Man recalls a possible up-close nighttime encounter on Gilchrist Island witnessed in Citrus County, Florida

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In March 1961 The Boy Scout troop I belonged to was camped on Gilchrist Island in Lake Tsala Apopka Citrus County, FL. near Hernando City. The days activities included hiking, swimming, camp craft, night games, and finally on Saturday night the ever popular campfire. The campout was very exhilerating and when lights out came all found it easy to fall asleep. As Jr assistant scoutmaster it was my responsibility to make sure everyone was in their tents and secure for the night. As a boy of 17 years of age this position was one of importance and was not looked upon lightly. The days duties were completed about 11:30pm. I walked for approx. 15 minutes from the campsite, down a moon-lit path without a flashlight to take my evening constitutional. The return trip was uneventful and it seemed unusually quiet for a location normally filled with the sounds of frogs, crickets and occasional bump in the night. I decided to take a shortcut through the forest to bypass a bend in the trail and came...