Report 16970: Fly fisherman recalls daylight sighting of a shaggy light haired creature on all-fours in the Cherokee National Forest

I was 15 years old. A friend and I were hiking down a trail in Cherokee National forest. We were headed to Slick rock creek to do some fly fishing. I was slightly ahead of my buddy on the trail. About 50-60 yards ahead of me some kind of animal crossed the trail. This creature was in plain view for about 5-10 seconds. It was trotting on all fours. It was mostly white or off white. this thing was big. It was the size of a large bear. I would guess at least 300 lbs. Its hair was kind of shaggy. More shaggy than that of a bear. at first I looked at my buddy and asked if he seen the thing. He said yes. I asked "what was it". He did not know but descibed the thing exactly the way that I seen it. The ground in this area was rock hard so no tracks were left. I am now 34 years old, but that memory has stuck with me ever since. Of course no one has ever really believed this story, but ever since I have had a huge interest in big foot and crytozoology.