Oregonbigfoot.com file# 00947

REPORT OVERVIEW

Date: september , 1989
Clackamas county, OR
Nearest town: Mollalla?
Nearest road: don't recall
Conditions: clear, cold (toward end of month)
Time: dusk
Location: It was too long ago and I am not familiar with Oregon (where the sighting took place and where we hiked in several places), but I have one observation below that might be helpful -- beyond the place and time details, which may have some errors, etc. (although it was definitely the end of September of 1989). Sorry! But the thing that sticks out in my mind is its general appearance (viewed through my own eyes of terror, mind you) and its behavior (which I watched VERY closely as a matter of mere self-preservation. . .)

REPORT DETAIL

Description of event: My husband (now ex) and I were hiking cross-country in Oregon, mostly following a creek bed that didn't seem to be used much, if at all, by other hikers. When we came around a bend in the creek, we saw something that seemed quite tall (maybe as tall as a moose, but NOT a moose). At first I thought it was a bear standing up, but it was moving away from us, going in the same direction as us, across a rocky creek "meadow" that had opened up suddenly and that also had several boulders strewn about. It looked over its shoulder briefly, during one of its strides (like a nonchalant or natural action; not a craning of the neck or anything), and continued on. It was almost like its head automatically turned slightly in the direction of the back-swinging "arm." It seemed I could make out arms swinging -- but I admit my mind was whirling. It was NOT a moose!

The face was flat, there was no rack, or anything "animal" looking about it. It then turned away from the creek bed and went up the mountainside (although I got the impression that this was not a last-minute, panicked decision because of US; just that it was continuing on its original planned course. . very leisurely looking). It mostly went straight up -- very easily and just barely cutting across the natural slope. Either this thing had been right in front of us for a while, moving along the same creek bed, or we caught it just having come off the mountain or just having started to move off at that point. It "seemed" more like it had been ahead of us the whole time -- which was a creepy feeling. Anyway, I had not been looking for any foot prints (I'm a rock hunter) and had no belief or interest in Bigfoot at that time.

Details of location and terrain are few, but I have seen elk, moose, buffalo, and grizzly bear in various other treks. This seemed (at first glance and without much to use for scale) to be much larger than any of those and appeared to be on two legs (i.e., taller than it was long or wide). I only got glimpses of it as it went around boulders, trees, etc., and I did not attempt to get closer. We immediately headed back the way we came and spent one uneasy night in the wilderness before getting back to our car (probably about a six-hour hike in). I do know I forced my husband to put as much distance as possible between us and the thing that night. I even forced us to go on in the dark using flashlights -- as slow going as it was -- jumping at every cracking tree limb and every rustle of a bush. That's it except for the one other thing I DID notice before I turned and scurried away -- practically knocking over my husband in my desire to run!(see below in the spot for "other" info. . .)

Source: oregonbigfoot.com
record updated:2004-12-12 00:00:00