YEAR: 1991

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Skamania County

LOCATION DETAILS: One of the highest camp sites on the north side of Mt Adams, about 100m from the road and next to a small stream that flowed north. This camp site is about a five min walk from where the wilderness zone begins, and is where our truck could be parked.

NEAREST TOWN: Mt. Adams Wilderness Area

NEAREST ROAD: park access road

OBSERVED: I am reporting this incident from 1991 because I heard of your group on the radio on the way home from work tonight, and you sound credible.

I served as a US Army Infantry Sergeant at Ft.Lewis Wa. for several years, I am also an alpine climber. I went to Mt Adams most of the time because it was much more private than other mountains ie: St Helens, Rainer -- to many people. I also loved the thousands of acres of wilderness area which was restricted to six or eight hearts per group and no vehicles.

Another Sergeant named Jim Avila, my climbing partner, and good friend, and his Golden Retriever pup were there also.

We were only camping and hiking around this trip, since we had the puppy with us, normally we would have camped on a snowfield above the tree line.

Just after nightfall we were talking and the puppy was next to the fire. The sky was crystal clear and everything "felt" normal. Since I spent six months out of the year living in the woods, and deserts of the western US and Europe, in the Army, the night is my ally--- I am an expert at what normal feels like.

I needed to urinate, so I stood up and walked to my right rear about 20 feet where a path led down to a stream, I could hear and see the slow moving shallow water in this shallow pea gravel bedded creek, I did my thing and returned to the fire.

We then decided to have some fun and see if we could get a coyote to howl, although we were not sure if any may have been around. We started our best howls to no avail. We continued for about five min. and then stopped. About and hour passed since my previous trip to urinate and I figured I would go again before getting in the sleeping bag.

Jim was across from the fire and could see my walking toward the spot overlooking the path to the creek where I intended to void my bladder, HA HA.

As my feet stopped I could hear footsteps in the dry gravel on the other side of the creek bed about 20' away. When It heard me stop, it stopped a little to late and I heard it. I felt intelligence in it's movement, not instinct, it knew it had been busted and just froze. I froze and drew my pistol Jim saw this and at the same time said the puppy flew into the cab of the truck.

Jim, also sensing something wrong, drew his pistol, and stood up. I was looking right where this guy was standing but could not see him because he was across the water but still in front of the opposite bank, he was still frozen like a ROCK. Jim came to back me up he did not know what in the hell was going on and instead of telling him to stop I just kept my eyes glued to the spot I knew the guy was at and he finally decided to move out.He took two strides up the bank away from me with a look over his right shoulder as he was moving away to the right.

His look was concern mixed with a child like fear, as if he really wanted to introduce himself in some way to our "wolf-calling group", Also puzzled like "why are you indiots calling coyotes?----Your Humans, Stupid!". The most animal like trait was a sort of a very brief mock anger face, which looked like an after-thought just before the big guy went into the woods.

I looked at Jim --- no words --- we threw most of our stuff in the truck and left in a big hurry. There was no way I was staying in those woods that night.

The big guy was huge, but slender as I recall. Don't ask me how, but I know he was an adolesent. He was sort of like a big kid, but moved like the wind. He saw my eyes and I saw his. I did not tell Jim what I saw, I never did. I never had to.

Please belive me, I swear this account to be true.
Thank You, and God's Speed in your search.

ALSO NOTICED: Silence of all common wildlife/insect sounds just prior to my awareness of a presence of subject in question. Also a small golden retriever pup jumped into the cab of our truck without assistance which is normally required, her ears down and tail tucked under. I had never had a fear of bigfoot, only bears and people(criminals) I have seen and hunted bear, this was not a bear. There was no other persons within a few miles that night. On a supplimentary note, The Yakama Indian reservation is the entire east side of Mt Adams and thousands of acres of uninhabited wilderness. I have felt like I was being watched that day from dense pine forest ridges up to 2,000 ft high.

OTHER WITNESSES: Jim Avila who I was in the Army with at Ft Lewis, WA. We had both climbed Adams and most other Cascade Range Peaks together or w/others

OTHER STORIES: None

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Night between 9 and 10 PM
Clear, cool

ENVIRONMENT: Pine forest camp site next to a gravel creek which was flowing very slow and shallow with very steep banks. the site was at or about 3200' above sl

Follow-up investigation report:

The observer also reports that the animal was at least six feet tall, possibly up to eight feet. Shoulders were broad, as was the face. No ears observed and nose was not prominent.

The animal took a couple of strides up the hill when the observer would have needed five or six long ones.