Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

Sep 22

SC EP:364 Worst Day Ever

I will return on Sunday for the members. Duke showed up for the intro of the show. I hope you guys and gals enjoy.

A listener writes “Hello Wes, Theo here in Yucaipa Ca. The city of Yucaipa is located near the mountain areas. One of the many mountain areas where I’m at is San Bernardino National Forest. I can literally drive about 20 minutes and I’m there.

I am an avid hiker, so much that I hike every weekend in the forest. I’m 47 years old and have experience in this.

On Saturday August 5 of this year 2017 I was with my GF and we decided to go hiking in The San Bernardino National forest ( Big Bear ) as we were driving up the old Highway 38 route we were having good conversation then about 10 miles away from Big Bear city she said ” I saw a monkey “! I slowed the car and asked her ” what?” She said I saw a monkey standing on the side of the lower part of the mountain! She continued saying.. it was standing up straight on two legs and looking our way as we were driving! By now I couldn’t stop due to heavy traffic coming from behind us. Highway 38 there isn’t a lot of room to pull off. We kept driving. I asked her what it looked like. She stated it looked like a monkey but as big as me! She stands Five Six tall same as me. It was dark brown color and standing on two feet and legs. It had long arms and looking at the road where we were driving. She wasn’t sure about the weight but if it was as big as her and I it had to have been around 130-170 lbs.

it got kinda quiet and we talked about it being a possible Big Foot. I left it at that, I didn’t want to press my luck. So now back to our day out. As we drove through Big Bear city to find our destination. We found the road that led to the one of many hiking trails. It was called Pine Knot Trail. We geared up and we hit the trail that day. We talked and enjoyed ourselves. About 4 miles in the forest off the trail I noticed something odd it was outta place. A very tall tree standing around 70 feet or more but with a huge portion of another tree stuck in the middle of it. I appeared to be snapped on both ends and roughly estimated height was around 8 feet high . This massive piece of a tree was placed in the middle of this standing tree! Now that piece didn’t fall and it didn’t belong from that area of trees. It didn’t fit! I immediately started to record it on my iPhone. As I looked around we both noticed other breakings around.

She was trying to rationalize it saying it was lightning. There were No burn markes and what happened to the rest of the tree? We continue on our hike and start to notice along the trail. Tree breaks , branches were broken but twisted and pointed down wards. I told her just keep walking. I had my hand on my machete. I always carry one with me on the side of my right leg. We walked past a camp site, people were talking, laughing. We continued and made it to part of our destination. Sky View point. We were already 7,000 feet sitting on a rock looking out. Had lunch and rested. We geared back up and decided to walk a different trail back. That’s when things changed for us. It went from a good day to a nervous situation really fast. We had walked about 3 miles in on this trail ( Cabin trail).

We started hearing a loud grunt. We could hear it walking in the tree line down about 30 feet away from us. We never saw it not at first. This lasted about 35 minutes on this trail. Then we stopped, we couldn’t hear any birds, squirrels nothing. As we walked the trail got thicker and deeper in the woods. I stopped and waited for about 5 minutes looking around and listening. We heard nothing. I removed my machete and I told my GF to hold her knife in her hand. The one she had was only 6 inches long. It was better than nothing. I walked first with her hanging on with her left hand on my pack. As we walked through the thicket that was now almost as tall as us. We heard something walking through the trees and bush above us on our left. About 20 feet away. Then we heard a loud whistle to the right of us. She was almost in tears. I had the feeling of were not going home today. I was scared. All I knew was that I would try my best to protect my girl. Shortly after this happened we picked a nasty smell, like a wet dog and trash is the only way I can describe it. It was foul. We were trying to decide at this point if we should turn back but we knew we had gone in pretty far. We decided to keep walking through the bush.

These things that were following us from both sides were taunting us. Letting us know they were there. Finally we made it to a clearing at the top of trail. It was a logging site. No one was around, empty cabins. I knocked on a couple of doors and nothing. There were big tractors and other equipment around but we were the only ones there. I noticed Security signs ADT I figured if I had to I would kick in a door or window and set the alarm off. We decided to walk on. We were walking down the clear part of the trail we immediately looked back and saw a very large creature walking quickly across the trail in back of us about 50 ft away. It was large about 7 ft and weighed maybe 400 lbs, long brown hair Not fur. We didn’t see a face but it was big. We walked really fast still with my machete in my hand. We picked up the pace for about another 50 ft and came across a paved road. We then saw a large 4 door SUV . There were 4 guys in it. They stopped and asked us if we were ok. We said yes. They asked us if we came from Cabin trail and we said yes. The front passenger said ” we never hang around in that area if we don’t have to ” as he was talking I noticed he had a 308 rifle with a big scope mounted on it.

The driver told us to follow the road that we weren’t far away from where we parked at the trail head. They were the only ones we saw out there that day. Until we arrived to the car. It was a quite ride home. I felt like crying afterwards and I was trying my best to hold it together. We haven’t been back to that trail since then. Thank You if you do read this. Ever since then I’ve had other strange occurrences happen to me in the forest.

Thank You”

 


 

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96 Responses to “SC EP:364 Worst Day Ever”

    • Martin Z

      Sorry to put my comment up here where it don’t belong but………… I’m not calling anyone a liar however I know for a fact that a machetes are illegal in Cali not mention a ‘308’. You can only have a dull toothpick as protection in Cali, as long as it can’t hurt nobody. You must also take 800 hours of toothpick safety classes and pay $5,000.00 a year for a permit. California is once again on the forefront leading the rest of the county into confiscation. Way to stand up for yourselves Cali!
      Our country is going to be over run by sasquatch and we won’t be able to defend ourselves, unless we take toothpick classes and pay the annual fee.

      • Diana S

        I have a machete hanging on my wall that I purchased at harbor freight in Los Angeles, CA. My sons both have Katanas purchased in CA. So yes, you can own a machete in CA without license or lessons.

        • Jay Carlsen

          Oh mam …………. ahhhhh …………………………………………………. I do not ever wish to see that Thing ever again ! I had it pace me from just off the Side of the Road , one night.
          Later , after I was walking away from my chosen Destination – after the Sun came up in the Sky. I had turned out of the Wind to lite a Cigarette …….. And I seen a 9 – 10 foot tall Gorilla standing in the next Fire Lane of the Christmass Tree field I was walking.
          It stood there Frozen like a Statue ! Someone here asked if I thought that it assumed I was Blind ? ( Like I couldn’t see it ?
          As I could not see it walking off the side of the Road earlier that Night ? ) And that was the Perfect Description of what I was looking at !
          But when I stood there Gawking like a fool – I heard a Stick snapped in 2 pieces right behind Me ! When I turned to see what was Sneaking up behind me , and nothing was there !?! Reality of my Position I was in collapsed om top of Me and I ran like a Terrified Child to the Paved Road that was just 2 Lanes over from the One I was walking down.
          I have believed in these things since 1978 . After my Family moved up north from Detroit. And the People who moved in up stairs of the old Farmhouse we were renting had a 18 inch Human Looking Footprint cast in Plaster. Which I got to Hold , if I sat on the Couch . I was 7 years old at the Time.
          But when I seen that Gorilla ……. I do not wish to ever see that Again. I much rather listen to this Fine Show !

  8. Christian L

    5’6″ dude @ 170 pounds carrying a 70 pound pack 20+ miles in a day (per his story) in high elevation terrain is pretty challenging and a bit unbelievable but I guess he’s a stud…he should try out for the olympics or special forces….regardless of his physical prowess he’s gonna become a ” Missing 411″ statistic if he keeps going on these LONG hikes alone without a large caliber firearm…not smart…he’s gonna be Squatch dinner.

    • Johnny W

      I have to agree… 25 miles on average w/a 6o lb. pack for a day Hike! what has he got in there? 60 lbs is what you carry for a weekend trip and that is if you don’t have experience. experienced hikers and outdoor-folk go light! This fella seems to want a lot of admiration from the get go!
      And whats up with the helpless woman element of his story? what in the world is hanging onto your backpack going to do? if you want to make sure she’s safe walk behind her!

      I don’t know, the motive of the story seems to be to let everyone know what an amazing outdoors-man he is and how he can rescue a helpless woman from the wilderness… sounds delusional.

  10. Gabriel H

    ~ To the east coast woman Wes is referring to at the beginning of this episode ~

    …you know… I don’t know what’s gonna come of your situation. So many unknowns hey… but I DO know two things. These two I can say for sure, and one of them you know already
    1) You’re speaking with one of the most knowledgeable sympathetic men out there about your situation. You’re truly blessed to be in contact with Wes. I know it. You know it. We all know it. It just is, and I hope that’s enough
    2) You are welcome here. This is the safest place I personally know of, where many of us come together and have many discussions about these creatures. I believe I speak for not only myself, but everyone else as well when I say there is nothing you can say here that won’t be received graciously. You certainly needn’t tell your story here, but should you choose to, I can say with confidence that there are many sympathetic ears here waiting to receive and reciprocate

    Wishing you the best

  11. Gene P

    The squash must intentionally put out infrasound to invoke fear in us. Maybe when they have little ones around.
    I worked on the power lines for 30 years and was in the fire department for thirty years. I’m just not afraid of much of anything. But once when I was backpacking I smelled a dead animal, it was like a wall of smell and couldn’t find any dead animal. All of a sudden I got very afraid and needing to get back to the trail. I almost started running to get back to the trail. After scooting down the trail aways that fear went away. It was an unexplainable fear. I didn’t know anything about the Sasquatch at the time.
    Thanks Theo, Hike on brother.

  14. Shana K

    Excellent show tonight Wes! I really enjoy hearing your stories and when you guys get going laughing- cracks me up as well. I always look forward to Friday and Sunday evenings here on SC šŸ™‚

  15. Ben Pierre

    Hey Wes,

    Did you post Theo’s video of the trail with the giant ferns? That sounded pretty cool. It would be good to look at while listening to him telling of their encounter.

    Thanks

  16. Bal G

    Theo, dude you need to find another hobby. 15 to 20 miles into the woods unarmed? If the park rangers are telling you to be careful, why don’t you heed there words. This is borderline egregious and reckless.

    • Christian L

      Concur….think some of his tales of physical prowess are a bit inflated if not he needs to try out for the olympics or a sponsored mountaineering team… sounds like he has a death wish. Fools walking “20+ miles “….(hard to believe in a day at 6000ft+!elevation in mountaneous terrain w/70lgs on your back but whatever) into Squatch territory with only a machete doesn’t impress me. “Fools go where Angels fear to tread”

  17. Sherri M

    Great episode! I always feel so empathetic for the guests; you can hear the emotion in their voice as they relive the encounter. I can’t even imagine….!!!
    Glad you’re still around, Theo! HIKE ON!

    Thx again, Wes, for all you do!!!!!

  18. Wolfgang M

    My girlfriend and I stayed in Big Bear a few nights this past summer. At around 5am one morning I woke up to what sounded like thunder. I thought “Oh crap, we have a storm coming in”. Then I heard the sound barrier blast. Clearly a jet flying over that broke the sound barrier and it just sounded like thunder. However then, it woke up the forest, and right after that I heard some whooping sounds, that sounded like what I heard in Ohio. Don’t know what it was. Maybe an owl, who knows. It was too far away to tell. But I can only imagine a loud noise like that would agitate an ape in Big Bear.

  19. Sarah F

    Welp, the all girls trip to Big Bear I have coming up just got more interesting. Last Fall we went to Mt. Rainier. I’m pretty sure the disappearing “black hay stump” I saw was …not a black hay stump. I love the mountains, but I’m not sure I want to go hiking in Big Bear now. At least not with a group of unarmed women who likely don’t consider the existence of these creatures.

    Also, I had to google a 308 after he mentioned the truck and the men who stopped to talk to him. Looks like a big gun. It seems like every other show people say “My gun would have done nothing.” I’ve always wondered WHAT gun could do damage to a larger one. Can anyone elaborate on this? Would those men rallying up the mountain with a 308 had a chance?

      • Sarah F

        There’s no way I’d try to take one out! ?I don’t even want to go hiking. And I cry when I hit a squirrel! My only plan is to split if I ever came across one and hope I don’t crap my pants upon hot stepping it to my car. I’m just curios what type of gun people think would do the job. I watched that video the other day but no specifics were mentioned that I recall. Unless it’s mentioned in another video he’s done.

    • Dan B

      Sara, although a 308 is a 30 caliber round(for the record .284) it is a common deer hunting round and the most common round for snipers attached to a SWAT teams. That said it in not in the magnum class of rifle rounds and it typically weighs 165 to 168 grains. It might make squatch take notice, but it would not be a gun I would be confident in to do the job. I’m thinking more like a 338 lapua or a 50 BMG would be much preferred by myself or any other person with some ballistics knowledge. Hope that helps. Food for thought though a well placed round of even a small caliber can take down a large animal.

      • John A

        Wes, where are these videos you’re always talking about having posted in here to go along with the stories?
        I feel I won’t get a reply to this being its an old posting but as a member I felt worthy of asking anyways. :>)
        Do they get removed after a certain time or I’m i just clicking the wrong area’s?

  21. Chuck S

    @FS: If you listen carefully at around 17:43, you can hear Duke say “And they kyped them.” when Wes was talking about a bag of apples that got left outside. To kype something means the same thing as to swipe or steal something. I heard this word used a lot as a kid, but it seems to have fallen out of use.

  24. Daniel E

    Theo thanks for sharing but I suspect David Palides will write about you one day if you keep making those hikes. Take a big firearm and a gps location device from now on. God bless you brother.

  26. DOUG S

    I grew up in SoCal, and we would go camping in the places this last guest described. It gave me some chills to think so many times I was there and didn’t know what was around me. One instance in Oak Glen, we were camping up there with our Indian Guides troop, and one of the boys went lost and all the Dads went searching for him. The weird thing was he was a twin, and those twins did everything together and were inseparable, but strangely they got separated. The one twin came back to camp and couldn’t explain why his brother was not with him. We were all around 10 years old, so keep that in mind. Anyways, the Dads found the twin, he had a bump on his head and a trickle of blood coming down, but otherwise OK. He didn’t remember anything and just wanted to get back to camp. It could’ve been a simple fell down and had a concussion from the fall, or the Missing 411 comes to mind. Thankfully, this had a happy ending regardless.

  27. Sarah F

    Wes, thanks for a good show! It was gripping. Thanks to Theo for sharing and being a great story teller.

    I hope that gal mentioned at the start of the show is able to share her story and come on. I can also see why she might not. I’d imagine it’s terrifying and how she probably wants to find away to have peace around her home and enjoy life after retirement ASAP. I can’t help but wonder how many guests in similar situations are not the type who add eager to get on and share publicly for all the Squatcher to hear, but rather they just really want help finding a solution to a situation that’s terrifying. My heart goes out to her.

  29. SANDRA E

    Thanks Wes for the outstanding work you do for us!!!!
    This show was particularly interesting as I was pretty much brought up in the same mountain range (the west end of it) that he spoke about. We had a weekend place up there. It’s weird to think that they were in our back yard the whole time. I hope your guest keeps in touch with you with updates. Thanks again!!

  30. Stephanie G

    Um. This is embarrassing, but I can’t find any of the videos that Wes said he posted on SasquatchChronicles.Com. I can sign in, and all, but none of the headings take me to pictures or videos. What am I doing wrong?? Please help this poor, technologically inept person. Thanks in advance!

  35. Shelly S

    I absolutely love Wes and Duke talking. Great chemistry and good info. Glad you guys have each other to bounce things back and forth!
    Theo, thanks for the story! Sounds like you get to see some beautiful areas that few experience!

  36. Lewis S

    Man I try not to remember Yucaipa, it’s a small boring town off the beaten path to Palm Springs. Again southern Calif. is just as active with the hairy ones as anywhere else. Glad they weren’t hurt, the desert has many stories of killings by these things. From prospectors in the old days to recently. Big Bear is a delight to hike and look at the scenery, but those damn apes won’t back off. They are moving into places they once avoided after the wars with the tribes, seems they need be reminded Man lives there and won’t cede our place.

  37. Johnny W

    Wes… where did you dig up this guy…? the middle ages? Well he deserves to be knighted! I’m not doubting the existence of Sasquatch BUT this fella’s story is suspect for a few reasons. first the story is light on Sasquatch behavior and heavy on self-congratulation about being a world class, testosterone-soaked hiker/tracker/woman rescuer.

    The motive of the tale seemed to be to let us all in on what a hero he is.
    But this guy’s story doesn’t pass the smell test for me; first of all who carries a 60 lb pack on a day hike? certainly no one with wilderness experience. 60 lbs is what you carry when you’re going out for a long weekend.
    what has he got in that pack? Probably a four course candle light dinner as he is also apparently the knight of romance… how helpless is this woman he is with? I mean he is coddling her at every turn. you’re more likely to run into a Sasquatch than a woman like the one in this story. A woman that is strong enough to hike 12+miles over difficult terrain isn’t going to burst into tears at the sound of some “human-like footsteps” also I doubt very much that a woman of any strength is going to be content to “hang onto my back pack and don’t let go”
    Just a thought… why not walk behind her?

    The way he depicts this “girlfriend” is the most suspect facet of his encounter. Its as if she is an empty thing, in constant need of instruction to and comfort, and finally rescue.

    She is the perfect distillation of a mansplainer’s notion of a woman…

    And that’s why I think she, and therefore the story, isn’t real.

    Also, as a person WITH wilderness experience, I’m able to tell you that after walking 12 miles and change into increasingly darker and thicker wilderness you don’t just pop out onto a road to find 4 people in a truck who wordlessly intuit your exact experience, as well as your parking place… “just down the road.”

    AND

    Had the woman been real (being the gender of good judgement) she would’ve insisted on a ride…

    BUT

    Wes is too fair and hospitable to call BS… so I will…

    BS!

    And… I say this all as a hetero sexual male with normal levels of testosterone šŸ™‚

    • Christian L

      Since we rarely see posted even as “members” ANY of the gee whiz evidence of foot casts, videos, etc that many of the witnesses say they have or mentioned they have emailed to the show ( rarely to be seen maybe for good reason??) then the only “evidence” we can judge is the believability of the testimony. I’m a BF “knower” which makes it all the more important that we do our due diligence to call out details or call out a guest when things are fishy. If we don’t require truth and sincerity on this show then these all become “stories” and it sabotages the entire effort and goal of mutual education on this agreeably fringe topic. We all need to be aggressively skeptical to minimize false or greatly exaggerated narratives. There are a ton of members that have training in such things as interrogation, formal statement processing and or counter intelligence or just learned from the best university out there..”the school of hard knocks” and can spot inconsistencies a mile away. Let’s support Wes…his is not an easy job but at the same time we must demand truth to the greatest extent possible and it is the editors job to dig into the details when things don’t add up and flag inconsistencies. We cannot ALWAYS blindly hit the “I believe” button. We should not feel bad about posting constructive criticism but at the same time we all should be respectful of what is 98% a great forum and a great product. Peace strength and honor.

    • Lisa B

      Johnny W- The Army does this all the time. Guys have 60-80 lb ruck sacks on their backs and they walk or hike many many miles. I donā€™t think your ā€œheroā€ theory applies here either. He was genuinely concernhed for her well being. Nothing PC about it. Be nice…

  39. NHSquatcher

    1972 or three I was camping in the San Bernardino forest all by myself it was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face I slept inside my yellow 1971 VW bus just me and my dog 125 pound female I had no idea they were big foots there. I was on the cross country trip from Massachusetts to California and back I shudder every time I think of what I did —think about it those were the days before cell phones or any other kind of communication even CB radios

  40. Janeda E

    Thanks, good show, and I agree I love the shows with your retelling of people who don’t want to come on, and your banter with Duke and the ones with your brother. You da man Wes.

  42. Jack33

    I disagree with those who are skeptical of this guys story.

    It sounded like he was telling the truth, I could hear the emotion as he recounted his story. I appreciate him coming on and sharing it.

    Had he been alone, he probably wouldn’t have made it out of those woods. I hope he knows that and arms himself better going forward.

  43. H.Cordova

    Love the show! Love you and your efforts brother Wes! The thing that gets me is that you refer to these undocumented great apes as monkeys. These creatures, in my opinion, are clearly in the genus hominoidea, along with gorillas, chimps, bonobos and orangutans. I’ve witnessed orangutans to be the most human-like species of great ape through their demeanor and interactions with humans. Chimps and humans share 99% dna, orangutans 97%. Some portions of orangutans dna are even closer to ours than that of chimps. Enough of that!
    20+ miles a day hiking is plausible. Especially on trails, even game trails. When i was ten, my brother, who was 22, had taken me hunting in late November. We set camp about a mile and a half northwest of a fish hatchery in these mountains, which were about 8500 to 9000ft. The third day, we had woken up to a few inches of snow, great tracking conditions. Around 3/4 pm, a severe storm had come in. Visibility about 40 yards. We were disoriented with no compass. With my life in his hands, he elected to keep moving down the valley due to the fast accumulating snow. I know he was scared. I was terrified. I thought we were going to die out there. By about two in the morning we finally came across the main dirt road. Walked down about another mile or so and came to a fork in the road. Noticed a sign that read: ****** fish hatchery- 20 mi. Started walking the right direction thereafter.
    So, in about 8/9 hrs., we had walked 20+miles in 18in. of snow crossing numerous snow drifts 3/5ft. high. We didn’t have 60/70 lbs. of gear, but +/- 35lbs gets pretty heavy aftrr 8/9 hrs.

  44. H.Cordova

    Love the show! Love you and your efforts brother Wes! The thing that gets me is that you refer to these undocumented great apes as monkeys. These creatures, in my opinion, are clearly in the genus hominidae, along with gorillas, chimps, bonobos and orangutans. I’ve witnessed orangutans to be the most human-like species of great ape through their demeanor and interactions with humans. Chimps and humans share 99% dna, orangutans 97%. Some portions of orangutans dna are even closer to ours than that of chimps. Enough of that!
    20+ miles a day hiking is plausible. Especially on trails, even game trails. When i was ten, my brother, who was 22, had taken me hunting in late November. We set camp about a mile and a half northwest of a fish hatchery in these mountains, which were about 8500 to 9000ft. The third day, we had woken up to a few inches of snow, great tracking conditions. Around 3/4 pm, a severe storm had come in. Visibility about 40 yards. We were disoriented with no compass. With my life in his hands, he elected to keep moving down the valley due to the fast accumulating snow. I know he was scared. I was terrified. I thought we were going to die out there. By about two in the morning we finally came across the main dirt road. Walked down about another mile or so and came to a fork in the road. Noticed a sign that read: ****** fish hatchery- 20 mi. Started walking the right direction thereafter.
    So, in about 8/9 hrs., we had walked 20+miles in 18in. of snow crossing numerous snow drifts 3/5ft. high. We didn’t have 60/70 lbs. of gear, but +/- 35lbs gets pretty heavy aftrr 8/9 hrs. non stop .
    Thanks again Wes! You’re the best in the west!

  46. David R

    Again I’m like #35! LOL Anyway I really loved this one, and if Theo reads this you need to post some videos on YouTube! I’d love to see twisted trees, tree breaks, and what ever you find!

  47. Jordan H

    Listened to every episode, never felt compelled to comment until now. This is the first show I’ve literally turned off midway through, it was painfully evident that this story was a downright fabrication. Nobody is day-tripping 25+ miles with a 60 pound pack and considering that “normal” in this terrain. Nobody who has the slightest common sense carries much weight, its simply isn’t practical, I’ll go on 8+ day backcountry hikes with less weight. Who open carries a machete in this terrain either, there is zero reason for it with the type of vegetation that is prevalent.

  49. Brian D

    Two things:

    1) Quit hatin on Duke! Trying to call him out on some
    bs misunderstood word!? You arenā€™t showing your intelligence, youā€™re showing your ass!

    2) Donā€™t be bustin Theos balls. He had plenty of detail in his encounter. Maybe it scared the crap out him enough at the time that some of the details were off, but overall, sincere.

    Wes, youā€™re the man! Love your show! Iā€™m a newer member and still getting caught up on past episodes. Iā€™ts fascinating to hear how your experiences begin developing your opinions over the years. Itā€™s June 2023 and I look forward to years of learning.

  50. Jesse D

    sometimes I come back and listen to my fav episodes while Iā€™m on a Super Mario 3 run. I really liked it and I donā€™t think it was ā€œramblingā€. I think it would be cool if @wes did an episode discussing the cases that call but donā€™t wanna go on the show! how interesting! Like I loved hearing about that lady that just retired! just a suggestion!

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