YEAR: 2001

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: May

DATE: late May

PROVINCE: Ontario

COUNTRY: Canada

LOCATION DETAILS: OUIMET CANYON PROVINCIAL PARK
65 km. (40 miles) northeast of Thunder Bay,
off Highway 11/17
Tel: (807) 977-2565 (open mid-May to mid-Oct.)
www.ontarioparks.com

NEAREST TOWN: Thunder Bay

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 17

OBSERVED: Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park (Hwy 17, east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada -- which is on the northern side of Lake Superior). Last week in May, 2001, rainy, drizzly day, late morning. My partner and I were hiking the 1 hour trail which starts from the Ouiment parking lot (at top of canyon). Follow the well marked trail which contains two lookouts, about 1,000 feet from bottom of canyon. We were on the first lookout (next to the landmark Indian Head rock) when we heard about 2 or 3 howls/screams? from across the canyon. The sound did not seem entirely animal in nature, I remembered it to carry a hint of possibly loud bird-like screeches (but it wasn't a bird). Whatever the creature, the call was definitely loud and big. We scanned the edge of the other side with our binoculars but saw nothing, then moving on to the next lookout where I heard a slight hint of the howl again...possibly moving away? Anyways, you can believe we would have shot out of there in a New York minute if those howls/screams originated from our side of the canyon! We completed the trail with each of us scanning the woods in full alert mode. To this day, we have no idea what it was and no park ranger was around at the time so we didn't report it. The reason I am relaying this information to you now if because my partner just mentioned to me that he just watched a show on "bigfoot" and the call was much like the one we experienced at Ouimet. I did a search for this call and found your website. Hope this information helps. Could you let us know if anyone else has had a similar experience in this region?

ALSO NOTICED: When we arrived at the parking lot, a family appeared were returning from the trail, the father pushing everyone into the van rather hurriedly. None of the usual family chatter one expects, everyone disturbingly quiet, each with a concerned look on their faces. They saw us not twenty feet from our car but said not a word to us. The van sped off. Being a parent myself, I attributed to a family quarrel, but it just seemed off or peculiar at the time. Now, when I look back, I'm inclined to speculate that just perhaps this family had heard these screams too? If my children were with me on the trail, I am very sure I would have rushed everyone back to the car too. Something to ponder.

OTHER WITNESSES: My partner and I, hiking.

OTHER STORIES: Never heard of Ontario reports, but now see that there are some listed.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Late morning, rainy/drizzly day, about 10 degrees celsius (cool)

ENVIRONMENT: Ouimet Canyon is a 150 metre (492 ft.) wide gorge with 100 metre (328 ft.) high canyon walls.

"This sheer-walled canyon shelters rare Arctic-alpine plants along its boulder laden floor, where snow often persists until late spring. From two platforms and a network of boardwalks and trails, view this spectacular gorge and feel the air rising from the depths."

Follow-up investigation report:

The witness and his wife are experienced "bird watchers". He advises that they will go to remote areas where normally people do not go in order to look for birds.

On this occasion they were in Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park when they heard 2 - 3 very loud, strange screams from across the canyon. They are very familiar with bird cries as well as other animals and they said they have never heard a sound like this before. He further states that given the power of the scream from approximately 1 mile away it must have come from a very large body. At that time they had no idea what they heard and tried to research the sound when they got home with negative results.

It wasn't until about a couple of years later that they saw a program on TV about Sasquatches and heard a cry recorded and played on the program that matched what they had heard. They are now convinced they know what made that scream that day.

The park itself is 60-km northeast of Thunder Bay and is home to plenty of game including moose, bear, deer and other smaller mammals. This is a vast boreal forest that is very hard for humans to traverse through.