Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

A listener writes “I had moved to Los Angeles after college and often went camping with friends. On this occasion in 1988 or Spring 1989 I went for a weekend trip with a couple in the Cottonwood Lakes area.

I was in great shape and soon left the couple far behind on the hike in. I told them I would wait just before the first lake. When I got to the area I was going to wait I started looking back down the trail. About 200 yards back down the trail I noticed a quick moving dark shape duck behind a rock. I was thinking black bear as they are pretty common in the area. I climbed up on a large boulder (about 10’) for a better angle and maybe a little protection (no bear spray or firearm). From the top of the boulder I started scanning looking for the “bear”. I noticed a face looking around a boulder, dark grey…..holy crap that is no bear. Then the bigfoot I guess realized it was “busted” and got up and ran away…..looked to be about 6’ tall (man sized) so I assume it was a juvenile. Black, hair not too long (it was not flowing as it moved) but other than the dark grey face I couldn’t see much. Eyes appeared black but that was all I got. So I was pretty scared and not sure what to do so I just stayed on the boulder and waited for my friends who showed up in about an hour. They had not seen anything or noticed anything. When I went and looked at what I thought was the spot I could not see any sign but it was pretty rocky.

That night despite it being below freezing the couple slept out by the fire ring (I doubt they still allow fires anymore!) and at one point I woke up and thought I heard something so I poked my head out of the tent and could see a large black form 100 yards away on the lake shore. It was a big black blob but obviously moving, I wrote it off to a bear at the time but over the years I have often wondered. My friends were fast asleep and I just went back to sleep also, nothing else happened the rest of the weekend.”