I’ve been a listener for about two years now. When I first started listening it was more out of curiosity about the culture surrounding Bigfoot. Being in the PNW it’s big in pop culture.
I wasn’t a believer until I came within 50ft of one Standing in the road on McKenzie Pass. At the time I was working as delivery driver and would travel from Eugene to Bend every day with a couple stops along the way. I would make the trip at 2:30AM so it was always dark and relatively quiet along the road. I’m not a fearful man but I always hated if I had to stop somewhere along the road and get out of my truck.
There was just something about the area that made me nervous and had me feeling on edge. I would often hear strange noises along the way. Sometimes whistling or screaming. I chalked it up to campers, kids and wildlife I was unfamiliar with. I grew up in Germany as a army brat and only moved back to Oregon in 2013. So I was still learning about the local wildlife. I did this route for several years then all of a sudden things started happening more frequently. More of the Screaming, the sound of banging on wood and on two occasions something being thrown at my truck.
Shortly after that, maybe within a week or two I had my sighting. That day everything was quiet until I saw some movement up the road as I was driving. I often saw deer and sometimes bear in that area. So naturally I start slowing down. At this point the road slightly turned. As it straightened back out my Headlights were right on the creature and I realized it wasn’t a deer or bear.
At first I thought it was a person wearing a ghillie suit as I could see things hanging off of “him”. But as I got closer I noticed the arms – that’s what really stuck out to me – they were way to long and hung down to where it’s knees were. The whole creature was covered in Reddish brown fur that locked very tangled up and just overall messy. I estimate it was about 7-8ft tall and fairly slender built and I didn’t really see much of a neck on it. The best thing to compare it to is a orangutan. I was so confused by what I was looking at, that I just kept on driving. I didn’t brake or anything. I just pretty much froze up and kept heading towards it. It took two large steps and it was gone in the dark. I think I drove another 30 seconds or so before I became aware of the situation again. I stopped the truck, grabbed my mag light that I would carry with me and got out of the truck. I looked around the area where it walked off to but couldn’t see anything out there. In retrospect that probably wasn’t the smart thing to do. I was just so confused and trying to figure out what the hell I had just come across. It seemed like it wanted me to see it. Struggled with it for a while. Trying to figure out if I was losing my mind. I tried to just forget about it and pretend it didn’t happen.
Several weeks later I had another experience but this time another person was me and it was way unsettling in hindsight. Once I got thru the mountains I would meet another driver to transfer trucks. He would take the one I brought and go do the deliveries, while I took his empty one back to Eugene. The meeting spot was a small gravel parking lot just off of the highway. It was basically just a little cutout in the woods. Nothing out there besides the begin of a hiking trail. It was about a 2:30 hour there for both of us. So we would typically take a break out there, stretch a little and chat before we headed our separate ways.
That morning our trucks were parked next to each other and we where standing in between them talking and having a smoke. We started hearing what sounded like muffled voices and giggling. It sounded like people talking but we couldn’t make out the words. We both walked out from between the trucks and looked around but didn’t see anything and I got quiet again. We walked back to our trucks and right after that we started hearing it again. We walk back out and I start shinning my flashlight around. Again we don’t see anything. At this point I can tell the other driver is getting freaked out. I was thinking it’s just someone messing with us. We head back towards the trucks and right away it starts happening again this time we start hearing movement all around us. I have a concealed carry permit and always have my pistol on me.
I’m a former Army MP. This is the only time I’ve ever felt the need to draw my pistol as a civilian. I started moving towards the tree line where I thought the voices were coming from. I got about halfway until the other driver started yelling at me to come back and not go in there. He was legitimately terrified. I realized he was right and me stomping off into the dark woods by myself wasn’t smart. I slowly backed up towards the trucks, told him to get into his start it up and turn the lights on. After he did that I got into mine and we both got the hell out of there.
We had no other suitable meeting spot along that road so we had to keep meeting there but we did not really hang around there anymore for a break. However about two weeks after that happened I got there a few minutes before the other driver. I was waiting in my truck when I saw deputy pull into the lot, get out of the truck and start looking around with a flashlight. First he shined it into the tree line and then he started focusing it on the ground. He was definitely looking for something. I really wanted to get out and talk to him but I thought approaching him in the dark in the middle of nowhere like that might not be the best idea. After about ten minutes he left again. And the other driver quit his job the next day. He was legitimately terrified by that morning. And I came to realize he was absolutely right to be.
That morning something was trying to lure us into the woods. I’m convinced of that. And like a idiot I was going to wander straight in there if he didn’t stop me that morning. I started searching online for some answers and the only thing of value that I could find is that the plateau Indians in that area have legends about stick Indians that describe that sort of behavior. They’re reservation is relatively close to those woods. It’s basically just on the other side of that forest. This all happened in late 2018.”
Glen K
(New Jersey) When I read about encounters like this one, I often think of Justine, of Mountain Beast Mysteries. I really enjoy following his expeditions. However, Justine often travels to locations that are so remote that I wonder if you could find a bird there, much less a Bigfoot. He goes to places I certainly never heard of, like Nordeg, Canada. He brings the finest equipment money can buy, and puts so much time and effort on his expeditions To date, he has not spotted a Bigfoot. I am really rooting for him, and hope he has an encounter in the near future. Then I read about encounters such as this one, where someone is just driving along, minding their business, and look what I found! For some reason, when I contrast the two situations, it annoys me to no end!! Oh well, in the end, I wish all those success in their search.
Paul M
All I can say is if you 2 guys been swapping trucks there night after night for months = Well they could have been watching this for awhile and kinda gotten used to it = YOU WERE ENTERTAINING = it’s a fact they could have attacked you in the dark if they wanted… And just maybe the deputy had some other people REPORT WIERD things in This area
Sharon H
This would make a good interview. Thanks Wes!
Jon C
The geography of the Sasquatch phenomenon is as intriguing as the described behavior. Intuitively I feel this location is similar to many others in the Oregon Cascades… lush, lava flows with caves nearby, and the clearest , coldest spring-fed rivers and lakes in the country. I am not surprised to hear that description of the reddish inhabitant as that is the color of a Bigfoot reported within the Santiam & McKenzie drainages nearby. This is a highly traveled and recreated region with a rich history (Ray Crowe knowed!!). Personally, even being aware it is a 411 area, I sense a curious and tolerant presence camping out in Old Cascades locales… get away from the car, but don’t wander off without maps and studying satellite views . Be prepared so you can rest and be quiet because… by golly it is really common when you retire at dark that you can hear these fellas creep slowly in to investigate, signaling soft-stomp to one another, to see what you got laying about. First you hear a knock , a tossed rock, snapping and tap… clack-clack. Your cooler lid will get lifted and dropped & a bottle will rattle about and then a huff or mumble… usually that’s it!