BFRO Home | Reports Database | New Report Additions | FAQs | ||||||||
Media Articles | Hypotheses & Projects | About the BFRO |
YEAR: 1995
SEASON: Summer
MONTH: August
STATE: California
COUNTY: Plumas County
LOCATION DETAILS: [Note from investigator Matt Moneymaker
This incident happened near where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the Middle Fork of the Feather River. The coordinates for that crossing:
39.808254, -121.045600
You can copy and paste those coordinates in Google Maps or Google Earth and it will show you the river crossing point.]
NEAREST TOWN: outside of Quincy California, but very remote area
NEAREST ROAD: HWY 70
OBSERVED: I recently read BFRO report #26850. I felt the need to add my own experience in the same area. I too was a Forest Service employee for the Plumas in the 90’ s. I don’t know the original author.
I hiked to the bottom of the Middle Fork drainage where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the river from the Quincy side (North side) so I could brush it out and cut some poles and logs laying across the trail. First day I had a couple guys with me, and we knocked out a good portion of it that day. I came back later in the week to finish up the remaining few miles by myself.
The tactic is to go down the trail heavy with water and saw gas and work your way back up getting lighter. I worked my way down the trail maybe about 2 and a half hours to the area where we left off. I started cutting my way back up the trail. The logs were spread apart with patches of down logs and then areas of clear trail for several minutes of hiking.
In the periods when I shut the saw off, I soon started to realize I was getting side hilled by something that was downslope of me off the trail about maybe 100 to 150 feet just inside the tree line. As I moved up the trail it did also. If it was a lion, I would have never heard it and bears are very noisy coming through the brush. This was not wildlife; this was CLEARLY a bipedal footfall.
By the time most of my work was done. I was getting a little spooked and I just wanted to get back up to the landing where my truck was parked. Unfortunately, I never got eyes on it so I can’t give you a visual account. I was only able to occasionally see saplings move. To be perfectly honest I was too afraid to look. I had my head down humping gear up the trail, I was light and moving at good clip on a trail. This thing was EASILY able to outpace me even though it was working through steep rocky brush and tree covered terrain. At times it got ahead of me because of the contour of the land and that was a little bit horrifying. This thing was agile and fast. This went on for a couple of hours.
About a half hour from my truck I stopped hearing anything. I feel I was being escorted out of the area. The whole experience was very unnerving. What bothers me the most is I don’t know how long I was being watched. I was running chain saw intermittently with ear plugs in. I’m sure the three of us were being watched on the previous trip. We just couldn’t hear anything with the saws running.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the woods and still do in a professional capacity. But that was a new one.
If anybody is thinking this was a person; Ill tell you right now: there is no F****** way!
ALSO NOTICED: none
OTHER WITNESSES: none that will go on record
OTHER STORIES: several at least three are documented in your own database. i have also talked to people who would like to remain anonymous
TIME AND CONDITIONS: clear, warm, mid day
ENVIRONMENT: north south facing drainage. steep, mixed conifer mature brush , open areas of snow crush mazanita.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:
Witness contact info is available to BFRO investigators
About BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:
Matthew Moneymaker is originally from the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles, California.
- Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
- Juris Doctorate (Law degree) from University of Akron School of Law
- Founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization,1995.
- Writer and co-producer of the Discovery Channel documentary "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science", 2001.
- Co-producer of the TV Series "Mysterious Encounters" for the Outdoor Life Network (OLN Channel), 2002.
- Producer of the "2003 International Bigfoot Symposium" (Willow Creek Symposium) DVD set, 2004.
- Co-host of "Finding Bigfoot" on Animal Planet Channel, 2010 - 2017.
- Current Director of the BFRO
- Available for private bigfoot expeditions and conferences. To inquire please email ContactUS@BFRO.net