slabdog Posted July 23, 2013 Posted July 23, 2013 Had an opportunity to go to Oregon on business recently and I made sure I made some time to do some camping in the beautiful PNW. Got a hold of a local squatcher who recommended the Wilson River area of Tillamook State Forest. Although I went on late night solo hikes deep up the trail with IR binos and patience well in hand, I didn't see or hear anything "squatchy". I did however see some beautiful country ( us flatlanders are truly jealous of you PNW residents) and had an opportunity to hear about a few encounters from locals. I will detail them here. Here is where I camped. Elk Creek Campgrounds in the confluence of Elk Creek and the Wilson River. My meager camping spot. The sound of Elk Creek lapping at the rocks knocked me out like a light every night. 1
slabdog Posted July 23, 2013 Author Posted July 23, 2013 Took a cat nap from from 7pm to 10 pm - got up and brewed a pot of coffee and headed for a night time hike. My plan was to watch the edges of the campground for a while, as well as the Wilson River. Then walk up the trail to check out what I could hear. (oohh please please...woodknocks! Dang...No Luck!)
slabdog Posted July 23, 2013 Author Posted July 23, 2013 I had purchased an adapter that hooks my iphone to my IR Binos. It worked ok...but I definitely need to save up for a good Thermal Imager (anyone selling one?). That stuff is thick up there and you often can't see 10 yards off the trail. It's a "working man's" version of a night vision recorder. The IR's look much better via the naked eye though. Better than nothing! I didn't see nor hear anything. But the silence was deafening and I was really surprised it didn't spook me to walk up that pitch black trail all by my self. The Glock .45 strapped firmly to my hip probably helped a bit.
WV FOOTER Posted July 23, 2013 Posted July 23, 2013 Awesome slabdog. maybe better luck next time. Thanks for Sharing your photo's.
slabdog Posted July 23, 2013 Author Posted July 23, 2013 The trail I hiked was - on one side - literally lined with wild berry bushes. The other side was the Elk Creek. I figured..."Food + Water = Animals". I was right. You guys in bear country tell me what you think. "Is that thar' Black Bar scat?" On my way back down the trail I found these very fresh and very still wet tracks coming out of the Elk Creek and into the berry patch. Had a wide track and was near the scat. I figured it might be a bear. Who knows. the trail head... Yeesh! Thick! They weren't kidd'n when they said "rain forest"
Guest Posted July 23, 2013 Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) Man-bear-pig. Oh yeah everyone don't forget to vote for me for SC. I'm going to have longer recess and ice cream after lunch. Edited July 23, 2013 by Ace!
Guest Posted July 23, 2013 Posted July 23, 2013 .45s help everything i have discovered, and ice cream does too. Sounds like you had a great time. Any activity is gravy i think, the most enjoyable part is just being in the woods to me. Good Post
Guest COGrizzly Posted July 23, 2013 Posted July 23, 2013 No doubt. It is Man-bear-pig. Surprisingly, only one member knew, so far.. So far................. oh yeah everyone don't forget to vote for me for SC. I'm going to have longer recess and ice cream after lunch. We're talking Blue Bunny Ice Cream here people. Blue Bunny.....
slabdog Posted July 23, 2013 Author Posted July 23, 2013 A State employee came strolling through my campground picking up trash. I took an opportunity to ask her my "nerd question". "Bigfoot: real or not real?" She told me that she had never observed anything. She shared that there have been some claimed sightings in that exact campground by campers. She did tell me that one of her coworkers - a gent who grew up in that area and around those woods - was on a patrol up the trail recently and was suddenly overcome with a crippling, unexplainable level of fear and dread. He allegedly explained to her that it was as if he "just knew a large predator was stalking him". He allegedly high tailed it out of there. ------------ Man! Wish that would have happened to me! Elk Creek on the right of trail thick foliage on the left side of the trail, along with a roughly 50 - 60 degree steep incline hill Slabdog on the trail - ( names and faces have been changed to protect the "kinda innocent")One thing I noticed about Elk Creek was that there appeared to be more than a few sandy sediment accumulation areas.Meaning, potential opportunities for wildlife tracks.I think next year I will spend more time and just hike up that creek for a few miles. Maybe even disperse camp on it.Also, the wild berry numbers were massive along the trail. It was non stop. I estimated - as a backyard berry grower myself- they were a week out of being ready to eat.
AaronD Posted July 23, 2013 Posted July 23, 2013 Awesome slab! I'm gonna have to make some time to do things like this, seriously! If you ever end up in PA I can show you a squatchy area to camp in as well.
slabdog Posted July 23, 2013 Author Posted July 23, 2013 I will fo' sho' My "most interesting" (IMO) story is yet to come.
Guest Posted July 23, 2013 Posted July 23, 2013 Slab, anyone ever tell you that you possess an uncanny resemblance to Teddy Roosevelt ? Oh, and you're looking kind of grey in that photo... you might be anemic.....
1980squatch Posted July 23, 2013 Posted July 23, 2013 Sounds like fun! Thanks for sharing, nice shots-
Recommended Posts