Sw Wa Field Work

[daveedoe]

Since I am new and still cant start my own threads I thought I would ask this here.  In about 2 weeks a buddy and me will have about 10 days to go anywhere we want to. I have narrowed it down to three areas and I would like to get every ones input.  I have chosen nor Cal, Oregon or Wash as the three places we might try.  What do you guys think.  I am looking for the deepest, darkest, most remote, overgrown place to tent camp and squatch, near a lake or river is strongly preferred.  We are gonna try setting up our camp complete with tent, chairs, fire, etc etc just a normal campsite except for one thing.  We are gonna try sitting in deer stands on the perimeter of the campsite as high up as we can go.  We are going to put a mannequin in each chair beside the fire and climb our stands and watch.  I think we are going to try it both with a campfire and without.  I don't have a lot of electronic equip, so it will just be reg camera, reg video recorder, digital recorder and maybe a parabolic microphone.  Anything im forgetting?  So lets hear where you think we should go.

 

Thanks,

 

James

Be sure and check the conditions before you have a campfire. Been very dry here the forests are very dry and the fire hazards are high. I'm sure there are restrictions just about all the areas you mentioned. Have fun.

 

Some of my favorites would be In Northern California / Oregon border near Cave Junction, or the coast mountains from Eureka California to Brookings Oregon. Oregon coast around Coos bay area in the hills east of there, WAshington coast Willapa hills east of Long beach Peninsula or south central Olympic Peninsula Wynoochee area. The Cascade Mountains south Gifford Pinchot the Dark Divide area, The areas around Mt Rainier and the North cascade Loop so many promising areas!

[SWWASAS]

Fires are prohibited most places in Washington.     There is some BF activity in the Coast Range East of Tillamook Oregon.       Skamania county in the Mosquito Lake and Skookum Meadows area are pretty remote.    Highway 109 between Aberdeen and Ocean Shores Washington has a lot of road crossing sightings so they must be in that area.    If I could tell you a sure place to have contact I would be there now myself.   You might be in the middle of deer season in some states.    I just got back from Trout Lake WA area today.   Heard some interesting vocalizations around my campground this morning after some coyotes yipped for a while.   Not sure what did it.   Sure shut the coyotes up.    I wanted to tie some of the noisy kids around to trees as bate but managed to resist the urge. 

[daveedoe]

coming home from work today I came over a hill and could see Mt St Helens. There was not a cloud in the sky except one hanging around the north east side of the Mountain. I had to do a double take it almost looked like a steam eruption. I guess it was just that one cloud hanging around the mountain.

 

I was at the same location in 2008 when the mountain had some eruption activity. I came over the hill to a stop sign and sat there in amazement seeing the ash cloud coming out , I looked at a lady in the left lane next to me and we both just sat and watched for a few minutes. It was a small eruption but still impressive to watch. nothing compared to the 1980 eruption. I had a very good view of that eruption from the top of the grain elevators in Vancouver Washington, it looked so surreal! 

[SWWASAS]

Sounds like a lenticular cloud the forms just downwind of the peak if the conditions are right.    If the mountain erupts I can see it from my house.    Even the small eruptions like the 2008 ones.    Normally I cannot see the peak as I am just a bit too low and there are some trees on the ridge to the North. 

[daveedoe]

I sit at the bottom of Prune hill, I can just see a thin line of the summit from may back yard, but coming over the hill I can see the whole mt. It wasn't a lenticular cloud is was just hanging off to the north east from my view, no cloud over just to the side. I had seen smoke from slash burns north of the my before that looked like eruptions even made the news because people were calling in.

[SWWASAS]

I had a discussion with Dr Bindernagel at the Sasquatch Summit.     I had mentioned my baby bigfoot picture and he wanted to see it.     Well it is one of those things were you cannot see much because it is half behind cover and in the shadows.     Anyway he made a suggestion that is a very good idea in that sort of picture in the shade situations.     Take pictures in pairs.       If I had done that,  the one picture where the juvenile popped up and got its picture taken could be compared to the next shot, where it had ducked back down.     The shadows and subject could be differentiated between and you would know what is BF and what is shadow or tree trunk.    An adult tree peeker would show the same way.   One frame there looking at you, and the next frame from the same positition and lighting not there.     With digital pictures it costs nothing.    A better camera can do bursts of stills to produce sports photography but while I have such a camera it is too heavy to carry around in the field.    Anyway I thought it such a good suggestion I wanted to pass it along for someone that carries a still camera in the field.   

[Guest]

SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT: That's an interesting rock stack. You get time check out the picture of rock stacking I posted on my thread "Stillwater and Tennessee Trackers Field Notes". You might find it interesting. BTW, what's been happening in your area since you found the stuffed animal?

[Guest]

In my opinion the cause of her disappearance most likely was in this order,  a human with evil intent,   a cougar,  stumbling off the road in the dark,   or a amorous BF.     Reports at the time of the search, a dog tracked her to a road, and then the trail stopped as if she got into a car.    While the search was still going on I was in the area, and near a campfire ring, near the road,  I found a expensive perfectly good photography tripod hidden in some bushes near a little water fall.   With a big smear of muddy fingers on it.       I bagged it as potential evidence, and called the Sheriffs department.    They brushed me off and did not even want to look at it.     I still have the thing in a bag. 

 

Or it's possible she wanted to disappear.  I did some Googling of her name when she went missing and some court records came up for some charges under her name (or someone with the same name).  She could have made up the spiritual quest story and got in a "friends" car and gone on to a new life.  I know zero about her and her family, so I'm not saying this is what happened. 

 

[edit - a bit later]

 

Found some info.

 

"Clark County court records indicate Kelly was in district court last Friday after failing a drug test required as part of pleading guilty last year to being a minor in possession of alcohol.

At the hearing, a judge reordered Kelly to comply with all conditions, which included a fine of more than $500, according to court records.

Two days later, Kelly apparently went on her “quest.â€"

 

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021167792_nakedhikerxml.html

Edited December 29, 2014 by OregonMan

[SWWASAS]

That is possible too.  If she ever turns up we will know.   At least now her fingerprints are on record.     With a history of alcohol abuse at that young age, it could explain why she would take off on her naked quest.    No one sober would do that.    If she wanted to disappear and run off, why shed the clothes?     Somehow my intuition leads me to believe that the tripod I found has something to do with it.    But law enforcement seems to think otherwise.  

[SWWASAS]

As self appointed premier BFF crypto-archeologist I wanted to give you and update on recent work. My policy is to share my work and theories. I was combing an area this week looking for signs of anything BF, going down and old abandoned logging road that had not been used in years. I came across an old rock quarry that had probably been used to cover the surface of the very logging road I was walking on. In the wet West, unless they want logging trucks getting stuck, they have to put rock on the logging roads to prevent loaded logging trucks from bogging down. So abandoned logging roads and associated quarries are all over the place.

As I looked at the quarry it occurred to me that there are many reports of BF being sighted in or near rock quarries. I pondered that and the BF body issue while I rested from the climb.

Some of the prevailing theories about BF body disposition after death are:

1. They just go off by themselves and crawl under a log to die.

2. They probably do not bury their adult dead because of lack of tools and their large size.

3. They cover their dead with vegetation either shallowly to promote decomposition or with limbs and deadwood to prevent larger scavengers from dismembering and scattering the body.

4. They cover their dead with large rocks and create a rock cairn to prevent large scavengers from getting to the body.

5. They cremate their dead.

What happens to the bodies?

Theory 1 is the most common in the woods with most animals. Probably quite likely since rare animals like bears and wolverine skeletons are not very often either. The only people off trail or off road in the woods are hunters and loggers. Hunters are seasonal, mostly deer in the winter wet months. So they are not in the woods all that much of the year to find anything. Loggers are in the woods most of the year but not so much in the winter. So while they are in the woods more of the year than hunters, they are seasonal and not often active in the winter.

Theory 2 would only apply to infants and small juveniles and would result in bodies probably never found.

Theory 3 Humans would not likely find bodies in this situation. A dead smell might be evident for some time but normally humans will not uncover something to find out what is causing the smell. Too unpleasant. Loggers may inadvertently uncover such a body during logging operations. Would they report it? Not likely. They would cover it up and keep their mouth shut to avoid their logging operation being shut down while it is investigated. Slash piles are never disturbed by man once piled up, so interring a BF in a slash pile might be done. Lots of wood, all in one place, and not messed with by man. Certainly possible in a area with any logging.

Theory 4 Rocks would be probably the most permanent way to protect their dead. Humans have used this method for millennia before they had shovels and could bury in soil. In some areas rocks are plentiful and could just be gathered to cover the dead. No tools needed. Very effective in preventing scavengers from getting to the bodies. Standing in the rock quarry I recalled that BF are often seen in or around rock quarries. Why? They lack cover there, why would they often be seen in quarries? Then it came to me. An abandoned rock quarries is a good source of lots rocks in one place. Perhaps they use them as cemeteries. I of course looked carefully around the one I was standing in but saw no sign of anything that looked like it had been placed or stacked. In one corner a bunch of boulders were piled up but I went a sniffed and could detect no bad smell. Most likely they were stacked by the loader just to get them out of the way.

Theory 5. Not likely. Little or no sign of fire use by BF. To cremate a 9 foot body would take a lot of wood and a huge fire that lasts a very long time. That would get the attention of forest service people who would think it a wild fire.

Anyway, from now on I am going to carefully examine rock quarries that are abandoned looking for sign of rock stacking. When rocks are stacked they have an entirely different and non random look. And since live BF are often seen in or around rock quarries not a bad place to look anyway. If anyone has any other thoughts or disagree please pipe in.

Edited March 12, 2015 by SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT

[daveedoe]

I have wondered about sightings near rock quarries too. I just figured most of the rock quarries are cut into a hill making for a good observational point from the top.  Opens up the forest with a road leading to the quarry. Most humans would never climb up to the top edge. What I see is a lot of humans use the quarries for target practice or camp spots in the quarry but never on top. Big foot could just sit there and look down on the unsuspecting humans or even throw rocks to scare off the invaders. I'm sure  if there is gun play they would just leave the area unseen.  One other thought is rodents living in the rock. Would be a great source of protein. Same goes for talus slopes or rock scree areas. Another great place where the forest is opened up and from the top a great observational point. 

 

Myself I think when a Bigfoot dies and if others are around they probably just cover and let nature scatter the remains. wouldn't take long in the PNW to disappear.

A friend and I once found a huge femur bone just on the NW side of Mt St Helens near the south fork of the Toutle river. I asked him you think this is human? We were kinda creeped out and wondered if we should bring it to the authorities. We decided it was probably from an elk and just left it there. I now wish I had brought it in and had it looked at. Our only other thought was maybe Bigfoot.   

[SWWASAS]

Meldrum says you can examine a femur and determine if it is bipedal.    That and the skull are two grab and go items.   Also since it is the largest bone it is most likely to have DNA in the marrow.   Too bad you didn't bring it out.    I need to research human norm lengths for femurs.   Anything longer than the human norm would be possible BF.    Also I need to be more familiar with the human skull sutures.    Supposedly BF skulls do not have the same suture patterns.  

 

You are right about quarries and target practice.    Very few are not used for target practice in Clark County.     The one I was at the other day on Klochmans butte did not have any sign that anyone had ever been shooting there.   Not one shell casing.   Seems like with the price of copper and brass someone would go collect it for the scrap metal value at the busy shooting places.     I have wondered if it could also be that SW facing quarries soak up a lot of heat solar heat in the day, and the warm rocks and pit protect from the wind and provide shelter during cold nights.     The dark basalt would be a pretty good black body collector of heat.     That might be an interesting study to see how much warmer the rock could be than the air temperature at night.  When it is coldest in the PNW is on clear nights when the sun has likely shone all day. 

[JKH]

Wow, you guys, funny and intelligent stuff. Dave, do you remember the length of the femur? This reminds me of the huge humerus that Ketchum had in her study, which left me wondering why more didn't come of it. It's pretty hard to argue with giant bones.

[daveedoe]

was a few years ago but I think the femur bone was longer than mine and I was 6'3" back then now 6'2". funny how gravity wears us down. this would have been in the Late 1980's not sure if anyone would have done a DNA on it. The Bone was pretty fresh and we did not find any others kinda weird and creepy. We just figured scattered remains of an Elk, or BF. 

[SWWASAS]

Some interesting stuff about the human femur is that females average 17 to 18 inches long and males 18 to 19 inches.     So anything longer that 19 inches is outside the human norm.      If you multiply the femur length by 3.75 that is the height of the human who had it in inches.    Dave any guess on how long the femur was you found?    Since it is the largest bone it is a good source of clean DNA inside the marrow.   I think that is where Neanderthal DNA has been collected from.     Bone + DNA inside = Proof of existence.