West Virginia Expedition, Oct. 2006

Expedition location: Pocahontas County, West Virginia.

Pocahontas County has the highest average elevation, and lowest human population density, in the eastern U.S. Much of the county is within the boundaries of the vast Monongahela National Forest.

North Carolina investigator Patty Lee. Sunday, October 15, 2006, the morning after her first Class A sighting during the Saturday night rock-throwing encounter (see notes below). In the photo she is learning how to use the Raytheon 250D thermal imager, in preparation for a return forray to where she had her first sighting, the night before.

Portable thermal imagers are relatively new technology. They will be essential for any attempted long term studies of these animals. Sasquatches have been *viewed* (but not recorded) through thermal viewers on at least four occassions. They have been viewed enough times, by different people, for us to be confident that they do indeed have a noticeable thermal signature like every other mammal.

A group of expeditioners heads back to the area where the rock-throwing encounter occured on Saturday (10/14/06). Thirteen people were present initially. Five people eventually pulled out and returned to base camp. Eight remained. See the links below for their first-hand descriptions of the group encounter.

Dates of expedition: October 12 -15, 2006

Number of particpants: 25

Location: A tributary of the Greenbrier River, on the eastern side of West Virginia. The specific location will not be published online.

Preface: All types of evidence are sought on these expeditions, but the degree of success of an expedition is not measured by objects that are collected. Some people mistakenly assume that if we did not "find something" on a given expedition, then it was not successful. They are thinking of items that can be brought back for show and tell, as opposed to things that can only be observed and experienced in the field. The most compelling evidence for the participants are their own observations, which are annecdotal evidence to everyone else. The value of annecdotal evidence is often overlooked. A build-up of annecdotal evidence always precedes and guides formal research (which eventually yields items for lab scientists to study). Bigfoot/sasquatch research is still in the build-up stage.

Bigfoot/sasquatch field research also bears a tricky responsibility, with respect to the best interests of these animals -- knowing which information to not release publicly, such as specific locations in sensitive areas, or any other information that could be used by people with violent intentions. Consequently, you will find in the notes from the participants some important behavioral observations, along with some intentionally vague descriptions of locations and protocols which are inextricable parts of their stories. There is a reason and need for this vagueness.

Summary: On this expedition indicative sounds were heard each day within a five mile radius of the base camp. On Saturday night a group of thirteen (13) participants said they were approached and intimidated by 2-3 sasquatches on a trail along a tributary of the Greenbrier. The incident lasted 2 hours. During the encounter there was one brief Class A sighting by Patty Lee (NC-BFRO) when the headlamp of Olof Seaman (VA-BFRO) briefly illiminated a large sasquatch as he (Olof) moved along a trail back towards his group. Those who were present came away very excited (some were slightly traumatized) by the encounter. They were unanimously adamant that the sasquatches were trying to keep them "herded" together, by skillfully throwing large rocks in the paths of those who tried to separate and move away from the group. After two hours the activity ceased.

The next night three thermal cameras were retrieved from a different satellite camp and brought back to the Saturday night location, but there was no repeat of the events -- no sounds, no rock throwing, no knocks, etc. The cameras recorded continually but got nothing unusual.

Chris P. was one of the thirteen observers present during the Saturday night enounter. In the photo he crouches down at a spot where one of the animals was heard moving by most of the people present.

Rock outcroppings in the area of the Saturday night encounter happened. See the notes from participants, below.

Notes from some participants:

Notes from various people -- click here
Notes from Olof Siemen (Virginia BFRO) -- click here

Notes from Jerry and Melissa Adair (Georgia BFRO) -- click here

A possible stick formation, where logs are positioned in a woven-looking configuration. The purpose for stick formations, which have been found in both western and eastern states, may be to create recogizeable sign posts in an otherwise monotonous environment. Forests can look very different at different times of year. The larger formations usually do not get covered with snow.

Pockets of agriculture in the mountain valleys provide forage for large herds of deer. The deer herds are larger and more numerous on the outskirts of the farms and along the major rivers. Several major rivers in West Virginia have their headwaters in Pocahontas County.

A hunter's eyewitness composite sketch (assisted by artist Bill Asmussen) of his close encounter with a sasquatch on Fort Gordon Army Base, Richmond County, Georgia, December 1979.

The largest of the three animals that approached and threw rocks and logs at the group on the 2006 West Virginia Expedition, may have been in this size range -- 9-10 feet, ~1500 pounds.

West Virginia Expedition, Oct. 2006 - Notes, Photos