Geographical Index > United States > Oregon > Clackamas County > Report # 44989
(Class B)
Submitted by witness on Friday, May 9, 2014.
Campers hear possible vocalization just outside their tent in Mt. Hood National Forest
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YEAR: 2013
SEASON: Fall MONTH: September DATE: 24th STATE: Oregon COUNTY: Clackamas County LOCATION DETAILS: Campsite about 15 miles south of the town of Estacada. NEAREST TOWN: Estacada NEAREST ROAD: Highway 224 OBSERVED: We heard three unbelievably low-toned grunts outside of our tent at dawn (around 5 am) on Tueday, September 24th, 2013. Our tent is about 7 feet high when set up and the grunts sounded about a foot or two higher than the tent and about 6 feet away.
The grunts sounded like "huuhhh-huuhhh-huuhhh," very low pitched. ALSO NOTICED: Nothing observed OTHER WITNESSES: Two witnesses - we were both sleeping just prior to the incident. OTHER STORIES: No TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was at dawn, approximately 5 AM. Slight rain. ENVIRONMENT: Sunstrip camp site - Forest with Clackamas River close to campsite.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Geoff Robinson:
I spoke on the phone with the witness, who lives in the SoCal area, for approximately one hour. He related his experience in a clear and lucid manner, and was articulate with regard to the details of the event.
He had, along with his traveling companion, been camping/hiking/fishing various locations in OR and WA for vacation and had found this campground to be ideal, being close to the highway but also lush, and having good access to the river.
Their campsite was located close to a path that lead to the river and was next door to one of the campground comfort stations. There was only one other campsite occupied in the campground, also a couple, and it was on the other side of the campground about 60-70 yards away.
The witness related having been awakened at approx 5AM by the very loud, very close, "human-sounding" groans. He described the sound as "almost human" but so deep and loud that that the sound vibrated his diaphragm. His girlfriend was awake and asked him if he had heard the "three grunts" and he knew instantly that he was not dreaming, and that it was not a figment of his imagination.
The witness remarked that his experience with bear raiding a campsite usually involved rifling through the cooking gear, and in this case, there were pots and pans as well as plates with food residue still on them left out on the picnic table that were not disturbed in any way.
Also, he could not visualize a bear grunting in such a way to have heard it 2 feet above the ceiling of his 6-1/2 ft tent from a distance of about 6-7 feet from the back wall of the tent.
The witness described himself as a 51 year-old CPA professional and his companion as 48 years old.
After analysis of the campground layout, the localized topography, and the witnesses account, I determined that in all likelihood, the witness and his girlfriend were visited by a large sasquatch at that location.
About BFRO Investigator Geoff Robinson:
Geoff Robinson is a software engineer and manufacturer's representative. As a teenager Geoff spent many nights in remote Georgia forests raccoon hunting. Mystified by seemingly inexplicable events during that time, Geoff has pursued explanations in the Pacific Northwest via study of an elusive bipedal primate that leaves tracks attributable to the taxon Anthropoidipes ameriborealis
Since those early experiences, Geoff has had encounters at his home in Granite Falls, WA, at the 2008 and 2009 WA Cascades expeditions, the 2009 Olympics expedition, as well as a number of smaller outings in WA and OR. He currently resides in Portland, OR with his wife and two sons.
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