YEAR: 1984

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: 18

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Clallam County

LOCATION DETAILS: Using USGS 7.5 minute topographical map titled: Ozette, Wash. Provisional Edition 1984 (I don't know how to use the Minute/Hour of Lat/Long system so this is an Army style grid coordinate of the incident)

Grid: Aprox. 717351 on the beach across from Ozette Island

NEAREST TOWN: Clallam Bay

NEAREST ROAD: Hoko - Ozette Rd

OBSERVED: I was on a summer school field trip 12 day hike with both teachers and highschool students from my district. A black hairy bipedal creature emerged from the treeline at the stream. The creature was large in mass but I am unsure of height as the creature was partially bent over looking and reaching sporadically into the stream. We shouted to look at the thing to our group. As the group stopped and turned, we ran back maybe 20 feet to rejoin the group. As we all stood there and watched the creature came about half the distance of the stream towards the ocean, still looking and reaching into the water. While this was occuring, somebody started to whine as in fear, and the teachers with us began saying "Calm down, it's not what you think. Just relax, we know what you're thinking, but trust us it's not. Just calm down." Nobody up to this point had said the word "Bigfoot" yet, but then as I remember someone saw the other group way down the beach, and tried to shout a warning to them. They yelled, "Look! Bigfoot!!" At this point, the creature, stood straight up, and looked directly at us for a few quick seconds. I was so scared that I do not remember how tall it was, only that I have the impression of a very tall creature. It then turned to it's left and strode back into the woodline. I do not know how many steps it took, becuase once again I was very frightened. The other group started to run towards us, and our group started to go towards them until our teachers stopped us, and made us wait there. One teacher went to the creek, and met the other teachers that were in the second group there. One of the second group teachers herded the rest of the kids to us, where we were all now very excited and wanted to go check the scene out. There were either 3 or 4 teachers now conferring at the scene, with 2 waiting with us. When the other teachers came back, they said that what we saw was not Bigfoot, but just a black man, who was camping in the treeline. They said that he was naked, and that's why he was all black. I remember someone asking if they had talked to this man, and we were all told to ignore it, forget about it, and just plain drop the subject. All the teachers then started to really sell the "black man" story, but we were not allowed to go and see him for ourselves. Only a few of us kids believed this at all, and this was the start of a few other incidents that happened to us along the way.

ALSO NOTICED: Every day from that time thereafter we all felt like we were being shadowed. Any time we were in a cliff or steep slope area rocks would always fall either in front of the group or behind the group. In these areas there was always tree cover on top of the cliff or slope, and nobody ever mentioned seeing anything.

We made another day trip to Allens Bay at the South-West portion of Lake Ozette to bathe after spending the day before repairing some benches and I beleive a latrine at the Norwegian Memorial. During our hike to Allens Bay, we all heard occasional heavy crahsing in the woods. Sometimes it would be heard in front of the group, and sometimes behind. Sometimes to the left of the trail, and sometimes to the right. Sometimes near, and sometimes far. The crashes would sound like a piece of heavy debris of some sort, falling through heavy undergrowth. They were never heard right after the other, and the duration between crashes was always different. When we got to Allens Bay, we all went swimming for a bit, and washed in the lake. We never heard anything while we were there, but we heard a few more crashes on our way back to the beach, though not as many as on the trip to the lake. The teachers kept telling us that it was just dead timber falling which it could have been, but it would be very coincidental that that much timber fell along our path to the lake and back.

We kept having the rock incidents every day we hiked, and once I remember we all encountered a horrendus smell just before we crossed a wooden footbrige over a large stream. Looking at the maps, I aproximate it as being on the USGS 7.5 Minute Allens Bay Washington Map, Provisional Edition 1984 at: 748178 2 Grids South of the Starbuck Mine site. We saw nothing, and heard nothing though. I remember the smell being extremely repulsive, but not like a skunk, rotten egg, nor dead anything. I can't describe it accurately except for it being extremely pwerful, extremely awful, and slightly ammonia-ish.

We met up with our twin group that was hiking North from the Hoh Indian Reservation at La Push, where we were re-supplied. So this would be day 6 or 7. They were all enthralled by our stories, but said nothing had happened on their trip so far. We stayed the night down on the beach just South of La Push. I remember a huge gale hitting us that night, which may help pinpoint the time. After La Push, we only occasionally saw falling rock, and lost the feeling of being followed, so I don't know if it was because of the town, or the storm. The rock falls after La Push were also all smaller, and could have been natural. (as could all of them, but I don't beleive the others were natural.)

I don't remember the other group saying anything about any incidents on their way North from La Push, but I remember all of us being kidded about it after Summer School, and I don't like to discuss it much as it is a subject of much ridicule. I've tried to report it several times, but have backed away each time. This time I decided to actually report it, as I'm tired of hiding it away.

The school district that this summer school "Ocean Trek" was through, was Shoreline School District #412.The only teacher's name I remember is a Mr. Benson, and I remember his son Boyd being there, but these are the only names I remember with any certainty.

The second group of kids all complained of a slight stench in the area of the stream, but none of our group smelled anything.

OTHER WITNESSES: We were split up into 2 groups and coming back to our initial camp from a day trip to Cape Alava where we were doing a biological exploration of the tide pools and area. I was in the lead group of about half the kids, with I think 2 of the teachers. The second group was aprox. 1/2 to 1 mile behind us. I can't reacall the distance of them well. Our group crossed a small stream that came out of the treeline about 50 to 75 meters from the waterline. I remember the stream being too big to jump across, but not very deep. Only to just below the tops of my Raichle hiking boots. After we had waded the stream and walked/ran about another 300 meters down the beach, we were told to wait by one of the teachers. I remember stopping, and turning around to wait for the rest of my group with a couple more kids. As we were waiting and watching.

As memory serves, it was 5 or 6 teachers and about 20 or 30 teenagers.

ENVIRONMENT: Coarse beach, with sporadic driftwood accumulations. Heavy pine forrest to the East. Ocean to the West. Stream depth I estimate to be 5 to 6 inches deep, and maybe 10 to 12 feet in width. Stream was fresh water.

A & G References: Pg. 90 C3

USGS 7.5 Minute Allens Bay Washington Map, Provisional Edition 1984 at: 748178 2 Grids South of the Starbuck Mine site.

About BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

Matthew Moneymaker is originally from the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles, California.

- Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

- Juris Doctorate (Law degree) from University of Akron School of Law

- Founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization,1995.

- Writer and co-producer of the Discovery Channel documentary "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science", 2001.

- Co-producer of the TV Series "Mysterious Encounters" for the Outdoor Life Network (OLN Channel), 2002.

- Producer of the "2003 International Bigfoot Symposium" (Willow Creek Symposium) DVD set, 2004.

- Co-host of "Finding Bigfoot" on Animal Planet Channel, 2010 - 2017.

- Current Director of the BFRO

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