When we first started caching, this was one of the first areas we cleared out. InspectorCacheIt227 is a bit of an expert on cryptids. In fact, he wears a hat that says "Bigfoot Expert" on it. The fact that he won it in a raffle at a Sasq-cache event is irrelevent. What is relevent is that we felt that this area, formerly teaming with cryptids, needed a refresh. Some of these cryptids may be familiar while some may be brand new to you. Good luck tracking them all.
As always, be aware of all hazards of the parkway. There was no poison oak at any of the hide location at the time of placement, but it is around the area. This is the only place I have ever had a tick try to inbed itself (I felt it and pulled him out before he was fully in) and I spotted a friendly snake while hiding these, but rattlesnakes are in the area as well.
OZARK HOWLER
The Ozark Howler, or the Ozark Black Howler, legend has been passed down for generations by locals who have heard things they could not describe, and have seen things that couldn’t be described as an animal that you would expect to find in the heart of the Ozark wilderness. Its frightening sound and eerie appearance has been seen in the more remote parts of the Missourian and Arkansan Ozarks and even farther west in Oklahoma and south in Texas.
It is typically described as being around the size of a bear, with a thick body, stocky legs, black shaggy hair, and having prominent horns. Most agree that it is either black or dark in color. Its cry is often described as being a combination of a wolf’s howl and an elk’s bugle. Skeptics claim that it’s an eastern cougar, a black bear, or some kind of wolf or feral hound. Sightings have been officially recorded since the 1950’s, though many Ozark families can pass on stories of their parents and grandparents experiencing the chill of seeing the Ozark Howler well before that time.
Between 2005 and 2010, the Howler (also called the Black Howler and the Devil Cat) was spotted several times. A family living north of Van Buren in the Boston Mountains of Crawford County set out trail cams after spotting what they believed was a cougar. The images they supplied to a Fort Smith television station appeared to show a big cat similar to a cougar (mountain lion).