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AndrewP
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
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 Posted: September 25th, 2007 11:54 PM |
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I'm a little surprised that no one else from the MI trip has posted here yet. I guess it is time one of us rectify that.
What follows is a condensed version of my complete report, skipping the boring stuff and going straight to my encounters. (I have also abbreviated the names of people to protect the identities of those involved.)
Note on the whole trip: it was wet. I don't think I ever really dried out the entire 4 days we were there. 
Wednesday, July 11, 2007:
Arrived at the base camp in the afternoon. After pitching our tents, all those gathered followed MM out to the main sighting location. We arrived around 10:00 pm. We were given recorders and broke into teams of 4 to 5. Dark walking our way down a long trail into fairly rough terrain, we spread out. When everyone was in position and quiet, one of the leaders did a couple of howls. We had one distant reply that we got on our team's recorder. We recieved no other replys that night.
Thursday, July 12, 2007:
After a group discussion the following morning, a group of us decided to scout the trail in the daylight and to try to make it to the ridge where we think the howl came from.
Around 2:00 pm, we all drove out to and down the trail. We stopped near where the original witness had heard the growl, so DY could scout it out. He found an old log cabin, partially collapsed in the woods. We checked out the cabin, which had signs of animal habitation, though what kind we could not tell. Two others found two large pieces of black scat in the small clearing near the cabin. DY examined it and determined that it was not bear.
We all spread out to look for additional clues. One person followed a path leading to the east and found another clearing. Someone else found a small tree that had been arched over and staked to the ground. Next to it was an “X” formation of sticks. After finding nothing else, we got back in the truck and headed down the trail.
We spent the rest of the afternoon scouting the region, and found several other tree breaks, but nothing too substantial. My goup decided to go bck to base camp, pull our tents and return to the area and camp there that night.
At around 7:00 pm, my group and I were once more driving on the dirt road that accessed the area, heading to our new camp location. I was driving fairly slowly, about 20 mph, in case we saw something we wanted to check out. We had just passed a field with apple trees in it and had entered the area with large deciduous trees and a thick under story of spruce and hemlock. Suddenly, a small object came through the air from the north side at a forty five degree angle down onto the road about fifteen feet in front of the car, bouncing once after hitting the road.
I slammed on the brakes and immediately backed up until we were past the object. Scanning the trees, we jumped out of the car and checked out the item. It was a dead shrew, but only just. It was still warm and the blood was still draining. It had been bitten across the back in a straight line, such as an animal with incisors would do. The back was broken and the belly sliced open with the entrails hanging out.
KP went up the road about 50 feet, and entered the woods on the north side at an archway he had seen in the undergrowth. KC and I headed straight to the area where it had come from. The area had a few old mounds; the kind formed when large trees fall and then totally decay. I stood just inside the under story, on top of one of these mounds, looking inward. About 50 feet in, I saw movement, and glancing at it, I saw the outline of a large person standing behind a small tree facing me. I thought it was KP and said so to KC, taking my eyes off of it to navigate in further (my first mistake). She said that KP was back on the road. I instantly glanced back at the road (second mistake), saw KP and then looked back to the woods. I was in time to see something tall move away to the west.
I immediately went into the woods, cautiously picking my way through the brush to the location I had spotted it, camera out and ready. I heard the brush snap and rustle to the northwest and looked in time to see some young maples and ironwoods swaying with the passing of something.
Keeping my camera up, I began cautiously stalking toward that area. Suddenly, I was hit with an overwhelming feeling of dread. I started shaking all over my body. I remember trying to mentally override the fear and adrenalin burst and continue forward, but there might as well have been a wall in front of me. I could not move forward. I was shaking so bad I was afraid that I’d drop the camera. The feeling intensified and I turned and got out of there, passing KC on my way out. When I got back to my car, I could not stop shaking. It was as if my adrenal gland had kicked into overdrive. Afterward, I was still shaking two hours later.
On a side note, at the time, I thought that what I had seen was about the size of KP, and about 30 feet into the woods. The next day, EL helped me recreate the scene and it turned out that it was more like 50 feet back and when he stood where the animal had stood the day before, the top of his head (6 feet) would have only come up to the animal’s chest. The ground dipped down there, so though I was looking straight across at it, it would have had to have been at least 8 feet tall for me to have seen what I saw.
We left the area after I had calmed enough to drive and then hiked to the camp and set up around 9:00 pm. We started a fire and relaxed. We stayed up until 3:00 am and then went to sleep. I neither heard nor saw anything else that night, though others in my group did (something touched KC trough the tent, probing as if with fingers).
Well that is enough for now. It is getting late and I need to get to bed. I've a lot more to tell, and I will try to post it soon. Let me know if you have any questions.
Andy
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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IntriguedLimey
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 257
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 05:22 AM |
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| Andy, thanks for that. I was struck by your description of the sudden feeling of dread you experienced. This seems to be a common feature of many encounter reports. Enthusiasm, some apprehension on the approach, and then an overwhelming fear factor kicks in. You probably know that theories have been discussed on this forum to explain the phenomenon, which include the person becoming the target of sasquatch infrasound, and the possibility of the creature emanating fear producing pheromones. It could be one or both of these, or neither. It could have simply been the sudden realisation that you were on your own and in danger when just a few moments ago you were safe with friends. It's not unreasonable to go for the infrasound/pheromones explanation because the experience you recount is a pretty much a precise replication of the strong and sudden feelings described by others who found themselves in the position you were in that woodland. Looking back on it, what do you think now? |
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AndrewP
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 09:59 AM |
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A few years ago, I would have likely scoffed at the notion of infrasound, pheromones, or some other method that an animal could have to produce a fear reaction in people. I would likely have attributed such reactions to the natural fight or flight mechanism in each person. However, I no longer believe that. I’m not sure what the squatches have/do, but it is something, and it is very active, more so that I think pheromones could be.
During both the WI 1 trip and now the MI trip, I experienced sudden surges of emotion, ranging from uneasiness to outright dread and gut-wrenching fear. In my experience, it seems to come on suddenly, and has direction; that is, in each case, I could somehow tell the exact direction from which the “feeling” was coming. The source was definitely external to me. During WI 1 we turned this around and were able to use it to give us an indication of when they were in the area, and approximately where they were. It was amazing how sharply distinctive the difference was from the moments that they were around to the times they weren’t.
Scientists know the elephants communicate using infrasound to keep the heard together and even to frighten off enemies. I think a similar thing is happening here. I think in WI, the family group there was using infrasound a lot to communicate, and thus we had uneasy feelings whenever they were around. In MI, it was more like a direct attack (we felt it several times, and by several different people). It was really like a wall or wave hit me and somehow turned my adrenal gland on full high output. I have never gotten the shakes like that before in my life, and I have been in plenty of dangerous situations before; situations that were obviously far more dangerous than just stalking an unknown animal in a woods in daylight. Even full blown car accidents or nearly falling off an 80 ft cliff didn’t get as strong of a reaction as I had during the shrew incident.
Unfortunately, I have nothing but anecdotal evidence, and my direct experience. I don’t know how these animals do it; infrasound is just the best theory we have so far. But I do know that they are doing something. Once it hits you, there is no doubt that it did not come from an internal source.
Andy
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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IntriguedLimey
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 257
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 11:50 AM |
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Andy, thanks very much for that reply on the infrasound/pheromones question. Very interesting that the infrasound might be projected in a particular direction as a wave, and that makes sense really. From what you and others say, whatever this anti-intruder deterrent sasquatch are using, it certainly seems powerful and effective. I am no expert, but the infrasound theory is persuasive. Wikipedia have the following comment on the subject:
'It has long been realized that infrasound may cause feelings of awe or fear. Since it is not consciously perceived, it can make people feel vaguely that supernatural events are taking place. In a controlled experiment published in September 2003 people at a concert were asked to rate their responses to a variety of pieces of music, some of which were accompanied by infrasonic elements.The participants were not aware of which pieces included the infrasound. Many participants (22%) reported feelings of anxiety, uneasiness, extreme sorrow, nervous feelings of revulsion or fear and chills down the spine which correlated with the infrasonic events. In presenting the evidence to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the scientist responsible said "These results suggest that low frequency sound can cause people to have unusual experiences even though they cannot consciously detect infrasound. '
To investigate further you can go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrasound
Thanks again for your clear and fascinating comments |
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CKnaub
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 361
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 01:38 PM |
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Thanks for the post AndrewP. What I find of particular interest is that only you were the target. I assume that the others did not feel what you did. But you were the one closest to and in pursuit of the bf. This indicates that it can defenitely be directed, and that the intensity can be controlled by them. Yours sounds like one of the most intense experiences with infrasound that I have read. To me The fact that you didn't feel it right away shows that they are not aggressive per se, but once feeling threatend or that you are going to far for them, they can keep you at bay while they make their escape.
Looking forward to more of your experiences on this exped. |
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walt smith
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 35
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 03:04 PM |
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Thank god for your post Andrew!! I thought you all might have been shot or something! Sounds like you had a excellent, nerve racking time! PLEASE POST SOME MORE!!! I'm from M.I. and I'm sure that everyone else from M.I. would love to hear more from you ( HuH VSLICK) It's funny because what happened to you is the same that happened to me-- frozen in your tracks, not afraid really but also not able to move. It took me a good 5min. to get out of my tracks Ha, Ha. QUITE the feeling not knowing wether your gonna get killed or let go. Certainly not for everyone. Please when you find some time POST AGAIN!!
I believe |
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AndrewP
Moderator
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 11:01 PM |
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Quote:
Thanks for the post AndrewP. What I find of particular interest is that only you were the target. I assume that the others did not feel what you did. But you were the one closest to and in pursuit of the bf. This indicates that it can defenitely be directed, and that the intensity can be controlled by them. |
I was about 60 to 80 feet into the woods when it hit me. KC had stayed at the edge to the woods when I went in. After I came out, she advanced a few feet into the woods and also got a twisting feeling in her gut, though not as intense as what hit me.
Andy
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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walt smith
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 35
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 11:07 PM |
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Did anyone else experience anything simular during the rest of the expedition??
I believe |
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AndrewP
Moderator
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 11:26 PM |
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OK, time for another installment, though I doubt I'll get through everything tonight. Sorry, I'm not trying to drag this out; there is just so much that happened on the MI trip, and I have very little time each night to copy and edit from my long trip report. I hope you all understand.
Friday, July 13, 2007
We met the Camper group that morning and we decided that we would like to stay out there another night, though we wanted to camp closer to the log cabin. PP came out and let us know that the main group was moving to Target North. We discussed it with her and decided that our group and the Camper group would stay here, as there seemed to be too much action here to abandon it totally. We agreed to meet the Camper group back at the Log Cabin area of the trail around 6:00 pm, after a supply run into town.
We met with the Camper group that evening and decided to check out the old logging road next to the swamp from which the shrew was thrown. There we learned that the gate was open. We all decided to move our camp to that location (later known as Shrew Camp). We backed down the road to a likely camp site. The Camper group setup their camp closer to the main road, out of sight from us.
We all, our group and the Camper group, went down the road to the Shrew area and set out apples at various locations from the Shrew area, leading back to camp.
In hindsight, I realize that our camp setup was really dumb. We camped in a straight line on the grassy road. First was the van, then P’s tent, then mine, after an open space we setup the fire, left another gap, and then pitched KP and KC’s tent. As we were setting up, it started raining, so we erected a large tarp as a rain shelter between my tent and the fire, bringing the trailing edge of it all the way to the ground. This very effectively blocked KP and KC’s tent from view from the rest of the tents and the car.
We stayed up fairly late that night. Two of the Camper guys came over and talked with us around midnight (perhaps a bit earlier). They reported hearing brush snapping to the west. As we stood talking, a light musky, skunk-like, mildew odor wafted into camp. Those who were standing could smell it better than those on the ground. It was an odor that is difficult to describe and was almost more of a taste than a scent. Over the next hour we continued to hear “thumps”, brush snaps, and occasionally smell the odor. The sounds were coming from several directions, but were always out of range of the fire light.
Early Morning, Saturday, July14, 2007
We went to bed around 2:00 am. I fell asleep almost immediately. I did not realize that KP and KC were being harassed until about 4:30 am when I heard KC whistling “Amazing Grace” (which was a prearranged signal between her and I, in the case that she wanted to get my attention). I woke fully then and listened. I thought about opening my tent slightly and slowly to have a look, but realized that the tarp was blocking them from view. My radio was missing (I had dropped it in the woods while getting firewood). I could hear rustling coming from their direction, but could not ascertain the source. I honestly didn’t know what to do. I prepared my light, in case they called for help, but, short of that, my hands were tied.
Awhile later, I woke again and it was light. KP and KC were outside my tent. I got up and we discussed what had happened. Around 3:00 am, KC was awoken by the sound of large, heavy foot steps a few inches from her head. She woke up KP and they listened (and gripped their bear mace  ). Their tent was surrounded by several individuals. They didn't report any obvious sound, other than bipedal footfalls and the ocasional sound of something brushing up against the tent fabric.
Eventually, they grew too frightened to take it anymore, and KP got on the radio and called out about it (around 4:30). At the sound of his voice the sounds around the tent stopped and they heard the animals moving away. When they were unsuccessfull at raising me on the radio, Kristie tried whistling. They continued hearing sounds the rest of the night, though not as close.
When I spoke with them in the morning, both of them were obviously shaken. The ground around their tent was trampled flat, and a new trail led up to their tent from the East, where we had not walked the day before. Also, there we numerous stains on their tent fly. Some looked as if some sort of liquid had landed on the tent and then slid down the fly in the rain (these were greenish in color). Others looked as if they had been brushed on with hair (these were brown). At the back of the tent, on the screen under the fly, were three finger marks in the dew (though this could have been caused by Kristie from inside the tent). The finger marks disappeared as the dew burned off, but the rest of the stains are set into the fabric.
Well, that should hold you for now. The rest of the story is best told as one piece, so I'll save that for another installment.
Have a good night,
Andy
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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AndrewP
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
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| Posted: September 26th, 2007 11:27 PM |
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Quote:
walt smith wrote:
Did anyone else experience anything simular during the rest of the expedition??
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Oh, yeah! I'll get to that when I post about Saturday evening, but I am tired now and need sleep.
Andy
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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Toledodan
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 56
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| Posted: September 27th, 2007 12:27 AM |
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Wow Andy great posts! I am bummed I missed the MI trip.
I am curious about the shrew. They are so small for big hands. "It had been bitten across the back in a straight line" Is it your belief the mark was consistent with a large mouth? |
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AndrewP
Moderator
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
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| Posted: September 27th, 2007 09:04 AM |
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Quote:
Toledodan wrote:
Wow Andy great posts! I am bummed I missed the MI trip.
I am curious about the shrew. They are so small for big hands. "It had been bitten across the back in a straight line" Is it your belief the mark was consistent with a large mouth?
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Can't really speak to the size of the mouth, though there was no curve to the cuts, just straight across the lower back bone and then another under the belly, as if some thing with large incisors (front teeth in humans) stuck the shrew's rear end in its mouth and bit down. There were no other obvious injuries to the shrew. If you want to imagine the bite pattern a bit better, imagine sticking an inch or so of a hot dog in your mouth from the front and biting through the skin, without bitting all the way through. That is what it looked like (only furrier and with blood and guts and stuff. I tried to take a picture after coming out of the woods, but it was starting to get darker under the tree cover (it was still light, just not enough full sun for a good macro shot), and I was shaking too badly. Needless to say, it didn't turn out too well.
I could think of only two possiblities:
1. Some one wanted to hoax us, grabbed a shrew, bit it and threw it at our car. (It would take a VERY dedicated hoaxer to bite a live shrew. Plus, I am not sure that a human's mouth would be large enough not to have had a noticable curve to the bite.)
2. A squatch caught it in the course of feeding, bit it to kill it, and threw it at our car (for what reason only it knows).
No other animal I can think of could have made both that kind of bite mark and had the physical ability to throw it. A bird could have dropped it, but the injuries were not at all consistant with a raptor's beak or talons.
Andy
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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BEERBRENT
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 52
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| Posted: September 27th, 2007 11:10 AM |
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| Thanks for the posts Andy. I look forward to reading more. |
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Toledodan
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 56
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| Posted: September 27th, 2007 06:10 PM |
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Yea, thanks! I had a different picture in my head of the bite. I agree, for it not to be our furry friend, it would have to be a very dedicated and slightly crazy (and hungry) hoaxer.
Man, I have got to make sure I make it next time.
Thanks again for your posts, I wonder if we will hear from anyone else on the trip. |
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rjgorny
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Posts: 221
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| Posted: September 27th, 2007 11:07 PM |
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I was also on the MI trip, and I regret that I didn't experience nearly what some of the others did. I did see a number of possible stick structures near an area I called "Green bridge", most of which were too vague to be positively identified as squatch. On the final night, a group of four of us were camping about a quarter-mile from this area, and we heard nothing definitive throughout the evening. We all went to bed, but the next morning, I found a strange mud stain on the side of my tent. I had pulled up weeds the evening before in clearing the area to set up my tent, and there were numerous weeds scattered about. Something apparently smeared mud on my tent, in a roughly round pattern, probably with these uprooted weeds. I am 100% certain that this stain was not on my tent previously. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper, so would not have stirred from something like that.
There were some other happenings not posted yet, which I will leave to those who were involved. All I can say is that I am supremely jealous of those lucky humans... you know who you are.
Western PA BFRO
"Steel City Squatcher"
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"-- Albert Einstein |
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HunterHunted
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 33
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| Posted: September 30th, 2007 12:24 PM |
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I was also on the MI Expedition, (my first) and haven't posted in part because my story isn't as interesting, and I wasn't sure if there would be an 'official' post. Plus, I didn't want to tell someone else's cool story without giving them a chance first. Anyways, here you go (edited to remove names of people and places--Admin. edit more if you need to):
OVERVIEW:
Overall I think everyone in my group (the 3 video-game guys) had a good, memorable experience. I don't think it was always what we expected, and not all of it went well, but it made for some interesting photos, video and storytelling.
We regret that our fourth member got sick right before the trip and was unable to come up with us. In hindsight, we think that had he been here--being the cautious one of the group--we might not have gotten ourselves into some of the trouble we did.
THURSDAY:
We left NW Illinois around 6AM on Thursday and arrived at the Base Camp by 3pm.
We were pretty tired when we got there, and had hoped to catch a nap before heading out that evening, but unpacking our stuff and setting up camp took more time than we realized. Before long, we met with the others to go over the plan for the evening, and listen to a possible vocalization recorded the night before (I think).
Our group opted to scout an area away from the others, south of Target East, after talking with the organizers. We drove a few miles down gravel roads, and eventually turned onto 'roads' that were largely overgrown--just weedy tire-tracks through the woods. We explored several of these, and found them all to be extremely lifeless--no night-life whatsoever, nothing to indicate a suitable habitat by BFRO standards. Heard a couple of owls and something we think was some kind of bird (kind of a whoop-whoop-whooping sound, not loud, not distant, but more than a chirp). At one point my buddy (using one of the BFRO audio recorders) did think he heard some kind of moan, but I don't believe anyone else in the group heard it.
Eventually we worked our way back the way we had come, and walked down a trail that was very different from the rest, and seemed rather promising. It was hilly, with far more habitat requirements. Some of the ground was rocky. We hiked and listened a bit here, but didn't hear much more than owls. By about 2am we headed back to the Base Camp.
FRIDAY:
We lost a substantial amount of time waiting around for things to get organized Friday, but eventually everyone rallied at the original Target North, where we got to hear a witness' account of her Class A Sighting and be shown around the area where it occurred. We later went up a steep ridge road, and split into three (possibly four) groups--one at a scenic overlook, one in another location (don't know exactly where this was) and our group and several other folks took shelter from the rain in an abandoned cabin not far from the overlook (in typical horror-movie style).
With the heavy rain, most of us pretty much stayed put in the cabin. Some noticed some possible stick-signs about 20 yards from the cabin, in the woods, so I did go check those out. I personally didn't see anything that really convinced me that they couldn't have occurred naturally.
My buddy took a brief hike in the woods by himself before it got dark, and thinks he may have seen a small bear running away from him, so he returned to the cabin, lest he encounter the mother. Upon doing so, he was told that apparently juvenile sasquatch have been known to run on all fours, but he's pretty sure it was a bear.
After dark, those of us in the cabin participated in some of the test calls. Radio communication was poor, perhaps due to the rain, so all information from the organizers had to be relayed to us through the overlook group. We were close enough to hear calls from the overlook group, but not from any of the other groups. Eventually, the decision came down to call it a night due to the rain, so we packed up and headed back down to the vehicles for the trip back to Base Camp.
SATURDAY:
With our last full day and night, we decided to wait for a group meeting and decide where we wanted to go, and whether or not to go with the main group again or go off on our own. The plan seemed to be to shift back to the Target East area again, as some folks had apparently camped out there the entire time and were getting some possible vocalizations there. I'm not sure, but someone might have also returned to the Target North area as well.
The organizers approached our group after the meeting and asked us if we'd be up for returning to the area south of Target East that we'd explored the first night, so that's where we went.
In hindsight, I think it would have been more interesting if we'd actually gone with the group to the actual Target East location--since we hadn't been there yet, and that seems to be where most of the action was. (In actuality, after reading the reports from the others, we were VERY near to where most of the activity occurred.)
But, we headed south again, stopping in town to pick up some extra supplies for a planned night of camping away from Base Camp.
We first tried a trail we'd only partially explored on Thursday, in hopes that it would lead us to a hill between two rivers to the east, but this area just didn't live up to our expectations. We drove as far as we could, and found out the hard way that our big, hulking Ford Expedition rental... was only 2-wheel drive--not the 4-wheel drive version we requested. 
We got stuck in some mud.
We tried rocking it forwards and backwards, but had no luck. Eventually we hiked back towards the gravel road--we were stuck on a side road that was mostly weeds with faint tire tracks. Given that it's fairly common for folks up north to dump the stuff they can't burn in the woods, we came across some old tires, mattress springs, and a pile of shingles.
Emptying out one of our two wheeled coolers, we loaded up with shingles and brought them back to try to give us some traction. This worked a little, but even with two trips worth of shingles, it was not enough.
Next, we went to the road to try to get some gravel, but it was too hard-packed to be useful, so we went back to the shingles to make our own gravel. We ground up the shingles by hand, and filled the cooler a third time.
Two hours from when we first got stuck, the hand-crafted gravel worked, and we got the Expedition out of the mud. Whoo-hoo! Having grown up on a farm that used to be a swamp, I was pretty confident that we would get it out, but it felt great to achieve it nonetheless.
We returned to the really varied pine swamp area we found at the end of Thursday night and hiked a good ways further down the trail, but found no better habitat than what we'd found Thursday, which was only a short hike from the main road area.
With 2-3 hours before sunset, we again weighed our options, and after pouring over several topo maps I'd printed of the area, we decided to drive over to the large hill area SE of Target East where the others were. We followed the road north past another key map feature, and it continually degraded until we faced a section of 'road' that was nearly washed away by the heavy rain the previous night. We pondered going down the rutted slope for a while, but courage/foolery got the best of us and down we went. If only we'd explored 100 yards ahead on foot, we might have found the 30-foot diameter puddle and decided against going down the hill. But we didn't learn about this feature until after we'd bounced down the rutted slope. At this point, we wriggled the Expedition around through a 3-point turn and tried getting back up the rutted slope--with no luck.
Literally, only two raised tire-tracks remained of the road--and those were made of sand--the rest were 9-inch deep ruts. In our attempt to get back up the slope, the sandy ridges crumbled and the truck slid sideways into the ditch.
With rear tires finding no purchase, and both axles bottomed-out in sand, we were pretty well... well I'm sure you can imagine the words we used to describe the situation.
Fortunately, we had extended network cellular service, and were able to reach the rental company for roadside assistance--from India. Who promptly found us the nearest towing company... in Colorado. (not kidding)
Eventually, we got a local Yooper in a nearby town who could find us using natural landmarks, and come and get us with his V10 tow truck with dual rear tires on both sides. He almost got stuck several times himself, but after an hour, he was able to pull our truck back down the slope and give us another chance to get back up it. My buddy was able to pull it off the second time, and we made our way slowly back the 7-plus miles to pavement.
At this point it was already dark, we were exhausted, caked in mud and demoralized, and opted to spend our last night at the Base Camp, sitting by a fire.
SUNDAY:
We got up early Sunday, packed up and headed out. We did hear briefly about the action others had, possible sightings, and about one fellow who had had a rock thrown at his truck while delivering firewood in the Target East area. I believe this is a second incident, separate from the shrew one, but I'm not sure.
We also heard that the fee we paid to attend the expedition was a one-time thing, so we're looking forward to most-likely tagging along on a future expedition in the Midwest. Only next time, we'll use the tow-truck fees to go ahead and upgrade to the HUMMER. 
We were tired, we were sore, but we had a great time, and have some ridiculous photographic and video evidence of our own stupidity. Not to mention the cool stories, seeing a replica of Krantz's gigantopithecus skull mock-up, time well spent in the scenic, fresh air of the U.P. and getting to meet some other fellow 'squatchers as well. |
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KT
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 55
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| Posted: September 30th, 2007 03:08 PM |
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That is a fascinating report - thank you for sharing it. Regarding the possible infrasound and your reaction to it, there are a few things I would like to mention:
- you can't get any directional information from ultra low-frequency sounds. High-frequency information has to be in the signal for us to gain any directional information. I've always thought that this would work to the advantage of the BF generating the signal - you can't tell where it is coming from, but you know you are too close.
- it takes a HUGE speaker and a LOT of power to generate an infrasonic signal loud enough to cause any kind of reaction, fear or otherwise, over any significant distance. Take a look at the Wikipedia report mentioned - they have a picture of the infrasound cannon they used, and it is massive. Consequently, I suspect that if BF can generate infrasound, it would only be effective in inducing any kind of fear response if you were very close. It might create a small "buffer" around it.
- pheremones make more sense given the reaction you described and the possibility that they could have been targeted at you specifically - hence your partner, not very far away, had a comparably mild reaction. Also given the lasting response to it, long after you were removed from the situation - sort of like a drug that has to "wear off" over time.
Thanks again for that report. Great stuff.
KT |
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AndrewP
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Posts: 157
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| Posted: October 7th, 2007 09:49 PM |
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OK, I'm not going to bed until I have this finished. Sorry it has taken so long. I've been very busy.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
We all went down and checked on the apples. None were touched, other than a possible rodent bite on one. Being very tired we all went back to bed and slept for several hours. We got up and decided to head to base camp to report what happened. The Camper group had already left. We got to the Base camp around noon and met with MM and the rest of the BFRO. MM decided to shift focus back to the Shrew camp area for that night.
We went back and moved our camp off of the road and into the woods. This time we had time to set the camp up properly.
EL, PP, and DY came later and helped us scout the area where the shrew was thrown at us. It was then that we found that the animal had been around eight feet tall. We also found several breaks and pushed down trees near the swamp. Under some white cedars, we found an area that had recently been used as a bed/rest area, including a partially eaten mushroom.
Others came and setup more camps further down the Shrew Camp Road. Around 6:00 pm, DY put on his gillie suit and went to scout the area. He reported back via radio that he jumped a large sasquatch. He then returned to our camp, obviously shaken. KC and I went down to the last camp (dubbed Chicago camp) to check on them, since we hadn’t heard from them for a long time.
By the time we got back, DY had gone out again and we received several reports from him about finding beds and being harassed and paced. He asked that we get someone on the road with a camera, as the animal was headed that way. We sent several people.
KC and P decided to go for one last walk while it was still light out to check the apple offerings in the woods. I decided to follow behind them about 20 yards with a camera in hand, just in case. When we reached the gate, P noticed the apple had a bite out of it. The bite was made by incisors with no evidence of canine teeth.
DY met us there, reporting that someone had heard whistles down by the main road. P, KC, DY, and I decided to go down and have a look. We were passed on the road by M who was bringing us some wood. We made it to the Main road without issue and P and KC headed off toward the Orchard. From behind us we heard M’s truck come out onto the road, and he sped over to us. Something had thrown a rock and hit his truck on his way to our camp. (We later realized that it was at the location that the ladies had used as a bathroom only about 15 minutes prior.)
We went back to camp. Many others started arriving and we helped them set up and find places to camp.
Around 10:00 pm, PP and her group came and they dark-walked the road by our camp. JS came back quickly, describing an overwhelming fear reaction and a tightening in her chest. The others came back soon thereafter having been growled at by something in the woods. (It is perhaps noteworthy that the growl happened near an area where I had relieved myself earlier.) At about this same time we were sitting in camp and everyone was startled by a loud “CRACK-thump” to the northeast. Something had pushed over a very large tree by the sound of it. I had been scouring that area for wood earlier that day and had used the only dead tree I had seen that would have made that loud of a crack as a bathroom. It may be connected, but I forgot to go check in the morning.
Around 11:00 pm, KP and I tried dark-walking the Shrew Camp road. After walking about fifty feet north (near where the growl had happened earlier), KP stopped and said he saw red eyes looking down at us. I turned and saw a brief flash of red, and then nothing. I turned my red light on the area and saw a large tree with what I thought were strange sticks on the trunk. We decided to go back to camp. As we left, I turned my red light back on the tree, and the “sticks” were gone. I now think that they weren’t sticks at all but fingers wrapped around the trunk from behind, as if something was hiding behind the tree and clutching the trunk for support. The top set of fingers (right side) was about eight feet off the ground, and the bottom set (left side) was at about six feet.
Around midnight, MM called, and KP and I went down to the road to see what was up. He outfitted KP with a thermal recorder system. Eventually, KP and I walked all the way down to the end of the grassy road at Chicago camp and back to ours without seeing or hearing anything. It was as if everything had gone dead. As we got to our camp, we started hearing PP and DY calling for the cameras over the radio. We rushed back to MM and then started east down the Main road toward where they were seeing the animals (they were reporting seeing several individuals and were being harassed. They had thermal gear and could see the animals clearly, but had no recording equipment). On request, I stopped part way and sent KP down to the action. I went back to MM and began recording the radio conversations.
It was quite intense, KP reported seeing one low crawling across the road, and he got it on tape, though from too far for much detail. The other thermal camera was closer to the action and may have gotten better footage, but I doubt that either got close enough to get the really clear footage the BFRO is waiting for. Prior to the camera guys getting there, DY and PP were harassed by a group of squatches for quite some time. They had no lights, watching solely through the thermal viewers as the animals ducked in and out of cover and even ran at them and past them several times. They reported going back to back in the center of the road for safety as they waited for back up. When the backup arrived the squatches began to move away. The entire incident lasted for an hour or more.
I kept up the recording until KP came back around 4:00 am and then we went back to camp. DY joined us around 4:30 am. Hopefully, one of them will give a better account of what happened on the road, as my information is only second hand (albiet, I heard the stories as they were happening via the radio and then the whole thing immediately afterward from KP and DY).
Sunday, July 15, 2007
We got up around 8:30 or 9:30am and broke camp. DY, BG, KP, and others went for a quick look at the beds that DY found. We left and headed back to Base camp. We met with the main group for the interviews. We then said our goodbyes and headed for home.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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exennium
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 158
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| Posted: October 7th, 2007 11:50 PM |
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Quote:
AndrewP wrote: We rushed back to MM and then started east down the Main road toward where they were seeing the animals (they were reporting seeing several individuals and were being harassed. They had thermal gear and could see the animals clearly, but had no recording equipment). On request, I stopped part way and sent KP down to the action. I went back to MM and began recording the radio conversations.
It was quite intense, KP reported seeing one low crawling across the road, and he got it on tape, though from too far for much detail. The other thermal camera was closer to the action and may have gotten better footage, but I doubt that either got close enough to get the really clear footage the BFRO is waiting for. Prior to the camera guys getting there, DY and PP were harassed by a group of squatches for quite some time. They had no lights, watching solely through the thermal viewers as the animals ducked in and out of cover and even ran at them and past them several times. They reported going back to back in the center of the road for safety as they waited for back up. When the backup arrived the squatches began to move away. The entire incident lasted for an hour or more.
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ZOWIE! Now that is an expedition report! This is why I visit this site, for information like this. Thank you so much AndrewP for sharing your experience. I absolutely can't wait to read what DY and PP have to say about their experience. This has my head spinning. |
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WVSLICK
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 323
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| Posted: October 8th, 2007 10:48 AM |
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AWESOME!!!!Thanks for the report AndrewP, very interesting. Cant wait for more, bring it on guys, or gals, sorry.
RICK R. |
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Toledodan
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 56
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| Posted: October 10th, 2007 04:53 PM |
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"(they were reporting seeing several individuals and were being harassed. They had thermal gear and could see the animals clearly, but had no recording equipment)"
"KP reported seeing one low crawling across the road, and he got it on tape, though from too far for much detail."
"Prior to the camera guys getting there, DY and PP were harassed by a group of squatches for quite some time. They had no lights, watching solely through the thermal viewers as the animals ducked in and out of cover and even ran at them and past them several times. They reported going back to back in the center of the road for safety as they waited for back up. When the backup arrived the squatches began to move away."
Bummer-- seems like the big guy has a sense of when he is being recorded and when he is just being viewed through a scope.
Bummer- sure would have been some sweet footage.
Thanks for the report! Sounds very exciting |
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CKnaub
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 361
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| Posted: October 10th, 2007 05:53 PM |
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Andrew, thanks again for taking the time for such a long and detailed report. Kudos to DY and PP for holding their ground. How did they fare after the incident, still in the mood for more, or was it overwhelmingly fearsome or extremely exciting? Interesting that the creatures felt comfortable turning on the intimidation when there were only 2 and then retreated when reinforcements arrived. Can you tell us how many came as backups? Or how many bf were involved? How close did they run by?
I understand if you can't give all the details but I think this gives some insight into their behaviour and when they are most likely to approach. Seems to me that it's not the cameras that scared them but the approach of more people. I've seen the thermal viewers, how different are the recording devices in comparison. Are they hand held so that bf thinks you have a weapon or are the thermal viewers already equiped to record as you see through them. Sorry for rambling, this report is just amazing. Can't wait to hear from the "harassees"  |
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Toledodan
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 56
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| Posted: October 10th, 2007 07:17 PM |
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Quote:
CKnaub wrote:
Andrew, thanks again for taking the time for such a long and detailed report. Kudos to DY and PP for holding their ground. How did they fare after the incident, still in the mood for more, or was it overwhelmingly fearsome or extremely exciting? Interesting that the creatures felt comfortable turning on the intimidation when there were only 2 and then retreated when reinforcements arrived. Can you tell us how many came as backups? Or how many bf were involved? How close did they run by?
I understand if you can't give all the details but I think this gives some insight into their behaviour and when they are most likely to approach. Seems to me that it's not the cameras that scared them but the approach of more people. I've seen the thermal viewers, how different are the recording devices in comparison. Are they hand held so that bf thinks you have a weapon or are the thermal viewers already equiped to record as you see through them. Sorry for rambling, this report is just amazing. Can't wait to hear from the "harassees"
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CK- you bring up some interesting points. In my naturalist training the first thing they teach you is when you see something (in this case birds not squatches) not to point. Many animals are startled by this position, very interesting that a squatch would not be intimidated by a human holding something up to their eye.
If we assume that they have been observing us for decades, then maybe they can tell the difference between a shotgun (duck hunters), rifle (deer hunters), bow and camera. Granted they may not know what the camera is, but they may know that it doesn't make loud noises and cause an animal to fall. |
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AndrewP
Moderator
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
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| Posted: October 19th, 2007 12:18 PM |
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Quote:
CKnaub wrote:
Andrew, thanks again for taking the time for such a long and detailed report. Kudos to DY and PP for holding their ground. How did they fare after the incident, still in the mood for more, or was it overwhelmingly fearsome or extremely exciting? Interesting that the creatures felt comfortable turning on the intimidation when there were only 2 and then retreated when reinforcements arrived. Can you tell us how many came as backups? Or how many bf were involved? How close did they run by?
I understand if you can't give all the details but I think this gives some insight into their behaviour and when they are most likely to approach. Seems to me that it's not the cameras that scared them but the approach of more people. I've seen the thermal viewers, how different are the recording devices in comparison. Are they hand held so that bf thinks you have a weapon or are the thermal viewers already equiped to record as you see through them. Sorry for rambling, this report is just amazing. Can't wait to hear from the "harassees"
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Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I've been busy.
Backups: 2 camera guys and 2 others with night vision.
Squatches: DY said it was between 3 to 5 squatches. I guess it was pretty chaotic and with the thick wooded cover they were going in and out of, it was difficult to count them.
The thermal viewers are hand held. The cameras were head mounted. Only the head mounted ones could record.
The hand held viewers did not appear to spook the squatches at all, from DY's report.
As far as hearing from PP or DY, I don't know if or when either would be chiming in here. I know that at least one of them reads and posts to the forums occasionally, but can't say why he hasn't posted here.
Andy
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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AndrewP
Moderator
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
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| Posted: October 19th, 2007 12:25 PM |
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Quote:
Toledodan wrote:
CK- you bring up some interesting points. In my naturalist training the first thing they teach you is when you see something (in this case birds not squatches) not to point. Many animals are startled by this position, very interesting that a squatch would not be intimidated by a human holding something up to their eye.
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Personally, I think that in the complete darkness, they are a lot braver. They are likely not used to humans who can see well in te dark. Even night vision only lets you see normally, they can still hide from that. Thermal imagery, however, makes them stand out like a sore thumb in the cool night air. So hiding is more difficult for them when you have a thermal viewer. That is not to say that a tree or brush will not block them from view; it will because it is cold; however, any body part not covered glows. It is great technology. I hope it comes down in price eventually. I want one. 
Andy
Andy P.
MN BFRO Investigator
2009 Minnesota Expedition Organizer |
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CKnaub
Approved
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 361
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| Posted: October 19th, 2007 04:08 PM |
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bftracker1, thanks for the report. I got the chills just reading it! Just a couple questions, I gather when you say very big your talking bigger than 8ft, was it 10 or more? The glowing basketball size spheres, would that be their faces? (I assume the lack of facial hair would stand out in your night vision) Also were you wearing the ghillie suit the whole time. I'm wondering if that was more interesting to bf than a normally clad human.
Congratulations, 1-2 foot away from a stampeding bf must be a record  |
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smithcd
Unregistered
Joined:
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| Posted: October 30th, 2007 04:15 AM |
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WOW, just read about the expedetion; that was great. Imagine being harrassed by a bunch of Bf's. Good work andrew. Did I see someone say that once you've paid
for your 1st expd. that is a onetime fee? Can't wait till
I go on my first on.
Clayton T. |
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Paul Schnabel
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4
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| Posted: October 31st, 2007 08:53 PM |
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. Target east was our first area to investigate but the windy conditions prevented us from receiving any feedback from our calling and knocking. We then moved to the Y Road area. Many people made camp there for the next few days and had interesting experiences. On Friday we moved to target north but due to the adverse weather conditions nothing was moving. MM decided to move back to the Y Road area. Up until that time I had personally had no experiences to relate.
That all changed on Saturday. After midnight, PP, DY, EL and I decided to walk the main road (Y) east of the gate camp. DY and PP had thermal imaging units and EL and I had night vision. We walked approximately a quarter mile when we decided to turn back. We then decided to split up, EL and I heading back first and PP and DY waiting a few minutes and then starting back. Just as EL and I reached the gate of the shrew camp I heard DY radio something to the effect that there were two figures coming over the rise of the road, east of their position. PP then asked if there were any BFRO members on the road. I believe DY and PP proceeded further down the road towards the figures. I then heard DY saying the figures went into the woods and were possibly flanking them. I believe PP then said there are two more of them coming down the road. PP and DY then requested “could someone get down here.” I started back to their position which was about one hundred and fifty yards east of the shrew camp gate. It was slow going as I did not want to use my headlamp and relied on the night vision. As I was walking I was also panning the woods to make sure nothing was paralleling me. When I reached PP and DY they were huddled together looking into the woods with their thermal units. PP handed me her thermal and instructed me to look down the road at a small bush. I judged the distance to be about 125 yards. I had just said “yes I see the bush” when a figure peeked its head from around a bend on the left side of the road. It appeared to be bending at the knees. The figure then peeked again followed by another just behind it.
The next event I’ve gone over and over in my mind many times. Both figures “walked” over to the center of the road. They were so close to each other that it appeared to be only one thermal image. I handed the thermal back to PP to see if I could see anything with the night vision but the distance was too great. The guys with the thermal digital recorders were just getting to our position. We decided to send them ahead. At MM's request I headed back to the shrew camp gate and went over what happened with AP. AP began audio recording the incident. The video from the digital recorders is still being reviewed at this time. Needless to say I believe further investigation of this area is warranted.
Paul S. – BFRO Wisconsin
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ryanh
Approved
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 90
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| Posted: November 1st, 2007 06:56 PM |
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| Its so awesome to hear your stories about this expedition to my neck of the woods. If you ever do one in Wisconsin, let me know, there is a place not far from where I live that has been a hotbed of Bigfoot activity since I was a kid. Im going out there this weekend to snoop around. |
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hugepedseeker
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 60
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| Posted: November 28th, 2007 11:23 PM |
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| Good Stories, not a lot of luck though. Amazing how it always ends up the same.... no hard evidence. |
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