OK, please don't get too excited to see this! Since Thursday, I think I've had about 12 hours of sleep and it's really starting to catch up, so this is just a starter post. All the pictures and stuff will be coming later. We got in around 2:30 on Thursday and very intelligently closed the bar across the street last night and I'm not getting any younger, so here we go...

First off, I can tell you that this afternoon we were treated to a Bob Gimlin giving us a first hand description of what happened that day in 1967. It was...amazing. I don't want to sound too saccharine or soppy or anything, but the joint was dead silent during his retelling. It was, in an odd sort of way, a magical moment. I don't know. I'm tired so maybe I'm overplaying it. We'll have to wait for the others to get home and post to get their opinions. Mine? Just...wow. Really cool.

Which just about sums up the whole thing, really. This is some of the best fun I think I've ever had. The first morning, I went for a little walk around the block to get a lay of the land and as I came back into the motel parking lot who do I see but John Green standing by his car talking to Bob Gimlin. I mean, come on! Legend A next to Legend B. I know, I sound like teenager, but it was damned cool.

The first day's schedule was must stronger than day 2's, IMO. Green's keynote kicked it off. Several memorable moments from his speach:

- He warned those who assosiate with others who claim to have frequent and intimate contact with bogfoot to be very cautious. He says claims of this sort come and go and have never amounted to anything. Hmm. Wonder what made him say that?

- Early on in his his talk, he paused and said, "But that's about the future, and I'm here to talk about the past." There was something profoundly moving to me about that statement. It really touched me.

- He also took the position (again) that the only way to successfully resolve this myster will be to bring a body for science for dissection. And he warned they wouldn't be satisfied with just one. Science will require many bodies. He said not to kid yourself about that. He related seeing a freezer full of chimp bodies "stacked like cordwood" several years ago, all destined for scientific examination. Basically, according to Mr. Green, if you don't want to see that happen, then get out of the field and pretend like sasquatch don't exist and hope everyone else forgets about them. But of course, he said, that's not going to happen. Not a new position for him, but I thought it was a gutsy position to take in the keynote in front of a crowd (I think) mostly consisting of those opposed to what he was saying.

Bottom line with Green: The man's a giant and I will be forever grateful I was able to come and see him speak for myself.

OK, starting to get really tired now, so I'll have to stop. Let me just finish this installment by saying this is by far coolest thing I've done in quite a while. And the best part hasn't just been the scheduled speakers. There have been many opportunities to just stand around and chat with people I never thought I be talking to. People like Meldrum and Bindernagel and Jimmy Chilcutt and Gimlin, just to name a few. And everyone's so nice and approachable and willing to talk. I mean, just too cool!

I know I sound like a giddy teenager or something, but work with me here a little bit! When and where would you be able to just strike up conversations with the likes of Bob Gimlin or John Bindernagel or Jimmy Chilcutt all in the same room? In unbelievable. I just can't beleive my luck...

Oh, yeah. Today during Alton Higgins' excellent discussion of the methods he uses in examining photos, he used the term 'blobsquatch'. It was up the screen, big as life. Now, I'm told by RB and Fish that this term may have started right here on BFF. If true, that would be cool. Anyone ever see that anywhere else before? Just wondering. Also, and much more importantly, he showed two photos from Oklahoma that showed an animal bearing a striking resemblance to the PG animal. Really incredible and probably the best photographic evidence I've seen produced in the past several years. Unfortunately, the source of the photos has requested the BFRO not allow them to be posted on the internet, so there's no telling when or where we'll ever see the again. It's really too bad considering Higgin's comparison of Patty to this animal was very, very compelling.

We're heading off to Bluff Creek in the morning for two days of camping. This'll probably be the last post for several days. I can tell you many pictures are being taken and at least Tug is taking really good notes (thanks, Tug!).

See you in a few days!

OH GOD HOW OVERWHELMINGLY COOL

This is history in the making people....

Sorry B, I couldn't help but get mucho exited, way to go dude.....

My sentiments exactly Vol. ( I'm not there.)

Good god, that reads like I was drunk or somthing when I wrote it...

OK, I'm back for a minute. Problem with travelling West is that time difference. Just can't sleep in no matter how late I went to bed...

So another cool thing from yesterday was Rick Noll's Skookum cast discussion. I found it really interesting not only to hear how they found the cast, but also how they go about staging an expedition of that kind. IMO, he very ably demonstrated that an elk could not have made the cast. He showed film of an elk getting up from a prone position and it's obvious that if it were an elk who made the impressions, their hoofs would have made imprints directly beneath where they were laying. Those imprints are not found on the cast. Daniel "Danny" Pirez asked Rik towards the end of his presentation if he felt the chances the cast were made by a bigfoot were 100%. Rick said shortly, "No," which made Danny furiously scribble in his notepad. Just to make the record complete, you should know Rick went on to further say it would be "stupid" to say there was a 100% chance it was a bigfoot since no one saw an animal make the impression, but neither has anyone been able to adequately describe what other kind of animal could have made the impressions. Danny had no follow-up questions.

That's really it for the next few days. As soon as I post this, I'm gonna start to pack and get ready to go. Believe me, every one of us wishes that every one who didn't make it could be here!

Biptofink out.

I am SOOOOOOO envious but so happy that you guys are out there experiencing all this. To see John Green and Bob Gimlin talking together on the street? Wow, what a surreal moment!

Bipto, you're doing a wonderful job of taking us there....can't wait to hear more!

Sounds like you are having one heck of a good time! We are definately waiting on the pictures you have to show. It really sounds like they have a good video you seen. I wish I could have seen it!! Shucks, I miss all the good stuff. Oh well at least you all were there and can come back and tell us all about it. We are waiting anxiously. Good luck on the camp out in Bluff Creek!



Yeah, I wonder.

It would be great if the so called ,Discovery and Learning cable shows would film these big events.
So much new evidence and information is brought to these gatherings. But nooo they keep showing the cheesy old insearch of junk.

Glad that you had a good time.

Thanks Bipto for taking the time to post that. It's almost like being there....NOT!

That's kewl about the "blobsquatch" term. I wonder.



Yeah...but I thought you were drunk cause you did say...



and then went on to refer to bigfoot as "bogfoot".



You know I'm just razzin' ya Bipto. You sound tired and really excited to be there above anything else. I can relate.

Like Stacy said...I'm very envious, but also very happy for you and the rest of the BFF crew.

Hurry back all, we miss you. The forum's been dead with you all gone. I came in yesterday morning for a while and I was the only one here. Then I came back later yesterday evening and Robert was the only other one here....and he doesn't post much.

I hope you guys stay safe camping and have a blast. Who knows, maybe you will see Patty.

Sounds soooo cool Bipto. I would have been just as starstruck as you were. I really wanted to go too. That is just the coolest thing ever that you got to hear Gimlin tell his story. I can't wait till you guys get back with the pictures. Glad you are having such a great time.

Oh and that blobsquatch thing was sooo awesome! I really think that originated here. If not here than on George's board. It smacks of either Fishbone or JimF.

I'm sooooooooooooooooooo jealous!!!

Thanks so much for keeping us up to date and informed about the symp. Bipto- those patty#2 pics you mentioned that they showed, did you manage to get a snapshot of them??? Maybe we could still honor the "no web" posting comment, but what about emailing them privately?

Please tell me that you pulled a James Bond and got some secret photos of these photos?????

If not, can you describe them a bit more when you get the chance?

Above all else, have fun out there everybody!!!

I actually heard a report about the symposium on the national radio. I was flipping through the radio stations and heard the word sasquatch, which stunned me for a second. I don't know how long the spot was, I only got to hear two questions. Basically, a reporter was interviewing someone at the symposium (didn't get to hear the names of the reporter or interviewee).

The first question I heard him ask was about Ray Wallace. The reporter then said, for the listeners that don't know about him, Ray lived his entire life at Willow Creek and died there recently. At which point the person interviewed proceeded to correct the reporter and then give a little background on Ray.

The second question asked was close to "Do you believe there are many bigfoot or just one?" Which was responded to as "If there is only one bigfoot, then its a hoax."

So overall, it was nice to see the event covered in the national media, but it was dissapointing in the questions asked. I just wish I had heard the entire interview. Does anyone at the symposium know who was interviewed? Thanks for the update bipto.

AAAAAAAAAAAagggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

I wanna see those photo's from Oklahoma

Glad you guys got to be there, I know we'll be quizzing
you for days (weeks?) on all the details...

This post is with regard to Rick Noll's discussion of the skookum cast. I consider the Patterson film to be that of a real Sasquatch. I have some very good reasons for doing so. So , I felt pretty good , using the Patterson creature for a touchstone , to see if I could come up with a way of verifying , in some way , Rick's casting. I sifted through the frames , in order to see if there was a frame , with a similar posture as the subject of his casting. I did find one that was somewhat similar , and I proceeded to lay it into the casting. What I was looking for , was an aspect ratio. In other words , if I sized the thigh to fit the thigh print , would the heel and forearm fit also , in size that is. also , when the heel lay in the casting , what angle would the bottom of the foot be , would they match. While this image is not a perfect overlay , I think you can see that if the creature , rolled on further on her side and pulled her right arm under her, that the curvature of the thigh would quite likely match , as well as the forearm and heel . M.K.Davis

For some reason, it is not letting me edit my previous post. I just wanted to add that the radio spot was on NPR.

I may be wrong but I thnk it did originate here last year.It was something we were originally reffering to as "bigfoot blobs", which as usually happens around here got got interchanges with "squatch blobs" and eventually the ever popular "blobsquatch".

> "Do you believe there are many bigfoot or just one?"

Crack me up. Gotta love them ol' reporters. Must be hard taxing the brain coming up with such intelligent and incisive questions.

Awesome stuff, Bipto! Thanks so much for keeping us informed, and in real-time too!

Cant wait to hear about Bindernagels and Chillicuts info!

Thanks again!

I agree MM. What a stupid question. Oh yeah there is just one and she is about 70 years old but she gets around cause we got sightings all over the country.

Me too! Were they film based (I hope)? Clear (I hope)? I wonder if there is a way Bipto can figure out how to share them with BFF members and still keep them off the internet. I hope he gives us more info about them when he gets back.

Monday afternoon and I just got home from the symposium, it was so cool to be able to speak with the true legends of this subject. I talked one on one with Bob Gimlin for about 20 minutes I also had the chance to have Dr. Meldrum look at the video I took of the track I found at Louse camp back in june , he was impressed by it and requested a copy of my video to take back to look at more in his lab.

I also had the guys from OLN ask for a copy of it too it was so cool to be there its hard to put it into words also all the guys I met from BFF, Bipto,titus,RB,steamrunner ect... it was a great pleasure to meet all of you guys and a few new friends as well there was just an unreal amount of positive support from all those who attended and trust me on this people if they have it again next year find a way to go and go you will not regret it it was truely awsome being there. Sean

How cool, BFF made its mark in BF terminology. BLOBSQUATCH.

I am positive it originated here huring a discussion about photos. It kind of morphed into the term we all love. Glad to see it used like that. Bipto you should be proud.

See Bipto the beer thread did have something relevant to add finally.JK Thanks to RobUstes

I also attended the Symposium.

It was the chance of a lifetime meeting some of the pioneers of the field of sasquatch research. It was filled with great information and first hand accounts. My head is still spinning. Mr. Green was a great speaker as were the rest.

When Mr. Gimlin recounted his side of the story of the 1967 film it was the highlight of the symposium. Hearing him discribe what happened while patterson was filming was awesome. Play by play. down to discribing the horses that they where riding. Also what he did when it was happening. As patty turned her head towards patterson was when he got down off his horse and readied his rifle in case it attacked. To hear it directly from him to say the least was powerful. He got a standing ovation.

ken Ken Yielding

P.S.

As I mentioned to some of the people that i met there at the symposium. I had a sighting on labor day weekend with my girlfriend and her child. 11:00 pm less than 100 feet away. It looked right at me as i was walking back from taking the 7 year old to the bathroom.

I will start a new thread about my encounter.

I wish I could have made it out.

Maybe next year.

Tugboat here... self-proclaimed chronicler of the Bigfoot Symposium.

Just got back from Willow Creek, Louse Camp, Bluff Creek... I feel like I just got back from the moon.

Don't know if this was the most important thing that happened during the weekend, but we found a print, possibly a Bigfoot track while exploring the P/G filmsite yesterday afternoon.

As did Bipto, I took a lot of pictures (but not nearly enough)... Bipto said he may make a webpage were all the Symposium attendees can post their photos.

As far as note taking, let me add this - before the Symposium started, we were talking and I suggested that we all take notes, then everyone could compare thoughts on this thread. And of course,
I was the only one to take notes on every speaker.

The closest event that I can compare the Symposium to is the San Diego ComiCon, which I attended in the early '70s. I felt like a groupie all weekend, got tons of autograph's (from Green, Bidernagel, Steenburg... even got Perez to sign his reprint of Bigfoot at Bluff Creek). You'll hear more about 'ole Danny as the posts grow!

Met Bipto, RB, Fishbone, Paul (and his brother, Dermot), Titus, Goldie, Ice Dragon, EC Wool... probably many more that my beer-soaked brain has expelled from it's memory.

Still suffering from "driving lag." Going to start posting summaries of each speaker later.

Bipto was scheduled to leave Sacramento at 12:30 pm, PDT... Fishbone leaves at 10:30 tonight. So, for awhile, you're a left with my version of the Symposium .

Excellent Tug, thanks!

Not home yet. At RB's home. Tired, confuzzled, weary, but we had one hell of a great time. I'll definitely have more to add once I get back home but I just wanted to hop in and say, "Hi!"

Now I gotta' go finish sorting out all of my stuff and figuring out how I'm gonna' fit it all back into the suitcases.

C'ya soon!

HA HA. I got to post ahead of Bipto since he's still on the plane!

MY TRIP TO WILLOW CREEK by Tugboat

Left Vancouver, WA at 06:15... drove straight through to Hilt, CA, where I bought the most expensive gasoline of my life, $2.27.9 a gallon.

Turned west on CA-96 (the State of Jefferson Scenic Bi-way). The road follows the Klamath River, crossing the river several times before reaching Willow Creek. At Happy Camp, CA, I saw my first sign of Bigfoot on a sign for Parry's Supermarket. Bigfoot is reclined over the top of the sign, much like Burt Reynold's classic centerfold for Cosmopolitan. In the center of town you will find a 20'-tall metal sculpture of our furry friend.

From this point, CA-96 has been re-named the Bigfoot Scenic Bi-way... heah, it attracts tourists. In my family this stretch of road is affectionately known as "the Puke Highway." I'll spare you the colorful details.

Onto Willow Creek, where I arrive about 15 minutes before the museum closes. I hurriedly go through the museum (which doesn't take that long... inspite of the seemingly huge addition, the Bigfoot Annex is only one room, probably as big as most people's living room. While it was cool to see all the memorabilia from the Bob Titmus collection, as well as the Skookum Cast (which really needs a digram to be understood), I felt a bit let down by the museum. On the plus side, they did have a good selection of books for sale... I grabbed Bindernagel's book, as well as Perez' pamphphlet, and Steenburg's second book.

Then it was onto Arcata, CA - then dinner with Paul1968UK (and his brother, Dermot) and Titus. We dined at the Samoa Cookhouse, formerly a cookhouse for a lumber company. Titus told us his tale of being trapped at the P/G filmsite for several days, when it rained. Great people!

Excellent idea and one I was going to suggest upon Bipto's return.

Day One - The Symposium Begins

I arrive at the Willow Creek - Bigfoot Museum parking lot around 08:30. Almost immediately, Bipto taps me on the shoulder.... massive hilairity ensues... introduced to RB and Fishbone. No one looks as I had imagined... well, except Brian (but I'd seen his picture in the forum .)

We visit the museum, which has opened early... and try to decipher the Skookum cast, which still has no key (or diagram)... without an explanation, the cast looks like a mad-child's fingerprint project gone horribly awry.

Outside in the parking lot, the unsuspecting speakers rapidly become besieged with autograph seekers... "Could you sign my three books, Mr Green? And this, for a friend... Could you personalize it?
Note to Green fans - he will not personalize autographs, unless he knows the person it is being personalized to!

Registration begins... Fishbone and I find the staff have managed to butcher our first names... adding an"e" to Tim and spelling Jerry with an "n" rather then the usual "double r" that I've used for most of my life. Of course both Time and Jeny become running jokes for the weekend.

After lunch it's on to Willow Creek Elementary School, where the actual Syposium takes place.

John Green opens the Symposium in the spot originally reserved for Jane Goodall -
"Even though I have the same initials as her, it is a great misfortune that Miss Goodall was unable to attend as her stature might have caught wide notice."
Green dedicated the Symposium to the memory of Bob Titmus, noting that Titmus had almost single-handedly started the field of Bigfoot research, bringing to Willow Creek, Ivan T. Sanderson, as well as Green himself. Many of the items on display in the Museum were donated by Bob's wife, after Titmus' death.
Green believes Sasquatch represents a single form of "bi-pedal wildlife" - and made the following points about the Sasquatch phenomena -
1- The story of Sasquatch is one that can't be shaped to fit our fantasies... we must be willing to change our "image" of Sasquatch to fit the facts.
2- We are dealing woth an animal... and the study of Sasquatch will require more then one cadaver for dissection purposes.
3- Green believes Sasquatch is an animal, because, not only of what he has learned in his years of study, but because of what science has learned of human origin.
4- There is nothing new about claims of detailed viewing of Sasquatch, or for that matter, people who see, or smell, something everytime they go into the woods. Every researcher has his, or her, cross to bear... "mine is the Albert Ostman story."
5- But there are detailed, as well as seemingly reliable accounts... Glenn Thomas and William Roe, for example. Ruby Creek, which came to light in 1957, produced a casting almost identical to a casting in Bluff Creek, CA.
6- Of 3,647 cases in Green's files, only 40 have a male and female together.
7- Smell is mentioned in only 72 reports, with 14 described as "strong," 4 describe a "mild" smell, while 26 reports mention no smell from a distance of 10' or less. Green believes any smell may a "fear odor" as described by Diane Fossey.
8- 1182 sightings by hunters, loggers, or recreationists.
9- most common sighting is "the one seen on the side of the road."
10- Although it was very tedious entering all the information from his files into computers, there are noticeable trends that have appeared (ie, migration, time of day, time of year, moon phase, etc.)

On the subject of Ray Wallace, Green said the first paper to print the story was responsible, "but the rest of the press was highly irresponsible." The Wallace clan doesn't even know how the fake footprints were made. Also against the Wallace clasim is the fact that the discovery of the tracks in the Bluff Creek area strongly interfered with Wallace's contract to construct Bluff Creek Road.

LOL...Time and Jeny....I'll be still laughing about that one this time tomorrow!

DAY ONE continues...

Dr. John Bindernagel - What is it that makes people think they've seen Bigfoot and not an upright bear?

- long arms, short neck, flat
- female creatures seen
- short thick neck
- large nostrils (like a gorilla)
- pointed (or somewhat pointed) head... "a saggital crest" - an attachment of muscles to the upper jaw
saggital crests may occur in either male or female gorillas, with size appearing to be the determining factor
- deep-set eyes (an almost mythological description)
- pursed lips (seen in NW totems and in pictures of chimps)
NW totems exist with a thunderbird on top and a Wild Man of the Woods on the bottom
- Wild Giants of the mountains throw rocks at viewers, as do chimpanzees
- Chest-beating (as the gorillas do) are seen in Sasquatch
- the tracks are prime evidence... "tracks often appear as if something was walking on a tightrope"

People believe in Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, "because they like to believe in it!"

Dr. Bindernagel's presentations and papers have been rejected by wildlife meetings and seminars "due to recent stories in the press" (apparently referring to the Ray Wallace stories

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but I will respond quickly to this. I did not attempt to get the photo, either on video or using my digital camera. They were quite clear that those who took it did not want it on the internet and I bet anyone willing to test that would have found themselves out on their butt in short order. Basically, after seeing Alton Higgs's comparison of the animal in the new picture to Patty, it just didn't seem right to possibly screw up what they're doing there.

There were two in the sequence and they were not super clear. You could not see nearly the detail found on the PG film, but you could make out was was possibly musculature and abdominal definition. Honestly, I can't remember much about the first, but the second shows the figure turning to its right to walk into the woods. If you flip a frame of Patty walking upstream away from Patterson, you see the two animals in basically the same position. Alton drew some lines to compare the two animal's corporation's and found that they were very close. The Oklahoma animal was bigger and did not appear to be female, but it could have been Patty's cousin...

I hope this photo gets released soon, because I think it's extremely important. I wouldn't be surprised if it showed up on Legend Meets Science 2 (that was hinted at - apparently they're looking for funding right now).

Outstanding, Tug! I had forgotten some of that...

I'll only add two things right now. Green did mention the Ostman story and still thinks Al was telling the truth. Many physical traits he described were not public knowledge at the time and were later backed up by other reports (again and again). Green firmly believes the story. Apparently, so does John Bindernagel because I'm reading his book now and he uses Ostman's descriptions as if they were fact.

Also, Green will tell you he does not personalize books, but Fish was able to get him to do it. Must have been his smooth Southern talking...

While you all was networking with Green and the rest....
Wonder what Mary, voice of God and one of the most inlfluencial bigfoot researchers of our time, was up to...

Good question Nightwing.

Hi folks; I just returned from the symposium. I agree that Day 1 was the most stimulating of the 2 days....unfortunately, the trip to Bluff Creek also turned out to be stimulating - on the bus ride to the transfer point from the bus to the 4x4's, I began to feel nauseated and ended up getting sick. Since I did not want to repeat the experience on the 4x4 ride to Bluff Creek, I decided to head back with a couple of others who feeling less than perfect. It turns out both my wife and I ended up with food poisoning. Oh well, I plan on driving to Bluff Creek next year and doing some camping in the area.

Regarding the symposium, I did not find that there was a great deal of new information that came out of the sesssions (95% of what was discussed came from the lecturers' respective publications); however, just listening to and seeing in person the pioneers and leaders in the field made the week-end worthwhile. I even managed to speak briefly with Dr. Bindernaegel (who is coming to Calgary next year) and Mr. Green (both of whom were very gracious). I was most impressed with Bob Gimlin, specifically his quiet and credible manner. I was mesmerized when he related his story about the Bluff Creek incident (further, for a man who is almost 72 years old, he still looks like he good kick butt of guys 1/2 his age and twice his size LOL)...

The entire experience was well worth the cost and time of travel. It was a pleasure meeting Paul, Brian, RB and Sean as well as the other attendees. I look forward to repeating the experience in the future at other symposiums.

James

Three words: Home Shopping Network

Oh yeah! I wouldn't mess with him...

DAY ONE continues...

Dr. Jeff Meldrum The hallmark of the homonoid locotor system is the grasping toe.

Mid-tarsal break in apes - used as a test ape was "Jason," walking repeatedly across a box filled with sand, to get an example of the mid-tarsal break. After trying the sand-box test the first time, Jason was put into a holding cage, watching as Meldrum and Jason's handler raked the box smooth.
Following his second attempt walking through the sand-box, Jason looked back at the holding cage, then at Meldrum and his handler (Jason's, not Meldrum's), then back at the holding cage. Jason then went back to the box, and erased his footprints with his hands.

Human footprints show a pressure ridge just behind the toes. Bigfoot tracks seem to indicate the prsence of a mid-tarsal break.

After the Patterson/Gimlin film, Patterson chose to cast tracks which were too "perfect" - so flat that nothing could be learned from them. Lyle Laverty took a series of photos which show a mid-tarsal break (tracks show up very well in Bluff Creek soil.) Bob Titmus cast 10 consecutive tracks, one of which was the same as in the Laverty photo.

Meldrum's conclusion: " The Patterson film shows flat-footed mid-tarsal breaks and bi-pedalism!"

A Blue Creek Mountain "half-cast" of a 1967 track "clearly shows mid-tarsal breaks."

Blue Mountains, WA ('96) photo shows toe slippage and typical front half-track.

Meldrum's conclusion - "Hominids may have been bi-pedal for over three- and as much as seven-million years."

A big thanks to all of you posting info from the Symposium for those of us that could not go.

A special big thanks to Tugboat, who took such incredible notes. He did this at the Hillsboro conference and again at Willow Creek.

I will also note that is anyone needs a tour of really cool places and homes in Portland, Tug is your man! I had a great lunch with him and a mysterious stranger who kept mis-prounouncing Or-eh-gun!

Redwolf

How was the Jane Goodall video? I was really curious to hear what she had to say.

-Sarge

It was curiously missing!

In my defense, I simply showed her and her friend two of the neat houses in the West Hills.

I am not a tour guide!

I asked you to take notes...

but, NNNnnnnooooOOOOoooooo!!!!!!

Your obediant chronicler takes a well deserved break from trying to read his notes, and will now
"tell you a story,
the story of a fateful trip,
eight BFFers set that day,
on a three-hour drive...
a three hour drive.

The road went... and up... and up...
up the hill we went."

Anyway, on Monday, myself, Bipto, RB, Fishbone, Paul, Dermot, and Titus took a long, dusty field trip to beautiful Patterson/Gimlin Meadows. Upon arriving, we found Steven Iness, son of Orey Iness, exploring the filmsite. He became an impomptu guide, showing a bear bed at the base of a tree, and leading the group to the "alleged" filmsite.

I say "alleged" because there is nothing recognizable, at first glance, at the "site." It may, or may not be site... it's been almost 36 years, and there must have been numerous floods in that time.

Anyhow, to make a long story short, I went exploring and found a possible track. While walking down to the creek, I was attempting to pass around the end of a downed tree, when I damn near stepped in it.

I'm not saying it's from Bigfoot... it could be a hoax (after all, it was just over a day following the guided tours to the filmsite - over 100 people were down at the site Sunday.

On the plus side, it was the size of a large human footprint, except the heel seems to be wider than that of a human. It also appeard to exhibit characteristics of a "mid-tarsal break."

I did try to make a bootprint next to the track and my 230-pound frame was only able to sink into the gravel-covered sand less than a half-inch, while the heel of the track appeared to be about three times as deep.

Is it a real Bigfoot track? Don't know - but it was cool finding the track.

Unfortunately, I seem unable to attach a photo to this post. Sorry.

I've finally pooped out. I will continue with my notes tomorrow afternoon.

If you can't get it to post..
Send me the pic, I'll get it here for you!

Take a much needed (and earned) rest Tug. Thanks for taking such good notes and sharing with us less fortunate ones.

Then tomorrow (today?) get your butt back in here and show us that track photo! How exciting that must have been. Just one question, when you spotted the track did you stop and look around you?