Jesse,
Perhaps this animal had intentions other than attempting to scare you out of the area! It may not have known that you were in proximity but for when, as it approached, it smelled or heard you and stopped short at your presence.
I think that there may be another explaination for the volume and intensity of the "foot-falls" that you heard too, they may not have been foot-falls at all! I think that it is entirely possible that this animal may have been attempting to "drive" deer or some other prey(non human), or prevent prey being driven by others, from going in a particular direction or along a natural course of escape. The sound that you describe is in line with a solid object impacting the ground with alot of force, a large rock or perhaps a large "club" was used to create this intense sound. Such an action would produce the obvious vibration effect that you each felt, and would carry for a good distance in the woods. It would also tend to startle and confuse a prey animal, even causing it to panick and run in the desired direction!
I have experienced a very similar effect but at a greater distance than you describe, further investigation revealed that a small herd of deer had been very recently startled out of what appeared to be a normal and relaxed state, and into a determined "run" as far as the sign that could be found indicated! Sasquatch are "tool bearing" animals, at times when it is advantageous, and I am reasonably certain that they employ rudimentary tactics in "driving" prey into another of thier party who captures and kills it as they, or it is blindly running into it!
I am not certain that what you experienced was a "false charge" as I have experienced but one of those and it was conducted by three individual animals working in unison! They made sounds that were uniquely distinct as if by intent for thier respective positions around us(my wife and I)! I think too, that if you had experienced a false charge, it would likley have been accompanied by some form of vocalisation. But this is speculation on my part.
Please understand that I am making an attempt to understand the behavior of these animals based upon my own experience and then interjecting what you described to form a plausible theory that "might" offer an alternative explaination for that animal's action. I do not mean to offer contradictory or arguementative dialog, but rather an objective view from another perspective!
I don't blame you for reacting the way you did, under the conditions of what you thought to be a very likely "attack", I think that most folks would have the same reaction! But now that you have had time to analyze the circumstances, and knowing that it was probably not an attack, what do you think that you would do differently if given the same or similar circumstance again?
Thanks,
Mike Bowman
Posted on Sep 17, 2002, 10:02 PM from IP address 216.64.140.45