YEAR: 1979

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: February

DATE: 2/17/1979

STATE: Idaho

COUNTY: Valley County

LOCATION DETAILS: Pine Lakes ranch, approx 5 miles north of Cascade about 2 miles off of Hwy 55

NEAREST TOWN: Cascade, Idaho

NEAREST ROAD: Idaho Highway 55

OBSERVED: When I was 8 years old,while living in a forested portion of central Idaho, my little brother and I got up on a snowy February morning at dawn to watch cartoons. It was to early and only a test pattern was on the TV. We turned off the TV and my brother went back upstairs to bed. I opted to stay on the couch in my warm blankets and wait untill the cartoons started.

The couch was positioned along an outside wall beneath a row of 3' wide x 5' tall picture windows. These windows were approximately 7 feet from the ground on the outside. The
19" TV was sitting on top of a tall wood storage box next to the wood stove directly across from the couch. I could see the reflection of the windows in the darkened TV screen.

I dozed off for a while and was awakened by a noise which I thought was the snow sliding off the metal roof. I noticed a shadow shape in the window reflection nearest the stairs and at first thought it was a snow bank created by the snow off the roof. Then I saw the shadow move on to the next window and then it stopped at the window just past the head of the couch. I listened and heard some movement outside and also a sort of grunting noise. My heart started to race as I watched the mirrored reflection in the TV screen. Curiosity got the better of me and I sat up on my knees on the couch, leaned over the armrest, and looked out the window. I will never forget what I saw!

There, just a few feet away was a sasquatch peering in the window. It was scanning the room with obvious curiosity. After a couple of seconds it sensed my movement and looked directly into my eyes. The face looked like a gorilla but with longer hair and "smarter eyes". It was not like the dark black eyes you see on other forest animals.

Terrified, I dove off the couch and scurried on my hands and knees toward the bottom of the staircase. I tried to call out for my mom but my voice didn't work. I was afraid the bigfoot would hear me. Finally, I gave out a few meager calls and my mom finally appeared on the balcony above the room. "What's the matter?" she said. "There is a bigfoot outside." I whispered. At that point I started to cry and shake. Sensing that something had terrified me , she said,"Well get up here then." I was still afraid to move. She said she couldn't see anything outsde from up there ,so I flew up the stairs using my hands and feet. My mom knew I wasn't joking around and she wouldn't let my brother and I outside to play in the snow untill later in the afternoon. My brother saw the holes in the snow where I thought the animal stood but snow had partially filled them and he wouldn't believe my story.

Years later, a friend of my moms, who knew about my sighting, gave her an old local newspaper with a story in it about multiple bigfoot sightings occuring with in a 30 mile radius of home during that 1979 time period.

ALSO NOTICED: Snow was deep ..only a very tall person could put snow holes where they stood...no drag marks from print to print...only indivdual step marksl

OTHER WITNESSES: Only mother and little brother present but they did not see the animal.

OTHER STORIES: Yes...many sightings in Valley county that winter around McCall and Donnelly

TIME AND CONDITIONS: early morning

ENVIRONMENT: Pine tree forest on the edge of a sidehill opening up to a pasture.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Roland Wolfe:

The witness, who is now a teacher in a state that borders Idaho, recalled many details of the encounter.

• The witness could only see the animal’s head and portions upwards from the collar bone. He could not determine the animal’s sex.

• The animal was broader than the 3' wide window and based on the elevation of the windows, the witness estimated the animal was close to 8' tall.

• Witness stated that the creature was close enough to reach out and touch him.

• Family members present at time of sighting did not see the animal, but confirm that something had terrified the witness.

• At this point in time, the newspaper account of sightings has not been positively confirmed although there are reports from that time period and county on the BFRO web site.