YEAR: 2014

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: May

DATE: 12

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Kittitas County

LOCATION DETAILS: West bound I-90 just west of Cle Elum on the shoulder crossing from north to south, should still be footprints there.

NEAREST TOWN: Cle Elum

NEAREST ROAD: I-90

OBSERVED: My best friend and I were returning from a hunting trip for turkey in eastern WA for my 50th Birthday. With no success further east we went to Teanaway. Again no success, as we returned to the freeway in Cle Elum I was saying to my friend we need to watch for elk and deer as I have seen some bad wrecks on I-90. We spotted one deer when the next thing my friend said "what is that". As I approached the area I spotted the movement along the highway and he looked at me and said "bigfoot". As we came closer this creature stepped onto the edge of the highway looking dead off into my friend's face as we passed, me braking, I looked into the review side mirror only to see it take two steps onto the highway. I turned to look back at the road ahead so as not to crash, I returned my gaze to my mirrors only to have it gone from the road. It was not a person or a bear, absolutely not. I have never feared going into the woods but will no longer do my 3:30am hunting trips for turkey by myself ever again, let alone camp alone.

ALSO NOTICED: N/A

OTHER WITNESSES: 2 maybe 3 but the young kid I spoke to at the stop on the pass for construction looked very hesitant to admit he may have seen something.

OTHER STORIES: Just from your site this was a totally unexpected incident and still has me freaked out.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 8:15 pm clear with sunset headed west bound

ENVIRONMENT: Forest on the north side breaking into less dense woods on the south.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Dave Illig:

After interviewing both witnesses in great detail about their sighting, I have come to the conclusion that these men have seen something they cannot explain away. Both men are very familiar with the wildlife in that particular area and were very much alert while driving, scanning the shoulder of the highway for deer and elk so as to avoid a collision. Their ability to spot game combined with their high level of concern for their safety adds particular credibility and validity to what they saw. In addition to merely spotting the subject exit the forest, these men watched as the subject approached their vehicle, and what appeared to be a calculated execution of crossing the highway between vehicles in an attempt to avoid being hit. This was most evident as the driver slowed his vehicle to gain a better look at the approaching subject. Both witnesses stated that the subject walked within approximately fifteen feet of their vehicle so as to pass behind it and cross the road. Both witnesses said that it was a deliberate action and seemed to have a sense of purpose and plan, and almost impatient while waiting for their vehicle to pass as other vehicles were quickly approaching. They also stated that the movements were extremely human like, with the exception of the gait…. The driver stated that the steps seemed to precede the upper body as though it was designed for climbing steep terrain. They also noticed that while it was very tall, it did not possess a heavy muscular build, but rather a somewhat lean and almost lanky appearance. Upon closer examination, the passenger, while having a completely unobstructed view, indicated that the whole face was covered in hair. The witness was absolutely sure of this as he searched for eyes in an attempt to make eye contact. Due to the particular angle of the sun and intensity, definition of eyes nose and mouth were not completely distinguishable, but still evident. What struck both witnesses as particularly amazing was the color of the hair and how it could aid in near perfect camouflage. Both indicated that there was a multi-colored appearance ranging from dark brown and beige with dark grey peppered throughout. Both indicated that while the hair was rather uniform, it was not thick but somewhat thin in appearance. The overall size impressed both witnesses the moment they made visual contact, but since the subject was traversing very uneven terrain, it was difficult to estimate a somewhat accurate height. When asking the driver about the height, he stated that once the subject reached the paved highway, it was too tall to see the upper torso and based on the visible arms and middle torso, the driver said that the subject was tall enough to lay its arms comfortably across the top of the shell on his full size truck without raising them above a horizontal position. Upon conclusion of my investigation into this report, I find both men to be sane and highly credible in their recollection of the whole event.

This is the third insident within a year that has been reported, that I know of, from the Cle Elum area.

About BFRO Investigator Dave Illig:

• Dave Illig is a Project Manager for a major aerospace corporation.
• He has attended several BFRO and private expeditions in the US and Canada.
• Is an avid outdoorsman, who is skilled in all-weather camping.
• He is also certified in Swift Water Rescue Operations.
• Target research area: Western Cascades