YEAR: 1985

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Skamania County

NEAREST TOWN: Stevenson

NEAREST ROAD: Evergreen Highway

OBSERVED: In the summer of 1985 I was 17 at Beacon Rock Golf Course in Washington state on the Columbia River just west of Bonneville dam. It was mid morning my dad and grandfather were golfing, I was playing caddy for them. It was on the second fairway, a long mostly straight hole. My dad's tee shot went into the woods and brush on the right hand side about 1/3 of the way down, I told him I would go look for it. I grabbed a 7 iron and made my way into the bushes. I was poking around, pulling back branches looking for the ball when I smelled what I can only describe as something rotten, it was really bad. I thought I had uncovered a dead animal with the club. As I continued to move brush around I looked up to see if I should go in a bit further. That is when I saw something about 10 - 12 feet away standing next to a tree. It was approx. 7 to 7 1/2 feet tall with very broad shoulders, fully covered in hair, a bit lighter brown on top and got darker as it went down, almost to a black as it got to mid chest. I couldn't see anything from the knees down due to the underbrush. I have been hunting with my dad since I was 13 and have lived in the country most of my life. I know what I saw was not a bear, I didn't know what I was looking at, but I know I had never seen anything like it. I turned to scream at my dad and grandfather, but no sound came out, I was truly terrified, I turned back to see if I was seeing things and it was moving up the hill at a quick pace, not running but walking quickly, never made a sound, other than the occasional swish of a branch bouncing back to place. I turned and ran out of the tree line never looking back. I caught up with my dad and grandfather who had walked past me up the fairway at some point, they were about half way to the green. I never said what I saw or smelled, just that I couldn't find the ball. The whole thing lasted about 15 to 20 seconds.

ALSO NOTICED: Just a bad smell prior to me see it, I didn't go back to look after I just wanted to get out of there.

OTHER WITNESSES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: mid morning around 9 - 930 am sunny warm

ENVIRONMENT: Fir trees, brush, ferns.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Chris Bynum:

The witness was out for a day of golfing with his father and grandfather. He was caddying for them on a sunny morning in June of 1985. He was 17 at the time and the sighting took place as he was in the nearby brush looking to recover a golf ball that his father had shot off into the brush. He was walking using a golf club to push back brush and tree limbs to locate the golf ball when a foul smell grew stronger. It smelled like something rotten or something that had died. When he looked up, he saw an unidentified creature standing approximately 10 feet tall standing partially blocked by a tree. The creature was approximately 10-15 feet away and remained motionless while the two looked at each other. The creature was light brown around the head, but had darker hair covering its body from its shoulders down to about knee level where the remaining body parts were obstructed by the tree and under brush. The witness could not vocalize anything due to his intense fear. After about 20 seconds, he looked away hoping he could see his father and grandfather, but they had already walked further down the course. As he looked back at the creature, it had turned and was making its way up a hill away from the course. He did not attempt to follow, instead he headed quickly back to rejoin his father and grandfather playing golf. The remainder of the game he found himself constantly watching the tree line for movement, but did not see anything.

About BFRO Investigator Chris Bynum:

Chris is a native Texan who his family to Bothell, Wa in 2003. He is an Account Manager in the software industry and has 15yrs of technical support, consulting and account management. Chris attended the July 2012, June 2013, July 2013 and Aug 2013 Washington Cascade Expeditions as well as numerous private investigations.

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