Oregonbigfoot.com Photo Research Journal
MISSION: NIGHT SCREAM II
FINAL REPORT AND PHOTO JOURNAL


THE GROUP: Autumn, Bob, Manny, John, Jim, Jeff  (Ofo is behind the camera)

September 4, 1999

Bob and I arrived a day later than most of the group. At Patrick's Creek Lodge, Jeff and Manny filled us in on the previous night's activities. Apparently, up near O'Brien, Oregon the group had heard thumping noises and crunching on the gravel road but were unable to locate the cause of the noises.

That afternoon, we met John at his cabin and proceeded up into the hills. We decided to set up base camp near Camp Six, affording us a central location from which to branch out onto several area roads. Coon Mountain Rd appeared to be the best choice, so we took it. The caravan of four vehicles drove around until 1 a.m. We returned to camp, with John blasting calls the whole way, but the night proved uneventful.

John films as we stop to broadcast screams on a mountain road

September 5, 1999

 
Witness shows where he was standing at the time of the sighting

We were up and on the road just after 8 a.m. to rendezvous with a witness at Humboldt Redwoods State Park. (Click HERE to read the witness' original report submitted to the BFRO) Witness took us to location of sighting, we documented the area and looked for sign but found none at the exact location.

Witness shows Manny how the creature was visible from the waist up above the stump

However, on the way back the witness did spot a tree that had been torn into approximately 12' up. Bob got up on Jeff's shoulders to get a closer look at the tree and found two hairs stuck in the wood. John is sending the hairs off for analysis.

Bob pulls hair from the damaged tree while Jeff acts as a stepstool

Local Ranger Robert Leiterman gave John a map with good track locations and advised the group to keep the noise to a minimum near campsites to avoid annoying or scaring the campers. We blasted calls and checked several of the areas noted on the map but found nothing.

Ranger Robert gives campers a taste of Bigfoot Lore

After returning to the park to take in Ranger Leiterman's 8:00 Bigfoot-themed campfire presentation, we turned north and headed into the wilderness. John played calls from several locations and the night seemed disappointingly quiet. We turned down a side road and liked the area well enough to set up camp for the night. That's when things began to get interesting.

John broadcast calls again several times from our camp and then went to sleep in the cab of his truck. The others sat around the Coleman lantern, talking, and I took this opportunity to try my own brand of Bigfooting.

Jeff, Manny and Ofo huddle around the Coleman lantern

Let me preface this by saying that I have a lengthy background in all aspects of the paranormal, including ceremonial Magick. I brought several items with me that I thought might prove useful in "calling in" a Bigfoot creature - that is, if the "fringe" stories were true and the Sasquatch was more than simply a throwback to Gigantopithecus. Without going into detail about how, why, or what I did, let's suffice it to say that I cast a circle and focused my thoughts on bringing a Sasquatch into the camp (Before the trip, during meditation, I had heard a Native American man's voice say, "Oh-MA-ha Mm-ma-TE-ah". I didn't know what it meant, but was impressed by the feeling of significance the words carried. My intuition told me that perhaps it was an ancient, customary greeting from times when Northwest Indians and the Oh'ma lived side by side. Regardless, I decided it would make a good mantra to help me focus.) I sat alone, facing away from the camp, concentrating on this end for about half an hour. During this time, I played owl noises with a small flute. I began to hear rustling in the brush in front of me, and occasionally would hear the loud 'crack' of large branches being broken. A calm certainty that we were no longer alone passed over me, and after dispersing my circle I walked over to the others and quietly told them that I believed "They" were here, and asked that everyone keep spotlights off and keep any guns put away.

Immediately after that, Jeff explained that he and Bob heard whistles. We shut down the hissing Coleman lantern and stood quietly, and sure enough - we heard it. They seemed to come from above; later, we surmised that they came from the hillside across the road several hundred yards away. The sound was high-pitched, starting lower and ending on a higher note. "Toooo-wheet". Someone suggested that I play the flute to it… I did, with no apparent effect. The whistles continued. I decided to try calling to it.

"Oh-MA-ha." The whistles increased in volume. "Oh-MA-ha Mm-ma-TE-ah." Again, the whistler grew louder. Whether it was responding just in intensity, or whether it was coming closer, I don't know. At this point we decided to wake John.

Click HERE to download the sound John recorded. (Note: These whistles have since been determined to have been Spotted Owl calls)

John said, "Let's go meet 'em." He and I left Camp armed with our nightvision camcorders and a small flashlight, which we kept off. The minute we left camp and walked toward the whistler, the noise stopped. We walked all around down the road to the highway and along the bridge and heard nothing. I felt great apprehension while traipsing around in the dark, but it was mainly due to the knowledge that a bear was in the area.

We returned to camp. By this time, it after 4:30 a.m. and we were all exhausted. The Coleman lantern had been lit and set up on a small hillock about 20 feet from the vehicles. John crawled back into the cab of his truck and went to sleep. Bob was crashed out in the back of our truck and hardly woke up when I laid down. Jeff and Manny banged on the windows of Manny's truck for several minutes before Ofo woke up long enough to unlock the doors and let Manny in. Jeff got into his jeep and we all fell asleep quickly.

Shortly after 5 a.m., the screaming happened. It was an ear-splitting, frenzied, crescendo-ing blast of noise, somewhere between an "Ow" and "Ah" sound. It came from very near the vehicles. Bob and I woke up at the same time, and Bob sat up in the canopy to see what was happening. I mumbled grumpily about people needing to shut-up, then rolled over and went right back to sleep. The next morning Bob described seeing John turn on his headlights (we assume that the truck was pointing toward the direction of the sound, which seems to have been where the lantern was placed shortly before). He also saw Manny sit up in his truck and look around. Later, we realized that the lantern must have gone out because John has to turn on his headlights for light.

Oddly enough, although Bob wondered if one of our party had been injured, he was unable to bring himself to get up and go check. Instead, he lay back down and went back to sleep, as did Manny.

September 6, 1999

Jeff points to the spot where the lantern was knocked over

Jeff was the first to awake the next morning, and said the first thing he noticed was that the lantern was knocked over and that there appeared to be a large, deep impression near it. He went to wake Manny, who was violently startled awake. The first thing out of Manny's mouth was, "Dude, did you hear the screams last night?

However, Jeff heard nothing. Also, even stranger, John not only did not remember the screams, he also didn't remember sitting up and turning on the headlights twice. Bob and I were amazed to realize that it was not one of us who had made all the racket, and the more we thought about it the more irritated we got by the fact that not one of us left a tape recorder going

The group then traveled north to Wilson Creek - a beach access area known for fall and winter Bigfoot activity. After poking around a bit, Bob, Jeff and I said goodbye to the rest of the group and made our way to Walker Rd. east of Crescent City. I took the two of them to the area where we found the broken trees and hair samples on the previous expedition. We found perfectly clear, rather large bear tracks in the mud and hair (probably bear) on a broken tree. Jeff heard snapping in the brush, so we left, not wanting to confront the maker of the tracks.

Hair on a twisted tree top at the Walker Rd location. Although in this case the hair
is most likely bear hair, Bigfoot commonly breaks off trees up to 10' up and hair
can often be found clinging to the break

Post Script, September 7, 1999

Upon returning home, Bob and I received a report from BFRO curator Thom Powell, in Portland, that on the previous Thursday there had been a Bigfoot sighting 6 miles west of O'Brien, Oregon… the very area that the group had heard the noises on Friday night. This sighting is currently under investigation and a trip to the area is in the works…

Summary

I know I place myself in the line of fire from others in the Bigfoot field by advocating the use of "unscientific" means such as telepathy, meditation and Shamanism to interact with the Sasquatch. But the fact is that after decades of research we still don't have answers, and unless we use all means available to us we may never know the truth. My first attempt at this sort of communication proved successful… perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not. Regardless, something came into our camp at 5 a.m. and screamed.

Do you have information which might be helpful to us? Please drop us a line!