Never been near Blue Ridge but we've had similar sightings up here in Yorkshire for years. Big cats roaming places they definitely shouldnt be. Most people just laugh it off but theres too many reports for it all to be misidentification.
My mate reckons he saw something massive in the fields near Harrogate a few years back, black, low to the ground, moved nothing like a dog. Never reported it because who'd take him seriously.
Anyone managed to get photos? I've been trying to get into paranormal photography and something like this would be worth setting up a camera trap for if you're in the area regularly.