Report Received From: The GCBRO Online Report Submission Form.
 

DATE:    May 16, 1998
 

TIME:     9:00 a.m.
 

LOCATION:   Fremont County, Wyoming
 

TERRAIN:    Mountains
 

OBSERVED:    The information that I am about to divulge is something that my best friend and I have keep to ourselves until this fall.

  My best friend and I have tried to make a yearly trip up the north fork of the XXXXXX River. 1998 was the last year we made this trip. On this trip we had seen what we can only describe as Bigfoot.  That was the year the parks service was doing construction on the trail that led to the falls and then farther into the mountains to our fishing spot. The fork that led to the falls was currently the section of trail being redone. It would have taken to long to wait for the workers to put the bridge back in so we continued on the trail the lead north and around the rim of the canyon. This route would take us about 3 hrs. out of our way and away from the river. The trail cut through opening and think timer and brush. This was a trail the neither of us had ever taken and we had no idea as to were it went or how far out of the way it could have taken us.

 As we hiked we talked and joked to help pass the time. We would give each other hypothetical questions and scenarios. When we cam upon a pile of rocks along the edge of some trees. We saw what looked like a shallow cave or lean-to. We walked over to check it out. As we got closer to the rock pile we noticed an odor that grew stronger as we neared. The odor was a mix or a sour meat, musty, wet hair smell. In the lean-to there was a pile or bed of branches, pine nettles, brush, and grasses. Growing less interested in the shallow cave and sick of the smell we continued up the trial to get to the fishing hole.

 As we continue up the trail we resumed talking and joking. We had gone a few hundred yards from the pile of rocks with the shallow cave when my friend notices the smell again. I began to turn around to face him and see what he was talking about. When I did I to caught wind of the smell. But the smell seemed real strong for there being no more that a slight breeze. We concluded that is must just be a small dead animal of some kind. Being as how we were in an area than had many predatory animals.

All of a sudden we heard a breaking noise from a clump of thinker timer. It was the kind of noise that indicated a very large animal. We became concerned thinking that we were possibly near a cow and calf moose. Knowing that moose can be aggressive we picked up the pace and worked toward an area that would allow us to stay in the open. As we walked in the direction of an opening the sound in the trees seemed to move only when we did, paralleling us. Not wanting to aggravate the animal we decided to walk perpendicular to the trees. And as we did so the noise stopped.

We continued on to the fishing spot with out seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary. Now during this time of the year there is still high water due to the run off. So the fishing was not that great even though we caught a few nice trout. As we fished we were slowly working our way down the river. When we got to a spot on the river that the cliffs were to height to drop a line down to the river we decide to cut back into the trees and work towards the falls and then call it a day and head out. While walking through the timber we observed broken limbs on the trees that were about 6 to 7 and a half feet off the ground. And as we wondered what could have caused it we noticed that that you could make out the path of whatever did it. Knowing that it could not have been an animal like an elk due to the fact that is was to early in the year and they were still in the process of growing their antlers.

 Continuing on through the trees we came to a wallow (small pond). In the area around the wallow we noticed the smell that we experienced earlier. Now we were real puzzled to what this smell could be. My friend suggested that it could be the wallow and all the rotten material in it.  As we made a couple of jokes about the smell we heard the sound of throwing rocks, coming from the area up river from us. We paused and began to scan between the trees. Looking for whatever could bee throwing rocks. Then all of a sudden we saw a very large silhouette of and animal. This animal seemed to walk upright and walked kind of hunched over with its arms hanging down around the knee area.

Not sure as to what we had just seen we decided to get moving before whatever we just seen decides to come closer. So we started working our way down the river at a much quicker pace. We had only gone about fifty yards when we heard a loud crashing noise behind us. The noise stopped us dead in our tracks and we spun around hoping to see what was following us. We did not see anything right off. Then I caught a slight movement from behind a small cluster of trees. We noticed what seemed to be the edge of an arm sticking out from behind the tree. What ever was following us was standing behind this clump of trees. We were very still not wanting to move, thinking that if we moved the animal would move also. My friend whispered to me to take out my camera and get it ready to take a picture. I did so very slowly. As I began to wind the camera to take the photo the animal let out a blood curdling scream. And one of the trees it was standing behind began to shake back and forth.

As it did we slowly began to back up. Heading down through the trees and in the direction of the river. I was keeping an eye on the animal hoping I would get a chance to take picture of this thing. Now we were moving down a hill and started dropping out of sight. Thinking that the less of us became that became visible the animal would move out from behind the tree I stopped and readied the camera. We waited for a minute or two and the animal did not move. Not wanting to stay any longer that we had to I snapped a shot of the thing behind the tree thinking something is better than nothing. Immediately after the photo the animal began to scream again. That was all it took to start us running for the falls. Not really thinking about what I was doing I began to wined the camera again. We could hear that the animal had moved and made a few large steps in our direction. So I lifted the camera over my shoulder and snapped another shot. We shortly came out of the trees at the falls and started sprinting

Seeing that there were no other people around we decide to hurry down the rail had head home. We were still cautious as we headed out. When we got back to town we only told a few people about what happened and the reaction that we got back made us decide that we should keep quiet.

It was not till 2003 hunting season, when we had another encounter that we decided to tell out story to people we know would listen.

The second encounter happened on the morning of October 9th of elk season. When we were moving into XXXX Basin, on a 6 wheeler. We cam up atop a small hill to glass the open fields through out the basin. When in the field just across the way a large upright creature crossed threw the center.
 

Activities of Witness:   Hiking a trail
 

Description of Creature:  The animal was covered in hair. Due to the bad lighting in the trees I could only see that the color of the hair was a darker red or brown.  I noticed that the creature walked with very large steps. Its arms swung by its sides as it hunted forward.
 

Other Notes:    My friend and I always go out hiking, fishing, and hunting. So spotting animals in the outdoors is nothing new for us. Also identifying wildlife is second nature to us. We have seen almost all the wildlife has to off and can identify almost any animal native to Wyoming. The type of activities we partake in require that you identify and animal in a split second.

 I grew up on a ranch about 25 miles from town. As a young kid I spent a lot of time walking around the surrounding hills alone. I grew up knowing Wyoming and its wildlife. The same goes for my friend. He also grew up on a ranch. It may have been closer to town and a major highway but there hills above his place gets many different kinds of wildlife.

Like I stated in my first statement we have has a second sighting. The second sighting cam in the elk hunting season of 2003. We were hunting the Maxion Baison on south pass when we seen it. It was maybe 8 am when we stopped to scout the openings into the trees below us for elk. When we seen a large upright creature walked through the center of the opening into the trees.
 

Additional Notes and or Follow up Comments:  Upon contact the witness had no additional information to add to this report.

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