All language subtitles for Expedition.X.S04E01.Terror.in.Appalachia.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-SLAG_track4_[eng]

Phil and Jess
venture deep into
the Appalachian Mountains.

-[Phil] Look at this place.
-For over a century,

there have been reports
of something grotesque

prowling these woods.

I actually saw bloody flesh
hanging out of his mouth.

New eyewitnesses indicate
the stories could be true.

-You were scared?
-[both] Scared?

-Terrified?
-Yes.

At the edge of the waterfall.

Do you see any cave?

[Josh] And the danger is real.

[grunts]

-Are you okay?
-[bleep]

-Tell somebody
where you're at.
-And so they'll know where

to come hunt the bodies.

[Josh] Could mysterious
creatures be the cause

of countless disappearances?

[reporter] Breaking news out
of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Another hiker
has gone missing.

[man] Someone will go into
the mountains alone,

and you will never hear
from them ever again.

[Josh] Some say
they're monsters.

Something's around here
for sure.

Others say it's something
far more horrifying.

It's fast and deep
right in the middle.
Oh, [bleep].

-[gasps]
-[yells]

-Look over there,
right over there.
-[man] What is that?

[Josh] Terror in Appalachia.

My name is Josh Gates.

In my travels,
I've experienced
strange things

that defy logic and made me
question everything.

Oh, my God.

Now, I've put together a team
to investigate

the stranger side
of the unknown.

Let's go.

Phil Torres is a scientist
who hunts for
rational explanations.

[Jessica speaking]

Jessica Chobot's
paranormal research

has made her a true believer.

Let's go.

[Josh] Together,
we're searching for answers...

What is that?

...to the world's
most extraordinary mysteries.

This is Expedition X.

All right, what if I were
to tell you that there is

a bipedal, hairy creature
terrorizing folks

in the mountains
of Appalachia?

-Bigfoot.
-It's a great guess, but no.

All right, well,
if we're talking Appalachia.

Yeah, so Smoky Mountains,
border of Tennessee,

-North Carolina area.
-And it's not Bigfoot,

-so, oh, okay, I think...
-She's got it.

-...I know what
we're talking about.
-She's got it.

-It is scary.
-Okay, what are
we talking about?

So, it is scary.
And that's because

this terrifying mystery
might be much more
than a legend,

it might be very real.

The Appalachian Mountain Range
runs along the eastern
United States.

Toward its southern end
is the sub range

known as
the Great Smoky Mountains.

Beneath the mist
is a wild place,

over 500,000 acres,
much of it largely unexplored

and all of it uninhabited,

or at least,
it's supposed to be.

1838, the native
Cherokee tribes who live here

are forcibly displaced.

And over the next century
the government kicks out

any remaining landowners.

Empty of residence, it becomes
the perfect hideout

for criminals fleeing the law.

Hermits shunning society,
moonshiners operating

illegal stills and, maybe,
something even more dangerous.

1896, Forest and Stream
magazine publishes

a frighteningly descriptive
story about four hunters

who had a violent encounter
in the mountains

with a disheveled,
naked creature.

According to the article,
the four men tried
to capture him,

but were physically no match
for his brute strength.

He overpowered them
and escaped.

Since then, hundreds
of witnesses have come forward

with reports.

The descriptions
are eerily similar,

human like, but with malformed
facial features,

long matted hair,
no clothes, covered in filth,

a putrid smell.

Some believe the sightings
can be attributed
to recluses

who reverted
to a primitive state.

Others believe the creatures
are another breed entirely

with a hunger for raw flesh.

Whatever they are,
they've become known

as feral people.

And there are those
who believe that they could

be responsible for hikers
going missing in these woods.

Now, a recent dramatic uptick
in sightings of feral people

makes this the critical time
to investigate.

So, all right, Phil,
what do you think?

As crazy as it sounds,
there is precedent

for some of this. For example,
there's a family in Siberia

-that lived off the grid
for 40 years, I think.
-[Josh] Right. Yeah.

And just a few years ago,
they found a father and son

that had been living
in the wilds of Vietnam

since the early 1970s.

But what you're talking about
here, people have been seeing

this since the 1800s.
That means multiple
generations of people

living out in the wild
in the eastern US.

-I don't know.
-Yeah, but what about those
uncontacted tribes

that live out in the middle
of the Amazonian rainforest?

-I mean, that's generational.
-Sure, but what we're talking
about here

is something that seems
to be living completely wild,

like an animal, and how
do we account
for these missing hikers?

Great Smoky Mountains
is one of the most visited

wilderness areas in the US.

There's a lot of trails
they can get lost on,

fall off a ledge,
people disappear out there.

-It happens.
-Okay, but what are these
eyewitnesses seeing, then?

Most likely explanation is
a case of misidentification,

like a bear. There's a lot
of them out there.

Normally, I would agree
with you but the eyewitnesses

in this case seem so clear
that what they're seeing

is not something like a bear.

So, here's the mission.

First off, get to
the Great Smoky Mountains

and start by talking
to these eyewitnesses.

I think you've got to find out
what these people really saw.

And then you're gonna have
to get deep in the wilderness

on this one. Whatever this is,

it's obviously figured out
a way to stay hidden,

so if you're going to collect
evidence, you're going
to have to get really

off the grid here.

Phil, if this is a case
of misidentification,

and it might be,

prove it.

What are people really seeing?

There is a real mystery here.
Folks have gone missing

and we've got real
eyewitnesses.

So, figure out
what's going on.

-Will do.
-We're on it.

[Josh] Phil and Jess
hop a flight
from New York City

to Nashville, Tennessee.

From the country music
capital, it's another

four hours in the car
heading east toward
the mountains.

[Phil] These woods
just keep on going.

This is my first time
in the Great Smoky Mountains,

and look at that.

-You can, like, see that
kind of haze.
-That makes it look smoky.

Yeah.

[Josh] There are over
187,000 acres

of thick old-growth
forest here.

It's home to black bears,
wild hogs, even bobcats.

And, even though
they supposedly no longer live
in the region,

there are also occasional
reported sightings of cougars.

Which begs the question,
could there be other

rarely seen creatures
in this forest?

I feel like I could survive
out here. There's enough food

you could forage.
I saw a dead raccoon
back there looked delicious.

What is wrong with you?

[Jessica] As part
of our investigation,
we make a stop

in Newport, Tennessee,

where we're meeting
an old buddy of mine who knows

the nearby woods
like the back of his hand.

-Was that like a secret knock?
-Yeah, it's a secret knock.

-Hi.
-Hey, guys. Welcome.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

I shake men's hands,
but I still hug the women.
How are you doing?

-Oh, I'll give you a hug.
Good, how are you doing?
-Good to see you.

Nice to see you too.

[Jessica] Digger Manes
and Mark Ramsey
are moonshining legends.

Both grew up in the hills
and learned their craft

from Appalachia's
old-school masters.

Hi.

If anyone knows the secrets
of the Smoky Mountains,
it's these two.

So, we've read some reports
from people in the area

that say they're convinced
they have seen,

like, a feral-looking man
out there,

walking around
naked, raggedy hair.

We've been in the woods
a lot in our life,

making moonshine
and, you know,

we've heard stories
our whole life about creatures

and, you know, just things
that were not explained.

-Oh, yeah.
-Really?

Yeah, oh, we've heard tales
of people wandering

these mountains for years.

They've been some ugly
sons-of-bitches grew up

in these mountains up here.
They, they fit the bill.

-Really?
-I mean, I'm not
including us in that,

-but--
-[both laughing]

I feel like we always
associate moonshine

with, kind of, like, doing it
in secret out in the woods.

You know, these old boys,
when they found a prime spot,

they protected it to no end
no matter what they had to do,

-whether they had
to boobytrap it.
-Exactly.

-Yeah.
-Or, you know, make them
up a little back story

that, you know,
somebody is going to get hurt

if they went in. There's
no doubt there's a lot

of mysterious things
out there.

It's just how you want
to rationalize them
in your own head.

-So, we just got here.
-Uh-huh.

We're trying to figure out
where we should start.

To look for something
that mysterious,

-where do you think
we should go?
-North Carolina.

That's where I would go.
There's a lot of-- thousands
and thousands

of acres up there.

But tell somebody
where you're at in case

you don't show up
for the next day or two.

So they'll know where
to come hunt the bodies.

I mean I feel like
we might need
some liquid courage,

-personally.
-I think we could use
some liquid courage

-before get out
into the woods.
-Like, just throwing that out.

Did we come
to the right place?

I think we might be able
to help you.

[Jessica laughs] [whoops]

-Straight out of the barrel?
-Thank you.

-Yeah.
-Come on.

Tighten them up there.

[Jessica] No visit
with the Moonshiners
would be complete

without a small taste
of their finest shine.

[grunts, whoops]

-That's not bad.
-I gotta try this.

I like that. That's good.

I will say, I feel
a little more courageous
right now.

-I'm ready to go out
in the woods.
-I feel--

Oh, you be able to whoop
a damn bobcat

-after about two more drinks.
-[Jessica] I feel really warm.

[Jessica] We leave
the Moonshiners,
with a couple jars of hooch

and some good advice,

setting our GPS
for the North Carolina border.

Well, I'll tell you,
if you go into these woods...

-Uh-huh.
-...100 feet.

Close your eyes, spin around,
you can get lost so easily
out here. Like,

it looks easy on the road
right now, but it is dense
out there.

What is a little surprising
to me is the fact that

the Park Service
doesn't really publicly

announce how many people
have disappeared around here.

-Yeah. Why is that?
-I don't know.

Is it 'cause they don't want
to scare people away?

Maybe.

Whoa, there.

Sorry, I mean, I don't really
have a lot of options

-on this road.
-This road is insane.

-Hi.
-Hey, how are you?

-Hi, guys.
-Hey.

[Josh] I've connected Phil
and Jess with Eric Taylor,

a local researcher
who has been analyzing

eyewitness reports
of feral people for 15 years,

and Pam Watson,
an eyewitness who says

she'd never even heard
of feral humans

until she came face
to face with one.

If she's to be believed,
it may be one of
the closest encounters,

anyone has ever had.

So, what are
these feral people.
Where do they come from?

Since the 1840s,

there's been reports
of feral, wild people

in the woods,
and the people here

believe a large number
of missing people

in the Great Smoky Mountains
is due to feral people.

But what evidence is there
that it's feral people?

I mean, look around
these woods.

It seems like it'd be easy
to just disappear.

You fall off a cliff,
you fall onto a stream.

How do we know
it's feral people?

Eyewitness testimonies.

[Jessica] So, Pam
has actually seen one?

I have, we had gone
on a family vacation,

myself, my brother
and my parents.

My brother and I had gone up
into the woods,

and we had veered off
this path a little bit

and, when we did,

we saw something.

It was a man,

squatted down, eating
something like a deer.

And I actually saw
bloody flesh hanging out
of his mouth,

blood all over his chest.

Untamed beard, nasty looking.

I was terrified.

He had a really big forehead
that was kind of lumpy
and stuff,

one side of his nose
was a little bit bigger,

I mean he was just--
he was deformed

and he looked at us
with a demonic look.

-Was he wearing clothes?
-No.

Eyewitness accounts
describe a very putrid smell

like garbage, and that's, kind
of, a precursor, usually,

to a sighting,

and they will click
[clicks tongue] back and forth

and that is their form
of communication.

So, did you hear any clicking
or anything when you stumbled
upon this one?

-We did.
-Have you been back
to that area since then?

No, I have not.

These stories
are that someone will go
into the mountains alone,

perhaps, and veer off
from the trail.

They may fall into one
of their traps

that they've made.

People actually say,
"Do not go into certain areas

-in the Great
Smoky Mountains,"
-So...

-Wow.
-...I think we got to ask,

like, where are those areas
that we shouldn't,

-but probably should, go?
-Yeah, that we're--

that we shouldn't go,
but we're absolutely headed
towards.

Yeah.

[Jessica] Pam shows us
on a map where she had
her encounter

and Eric points out an area
nearby where there have been

dozens of other
reported sightings.

[Phil] Running right through
this cluster is something

that every big animal needs,
a major water source.

There's no doubt
this remote location

could sustain all sorts
of wildlife.

-Well, thank you guys.
-Thank you so much.

-You're welcome.
-Great information,

-I think we got
to really get started.
-Yeah.

[Phil] Pam's encounter
is unique because of how close

she claims she got
to the creature.

So we've asked her to work
with a forensic sketch artist

to try to get an accurate
picture of what she saw.

[Jessica] We won't have
the results until morning.

In the meantime,
we follow Eric's map
deep into the woods.

If feral people
are living out here,

Pam believes we're more likely
to find them at dusk

or dark, away
from day hikers and tourists.

[Phil] I don't think
anyone's driven this road
in quite a while.

[Jessica] Yeah, no,
I would agree.

-[Jessica] Oh, jeez. Hang on.
-[Phil] Oh.

-[exclaims]
-You good?

I'm good.

[Phil] The roads here
are barely passable.

The recent heavy rains
have made them

downright treacherous.

-Oh.
-Okay.

You've got the right spot.

[Jessica] Let's take a look.

[Phil] I see road
on the other side.

-Yeah.
-You think the jeep
can make it?

I don't know, man,
I mean, look,

you can see it gets
pretty deep there
in the middle

and if we get the engine wet,

-we're stuck. We're done.
-Yeah.

It's pretty deep there
in the middle

and if we get the engine wet,
we're stuck, we're done.

Okay, well,

cameras, everybody.

Looks like we're going
swimming.

-Let's grab our waders.
-Grab your waders, guys.

We gotta cross.

[Phil] Getting ourselves
across the river is one thing,

but our crew will have
to make this crossing

while carrying heavy gear.

All right, let's go.

All right, cameras,
I think Jess and I
are going to cross first.

See how deep it is.

Make sure you're good
with your gear.

A little rocky, so be careful
where you're stepping.

Oh, [bleep]. Oh.

It also gets a little fast
right here.

[Phil] The temperature
of this water is hovering

just above freezing.

If anyone falls in--

Yeah, we really don't want
anyone to fall in.

It's fast and deep
right in the middle.

Easy, Jess.

[water splashing]

Oh, [bleep]. [grunts]

I'm good. Good, good.

I don't think the jeep
would have made it.

[Jessica] Okay,
be very careful
with the current right here

in the middle.

All right, guys,

looking like it's going uphill
from here.

So I think we can
take the waders off.

[Jessica] Yeah.

[Jessica] We trek about
a half a mile, following
the stream,

until we reach
our destination,

an area where there have been
several recent

eyewitness sightings
and near where Pam

reported seeing a feral man.

We'll focus our investigation
close to the water.

[Phil] Heavy rains
have turned this small stream
into a river.

We need to stay on alert
because, based on our map,

it's the closest water source
for any big animal out here,

including bears.

Look at this.

[whispering indistinctly]

Does not seem like
it's been used recently.

[Phil] Why is there a bathtub
in the middle of the woods?

[Jessica] That's disgusting.

[Phil] That is really gross.

[Jessica] This does
not look like it's been used
for bathing.

Oh, no.
And look at the age of this.

Yeah, this is like
a moonshine spot.

-And that's why this is
all, like, supported--
-You might be right.

-In the middle of the woods,
-Mm-hmm.

-the most random place.
-That's why they call it
bathtub gin.

[Phil] You might be
on to something.

So, I'm thinking we could use
this as, kind of, our base,

because we got stream
on this side,

we got really steep ridge
up there,

just gives us a really
good corridor,

a really good opportunity
to set up camera traps.

So, if anything crosses
this way through it,

-we should get it on camera.
-Yeah.

Okay, let's do that.

Let me get the traps out.

[Phil] We split up
and strategically placed

a series of 10 motion-
activated trail cameras.

Jess sets up five cameras
along the edge of the river

running through this valley,

while I place five along
the ridge line above.

If anything stops by
for a sip of water,

these high-tech cameras
will snap a photo

and immediately uplink
the images to my phone.

Okay, Phil, I'm all set up.

All right, Jess.

Meet you back
at the moonshine tub
in maybe an hour.

[Jessica] That's good.

[Phil] I'm looking for
any signs that animals

pass through here,
like paw prints or scat.

Check this out.

See those scratch marks.

Come on.

That is an animal.

And this is, for sure.
Got some damage there.

This seems old.

Like, definitely that looks
like man-made damage.

Oh, just notch out
of a tree.

Doesn't really look
like hatchet, it looks like

a rudimentary tool
like a stone or something

that made that mark.

Something that didn't have
a very sharp edge.

[camera shutter clicks]

This to me says human,
says human.

This, that's something more.
That could be a bear.

Scratches all along this,
it's like they're competing

for this spot,
marking the territory.

Bears rub against
or scratch trees

to mark their territory.

A bear might have claimed
this riverbank

and it's possible a human
did the same.

There's something
around here, for sure.

[Jessica] The sound
of the stream makes it hard
to hear anything else.

-Oh, [gasps]
-[cameraman exclaims]

[bleep]

Look over there,
right over there,
right over there.

-What is it?
-Right over there.

[bleep]

Phil, I got something
moving in the woods.

Say again?

I just saw something moving
in the woods.

How big we talking?

I honestly can't tell
because it's just so
thick down here.

I mean, it looked big.
I don't know.

What were you seeing
down there?

[speaking]

This direction?

-[device beeps]
-[Phil] Oh, we just got a hit.

-Just got a hit.
-What?

-New one.
-No, we did not.

Oh, look at that.

-Something's blocking
the camera.
-That's something big.

What is that?

-Something's blocking
the camera.
-That's something big.

What is that?

Just looks like
something's hand.

[Phil] This alert
is from camera eight,

one of the ones I set up
on the ridge line above.

That's the top here,
we got to go.

We got to go.

Up here, up here.

-Oh. [bleep]
-Are you-- Are you okay?

-Are you okay?
-See that branch.

-[exhales]
-I swear to God

we just walked this trail...

-That was not--
-...and that was not there.

-This is the tree.
-The camera's up there.

-Are you all right?
Is everything okay?
-Yeah.

-I'm good.
-[exhales]

But what the hell

was that?

Oh, okay.

It's been moved here.
it's been moved.

And there's no branches
that just fell.

There's something definitely
moved that camera.

Look at this axis right here.

Wow, look how fresh this is.
Look at this game trail.

Yeah.

-You got the FLIR, right?
-Yeah.

[Phil] Okay.

[Jessica] You seeing anything?

[Phil] Nothing right now.

[Jessica] We spend the next
half hour scanning

the tree line for anything
warm blooded,

but whatever triggered
our camera seems
to be gone now.

I'm not getting anything
out there.

[Phil] We search the area
for any trace evidence,

like fur or tracks in the mud,
from whatever disturbed
the camera,

but come up empty.

I mean, we know
that they're active out here,

whatever it is, right?

We're picking up stuff
on the camera traps, so

why don't we leave them
running?

[Jessica] Our multitrack
camera system
was successful tonight

and captured an intriguing
clue from something

that was out here with us,

feral human or wild animal.

We'll have the image analyzed
to see if we can figure out

its identity.

-Oh, no, I just thought
of something.
-What?

-Yeah?
-We have to cross
that stream again.

[both sigh]

[Phil] Great.

[Jessica] The next morning,
we get some incredible

new information that we need
to show Josh.

Hey, guys, how's it going
out there?

[both] Good.

So, we had a pretty
amazing night.

I definitely heard
something moving around
in the woods,

and then we got
a really interesting hit.

One of the trail cams
actually picked up

what looks like
a hand reaching for it.

Wait, what do you mean a hand?

Do you mean like
a human hand?

Yeah, it looks like this part
of the hand.

You can actually see
what looks like a little bit

of a thumbnail
and it's reaching
for the camera.

And then, when we went
and checked out the cam,

it was all knocked off
the tree.

So, what are you saying?
You think there was somebody

-out there in the woods?
-I mean, somebody
or something.

[Phil] I'm not so sure, Josh.
Maybe the camera slipped

and triggered
this blurry shot.
Jess sees a hand.

I see, well, not much
of anything.

Okay. All right.

And what about-- And what
about witnesses?

Well, we talked
to one yesterday,

Pam, and honestly her story
was terrifying.

Whatever she saw,
she's traumatized by it

-to this day,
-Mm-hmm.

and we actually connected her
with a forensic sketch artist,

so that we can have
a better idea of what

we should be looking
for out here,

and actually we just got
the results over.

We're gonna email them
to you now.

Okay, hold on a second,
let me open this up.

-Whoa.
-[both] Oh.

[Josh] Look at this guy.

This is kind of incredible
because this is clearly

humanoid, right? I mean
this is not a sketch
of a bear, right?

-Oh, no.
-And what is supposed
to be in his mouth.

So, her story was that
she stumbled upon him

while he was eating.
So that is deer guts

and deer blood
all over his mouth.

[Josh] So, this is also
remarkable because
it puts a literal face

on this investigation,
you know, what is this,

that this woman saw?
I mean, who is this?

[Jessica] That's what we need
to find out.

So, okay, next stage
of the investigation,

I've actually found
another more recent
eyewitness.

It's actually a couple.
Hopefully they can corroborate

each other's stories.

So, I've arranged for you
to go out and meet them today,

at the spot where it happened.

[Phil] Josh sends us off
to Mingo Falls,

which is just a few miles
from where Pam said

she had her encounter.

All right, so these folks
are gonna meet us up
at the top, yeah?

-Yep, we got some stairs
ahead of us, yes.
-Yeah.

[Jessica] The witnesses Josh
found are James Manning

and Maleeka Spruill.

They had
a terrifying encounter
they can't explain.

We were here for his birthday.

-Okay.
-And we d-- everybody kept
telling me how beautiful

Mingo Falls is,
so we thought, "Okay,

we'll go to Mingo Falls."

So, I gotta ask, what the heck
did you see up here?

You tell me.

I know it was a man.

But

what kind, don't know.

He stood about 6'3", 6'4".

He looked like a mangled,
deformed man,

he had knots in the forehead,
his hair was thin,
bit of string,

He had a full beard
and he was naked.

His body was covered in hair
and he was wet.

Odd, strange smell,
smell like garbage.

-It was horrible, horrible.
-Just horrible.

His eyes were really--
really were scary

because they was like
a cloudy white,

you couldn't even see
his pupil, it was
a cloudy white.

[Jessica] Almost like
how cataracts
look on people?

Exactly, like cataracts,
exactly.

-You were scared?
-[both] Scared?

-[all laugh]
-Terrified.

-Yes.
-We couldn't move.

So, was this the area
that you saw him at?

-It was up there.
-Near the waterfall.

-At the falls.
-At the falls.

Do you mind showing us
where you saw it?

-Yes, we can show you,
no problems.
-Awesome. All right, well,

-we'll follow you.
-Okay.

-Lead the way.
-Do we have to?

Yes, we do, come on.
[chuckles]

[Phil] We'll stick together.

-Wow, look
at those waterfalls.
-Whoa.

Okay, so you guys
were actually standing here?

-Yes.
-Right.

Okay, and so, then, where
did you see him specifically?

Right there.

You see where there's like
a little round area
right there?

-Yeah.
-Right there, he was right
there in the corner.

He didn't move,
he keep staring at us.

And, then, when I looked down
to get myself together,

-it was gone.
-Yeah.

Where did he disappear to?
I mean this is--

it's, it's dense
but it's also
very steep,

which makes me wonder,
is there a cave up there,

-or an outcropping that
he could have hidden behind...
-Yeah.

...that we're just not seeing
from down here?

-You want me to go up there.
-I want you go up there

and I'll stay here.
As in, you can check out

if there's any hiding spots.

[James] Write us.

-Okay.
-[laughing]

-We'll let you guys know.
-Let us know.

-Let us know, write us.
-Okay.

After today, I won't be
coming back.

She had to make me
come this time.

I have one more
favor to ask.

So, one thing we've been doing
with our witnesses

is connecting them
with a forensic sketch artist.

-Okay.
-So that we can, basically,

try to get a better picture
of what you actually saw
out here.

-Would you be comfortable
doing that?
-Yes.

We have no problem.

[Jessica] The spot where
they say they saw
the feral man

is roughly halfway
up the falls.

Could there be a cave
or crevice up there

where someone could quickly
hide from view?

At 120 feet, Mingo Falls
is one of the tallest
waterfalls

in the southern Appalachians,

so Phil has a steep hike
ahead of him.

Whatever was up here,

it's got to be in good shape.

Ooh, this is high.

Oh, my gosh.

Uh, Jess, I'm at the edge
of the waterfall.

-Got me?
-Oh, I see your hand,
I see your hand,

wave your hand one more time.

It's difficult to see
much detail
from this far away,

though not impossible.

Do you see any caves
or anything

that a person could hide in,
or hide behind?

[Phil] It was kinda hard
to tell.

Definitely a lot of rocky
formations up here.

So I would not be surprised
if there were a cave,

a little bit further up.

Honestly, I think we got
to follow this trail up
here tonight.

So, I think you should go
all the way down those stairs

and grab our gear
from the jeep.

Fine.

So, looking around up here,
not seeing any caves,

but I am seeing a lot
of rock formations

and obviously running water
with the waterfall

and when you combine
those two,

that's when you get erosion,

and with erosion you get
underground caverns,

the perfect place
for whatever the heck
they saw up here to hide.

[Jessica] Starting behind
the Mingo Falls,

we set out on foot.

[Phil] Wow, look
at this place.

[Jessica] The temperature
during the winter here

falls well below freezing.

For a feral human to survive
in these woods,

they're going to need shelter,
likely in the form of a cave.

So that's what I'm hoping
to find.

It's getting dark,
but we've hiked too far

to give up now.

so we're going
to keep looking.

Hopefully, whatever's out here
doesn't find us first.

All right, try and stay
in contact as best you can.

Will do, good luck.

Thank you. You too.

[Phil] Jess and I split up
to cover more ground.

IR cameras use infrared light
to illuminate images

in the dark.

This way?

[distant click]

[whispers] Did you hear that?

Did you hear that snap?

[distant click]

Did you hear that?

Did you hear that snap?

-[clicking]
-[bleep]

Was that you?

I keep hearing sounds
over there to my left.

Let's get the gear out.

I think I kind
of see something.

There's something over there.

-There, right there.
-Yes.

God, you smell that?

Oh, it just moved.

[Phil] Getting through
the woods is slow going
in the dark,

but finally I find
what appears to be

a cave entrance.

The problem is,
it's down there.

Oh, [bleep].

God, that's a drop off.

That's a broken ankle

or a broken leg.

Or worse.

That looks like it leads
to something big.

I think we got to get
down here so we should get
out the ropes,

because this is--
this looks good.

A large cave like this
would give any big mammal

good protection from both
the elements

and other predators.

It's possible that
the cave system extends

under this ridge, perhaps
connecting it to the cliffs

around Mingo Falls.

All right, let's find
a flat area to set up.

Sound good?
Let's go.

[whispering] I mean,
if it was an animal,
I feel like we would see

some light shine.

[bleep] There is something
over there.

Uh, Jess, I just found
this insane drop off

cave system that

I'm going to climb down
into to get a better look
at what's in here.

Okay, well, just be very,
very, very, very,
very careful.

All right, into the abyss
we go.

Let's run it down
about 40 feet from the top

and check out
how deep this thing is.

I can't even see the bottom.

So, not the most fun descent
I've ever done,
I've gotta say,

but I gotta figure out
what's down there.

[rocks clattering]

[exhales]

[exhales]

Whoa! [clears throat]

Hey.

I see the ground.
I see the ground down here.

[exhales]

Oh, I think I'm about, uh,

30 feet from
the bottom here.

Whoa.

[exhales] Touchdown.

Oh, wow, this place is insane.

[whispers] I really don't want
a bear to be in here.

Okay, that's gotta be
120 feet.

The cavern splits into
two smaller chambers,

plus something
I didn't expect.

Another opening that leads
to a forest on the other side.

Wow.

Look at that.

Completely open over here.

That's insane, there's gotta
be an easier way to get
in here.

There's definitely
an easier way
to get out of here.

Let me check up with Jess.

Jess, you copy?

Yeah, I copy,

how's it looking down there?

It's looking pretty crazy,
I mean, I gotta say,

big parts of this cave
are pretty uneven,

but it opens up to a huge area
of forest.

I'm wondering if you might be
able to find

this back entrance.

Okay, start shining
your light around.

We'll try and go near one
of the edges of the rocks

to see what we can see
'cause right now where we are,

there's nothing,
we can't see anything.

Yeah, let's just do this.

Oh, oh, yeah, I see you.

-Yeah, I'm waving.
-Okay.

Oh, my God,
that's crazy thick.

Whoa.

Phil, come here.

So, this looks suspicious.

-This is crazy.
-That looks like a campfire.

Oh, you rappelled down
this whole thing?

-Oh, yeah.
-Oh, my gosh.

That's insane.

Look at this cave, though.

Oh, see, right here,
it smells, man.

-What?
-You don't smell that?

[sighs]

You don't smell that stink?

Hold up.

-Huge.
-Yeah.

It smells like a zoo.

-Oh, God, we got bones.
-[Jess yelps]

We're all familiar with famous
feral people in literature,

characters like Tarzan
and Mowgli
from The Jungle Book,

but are either of them
based on true stories?

While Mowgli may be partly
based on a young boy

from the 1800s, who was
allegedly discovered in India,

living among wolves,

he walked on all fours,
he growled, he ate

only raw meat, before
being rescued

to an orphanage for care.

And, as for Tarzan, some claim
that character was inspired

by an English nobleman
named Lord William
Charles Mildin.

In 1868, at the age of 11,

he purportedly survived
a shipwreck

off the coast of Africa,
where he lived among apes

for years.

The trouble is, there's almost
no documentation

to back up the legend,

and most believe the tale
is simply bananas.

We have bones?

Oh.

Look at that.

I'll get my evidence kit.

Why don't you
take some photos
while I keep moving?

[Jessica] Okay. Ready?

Definitely chewed up.

-[Jessica] Like,
this part looks ripped off.
-Mm-hmm.

-But this part looks like
it--
-That was snapped.

These look like they're from
a big animal,

like a deer or a hog.

Yeah.

[Phil] The bones
we found in the cave
are clearly animal,

but who or what butchered
that animal

is yet to be determined.

-You know what else I got?
-What?

I thought that was
in order to tell how dirty
your hotel room is.

That too, or how much blood
is around

in a cave.

Oh.

[Phil] Luminol reacts
with the iron in hemoglobin,

making any smear or spatter
of blood glow

for about 30 seconds.

If I can find blood
with the luminol,

I'll collect a sample
for DNA testing

to see what might have been
in here eating the carcasses.

-All right, let's go.
Lights off, ready?
-Yeah, three, two, one.

[Jessica] Oh. I can see it.

Oh, just did.

What is that?
it's glowing, right there.

[Phil] Whole area is glowing.

So we got blood.

That is a lot of blood.

-Yeah.
-I just don't want that
to be human blood.

Ugh. Ah! It's in my eyes.

What just happened?

-What?
-What?

Yeah, something, something.

There's something moving
around up there?

-Let's go, let's go.
-All right.

[Jessica] We rushed outside
to see if we could spot
whatever

might have been on top
of the cave.

While Phil checks for clues
on the ground,

I break out the FLIR
and scan the tree line.

[whispers] I don't see
anything on the FLIR.

We leave a trail camera
running, just in case

whatever was on top
of the cave above us returns.

[Josh] The findings my team
gathered during
this investigation

shed new light on
the mystery

of the so-called feral people
of Appalachia.

Though our trail cams
took mostly photos

of recognizable species,

we can't identify
what made this image.

Something definitely moved
that camera.

Jess and the crew also heard
mysterious clicking noises,

[distant click]

[whispers] Did you hear that?

[Josh] Which we isolated
from our footage

and thoroughly analyzed.

[tongue click]

Phil compared notes
with several colleagues,

but they were unable
to conclusively identify

the sounds as coming
from any known animal

or insect.

[Phil] Oh, God, we got bones.

[Josh] Tests indicated
the bones and some
of the blood samples

they collected in the cave
were from hogs,

which roam wild
in these mountains,

but there were also some
blood spatters

that were 100% human.
Who that human was,

and what they were doing
in that cave,

that remains a mystery.

But the most interesting
evidence are the two drawings

made by a professional
forensic sketch artist.

Put the images side by side
and the resemblance
is undeniable.

So, where does that leave us?

Phil began the investigation
thinking sightings

of feral humans were cases
of wildlife misidentification,

but when it comes to why
so many hikers go missing,

Jess was open to a more
imaginative explanation.

After weighing the evidence,
though, we are, in
a rare occasion, united.

There very well may be
some foul smelling,

raggedy looking creatures
living deep

in the Great Smoky Mountains,

but none that are genetically
different than you and me,

simply those who made
the choice to leave
society behind,

and from time to time
an eyewitness gets a glimpse,

and a whiff.

Ever look in the mirror
after a weekend camping trip?

Try being out there
for several years,

you might just look and smell
like a monster, too.

For more information
on Expedition X,

head to
discovery.com/expeditionx.