Report 2149: Park Rangers and residents of Glendale Springs observe large footprints in deep snow

Witnesses observed 12 to 16 inch (approx.) length tracks in the shape of a foot about 5-6 feet apart in 21 inches of snow. These tracks were seen within a 2 mile radius in the northern mountains of North Carolina in a town called Glendale Springs, off the Blue Ridge Parkway. They were observed by several individuals including park rangers. Photos were taken by a resident of the town. These tracks seemed to cross over a split rail fence in one stride. The park rangers tried to explain them as rabbits or small animals jumping up out of the snow and back in again. These tracks were all around the home that I was living in at the time and I know I saw tracks of something that would have scared the life out of me had I seen it in person. I think that this creature was probably searching for food in the deepest snow in these mountains in several years.