1970's
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Humboldt County, California
Although I tell the
stories occasionally I have never officially reported any of these sighting
to anyone. For several years I worked for the Bureau of Public Roads (the
old BPR) under the Federal Hwy Administration. We only worked in National
Parks and National Forests. Working in these somewhat remote locations
Bigfoot opportunities seemed to crop up every time I turned my head.
1) We were surveying a timber access road about 5-miles up the Bluff Creek
Road, at that time a dirt road ran along side the creek for a ways. From
there we hike into the area to be timbered and survey out to the main
road to avoid advance bidder inquiries. Hiking in one morning in July
1974 we noticed how quiet it was. Usually there are birds and other animal
sounds. I had a German Shepard and my fried had his Husky with him, both
dogs stayed right under our feet and weren't running and playing as they
normally did. We sat down on a deer trail to rest. Between my friend and
I we noticed a footprint in the dust of the trail. We followed the tracks
to the area where we had been working the day before. We followed the
tracks for about 200 feet and at that point they broke over the top of
the ridge into some fairly thick growth. While standing there trying to
decide if we should follow the tracks we heard a blood curdling scream
which answered our question for us. The tracks were measured at 16-1/2
inches long and the stride was measured at just over 6 feet heel to toe.
We took pictures of the tracks and included a wad of hair we found hanging
on a sharp limb about 6 feet off the ground, and mailed them to our office
in Denver Colorado. We were afraid to go back out there but our office
told us we could carry guns if we wanted. We decided against that but
did manage to go back out there and collect the samples we mailed to the
office.
2) I was living in Sequoia National Park staying in a park service cabin
in November 1970. I was alone in the cabin as the fire season was pretty
much over. While lying on my cot one night, I see the silhouette a large
head and shoulders pass my window and wondered who was outside. It dawned
on me that the window was 6 feet above the ground. I didn't sleep much
the rest
of the night.
3) Also in Sequoia but only reported to me. Our contractor sent his backhoe
operator and a labored up to the borrow pit to bring the backhoe down
to the project sight. The borrow pit is a location away from the road
where additional soil may be excavated for the roadwork we were doing.
In short time the truck they we in came running down the road. These two
men walked up to my boss and I and asked if there had been any sightings
of Bigfoot in the area. It seemed that when they arrived at the pit they
noticed large footprints all around the equipment. They followed the prints
over to a steep bluff and there standing at the top of the bluff they
saw a large, hairy creature obviously upset that they were there, They
said the creature was hitting the ground and screaming to the point they
decided they had better leave.
I also was privy to a sighting just outside of Hayfork, California. While
with a Survey Crew working at Peanut but staying in the real nice forest
service barrack facilities in Hayfork. I had to make a trip that day so
did not go out to the field. I was in the mess hall making a late breakfast
when 3 forest service types came in. One was obviously distressed. Seemed
the other two were trying to calm him down. I guess (as they told the
story) this person was marking trees for removal by a timber contractor
and had a funny feeling all morning that something was following him.
He finally double back along his own trail to see. He said as he walked
up to a large tree a giant creature covered with hair stepped right in
front of him, saying he was face to face with Bigfoot.
Well, I guess this
guy ran off the hill at a pretty good clip and it took a while to stop
him. He said he would never go back out there and if my recollection is
correct, they brought in a helicopter to take him down the hill.
This
happened in February or March 1973…and that's the Hayfork story.
That pretty much sums things up. Not my imagination just the way things
happen. Take these stories for what they are worth.
Sincerely, Dave Roden
Monday, December 31, 2001 1:36 PM
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