Bigfoot’s fans keep close tabs on his annual Northwest tour

By LESLIE MORIARTY

Herald Writer

BOTHELL — Cliff Crook has a room in his house, dedicated to Bigfoot and the findings he has uncovered.

His interest stems from an incident when Bigfoot appeared as he camped in an isolated wooded area near Duvall years ago.

He’s been tracing Bigfoot for 44 years, having spent stints up to 12 days and nights long alone in the wilderness, searching for the legendary hairball.

He calls his work Bigfoot Central.

Meanwhile, Fred Bradshaw of Grays Harbor first encountered Bigfoot as a child camping with his family near the base of Mount St. Helens in the late 1950s. As a retired sheriff’s officer, Bradshaw spends a lot of time verifying sightings and recording them at Bigfoot Research, his company based near Olympia.

Both agree that most sightings are in August and September. There are at least 100 Bigfoots roaming the backwoods in the Pacific Northwest, they say. Sasquatches aren’t vegetarians; they eat rodents, fish and plant life.

Research shows they have a smell, "Like that of rotten meat and eggs mixed together," Bradshaw said. "They have been known to roll in the blood of the animals they kill and to spread their own feces on themselves to keep the unknown away."

Crook thinks the smell warns off others when they feel threatened, "like skunks do."

The experts say that 90 percent of Bigfoot sightings are false. But both think the recent sighting near Granite Falls is genuine. It will be added to the list of sightings recorded at both of their research sites.

Here is a list of recent sightings from Bigfoot Central:

  • May 7 — Troutdale, Ore. Campers find a set of tracks in the wilderness.

  • May 18 — Grants Pass, Ore. A motorcyclist reports seeing Bigfoot.

  • June 3 — Orting. A family reports finding large footprints on their property.

  • June 5 — Orting. An elderly woman sees an unidentifiable giant hairy creature pass by her car.

  • June 16 — Darrington. Big footprints are found along the Mountain Loop Highway.

  • June 21 — Mount Pilchuck. Hikers find large footprints.

  • June 24 — Olympic National Park. Sasquatch footprints are found along the Sol Duc River.

  • June 27 — Hoh Reservation. Giant footprints found, unidentifiable noises are heard, and Sasquatch-suspected hair from matted grass beds are found in the woods by Gene Sampson and Cliff Crook. Hair to be DNA tested later this month.

  • June 29 — Port Angeles. A forestry manager for the Suquamish Tribe allegedly sees Bigfoot in the forest.

  • July 1 — Selma, Ore. A psychologist reports seeing Bigfoot while hiking with his family near the Oregon Caves National Monument.

  • July 3 — Concrete. Hikers find giant footprints near Highway 20.

  • July 5 — Selma, Ore. Update: Oregon Caves hiker actually encountered a black bear, investigators say.

    To learn more, check out www.angelfire.com/biz/bigfootcentral.

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