Oak Knoll Ranger District, North of Seiad Valley
Last Saturday my Bigfoot research partner and I explored the wilderness north of Seiad Valley in the Oak Knoll Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest. This is an area in Northern California where Bigfoot footprints have been found; I’ve spoken to one first-hand witness and heard of several others.
We traveled north on Seiad Creek Road which borders the creek until there’s a bridge crossing the creek, at which point the road veers to the right and up a hill. Great views! The road continues all the way to Oregon.
The first photo is Seaid Creek. I took this photo from the little bridge that crosses Seiad Creek Road. There were other much more picturesque areas on the creek, but I got no photos of them. I’ve heard there are several swimming holes and waterfalls, but we didn’t see them. There was also a recent marijuana farm bust in the area; when hiking in the forest, be aware that the Mexican mafia uses the forest for marijuana crops and can be very dangerous if detected. Signs to watch for are hedges of dried and broken branches, and pvc pipe near streams.
The second photo is a ridge in an area where Bigfoot prints were found. We spent a lot of time scanning this area, as I’ve been considering it for Bigfoot research for several years. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get into the back country, so I’m leaving this information here for other researchers who may be looking for new locations to explore.
This ridge is not far from the location of Dr. Matthew Johnson’s well-documented and credible Bigfoot sighting in July 2000 at Oregon Caves, south of Cave Junction, Oregon.
The third photo is of me, crossing an old, broken and abandoned bridge. The bridge may have been as old as 100 years; of course we have no way of knowing the exact age. It was made from two large logs with planks across them.
We crossed the stream here and hiked uphill on a very old dirt road, then came to the ruins of an old cabin. It seemed to have burned, and we guessed it may have been burned by the forest service to discourage people from trying to move in. As you can see, there was also an attempt to burn the large logs of this bridge. Beyond the destroyed cabin, there was a hiking trail which we intend to return to.
The fourth photo is of me, climbing up the west bank of the creek next to the destroyed bridge. It may look like I’m holding a cigarette… but I’m not. That’s a twig in the background. I’m not a cigarette smoker. Note the Bogger.Com hoodie… I used to use Blogger.Com but switched to WordPress a few years ago.
Anyhow, it is a great area for exploration, and easy to access. To get there travel west from Highway 5 on the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway, Highway 96, to Seiad Valley, which is 18 miles west of Happy Camp, California. Turn north on Seiad Creek Road. Soon it becomes a dirt road and the further north you get, the rockier it becomes. It goes all the way to Oregon. Of course, the road is closed during winter due to snow.
About the photos: My Bigfoot research partner and I hold the copyrights on these photographs. Do not take them and use them without our permission! I always have to mention this on this site because people have stolen photos from me in the past and used them online and in other publications. That is a copyright violation. Please don’t do it!
August 6, 2007
Possible Bigfoot Habitat Destroyed By Forest Fire
I’m sorry to report that an area of the forest that I considered to be a likely Bigfoot habitat near Happy Camp has been incinerated by a recent forest fire. The Little Grider Fire ignited on top of a hill right next to the one I live on on July 14, 2007.
A lightning storm three days before brought over 1200 lightning strikes to the Klamath National Forest. By the next day fire fighters were working to control about 55 fires. The Little Grider Fire probably smoldered a few days before bursting into flames. The only other explanation is that it could have been intentionally set, but that’s very unlikely and locally, nobody seems to believe or talk about that theory.
Here in Happy Camp, we’re used to having fire fighting activity during the summer - but usually the fires are far enough away from town that we’re not terribly concerned about anything but air quality issues. This year, however, the fire was less than a mile from town between my home and Little Grider Creek.
I was out of town for my birthday on July 13. When I arrived home the next evening at 11:30pm, I was shocked and worried when I saw the forest fire nearby. I contacted a local deputy that night and talked to other local residents while we looked at the fire map outside the post office after midnight. The deputy said evacuations were a strong possibility but that I’d be safe at home that night.
The next few days were full of town meetings, packing, storing valuables, and expecting the worst. But many prayers were answered when a heavy rainstorm stalled and put out most of the fire a few days later.
Still, the fire fighters did a lot of back burning in the area, to decrease underbrush and make the forest around Happy Camp more fire-safe. My partner complained about the animals of our forest whose habitats were being destroyed, and about the air quality, which was wretched. Our valley was full of smoke for days. I’m glad to say that’s over for now and the crews that remain in town are doing mop-up on the Little Grider Fire. The only local people evacuated were those living about ten miles south of town near Elk Creek Road, who were in the path of another fire. Those people are also considered to be Happy Campers though they live outside of town.
I’m very disappointed that this fire spread as far as it did, because I believe that Bigfoot lived in the area. Hopefully if so, they survived in caves, or moved on before the flames reached them.
There have been at least five separate Bigfoot sightings in this area during the last five years, so naturally I had my eye on the nearby forest and have traveled through many times, hoping to see something while driving on the old logging roads.
The map shows the area of the Little Grider Fire, about half-way through it. The stars are Bigfoot sighting locations nearby. Here’s a list of some of those local sightings:
1. A man claimed to have seen a Bigfoot on the hill above Buckhorn Road in 2005. He later recanted.
2. Other sightings also took place on Buckhorn Road in 2005. An unusually large Bigfoot footprint was found half-way up that hill later that summer. The reporter had two separate sighting experiences within a month.
3. An unconfirmed sighting reported to me took place at a picnic table near the airport. A man said he was eating lunch and noticed young Bigfoot (possibly more than one) playing in the forest nearby. I don’t know the year this happened, so it may not have been recent.
4. In 2002 a local teenager was driving down Highway 96 when he saw a large dark creature run across the road near Little Grider Creek.
5. In 2005 a Southern California minister said he saw a large dark creature jump down onto the highway in front of his car, then stand and cross the highway in only two strides.
I don’t want you to think that this fire destroyed all our local Bigfoot habitat; there have been Bigfoot sightings in other areas nearby, and you can tell from the photo above that the Klamath National Forest is vast, with many thousands of acres of possible Bigfoot territory. But this area of the Little Grider Fire was what I considered to be our best local hot spot because of the number of sightings in the area.
June 27, 2007
Bigfoot Expedition Near Bend, Oregon
About 35 Bigfoot research enthusiasts visited Bend, Oregon in mid-June as part of a Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) sponsored expedition. No sightings were reported but they listened for Bigfoot responses to Matt Moneymaker’s calls and searched for scat and other Bigfoot evidence. Participants in Moneymaker’s Bigfoot expeditions pay hundreds of dollars to camp out and be part of the action.
The Bend Bulletin article about the BFRO expedition was long and descriptive: Seeking Sasquatch - A group of enthusiasts comes here to track the elusive mythical beast. In it, Matt Moneymaker is quoted as saying, “We’re looking for a needle in a haystack, but we’re using a magnet….I’m good; I can call them in….It’s gotta have a bit of a mournful touch to it.” The magnet theory uses vocalizations, tree-whacking, and other techniques to attract Bigfoot attention.
According to the article, Moneymaker’s approach includes having teams traveling in different areas of the forest making Bigfoot calls to one another, trying to get an actual Bigfoot to participate in the vocal exchange. Being in different sections of the forest makes it possible to triangulate and locate the source of any responses. He keeps the groups moving until they hear a Bigfoot vocalization, then they concentrate on that area. Unfortunately, it can be many days before a response is heard, so expedition participants often don’t have any Bigfoot contact despite the prices they pay to participate. Moneymaker claims “dozens of encounters” but will not describe them in detail.
The Deschutes National Forest near Bend, Oregon has been the location of numerous Bigfoot sightings since 1963.
If Chaska Denny, who left a comment on Bigfoot Sightings recently, is right, Sasquatch is psychic, and intelligent enough to avoid researchers. Psychic Sasquatch would be able to pick up on the purpose of an expedition and refuse to respond to sounds. That is why my method for finding Sasquatch includes psychic contact first, and driving through the forest second. Other than that, I believe Moneymaker’s methods are as good as anyone else’s. He receives a lot of criticism because he’s turned his hobby into a business, but besides resentments over his money-making policies, I don’t know what other Bigfoot researchers might have against him. I’ve stayed out of that controversy.
June 25, 2007
Bigfoot Bones Hidden In Indonesian Cave, Islanders Say
According to a team of Indonesian explorers, residents of a remote Indonesian Island claim to have the bones of a Bigfoot hidden in a cave that is accessible only at low tide. But because the tide was up at the time they were there, the explorers passed up their chance to bring forth this discovery.
Alex Retraubun’s mission is to visit thousands of Indonesian islands, naming them. He works for Indonesia’s marine and fisheries ministry. Muhammad Yusuf is head of data analysis for his team. The men travel to more than 100 islands during each of their journeys, which take place every two weeks. With a schedule that tight, Bigfoot bones weren’t a priority. Their goal is to finish cataloging information and names for 17,504 Indonesian islands by the end of this year.
The islanders told them a Bigfoot used to live on their island. According to their story, after its death, the creature’s bones were interred in a sea cave.
Source: Indonesian’s off to the islands–all 17,000 of them by Laurie Goering, foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, published on June 24, 2007.
June 3, 2007
Texas: Bigfoot Sighting at the Neches River
Sighting report received in email:
“Two friends and I were fishing in South Texas on the bank of the Neches River about three in the evening. We had been there about four hours when my friend said something about hearing something in the woods behind us. We all had been hearing it but were not concerned and did not think it was important.
“Anyway, my friend Tim turned around and almost had a heart attack. He just kind of whimpered because he was too scared to talk. It is funny now but was rather serious then. Anyway, we all turned around to see a very large animal standing just outside of the treeline looking at us as if he wanted something. Well needless to say we did not stick around to see what it wanted. We all backed into the water about ten or fifteen feet and then walked down the river until we were at least fifty feet downriver from it.
“The thing we saw was a good six and a half to seven feet tall with hair all over it. It did not appear mean and I think if it was I would not be telling you about it. Anyway, we left. Only thing was we left all our gear so we went back the next day to get our stuff and found the darndest thing. All our stuff was there except the stink bait. The can was there but the bait had been scooped out and I guess eaten. I don’t know if it had eaten it or what but I think that is what it was there for in the first place. It smelled our bait and thought maybe it could get an easy meal.
“When I think back on it now I can’t help but think that if we had not left when we saw it then it would probably just have left. It did not seem mean or aggravated at all. We were just scared anyhow. That is my story. I swear its true. My name is Thomas Vick. I won’t tell the names of my friends but can tell you they, like me, will never forget that day. But you know I feel very fortunate to be able to say that I have seen what I’ve seen and I think that it is realy cool. By the way, we were fishing on the bank of the Neches River near Beaumont, Texas.”
More photos and map: Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas