MIB Posted July 13, 2018 Moderator Posted July 13, 2018 Cotter - I never saw it. We'd set up camp and planned to spend the night. Had dinner. I walked over to the lake to make a few casts. It was still daylight. Since midway through dinner, we'd been hearing rocks rolling on the wall of the cirque above us behind trees. Not random rockfalls, these were from a point source that was moving slowly from high right to lower left. The trail out crosses the ridge in line with where the sound seemed to be heading. We got an uncharacteristically bad feeling about it and decided to pack up and leave. There was still a bit of daylight left and it wasn't that far to the trailhead. As we left camp and hiked around the lake, the sound seemed to be intersecting our intended path. The route up to the ridge and very slightly beyond is fairly open. It has tree trunks but not brush. I half expected to see what we'd been hearing because it should have been right there when we crossed. Nope. The trail went around the ridge, leveled out, and went around the back of a canyon. Not far beyond the ridge it went from open to very heavy brush along the trail Besides the firs which provided canopy, there was a jungle of rhododendron and saddler's oak underneath thick enough to be .. though not truly impassable for a person, practically so. We'd gotten just a short ways into the brush section when the noises started. The source was generally 40 yards away, a bit above and somewhat behind us. Seemed to be on two feet. When we got into some of the thinner areas, I couldn't see "it" but I could see the brush tops move as "it" plowed through seemingly effortlessly. A time or two it got more nearly directly above us, even slightly ahead, then it would stop making sound until we passed it and got to where it was 45 degrees or so above and behind again. Each of those place were places where I might have seen it if it'd continued on unabated. This went on for a mile or more 'til the brush thinned out too much to provide cover. I don't interpret what happened as aggression. It was just .. herding. In an earlier chapter of my life, I worked cattle. The positions it took up relative to us are exactly what I did relative to cows to get them to move the direction I wanted. There were no threat displays. No knocks, no yells. It was just following us and not hiding. A couple years ago I was talking to a local bigfoot enthusiast and mentioned what'd happened. "Oh, you ran into *him*. He's a grumpy *******." Also apparently quite large. The guy indicated our interaction was less confrontational than other people had reported. Beats me. We've had 3 big fires out there since. The big timber is gone, the brush has regrown. No repeats so far, just that one "event." I suspect the loss of cover / concealment may have pushed them to other locations. MIB 1
norseman Posted July 13, 2018 Admin Posted July 13, 2018 Ive had this happen to me on several occasions during the night. Never saw any sign the next day that would indicate what it was. I always assumed it was a bear or other known animal. Ive sat in a bear stand many many o night. And bears will circle you repeatedly. The only thing a bear is scared of is a bigger bear. So they are very cautious on approach to the bait.
Squatchy McSquatch Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 On 7/12/2018 at 2:21 PM, NatFoot said: ...... The organization does not exist....but it can't be national? ....... ............... I'm lost. Bigfoot doesn't exist either, but hiflier's on a mission so let it go, man...
Wolfjewel Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 Hey NCBFr, im responding to: "How close are you to Bridgewater? Have you heard of the Bridgewater triangle? Any place coined as special by Lauren Coleman would be as good as any place to start an investigation." Hell yes, the Bridgewater Triangle. I saw an independently made video about it a couple years ago; there are folks interested enough in the subject to make and show this film live with the filmmaker. But it is all historical narrative. Nothing happening now that is reported to local media that I know of. i did go to Freetown State Forest, which is in the triangle, last summer. Took a walk there in the myriad trails. Then met up with a maintenance/staff worker who, when I asked him, said he saw "some unusual things" when he was a kid and lived nearby. But he said he hasn't seen anything since being employed there, and that the state wants them to play down the sensationalism. The area not only had purported Bigfoot activity but there was a murder and cult activities (which makes it uncomfortable, as the fear factor has to do with humans.) I do have the urge to go down there again this summer and try to find the same guy at the state forest office and see if he will talk to me unofficially, like a chat over coffee. Don't know if his experience was bigfoot related; maybe just "ghosts." Soooo-- while folks in other states can participate in boots on the ground research for current sightings, I might just be a historical researcher with eyes and fingers on a computer. If I do hear first hand of past Bigfoot activity, that will make some contribution to the body of knowledge. Not as good as body on slab, but it's what is available to me. Does anyone know if Loren Coleman is amenable to email messages from interested researchers?
wiiawiwb Posted July 15, 2018 Posted July 15, 2018 MIB, I'm curious what may have happened had you turned around and headed directly at the herding sounds/location behind you rather than continue to move away from it. Easier to say than do, no question about it. It was also the chance of a lifetime to see one however fleeting the moment may have been. I would be hesitant to do that alone even with a 454 Casull in hand. I'd be very tempted to move toward it with the benefit of a second person. Thoughts? 1
MIB Posted July 16, 2018 Moderator Posted July 16, 2018 ^^^^ I think I would handle the situation differently today than I did then, but heading toward the sound was pretty well out of the question: that brush was essentially impenetrable. What I would be more likely to do is sit down. Neither flee nor pursue. Just wait. I don't honestly know what would happen. Lets qualify that ... there were two people making that decision. My GF today is likely even less willing to stand her ground in such a situation. Much, then, would depend on who was / wasn't there with me. MIB
Twist Posted July 16, 2018 Posted July 16, 2018 Your point about not being the only one making a decision is pretty spot on MIB. You were not just out there with you life at stake, you had to consider the emotions and decisions of your mate. Be it friend or SO. Your decisions impact them equally when in a situation like this . Given the scenario, an exit from the situation is the best course of action. Curiosity can kill the cat or an innocent.
wiiawiwb Posted July 16, 2018 Posted July 16, 2018 I don't disagree with the notion of being safe than sorry. If you're wrong and someone is hurt, or worse, you can't recover from it. I just wonder if a sasquatch is really going to go to those lengths to kill a human. We can't know for sure but I am highly reluctant to believe a sasquatch would knowingly bring down wrath, the rain of fire, that would ensue by killing a human. In this case it wasn't a human killing a juvenile, or another sasquatch. This was an issue of herding a human out of an area. If they are that blood thirsty, there's no reason to herd. They could just take the human, any human, in a flash without a knife being drawn or a gun being unholstered.
norseman Posted July 16, 2018 Admin Posted July 16, 2018 18 minutes ago, wiiawiwb said: I don't disagree with the notion of being safe than sorry. If you're wrong and someone is hurt, or worse, you can't recover from it. I just wonder if a sasquatch is really going to go to those lengths to kill a human. We can't know for sure but I am highly reluctant to believe a sasquatch would knowingly bring down wrath, the rain of fire, that would ensue by killing a human. In this case it wasn't a human killing a juvenile, or another sasquatch. This was an issue of herding a human out of an area. If they are that blood thirsty, there's no reason to herd. They could just take the human, any human, in a flash without a knife being drawn or a gun being unholstered. If the creature is herding you out of an area or displaying to intimidate you? And you comply? Its getting what it wants. But if you didnt? What happens then? Probably unlikely its going to say “shucks” and pack up and go home. Right? It wants you out of there probably for a very good reason. You pose a threat to young or resources...... I’m reminded of Mountain Gorilla tours. You dont look a silverback in the eyes. You dont talk loud. You dont make sudden movements. You sit down and make yourself small. Failure to do these things could trigger an attack, maybe a fatal attack. And what about Grizzly bears? They bluff charge alot. But sometimes the charge is not a bluff. And your right....if it was predatory it would not let its self be known until it was too late.
SWWASAS Posted July 16, 2018 BFF Patron Posted July 16, 2018 My theory on the herding thing is influenced by the Native American stories. When a young woman was grabbed by BF for whatever purpose, the NA that normally left BF alone, would gather a raiding party and try to get her back. Those actions were exactly the same if another tribe did the kidnapping. That action with both situations involved both NA and BF getting hurt. Enter Europeans with fire arms, and direct interactions resulted in BF getting shot, probably with greater lethality for the BF involved. I have encountered evidence that BF has sensitive or valued areas. Perhaps as I previously mentioned, perhaps because it was a water source. Perhaps sentient BF figured out that to protect sensitive or valued areas, it was better to herd humans out, remaining unseen, than do a direct bear like bluff charge that might get them shot? With the history of what happened with young NA women, while BF are perfectly capable of killing a troublesome human, are they smart enough to know a missing human gets dozens of humans searching the woods? Even more so now in the last century where humans organize search parties to find missing people.
NCBFr Posted July 16, 2018 Posted July 16, 2018 On 7/14/2018 at 5:36 PM, Wolfjewel said: Hey NCBFr, im responding to: "How close are you to Bridgewater? Have you heard of the Bridgewater triangle? Any place coined as special by Lauren Coleman would be as good as any place to start an investigation." Hell yes, the Bridgewater Triangle. I saw an independently made video about it a couple years ago; there are folks interested enough in the subject to make and show this film live with the filmmaker. But it is all historical narrative. Nothing happening now that is reported to local media that I know of. i did go to Freetown State Forest, which is in the triangle, last summer. Took a walk there in the myriad trails. Then met up with a maintenance/staff worker who, when I asked him, said he saw "some unusual things" when he was a kid and lived nearby. But he said he hasn't seen anything since being employed there, and that the state wants them to play down the sensationalism. The area not only had purported Bigfoot activity but there was a murder and cult activities (which makes it uncomfortable, as the fear factor has to do with humans.) I do have the urge to go down there again this summer and try to find the same guy at the state forest office and see if he will talk to me unofficially, like a chat over coffee. Don't know if his experience was bigfoot related; maybe just "ghosts." Soooo-- while folks in other states can participate in boots on the ground research for current sightings, I might just be a historical researcher with eyes and fingers on a computer. If I do hear first hand of past Bigfoot activity, that will make some contribution to the body of knowledge. Not as good as body on slab, but it's what is available to me. Does anyone know if Loren Coleman is amenable to email messages from interested researchers? Nice. I have tried talking to rangers and guides when at National park and have never received any sort of acknowledgement. There are people on this forum that know Loren. I am not one of them.
Wolfjewel Posted July 17, 2018 Posted July 17, 2018 Thanks for the comment. Anyone here met Loren Coleman? Seems like if I go to his museum in Portland, ME, I might get to talk to him if I hit the right day.
hiflier Posted July 17, 2018 Author Posted July 17, 2018 If you do he is great to talk to and will even pose with you in front of the 8 ft. Sasquatch inside the museum. Ask him about his story of the three border patrol agents that IIRC visited his store.
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