Sw Wa Field Work

[Bigtex]

Nice work SWWAS.......interesting pictures!

[LeafTalker]

Contact for me happens so rarely that I do enjoy it when it happens.    It is really funny but footprints finds are getting to the point where they are only exciting in that I know BF have been around to make them.    The one I posted above is in an area that I had written off because of no sign but decided on a whim to go back.   The water situation is so limited there that I think that area will be better when the rains start again.  

 

Totally relate -- to all of it.    

 

And it's great that you trust your intuition. (I think it's strong in you.) So glad you went back to the area that you'd written off.

 

And I agree with Bigtex, your pics are really interesting. 

[SWWASAS]

Speaking of intuition I went back to Naked Lady Canyon (my own name)  for some field work yesterday.     That is the place the young woman took off naked on a spiritual quest never to be seen again.    Her family has put up a sign urging hunters, hikers, and fisherman to look for sign of her.    I wanted to get down to the river and there is only a few places that you can get down.     It is so rugged and the drop off to the river goes nearly straight down.   If a human was not involved in her disappearance then I would guess she might have stepped off the road and fallen down a cliff.     I did found a pile of scat in the road that was deposited after I drove in, because I found it on the way out.    Not sure what it was because it was smaller in diameter than a humans but formed like a humans,  and full of berries.   Maybe a young bear?     Anyone else know what else eats berries like that?   Unlikely to be a BF because of how small in diameter it was.  

[LeafTalker]

Could the scat have been from a younger BF?

 

I think it's interesting when scat is left in a really obvious location, where you can find it; and the fact that it was left within hours of your passing is also very curious.... 

[daveedoe]

most likely bear scat, but coyotes will eat berries too, here is a link from WSDFW

 

 http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/coyotes.html

[SWWASAS]

I had no idea coyotes would eat berries.      I guess my fussy dog  clouded my judgment about what canines will eat.     Most likely you are right that it was either a small bear or coyote then.     The size would be right for either one.     Although bear scat seems to be more of a pile than formed normally.  

[Sasfooty]

This is neither here nor there, but they'll eat watermelons, too. They come by & scratch on them in the field until they find one that's getting a little soft, then they dig in. Doesn't really matter, because it's no good for eating by then anyway.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Sasfooty

[Guest Divergent1]

I suppose fermented watermelon would be hard to pass up.

[Sasfooty]

Yep. Probably right up there with rats & 3 day old roadkill.

 

I don't think they're too particular about what they eat.

[Explorer]

SWWASASQUATHPROJECT,

What a coincidence that you went to the “Naked Lady†Canyon a few days ago.

I was there on the 3rd week of August and spent 2 nights camping on Canyon Creek campground. That campground was made infamous by the disappearance of Maureen Kelly last year (see link below). Moreover, a guest at Sasquatch Chronicles reported to have seen a BF back in 2009 very close to that location.

This woman disappeared there last summer after she went into the forest for a spiritual quest.

http://www.kptv.com/story/22548141/search-on-for-missing-woman-at-washington-campground


The radio show below (Episode #25) talks about this disappearance. The guy who saw Bigfoot in the same area (Luke) thinks that BF got her.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bigfoothotspot/2014/03/31/sc-ep25-abducted-by-the-mountain-devil


On two nights, I drove right before sunset to this location (GPS coordinates = N 45 deg 52.277 W 122 deg 9.175 ), and found that somebody had built a campfire ring of stones close to the intersection of the two forest roads (NF-38 and NF-3810). I wonder if this is where Luke goes at night during his investigations? He said on the radio that he continues to investigate this area because he likes it and knows it well.

I only investigated from 8 PM until 11 PM, and my routine was simply to walk NF-38 south (or up Pelvy Creek). I brought some small colored portable strobe light balls to draw attention. Only had two nights to check out the area and did not hear or see anything out of the ordinary. I wish I could have stayed up until after midnight, but it is hard trying to stay up late at night after a full day of hikes in that beautiful area full of creeks. BTW, I did not experience anything anomalous at Canyon Creek campground (which was full of campers, all sites taken that 3rd week of August).

Like Luke said in the radio show, I am baffled on how this lady could have just walked away from that campground and disappeared given the tough terrain around it.
 

[SWWASAS]

The problem with that canyon as far as BF goes are the steep sides.    I know they can do incredible things on terrain but why would they?     I think I have been in there 4 times now and have yet to see a deer or even a track.    Sure there is water and cover but with the steep sides and lack of game,   I think they might like to hang out someplace not as difficult with fewer people.    Just one ridge over either direction there are not the humans around.    While BF are capable of steep terrain, somehow I think they, like us, like something less difficult.   

 

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. 

[Explorer]

I agree with your top 2 causes of Ms. Kelly's disappearance.

 

I think on top is another human who was driving and spotted her.  This best fit the evidence of the tracking dogs.

 

A cougar kill will also explain the body disappearing into the forest.  How common are cougar attacks in that area of WA? 

 

I am not sure about stumbling off the road in the dark and falling in the creek.  The body would have been found and the dogs would have caught the smell.  Unless, it was in a huge waterfall that would shred the body to pieces.

 

The BF abduction/kill is all speculation, but there are some folks there in WA who believe in that kind of behavior (at least the Sasquatch Chronicles radio hosts and guests).

 

The folks at the Chelatchie general store seem to believe that that area has bigfoots and so does William Jevning (per his statements in Episode #25).

 

However, besides Luke's encounters in that area, I am not aware of any other specific BF cases.

[Explorer]

I read this article this morning, and it is a pretty good (but short) review of BF research in WA.

 

I never heard of Mel Skahan or Paul Graves (due to my relative newness in this field), but it appears that they are doing some good work in WA.

 

http://www.inlander.com/spokane/on-bigfoots-trail/Content?oid=2348065

[SWWASAS]

Cougar attacks are rare.     But then again a naked woman alone in the forest is pretty rare.    They rate their prey on difficulty.    A larger man would probably be left alone.    But a small naked woman would seem frail and vulnerable and might be too tempting.    The scent disappearing could have just been traffic disturbing the road as it was probably several days and a lot of vehicles disturbing the road before they got dogs in there.   As I recall a couple of days after she disappeared it started raining too.    When I heard that, I knew she would probably not be found alive due to hypothermia alone.    There are steep drop-offs down to the river at places hundreds of feet below.    Embankments 45 to 60+ degrees.    If she stumbled off the cliff in the dark she could have fallen all the way to the creek below and been swept away.    With spring runoff that creek is pretty raging.   You could not use a dog on that slope so if there was no scent leading to the cliff dropoff then unless the body got hung up on vegetation,   it could be anywhere below.     I did a couple of air searches at the time too.    Heavy forest canopy,  steep canyon sides,  and sort of a box canyon thing on the East end.   About the only place you can see down to the ground level in the area are places along the creek.          I was down in there searching from the air and about ran into a helicopter hired by the family.    I don't think it ever saw me.     It is tricky flying even for a helicopter because of the steep sides and winding canyon.    All around other than one of the glaciated mountains, I cannot think of any more difficult terrain to conduct a search. 

[Guest]

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