BFRO Home Reports Database New Report Additions FAQs
Media Articles Hypotheses & Projects About the BFRO
Geographical Index > United States > Washington > Cowlitz County > Report # 20923
 
Report # 20923  (Class B)
Submitted by witness on Thursday, August 16, 2007.
Group of climbers hear possible vocalizations near Cougar

YEAR: 2007

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: The 7th

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Cowlitz County

LOCATION DETAILS: State Route #503 past town of Cougar approx 5mi
to Jct with FS#81. FS#81 to Jct with FS#83. FS#83 one to two miles to un-numbered logging road pull off on right.We pulled off onto this road approx 50 yards and made camp.

NEAREST TOWN: Cougar WA

NEAREST ROAD: Off Forest Service Road # 83 Pinchot Natl Forest

OBSERVED: Four of my friends and I were camped out below
the Climbers Bivoac Area of St Helens National
Monument.We pulled the motorhome over onto a
short logging road (FS #83) off the side road to Lava
Canyon,about 2mi past the jct with the Climbers
Bivoac Road.We had arrangements to climb St Helens on Monday but arrived early Sat and did
some hiking/mtn biking for a couple days beforehand.In the early morning hours of Monday
Aug6th 2007,half of us awoke to a strange distant howling which none of us had ever heard before.We speculated that it was possibly a bear
that got caught in a trap. It definately wasnt a cougar scream as I've heard them before a few times.It wasnt an elk either.All we could think of at the time was that it was possibly a bear.But yet it seemed way too loud for a bear especially with it seeming to be coming from a distance.This noise went on for about 15 minutes before it faded away.I have listened to some of
the audio recordings on your website and they sound quite similar to what we heard.We camped in the same spot the day before and the day after our successful climb up St Helens (awesome weather the day we went)for 3 nights total but we heard the noise only one night.

ALSO NOTICED: Just the strange weird noise thats all.No physical evidence

OTHER WITNESSES: Myself and a friend named Dan Temple.We are light
sleepers.We tried to wake up the other guys but they were out cold. There was ABSOLUTELY no drinking that night or any other drugs as we were climbing St Helens that morning.

OTHER STORIES: I hear that some people heard the same kind of
noise at Climbers Bivoac (1000' above us on another road) in August of 2004

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Morning about 2-3 am.Somewhat cloudy that night.Cloud level was 5000'feet that morning as we climbed up St Helens.Above 5000' nice and sunny

ENVIRONMENT: Thick second and some old growth wooded areas
Mostly 2nd growth with some clear cuts.Well drained area with a creek about 1/4mi above us.


Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Scott Taylor:

In talking with this witness, I was able to locate the spur road where they camped.

The vocals that this witness described were reported to be very loud, 10-15 seconds in duration, and were repeated 3-4 times. The witness estimated the calls to be coming from an estimated one mile away. Another person who was also awake at the time also heard the vocalizations. The sound was reported to be a very deep-toned howl. He said that he went on several websites to listen to recordings of Pacific Northwest animals. The only sounds remotely similar were other suspected sasquatch calls.

From what the witness described, I would agree with him that what he heard was most likely a sasquatch. His description is about the same as I remember from when I first heard a sasquatch vocalize.


About BFRO Investigator Scott Taylor:


Scott Taylor is a retired aerospace manager. He lives in Mason County, Washington. He had his first bigfoot encounter in October 2005 where he was stalked and later heard vocalizations. He attended official BFRO Expeditions in the Washington Cascades in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. He also attended the 2007 BFRO Expedition in the central Oregon Cascades and the 2007 Utah Expedition in the Uinta's. He attended the 2008 and 2009 Olympic Peninsula Expeditions and co-lead the 2013 Expedition. He has participated in numerous speaking engagements over the past 17 years.