Near base of Broken Top Mountain, west of Bend, Oregon
May 28, 1993

In the spring of 1993, I had just purchased a new Ford Ranger 4X4 and wanted to take it for a test drive to see how it would perform.......off road. With the spring; being a dry and warm spring, I decided to test it in the wilderness of the Cascade mountain range, just west of my small town, in Central Oregon.

Since the winter had been a mild one, I figured I could take a leisurely drive there, with little chance of encountering much snow. I proceeded west of Bend, into the Cascades, past Tumalo Falls, and Bear Wallows, on a narrow forest service access road. Eventually the road would fork, to the north, to a small lake called Three Creeks Lake, or to the west toward a small lake, called Todd Lake; known for its settings for the film..."Sasquatch, the legend of Bigfoot." It is situated at the edge of the Cascades, west of Mount Bachelor Ski area.

As I began traveling along the west fork of the access road, I began to feel to contentment build inside, knowing I had just left the harrowing rat race behind. As I drove along the road, there was plenty of flora and fauna to observe, awakening to springs' warming touch. Along the way, as I headed toward Broken Top Mountain, there were plenty of snow drifts, still melting in the warmth of the spring morning sun. Continuing on, slowly; I was observant, in hopes of catching a glimpse of a herd of Elk, or deer, returning to their summer grounds. The smells of spring and conifers filled the air. I passed through Happy Valley, as I crossed a stream that was swollen with spring runoff. I continued west.......southwest along the road, slowly, following it as it began its gentle rise toward the base of the Cascades. The area is thick with undergrowth and second growth Douglas Fir, affording excellent cover and concealment for its residents. Along the road toward the base of Broken Top, the shadows of the large trees covered the road, sheltering the snow from the warm sun. As I passed several small campsites, still heading west, the snowdrifts became larger, covering most of the road. Not wanting to leave the road to disturb the terrain or vegetation, I continued as far as I could, finally, coming head to head with a 6-foot drift that completely covered the road. Even though I wanted to continue, I couldn't, because I was in a small draw, with the drift, filling it, from side to side.

It was there, at tree line that I knew I couldn't enter the depths of the wilderness, so, I turned my truck around, and backed up to the drift; dropping the tailgate, so I could sit there, hoping to catch some early morning sun. The area was sparsely vegetated, with scrub pine and little underbrush. To the south, some small thickets and scrubs, to the west a splendid view of Broken Top Mountain, with its white glacier glistening in the morning sun. My life seemed so complete and peaceful, when off to my right, within the depths of a small thicket, I heard a scream!

Since I have lived and hunted in the forest most of my life, I knew this wasn't a scream of any animal I'd ever heard. The scream, started out in a low grunt - with several moans and groans, until it reached its crescendo; a bone-chilling scream. It continued for several minutes, growing louder as it seemed to grow closer. The small thicket was about 80, maybe 85 meters to my right; quite thick with scrub pine trees and some larger trees. As the scream seemed to grow closer, with every grunt and moan, I climbed atop the snow drift and tried to catch a glance at whatever was making these unnerving sounds; but the thicket was just to dense! Moments into the screaming, I heard, what at first sounded like small branches snapping inside the thicket, and then the small branches became larger branches being snapped and broken. The screaming increased in volume as well as repetition. Since I couldn't observe a thing at that distance, I decided to walk closer, in hopes of catching a glimpse of whatever it was that was causing this disturbance. Slowly

I walked toward the thicket, as the screaming became louder and limbs were now being broken within the thicket. I stopped within 40 meters of it, when my 6th sense told me to back away. Being an Ex-Marine, and having served 4 tours with the 3rd Marine Division in S.E. Asia; I was trained to use better judgment in cases like this....the unknown, BUT my curiosity kept pulling me closer and closer to this disturbance. Still, slowly walking toward the thicket; suddenly, the thicket was filled with an unnerving quiet. By this time, the hair was standing straight out on the back of my neck, as was the hair on my arms. Chills racked my body, as facts of being; myself observed, rather than being, the observer. I was within 30 meters when I began hearing the deep breathing of something I had never faced, before in my lifetime. Something that seemed benevolent, but yet, somewhat terrifying to me. I stood there, motionless, in the complete stillness of that spring morning sun, wondering, and yes, hoping that these sounds were being created by what, so many call.........Bigfoot or Sasquatch. As I stood there, a sweet stench permeated the springtime air. A smell, somewhat between that of the musk of a skunk, and that of rotting carrion. It filled my nostrils as I fought to penetrate the darkness of the thicket with my eyes.

In, what seemed to be an eternity, I stood within a short distance of what I believe to be Sasquatch, and yet it was as though nature didn't want to divulge its secrets to me. As I stood there, which was approximately 6 minutes, it was completely still, with not even as much as a bird chirping. An uneasy stillness, unlike any I had ever experienced! But soon, this stillness would be shattered, as the screaming resumed, much more intense and much louder than before. Limbs were being broken from trees within the thicket, with more regularity.

At this time, the uncertainty of this "encounter" took over and I decided to retreat towards my vehicle. Even though I was pulling back, the screaming became more violent, with loud guttural grunts and groans, more intense than before. I withdrew, about 50 meters, when, again, the noises stopped. Again the spring air was silent, dead silent, with not so much as a breeze in the trees, being audible. I returned to the tailgate of my truck, for a brief moment, pondering the thoughts of whether I should or shouldn't approach the thicket once again. I sat there for a few moments.

Then I decided I should leave this sacred area, and leave "HIM" along, to live in peace. As I climbed into the cab of my truck, that spring morning, I took one more look toward that thicket, hoping, just maybe "HE" understood that I wasn't a threat to "HIM", and maybe, he would show himself to me, if even for a fleeting moment. I was hoping that "HE" would allow me to know in my heart that "HE" wasn't just a Native American legend, or the figment of many imaginations, but in fact, a real entity. And as I drove away from that thicket, I hoped that one day, "HE" and I would meet again, where neither of us would feel fear of one another.

The 10th year anniversary of that event will take place, this year on the 28th of May. A day I will never forget.
© Jerald G.

Photo Copyright R. A. Jensen

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