The fabled Sasquatch was spotted on Moscow Mountain, according to reports published by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) website.
After plotting a route on the mountain to search for Sasquatch and researching tried and true Squatch hunting techniques on the Internet, myself and cameraman Cy Whitling were dead set and ready to find this elusive North American enigma.
See footage of George and Cy’s adventure here:
The first report was made by a Moscow local who said he was 8 years old when he saw a juvenile Sasquatch hiding in a tree during the summer of 1963. More recently, in the fall of 2005, two campers spotted a large Sasquatch with a younger beast “frolicking around” near the top of the mountain.
Inspired by these reports, BFRO founder Matt Moneymaker and his team of investigators, featured on the Animal Planet TV show “Finding Bigfoot,” visited Moscow Mountain this summer to go “squatching” — the act of searching for Sasquatch. They were unsuccessful in finding Bigfoot, but believed the mountain provided ideal conditions for Bigfoot to roam comfortably.
Cy and I, collectively known as the Mosc-quatchers, set a course to comb through the Moscow Mountain wilderness the morning of Nov. 21.
While looking up a variety of different Squatch hunting methods, I found Bigfoothunting.com incredibly helpful. According to the website, Sasquatch have an appetite for many different fruits, vegetables and berries, so we stocked up on trail mix to bait the Squatch with.
Wood slapping, or the act of banging two sticks together to attract a response from Sasquatch in the area was suggested as another technique to gauge the beast’s location in a potential Squatch hot spot.
Baiting and wood slapping were determined to be the best methods on a college budget, as footprint casting, night or thermal vision surveillance and purchasing human and primate pheromone chips to attract Sasquatch in the vicinity were a little pricey. Alongside tight finances, we felt the efficacy of the Mosc-quatcher team’s squatch call to be dubious at best, though this is a commonplace technique for Bigfoot hunters nationally. To make up for this, I packed lemon and ginger teabags, hoping their earthy aromas would be attractive to Squatch-kind.
We arrived at the Moscow Mountain trailhead around 10:30 a.m. and we expediently gathered our equipment and embarked on the hunt. Winter loomed over the mountain, I’d estimate the temperature to be around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Within the first half hour, it was rapidly clear we were hot on the trail of the Sasquatch. We found what looked like Sasquatch fur, droppings and even a Squatch footprint. Lady luck was truly in our neck of the woods.
After an hour of traveling, we found a rocky outcropping, premium territory for setting out bait, so we dumped out a pile of trail mix, tied a tea bag to a nearby bush and waited. We crouched, cameras gripped tight in hand, behind a nearby rock for a Squatch to bite the hook.
I am not proud to admit it, but after a late night of Sasquatch researching, my eyelids became heavy as minutes of waiting turned to an hours.
After a short doze, the Mosc-quatchers awoke with a start and we sprinted down to check the bait. The bait had disappeared. In its place, a lone fun-size Three Musketeers bar. We were being had, either by some random hiker or by the Sasquatch of Moscow Mountain. I was inclined to believe the latter, so I sprinted off into a nearby clearing where a wood-slapping maneuver would be best executed.
I slammed those pieces of wood together relentlessly and soon the forest was alive with the echo of the call. When the woody reverberation ceased, silence, and then an unmistakable response was heard far off into the trees. I regrouped with Cy and the Mosc-quatchers rushed toward the perceived direction of the response.
We chased for what seemed like miles, but in the end, we were not so fortunate to confront Bigfoot on this expedition. Sasquatch dodged us in the end. I have little doubt the beast was savvy to our pursuit from the get go. However, this failed attempt did not mar the Mosc-quatcher mission, not by a long shot.
Bigfoot, we know you are out there and we will continue our search until you are found, photographed and the world will finally have tangible proof of your existence.
George Wood can be reached at [email protected]