YEAR: 2001

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: Multiple dates

STATE: California

COUNTY: Siskiyou County

LOCATION DETAILS: Go north on Hwy. 3 from Hwy. 299.

NEAREST TOWN: Coffee Creek

NEAREST ROAD: Coffee Creek Rd/ Hwy 3

OBSERVED: My story begins in the early part of June when I took a job at Josephine Creek Lodge. My first sighting was on an after work excursion with my friend. On June 16, 2001, we went bouldering at a place known as House Rock. When we arrived, we noticed four prints, three entering and one exiting the sheltered area. They were approximately 16 inches in length. The ground was sandy and you could see digits.
On June 23, 2001, my girlfriend came to visit this weekend. On our day hike to Tri-Forest Peak the two of us found a print on the switchbacks, heading straight up. Again, it was approximately 16 inches in length. However, it seemed to be a bit wider than the previous prints found.
One day after work, on July 27, 2001, I was heading down to my campground at Big Flat when I saw him. He stood approximately 10 feet tall and appeared to have a fawn in his left arm that he carried like a football. He saw my truck, looked over his right shoulder and ran up the hill like the six million dollar man.
In the morning before work, August 9, 2001, I went fishing on the Salmon River. I found footprints in a gravely riverbed, approximately 16 inches in length. Moisture was found in the footprint heal and toe areas, and from the displacement of the footprint, it appears to be from the previous evening. Again, digits were noticeable. I have photographic evidence of these prints.

OTHER WITNESSES: Four separate witnesses on different occasions

OTHER STORIES: While we were camping at Big Flat campground, some other Big Foot enthusiasts showed up in early part of July, having plaster prints from various Northern California areas.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was broad daylight/ dusk

ENVIRONMENT: Trinity Alps

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge:

On the evening of September 30, 2001, I talked with Joss W. about his sighting and the track observations that he and some of his friends had made between June and August of 2001, in the Trinity National forest, of California. Bearing in mind that Joss grew up, and he now lives and works in this area of California. On his first track observation while rock climbing June 16, 2001, he and his friend Jeff saw four tracks at a place called House Rock which is a series of large boulders that have a cave like entrance and interior. They observed three 16-inch tracks that were heading into the cave, and one 16-inch track that was headed out of the cave. The track that was headed out had the second toe longer than the first three tracks, and in Joss’s opinion, it was a different animal track.

On the second track observation June 23,2001 in the same area, Joss and his female companion were back-packing into the same area, when they came across two 16-inch tracks that crossed their trail at a perpendicular angle, and were headed straight up a steep embankment. Joss’s friend saw the tracks, but didn’t make any comments at that time.

On the third and last track observation, which was on or about August 9, 2001, Joss went fishing on the Salmon River, close to the Big Flat campground, where he again came across two more 16-inch tracks with five toes. These tracks were very fresh in the gravelly riverbed. The stride between the tracks was approximately five and a half feet long. This time, Joss had a camera with him and he took a few pictures of them.

On July 27, 2001, Joss had his brief sighting with an eight to nine foot tall bigfoot creature as he and a friend James were heading back north to his camp at the Big Flat c/g, from his job at the Josephine Creek Lodge, in his truck on the Coffee Creek Road. As he and James entered a series of S-curves in the road which he could see through to the far side, the creature walked across the road. It then made one step in the middle of the road, and turned to take a quick look at the moving vehicle, then it turned and continued on up a steep incline on the other side of the road, and it was moving as fast as a mountain lion, going from the west to the east. Joss asked James, “Did you see that?” But no, James missed seeing the creature altogether. After words, they were too scared to stop and check for prints.

I asked Joss W. the following questions on his sighting of the creature:

* Where did this incident occur? “ It took place on the Coffee Creek Rd. between Josephine Creek Lodge and the Big Flat c/g. We were headed north, and were in some S-curves.”
* What date did this take place? "I think it was on July 27, 2001.”";
* Was it day or night? “It was about 6:30 PM, just before dusk.”
* Were you alone when you first saw this? “No, I had my friend James with me.”
* Describe the area in which this incident occurred. “It was at about 6000 feet, and this area has douglas fir, and silvertip trees, and cedar trees, with many granite rocks and boulders.”
* What distance would you estimate you were from this thing when you first saw it? “We were about eighty yards away, when it stepped out onto the road.”
* What was your first reaction? “I was surprised, and I asked my friend James, who was sitting next to me, “Did you see that?” He said, “What!” And he missed the whole episode.”
* What was it doing? “As it was walking across the road, it must have heard us and it turned and looked directly at the truck. When it did, I noticed two sets of eyes glowing from the headlights. The critter was holding a small spotted fawn in its left arm like a football. The fawn had to be alive, because its ears stood up and it also seemed to notice us too. Then it turned and went up a steep incline on the other side of the road like a six million dollar man.”
* Did it stand and walk on two legs? “It was moving on two legs the whole time that I saw it.”
* Did you see it go down on all fours? “No, it never went down on all fours.”
* Was it covered in hair? “Yes!”
* What color was it? “It looked like a mat black, not shiny like a bear.”
* How tall would you estimate this thing to have been? “I am going to revise my first estimate, and make its height between eight and nine feet tall.”
* What would you estimate its weight to have been? “ I would guess it weighed between three hundred fifty to four hundred pounds.”
* Did you see any facial features, and can you describe them? “I think so. The eyes were set back, and it had a protruding eyebrow ridge. The face looked like a primate face to me and it was hairy. Also, I noticed the head was shaped like a cone, and it seemed like the jaw and lower lip were protruding.”
* Did you observe any ears? “No, I don’t remember any ears.”
* Could you describe the arms? “The arms seemed long and hairy and the forearm looked like Popeye’s. The left arm was holding a fawn and that hand was around the fawn’s neck.”
* Could you tell if it was a male or a female? “No! The chest had no mammary glands, and it looked solid and hairy.”
* For about how long did you see it? “I would say less than three seconds.”
* Did it ever make any noise? “Nothing that we could hear, besides we were in my truck with the radio turned on.”
* Did it see you? “Yes, it turned and looked at the truck, that’s when the spotted fawn lifted its ears and I observed both sets of eyes glowing from my headlight reflections.”
* Did you smell anything? “No!”
* Did you check for footprints? “No, we never slowed down, I was too scared.”
* Did you report what you saw? (IE) Like your parents or any agency? “Only told my friends and parents.”
* What was their response? “They were surprised especially when I showed them the photos. Before all of this took place, I was always a skeptic about there being a bigfoot creature.”

In summary: When Joss and his friends were camping in this area they also heard high pitched screaming and other strange sounds but they just put it off to normal forest sounds. Joss reiterated his previous report, and he seemed to me to be very credible in his rendition of that report. Joss and his friends have seen many bears in and around that area, and he knows what they look like. He now carries a small bell with him to keep the bears away from him and his friends while backpacking. After my conversation with Joss, I have come to the conclusion that he observed a bigfoot animal on Coffee Creek Road in late July of 2001.