Bigfoot, Jerry, and Patty

A Klamath River Adventure 

 

In 1967, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin filmed what appeared to be a female Sasquatch near Bluff Creek, in the Klamath River watershed. In many ways, the search for Squatch has never been the same.  

This is not the time or place to discuss whether the picutes are genuine or Bigfoot is real. I think the world is better if Bigfoot exists. I met Bob Gimlin at a conference and won a poster he signed (and a Bigfoot knuckle cast) at a conference. I’ve enjoyed some films: such as Letters from the Big Man. I’ve been to other important locations and was taken by an elder to see pictographs on Native land that depict the Hairy Man. Friends what I otherwise trust who have encountered Squatch. So I suppose I have some bias.

However, I also have no interest in proving the matter. I do not speculate if Squatch is flesh and blood as we know it, a multi dimensional being, or something else entirely. Can I prove Squatch any more than I can prove that there is a Trickster? Some people simply speak of the Phenomenon. Perhaps that is the best approach.

If a reputable observer sees Bigfoot entering a space ship, as has happened, who am Into argue? At least there is a good story. I neither have to believe it or disbelieve.

Even if you do not see Bigfoot, the Klamath is an important area to explore. The river starts in Oregon and makes its way through Northern California to the ocean. In 2024,, the largest removal in history, was completed here. It again runs free.  The removal fundamentally transformed the watershed by reconnecting over 400 miles of historical spawning habitat that had been blocked for more than a century. 

The campaign to remove the dams was led by the Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa Valley, and Klamath nations. The dams had displaced the People from the river that had sustained them. The river itself had become toxic as algae spread from behind the dams. Removing them restored a sacred connection and the Klamath responded with new signs of life. Salmon began returning to places they had not been able to reach in modern times.

Perhaps the dam removal will bring new interest from the hairy ones. Or it could make no difference. In the end, I do not expect anything from Squatch.   It does not end my belief one way or the other.  After all, they have no heroes.

If Bigfoot does not exist I might still think that there are mysteries in the back country. Things that are just outside our everyday experience. I would hate to miss something because my eyes are closed to the possibility.

My Log

I have long thought about this cache and after spending time at Prairie Creek State Park we thought that if we ever were going to come this way, it was time to do it.

We could not have picked a better day. We camped at Aikens Creek and had the site all to ourselves. We were near a meadow and a beautiful creek. We decided to seek this cache before doing anything else.

The geocache was in great shape, but of course the container is least important thing. It seemed like an area that Bigfoot would visit but what do I know? It is probably better to ask my friend Bud Flout (Bigfoot’s Trail) who has spent much more time with Squatch. I have not encountered Squatch, but the world is better if he or she is around.

At some point it’s a personal matter. An old friend of mine encountered a lame Squatch when hunting in the Sierras. It was accompanied by a mountain lion. They started to track it and realized they were being tracked — my friends companion decided that they should turn around. They weren’t supposed to be in the area so he was hesitant to report it. He ended up describing it to a ranger who told him they knew about the two. They called it “ClubFoot” and occasionally left food for it. I have no reason to think he was not being honest, even if I have to file the story in its own category.

The same is true with the ancient tales.

A few years ago, a Tule River elder took my wife and I to see the ancient Hairy Man pictographs on tribal lands. Tribal members continue to see Squatch from time to time so I did not discount what might be found here.

I looked around the site after finding the container and used two sticks to beat together. I did not get a response but I know from watching Letters from the Big Man that Squatch could have been watching without us seeing it. It is the master of social distancing. I thought about leaving a food offering but decided it was better not to do so in case Squatch was elsewhere.

At camp, we listened to the river during the night and looked out with night vision. The next morning, we explored further around the area. If I were better able to hike it would have been fun to track down where the Patterson-Gimlin film was shot. The wilderness has changed over time, and gives Bigfoot plenty of room.

I acknowledge that the Bluff Creek watershed is on ancestral Yurok land. The nation has traditions that include stories of o-mah, the boss of the mountains. There is much to learn here.

05/20/2023