YEAR: 1993

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 15

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Mason County

LOCATION DETAILS: Harstine Isl. several miles N.E. of Shelton, off Hwy. 3

NEAREST TOWN: Shelton

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 3

OBSERVED: At the time of this sighting I was homeless and living in my station wagon. I always took showers at a campground on Harstine Island. At about 11:30pm I was traveling north on the Island and was doing the speed limit and watching out for deer in the road because there are a lot of them on the Island. I was comeing up to the grange hall turn where there is a connecting road that travels south on the eastern side of the Island. There is a hill at the point of the intersection and I slowed down to the recommended speed because there is a hairpin turn just down the other side.

As my light's came over the top of the hill I could see into the large pasture next to the road where it turned left. It was a clear fall night and the moon was out so I could see very good.

I noticed something standing in the field couldn't remember seeing it before. I thought it was a tree stump at first but there wasn't one there before. Then I thought about the horses that are usually there in the daytime but it just wasn't it. I was slowing down to about 10-15 mph so I could turn left when this thing turned it's head and looked straight at me. I remember quickly slowing the car and almost came to a stop. As I rolled through the corner it turned in the same direction and walked at the same speed I was rolling.

It was absolutely HUGE! It wasn't very far from my car maybe 40ft. The field is about 3-4 ft below the road and this thing towered over me so I had to look over the top of the steering wheel to see it. I could smell it and it burned my nose. My window's were up but the heater was on. It took long stride's and was actually moving faster than me and I stopped the car because I thought it was going to come over the barbed wire fence into the road in front of me. It walked down the fence line and I folled at a distance but I could still see it very clearly.

At the corner of the fenceline the road turn's sharply to the right and it just stepped over the fence with no trouble at all. I remember feeling scared to death and the hair on my body was standing up. It crossed the road at the corner and disapeared on the other side in the brush.

The turnoff to the park is about a 1/4 mile past that and to the left. I raced to the campground and took my shower as quickly as I could. I remember almost being in tears when I came out to get back in my car. I was still pretty shook up and I knew it was not far away from where I was.I usually stayed at the campground on those night's but not that night.

The next day I returned to the area of the sighting and I didn't see any horses or tree stump's but I did see where the fence was pushed down. I talked to a friend of mine who lives on the Island and he said there were 3 or 4 of them there. I never came back at night again.

ALSO NOTICED: The worst smell I have ever smelled in my life burned my nostrils.

I ask that anyone who has seen them in my area to contact
me.

OTHER WITNESSES: I was just driving along listening to music and was completly sober. I had a couple of beer's hour's before but was not under the influence.

ENVIRONMENT: In a horse pasture partly swampy with a stream near that went into the puget sound water's.

A & G References: Pg. 62, B1

Follow-up investigation report:

Jarrell Cove State Park is the only park with public showers on the island.