BC witness Posted November 2, 2014 Author Posted November 2, 2014 Magniaesir and I got together for a combined road trip, Sasquatch search, and hunting safari today. We set off at 8AM, headed 1.5 hours east, then spent the rest of the morning on a muddy, rutted logging road, looking for tracks of deer (both types open, bucks only), black bear, spike/fork moose, and large hairy bipeds. We not only found zero critters, we found zero tracks, too. This was a surprise, as the road surface was soft from a week of rain, and should have shown where animals were crossing. After heading out to Merrit for lunch, we spent the afternoon on the plateau where I got the bear a month ago, with the same negative results over about 40 km of dirt roads. We were back home for supper by 7:30, tired, dirty, hungry, and glad to have had a day out in the woods. Next weekend is a campout with several other local researchers.
Guest Posted November 3, 2014 Posted November 3, 2014 Every day in the woods.....is usually a good one!
BC witness Posted November 3, 2014 Author Posted November 3, 2014 Every day in the woods.....is usually a good one! Agreed! Even the occasional bad one is at least interesting, if not downright exciting.
BC witness Posted January 2, 2015 Author Posted January 2, 2015 (edited) We wrapped up the year with a family outing to the Chehalis River, in the very heart of BCs sasquatch report area. Three families set out today (of 5 that had expressed interest) for the Chehalis River Forestry campsite, not the lake site, which is 30 km off pavement, so this was not a full-on search, just a New Years Day/my Birthday weanie roast and campfire story get-together. The Chehalis River site is very nice, located right at the one-lane bridge over the river, just a few yards off the Morris Valley Road. We had my TB, Thomas' Sidekick, and magniaesir's Sierra K1500, and a total of 9 people. As we pulled in, we spotted a site with a still smoldering campfire in the steel ring, so we chose that site, and simply added more wood to the coals, and had our blaze going in no time. We were all hungry after the drive in, so weiners were roasted, and everyone tucked in like lumberjacks. Bill had brought a special treat for my birthday, a six-pack of Sasquatch Stout, a very tasty brew indeed! The drink is fitting for this site, since this area has a history of activity with the big hairy guy, dating back to native tales, before europeans even arrived here. We sat around the blazing fire, reminiscing over the last year, and making plans for the new one till well after dark, and then headed home in the evening moonlight, with beautiful clear skies above. It was a fine way to start the New Year, out in the woods with good friends, and I'm sure we'll do this again. Edited January 2, 2015 by BC witness
daveedoe Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 Happy Birthday! What a great way to celebrate the New Year and Birthday. I will have to try that beer I love stouts. Any activity around the area? wildlife?
BC witness Posted January 3, 2015 Author Posted January 3, 2015 No activity while we were there, but a report from the '20s of a native in a canoe having large boulders lobbed at him from the top of the bluff took place about 100 yards upstream from that campsite. The slope in the background of the stout bottle is the base of that bluff. If you look closely under the name "sasquatch Stout", the description says "Coffee, Chocolate, & Mystery"; it was a nice partner with the rich chocolate birthday cake my daughter brought out. Yummmm. The word Sasquatch was first put in print in a report written by a teacher at the native school on the Chehalis reserve, in about 1928, I believe. There are many reports from within 10 miles of that spot, including one that Thomas and I looked into earlier this year, at nearby Weaver Lake.
Incorrigible1 Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 Almost looked like Dr. Meldrum tossing off that bottle of beer.
BC witness Posted January 4, 2015 Author Posted January 4, 2015 Nope, that's me enjoying my birthday gift. I don't normally drink beer or wine, due to mild allergies to both, but that bottle of stout didn't trigger any reaction, and was very smooth, full bodied, and tasty. I might actually try another someday ;-)
BC witness Posted January 19, 2015 Author Posted January 19, 2015 The group made it out for our first recce of the new year today, hitting the road at 0700, and at the target area by 0800. We went to the same watershed as the previous outing during the late fall salmon run, to see if there was any remains of the fish carcasses left to feed the wildlife. The few bodies that remained were almost totally decayed, so there's not much left there for any scavengers. We drove further up the logging road, till it became a little too icy for the 2 wheel drive truck we used for this trip, parked it, then hiked another couple of km in, looking for tracks in the inch or 2 of melting snow that was being washed away by the steady drizzle. There were numerous deer prints, including one very large set, and a couple of sets of coyote prints, but nothing else except tire tracks and boot treads. The area will be explored further as the year goes on, since it looks promising, and there have been nearby sightings in the last decade. There are numerous side branches of the main logging road, and a well marked hiking trail through part of the valley, so lots of area to check out.We stopped for lunch at around 1300, and discussed future trips, then solved all the country's problems over coffee, before heading home to dry out the damp hiking gear.Here's the motley crew on the trail today, left to right: Magniaesir, Alohacop, and Thomas Steenburg 1
Trogluddite Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 Great pictures, BC Maybe I'll be able to talk my wife out of a cruise and into coming to the landlocked sections of Canada. Hiflier, Also nice pics, but did I miss where (in general) they were taken?
BC witness Posted January 19, 2015 Author Posted January 19, 2015 Trogluddite, why not do both? Cruises for Alaska leave Vancouver, BC, all summer long, and our area is only about 1 hours drive east of Vancouver. Win - win !
Guest Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Wow, nice photos, especially the one of the BBQ with lake view! Good Hunting! Ian
BC witness Posted January 24, 2015 Author Posted January 24, 2015 Our second outing for the new year is planned for Sun., Jan 25. This will be to a watershed in our active area that we didn't get to last year, but is well known to one of the members, who has visited often in the past. This will be a preliminary recce to see how much logging has gone on recently, and to determine the state of the roads and trails after this past month of torrentential rains, which are predicted to stop by Sat. evening, having dumped near-record amounts the last couple of days. Several members are also looking to upgrade camera gear for this season, though none of the new kit will be available for this day trip. I'll follow up with an AAR, as usual.
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