Bigfoot in Mount St. Helens Area VALLEY BUGLER newspaper!

The cows in the pasture were making a mournful cry and there was the smell of rotten meat crossed with the aroma of terrible body odor. So we looked around our little three acres and made sure the dogs were locked into the yard. Peaking out from the ridge, whatever it was, spotted us. It let out with an awful scream and took off towards the woods to the south...

As reported by the Mount St. Helens Area VALLEY BUGLER newspaper
December 2002

A thick, low mist covered the valley, with not a hint of a breeze rustling the dry leaves.
The stillness and silence was rather eerie, the birds weren’t even singing. Hanging from the
low branches of the Douglas fir trees were dew-covered spider webs. But the spiders weren’t
there. It was as if all wildlife were in hiding.

This fall has been an awesome spectacle of beauty. Bright blue skies, with the leaves
turning rather late in the season, fall this year has been one of warm weather and delightful
views. Bright oranges, deep yellows and the evergreens have decorated the hillsides, with
the early mornings featuring the low misty fog.

It was on this one special patchy fog type of morning that the stillness set in. It wasn’t as if
the stillness were a weather event, it was more that something different was about to happen.

That was when the cows in the distant pastures started in their odd mooing. Normally with a
quiet, still morning, the cows can be heard in the distance with their normal noise. This
morning they let out a mournful cry that was different. Very different.

Walking outside, we thought maybe it was coyotes again. Those wiley creatures often make
local animals act a little strange. But never have they made the cattle give off such a sound.
Listening, there were no coyote sounds.

Thinking again that maybe it was a bear or a cougar. We had spotted one cougar in our
yard a couple of years ago. At dusk, as we drove down our west driveway that winds through
the trees, out lights picked up a pair of glowing eyes. We stopped, hit the brights, and there
in the glow was a small, young golden cougar looking at us. We watched a bit, and it turned
and headed south out of our property to the woods. We’ve never seen it again, but the
cattle had made some strange sounds that night also.

As we were pondering what could be causing the cattle to make such a strange sound, we
picked up a whiff of an awful smell. Like the smell of rotten meat crossed with the aroma of
terrible body odor.

We looked around our little three acres but saw nothing. Making sure the dogs were locked
into the yard, we went about our morning duties.

About noon we wandered outside and were again greeted with the strange smell. With the
sun high, we decided to walk around a bit and see if we could find what was giving off this
terrible aroma. On the west side is a section of tall grass and blackberry vines, with apple
and plum trees on the edge. All of the fruit was ripe and ready to pick. Suddenly we
something move by the apple trees. Something big, and hairy. Peeking out from our vantage
point by the shed, we saw something that made our blood run ice cold. About eight feet tall,
brown and big, it definitely was not a bear. It was much more human, but not human.

We sneaked a bit closer by the hill that surrounds the pool. Peaking out from the ridge,
whatever it was, spotted us. It let out with an awful scream and took off towards the woods to
the south. I ran in to get a camera while my husband kept an eye on whatever it was.

As I came out running short of breath, he stood by the shed pointing at the tall grass to the
south, just before the tree line where the creature now ran. I focused the camera, and hit a
couple of shots while the creature made its way away from us. The speed with which he ran
was astounding for such a big creature. His lumbering feet were pounding the ground while
his arms swung in rhythmic sequence to the run. He was soon out of range for my zoom,
making any more photography impossible, unless I wanted to follow. I didn’t.

What it was, I’ll leave for you all to decide. One thing for sure, I’ll not be wandering around in
the woods by myself any more. Especially if I smell something like I did this fall morning!