Everyone involved in these efforts
agrees that it's not a good idea to publicly disclose specific areas
where important scientific work will likely occur in the future.
A few areas identified during this expedition will undoubtedly receive
that type of attention at some point. They should not receive undue
attention before then, so they will not be identified in this article
with specificity.
The general area is the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. On
any map of America you can see this peninsula. It is the far northwest
corner of the continental U.S.
In the months prior to the expedition, various zones of reports
on the peninsula were discussed among those involved in the planning
for the trip. In one of the sighting zones there was some recent information from
local residents, and a tip from a government scientist who monitors
salmon runs on the peninsula.
The initial attention was focused on a set of valleys near the base
camp, where some locals residents reported occasional vocalizations.
The expedition soon became focused on a different set of valleys,
15-20 miles from base camp, where the government scientist tip directed
us.
Not all of the incidents described in this article (or the recordings)
occurred in those distant valleys, but a majority of the incidents
happened there. The two locations in that zone are referred to as
Ridge Camp 1 and Ridge Camp 2 (RC1 & RC2).
RC1 was the site of two intense
days and nights of activity. RC2 had three consecutive nights of
multiple-witness Class B incidents.
Among the various sites, participants witnessed the following:
Class A daylight sighting - 1
Class B sightings (low light, compromised definition) - 4
Vocalizations (Tahoe-type, siren-type, growls, whistles) - 5
Wood knock interactions - 2
Camp circling and stalking - 7
Branch breaking, stomping tirade - 1
Vocalization with a tree fall - 1
Brush structure ("teepee" style)- 1
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Wednesday Night :
Nine people had arrived by Wednesday
night. After setting up camp, one group of people drove up some
logging roads to get familiar with the area. Another group probed
adjacent roads and trails within two miles of the camp. Nothing
significant was seen or heard.
Thursday Night:
By late afternoon most people had arrived and were briefed on the
initial plan. Areas within walking distance of camp were the primary
focus. A smaller group headed out to a remote mountainous area previously
suggested by a government scientist who had a sighting there several
months before.
At sundown everyone near the base camp was to spread out and keep
in contact via radio. Coordinated sounds, similar to those made
by sasquatches moving through a valley, were produced in sequences
from various points. One possible Tahoe-style scream was heard from
across a clear cut. A few possible wood knocks were also heard.
At Ridge Camp 1 (RC1):
The location suggested by the government scientist was roughly 15
miles away, along a treacherous mountain road, 600' above a deep,
steep gorge. The area had excellent echo acoustics.
A party of three was dropped off. They went 300 yards off the main
logging road along a ridge high above the main gorge. They set up
two tents not far apart.
Tahoe screams were broadcast into the canyon below. By midnight
some loud brush breaking noises indicated the camp was being circled
by one or two large animals.
After the sounds stopped, the trio turned in for the night. Shortly
before 4AM, one of the sleepers awoke to the sound of a rodent trying
to burrow under the tent. Shortly thereafter a much larger animal
was heard approaching the tent.
The tent's rain fly was not on the tent. Through the mesh netting
the witness observed the silhouette of a tall, upright figure move
slowly toward the tent and lean over the top of it. It stood there
for several seconds then walked away quietly.
After fifteen minutes of quiet, the witness roused the two people
in the nearby tent. One of the two people who got up (Ric Hjertberg)
observed a pair of "red eyes" in the tree line about 30
feet away. Ric watched, and moved from his head from side to side
for a few seconds, to see if the red eyes were some kind of reflecting
objects.
He looked away momentarily to gesture to the others to look in that
direction. When they all looked over toward the tree line again,
the "eyes" were gone.
Nothing else happened that night.
Friday :
On Friday afternoon, participants were briefed on the recommended
target zones. They chose where they wanted go, based on how late
they wanted to stay out. Those who wanted the option of returning to base camp at any time stayed within walking distance of the base
camp.
Several participants elected to camp at Ridge Camp 1, including
the newspaper reporter from London.
Ridge Camp 1 was set up on the protruding knee of a spur ridge above
a deep canyon. On this knee there was a football-shaped clearing,
roughly 30 x 60 feet, surrounded by thick second-growth conifers
and dense underbrush. The brush was so dense that illumination from
a flashlight or spotlight could penetrate only 3 feet or so into
the edge growth.
Not long after arriving at the site, the Friday-RC1 group was reporting
via walkie-talkie that they were hearing sounds of some large, unseen
animals circling the camp. The stalkers could be heard parting trees
and brush, and snapping large branches.
The intermittent movement suggested the animals were positioning
themselves around the perimeter to get different views of the camp.
The stalkers would be motionless for several minutes before moving
again. They were not quiet when they moved, but would hold still
for long periods, apparently watching the people.
At one point the walkie-talkie
traffic from Ridge Camp 1 was nervously reporting the sounds up
to four animals moving around the perimeter on different sides.
Bears are not patient or stealthy. They will walk clumsily around
a camp, and will either move on or come closer toward the smell
of food until they are chased off. The animals around RC1 seemed
to be watching the campers patiently, and not moving for long periods.
Everyone present was keenly aware that there are a few different
species of large animals in the Olympic Peninsula, so the group
watched and listened carefully for any indication that the stalkers
could be elk, bears, mountain lions, coyotes, etc.
Some decent recordings were obtained at this location and will likely
be posted at some point.
At Ridge Camp 2:
A larger group had gone to establish another satellite camp in the
adjacent river gorge. This was Ridge Camp 2. A group of six participants
set up three tents on a level clearing with grassy spots. Twenty
yards to either side were tree lines shrouding mountain slopes.
One of the party headed 200yds down the hillside to set up his own
camp a good distance from the other tents. Some BFRO members in
the main group began making sounds around dusk, imitating certain
patterns heard in other areas.
Response vocalizations were heard within two hours. Radio contact,
via relay to Ridge Camp 1, allowed Camp 2 to ask if the response
vocalizations could be heard in that canyon. Camp 1 was not hearing,
nor making, any sounds at that point. The two camps were at least
three miles apart, separated by a high mountain ridge.
There was a point during the evening when both camps were reporting
the sounds of 3-4 large animals circling the camps. At Camp 2 the
stalking animals snapped large branches and made low growls and
briefly whistled to each other.
All of the participants had been previously asked not to take any
defensive and aggressive actions if this sort of thing started happening.
The objective was allow the activity to continue for as long as
it might continue, and observe and listen passively, and to record
sounds if possible.
The people in both camps eventually went in their tents and slept.
At 4AM, one person in Camp 2 heard one of the figures approach his
tent and make a low, rumbling sound that became inaudible, but could
still be felt viscerally. He said was a very unfamiliar sensation,
and he described some difficulty moving his arms and legs while
it was happening, and for a short while after it ceased.
Saturday:
The areas around Camps 1 & 2 were examined the next morning for
tracks. No tracks were found, but the soil was too rocky for any
tracks, including the tire tracks of the vehicles.
By mid-morning everyone who had
spent the previous night at one of the satellite camps had returned
to base camp to shower and eat and share observations.
In the early afternoon several
people drove to a native village on the coast to ask about recent
sightings, etc., in the vicinity. Locals from various coastal tribes
were at the village for a gathering. Some had heard of the BFRO.
They provided us a good bit of information, though most it was not
recent, and all the locations were far away from our target area.
The best info gathered at the village pointed to a long inland valley
several miles away. In the past it was a favorite deer hunting area
among the tribe. One tribal member told us her father used to tell
her that he had personally seen sasquatches in different parts of
that valley at least five times throughout his life.
While part of the group was talking to people in the village, two
BFRO members decided to kayak to an area where some Class B incidents
had occurred the year before, two miles from the base camp, and
not far from the major game trail in the area. The two set up their
tents, ate cold food, talked at normal volume, and turned in for
the night without doing anything more overt to draw attention to
themselves.
At 10:30PM, one of the two campers awoke to sounds of someone walking
along the trial in the direction of the tents. He lifted his head
to read his wristwatch but decided to stay down, listening. The
walker approached the tent and abruptly stopped. After a brief pause
it suddenly sprinted past the tent and down the hillside. Heavy
footfalls shook the ground as it ran past.
Most of the participants spent Saturday night at or near Ridge Camp
2, hoping the camp stalkers would return. After dinner, five people
ventured uphill to a nearby clearing. After making several loud
vocalizations in the characteristic pattern, they settled into chairs
and listened. 30 minutes later a single whistle was heard, and
then came clear sounds of footfalls and stick breaks.
The stalkers had returned. Pairs of "red eyes" were noticed
briefly in the tree line. This small group decided to throw some
food toward the stalkers in the trees. Mangos and candy bars were
used. A few times it sounded as though the stalkers rushed over
to where the objects had fallen.
Subsequently the group began hearing sounds like murmuring speech.
At first the group thought members of the nearby camp were approaching.
Everyone was accounted for by radio. No one was nearby. Every person
who was with that group later described "weird talking"
sounds that were low pitched, soft and mumbling.
Footfalls were heard from the tree line. An upright silhouette was
seen crossing an open space. After about 20 minutes or so the voice-like
sounds got closer, advancing to about 30 feet. A huge crash was
heard. The group's first assumption was that one of the unseen stalkers
had fallen, but then it quickly made at least four powerful stomps
to the ground. All present heard and felt the stomps, and collectively
agreed, without much discussion, that the stomps was from a heavy
animal that was trying to intimidate them. There was a collective
agreement at that point to pull out and return the next night better
prepared.
Professor Tom R. had four digital recorders deployed Saturday night.
They were set up at different locations. There are still several
hours to listen through but he says at least one of the units recorded
some very interesting sequences. He'll try to dub the clips to MP3
to keep the file sizes as small as possible. Those clips will be
posted eventually.
Early Sunday Morning (after midnight):
With the main group at Ridge Camp 2, nine people had been hearing
snapping noises. A few human-shaped figures were seen silhouetted
against the night sky near a prominent stump uphill from the camp.
Above a creek bed one mile
from the coast, a group of six established a camp on a narrow dirt
road in dense forest -- the Creek Camp. Some surveillance cameras
and audio recorders were set up at this location. The cameras got
nothing, but the audio devices did capture many of the sounds.
Tents were set up in two areas
approximately 100yds apart. Some vocal calls were made in the characteristic
pattern. Within one hour crashing noises from nearby bushes was
heard. "Bear" was the first guess but unmistakable bipedal crunching
followed. Two or three individuals were heard stalking the drainage
immediately below the road. Sounds from the other side were also
heard. A fast moving silhouette was seen against the starlit sky,
moving along a low ridge nearby.
At 3:30AM, one tent occupant heard a large animal approach to within
five feet of his tent, but then retreat.
At 5AM, some clear wood knocks were heard a few hundred yards down
the drainage. Two distinct tones appeared to be answering each other.
These exchanges were also recorded.
Back at Ridge Camp 2, at 7AM, after sunrise, one of the campers
left her tent to find a place in the woods to relieve herself. While
thus occupied, a sasquatch was clearly viewed for 15-30 seconds
from about 200yds. It was a medium brown color. The head and fur
appeared slightly peaked. The figure was cautiously following another
participant (a marine scientist) from a safe distance along the remnants
of an old road. He was not aware he was being followed.
The figure followed him at a distance of roughly 100 feet. It moved
in an agitated way back and forth across the old road at points,
looking up and down the hill. When the man walked into camp, the
follower moved out of sight.
Rough height comparisons were made from the same point of view where the observation
had occurred. The witness, a botanist from Seattle, said the figure
must have been about seven feet tall.
Most people had to leave on Sunday.
They packed up, exchanged numbers and addresses, and made tentative
plans to return to the area to look around further.
A dozen people decided to stay one last night. They rested most
of the day.
Sunday Night:
The twelve remaining people occupied Ridge Camp 2 and set out the
remaining surveillance devices along the portion of road where the
figure had been observed that morning.
The night was uneventful, except
for a vocalization followed immediately by a major tree fall. The
recording of the vocal and tree fall revealed what may be the sounds
of the tree being pushed repetitively prior to the fall.
Aside from the vocal and tree fall event, the overall activity on
Sunday night was minimal compared to the night before. The cameras
got nothing. The recorders got some other things faintly. More and
better sound recordings were gotten the night before.
August 14:
Two BFRO members returned to the site and looked around in the woods.
They discovered a tepee shaped brush structure. It was just inside
the tree line where the intimidating activities had occurred on
Saturday. Logs had been moved into place to make the formation.
It was difficult to determine how long the structure had been there.
Other reflections on these experiences:
1. These camp sites were remote, well out of range of any recreational,
ranching, logging, or land management activity. Much care was
taken to eliminate the possibility of animal misidentification
or human interference.
2. The observations by BFRO members and non-member participants
served as an informal sampling of the area. The amount of activity
witnessed in separate areas in the same time frame suggests
a significant population.
3. The behavior of the unseen stalkers suggests a certain degree
of strategic thinking. The cessation of close-proximity sounds,
from one night to the next, was remarkable in itself, because
there was a much smaller number of people on the second night.
In the daylight before the second night, several
people spent several hours setting up camera traps near the
camp. That activity would have been observed by anything watching
the camp from a distance.
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