YEAR: 2005

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 17

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Skamania County

LOCATION DETAILS: Top of Silver Star Mountain.

NEAREST TOWN: Washougal, Wa.

NEAREST ROAD: Service road 4109

OBSERVED: I was looking to the south from the summit of Silver Star Mountain. On the ridge across from me I saw something I thought looked a little strange. I got out my camera and took some pictures.

Right after I took the first shot it moved or stood up so I took another picture. It then moved towards the south, away from me. I then had to reajust because the wind was so strong. It was difficult to move because the snow was waist deep.

I got closer to a rock to steady myself and took another picture. It was then was moving down the hill.

I don't think it was another backpacker or snowshoer.

OTHER WITNESSES: No one else there.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 4:30 to 5:00 pm Clear and cool

ENVIRONMENT: It was cold and windy but very clear. On a ridge. I have pictures to show the type of day and location.

SEE PHOTOS FROM SILVER STAR MOUNTAIN

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator John G. Callender:

Click here for the page showing the photos, and mentioning follow up recommendations.


I drove to Vancouver, WA last night and met with the witness and his son regarding this report. He is 48 years old. He does a lot of solo backpacking.

On the day of November 17, 2005, he decided to solo backpack at Silver Star Mountain, just north of Washougal, WA.

While on the summit he noticed a rock that looked strange and out of place. He said, “I’ve been up there enough to know every big rock along the way, and this rock didn’t look like something that I’ve seen there before”.

He got out his camera (a Sony 3.2 mega pixel) and took a photo. As he was doing this the figure suddenly stood up and started moving.

The witness ("RC") felt that he wasn’t in the best position for additional photos so he moved along the trail as far as he could move. He was in waist-deep snow. He noticed that it was much more difficult for him to move than the figure. The figure seem to step around easily in the snow.

He was able to shoot two additional photos before it disappeared out of sight over the top of the hill.

The witness stated he never attempted to look for tracks. The snow was too deep at the summit to move around easily.

About BFRO Investigator John G. Callender:

John Callender hails from Mississippi where he received a BA degree in Accounting from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He spent 26 years in the Seattle area flying for a major airline before retiring and relocating to Middle Tennessee in 2017. John quickly found that he missed flying and he’s now on his second career as a pilot for a major airline. He has done extensive field work in the Pacific Northwest, as well as Mississippi and he has attended the following expeditions: WA - Oly Pen (Aug. '04); New Mexico (Jicarilla Apache SEP '04); WA - Oly Pen (October '04); CA - Redwoods (May '05); WA -Oly Pen -3, (AUG '05 ); WA Cascades Expedition (AUG '06); Central Oregon Expedition (JUNE '07), BC, Vancouver Island Expedition (SEPT 2007), WA Cascades Expedition (June '09), 2009 Washington Olympic Peninsula Expedition.