An account in Mono County, California

We (my husband, my son, and myself) were in Mono County this past weekend, Sunday August 21st, 2005, for a day hike to Roosevelt Lake and its twin. We arrived at the lakes at appx. 11 a.m. and fished until 2:30 p.m., at which time we decided to head back down the trail for home. There were quite a few hikers in the area over the course of the day, appx. 13 hikers and a pack train consisting of 4 riders and 8 horses and a dog. Some coming in, some going out. Anyway, we headed down the trail following the pack train. We stopped on the way down to read the sign about the wagons that tried to use that trail way back in the day. I heard a noise like some one else coming down the trail behind us and told my family let's get going. The trail was pretty dry and dusty and my husband kept insisting that we give the hikers ahead of us some time so we could avoid walking in their dust. The next section of trail was slightly up hill so after cresting the top and going a short distance down the other side we stopped for a water break. We heard what we thought was a shout, my son shouted back and something answered, but the echo was pretty bad, so we couldn't make out what was being said. We continued on down the trail and had just approached the south end of Leavitt Meadows, when my husband says "What is that?" Both my son and I stopped and looked across the river toward the meadow. From the beginning it was a strange sight, because this large black thing appeared to be floating across the meadow. At first I thought it was a backpacker perhaps riding a bike, because it was moving so quickly across the meadow. It was moving quickly and smoothly. It didn't make sense. If it was a back packer, to be moving that fast, he would have to be running and running with a back pack is anything but smooth; if he was riding a bike, then why couldn't I see the bike and its arms and legs were in line with its body, not bent at an angle like it was sitting on something. Also the color, I couldn't figure out why a backpacker would be wearing black, black cap, black backpack, black pants, black coat. It was at least 80-85 degrees. We stood and watched silently for a time, perhaps 10-15 seconds. The speed and smoothness with which it traveled was mesmerising. Then my husband and son took off running further up the trail to another vantage point; they continued to watch it silently, then just shortly after I caught up to them, my son yelled, and the thing stopped and turned toward us. It didn't turn as a human would turn, even one wearing a backpack. Then it began moving across the meadow again. Not faster or slower, just the same floating type pace. We were on the trail above the meadow, looking down and appx. 500-800 yards a way from the object. My husband believes the thing was following the pack trail. We left the trail and went down to the meadow. We stayed on the trail side of the river. The thing was on the opposite side of the river. By this time it was gone or hidden from us. The best way to describe it is like this. The thing had a head that sat directly on its shoulders. It did not appear to have a neck. That is why we at first thought it was a backpacker. It went head, broad shoulders or backpack, no neck, large body. We could not discern its legs or arms due mostly to the angle at which it was leaving us. The grass in the Meadow obscured some of the legs. We have spent many hours in the woods, my husband was raised in Plumas county, neither he nor I have ever ever seen anything like this. It could not have been a bear, they can't walk that far on 2 legs, nor that smoothly or quickly.