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Geographical Index > United States > Oregon > Multnomah County > Report # 24318
 
 Report # 24318  (Class A)
Submitted by witness on Thursday, July 31, 2008.
Motorist sees a roadside creature run uphill into the forest near the Sandy River

YEAR: 2008

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: 31

STATE: Oregon

COUNTY: Multnomah County

LOCATION DETAILS: Sharp switchbacks on Gordon Creek Road between Springdale and Aims

NEAREST TOWN: Corbett/Aims

NEAREST ROAD: Gordon Creek Rd

OBSERVED: To whom it may concern:

I am not sure how to even go about this other than to send an email to you. Earlier today around 6:25 p.m. my brother was driving home (we live between Corbett Or, and Aims Or.) off of Gordon Creek Rd. There is a switch back with a hair pin turn that has a steep climb immediatly after the turn. As he turned the corner approximatly 20-30 yards from his vehicle in a small cluster of trees he saw a large 7-8 ft tall, hairy creature. He said it wasn't human, but resembled a human standing with his right shoulder hidden behind the last of the 3 trees in the cluster. Upon being discovered he said that he immediately turned and ran up the very steep hill with amazing speed. He said his chest was wider than his waist, hairy, with long arms (ape like) and that he saw him from just below the waste up before he turned (the creature turned to his left) and ran up hill. He couldnt believe how fast he was and that he was there for a couple seconds and then he was gone.

My brother frantically called me and I told him to go back to where he saw it and mark it out so that I could meet him there with my HD camera and try to find any prints or debris that may have been left behind. Upon returning to the area my brother saw the local sheriff cars nearby. They said that some people down on the river reported a very hairy naked homeless man and they were investigating. He told them that he saw the same thing but that it wasn't a homeless man. He was very detailed in his account and they laughed it off and left.

I drove straight home and met my brother at the switch backs where he sighted it. I brought my dog and my camera. I went to the exact same location as he told me and had him recount exactly what happened. I have it all on film. The area is steep and there are fallen trees and lots of shrubs, so it is a little difficult to see any exact markings other then broken branches and trampled ferns. Near the group of trees where he was standing there is a natural spring that runs down the hill. So I searched both sides to try and find any tracks.

Im not sure what to really do other than keep my eyes peeled and my camera close. If you feel my brother could be of any help or if you could help him understand what he saw Im sure he would greatly appreciate it. He is pretty shaken up, I had him write down exactly what happend and what he saw and he was a little uncomfortable doing so. I would prefer to keep this private, I am an Investment Banker and would prefer to keep a sense of trust and credibility with people I associate with and I am unsure how they would respond to this.

ALSO NOTICED: I found imprints in the ground and video taped me walking up to and around the sighting area. The police were called but to our knowledge they stayed at the road and didn't travel up the hillside.

OTHER WITNESSES: There was only one witness, he was driving his truck home from running errands in town.

OTHER STORIES: Not until now.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was around 6:25 pm. The sun was out and it was well lit. There were trees but you could see light through the trees. Although it was dense coverage it was well lit.

ENVIRONMENT: Alder trees, hillside, natural creek, moss, ferns, near the road.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Cliff Barackman:

I initially spoke with TH, the witness' brother, who was at the location about an hour after the sighting. TH arranged to have RH, the witness, meet us at the sighting location on the evening of 8/1/08, less than 24 hours after the encounter.

The witness, RH, was slowly driving (about 10 or 15 mph) uphill around a hairpin turn when he noticed the animal in the woods, approximately 60 feet to the left and above him on the hillside. It was standing behind and to the right of a small cluster of trees. The witness says that the creature, noticing that it was exposed, turned 180 degrees to its left and quickly ran up the hill behind where it was standing. Its speed was faster than a normal man could run on flat ground, though the terrain was very steep, uneven and brushy.

Immediately after the sighting, RH called his roommate and brother TH, and told him what happened. RH continued to their nearby home, picked up some gear and returned to the sighting location, which is only a few miles from their house. When he arrived back at the sighting location, there were two police cars parked at the turn. RH got out of their vehicle and asked the officers what was going on. The officers said they were responding to a call that stated there was a hairy, naked, homeless man in the woods by the river. RH told the officers that he had seen it too, and it was a bigfoot - not a homeless man. The officers chuckled and paid little attention to RH's claim. The officers soon left the scene.

After TH arrived at the scene, the two brothers stayed in the area for a while and videotaped the scene. TH took his dog and went up the hillside and RH stayed closer to the vehicle, being too shaken to explore the area so soon after his encounter. TH went up the hill above where the creature was standing, and found some deep, yet featureless impressions in the thick forest duff. About 75 or 100 yards above the spot where the creature was standing, there was a large washout in the hillside that was a kind of clearing, though there was thick underbrush. When TH arrived at this spot, he was “hit so hard” by an overwhelming “moving and powerful” feeling. TH stated that this feeling gave him “a whole new level of goosebumps”. At that point, his dog took off running downhill back to the vehicle, which TH stated was very strange since his dog always stayed by his side in the woods. They soon left the area and later that evening, TH found the BFRO website and filed a report for his brother.

I asked RH to stand on the road at his approximate location - while I stood where the creature was. By doing this, it is estimated that the creature was around 7 feet tall (see photo below). RH described the animal as being very muscular and fit with a thin waist and very broad shoulders, possibly twice as wide as my own. The creature's right shoulder was partially obscured by the tree it was standing near. It was not as hairy as sasquatches are often depicted in drawings, though it was obviously completely covered with dark brown, but not black, hair. Its face wasn't hairy around the eyes, nose and mouth, though it was noted that it had hair on the side of its face like sideburns that turned back down the neck to its shoulders. No details of the eyes nor mouth were noted, but the nose was flattened and broad. Interestingly, it was noted that the creature had a short neck and its head was shaped like a normal human with no sagittal crest. The arms seemed longer than a human's, and swung as it ran uphill. Due to the foliage, no details were noted below the thigh area.

I spent many hours at the site, not leaving the location until around 2am in hopes of obtaining thermal footage of the creature.

Derek Randles, a tracker and long-time bigfoot investigator, was called in to help look for additional tracks in the area. He brought a hunter friend and we scoured the area for several hours on the morning of 8/2/08. A possible heel impression in a line of large, yet indistinct impressions heading downhill was all that was found on that day.

This photograph shows the investigator in the same position as the creature, showing its height.
Creature's position and height




About BFRO Investigator Cliff Barackman: