110. Backwoods Horror: Unexplained Disappearances in the Alaska Triangle

A man disappears in the middle of a race. A woman walks into the woods and is never seen again. And a small town called Portlock swears there is something evil stalking them in the Woods. Some say there’s something supernatural happening in the ‘Alaskan Triangle’ Anyone having contact or information regarding Valerie Sifsof is asked to contact the Alaska State Troopers in Soldotna at 907-262-4453 and reference incident number AK12219013 or the Alaska Bureau of Investigation Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 907-269-5038. Anyone having contact or information regarding Michael LeMaitre is asked to contact the Alaska State Troopers (907) 269-5511 and reference incident number AK12217370 Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/alaskantriangle Subscribe on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/heartstartspoundingfor bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. Apple subscriptions are now live! Get access to bonus episodes and more when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@heartstartspounding?lang=enand Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heartstartspounding/ for a daily dose of horror.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Kaelyn Moore?

  This episode is brought to you by Bigelow Tea. By now, you should all know that I'm obviously a very curious person, and I'm also a big tea drinker. So I've always heard about this tea called Bigelow Constant Comment. It's been around forever and people absolutely love it. I realized I had no idea what it actually tasted like. Obviously, I had to investigate, and now I'm obsessed. Constant Comment is this incredible black tea with real orange rind, cold-pressed orange oil, and sweet spices. The best way I can describe it is it's like Christmas in a cup, except you get to drink it all year long. Then I learned the story behind it, which made me love it even more. Constant Comment was created by Ruth Campbell Bigelow and her New York City kitchen in 1945.

• 0:43Kaelyn Moore?

  She shared it with her friends, and everyone kept talking about it. And all of those "constant comments" actually gave it its name. The recipe is still a Bigelow family secret over 80 years later. So this one is a mystery worth investigating for yourself. Bigelow Constant Comment. Curiously different, impossible to forget. This episode is brought to you by Rover. Every pet parent has the document. You know the one. The overly detailed, slightly unhinged list of everything a sitter needs to know about your pet. On Rover, you can browse sitter profiles and read verified reviews from other pet parents to find someone who genuinely gets your pet. You can even do a meet and greet beforehand so you know that it's the right fit before you commit. I have had wonderful experiences with Rover.

• 1:28Kaelyn Moore?

  The biggest one that comes to mind is when my dog Fitzgerald needed to stay somewhere. I was traveling with him, and I had something to do for a full day. So I found a sitter on Rover, and he had the best time. He played outside in a big backyard all day with a couple of other dogs. I got pictures the whole time. Getting photo updates while you're away turns panicked texting into real peace of mind. Exclusively for new users of Rover, use code HEARTSTARTS20 for a $20 discount off your first booking. Valid only on eligible bookings. Offer expires January 24, 2027. Terms apply.

• 2:05Kaelyn Moore?

  On July 3rd, 2012, 65-year-old Michael Lemater laced up his sneakers in preparation for a wilderness race on Mount Marathon. Mount Marathon sits far at the southern tip of Alaska, nestled between majestic fjords, glaciers, and the sea in a small port town named Seward. Seward is just south of Anchorage and has barely 3,000 year-round residents. Its biggest draw is its annual wilderness race, the one that Michael was preparing for. It's been going on since 1915, and it's basically a three-mile out-and-back. Every 4th of July, hundreds of runners race up and down the peak.

• 2:46Kaelyn Moore?

  If you think that sounds easy, because it's only three miles after all, well, it's definitely not. For the first mile-plus, participants have to run up a straight incline, battling roots, rocks, cliffs, and dodging occasional encounters with bears. And when you finally reach the top, you go from climbing a mountain to sprinting down a cliff. And all the way, you're fighting against trees, mud, snow, and precipices that come out of nowhere, while the gravity of your own body urges you onwards. There have been a lot of injuries during this race: broken bones, head traumas. One time, someone was even impaled by a tree.

• 3:28Kaelyn Moore?

  It doesn't sound like my idea of a good time, but Michael Lemater was so, so excited for this race. He was a lively, outdoorsy guy who was always trying to find a new adventure, and Mount Marathon was on his bucket list. In 2012, he applied for a lottery slot to run at their annual Bacchanal, and he got in. So then, on July 3rd, Michael and his wife Peggy drove to Seward. They attended some mandatory safety meetings, picked up Michael's racing number, 548, and otherwise prepped for the big day. And then, on July 4th, Michael donned a sweatband with black shorts and a black tee, kissed

• 4:11Kaelyn Moore?

  his wife goodbye, and around 3:00 PM, he joined over 100 other runners at the starting line.

• 4:19Kaelyn Moore?

  Michael's wife Peggy looked at the sky. The weather was really bad that day. Rainy and foggy, which made the whole course really slick. She wondered how that would affect the race, which was already hard on the athletes and her poor husband, who was 65 after all. But it didn't stop the runners or the hordes of fans who were packed in tight around her near the trail. The gun went off and the runners were on their way. Over the next few hours, she watched as one by one they started crossing the finish line. But she didn't see Michael. She hadn't expected him to lead the pack. But when he still hadn't finished by 6:00 PM,

• 5:03Kaelyn Moore?

  three hours after the race had started, she got worried. Even if he got a cramp, surely he'd be able to walk the whole thing in three hours. By 7:30 PM, that worry turned to panic. She drove to the finish line with the couple's dog and waited for Michael, watching as the other runners were changing their clothes and going home for the night. They were all on the mountain with her husband. Surely someone must have seen him. But no one had. It was starting to get dark and it was really cold. Michael had begun the race in just shorts. He must be freezing by this point.

• 5:48Kaelyn Moore?

  As she waited there, staring up at the rapidly darkening mountain, her dread kept getting stronger. She started honking her car horn and yelling into the wind, hoping that if Michael had gotten lost, he would hear her and know where to go. But he didn't appear. No, he never would. And no one would ever be able to explain where he went.

• 6:16Kaelyn Moore?

  Welcome to Heart Starts Pounding, a podcast of horrors, hauntings, and mysteries. As always, I'm your host, Kaelyn Moore. I'm not going to lie to you guys, there is something strange going on in Alaska. I have listeners there, I can see you when I look at my stats, and yet, I never hear from any of you. What's going on up there, guys? Are you okay? Well, some people claim that there's something supernatural about the area that leads to all sorts of strange disappearances and sightings of otherworldly creatures in the woods, and that's why they've even named it "The Alaskan Triangle."

• 6:56Kaelyn Moore?

  After all, people go missing in Alaska at a rate that's two times higher than the rest of the United States. So, is it a vortex up there? Or is something else going on? We're gonna get into all of that today. But first, as you know, sometimes I hear from you guys your darkly curious jobs, hobbies, and interests. And so today, I wanted to give a quick shout out to you, Sebbyo, who listens to our show while working as a custodian in a haunted middle school. I think the only thing that would have made my middle school experience worse is if there were ghosts there, or, I don't know, maybe that would have made it better, who's to say? But please, keep it coming, you guys, keep sending me your darkly curious jobs, interests, hobbies, whatever, and I will keep shouting them out.

• 7:41Kaelyn Moore?

  Okay, let's get back into it.

• 7:46Kaelyn Moore?

  Hours before Peggy drove down to the base of the mountain in search of Michael, a man named Tom was up on the mountain. He was the mid-course timekeeper, in charge of monitoring the runners coming through the turnaround point as they finished their uphill slog and then headed back down the mountain again. He had a big timepad with him, which had this mat attached to it. When the runner's feet hit the mat, there was actually a chip in their shoes that would record them and tell them their time. Tom had been doing this for 16 years, but it had been a long day that day. He'd been there with his team since the morning, and the bad weather had made the last few hours pretty unpleasant.

• 8:29Kaelyn Moore?

  So, 45 minutes after the last runner came through, Tom and his team packed up the timepad and water station, and then they headed down the mountain. But they didn't get far before they realized something was wrong. There was still one more racer, and he was making his way up the mountain. It was Michael Lemater. Michael was moving really slowly, but he didn't seem injured or anything. Tom told him that he was almost at the turnaround point. It was only 200 meters away. In fact, Tom could even see it from where he stood, and he pointed to it and told Michael where to go. Then, they parted ways. Tom headed back to Seward while Michael continued on.

• 9:14Kaelyn Moore?

  And it's believed that that's the last time anyone saw Michael. Based on his timing, Michael was expected to arrive in downtown Seward around 7:30 PM. But he didn't show up. So Peggy frantically called the number she had for the race officials and begged them to get a search and rescue going. They did, eventually, but not until around 10:30 PM. By that point, the sun had set, and the searchers had to comb the cold mountainside in the dark. They didn't get any infrared assistance until a state trooper helicopter showed up sometime around 1 AM and searched the area from the skies.

• 9:55Kaelyn Moore?

  The National Guard joined the efforts later that morning, while a 60-person search party scoured the area on foot, including Michael's family, search dogs, firefighters, and local volunteers. And even with everyone coming together, they still couldn't find him anywhere. They couldn't even find any trace of him. No footprints, no strewn-about clothing, nothing. If Tom hadn't seen him with his own eyes, he'd almost think that Michael never made it onto the mountain that day. The search lasted for days before transitioning from rescue to recovery.

• 10:35Kaelyn Moore?

  And investigations tend to slow down when that happens, when there's not as much urgency to find someone before they pass away. Shortly after, the state troopers bowed out of the hunt, leaving local law enforcement and Michael's family to keep looking on their own, which they did. Michael's daughter actually arranged for a private cadaver dog to sniff around the slopes. But there was nothing. As an Alaska state trooper spokesperson put it, quote, "No clues, no trace, no trail."

• 11:11Kaelyn Moore?

  By the end of the summer, no one had found anything, and the Lemater family finally accepted that Michael was gone. In August, his daughter did one last hike up the mountain and carved, quote, "I love you, Dad," into a rock at the turnaround point. That carving might be the only trace left that Michael was ever on that mountain. So, the obvious question that many people are still asking today is where did he go? Some think that it was just a tragic accident. Because the halfway timer was taken down and no one was at the turnaround point, Michael may have simply missed it.

• 11:55Kaelyn Moore?

  Maybe he kept running and didn't realize his mistake until he was totally lost. It was cold that night, so he could have died of hypothermia while waiting for help or trying to find his way back. Michael wouldn't have necessarily known how to spot the halfway mark without an official there. He didn't run the course ahead of time like he was supposed to. This was a huge safety issue and it actually violated a race rule. Others think that he didn't get lost, per se. More like something happened that incapacitated him, like a heart attack or a bad injury. He could have fallen into a crevasse or a dense foliage area that searchers just couldn't get to. Another theory is that Michael escaped,

• 12:40Kaelyn Moore?

  as in faked his own death so he could run off and start a new life. But his family argued that he would never do something like that. He was close to retirement and he had just bought a camper he intended on using to see more of the state. He was eager to spend more time with his family, not run away from them. And plus, he only had the clothes on his back. There were easier ways to disappear if that's really what you want to do, and we can sidebar about that later if you're interested. But here are the facts of this case that I keep coming back to. Michael vanished on a course that hundreds of people had run that same day, a course being monitored by volunteers. There was an intensive search launched fairly quickly,

• 13:25Kaelyn Moore?

  and still, there was no sign of him at all. Which, that brings me to another theory. Some people think that where Michael disappeared is part of the mystery.

• 13:41Kaelyn Moore?

  You see, Seward sits at the southern tip of what's known to locals as the Alaskan Triangle, a region that covers 200,000 square miles of the state and roughly extends to its three major cities: Juneau, Anchorage, and Ukiaugvik. It's an area that's considered strange and powerful and is directly responsible for all kinds of bizarre things, like mysterious disappearances. Lots of mysterious disappearances. I mean, it's pretty serious. Statistics vary a bit, but some sources say that since the 1970s, there have been around 20,000 missing

• 14:24Kaelyn Moore?

  persons there. That equates to double the national average. It's also a huge number for a state that doesn't actually have a lot of people living in it. People go missing in the Triangle so often that sometimes, one person will go missing, and as the search for them intensifies, a separate person will go missing, and it's like, no one notices. And as shocking as it may sound, that's exactly what happened in the case of Michael Lamater. Three days after he disappeared, someone else vanished from the same mountain range, about 60 miles north of Seward. There, a woman walked into the forest and was never

• 15:08Kaelyn Moore?

  seen again. But she was not afforded the same level of media attention. Though, just like Michael, no one has any idea where she went. More after the break.

• 15:30Kaelyn Moore?

  This episode is brought to you by Pranuvo. When it comes to your health, there's a lot that you can't see or feel. And sometimes having more information can make all the difference. That's where Prenuvo comes in. Prenuvo offers proactive whole body MRI scans designed to help identify potential health concerns, including many cancers, aneurysms, and other conditions, sometimes before symptoms appear. The Prenuvo scan is non-invasive, uses no radiation, and is designed to give people a detailed picture of what's happening inside their bodies. Taking care of your health isn't just about responding when something feels wrong. It's about being proactive and making informed decisions. Prenuvo is helping people take a different approach to understanding their health.

• 16:13Kaelyn Moore?

  To learn more about Prenuvo and get $300 off your whole body MRI, go to prenuvo.com/hsp and use code HSP. That's P-R-E-N-U-V-O dot com slash HSP. Terms and conditions apply.

• 16:30Speaker 01

  The Unsolved Mysteries podcast is back. I'm Jordan Murphy, and each week I'll take you inside a new investigation. It could be an unsolved murder, an unexplained disappearance, the search for a wanted fugitive, any mystery that still needs answers. We'll follow every new lead, every break in the case, and the moments when a mystery is finally solved. Because after all these years, one thing hasn't changed. Someone, somewhere, knows the truth. Listen to and follow Unsolved Mysteries. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts.

• 17:00Speaker 02

  Some days call for a light jacket. Others, an umbrella. And occasionally, a rowboat.

• 17:11Speaker 02

  It's good to have options. Your personal protection is no different. It's why Burna offers more ways to defend yourself. Whether it's a night out, a weekend away, or an evening at home with the kids, Burna gives you defensive options from less lethal launchers to sprays and alarms that fit your life and the situation at hand. Burna launchers deliver serious stopping power against threats from up to 60 feet away, giving you valuable time and distance to respond without getting too close or taking things too far. They're simple to operate, even if you've never used one before, and no background checks or permits are required. Plus, they ship directly to your door. Find the right option for you at B-Y-R-N-A dot com. Must be 18 plus.

• 17:56Speaker 02

  Purchase and shipping restrictions vary by state and municipality.

• 18:01Kaelyn Moore?

  Three days after Michael Lemater vanished in the wilderness, 43-year-old Valerie Sifsof was on a camping trip. Valerie was an Alaska native who grew up in the state, but spent time living in Seattle as an adult. In 2012, she moved home and settled in Anchorage with her boyfriend. She was an outdoorsy person, so it probably wasn't a shock to anyone when she and her boyfriend planned a camping trip in the Kenai Mountains that summer, at a place called Granite Creek. Now, Granite Creek lies somewhat deep within the Kenai Mountains, about 20 miles away from the nearest civilization. It sits next to a rushing river, completely surrounded by thick pine trees and tall brush.

• 18:44Kaelyn Moore?

  Mountains peek from above the trees, but when you're at the campground, you can't tell exactly where you are in the mountain range. If you got lost, your best bet would be to follow the river and hope it took you through a town before the elements got you. So the couple set out on July 7, making the short journey from Anchorage to the camping site. And that afternoon, when they reached their destination, they got into a fight. They eventually did make up, or at least smoothed things over enough to enjoy some drinks around their campfire. But around midnight, the couple fought again.

• 19:25Kaelyn Moore?

  And this time, it was bad enough that Valerie stormed off. She headed towards the outhouses, where a mix of other tents and campers were. She had no keys, no ID, no phone. She just walked off into the darkness, through the thick pines and dark brush. Her boyfriend understood that she wanted to cool off. They had had fights before, and it always was better to give her space afterwards. But when she still hadn't come back by 2:00 a.m., he went to look for her around the grounds. She was nowhere to be seen. He waited at their site, and eventually, he fell asleep.

• 20:08Kaelyn Moore?

  He woke up again at 4:00 a.m., and Valerie was still gone. He decided that she must have somehow gotten a ride back to Anchorage, so later that morning, he left and drove home. But she wasn't at their place either. He went back to Granite Creek again, multiple times over the next few days, just searching for her, driving back and forth, looking for any trace. But each time, he came up empty. Finally, he reported her missing to the state troopers on July 11, four days after she was last seen. Valerie's boyfriend and family scoured miles of woods around the camping site, along with law enforcement, military, and other volunteers.

• 20:53Kaelyn Moore?

  But she had been missing for four days by that point, and they didn't know if she had, let's say, fallen within minutes of walking off, or if she had been walking this whole time and was maybe 100 miles away. But also, the state troopers didn't have the funding, or the manpower, to check every possible area, so the search was neither immediate nor robust. And they didn't find anything. But then, months after she disappeared, a kayaker was floating across the surface of Granite Creek, near the campsite where Valerie went missing, and there, bobbing in the water, was a green tank top.

• 21:35Kaelyn Moore?

  They ended up reporting the find, and officials confirmed that it was Valerie's, the one she was wearing when she went missing, layered under a black DKNY hoodie. And then, in October, her family scoured the area around the creek yet again, and about a half mile from Valerie's campsite, they found something else. A swath of black fabric, stuck in a log jam. They didn't touch it. Instead, they called it into officials, and when it was finally pulled out and examined, authorities realized it was a pretty significant find. It was Valerie's black DKNY hoodie.

• 22:17Kaelyn Moore?

  It seemed like the searchers and Valerie's family were getting somewhat close to locating her. Maybe the clothes were acting like breadcrumbs, leading them to her location. But they didn't find anything else after that. No more clothes, and no Valerie. And to this very day, she still hasn't been found. So again, the question is, where did she go? One theory is that someone attacked or abducted her. Alaska has one of the highest rates of violence against women in the United States, and indigenous women are even more vulnerable, which Valerie was. According to the Urban Indian Health Institute, murder

• 23:01Kaelyn Moore?

  is the third-leading cause of death for Native women. For reference, for not Native women, murder isn't even in the top 10 causes of death. And that's only for the bodies of Native women that are found. There are many more unsolved cases where women go missing and are never heard from again. Valerie's father, though, has a different idea. He's heard the theories that maybe her boyfriend was involved, but he doesn't believe that. He thinks that she fell into a river. The current was really fast, which could have torn some of her clothes off, and pulled her downstream before she could fight against it. According to his theory,

• 23:43Kaelyn Moore?

  his daughter wasn't killed by a person. She was taken by Alaska. And some might interpret this literally. Like I said, a lot of people go missing in Alaska, partly because it's a huge state that's mostly covered in wilderness. A third of its land is part of the Arctic Circle. It contains over half of America's national parks, and 20 of the country's highest peaks. In fact, a huge portion of the state is only accessible by water or air. And there's also frequent extreme weather, like avalanches, blizzards, whiteouts, or strong winds, all of which can confuse hikers and cause accidents. There's also a lot of predators, too, like

• 24:26Kaelyn Moore?

  bears, wolves, and so on. But when people fall into a river, officials tend to know where to look. Rivers often drop people in the same areas. And yet, Valerie was never found. So yes, the extremeness of the Alaskan wilderness does help explain Alaska's very high missing persons rate, but it doesn't necessarily account for some of the more inexplicable cases. The ones that are so strange they defy explanation, like people going missing in the middle of crowds or on cruise ships. Locals who knew the area well have vanished on their way to school or while going about

• 25:11Kaelyn Moore?

  daily tasks. Take for instance Anthony Newsey, a traveling nurse who was staying in Anchorage in the summer of 2001. He didn't show up for work one day and his Jeep was found about 12 miles outside the city. The night before he went missing, he was seen on surveillance buying some items at a gas station, but then he vanished without a trace and has never been found. Then there's the WWII veteran Leonard Lane, who was enjoying some 4th of July festivities in Fairbanks in 1995. He just disappeared in the middle of a crowd in broad daylight.

• 25:52Kaelyn Moore?

  No one saw where he went or what happened to him, and his case is also still unsolved. In the summer of 2019, a woman named Shanna Oman was visiting a friend in Fairbanks when she vanished. She left a house she was visiting around 12:30 a.m., leaving behind her dog and some money. No one knows why she walked into the wilderness that night, and her body has never been found. These disappearances are eerie, but there's more, and it's downright terrifying. In the Triangle, it's not just people who go missing either. Bigger stuff does too, like planes.

• 26:37Kaelyn Moore?

  In January of 1950, a passenger plane known as the Douglas C-54D was carrying 44 people when it took off from Anchorage. The aircraft was bound for Minnesota. Around two hours after takeoff, the plane crossed into the Yukon and the easternmost part of the Alaska Triangle, which briefly connects with Canada. And this was the point where something seemed to go wrong. The plane's crew spoke to air traffic control around this time. They noted that there was some ice accumulating on the plane's wings, and they were dealing with some turbulence. But that was basically it.

• 27:20Kaelyn Moore?

  They didn't mention any other emergencies, and they didn't really seem panicked. They were supposed to check in with air traffic control 30 minutes later. That was the schedule: contact every 30 minutes throughout the whole journey. They didn't do their next check-in. And no one ever heard from them again. They never made it to their destination, and a search started almost immediately. Both the US Air Force and Canadian authorities worked together, scouring the region in a grid pattern where the plane issued their final transmission. But the conditions were merciless. There was heavy snow, ragged winds, and a lack of visibility that really hindered their efforts.

• 28:03Kaelyn Moore?

  Four rescue planes actually ended up crashing during the search. That's how bad it was out there. They looked for a few weeks before being rerouted to another incident and abandoning the search. The families of the victims were left to continue efforts on their own, which they did. Each summer, they organized search parties in the region to look for signs of their loved ones. But to this day, no part of the aircraft, or anyone who was inside of it, has ever been found. Which, people think is really strange. It was a large plane, full of people, and there hasn't even been a wing or a piece of shrapnel found. Nothing.

• 28:47Kaelyn Moore?

  It was flying through the skies and then, poof, just gone.

• 28:52Kaelyn Moore?

  And these weird disappearances are why so many people think that something strange is happening in Alaska, something beyond the natural world. They'll tell you that electronic readings have actually recorded magnetic irregularities in the triangle and surrounding areas. They'll say that the Alaska Triangle is one of the world's 12 limited vial vortices, which is a place where things can be transported to a different dimension. And then there's the people that believe that there's something truly evil patrolling the woods in Alaska. That's the reason why so many people disappear inside of them.

• 29:32Kaelyn Moore?

  And they look to the story of Portlock as evidence of that. After the break.

• 29:44Kaelyn Moore?

  This episode is brought to you by GYU Skincare. GYU just launched their Heal and Seal Trio, a simple three-step Korean skincare routine that replaces those complicated seven-step regimens. Polish pads to exfoliate, toner pads for dark spots and redness, and NAD Plus Cream to lock in hydration overnight. These three products, three minutes a day. Dermatologist-tested with over 650,000 happy customers and a 90-day money-back guarantee. Recently, I've been using their NAD Plus Cream, which has been so nice to put on at night. I really love it. It's not super heavy, which I love, but it still feels very moisturizing. It doesn't have a lot of scent, which I'm really sensitive to, which is why it works great in my routine. For a limited time, GYU is having a crazy deal for our listeners.

• 30:26Kaelyn Moore?

  Their Heal and Seal Trio is already up to 50% off right now, but our listeners can now get an additional 20% off plus free shipping with code HSP at J I Y U skin dot com. That's J I Y U skin dot com and use code HSP for an additional 20% off. After you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them our show sent you. This episode is brought to you by Toyota. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability. And it all starts with a great deal from your local Toyota dealer. Make a smart buy on an all-wheel-drive Camry, Corolla Cross, or get a Corolla Sedan, packed with the latest features, advanced tech, and head-turning style. Take a test drive in two of Toyota's most popular SUVs, the spacious, family-friendly Grand Highlander

• 31:12Kaelyn Moore?

  and adventure-ready RAV4. And with so many hybrid and plug-in hybrid models available across the lineup, plus efficient all-electrics like the BZ, BZ Woodland, and all-wheel-drive CHR, you can drive your way and skip the pump. And long after you leave the lot, your Toyota keeps delivering with legendary resale value, built on a reputation for quality and reliability. So when it's time for your next Toyota, you could trade in for more. From a great deal today to a great value tomorrow, a Toyota is right for you. Shop toyota.com for deals and details, or stop by your local Toyota dealer today. Toyota, let's go places. This episode is brought to you by Si-Jo. A new season always makes me want to reset things, my space, my routine, how my mornings feel.

• 31:55Kaelyn Moore?

  And honestly, upgrading my bedding has made a big difference. And that's why I have been loving Si-Jo Home. I have the Aerie Weight Eucalyptus Sheets from Si-Jo. They have a lightweight feel, cool-to-the-touch texture, and now my bed feels like a real reset at the end of a long day. I know that every little bit of improvement I can do with my sleep routine makes a huge difference. And so I'm so happy I was able to get Si-Jo Sheets. The Aerie Weight Sheets are made with Tencel Liocell. They're doctor-recommended, Ecotec certified, and even HSA and FSA eligible, which I genuinely did not know was a thing for bedding. And if you're someone who prefers a more lived-in texture, their Luxe Weave French Linen Sheets are stone-washed and get softer with every wash. Really beautiful for a bedroom refresh. Go to sijohome.com and use code HSP

• 32:40Kaelyn Moore?

  to get 20% off your first order. That's S-I-J-O-H-O-M-E.com and use code HSP for 20% off at checkout.

• 32:50Kaelyn Moore?

  In southern Alaska, grazing the western edge of the Alaska Triangle is a town called Portlock. Back in the day, it was a small fishing village on the Port Chatham Bay. It's very remote and was first discovered by a captain in 1786 who was really impressed with the place. I mean, who wouldn't be? It was gorgeous, nestled between the ocean and the mountains. It was also near a swatch of calm water that was perfect for salmon fishing. But despite it being such an ideal spot, no indigenous tribes lived there. They inhabited the areas nearby, but Portlock was like a dead zone, as if they knew something

• 33:32Kaelyn Moore?

  about it and understood that the best way to handle the area was to stay away. And eventually, it became clear why. In 1900, an American firm set up a salmon cannery there, and a settlement blossomed around it. But only five years into the endeavor, a mysterious incident occurred. A short, vague logbook entry from 1905 is really the only clue we have about what happened there. A cannery supervisor had hastily scribbled a report stating that the cannery workers had fled in fear. They now refused to come back to work.

• 34:13Kaelyn Moore?

  And there's not much information about why they left, just something about a threat that came from the woods. Now, the settlement of Portlock was surrounded by forest, dense regal greenery that sat in the shadow of stunning snow-capped mountains. What could have emerged from that forest that scared the employees that badly? It didn't say what the threat was, so we don't know. And whatever it was, it seemed like it went away, since according to the logbook, the workers all went back to the cannery that following season. For the next few years, all was well. Whatever it was seemed to have retreated into the wilderness it came from.

• 34:57Kaelyn Moore?

  But at some point, it came back. And when it did, people began to die.

• 35:05Kaelyn Moore?

  In 1921 or 1931, there's conflicting dates. A man named Andrew Kamluk was working at a logging site near Portlock. There was some heavy-duty machinery lying around near him, but he was busy with a manual task. Every so often, he stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow and sit on a bench for a moment. Well, one evening, Andrew didn't return from work, and another logger was sent to go search for him near where he was last seen working. And what he found, he couldn't explain. Andrew's body was lying crumpled by the bench where he normally took his breaks, and a huge gash covered the back of his head.

• 35:48Kaelyn Moore?

  He probably hadn't seen whoever or whatever did this to him. Next to him, about 10 feet away, was a bunch of heavy logging equipment covered in blood, which confused the logger who found him. That equipment was far too heavy to be lifted by one man, but where it was sitting, it didn't look like it had fallen on him either. And worst of all, while the logger was inspecting the area, he got the overwhelming feeling he was being watched. The back of his neck tingled, and the hair stood up, as if someone was deep in the forest,

• 36:28Kaelyn Moore?

  their eyes boring into the back of his skull, waiting for the perfect time to strike. The man gathered his things and ran to go notify Andrew's family and their boss. And as he was leaving, he thought he caught a glimpse of a giant brown bear, maybe a grizzly, off in the distance. So it was really time to leave. And Andrew wasn't the only local who reported seeing a giant brown bear around this time. There were multiple sightings near a mine, but the people in the area swore that it wasn't a bear. "It was far too big," they said. And then, a gold miner went missing after leaving for work, and he was never found.

• 37:15Kaelyn Moore?

  That was just the beginning. Over the next decade, people kept disappearing, plucked from the village during the night, or while they were out working or doing chores. Some were never seen again, but others were found, utterly eviscerated, with their limbs torn off and twisted, and their faces in tatters. Not eaten, just mangled, like something had killed them and then furiously ravaged their corpses. At one point, an entire hunting party went missing during an outing up the mountain. After it rained, their shredded bodies floated down the mountainside and reunited in a local lagoon.

• 38:01Kaelyn Moore?

  There, the townspeople found them bobbing in the current. Each time a body was found, the remains were horrific, and there was no indication of how they'd gotten that way. "It's the bear!" some would shout. But others knew this wasn't a bear. The victims' wounds didn't have the same markings as a bear attack, and it wasn't the season or typical bear behavior to go rogue and attack so many civilians. It wasn't until another hunting party found something in the woods that they could confirm they weren't dealing with a standard predator. This was something else. They said that during their hunt, they found prints that they felt must belong to the predator.

• 38:46Kaelyn Moore?

  But they didn't look like animal prints. They looked like human prints, and they were massive, 18 inches in length. That was enough for the residents to start taking some real precautions. Children were told not to go outside when it was foggy, or whatever was out there would get them too. When they snuggled in at night, they stared at the dark sky outside their windows, wondering if something would reach in and pluck them from their beds. Children, it seemed, listened to these warnings, but some adults didn't.

• 39:22Kaelyn Moore?

  It's not known exactly when a local man named Tom Larson got into trouble, but at some point during the panic, he was walking through the forest, intending on gathering some wood for his fish traps. He had a specific spot in mind, and his route there took him along the beach. There, the waves gently lapped against the sand, sent in by the light current, protected by the snow-capped mountains that lined the bay. A light, cool breeze whipped against his face, chapping his cheeks. He might have stopped to enjoy the scenery, or inhale the fresh air, if he hadn't seen something that made his blood run cold.

• 40:04Kaelyn Moore?

  There, standing at the edge of the water, was a figure. It was massive, and it was hairy, but not like anything he had ever seen before. Tom didn't know what it was, but he was sure it was dangerous, and that it did not belong on that beach. He slowly backed away from the creature, before he bolted. Instinct told him he needed a weapon, now, so he raised back the way he came. He shot into his home, grabbed his rifle, and booked it back to the beach. The thing was still there, only when Tom raised his gun, it turned and it looked straight at him.

• 40:49Kaelyn Moore?

  For a moment, the two species gazed at one another, a man terrified, with a lethal weapon in his grip, and something else, a monster or a demon, simply returning Tom's stare. And for some reason, Tom couldn't pull the trigger. It was like some kind of force held his finger in place, refusing to let him fire. Maybe it was Tom, telling himself to wait before destroying something he didn't understand. Or maybe it was the creature, using whatever power it maybe had to control him.

• 41:26Kaelyn Moore?

  At least, this is the story that Tom told as he stared into his beer at a local bar. A group was around him, hanging on to every single word he said. But one of the people in the group was a young woman who lived in the area, and her eyes went wide when she heard this story. See, her father was a ludic, one of the eight Alaskan native tribes that still inhabited the state, and he had told her about the Nan Tinook. The Nan Tinook was a half-man, half-beast. Another local tribe called it the Deninga, which means “those who steal people.”

• 42:09Kaelyn Moore?

  It’s a large, ape-like creature that walks upright on two legs and is covered in dark fur. It announces itself through a series of yells and whistles, and is somewhere between eight and 10 feet tall and around six feet wide. She was told that’s why none of the tribes in the region lived in that specific area, even though the fishing was so good. There was something in the woods that didn’t want them there, and they had no choice but to respect its wishes. Was this the creature that tormented Portlock for years, she wondered?

• 42:49Kaelyn Moore?

  Well, in 1949, this torment stopped, because the entire town, seemingly overnight, just got up and left. Some claim that this was actually a gradual, natural exodus, the economy slowed down, and it was too remote for modernity. But others say that they were driven out by the creature. A village elder who used to live in Portlock told the Anchorage Tribune that it was the latter. She said the people there had been exhausted by fear, too scared to go in the woods anymore, and the woods was where the timber was. It was where the industry was. If people could no longer go there, they just couldn’t support their families, so they had to leave.

• 43:35Kaelyn Moore?

  Portlock has been abandoned ever since. A place that once had a school, a post office, homes and businesses, has now been reclaimed by the natural world. The structures are gone with just bits of machinery lying around the forest floor, covered up by the stubborn greenery. There's just one dilapidated cabin that's still standing in the thicket, a last piece of shelter from the creature of Portlock. And now, we have this 90-year-old tale, which may have bent and twisted over time, becoming more like folklore than hard facts with the years. That is... This episode is brought to you by our partner, Vistaprint. If you run a small business,

• 44:20Kaelyn Moore?

  you know that there's a moment where you go from just doing the thing you love to realizing you need stuff, like physical stuff. Custom merch for an event, branded apparel for your team, business cards that actually look professional. That was definitely me with hearts that's pounding. What started as a podcast I made in my closet, turned into something that had merch, had mugs, had stickers, had all of this stuff that I needed to get made. And Vistaprint made it so much less overwhelming. They are a true print expert. Premium quality products, fast turnaround, and design tools that actually make sense. I actually got custom mugs made from Vistaprint, and they are gorgeous and very, very good quality. The quality feels expensive without having an expensive price tag. There's a reason over 17 million businesses trust Vistaprint with their print needs.

• 45:05Kaelyn Moore?

  Vistaprint, print your possible. Right now, new customers get 20% off with code NEW20 at Vistaprint.com. That's 20% off at Vistaprint.com using code NEW20. Until someone saw the creature 11 years ago.

• 45:22Kaelyn Moore?

  In 2014, a girl named Sarah, her friend Ray, and Ray's brother were at Lake Iliamna, getting their boat set up for a camping trip. They left the dock and were on their way across the lake. Sarah turned and looked around her, soaking in the gorgeous lakeside scenery. But then she was suddenly ripped out of this peaceful moment because there was something on the shore. A figure. Sarah couldn't really see it clearly, but she knew it was strange. It was massive, for one, about nine or 10 feet tall, and it was covered in dark, long fur. It sent a shiver down her spine and it sparked this feeling of dread inside of her.

• 46:05Kaelyn Moore?

  But it didn't chase after her and her friends. No, it just watched them with that same cold stare that can be felt from a mile away. The one that the people of Portlock had felt almost 100 years before. She was about to yell, "What is that?" But her friend Ray beat her to the punch. He too was staring at the creature. They all were. Their eyes were locked on this thing. But then it did something that no one had ever reported before. It just vanished. Like a switch had flipped. It suddenly just wasn't there anymore. Sarah and Ray shared a look.

• 46:48Kaelyn Moore?

  They lived in the area and they had heard the stories. That thing had to be Bigfoot. It was perhaps this knowledge that compelled them to look closer. I mean, if it actually was Bigfoot, they had to see if they could get proof, right? So the group steered their boat back to the landing spot and got out so they could poke around. Sarah traipsed through the thick foliage, peering through leaves and stepping over logs. The towering trees cast shadows all around her, tricking the eye into thinking the beast was lurking nearby. But Sarah didn't see it again. Instead, all she saw was, in the mud and grass of the forest, a huge footprint.

• 47:31Kaelyn Moore?

  Actually, there were a lot of them, all around the spot where she had seen the creature. The prints looked like human feet, only way bigger. They were a tangible, horrific reminder of the monster that had been there only moments before. And as soon as she saw those prints, her curiosity dissipated and her gut told her to stop looking for this creature.

• 47:56Kaelyn Moore?

  All around Alaska, there are signs of the Hairy Man, often just referred to by its more famous name, Bigfoot. Many of the sightings are just glimpses of a tall hairy beast lurking in the woods or ducking behind trees. Or it's from hikers who come across a sprawling set of footprints made by something huge that walks upright. And a lot of these sightings are from local Alaskans, people who have seen plenty of bears and wildlife and know that this is something different. And when they tell these stories, they're saying that what they saw defied all logical explanation. So far, though, that's all the Hairy Man has left behind.

• 48:38Kaelyn Moore?

  Stories, whispers of its presence, and trails of its victims. It lurks on the periphery of our vision, but it never shows its full hand. And that's why some people think this creature is part of a shifting, unknowable energy of the triangle itself. Alaskan natives have spoken of other shape-shifting monsters for centuries. They've known about the dangers of these woods. Others say that if there really were these creatures in the woods, and there really was something supernatural in the backwoods of Alaska, wouldn't we know about it by now? With all of the cameras and the cellphones and the science that we have? Well, here's a gentle reminder that

• 49:23Kaelyn Moore?

  if we can't find a 44-person passenger plane in the triangle's wilderness, what else can't we find there? If someone can still, to this day, take a step into the dark woods only to never reemerge again and for no trace of them to ever be found, then what else is out there that we can't find?

• 49:50Kaelyn Moore?

  That is what I will leave you on this week. Join me back here next week for another mystery, this time a morbid medical mystery. We're diving into spontaneous human combustion. I'll see you then. And until next time, don't go into the woods at night. Please, guys, I beg you, don't do it.

• 50:19Kaelyn Moore?

  Heart Starts Pounding is written and produced by me, Kayla Moore. Heart Starts Pounding is also produced by Matt Brown. Our associate producer is Amanda Olson. Additional research and writing by Kate Murdock. Sound design and mix by Peachtree Sound. Special thanks to Travis Dunlap, Grayson Jordanigan, the team at WME, and Ben Jaffe. Have a heart pounding story or a case request? Check out heartstarts pounding.com. You can listen to Heart Starts Pounding anywhere you get your podcasts, including the free Odyssey app.

• 50:45Kaelyn Moore?

  Do you want more Darkly Curious stories in your life? Sign up for our Patreon for free and get access to a rotating shelf of bonus content, our weekly Rogue Detecting Society newsletter, and the HSP Book Club. Paid members also get monthly bonus episodes and archive access, which I think is more than 40 episodes at this point. You also get a cool jinx sticker after your first three months. And you can check it all out with a free seven day trial. Link in the bio or go to patreon.com backslash heart starts pounding. Well, whatever you do, stay curious.