YEAR: 2008

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: 6th

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Lewis County

LOCATION DETAILS: Strawberry mountain, about in the middle of the main ridge. (just NE of MT. ST. Helens)

NEAREST TOWN: Randle

NEAREST ROAD: FR 25

OBSERVED: I went on an overnight backpacking trip with my son. We hiked about 4 miles down the trail and then hopped off the trail and down a hill to a small lake off of the trail a ways. We setup camp and then went scouting (looking for elk). We returned that evening, started a fire then went to bed in the tent. At 4:00 AM I awoke to some noise, I always awake easily while camping due to concerns of bears getting into our food. I heard some branches break about 50 yards from the tent and then an extremely loud scream/howl noise I have ever heard. I don't know how to explain it, but it was nothing I've heard before. I grabbed my pistol and flashlight and sat quietly in the tent. After a couple of minutes a heard a couple more branches break and that was it. We planned on leaving at 5:00 am to catch the elk while they were out feeding, but I decided to head out at that time. We packed up our stuff and left at 4:30. Yes, it freaked me out and we got out of there.

ALSO NOTICED: NO. I should of went to look for tracks at daylight, but I wanted to get out of there.

OTHER WITNESSES: No. My 6 year old son some how managed to sleep through it.

OTHER STORIES: My friends father told us stories something screaming and throwing rocks at their raft while fishing. This was near this area.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 4:00 AM.

Clear night. No wind, very silent. Very dark.

ENVIRONMENT: Alpine fir trees, small meadows near a small lake and above a small swampy meadow.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Scott Taylor:

I interviewed the witness over the phone. I am familiar with the area in which this incident occurred. This witness is a lifelong resident of the Morton/Randall area and has hunted there all his life. He knows the wildlife which inhabit the area, and the sounds they make. This vocalization was so loud that the witness said the sound seemed to reverberate in his chest. He said that this was unlike anything he had heard before, and that it upset him so much that they left the area within a half hour of the incident. Whatever the creature was that he heard, it approached from the east, up-hill and towards their camp in which there was a campfire. This is behavior that would rule out deer, bear, elk or cougar. I believe that this incident involved a sasquatch which wanted this man and his son to leave the area.

About BFRO Investigator Scott Taylor:

Scott Taylor is a retired aerospace manager. He lives in Mason County, Washington. He had his first bigfoot encounter in October 2005 where he was stalked and later heard vocalizations.

Scott has attended official BFRO Expeditions in the Washington Cascades in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. He also attended 2007 Central Oregon Cascades and 2007 Utah. He now organizes BFRO expeditions in Washington and has participated in bigfoot conferences over the past 17 years.

Scott will be leading a Washington BFRO expedition in 2025 (July 17-20) which is open to non-members. For more details and registration information for that trip click here.