YEAR: 2005

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: not sure

STATE: California

COUNTY: Mono County

LOCATION DETAILS: Lake Mary Rd. that goes to Lake Mary

NEAREST TOWN: Mammoth

NEAREST ROAD: Lake Mary Rd.

OBSERVED: Two years ago, I went with my Uncle to stay at a cabin in Mammoth Lakes to hike, fish, and just enjoy the nature. We had a cabin right on the border of Lake Mary and he had brought his two sheep dogs with him to the cabin. Every night he and I would take turns taking the dogs out for a walk. We would bring a flash light with us each time we went out to walk the dogs.

One night when I was walking the dogs, one of them started growling and I listened closely and could hear the rustling of fallen leaves and the breaking of small branches. I shined my light right at where I heard the sounds. Now both of the dogs were growling and pulling at the leash trying to get at whatever was in the forest. I looked around closely with the flashlight and then I saw something. A huge figure about 200 feet away from me was watching me and the dogs. It was kind of swaying between the trees and just staring right at me and the dogs. It looked like a very tall ape, but it looked more built like a human.

I was scared stiff and I must have stood there for a minute or two holding the dogs back and staring at the creature when it turned around and started walking away. I then walked very fast back to the cabin watching the woods and not stopping for anything. I have never spoken of this incident with anyone before in my life and I have recently heard about this sight and thought it was finally time to talk about this with someone who would understand.

ALSO NOTICED: Nothing

OTHER WITNESSES: No

OTHER STORIES: I think I've heard of sightings in the Sierra Nevadas.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was night pitch black except for the flashlight I had with me and it was chilly out.

ENVIRONMENT: It was a forest area and right by a lake. The lake is called Lake Mary.

A & G References: Northern California DeLorme Atlas Page 112, Index of D - 1.5

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge:

In my opinion, R.T.’s experience that night in July of 2005 has some of the ear marks of a Sasquatch encounter, like the creatures swaying back and forth, breaking of branches, its size, and the actions of the dogs he had under tow. He also stated it looked like a very tall ape, but built like a human, and after what seemed like minuets it just turned and walked away.

Several years ago our (my) family visited the Horseshoe Lake area to see how the poisonous gases from the ongoing thermal and earth quake activity have devastated a large section of the pine trees and the brush on the North side of this lake which is located about a mile north of Lake Mary. Before that, during the 1960’s, we use to trout fish most of these lakes and streams in and around the Mammoth area.

On September 25, 2007 I got to talk with R.T. who is a young man who is still very much impressed and mesmerized about what was seen on that summer night while taking his dogs on a walk outside of his uncle’s cabin in the Mammoth area of California. The witness said that this creature was almost a 100 yards way from him and his dogs and it was a little up hill from his position. The reason that he turned on his flash light was the fact that the two large dogs he had under tow were pulling, barking and growling, while pulling towards the area where the creature was standing and swaying while watching them.

When he turned on that flash light he noticed this very large creature for about 2 minutes until it turned and walked away from him breaking limbs and sticks as it moved away. The area smelled of dead fish which was really strong and he now figures it was probably eating the fish that comes out of the lakes and rivers in that area. He also stated that this creature had to be between 8’ and 10’ tall, and weighed somewhere around 600 to 800 lbs. the shoulders were really large something like a human football player would look like with shoulder pads. R.T. stated that the top part of the creature was just huge including its head.

While the flash light was on the creature he thought the color might have been a real dark brown or black. He also thinks that he was watching it breathing while it was standing there swaying. He didn’t hear it, but he thought it was a heavy type of breathing like the chest was moving in and out.

In my opinion, this witness was probably a little closer to this creature than he estimated. My reasons for this are watching it breathe, the smell and hearing the sticks and branches brake as it moved off. No, this young man never went to where the creature was standing to check for prints.

About BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge:

• Four years in the United States Navy, 1955-1959 (Combat Air Crewman on P4M Mercator Patrol Aircraft)
• 37 years in the aerospace industry: 33 years with General Electric at Edwards AFB; More than 5 years with the Northrop Grumman Corp. at Edwards AFB (Flight Line Mechanic on the B-2 Bomber).
• During 20 of those years at Edwards he was a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the County of Los Angeles.