Distinctly Montana Magazine

23 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m imagine, the ferocity of which seemed to peel the skin off your face! Quickly shining lights in the direction of the sound, we saw nothing… no eye shine, no movement, nada. Three hours later, the same sequence occurred, whistle and horrifying shriek, but in a seemingly calculated move, on the opposite side of our camp and much closer! Lights, cam- eras, action!… but our view was blocked by the thick foliage adjacent to our site. What was going on? Lastly, about 5 a.m., while still dark, the fateful whistle and blood-curdling screech from inside our camp. Before we could get out of our bags and tents, we heard one final scream out in the forest, fading out as it retreated. And you thought I was "all in" before… What happened next was a mixture of opportune and ser- endipitous timing. I joined the BFRO and was soon trekking through the forests with Bobo Fay (who immortalized the term "Squatchin'"), working with Matt Moneymaker (BFRO found- er), and became good friends with Cliff Barackman, long be- fore their Finding Bigfoot fame. Most importantly, however, those early BFRO connections allowed me to network with and learn from the top names of bigfoot research from the last fifty years. The magnitude of experience, history and knowledge of the topic was staggering. Additionally, a group of my students and I were featured on a Fox Family Channel episode of Real Scary Stories: The Search for Bigfoot, where aggressive growling chased the kids and camera crew back to camp. I was also part of a month-long documentary expedition on private land in the Oregon Cascades, where we recorded the sounds of something striking planks of sheet metal (remnants of old mining camps) in rhythmic patterns on multiple nights. I have also encountered thrown rocks, unidentified wood knocks, and sticks thrown di- rectly at team members, in the Pacific Northwest and af- ter returning home to Montana in the early 2000s. So, beyond that, why do I believe? Let's start with the Patterson-Gimlin Footage. Filmed in Oc- tober of 1967 in northern California, this is the ultimate and most recognized video/film footage of a sasquatch. Although debate has endlessly raged regarding the authenticity of the film, I hold absolutely firm on its legitimacy. The bottom line is that in 1967 it was not possible for someone to create a fur cos- tume exhibiting the remarkable anatomical muscular detail and body fluidity found in the film subject. Secondly, my time in the research community led me to become friends with Bob Gimlin, the only other person alive who witnessed this event. He was riding horseback at Roger Patterson's side when they rounded the bend in the stream and found the sasquatch crouched over the water. Now at nearly 95 years old, he has never varied from his account of the experience, never searched for notoriety, and truth be told, has endured decades of attacks on his character. Still a horse rancher in Washington state, this man's honesty and integrity are without question. A rendering of the Hairy Man Pictograph, found in a rock shelter within the Tule River Indian Reservation in central California. Iconic frame from the 1967 Gimlin/Patterson film Kelly Berdahl in his office holding a cast made from the Gimlin/Patterson site TOM RATH ... WE SUDDENLY HEAR D A WEIRD WHIS- TLE ACROSS A SMALL MEADOW 50 YARDS AWAY. IT WAS IMMEDIATELY FOL- LOWED BY THE MOST INTENSE, AGGRESSIVE SCREAM YOU CAN IMAGINE...

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