About mid-August 1960, I was asked
by a good friend Barry to go on a two or three day camping trip to
Pitt Lake. Barry's dad Vince Sr. had arranged a boat ride into an
isolated beach at the mouth of Debeck Creek with his brother Joe who
at the time owned and operated several big logging operations in the
Pitt Lake region.
Note: At the time
Barry and I would have been eight or nine years old, Barry's younger
brother Terry (who also tagged along) would have been about five or
six, and Vince Sr. would have probably been in his late 30s.
Joe picked us up
at Pitt Lake boat launch after dropping his logging crew off at
camp one early morning, and we traveled by speed boat north up
Pitt Lake about 15 kilometers. Joe dropped us and our gear off on
the beach at the mouth of Debeck Creek with a promise to keep an
eye out for us when he passed by each morning. Since the weather
was warm and clear, it was decided no tent was required (probably
because Barry and I insisted to his dad that we camp in the wilds
just like our heroes Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone) and we would
sleep in our bags and blankets under the stars. Vince Sr. and
young Terry picked a beautiful flat spot on the pea-gravel beach
right near the mouth of Debeck Creek to camp. Barry and I decided
we wanted to camp like the Indians and mountain men did and found
a spot about 80 feet away to lay our sleeping bags. We tucked in a
hole right in under a ten foot high root ball that was still
attached to giant Red-cedar log. The hole inside the cedar trees's
root system looked more like a little cave just big enough for us
to crawl in.
We did the
usual stuff that kids and dads do while camping: roasted
wieners, went swimming in the lake, sat around and cooked over
the camp fire, went on short hikes up the creek to try fishing,
and generally had a bunch of fun. We did, however, do one thing
that was a little different that may have played a part in what
happened: while back at our hideout Barry and I had a long wolf
howling contest on our first night there (until his dad told us
to shut up and go to sleep).
Although I
can't for the life of me remember the sound that woke Barry
and I up from a deep sleep under our log, I do recall that it
was just beginning to break day. I also remember that we both
jumped up out of our sleeping bags and headed for his dad at a
real quick pace.
Once Barry
and I got over to where his dad was sitting with his .303
British army rifle clutched in his hands, we could plainly
see he was rattled, shaking like a leaf, and as white as a
ghost. Even though we were kids we both knew by looking at
his dad's reaction and facial expressions that something was
seriously wrong. Thinking back, when you see real fear in a
grown person, it's little things like this that you can
never forget.
I
remember that Barry and I were scared stiff after seeing
his dad, but we did ask him what was wrong. He replied to
us that he kept his loaded rifle aimed at a big black bear
"walking continuously on its hind legs" that had been
sniffing, pawing and circling around and around the log
that Barry and I were sleeping under. Now even at this
young age Barry and I were not stupid city slickers. We
both came from hunting families and knew that bears don't
remain on their hind legs while walking. I clearly
remember that we gave each other a look and knew that his
dad's story was pure bullshit (excuse my language).
In any
case, I also remember that as soon as we finished
gulping down our breakfast the first thing that Barry
and I did was casually wander back over to our log
hideout to search the ground for tracks. I do remember
finding some big tracks but all they really were was
holes in the pea-gravel where something had gone around
the big root-ball in circles.
It
might be of interest to note that in 2003 I was
contacted by a B. Hay from Abbotsford, BC, who
reported seeing a Sasquatch not more than one mile
from where we camped at the mouth of Debeck Creek.
Also, John Green's report (page 19 Encounters with
Bigfoot) of the two prospectors that encountered an
estimated 12-15 foot Sasquatch that left 22 to 24 inch
tracks was no more than five miles from this location.
John Green also received a report from two men who in
1933 witnessed a Sasquatch eating berries about three
miles from Debeck Creek. I also watched a private 1967
video of a prospector/trapper named Warren Scott who
lived in a huge tree house. Scott had built his house
20 feet from ground level (because of deep snow in the
winter) some 5000 feet up on top of a mountain located
at the northerly end of Pitt Lake. Scott showed his
sketches of Sasquatch on camera and made a comment
about a Sasquatch migration route that has stuck with
me for all these years. Believe it or not, my
life-long friend Dan Gerak (and 3 witnesses) who owns
the upper Pitt River Lodge (http://www.pittriverlodge.com)
once found fresh 17-inch Sasquatch tracks in a
particular valley, and made the exact same comment as
Scott to me about a Sasquatch migration route over 30
years later. Gerak told me this after spending many
hours flying all over this country in Jet Ranger
helicopters and noting that there is "only one open
valley" between Pitt, Stave and Harrison lakes that
does not end in sheer cliffs.
If
I was ever going to get serious about finding
Sasquatch - and had the time and means to do it - I
wholeheartedly believe the place to do it would be
up in the Boise Valley country northwest of the head
of Pitt Lake. However, I would never consider going
into the Boise Valley alone. Why? My own experiences
and the following information (and good advice) from
page 22 of John Green's book Encounters with
Bigfoot: "The mountain country around the head of
Pitt Lake is extremely rugged and quite a few people
have gone in there and never come out. It is
supposed to hold a lost gold lode of fabulous
wealth, which is why some of the people have gone
there, but whether or not the story of the gold is
true the story of the missing people certainly is. I
have noted the gradual increase in the total (note:
the number missing people is now 22) during my years
in the newspaper business. The terrain itself
provides plenty of reasons why lone venturers might
never be seen again, but there are persistent
traditions that the sasquatch have something to do
with it."
Although John Green did not mention it (or didn't
know it at the time of his report) the two
prospectors that encountered an estimated 12-15
foot Sasquatch that left 22 to 24 inch tracks,
were in the Boise Valley. The Boise has never been
logged and has giant cedar and fir trees over 1000
years old. It is also the "only" valley at about
the 4000 foot level northwest of Pitt Lake that
contains small lakes. How do I know this stuff?
When I had my guiding and wilderness adventure
company going I was deeply involved (and have the
newspaper articles, maps and videos to prove it)
in getting the Boise Valley set aside as part of a
park in the Pinecone/Burke Wilderness Area. I was
also "the only" person that supplied water and
land transportation into the Boise Valley and
upper Pitt River Valley.
©
Ken Kristian
West
Coast Sasquatch Research
http://www.westcoast-sasquatch.com/
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