Jones Camp, California
At the base of Thompson Mountain, Trinity Alps Wilderness
September 1967

A friend and I came across the tracks in late September of 1967 while deer hunting in a place called Trinity Alps Wilderness Area, not to far from a place called Thompson Mountain at about the 7500 ft. elevation mark. This is in Northern California west of Redding. We had horse backed in to a place we called Jones Camp at the base of Thompson Mountain.

I dropped into a small streambed as the walking was easier and it was in this creek bed where I saw the tracks. Neither my friend or I had a camera and the only way we had of taking a rough measurement was going from the end of my gun barrel to about where the end of the fore grip was. Later we measured it back at camp and it was about 15 inches long. Many times over the years we wished we would have had a camera with us but didn't, to young I guess. We followed the tracks down stream for over four hundred yards before they left the streambed and took off up the mountain (Thompson Mountain). The tracks were very clear and looked to be very fresh as the water was still oozing into the imprints in the silt areas.

We also heard a large animal going through the Red Oaks ahead of us but without seeing the animal it could have been a bear. We never reported this to anyone as we didn't want to be called "nuts" or whatever. But I'll tell you this, seeing those tracks sure made the hair stand up from the top of your head to the bottoms of your feet. I'm a large guy and my foot prints were not near as deep in the mud as those were. If you want any more information just ask and I'll try to supply it. Thank you Gary L. Reinhardt

Sent to Bobbie Short Friday, August 17, 2001 11:41 AM