Very interesting reading. Although I can say what John saw that one morning out in the woods, I will say that I look at all sightings critically with a current logical basis. Logic points to unusual phenomena/personal experience but no actual large, elusive, unknown bipedal primate hiding out in the forrests of north america.
Reality is a very fickle human experience. Internal and external influences can manipulate our sense of what we believe is real, true, or not. Every person's view on the same witnessed event can and will be variably different from everyone elses. Doesn't mean that anybody is wrong though.
I think morpheus from the matrix said it best, "If real is what you can feel, smell, taste, and see, then "real" is simply electrical signals interpreted by you brain."