Interesting timing on this thread. I've been tracking the Appalachian sighting reports through a few different databases and theres definitely a clustering pattern emerging over the last 18 months or so, particularly around the Virginia and North Carolina sections from what I can tell.
What strikes me is how consistent the witness descriptions are, the bipedal movement, the size estimates, the reported smell. When you get that level of detail consistency across witnesses who have no apparent connection to each other, that's worth paying attention to rather than dismissing outright.
I'm based in Edinburgh so I obviously can't do any fieldwork out there, but I've been cross-referencing the reports with topographical maps and there does seem to be a preference for ridge lines and areas near water. Could be coincidence.
Has anyone here actually been on the trail recently or spoken to any of the witnesses directly? Primary accounts are so much more useful than the secondhand stuff that ends up circulating. Would love to know what questions people are actually asking when they get access to a witness.