YEAR: 2000

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: September

DATE: 14

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Klickitat County

LOCATION DETAILS: Aprox 1 mile SE on the Monte Cristo Trail(53), from the trail head leading off the 080 Spur, which connects to the FS86 Rd.

NEAREST TOWN: Carson

NEAREST ROAD: FS 86 RD/53 Trail head off 080 spurr

OBSERVED: While making an evening Hunt for Elk in the area of Guler MT. One of my routes intersected with the Monte Cristo Trail aprox 2.5 SE of its head at the 080 spur rd. Following the Trail NW, I found evidence of months old Elk droppings, Similurly aged Coyote scat, fresher by weeks cougar piles, and a set of Buck tracks that were leading off ahead of me and had been made no more then the night before. The Trail followed the ridge line, connecting a series of saddles and hilltopets. some times the trail scurted around knobs and ledges. Which made for perfect preditor observation ambushes. Curious to learn more about the nature of the animals in the area and carefull not to be ambushed myself I checked every terrain character independently. I found many cougar prints on the high areas and plenty of scat, some very fresh, along the trail. About a mile from 080 road on slight rise that formed a small grass and moss covered table I left the trail by 10 feet to look over the ledge. There was however a stunted evergreen that blocked the view further NW down the trail so I steped out in front of it. Looking down I saw a Sample of scat I did not recognize. I was shocked at its size and looked closer. It was aprox 10-12 " long and 1.5" wide, tubular and colored dark perpal black, close to the color of bear or cougar droppings but the dropping was almost one continuous losenge and not pinched sharply at the end, like cougar or coyote nor piled like a bear paddy. It looked much to me like Human feces if not for the color. It was clumped and broke once in the center and laid in a line.
Using a stick I checked its contents, It was preditory with some hair, but also obvious had indication of berry coloring but no seeds, possibly, berry skin. In addition like an animals feces it did not stink. It may possibly be Cougar or bear considering I dont know everything about thier diet, but if it was cougar it was a montrous cat, if it was Bear it was the most uniform bear scatt ive seen and if Human a very strange diet indeed. One of the things that made me look closer is where the feces was left, behind a low tree off the trail from behind a vantage that could observe aproaches both NW and SE down the trail. It is exactly where a human would go in order not to be seen, nor would it be a place were an animal would go. Animals dont leave their path to far to deficate, and Cougars, Coyotes and as far as I know, Bear, dont deficate where they lay in waite, or may lay again. Secondly A Human being would have a hard time making this size stool.
Im not sure this may be helpfull, But there may be a possibilty this could have been the stool of a large primate like animal. The Monte Cristo Trail in this area is out of the way and extemely unaccessable for humans from the sides.

OTHER WITNESSES: Ch.J

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 1400-1800 overcast with fog, halting along the ridge line.

ENVIRONMENT: ON a high ridge line and peaks just above the line of old growth timber, with in an area of shrub (wind stunted)evergreens.

A & G References: Pg. 24, A4

Follow-up investigation report: