. It's like summertime, so, you know, like the leaves are green and everything. It's not like fall or winter. We started on the trail and then we kind of went off the trail, like halfway through. So we're kind of in the middle of the woods, like just surrounded by trees. You know, there's not like a clear, straight path anywhere. You know, we're still heading deeper into the woods. And then out of nowhere, there's just this wolf standing there, maybe like 30 or 40ft away. Like, it's pretty close. And that's not like a common occurrence in Michigan. Like, there are wolves in the upper peninsula of Michigan, but not so much in the lower peninsula. We're in like southwest Michigan. So this is not like a normal thing that you run into in Michigan all the time. It's never happened to me before since. So all of a sudden there's just a wolf there, you know, like a kind of grayish looking wolf. It's obviously not a dog. It's like much bigger. And we were like far enough in the woods that it's pretty alarming to be that far away. You can't just dart back into the house. Or something. We were at least a few hundred yards into the woods, Thick, dense woods. So it was just immediately pretty frightening because, I mean, apparently wolves don't really attack humans that often. But I didn't know that because it's just not a common occurrence. So all of a sudden, this thing is just right in front of us, you know, maybe 40ft away. And we were alarmed, so we turned around and started walking back, like, trying to stay calm, but, you know, moving kind of briskly. Like, we were trying to get back as soon as we could because we were, you know, pretty far out. Like, we were both kind of panicking, and we just said, okay, let's go back to the house. We're kind of, like walking briskly back towards the house in the general direction. And the wolf kind of, like, kept pace with us. Like, it obviously saw us, and it was walking parallel to us. I was. This is so stupid, but I was thinking, like, okay, don't act afraid. Like, don't start running, because then he'll respond to us and, like, charge at us or something. So she was, like, walking in front of me, and I was kind of to her, right in between her and the wolf, but, like, slightly behind her because there was no clear path that we were on at this point. So we're kind of having to, like, weave between trees and stuff. So she's kind of leading the way, and I'm kind of in between her and the wolf. And she kept trying to go faster than I wanted her to go. I'm like, no, no, no, stay calm. Like, just walk slowly. Like, don't make any sudden movements. But she was just too afraid. So she keeps, like, picking up the pace little by little. And I'm, like, trying to tell her to slow down. So she's freaking out. You know, obviously, we're both very afraid because it just feels like we're cornered in a way. Like, you're. It's like a. It's a scary feeling, you know, to be out there kind of exposed. Like, there's no cover. You know, there's, like, nowhere you can dart off to. And this thing could just easily kill you if it wants to. It's faster than you. It's stronger than you, and you're just completely at its mercy. So, like, you know, the adrenaline was really pumping. We're. I'm trying to stay calm, at least, but she just keeps moving faster and faster. You know, I'm keeping an eye on the wolf, and he's, like, off to my right, so I'm kind Of, like, you know, looking over at her and, like, kind of following her, like, dodging and weaving through the trees. And I'm looking back over at him, and then, you know, we keep moving progressively faster and faster. And finally the fear just got the better of us. And we're just, like, running at this point. So she's, like, a couple yards ahead of me, and I'm looking every other second, like, alternating between kind of weaving between trees and making sure that he's not coming towards us. Then something unusual happened. The wolf just stood up on its hind legs and kept running. And I was already afraid at that point. You know, we were thinking in the back of our minds, like, we might get mauled by a wolf or something. But that just, like, morphed into something greater at that point. And I just, like, couldn't look away. I was just transfixed on this, what looked like an upright wolf. It looks like it could easily be 6ft tall or 7ft tall. It's standing really comfortably. I mean, it wasn't standing still. It was moving the whole time. It was moving along really quickly. It wasn't, like, unsure, you know, it moved really ably on two legs. I mean, like, it was trotting on four legs. And then at some point, it just kind of backed up. It, like, reared up on its hind legs, and it just didn't slow down at all. It just kept propelling forward on two legs. It just kept running. In my memory, it was holding its arms out in front of it like. Like an animal would or like a canine would. It wasn't, like, pumping its arms like a. Like a man would, you know, it always looked like a wolf. But that detail about the arms has me questioning because I didn't notice anything in particular about the way the arms were moving. But I do remember that when it was running, it was running very naturally. And any other video I've seen of, like, a dog kind of moving around shakily on two legs, you notice what it's. You know, what its front legs are doing. And I don't remember what the wolf's front legs were doing, which kind of makes me question, like, what exactly I saw at that point, because I just don't remember that detail. You know, it was, like, too far away for me to notice its eyes or its smell or anything like that. But it always looked like a wolf at the time. It was just, like, such an adrenaline rush. It was the most terrifying thing I'd seen at that point in my life. So, I mean, I saw it. I Was like transfixed, looking at it for probably four or five seconds. I, like, couldn't stop looking at it. You know, I'm like, running. I'm in danger of running into a tree, but I can't stop looking at it. Finally I have to, like, turn my head to make sure I'm not going to crash into a tree because we're still off the trail. We're just taking like the shortest path back to the. Back to the house. So we're just kind of like cutting through, you know, like the thick of the woods. So we're getting closer and closer to the house and we're both. We're both just like full on sprinting at this point. I keep looking over my shoulder. It's still on two legs. I look in front of me, you know, make sure I'm not going to crash into anything. My girlfriend's still right in front of me. And I look back over and eventually, as we got closer to the yard, like to the backyard, I kind of lost sight of it. But it didn't come closer to us. It looked like it kind of slowed down. And then when I looked back, it was gone. But it didn't seem like it was coming closer to us. It felt like it maybe peeled off in the other direction or it just kind of stopped running with us. By the time we burst into the yard, it seemed like it wasn't with us anymore. I, like, I can. I feel like I need to acknowledge that it can sound kind of stupid. Like, it's hard not to laugh sometimes. And I'm like, yeah, I saw a wolf running around on two legs. But it's just in that context when you're already so afraid, you know, like you're already feeling kind of trapped and like, fearful for your life. And then something starts moving in like a very unnatural way. It just starts moving in a way. It's like. It's just not supposed to move that way. I don't know. That was just absolutely terrifying. There was just like a whole. There's a whole higher threshold of fear that things got kicked into when it stood up. Like I was already afraid, already, like terrified. And then it stands up and starts moving like that, and I'm just like, what the fuck? Like that. It just seemed like. Like in the moment, it feels like supernatural or something. It just doesn't. It seems like you're just entering some deeper circle of hell or something. Because at first I was just afraid of a. You know, of getting mauled by a wild animal or something. And then it starts doing something it just should not be doing. So, you know, I was kind of in shock. Like, I could just. It's a. I don't know how to convey it, but, like, just the feeling in your arms and your legs, they're, like, kind of shaky. But, yeah, I was. I was just very, very afraid and still kind of coming down from that. But as soon as we came into the yard, I was like, did you see that? And she was, you know, she's like, yeah. What do you mean? Like, what were we just running for? I mean, if I remember right, she was shaking, too. I mean, we were both. We were both pretty terrified for obvious reasons. But, you know, I could tell she didn't know what I meant. Like I said, did you see that? And she was, you know, kind of confused. Like, yeah, I saw that. We were just running from it. And I was like, no, no. Did you see it stand up? And she just looked at me kind of confused and then kind of smiled, like, maybe I'm kidding. And I was like, that thing. And she's like, yeah, I'm like, the wolf. You saw that? And she's like, yes. And I was like, it. It stood up and kept running. And then she laughed at me. And then it was like. It was just crushing because I realized she had been just ahead of me the entire time, leading the way. Like, she was the one kind of like dodging and weaving through the brush. And then I was following her. I was the one kind of keeping an eye on the wolf. She only saw it for the first, like, you know, 30 seconds that we were around it when it was just kind of standing there. So I just. I mean, I didn't know what to say. Like, there was this kind of self consciousness that settled on me that. I don't know, like, it felt. I felt like inhibited just as soon as I told her. And I got that reaction from someone who'd been there with me, you know, but just hadn't been looking for the. You know, I mean, I guess this whole thing, it must have. Like, as I'm watching it run, that must have been like 20 seconds total. You know, like, it actually was a really short window. And she just wasn't looking back when that happened. You know, she was looking ahead and just, you know, getting that reaction. Like, just seeing the look on her face and just. Yeah, it just really kind of closed me up. It was like I just had that feeling for a long time afterwards, you know, and especially if you're like, 17, any kind of social Pressure is that can make you shut your mouth, you know, pretty easily. Like I said, at first she thought maybe I was messing with her or something, but I was clearly, like, afraid, and I was dead serious. And she just didn't know what to make of it. Like, yeah, she just didn't know. I mean, because she didn't have a category for this either. It wasn't like this was an established cryptid or, like, I mean, she didn't know any more than I did that, like, other people had claimed to see something like this. So it just came totally out of left field as far as she was concerned. And, yeah, I don't know, she just didn't. She just didn't know how to react. So, you know, we burst into the house, and I'm, like, immediately telling my family who's there. Like, I tell my parents, I tell my younger siblings, and everyone is just kind of looking at me sideways, like, they. They can tell that I'm serious, you know, And I don't lie about this kind of thing. Like, I'm not prone to this type of thing. Like, I don't. I don't know what to call it, but, like, this sort of thing does not happen to me frequently. Like, I don't. I don't even really have an interest in this, or I didn't at this time. So they don't really know what to do because, like, how would you react if someone says they saw a bipedal wolf? Like, what are you supposed to say? Like, so. So I, you know, I know how it sounds. And it's not like. It's not like most people are gonna be like, oh, cool, you know, like, yeah, definitely. But I guess that my younger brother Elijah did believe me. I didn't tell anyone about this story for a few years after this first day. Like, I just tried not to think about it. And then when I eventually had the confidence to be honest about it, my younger brother Elijah was like, oh, yeah, I remember this. And I was like, okay, tell me what you remember. And then I just, you know, zipped my lip because I wanted to make sure I hadn't, like, confabulated anything or, like, warped any details. And he, you know, to my relief, he conveyed everything back to me as I remembered it. So I'm like, okay, I'm not, like, changing any details here. So that was like, seven or eight years later. But apparently my younger brother Elijah believes me. But, you know, people react kind of like, I don't know. It's just what you're telling Them is so abnormal. Even if they trust you, and even if you're not prone to saying things like this or whatever, you're not like, you know, you don't have any kind of reputation that would make people not believe you or something. They just didn't know how to react. I mean, I wouldn't know how to react if someone said all this to me. She went home, like, my girlfriend went back home. And, you know, we all just kind of went about our day. And I did not go out into the woods for a long time. And I was always, like, kind of urging people to go out in the woods, like, if. If they must go out in the woods and like, you know, bring other people with you and like, bring a gun or something. Because at first, I mean, once I realized people were not, like, it just made people feel uncomfortable when I told them what I saw. I at least just said, you know, I saw a wolf back there, you know, and, like, you should just be careful. I didn't set out looking for a cryptid, and I hadn't heard any of these stories. I didn't have any interest in, like, cryptids or anything. I didn't know anyone had even claimed to see anything resembling what I'd seen. But I was in a public library in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I was looking at a certain section that started with P as a philosophy major. So I was looking at, you know, the philosophy section, and it was, you know, it was very sad, small section, and right next to it was the paranormal section. So there were these two books that looked interesting. One was called Midwestern Strange by BJ Hollers, and the other one was called I Know what I Saw by Linda Godfrey. So I, you know, I didn't know what they were, but it looked kind of interesting. So I opened them up and literally, chapter one of the Hollers book is about the Beast of Bray Road or the Michigan Dogman. I don't know, I can't even convey how, like, my jaw was, like, literally on the floor. Like, I'm just blown away because, like I said, I didn't know that anyone else had ever claimed to have seen anything like what I'd seen. And this is like, years later. So I just opened up this book and then, you know, chapter one is about upright wolves, like people have seen in Michigan and in Wisconsin. Like, apparently sightings are concentrated in Michigan and Wisconsin, which is where I lived at the time. So that was, like, incredibly vindicating. Not just that other people had claimed to have seen something like what I'd seen, but, like, in the same area, like, in the same part of the country. And that made me feel a lot more confident. Like, okay, there's like a rhyme and reason to the sightings. Like, other people have seen the same thing that lends credibility that, like, okay, this was not, you know, some weird dream or something. Like, no, this actually happened. So Linda Godfrey, who is a wonderful lady, but she just recently passed away, but she was a reporter in Wisconsin. She sort of stumbled on this where there were lots of people in her area in Wisconsin who had seen upright wolves. She ended up compiling a bunch of these stories and she became convinced pretty quickly that these people were sincere. It was just such a weird array of people who had all claimed to see something very similar. And it was even, like on the same stretch of road for a little while. That's why it's called the Beast of Bray Road in Wisconsin. But the lore is a little complicated because what people have definitely seen, like I said, is some kind of upright wolf like thing. People have seen it chasing down deer and attacking them. They've seen it eating roadkill. They've seen it just running through a field. That's like, basically the core of it. But then there's all this other stuff that gets added that I don't really take that seriously, where it does sound a little more explicitly, like, supernatural. Like, there's this one detail that really annoys me. I don't even know where it comes from, but it's like, oh, the Dogman only appears on years that end in seven. And that just sounds like, I don't know, very goofy to me. I have no clue how that would even work.
