YEAR: 2000

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Snohomish County

LOCATION DETAILS: Happy Valley Road-south of the river-

NEAREST TOWN: Stanwood

NEAREST ROAD: Happy Valley Road

OBSERVED: In the summer of 2000 I had two strange encounters with a creature I will simply describe as a monster by the way it sounded. on a warm summer day at dusk I stood with my two dogs at the edge of a ravine that had a small stream that emptied out of a small pond at the edge of my property. The back 10 acres was heavily forested with thick underbrush. I could hear something very large moving through the thick underbrush and downed alder trees. Large branches were breaking like twigs. While the sounds of the trees being snapped were happening loud roars and screams like I have never heard before or since were being vocalized. I yelled. There was no response, just the same noises happening. I did not want to walk into the swamp at that point. I listened for about 10-15 minutes. The two dogs I owned that were very brave watch dogs just stood by my side, not wanting to investigate. This was odd in itself as they were very territorial. I remember them looking up at me with a look like "were not going in there". I went inside the house and told my girlfriend as I wanted her to come out and listen. She said if it was what I said it was she didn't want to go outside. We stayed in the house the rest of the night and I was not scared but very tingly on my skin and alert. The next day i walked into the swamp to try to see evidence of the creature. I didn't make it very far because of the mud up to my knees and thick russian thistles. My friend came over later that day around dusk. I told him of the encounter and he asked where it had happened. I walked him to the location. When we arrived the same thing happened as the day before. The creature was still there and I was just down in the swamp a few hours earlier and heard nothing. My friend listened for about five minutes. I asked him what he thought it was. he replied,"I don't know Chuck-but good luck". Then he hurried to his car and jumped in and left just leaving me standing there with this thing roaring. I went inside the house with it still there. I didn't feel like shooting it. It didn't pound on the house or anything like that. I never heard it again after that. I sold the 20 acres and the two houses within 6 months after the incident. Good luck to the new owners.

ALSO NOTICED: two nights in a row-creature did not respond to my verbal confrontation

OTHER WITNESSES: yes one-who listened with me the second day

OTHER STORIES: none

TIME AND CONDITIONS: dusk

ENVIRONMENT: thick swamp with a creek coming out of a pond-russian thistle-devils club- and thick underbrush-mud up to your knees

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator John Ray:

I spoke with the witness by phone and he seemed very credible as he related the details of his encounter. The witness has worked in the woods and is familiar with the different animal sounds that are normally heard.

Additional information:

- The screaming/roaring from the animal was continuous, and did not stop even as the witness was yelling at the creature.
- The creature sounded really angry.
- It sounded like the creature was pounding one log with another.
- The creature was approximately 100 feet away from the witness, but couldn't be seen due to the heavy brush between them.
- The witness no longer owns the property. The property has since been developed with a house added, and is no longer accessible.
The friend of the witness now denies that the event ever occurred.

About BFRO Investigator John Ray:

John conducts BFRO report investigations in the Snohomish County area of Washington State. He has attended the 2006, 2008, and 2009 Washington Cascades expeditions, the 2009 and 2011 Washington Olympics-2nd expedition, the 2012 Western Washington expedition, the 2013, 2014, & 2015 Washington Cascades Area 1 Expeditions, and several other personal and private expeditions.

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