Two Portland, Oregon, men set out Christmas Eve to search for a Sasquatch. They headed to next-door-neighbor state, Washington, and when nothing was heard from them by Christmas, a concerned relative called authorities. Both men have now been found—dead—deep in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Their Bigfoot search ended in tragedy.
Bigfoot search leads to search team callout
The mysterious creatures, called “Bigfoot” and Sasquatch, are described as large, hairy, ape-like creatures, “more human than ape,” and have been rumored to live in parts of North America and Canada. One organization that tracks the sightings of the reclusive creatures says it’s logged over 700 reports. The two men, whose identities have not been released, were apparently intrigued with the thought of getting a view of a Sasquatch. Sadly, it led to their downfall.
As many as 60 searchers spent parts of three days looking for the missing men. They finally found their bodies, one aged 37, the other aged 59, in a heavily wooded area of the national forest in Skamania County. And aid to finding their location was when someone spotted their vehicle off a road near Willard, Washington, some 50 miles north-north-east of Portland.
According to a statement from the Skamania County Sheriff’s office, the men appear to have died from “exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness.” The agency said canine, drone, and ground searching teams were all put to task in the search. The U.S. Coast Guard station in Astoria, Oregon, assisted with a helicopter. “After a grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions,” as the Sherriff’s Office describes them, the search ended with its unhappy findings.
And another sad footnote to the Bigfoot search
Skamania County takes Bigfoot seriously. Harm a Sasquatch and you can be fined $1,000 and spend time in jail. According to the county’s tourist bureau, the law goes back quite a way. “Back in the late 1960s, there were so many reported sightings of Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti or the Giant Hairy Ape in Skamania County, Washington, the county commissioners decided that an ordinance needed to be in place to protect the elusive creature and keep Bigfoot seekers from shooting a bearded elk hunter tramping around in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The law was originally passed in 1969, amended in 1984.”
Another law could well be brought to bear in connection with this sad story. “On the evening of the final night of the mission, while our fatigued volunteers were finally resting at home, thieves broke into our storage yard,” Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue said. “They cut through a 10-foot barbed wire fence and stole nearly everything not bolted down from our equipment trailers.”
“Every piece of equipment is critical to saving lives — all indispensable tools that ensure the safety of both rescuers and those we rescue,” the agency said. “This isn’t just gear — it’s what ensures we can bring people home from life-threatening situations. Without it, we may not be able to respond to the next emergency, whether it’s rescuing someone stranded across a raging river or fallen from a cliff.” The bigfoot search is just one of many reasons people need help.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to take donations to replace the stolen equipment.
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The two lost, now dead, hunters must have been pretty low in the gene pool. Being ill equipped for cold weather was stupid. Not having phones to ping their location was stupid. Hunting for Sasquatch serves no constructive purpose.
Pretty sure no drugs or alcohol were involved in their decision making…🤔
Dude, hold my beer.
Sad that it happened and sadder yet are the comments regarding two lives lost for whatever reason.
Thank you, Russ and Tina! Yikes! I am too naive of the Pacific Northwest to speculate why these two put themselves into such an inescapable predictament, just puzzled. The crooks who stole all the life-saving gear should be taken where the two bodies were recovered, tied in place, and left there. How despicable they are!?! Happy new year and safe travels! 🙂
Elusive creatures? So elusive there’s no solid proof at all. More like imaginary creatures.
This release isn’t specific on how prepared these guys were, it appears not well for even short term exposure; nor does it say anything about whether one or both of them had a broken leg or ankle or something rendering them immobile. Too bad they had to pay with their lives with what again appears to be, poor planning for the mission at hand. I’d like to know the full story before passing final judgment on them.
Maybe Sasquatch has had enough of often armed rubes wandering around in his backyard chasing after him, so he found them first.
He just wanted their beef jerky…..