I keep thinking about Ape Canyon. Was it named because of the... what were they? Hunters? Trappers? Miners? That suposedly shot a sasquatch and then experienced an assault on their cabin that night by unseen beings. I understand that this canyon was very close to the then still-intact Mount Saint Helens. Let's ignore, for the moment, whether Ape Canyon was so named because of just one story, or one story and a few sightings over the decades. What I am interested in is whether the local sasquatch population took the many earthquakes prior to May of 1980 as a signal to be somewhere else, somewhere far away. Or did they watch the pyroclastic flow coming down on them and think, "Must be another one of those human's ways to flsuh us out in the open for a photograph. I ain't movin'!"

Now there may not be enough sighting reports to even hint at an increase in sightings in areas aurrounding Saint Helens, but if there were, might a similar pattern appear in the near future? Your average sasquatch might not be a well-trained geologist, but the fact that at one point in time a swarm of quakes preceded a volcano blowing a significant portion of itself off (much to the detriment of anything alive in its path) might clue one in to the suggestion that another earthquake swarm could, in fact, mean very bad news again.

What this rambling post boils down to is a semi-rhetorical question. Might a migration away from a potential catastrophe show up in sighting report trends (I don't mean to suggest that there'd be sightings of an actual migration replete with many a bindle fashioned out of two-inch thick saplings slung over many a hairy shouder), or is the sasquatch population density in any one area just too small for a blip in sighting data to manifest?

If I remember correctly, the 1980 blast, which was largeyly lateral, was on the oppisite side of the mountain as Ape Canyon and the canyon was pretty much untouched. I just read that somewhere, though, so take it for what it's worth. I'd always wondered why, with all the dead critters found afterwards, no dead sassies were found.

Speaking of Ape Canyon and how the name came to be, how'bout Spirit Lake? That was also near St Helens as well. Was this name derived from Indian legends of the huge beast? Did they see them as real spirits of the forest? Or did the name have absolutely nothing to do with Bigfoot?

I would think they would.

I know this: wildfires can be great indicators on where to trap marten.

A wildfire in Alaska will push marten to the areas nearby that didn't burn. This winter in Alaska's interior can be great trapping years since this past summer's great fires have concentrated the bread & butter marten into the unburned fringes (if you have a decent trail into those areas, and if the rivers and streams freeze well enough to get into those areas).

Ape canyon was spared in the 1980 eruption but just barely. This is a pic taken in May of this year during our visit to St, Helens. We hiked this trail all the way to the base of the mountian and the top of Ape canyon. When we returned we came down the middle of the lahar in the direct background, was a rough hike, like walking on the moon.

......Oh , and a pic of Ape canyon taken in May of this year.

The 500,000 Biscuit fire in SW Oregon/NW Ca a few years ago caused an apparant increase in bigfoot sightings to the south and east as many creatures left the Kalmiopsis Wilderness ahead of the flames and into more people. A firefighter saw one cross Hwy 199 in front of their vehicle

Very good photos denlevi. They give those of us who have never been there some perspective on the layout.

>I keep thinking about Ape Canyon. Was it named because of the... what were >they? Hunters? Trappers? Miners? That suposedly shot a sasquatch and then >experienced an assault on their cabin that night by unseen beings.

I know Ape canyon was named after the Fred Beck cabin incident, according to John Green who interviewed Beck in the 50's, who was the last one alive of the group of four men who were all mining in the canyon at that time.


Ive mulled over this question of certain names givin to areas or towns for a while. I personally believe these areas where named becuase of an experience someone had, or heard of. Like the beck incident. We have a few places here in Colorado named like these, IE: Monkey creek, devil canyon.
A town near the divide named Alma ( russian name for Sasqy is Alamas, Almasy) sits at the bottom of a pass in South park, on the east side of Leadville. Leadville has a long history of reports from Indians to the early miners describing Hairy Devils in these mountains. There was a large russian immigrant population in this area as well and I have suspected they have possibly influenced the name of this small mining supply town. Although there is also a rumor it was named after the wife of the original mayor as well. I dont know for sure, but I have suspected the former.

Fred Beck = paranormal garbage. I think the whole incident, while interesting and entertaining, is complete bunk.


PS does anyone know of the exact location of the cabin or location of said attack? I woiuld like to see it in a photo like the one above.

For more photos from the Ape Canyon Trail, click here

You may get a chance to test your hypothisis. By all accounts, the USGS is throwing out a 70% chance that Mt. St. Helens is about to blow.

does anyone feel the new eruptions may have sasquatches on the move?

Only the ones living on the lava dome.

No. the last eruption killed them all off....Then they were gathered up, put in cargo nets and hauled away by gov'ment helicopters....

That like Thunder Dome? Two squatch enter, one squatch leave?

Aside from the choppers, I suspect this randomly, hazardly written post may be truer than we'd all like to believe.

If Peter Byrne's estimate of 800 to 1000 sasquatches in existence is true, and their range is extended from northern California to southeastern Alaska is accurate, and the conjecture of those who believe that their range is rapidly being eaten up by urbanization, the eruption of Mt. St. Helens may have been more devastating to sasquatchery than many of us may want to consider.

Although some of the politically focused may not want to admit, Mother Nature can alter habitat much more than humanity, and much quicker.

I'd like to point out that Mt. St. Helens made a whole bunch of Earth's surface uninhabitable rather quickly for both humans and wildlife alike, and killed everything that happened to be in it's path.

No negotiations, no excuses, no nothing.

It was certainly interesting and entertaining.

Whether it was bunk or not is opinion, because any positive or negative evidence is clearly lost. It is now legend.

Condemning or confirming legend is foolhardy.

Seeking fact from legend, however, can be the work of a fool or the work of a genius.

Which are you?