YEAR: 2005

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: 24

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: King County

LOCATION DETAILS: Forested campsite Scenic, WA.

NEAREST TOWN: Skykomish

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 2

OBSERVED: Observation: vocalizations.

Hello, I am now 48, and my dad was a telegrapher during the 1960's at the former depot at Scenic. I used to greatly enjoy spending a week at a time at Scenic with him while he was on duty, staying in his trailer near the depot, and it was a wonderful place for a young railroad enthusiast to grow up. In later years I started an annual tradition of camping at Scenic and spending several days picking huckleberries on Tonga Ridge.

On August 24, I had finished picking berries for the day and had returned to Scenic to a little, mostly forgotten camping spot just inside the edge of a dark old-growth forest. The southern hillside becomes somewhat steep a short distance away. It was dusk, I was setting up to cook some dinner, and had my Coleman light burning. A few minutes before this, two or more men in two BNSF vehicles had parked next to the tracks waiting for an eastbound freight to arrive which was having engine trouble coming up the hill (knew this from my scanner). I could hear them talking in their vehicles. Suddenly, from what seemed to come from up above the hillside, there was a bizarre two-second-long very loud ascending-frequency swooping cry. I have perfect pitch so I can tell you it started around 500 Hz and went up to about 800 Hz. This was followed by three or four bizarre shrieks of some sort, a little higher, which almost sounded like some kind of goofy laughter, but...

I had not read anything seriously about Sasquatch for many years, and had not then ever heard a recording of one, so these sounds did not make any sense. The only possibility, I thought, was that some practical joker was up there, had seen my camplight, and was trying to spook me. But there were no other vehicles that I knew of, and there was no reason for anyone to BE up there on that hillside above a forgotten campground. The intensity of the calls did not make sense, either. I doubt if a human could have made a call that loud.

I went about my business, but as I sat there eating dinner with the light burning I had this very odd feeling that something was watching me. (I know how silly this all sounds.) I slept in the car as planned (doors locked). Next night, camped near the Cascade Tunnel west portal. On the night of the 26th, camped at the first location again. Heard nothing, but had that same creepy feeling that something up above was watching everything. I thought about walking up that hillside to a familiar old waterfall on Surprise Creek, but something told me, "Not this time."

As a Christian, I do believe in angelic protection, but after reading dozens of encounter stories in the last couple days, and reading Judy Walter's story from 1970 just tonight, and hearing the audio clips, I don't feel at ease about camping there anymore, unless I do it at the other side of the tracks under the night lights!

The difference between what I heard and most of the audio files I have heard: the latter have sounded mostly like ghastly shrieks out of some horror movie. This was more of a pure tone at first, then the following sounds had other frequencies mixed in. A very intense sound.

I have a question about animal scat. While picking berries on Tonga Ridge on the 27th, I walked about a thousand feet northwest of the road where people never go, through the trees and brush, looking for a better berry spot, and saw a pile of what I thought was bear scat in an open place. Now I'm not so sure that's what it was. It looked similar to human, but about two inches diameter; broken in many segments; well defined, as though not having a high moisture content when deposited, and was black & grey with much fiber content; probably several days old. I note this because you have another story in this collection about someone seeing the creature on a Foss River forest road, which is the one I go up to get to Tonga Ridge, on F.S. 6830.

I'm also wondering now if those skunky smells I encounter now and then while driving across the mountains late at night are always skunk. ???

OTHER WITNESSES: As mentioned, BNSF employees at the track, but it is unknown if they heard it; I think they were sitting in trucks at the time.

OTHER STORIES: Report # 2602.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: After sunset, not totally dark. Clear sky, temperature upper 50's.

ENVIRONMENT: Dark, old growth forest. Most trees very large and not too thick, so one could see events down below from a distance.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Jim Von Lossow:

The witness’s annual trips to this area include camping, huckleberry picking in the meadows and hills close-by and the pursuit of his lifelong hobby as a rail fan. Employed nearly 20 years in a government position, his interests include musical instruments, railroad history and outdoor pursuits. He has perfect pitch and in his spare time tunes pianos.

My investigation took me to the area for a look about, which lasted from mid-afternoon until well into the evening. I was able to hike the area in daylight and get a good feel of the topography and the surroundings.

During my afternoon on the hillside south of camp, not more than a half mile away, I found and photographed a possible footprint.



The impression was in hard packed soil heading uphill. It was surrounded by bracts of a fir tree, which littered large areas of the forest floor. Another possible partial print was visible above this one and measured at a 44 inch stride. The photo shows a possible print that is 17 inches long. It would be seven inches wide at the ball and four inches wide at the heel.

The location is 2,200 feet above sea level and sits in a small valley on the approach to Stevens Pass. It is one of the major east-west routes through the Cascade Mountain Range. Working their way up the mountain grade are US Highway 2 and the main line of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad. The Tye River flows here, fed by numerous streams. Several abandoned railroad tunnels dot the hillside and would make excellent shelter from harsh wintry conditions. The Stevens Pass corridor has had a wide variety of bigfoot related incidents over the years.

I stayed in the area well past dark. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred that night.

Link to BFRO Report 2602: Loud vocalizations heard near Stevens Pass
Report #2602

About BFRO Investigator Jim Von Lossow:

Small Business Owner
Special Interest in Field Sound Recording
Attended the Washington (Oly Pen -2) expedition.
[email protected]