BIGTRUTH  PRESENTS

HARPER'S HISTORY Vol. 1 #1

Sasquatch History Pre Patterson-Gimlin Film

by Scott Harper

    In the summer of 2014, my wife, our daughter—who was still a baby at the time—and myself took a trip to Willow Creek, California for their annual Bigfoot Days celebration. While there, we paid two visits to the famed Willow Creek/China Flats Museum. While the museum isn't dedicated fully to Sasquatch, a lot of the displays there are. That's what the museum is known for.
    

    One larger section of display focuses on the Patterson-Gimlin video footage. This piece of video was filmed by Roger Patterson, in the presence of his working partner/travelling companion Bob Gimlin, in Bluff Creek, California in 1967. For many, the Patterson/Gimlin film is the definitive piece of evidence supporting the existence of Sasquatch. Many researchers working in Cryptozoology in general, or looking into the subject of Sasquatch in particular, were convinced that Sasquatch are viable, living creatures by that video footage. It is, arguably, the single most important piece of evidence that we have today to support the reality of these beings.
    

    The Patterson-Gimlin footage did not, however, result in the first-ever sighting, or report of a Sasquatch. Why do I feel the need to make that point so blatantly? It's because of something I overheard during the first visit my family and I took to the museum while in Willow Creek.
    

    We were standing near the Patterson-Gimlin display, but not directly at it. Two women approached the display. The older of the two began to excitedly point out still photos taken from the footage, and plaster casts—a mixture of originals, and replicas— from the location where the footage was shot. She then proceeded to tell her younger friend, "That was the first time anyone had ever seen one of those things!" Her friend asked, "Really?" To which the older woman instantly replied, "Yes! No one had ever seen one before. It's lucky those guys had a camera with them!"
   

    In actuality, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin had been in the area for several days. They were shooting footage for a Sasquatch-themed film that Patterson was producing. His interest in the subject had began years prior, in 1959, when he read a magazine article by Ivan T. Sanderson on the topic. Between then, and shooting the famous film in Bluff Creek, Patterson had also self-published a book on Sasquatch. These beings didn't simply turn up, abruptly real, in 1967!

    

    Human history is rife with descriptions, and accounts, of such creatures. "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is roughly 4,000-years-old. Although it's unknown how much of it is purely fantasy, there are descriptions of beings in it that certainly fit the typical description of a Sasquatch—tall, muscular, very hairy, and incredibly strong. Some researchers are of the firm opinion that those characters were, in fact, based on real beings which existed then, and still exist in the world today.

    In the Unites States, we find accounts in nearly every Native American tribal culture—if not every; I've not yet found one lacking this belief—of such beings. These reports go back centuries. They're found in tribal cultures spanning from Florida to Alaska. All told, there are dozens of names in Native American cultures for these beings. A large percentage of those denote the creatures as something special, beings to be respected and revered, or feared and avoided. Physical depictions of them are also common. Very typically these take the form of totem pole carvings. Again, their positions on the totem poles very often mark these beings with great respect. And they appear right along with eagles, deer, fish, and other wildlife that mainstream science has long since accepted as real. This is further testament of the reality of such beings to Native Americans.

    Sasquatch aren't a recent phenomena in our world, and human cultures. Every piece of evidence that we have points to them having been here for as long as humans have. Quite possibly, Sasquatch, as a race, are older than Humanity. Many accounts from Native Americans talk of how, in the past, Humans and Sasquatch lived side-by-side. According to these accounts, Humans and Sasquatch had, if not a close relationship, at least something more cordial than exists as a whole today. As time has gone by, and modern Humans have mostly lost touch with nature, and inflicted so much damage on nature, Sasquatch apparently want less to do with us. They've withdrawn almost entirely from contact with us, and become a very stealthy, low-key presence. That, however, doesn't mean they aren't still with us. We have ample evidence in myriad forms to tell us that!

    What a lot of people in our modern times seem to have forgotten, though, is that Sasquatch didn't simply pop up out of nowhere a few decades ago. These beings have lived beside Humanity for centuries—if not longer. Are they a barely-known Human ancestor? Are they an offshoot of Humanity; or an entirely separate race? We don't know. What we do know, thanks to a great many stories handed down from generation to generation, is that Sasquatch have been with us for a very long time. While the Patterson-Gimlin footage may have been the first time a Sasquatch was captured on video, it most certainly wasn't the first time a Sasquatch had been sighted by a Human.

    Tales of Sasquatch throughout human history is a topic that can easily provide the basis for a good many articles such as this one. Given the propensity for Native Americans to keep quiet about the subject of Sasquatch with anyone outside of their own tribe, it makes me think that the general public only knows about the tip of the proverbial iceberg in this matter. Many Native tribes view Sasquatch with a religious reverence. This makes them very cautious about speaking regarding such things with anyone they view to be an outsider to their tribe, and/or belief system. How many accounts of Human interaction with Sasquatch in years, decades, or even centuries past do Native tribes keep entirely to themselves?

    Still, given the small number of existing accounts of such past sightings of, and interaction with Sasquatch, we know more than enough to know that these beings aren't new. Be they harmless, threatening, or somewhere in between, they've been here for a very long time, woven into human history

About the Author
  Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for "Nuclear Winter Entertainment" for several months before that site shut down. Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit webcomic "MoonWraith." 

  More information about his work can be found on his website: www.scottharper.net

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Exclusive Sneak Peak at Hidden Tribe

The best selling husband and wife Authors Scott Harper and Desiree Lee have teamed up to co-author their soon to be released "Hidden Tribe." Told from the dual perspectives of Human and Sasquatch, this looks like a great read and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it. I've also included their Author bios from Amazon. You can find all of their titles on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Scott will also be writing for this blog in the near future with a Series of Articles based on historical Sasquatch Reports. Here's your Bigtruth exclusive, first look at "Hidden Tribe." 
- Dan Lindholm

Iktomi crouched behind the conjoined pines again, watching the human female. As she seemed so apt to do, she had, once more, begun speaking to herself while she stood before an odd device. This one appeared to be a slightly larger variation of the oily black thing she had clicked at the footprints. It balanced atop a trio of slender black artificial sticks. "While these tracks aren't the best," she said, "they're the first ones I've found in years, and not for lack of looking, either! Unfortunately, the footprints were too old to get any real detail. So, no dermal ridges, or anything like that from these. Still, they're clear enough to tell that these were made by a living foot." She lay the copies of the tracks on the ground, in the order she had found them—right foot, left foot, and then another right footprint. Removing the device from the sticks to which it had been mounted, she fiddled with it while focusing on the brief trail. "Note the toes, which are curled a bit, digging into the earth. This is a common feature in many sasquatch prints that have been found. One theory is that the creatures grip the ground with their toes to gain additional traction. "Also notice the outline and shape of the tracks. Look closely at the two prints made by the creature's right foot. We can see how the foot flexed and moved from one step to the next. This is evidence of anthropoid morphology, rather than a hoax. Anyone faking such tracks would be far more apt to use a simple wooden cutout, or something similar, strapped to their feet. Such an appliance would be too rigid to demonstrate such flexing and motion. "It's too bad I didn't find these prints sooner. Had they been fresher, and clearer, they may well have contained dermal ridges. A number of such footprints have been found over the years. Sadly, I've never personally discovered any of those." She paused, standing still, aiming the device in her hands at the footprints. Iktomi watched closely, attempting to divine her purpose. However, her actions continued to mystify him. The faint snapping of a twig caused him to slowly crouch lower. Iktomi sniffed the air tentatively. The piquant stink of a second human—this one male—caused his hair to ruff up involuntarily. Making a conscious effort to smooth it back down, he held still otherwise. Leaves scuffed as the newcomer approached. He seemed to want his advance to be clandestine. A glance at the female told Iktomi that she remained oblivious to the other human's presence. Iktomi refocused on his progress as an acorn skipped off the side of a stone. Like most humans, this new one didn't seem to be nearly as stealthy as he obviously wanted. Another twig broke, much closer to the female's camp. Finally, she became aware of the nearness of the second human. She froze briefly, before moving slowly to return the device in her hands to the top of the odd trio of sticks. When more leaves crunched, she held her breath, and picked up her gun. She inched close to the black device again. "Something is in the woods, near my camp," she whispered. "What I'm hearing sounds like two feet—something bipedal—as opposed to a deer, or some other four-legged animal." She inhaled deeply, sampling the air. "I don't smell the tell-tale stench of a sasquatch, though. I've smelled that before. It's rank; it's like skunk concentrate, especially if one has urinated in the area recently. Whatever is approaching my camp, I don't think it's a sasquatch. Still, their stink seems to be a defense mechanism. They appear to be able to create it at will. Mountain gorillas have glands under their arms from which they can emit pungent secretions when they get excited. A lot of sasquatch encounters don't include report of such a stink. What I'm hearing right now may or may not be a sasquatch. Yet I've seen no other signs of human habitation in this area. Although I've only been here for a bit more than twenty-four hours, so that isn't saying much." She fell silent, waiting. The gun remained firmly in place at her shoulder. "Alexia?" a masculine voice called several moments later. "Is that you over there?" Iktomi saw the female tense as her head angled sharply. Her body language told him that not only did she know the male, but she didn't like him in the least. "Just a warning shot," she muttered. "Something to send him on his way." "It is you!" the voice said. "I thought so." "Mr. Wessler," she answered through teeth that were firmly gritted. "What are you doing out here?" The new human stepped into view through the trees partway around the camp from Iktomi. "Call me Dane," he said, smiling broadly, displaying his even, white teeth. The male stood noticeably taller than the female, had dark blonde hair, and appeared only a few years older than she. He wore variations on the same type of body covering that she wore. Iktomi had seen such things on most of the humans he had witnessed in the forests—thick, warm things that completely covered the arms and legs, with heavy foot protection. Once more he gave silent thanks that his own people had no need of such silliness. "What are you doing out here, Mr. Wessler?" the female asked. Grin broadening, he strode into her camp. "Same as you." He pointed at the trio of footprint copies. "I see you've already had some luck. Where did you find those?" "That's confidential." "We're on the same side," he told her, gazing at the tracks. "Where are you camped?" "Why?" He turned to her, grinning in a way that Iktomi thought of as happily. "Are you thinking of visiting me?" "No; just the opposite. I want to know where your camp is, so I know which area to avoid. I'm trying to do serious work out here. Having a clown trampling around, making noise, is going to be detrimental to that." "Noise? Are you referring to my guitar?" She nodded, quirking an eyebrow in irritation. He chuckled. "A lot of researchers have had some success in eliciting responses from the Forest Gods by playing music." "I don't care what you do—as long as you do it far from me. Again, please, why are you out here?" "There've been a lot of sightings in this area over the past few years," he replied, crouching to take a closer look at the tracks. "I plotted out the ones I knew about on a map. This valley is right smack in the middle of a cluster of locations where the Forest Gods have been reported. It makes sense that if they're all around here, they're in this valley, too. Even if none of them are living here full-time, they must crisscross through it to get from one side to the other. Far as I know, there's nothing here they'd want to avoid badly enough to trek all the way around the valley over and over." He stood up, facing her again. "When, that is, they're here." "Here?" "On this plane of existence," he explained. "You're still supporting the supernatural sasquatch theory?" "How else do you explain the lack of definitive evidence supporting their existence?" he asked. The female sighed in response. Her reaction, unfamiliar though Iktomi might be with humans, spoke eloquently of her frustration. "Lack of evidence?" she asked. "We have thousands of footprints that have been discovered. We have hundreds of photographs, and audio recordings. We have dozens of video recordings. Several handprints have been found. A few of the handprints, and even some of the footprints, have exhibited dermal ridges. Some of those prints have also been shown to display some form of injury or handicap that the creature apparently suffered from—attributes that would take an extensively detailed knowledge of anatomy, anatomical morphology, and several other fields to pull off. Not to mention that those knowledge bases would all need to be understood equally well by the hoaxer. "We have a large number of hair samples, some of which scientists have been able to sample DNA from. Testing on those have sometimes come back showing that the being the DNA came from wasn't human, or chimpanzee—but some unknown species that is, evolutionarily-speaking, somewhere in between them! More recent studies of sasquatch DNA have shown not only that, but suggested that sasquatch are descended from human ancestors, and some unknown species. "On top of all of that, we have hundreds of thousands of eye-witness reports of these creatures. Taken all together, it's a pile of evidence that would be the proverbial open-and-shut case in any court, anywhere in the world! People are sentenced to execution every single day on what amounts to a tiny, tiny fraction of the evidence that we have documented to support the existence of sasquatch as a living population!" As the male held up his hands, and the female stopped talking. Iktomi wished yet again that he could understand their speech. If he knew what they were saying, he might be better able to gauge what level of threat—if any—these two posed to his family, and to himself. Based solely on the passion with which the female seemed to speak, Iktomi couldn't help but to feel extremely wary of them.

Author Bios:

Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories, and several novels. There has been talk, from several fronts, about turning his fourth novel, "Predators or Prey?", the first book in his Wendy Markland series, into a live-action project. Interest from a movie producer has also been voiced about turning his bestselling, award-winning eighth novel, "Quintana Roo, Yucatan", into a film.

Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions, and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film, and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for "Nuclear Winter Entertainment" for several months before that site shut down.

Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit webcomic "MoonWraith".

More information about his work can be found on his website: www.scottharper.net

______

Critically acclaimed, best-selling author Desirée Lee is an amalgam wrapped inside of an enigma: a book junkie, vampire, and self-proclaimed geek with a fascination bent toward the dark and macabre. When not writing or reading, she feeds her gaming addiction. Des loves the dark, evil characters. If word ever got out that she was secretly a level 15 paladin, her reputation would be ruined.

Des currently lives in a hole-in-the-wall town in Northern California, further away from civilization than she'd sometimes like to be.

Check out Des' website at http://www.desireelee.com

and find her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/authordeslee

or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authordeslee.

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Elk Hunters in Southern Oregon Cascades 

   Have Sasquatch Action in their Camp!!

by; Dan Lindholm

  I received a series of emails from a prior contact telling me about recent activity in his hunting area, here in Southern Oregon. In the prior contact we had talked about his Dad  having pine cones thrown at him and hearing whoops, and we talked about the activity in my own area. We have talked about going out in the field together but as yet, have not met. I won't disclose the exact area but it IS prime Sasquatch territory, adjacent to the same National Wilderness area that my own research area skirts and within twenty miles of my own teams wild experiences just last Spring. Southern Oregon April 27th 2015 on Bigtruth's YouTube Channel

  I will tell you the story through T Wagner's own emails...

"Ok, our hunting area has been taking over by Sasquatch!

   On our elk hunt by *****. My uncle came up from Los Angeles. He brought 3 tree cameras and an audio recorder. I was in my tent trailer. I can hear everything in there! Friday night before elk season, I heard 2 wood knocks clearly by camp. they were a sharp sound not a thud. We got 3 on audio. 

  The next night, my uncle forgot to put out the audio. What a mistake. I told them if a Sasquatch was close by that I was going to lock my car. That makes the horn go beep. At 2:45 am. I was awake. Not sure why, but I was laying in bed trying to go to sleep. I heard a very loud, clear yell. It sounded like a male Sasquatch. It sounded like a Bobo call but better. I kept locking my car for the beep and my dad and uncle didn't wake up, so I set the alarm and it went off for about 30 seconds. My uncle woke up but had to go pee he said, inside the trailer's bathroom. I heard them rustling around and then I heard a loud pee next to my trailer. 

  About 2 minutes later my uncle came over to my tent trailer and asked what was going on? I told him that I definitely heard a male Sasquatch yell close by. I asked him if he had pee'd next to my trailer. He said no, that he pee'd as soon as he got up in the trailers bathroom. Needless to say, I didn't stay in the tent trailer the rest of the night. At 5 am, I am pretty sure that I heard a couple of whoops but couldn't hear well because of my uncle's snoring. 

  My uncle submitted the info to the BFRO and they are going to meet with us in a couple of weeks. They said there was a sighting on the road we were camping off of recently.
I would be glad to take you there. I could try to tell you but it would be easier to just show you. We have a couple of other guys that had a lot of action 3 or 4 miles away. 

  The week end before in rifle elk season. - I forgot to tell you that my dad heard it( or another) the week end before elk season. It did a series of yells that lasted 45 seconds he said. it was later in the morning than mine. About 6:30 am.

  

Footprint found 50 ft. from Camp

  There is actually more to the story. There was a camp up the hill where we were at. I went up there and talked to them about the yell that I heard. They were in an enclosed trailer and didn't hear the yell but a guy in his 20's told me that he got woke up the night before by something big scraping the side of his trailer in the middle of the night. In his own words, he said it creeped him out."

Blog Post by: Dan Lindholm 

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Today In Bigfoot History

Independence Day 2013

by Ed Brown

Bigtruth

 

 

 It was only two years ago today (July 4th, 2013) that a film was made of a mother or possibly daddy (I will use mother in this article) Bigfoot making its way behind a group of boulders where she had apparently hid her baby in an attempt to keep it safe. After hiding behind the boulders for a few seconds, she emerges with the baby in her arms and walked out of sight.
  

  If real, this would be an awesome piece of footage that would rival the famous Patterson/Gimlin film that was recorded October 20th, 1967 and remains the best footage ever taken of this elusive animal.  However, “If real?” is a huge question on this film.
  

  It has been analyzed by some of the people in the business in regards to breakdowns, and while some make great arguments to its authenticity, others make great arguments to it being fraudulent.

  I have watched the film myself many times, and I just can’t seem to get past the obvious helmet this person is wearing.  With that being said, it reinforces the fact that the baby seems to be a puppet.  I mean, why would the mother take the time to give the baby a little kiss if she was concerned about the safety of the baby?  She could have at least done that when she reached the baby, but she waited till she stood.
  

Clear Footage Of Bigfoot on Independence Day?

I feel that this is a pretty well put together hoax, but… still a hoax.  The person behind the camera ran to their left to get a great shot of the mother leaving the boulders, but failed to follow and see where she goes next.  Also, the movement was not at all natural.  It seemed to me that she was trying to walk like a Bigfoot.
  

There even seems to be some controversy over who filmed this footage.  In an attempt not to drag any innocent parties name into this scam, I am just going to pass on the background of the film.  But, in any event, this film is called “Independence Day Footage” and it is an obvious hoax reported to have been filmed on this day in 2013.

by Ed Brown

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"Bigfoot Bone Piles" Paper Released!

  On June 17th, Mitchel Townsend released the full paper written on the Bone Piles found in the area of Mt. St. Helens and the subsequent full investigation, supportive evidence comparative analysis and conclusions associated with the research. One of the first places Mitchel posted the link to the paper was in the comment thread on his Sit Down With Ed Brown interview from Bigtruth. This is Mitchel's post in the thread using his alter ego name Johnny Dagger

"Jonny Dagger 2 days ago (edited)As promised.  The paper in question is here for your analysis.  "Using Biotic Taphonomy Signature Analysis and Neoichnology Profiling to determine the identity of the carnivore taxa responsible for the deposition and mechanical mastication of three independent prey bone assemblages in the Mount St. Helen’s ecosystem of the Cascade mountain range" http://1drv.ms/1BnR9hmby
Aaron Mills, Gerald Mills, M. N. Townsend
Respectfully, Mitchel N. Townsend"

Watch the Sit Down With Ed Brown interview for much more info about this research and you will also have an opportunity to hear Mitchel answer some of the early criticism of his work. This is truly a fascinating angle to attempt to prove the existence of Sasquatch and we here at Bigtruth will keep you updated on the progress of this story as it unfolds.

Mitchel Townsend Sits Down With Ed Brown

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Bigtruth's Sasquatch Investigations

The Bigtruth Field Research Team's Ongoing Research

  My name is Dan "Bigtruth" Lindholm, My team and I have been doing Sasquatch Research in Southern Oregon now for the last two years. The research started with scouting probable locations based on topography and common sense. This led to the discovery of possible evidence in a couple of these locations. Then the accumulation of evidence made it clear that there was real activity in our areas. Last July, we had a tree pushed over. That was the first actual interaction and wow, what a rush... You can read all about that "Best Day Ever" right here on the Bigtruth Blog. 

An Epic Day In The Forest

  Our team made it back up there a couple more times last year with more of the same types of evidence found. I did a solo eight mile hike last September in the area and I can tell you, I'll never go back in there by myself again. I got a lot of pics that seemed to show activity in the form of Blobsquatches. Quite a few of them. That's some scary stuff right there, as I'm sure you can imagine. I have tons of respect for those researchers out there who go it alone. 

  To me, a blobsquatch pic is no better than a pic of a stump, as far as evidence goes, but I made it a point to take several pictures at a time, and I did catch some very compelling movement in my pics. This also brought me to an epiphany. I needed a better camera than the 8mp camera on my Samsung Galaxy S3. So I made it a point to ask my wife for a 20.1 mp camera for Christmas. This was a no brainer and it still surprises me when researchers spend thousands on trucks, boats, Rv's and camping gear, yet they still use their old flip phone when it comes to a camera. 

  We got as far back in there as we could a couple times earlier in the Spring. This year gave us far less snow than the norm, but the one road in and out was still impassible. We were actually surprised at finding the great stuff we did without being able to get all the way to our usual spot. We found possible prints, many more tree structures, and we heard some amazing vocals. We also walked up on a bedding area and we caught a few whiffs of a smell I hadn't encountered for many years. On a real World scientific note, it is impossible for even the most rotted material to give off a stench like that in the temperatures we were experiencing. When we smelled it, it was maybe thirty five degrees, and had only been above freezing for an hour or two. If it was a carcass, it would have been frozen solid. The smell was a mixture of rotten flesh, and skunky B.O. There were three of us up there that day and we all smelled it. To see all the posts from our research earlier this year, please see the Bigtruth Researchers Unite! archives. This is where I share a lot of stuff that doesn't get into a YouTube video. Because of my time restraints, I can't always make videos to show what we're doing.

  This just about brings us up to date on our research thus far. But the last two outings have raised the bar for Bigtruth's research. On April 27th 2015 we had a tree thrown at us, what sounded like a big rock, and two members of our team including myself were actually hit by objects. I had a bruise right in the middle of my back from the rock that was thrown at me. On this day, we also found a very nice and very fresh trackway. We did a follow up on May 2nd, and the trackway was barely visible. When we first found it there was moisture in the prints, indicating the Sasquatch had moved through very recently before we discovered them. We also caught some strange whistling and a loud clacking on video. You can watch all the action here.

Bigtruth's Sasquatch Investigations Southern Oregon, April 27th 2015

  I am working on a video showing what heppened on May 2nd now, and will share it on the Bigtruth YouTube Channel soon. I don't want to give too much away but we had quite a few rocks thrown again and I have an expert looking at the video to show you close up stills of what I think I captured, not just hiding in the bushes but actually on the move. If it turns out to be nothing, I will reveal that as well. After all, we are searching for the Bigger Truth. 

  For more about my own experiences both past and present, check out Dan Lindholm Sits Down With Ed Brown on the Bigtruth YouTube Channel. It's been a helluva ride and it's just getting better as we move forward. Bigtruth out...

The Bigtruth Field Research Team

Dan "Bigtruth" Lindholm

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DESCENT INTO MADNESS

  Summer

   August, 17, 2007

   Undisclosed Location: Fire Season

 

  As the sun began to break over the horizon, I would begin a journey that would forever change my life, my reality.

  I was fully prepared to enjoy a 3 week stay in the mountains, to escape the stress of everyday life.

My journey began. It was fire season; fires were burning all through the mountain sides due to a rather irresponsible log hauling trucker who let his chains drag an unprecedented amount of miles through the thickly forested asphalt roads.  As a retired fire fighter, I would risk the harsh elements to achieve being alone.  I was driven out to an undisclosed region, in an area where one among three hard to find glacial lakes would be my target. On foot now, I had packed pretty heavy. A three week stay in the deep mountain woods requires quite a few provisions.

  Trekking up and down through treacherous mountain terrain, I would stop occasionally to check my topographical map to ascertain if I was staying true to my objective. As I was quite a ways in now, I began paying closer attention to the tracks left behind from previous travelers and wildlife within the area. The tracks I would find would tell a tale all their own. It had been a fierce winter, made worse by an even wilder fire season in full swing. The weight impressions found within the predator’s tracks said that they were very hungry and not having much luck with the sparse amounts of fleet- footed tracks left behind by their quarry.  Human tracks indicated that the last humans in the area had departed around 3 months prior with no recent human activity. Moving along I would, on and off, get the strange feeling that eyes were upon me, scrutinizing me.

  As I neared my destination, I noticed that predator tracks, or predator activity of any nature ceased to be present at all. Finally, the magnificent glacial lake was within eye sight.  As I broke through the last of the densely wooded area ,the lake gleamed before me. Long heavy strides drew me closer.  Nearing the water’s edge, I would notice something that would cause me instant concern. Lying in front of a tall thick tree was a small pen light and wadded toilet paper where someone had squatted to defecate. This alone would not be what concerned me, other than to feel disgust for someone who would treat nature in that way. The real concern came from seeing that the toilet paper had become unraveled stretching out, and into an arch through the tree line across the ground floor. The toilet paper was followed closely by drag marks from foot heels digging in deep.  

  I immediately would drop all of my equipment except for my gun, and begin following the signs of someone’s apparent struggle. As I followed, I could see clearly that someone was being dragged from the spot that they had chosen to defecate. This person was kicking and trying to roll from side to side to regain their feet. The drag tracks showed clearly that this is what had happened by the way they would break from time to time; shrubs had been ripped from the ground by one hand, while the other hand never released the toilet paper roll. The toilet paper had broken its length a few times only to catch on shrubbery to again continue unraveling along the way in semi high swinging arches to drag across the ground. This indicated that that hand was coming up and down wildly. I reached an impasse as the struggle and Toilet paper trail would end at the base of the stony mountain overlooking the lake.

  No more signs for me to follow; I would stop and begin racking my brain for information.  Had there been any previous reports of wild animal attacks in this region? Had there been any missing person reports filed recently involving this region? As I concentrated, I would recall that several mountain lion attacks had been reported in the region that seemed to align with the signs of struggle I had found. Disconcerted, yet not swayed from my own agenda, I would file these thoughts away for my return into society. Feeling I had solved the mystery, I cleaned up the toilet paper and buried the feces at the bottom of the tree where the struggle had begun. A feeling of uneasiness at the find lay heavy within my thoughts for a while.

  After setting up my camp, traveling off a ways to dig a deep hole behind a large boulder for personal needs, I was relieved to finally be able to unwind. I built a nice controlled fire and sat on a log to gaze awhile into the golden flames as dusk was rapidly approaching.  I had gingerly set a towel down on the ground at my side where I would set my holstered gun down, a large mag light, and a few other necessities. The gun that I had with me was a .357 magnum with hollow tipped ammo holstered in an old style split hard leather gunslinger holster borrowed from my wife’s father. I had no previous experience unholstering a firearm from this type of holster.

  Sitting somewhat contently with dusk having set, the silence I was enjoying was abruptly interrupted by sound of movement from somewhere out of sight in front of me. The sounds were quickly followed by movement from all around me. Something, or rather some things, had surrounded me. 

  Darkness now surrounded me with the exception of the small firelight from my fire as whatever had me surrounded held its positions. I stood, bent down, picked up my mag light, and flashed it directly in front of me. Two distinct sets of eyes shined back at me, flashing the light all around me as more and more sets of eyes revealed themselves. At first I could not make out any bodily outlines to go with the many sets of eyes that had encircled me. Becoming very nervous, I strained to see an outline.  As those eyes were not advancing on me, I retained a level of calmness. At last, one set of eyes shifted its stance, stepping awkwardly enough into my light beam to reveal that it was a deer. I was surrounded by a large pack of deer all staring intently at me as if some unknown event was about to take place. It hit me hard that this type of activity from deer had not been something I had ever experienced or heard of before.

  As I stood perplexed by what was happening, my senses were beyond full capacity. My hearing felt inhuman to sound, picking up the slightest vibrations. Eyes pierced cleverly through the darkness for movement. Smells of the trees, the water, the deer pack, and the dirt beneath my feet all permeated the air filling my nostrils as I drew in short, quick breaths. A sound I was not meant to hear occurred directly to my left and very close to me. The sound was that of a big framed body trying to silently shift its weight on a dry forest floor. I jerked the light quickly to the spot. My light fell directly on a massive crouched figure. Panic began to set in. The figure began standing up; I exhaled, and said out loud “OH S#@$ it’s a bear”!

  My light completely lit up a creature straight from legend. Every inch of this creature was revealed to me as it stood reaching its full height in front of me. I made out long bulky arms leading into even bigger hands, thickly muscled legs, big feet with toes, a massive body shagged with lengthy hair, impossibly wide shoulders, a juggernaught shaped head, a face that appeared to be a cross between a caveman and a modern day human…..those eyes…..those eyes shimmered a glowing red hue where the irises should be, as a wicked intelligence that far surpassed my own burned into my mind. I exhaled once more saying aloud, “ F$#% its not a bear” and promptly slid into 1^st degree shock.

  I could not move, I could not rationalize a thought. The icy unfamiliar grip of fear held me rooted in place. There we stood modern man face to face with a creature from ancient legend. The creature was not menacing me with any forward advance so far, nor was it even looking at me menacingly. It appeared to merely be waiting for what I would do next.

  As the shock of what then stood before me began to wear off, I am ashamed to say that fear had not left me as I dropped to the ground clambering for my gun. I struggled trying to pull the gun free from its holster convinced that this enormous creature was at that very moment bearing down on me to maul me to death. Unable to free the gun from its holster, I arose pointing the holstered gun straight at the creature, determined to fire through the holster.

  What would be waiting for my fear driven action was unexpected to say the least. The creature had not moved, it looked at the gun in my hands seemingly recognizing something that could very well harm it. With a look of disgust, the creature slowly turned its back on me, walked silently away, and out of eyesight. I would remain standing with gun in my hands, rooted in fear, legs shaking uncontrollably for a good while. I spent a terrifying night wide awake in those dark woods as there was no safe way out; nowhere to run to.

  As soon as dawn lit the land, I would fight off the need to run right the hell out of those mountains. Instead, I began investigating every inch of my camp. I would find and take pictures of large bare foot prints that had come down from the mountain to silently check out my camp site, stopping to check out where I had dug my hole for personal needs, before winding its way back to within a few feet of me to watch me.  Surprisingly, at the hole I would find a mass of the thickest hair I have ever seen within a few feet of that spot. Set upon a medium sized stone just outside of camp was a very precariously placed piece of shrewd art work made out of a few wood chips and broken twigs. The stone was the back drop to a face made of the wood chips, and twigs. I was shocked to look at the stone from a different angle and see an exact duplicate overhead shot of what the camp site looked like. After combing the area for clues, I would surmise that natural predators had been intentionally steering clear of this area within about a quarter mile in each direction, with the lake as the epicenter. On my hurried way out, I would notice destruction in the forest that I had not seen on the way in. Trees broken like tooth picks, thrown about with strength that bellies the laws of nature. Spots in the ground that showed this creature had picked up my trail on the way in and at exact spots where I had stopped turned to look around to see if anything was tracking me, deep skids from a pursuing creature would slide out of view. A strange hooting sound followed me all the way out, sometimes answered by another hooting sound from a different area.

  A wild eyed man would come out of the mountains telling an even wilder tale. A small town at the base of those mountains still tells the tale of that man to this day.

  

This Bigtruth exclusive is a guest post by The Traveller       

Blog post by Dan Lindholm

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