The Hidebehind

Hidebehind by Margaret Ramsay Tryon for “Fearsome Critters” by Henry Harrington Tryon

Another creature rises out of the dim past, this time native to the American frontier. Is this big hairy thing a new cryptid, or something suspiciously familiar? CryptoVille investigates!

Back in the early days of America, settlers and entrepreneurs were busy claiming land and settling in for a bright and happy future. So, we’re talking anywhere from the 1770s through to the mid- 1900s. I suppose even today some areas are being settled, but not like it was in the early days of the United States.

Loggers were the first to access and live in the more remote areas, not surprisingly, because that’s where the forests were that they needed to harvest. Unfortunately, that’s where they ran into this creature that they named the Hidebehind.

There are several very old, out of print books that reference this creature, and if you can get one, you’ll be paying over $100 for it. So I left them behind and tried to find information elsewhere.

One blogger seems to have gotten ahold of a copy of at least one of these tomes, and I think that’s why her description of this creature is so much better than anything else I’ve read.

Artwork by A Book of Creatures.com©

Looks Like

The Hidebehind could be mistaken for a bear except that it walks bipedally and stands around six feet tall. It’s extremely thin and covered from head to toe in long, dark hair.  Its “arms” are a little short, but have long, sharp claws on the end. The “legs” seem rather short, too, and also have some dangerous claws. The face isn’t visible beneath all that hair.

This creature also has a tail said to look like that of a French sheepdog, and this one point might ruin my working theory, but let’s continue.

French Sheepdog. Note the tail.

Stalks Like

The name comes from the fact the loggers believed it would stalk them and come at them from behind. If they ever turned around, the creature would already be out of sight, hiding behind something. They also believe the creature was as thin as it was so it could hide behind trees.

They’re supposed to be very patient stalkers and able to fast for seven years before finding a tasty morsel somewhere in the woods. In addition, they’re supposed to be very fast. I guess I would be fast too if I’d been waiting seven years to find something I’d like to eat!

Eats Like

So what do they eat? Humans are their preferred meal, particularly our intestines. But they will also eat grebes for their intestines.

Grebe. Small water bird.

Do you know what a grebe is? It’s a small water bird whose intestines, I’d imagine, aren’t much bigger than the one of my fingers. Maybe even the pinky. But I guess if you’re waiting up to seven years to find a human to eat (most likely an unsuspecting logger), a few dozen grebes should tide you over.

Bottoms Up

There is one way to defeat a Hidebehind. Get good and drunk so that he can smell the alcohol on you. Apparently, they don’t like the smell of alcohol but it’s going to take more than a few beers to make sure they can smell it before ripping you open for your intestines.

Now that just sounds like a license to get drunk, doesn’t it?

Is it Real or Fiction?

Imagine early loggers trudging into ancient forest all along the Northern tier of the USA. It’s dark at night and they probably just have campfires to see by, and later on, some flashlights and maybe an early Coleman’s lamp or something.

He sees you when he’s peeking …

None of these things will give you a good view into the pitch-black forest encircling your camp. So you start to hear strange calls, and some whistles. You’re wondering what animals make those sound? Or could it be other humans, like unfriendly native tribes?

At dusk or dawn, you think you catch a glimpse of something big and hairy looking your way. It seems to hide among the forest foliage and sometimes peeks around from behind trees. You have no idea what you’re seeing, but it fills you with dread.

I think these early loggers were absolutely encountering Bigfoots/ Sasquatches. But how does the tail come into play? The Hideaway is definitely said to have one, but as we know, Bigfoots/ Sasquatches do not.

Perhaps the tail was just something else, a frond of a pine tree, or ferns that grow in some forested areas. Perhaps it was the arm of a smaller creature behind them. Maybe it wasn’t there at all, but their fear drove them to make some assumptions.

Even though this creature is fictitious, I believe the early loggers were seeing Bigfoots/ Sasquatches and that they most likely do even now. They may not have killed the loggers for their intestines, but some of them can be quite violent if you believe some people’s accounts. I believe there are some Indian legends that describe them as eating humans.

Here’s a recorded account of a logger and his experience seeing Bigfoot. About 7.5 minutes long:

http://www.you2repeat.com/watch/?v=vQTWolxvwqY

Because of all that, I’m relegating the Hidebehind to the realms of mythology, and keeping Bigfoot/ Sasquatch in the here and now.

Do you think the Hidebehind was most likely a Bigfoot/ Sasquatch, or something else?

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References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidebehind

https://abookofcreatures.com/2017/02/06/hidebehind/

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