YEAR: 1978

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: 1978

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Pierce County

LOCATION DETAILS: [Investigator (MM) notes: See location references in report. No way to pinpoint the exact spot.]

NEAREST TOWN: Roy/Spanaway

NEAREST ROAD: Mountain Highway

OBSERVED: Our family had stopped in the woods along the Ft. Lewis reservation in Pierce County, WA area for a bathroom break on our way home from a camping trip. My sister and I had gone maybe ten yards or so away from where we were parked to use the bathroom behind some trees away from sight of others.

As we walked back toward where the camper truck was and the rest of the family we both for no reason stopped in our tracks almost like something told us to. Without saying anything we turned around and there was a bigfoot about 20 feet behind us, right where we had just come from. He was leaning against a tree watching us and was at least 7-8 feet or taller. Dark red-brown hair.

We both looked back at each other, turned back toward the campertruck and walked really fast. I think both of us were afraid to run.

We got to the truck where my camera was sitting right on the front seat. I grabbed the camera and turned around but it was gone. We told our dad what we saw but he wouldn't listen to us and said get in the truck we are leaving.

OTHER WITNESSES: Sisiter

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was evening around 6-7 pm. Shadowy..cloudy. trees.

ENVIRONMENT: Ft. LEWIS BACK RESERVATION AREA.
West of the "Roy Y."

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Christina Helton:

The witness is a retired photographer who grew up in Washington state and now resides in Oregon. She said her family went camping on a regularly basis when she was growing up.

They were returning from a camping trip in 1978. She was 13 at the time. Her father pulled over behind JBLM in an area known locally as the “Roy Y”, so she and her sister could relieve themselves in the woods.

Her sister and her were walking back to the camper side by side when they stopped, looked at each other, and slowly turned around to see a bigfoot leaning against a tree watching them.

Theyt didn't smell any unusual or hear any noises. As she recalls, nothing they saw or heard made them stop and turn around. They both noticed everything was quiet, like “a weird calm w/plugged ears.”

There was no sign of anger or fear in the face of the bigfoot. She describes face as leathery skin w/lots of hair around it.

After all these years that area outside Spanaway is still undeveloped w/numerous fresh water lakes, rivers, and fields of grasses and berries for food and cover.

There is every reason to believe bigfoots may still use that area at times.

About BFRO Investigator Christina Helton:

>30yrs. as nurse. Attended numerous BFRO expeditions in WA, MT, OR. Became interested in 5th grade when my teacher told a story of when she was around 12 and went hunting w/her dad in Colorado. She saw something a way in the distance from up in her stand. When she raised her rifle and looked at it through the scope, she saw how "humanish this thing looked".