Words of Whit

There’s a place on Herron Hill that’s been touched by a bit of magic

If you know where to look,  there’s a place on Herron Hill that’s been touched by a bit of magic.

Among the mounds of mystical mayhem stands a proud, wooden likeness of the legendary Bigfoot.

The life-sized statue is the property of Allen Godbey, who allows it to grace his mother Barbara’s secret garden.

Eight years ago, a friend of Godbey wanted a Bigfoot statue. Godbey happened to have another friend who was artistically handy with a chainsaw.

Key Peninsula resident Allen Godbey and his Bigfoot. Courtesy photo by J.T. Flanders

One day the three of them got together with a large chunk of tree. Over the next 12 hours, Godbey watched in awe as raw wood was turned into a work of art. Three years later Godbey’s friend passed away, leaving the Bigfoot statue, now known as “Bob,” to Godbey. Bob has resided in his mother’s secret garden ever since.

Finding a statue of a Bigfoot on the Pen is a bit unusual. Finding an owner of a Bigfoot statue who has had an actual Bigfoot experience is rare, indeed.

One day 23 years ago, young Godbey and a friend were out hunting whitetail deer in the remote hills above Eatonville. After climbing to the top of Watch Mountain, they were both suddenly amazed by the absolute stillness at the summit. No animals of any kind were visible; neither the chirp of a bird nor the buzz of an insect broke the eerie silence.

The duo proceeded back down the mountain the way they had come, when they began smelling a great stench, unlike any they had ever encountered before. Godbey described it as a “lingering foul fetid odor. Once you’ve smelled it, you’ll never forget it!”

Suddenly in a clearcut approximately 150 yards away a Bigfoot sat up and began to walk around. Godbey and his friend were at first stunned and frightened, but they stayed put and watched the creature for about half an hour.

Later the same day as they were driving down the mountain, a Bigfoot popped up by the road and ran alongside them for about a mile. When they finally reached the bottom of the hill, Godbey spotted three Bigfoot creatures in a clearing approximately 60 feet away. Godbey estimated their height ranged from 6 to 9 feet tall and their weight was probably between 260 and 300 pounds. The tallest of the three sported grayish hair and appeared to be a dominant alpha male, he said.

The sight and sounds of the Bigfoot raised the hair on Godbey’s arms and gave him goose bumps, which coincidently reappear every time Godbey relates his story.

“This is the classic symptom of those people who have had a Bigfoot encounter,” according to John Flanders, local Bigfoot expert. It might be easy for the average reader to discount such a story as pure fabrication or fancy, but this author knows better — from personal experience. But that’s next month’s story.