YEAR: 2000

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 10/11/2000

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Clallam County

LOCATION DETAILS: SE of Hurricane Ridge ranger station, on Elk Mt. trail.

NEAREST TOWN: Port Angeles

NEAREST ROAD: Hurricane ridge visitors center road

OBSERVED: I am european and I enjoy hiking alone in the American National Parks (I've been in Yosemite, Death Valley, Arches, Canyon Lands, Mesa Verde, YellowStone...). I've already seen bears (black bears and a grizzly in YellowStone). Last year in October 2000 I visited Olympic National Park and the last day of my stay I hiked on a loop trail begining at "Obstruction Point".

I let my car at the park located at the end of Obstruction Point road which is about 6 miles long and is a not very good track (no tar and some holes). At the beginning of this road near Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center there was a pannel indicated that overnight stays were not permitted. When I arrived at the car-park around 10.30AM, there were no other cars. I hiked to Grand lake and Moose lake that I reached at about 12.30. I stay there about one hour and then I return via the "Badger Valley trail". At about 4.45PM I was at the bottom of Obstruction Peak just bellow the car-park and I decided to stop to have a rest before climbing.


So I looked around and noticed two "hikers" who where walking on the "Elk Moutain trail" towards the car-park. I looked at them with my binoculars because I didn't see anyone for the whole day and I was curious.

They were at about 500 meters from me in the late afternoon sunshine and I was in the shadow so I think that they couldn't see me. My binoculars are not very good but I immediately
noticed that they carried no equipment (no bags, no sticks...)and that they seemed to be very tall. There were no trees on the trail to confirm that impression but they really seemed to me very tall, specially the second one.

Then I notice that they were "dressed" in a uniform dark colour from the top of their heads to the tip of their hands and
legs (I couldn't see their feet because I was below them). I could not see any other colours on them even on their faces or their hands. I thought that they were looking like giants dressed as the police special forces men!

I decided to look specially at the second one because I could not see the two of them in the same time in my binoculars. I noticed he had a strange way to walk: His head was down like he was looking at his feet and his arms which seem very long (the hands were at the same level than the knees) were moving amply. It was like he was tired (because of the position of the head) and alert (because of the movment of his arms and legs) in the same time!

At one moment the first one who was walking about 10 meters ahead stopped to look at the second one but didn't wait for him and continue to walk. Then I began to think that these two hikers were really strange and I realise that they were walking in the same direction than me so I climb to the car-park as fast I can to check if they had a car there. I was thinking that if there was another car beside mine it would prove to me that everything was OK and that these two "hikers" were just like me. But when I arrived at the park there was no other car so in a very short time I thought
that:

1- it was almost the end of the day.

2- We were 6 miles from the concrete road.

3- It was forbidden to make an overnightstay in this area.

4- These two strange looking "hikers" didn't carry anything on their back to spend a night in the outback.

And I thought about the patterson film I saw on a TV show some years ago so I decided to get out of there very quickly. I did not see any car or people until I reach the concrete road and the Hurricane ridge visitors center.

I know now that the patterson movie is maybe not the hoax I thought it was.

Sorry for the bad english, feel free to correct the mistakes.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 4.45PM, sunny day

ENVIRONMENT: Near Elk Moutain ridge. No trees, just rocks and
grass.

A & G References: Pg. 77, A5

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