Benton County, Oregon 2002
Greenberry
I believe it would have been Benton County, although we may have just crossed into Lincoln County.
March 2002 -around noon I'd guess

It was the middle of March and J and A (names withheld on request) and myself were in the Coast Range just above a little town called Greenberry (about 30 miles West of Corvallis) driving up a BLM road on the southeast side of Buck Mountain (just south of Mary's Peak, the highest point in the Oregon Coast Range.) We rounded a 90% turn to the right where several trees were down and blocking the road. The tree's had been cut and we figured the area was zoned to be logged or something.

Not having much else to do (we were just driving the country side and chatting) we decided to get out and have a little walk in. We climbed over the trees and were basically just walking and talking (and drinking our first beers of the day) when we came around another 90% turn, this time to our left. It was here that A first saw what he thought was a track. Not even thinking anything remotely "Bigfoot", we examined it and it sure looked like a footprint to us. I then looked down and beside my foot (I'd nearly stepped on it) was a very clear footprint that clearly showed 5 "toes."

We couldn't believe our eyes. We began tracing the "footprints," up the mountain and there it was as clear as day...One-step then another and another. The biggest track was about 15 inches by 6 inches wide. The distance between each track moving up the hillside was a greater distance than I could stretch my legs coming down.

It was pouring rain by now and had it been dryer, I don't think there would have been imprints of any sort. But whatever it was, it was so heavy and moving so hurriedly that it had left these huge gouges in the earth. Of all the imprints, probably only 2 or 3 were what I would call clear footprints. The majority were simply these huge "ruts" that had been left from something big stomping up that grade. They were very obvious and, as J mentioned, showed that something was "just scrambling to get out of there."

At this point J left to go get a camera that was in the truck. A and myself stayed and continued to look for more tracks. A re-traced the steps to try and get an idea of where it had come from. I moved to the right of the track looking for just whatever when I came across a paralleling trail of tracks. These were not nearly as large as the first set and were moving more or less the same way as the first, up and toward the road, when suddenly this second set of tracks took a hard right and angled up to the road above and back toward the general are we had come from when walking down the road to begin with. I followed them to the road where I lost them and couldn't see where they'd gone back up the mountain on the other side.

Around this time J arrived back. I can still remember the first thing he said was "Did you guys hear anything?" A hadn't (he'd been farther down into the little ravine than me) but I had heard two loud birdcalls that I could remember thinking had a funning ring to them. Nothing bizarre or totally strange, I just didn't know what kind of bird it was. Joe was silent for a moment, then said, "I heard bird calls at the truck. Birds don't call in the rain." He was right. Anytime you're outside when a rain is coming down listen...There won't be any birds calling. He then took a look at the tracks (I showed him the set I had found) and he remarked that the soil had turned color in the time he'd left. The dark, rich soil, when kicked over and exposed to the air, had turned a grayish brown. Also, when we had found the tracks (probably 45 minutes had passed by this time) they had been totally dry and void of any moisture.

They were now pooling up with standing puddles of water. Whatever had made the imprints had obviously crossed that road seconds before we rounded the corner. Whatever it was down in that ravine had heard us coming (we were talking and probably making plenty of noise on the gravel) and had taken to higher ground. Were they still there? I don't know, but they could have been. The area above us was much higher and still heavily timbered. There were no funny smells and we never felt like were being watched, but the odd bird-like calls did have us talking later. That was it. We never saw what had made the tracks. They were not bear tracks, nor were they made by a big bull elk. The only other thing (other than a Sasquatch) that could have made the tracks would have been an enormous man without any shoes. But no one was up there. Certainly no vehicles, as the down trees prevented anyone with wheels access into this particular area. The terrain for steep and very wooded.

Interestingly enough, the very next day J called a Ranger or Forestry Station nearby. He told them that he had found "big bare tracks," the ranger quickly replied "Well, yes, there are bear up there." J then said, "No I mean big bare human tracks."

What the ranger said next shocked J into silence for a moment. The man said, "Oh, you mean Sasquatch tracks? We had those last year in Colton. We didn't know what to make of them." J told me the man suddenly clamed up, as if he suddenly realized what he had said.

Ms. Short, since starting this film on the subject I've often wondered if there hasn't been a conspiracy of sorts from the Forestry Service and big lumber companies to keep the whole Bigfoot phenomena hushed. I believe it now. I think there are people who know these things are there. I've spoke with Peter Byrne about this, and he shares the same opinion. Anyway, I thought that was most interesting.

Ironically enough, I had no camera with me on the one day I've ever seen anything strange in the woods during the two years I've been working on a film!

Names and other information withheld on request but logged in the 2002 archives.
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Monday, August 05, 2002 11:11 AM