YEAR: 2016

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Snohomish County

LOCATION DETAILS: The noises where right on the side of the road, we started to hear them the minute we got out of the car.

[Investigator Notes (Matt Moneymaker): Here is the Google Maps pin link to the location of this incident. Click here.]

NEAREST TOWN: Darrington WA

NEAREST ROAD: 2060

OBSERVED: Me and my friend are rock climbers. We've rock climbed nearly everywhere in Washington state. The Pacific Northwest is the main area we've climbed in, and the area we know the best. He is a hardcore skeptic. I on the other hand am a firm believer. I've done tons of research through books and documentaries and consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable about the subject. After this experience my friend is now been having some second thoughts.

It all started in the early morning...

We drove up to the trail head about 5 miles on a gravel trail to the trail head. We got out of the car and put on our packs, locked the car and started to head up hill. Ours was the only car in the small parking lot. While filling out the trail registry that's when I heard the first knock up hill about 30 yards away. Like two minutes later another knock was heard down the hill and past the road, about 50 yards off. Every now and again you could hear sticks breaking like something was stepping on them. The sound of one stick breaking was heard then silence. I tried to do my own knock and that was responded too after about 30 seconds. That's when we started filming.

After the film we decided to move uphill to go and climb. My friend still wasn't really buying it. He thought they were just sticks falling off of the trees. After walking about 17 feet up the trail we heard another knock in the same place. By this time my friend was asking me if they're ever hostile. I was thinking about it being intimidation but I didn't think that's what they were getting at.

After walking about 30 more feet up the trail we heard the sound of a rock tapping on a tree, in a very repetitious pattern. For my friend this was the point were he was staring to take things seriously, and wanted to leave. I had no rejections.

Before leaving I tried looking down the hill (where the other knocks where coming from) to see anything. The terrain didn't drop off like expected. The road was only three or so feet higher. The woods where very dense. Anything could hide in them.

A few days later we went back up to the same place to actually climb, only to be shut down by the rain. We still decided to do the hike up to the base of the climb anyway. After a little while I thought to make a knock as well as some whoops to see if there was anything in the area. I had no response. About half way up we saw a standard stick structure. As well as a whole lot of tracks going up the trail. We were the only ones on this mountain by this point. And by the looks of it the creatures followed the same trail all the way up the mountain. Until the part where the trail goes out into an open boulder filed.

ALSO NOTICED: The second time we found a stick structure, and a huge amount of tracks.

OTHER WITNESSES: There where 2 of us.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Both times it was eerily morning.
first day around 6 am
second day around 8am

ENVIRONMENT: Very forested, couldn't see to far into the trees from any certain place.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Robert Parker:

I had a lengthy and pleasant phone conversation with this gentleman on 3/20/2021. His recollection of the encounter details was very good. He sent me a couple photos and a short video from his cellphone which had an audible and distinct "knock" recorded within. The "footprint" photo he provided is inconclusive as it shows shoe imprints near the point where the toe section of the footprint should be. Also, the "stick structure" photos are primarily of chainsaw cut alders, likely done by trail maintenance crews after a high-wind blow down of the trees.

He told me that at approximately 6 AM on the morning of August 10, 2016, he and his friend arrived at the trailhead of a popular hike off the Mountain Loop Highway, south of Darrington. Theirs was the only vehicle in the parking area. As they exited the vehicle to prepare for their hike. They began hearing tree knocks approximately 30 -40 yards up the trail from them, and answering knocks the same distance away below them. Standing there and somewhat stunned by the knocks, they then heard what they believed to be footsteps and the occasional crunch on branches from the uphill direction. During this time, several small sticks were purportedly throw in their direction. The Hikers responded with knocking and rock clacking, and received responses. After a short period everything went quiet and the Hikers ventured out on their hike and did not hear anything more. 3 days later upon returning to the same trailhead (which is actually the point of beginning for two separate trails) is when the footprint and stick structures were found.

This location is in close proximity to where I previously found prints while investigating a track find reported by a Forester.

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[Investigator Notes (Matt Moneymaker): Here is the Google Maps pin link to the location of this incident. Click here.]

About BFRO Investigator Robert Parker:

Rob is a life-long resident of Washington state, currently residing in Snohomish County. A daylight face-to-face encounter in 1969 started him on the path to discovery and led him to working with John Green, Dick Grover, and others throughout the 1970's, taking reports and conducting investigations. His interest in all things Bigfoot, has been greatly piqued over the last decade by what he believes to be either evolutionary developments or significant behavioral changes from those reported in the 60's and before. His interests are mainly in Washington State where he is attempting to pattern the movements and behaviors of Sasquatch.