YEAR: 1968

SEASON: Summer

DATE: Unknown

STATE: Oregon

COUNTY: Hood River County

NEAREST TOWN: Estacata Oregon

NEAREST ROAD: Logging roads

OBSERVED: I would like to begin saying I saw saw a phone number a couple years ago that went 1800 big foot.
I was very tempted to phone, but just couldn't. I have thought about my encounter quite often, with no one to share it with. About a year ago we purchased a computer. I have been learning how to use it along with the internet.This is were I came across your web site. I have read a lot of the posted sightings. Report #5473 had one similarity to what occured on a logging site in Oregon, year 1968. I contacted your site and inquired if you were interested in a sighting this old. Two researchers contacted me via email with an encouraging yes.
At the time of the encounter I was 18 years old. I was working for a company out of Eugene
Oregon. My job was to install radio signialing
equipment on logging equipment. These logging sites were sometimes close to cities and more often quite distant. It was summer 1968 with real nice weather. This job was located around 40 to 50 miles north east of Estacata Oregon in the cascade mountains south of Mount Hood, elevation around 3500 feet.. I arrived on site long after the logging crew had left for the day. I estimate the time at 19:30 Hrs. The Radio was to be installed on a yarder. This machine has spools that hold cable that is used to bring logs to a central point, commonly called a landing. This macine is bolted down on two logs that are about three feet in diameter and fifty feet long.I estimate the weight of this machine to be 45 tons. The running board which the operator stands on is around 2 to 21/2 feet above ground level. When the operator stands looking to the other side,he can just see over the haulback drum (spool). I set up my generator and started work. As time went on it became very dark. No moon and very dark! Around 22:30 hrs the hair stood up on the back of my neck. I knew I was being watched. Up until this time I had no indication of any thing out of the ordinary. This job had to be 35 miles from the nearest known person. I took down my drop light and directed it to a location directly behind me. I saw eyes looking directly at me. The only thing I could see were those eyes staring at me. We looked at each other for maybe 15 seconds. It then turned to its right and I could not see it any longer. I knew I needed to get out of there as soon as possible.I continued work at a faster pace! About ten miniutes later I smelled a repulsive odor. A light breeze was blowing from the other side of the yarder. At this point I wasn't sure what to do. My light was hanging on the roof support to my left. I slowly turned it to the direction of the smell, about 20 feet away across the haulback drum were those eyes again, but now I could make out the shape of a large animal, Black in color and very wide. I also noticed that under the eyes seemed to be shiny. The car was 20 to 30 feet away and down slope from me. I decided it was time to leave and return in the morning. The generator was small and normally easy to carry, running it was quite difficult. I managed to get to the car with a running generator and light. I shut down the generator and drove about 5 miles away and awaited daylight. I woke to the sound of the crew bus going by. I followed them back to the job and completed the installation. We tested the system and they went to work. I took a look around for footprints, but with all of the limbs and brush I was not able to find any.

The chaser asked me why I was parked so far away. I told him my story. His reaction told me I was not the only one to see this animal. He pointed out two 55 gallon barrels that were carried up a log pile and tossed over the side of the landing. These barrels were full and weighed
approximatly 475lbs. This animal had to have great strength to accomplish this, thus report #5473. I will admit I was terrified, I think the gererator attracted its attention. It never came any closer than 20 feet and never made a sound.
I installed many more radio systems after this and many were at night, but never saw or herd any thing again.

ENVIRONMENT: Top of a slope, 3500 elevation logged off area.
Old growth Douglas Fir and Mountain Hemlock

Follow-up investigation report:

Here is a little more detail the witness was able to provide:

"It's size was great, I could only make out It's black shape slightly, shoulders up. I think the smell was similar to a wet dog that had rolled in something dead, but the machine had a distinct diesel and oil smell as well. I think the change in smell alerted me to something across from me."

The witness recalls the color of the eyes as a bit golden, though he mainly remembers them as being very bright. Like, in his wording, "a cat's eyes." In conversation with me, he estimated the height of the creature to be approximately eight feet.

He remembers the weather conditions that day as warm and clear. There was no moon that night. He feels that the sighting occurred in August.

Briefly, two things I would like to note:
First, this is a very good example of a report on the cusp of being a Class A or a Class B sighting. It has been filed as Class B only because there was no clear visual of the creature.

Second, I would like to say that, yes, BFRO would like to hear about older reports. Reports such as this provide useful, long-term information on a given area, showing sasquatch presence over time and possibly behavior patterns within a given area. No one with a thirty-year-old sighting should shy away from reporting it to us, as it could well prove quite useful.

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