YEAR: 1970

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

STATE: Oregon

COUNTY: Hood River County

LOCATION DETAILS: I need access to a map of oregon not available at the moment. We were very near the boundary to the wildernss area in which I believe it was not legal to hunt at that time. Just off Hwy 30 I believe.

NEAREST TOWN: Hood River to the north about 50 miles

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 30

OBSERVED: I was 15 years old, deer hunting East of the Mt Hood National Wilderness Area in Oregon. It was 1970. My Dad stuck me on a huge stump and went off to my right and our neighbor, W. went off to my left. The stump partially embraced me like a recliner. It was huge! Also, it as a good place to sit for a long time.

My view was a meadow and heavy brush. Large Douglas Firs bodered the area...perhaps 3 acres. This was back when large fir trees still existed and these were being logged in abundance.
I had never heard of Bigfoot, read anything about him or had any idea what so ever that such things existed in the woods.

I am very comfortable in the woods. Evidently, I was trusted by my father and neighbor as they left me with a 303 British. Ok.... Big deal.

After about 2 hours later I hear a rustle to my right. I click off my safety and slowly move my gun and body to see. Immediately, I thought it was my father running at full speed through the woods. Odd behavior but I click my safety back on and watched what I thought was my Dad run through the brush. He ran about 50' in front of me from right to left. The heavy brush came up to his breast area. Heavy steam came out in regular intervals as he ran. It was quite a site.

I didn't understand why the branches weren't making that scraping noise on his parka.
My dad wore a rust color parka popular at the time. One thing he never did was wear the hood. But, it appears as though Dad had his hood on while running though the wood. Odd?

My dad was an athelete and physicaly fit most of his life. Played all the sports. I thought he was particularly athletic running though the woods with amazing grace. I sat there ponderng what had just happened when I hear another crashing noise to my right.

I look and there is dad, stomping through the woods making all kinds of noise. He was still hunting! I was stunned to see him on my right as I just saw him pass from view on my left! Now he looks real tiny and the brush is 1' to 2' over his head. He looks small and weak and definately not athletic. I could hear his every foot step.

I'm 15. Too young I think to be scared. I know every type of animal in the woods and am struggling with what I had just seen.

The hunt has obviously come to a close as dad is exhausted. Still confused, I said, "Did you just run by here?" Dad replies, "Are you kidding, I can barely stand up out here!"

Then I explained something had run by. I though it was you. Only, when I saw you I realized what I saw was huge,very fast and very powerful. I described to my dad what I had seen.

I was not frieghtened. What I saw was an intelligent human looking animal running with purpose, speed, grace and power. The kind you find from creatures in nature. Although he was running fast the noise was minimal. He made less noise running than my dad did walking.

About 6 months later I was reading a story in a magazine about some kids in The Dalles, Oregon chasing and shooting a creature. My blood went cold. It was then I realized what I had seen.

In the subsequent years I have seen numerous stories on the creature. Science says without proof, they don't exist. Normal people are labled as kooks or they saw a bear, deer or an elk. I know exactly what I saw and I know Bigfoot exists because I have seen one running like the wind.

ALSO NOTICED: It was very quiet....more so than noral...just my gut feeling.

OTHER WITNESSES: Sorry

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Day time, skies clear about 2:ooPM, sun shining...nice fall day about 50 degrees.

ENVIRONMENT: On the edge of a clearcut of Douglas Fir. Heavy dense forest all about. Soil was soft but never thought to look for prints because the event was a bit much for me at 15

Follow-up investigation report:

Mr. Gallup described the running figure not only as highly athletic, quiet, and graceful, but also as moving with a purpose. He did not feel it was scared or startled, rather that it was heading somewhere. He does not think the creature noticed him. There was no "characteristic" smell. His memory of the event is quite vivid and he is confident in what he saw.

He described the terrain as rugged and marshy with old growth timber. It was elk habitat. The area they were in was freshly cut and in the process of being logged.