Sequoia Expedition: 6/27- 6/29

The week before last, I had an opportunity to travel to northern California to participate in a bigfoot investigation at a private residence at an undisclosed location. Apparently, there is a possible habituation scenario going on, and there was a good opportunity to try to capture some footage. The team was formed (Brandon Kiel, Bill Brewer and myself), plane tickets were purchased and rides were arranged. As zero-hour approached, it was as if God reached down from the clouds and said, "Nope!" Some of the worst fires to hit Northern California since, well... since the last time it burned up, hit the exact same place we were supposed to travel to. The area was being evacuated, so there was no way we were headed up there. Needless to say I was bummed. That is, until Plan B started to form in my dusty old brain.

Kerri had to head up to San Fran for school and she graciously gave me the use of her Blazer while she was away. Thoughts of poking around in the stomping grounds of rumored semi-local squatchs seemed to make total sense. After getting the lowdown on some secret directions from bigfoot guru Cliff Barrackman, I wasted no time in packing the gear, the dog and picking up my co-pilot, Mr Scull in nearby Culver City. We cleared LA by three o'clock and finally entered the Sequoias right as the sun was starting to set. Here's some visual documentation of my first fun-filled, sasquatch snooping trip into a BF hospitable habitat, not four hours to our Long Beach home base.......


This is the sign on the creepy, sneaky road into the unused section of the forest.

This old house is not going to be inhabited any time soon.

This is a town. Actually it's half of a town. There is also a bar a little ways down the road.

Suprise! There were bulls everywhere. They occasionally tried to charge the car. They also sound pretty squatchy at night when they are standing behind your tent going, "mmerrrrrr" under their breath. My advice is to check before exiting the tent.

The giant trees are too cool. Notice that Patsy is driving.

Welcome to Jurassic Park...

... now leave. Mr Scull gives the thumbs up... or something like that.

View through the sunroof. Sequoias wil make you feel pretty small.

I saw these rocks and said, "If I was an animal, I'd hang out over there"...

We stopped to check them out, but I didn't get three steps from the car when I found...

...this! What the...?

Needless to say, I was pretty stoked. There were a few others, including one or two I might have stepped in, but this was the clearest one.

These are called the "Indian Bathtubs". They are usually under water and you can relax in them as the stream flows around you.

Another view of the tubs...

The most awesome swimming hole up to that point.

Patsy was a team player. She was grumbling after we made her hang next to the trees while we swam. Give that dog a cookie.

It's an endless view of a vast, vast world.

Welcome to Creepy Camp. This was the second night. Probably five miles from the nearest people. We managed to get the Blazer parked about an eigth of a mile from this spot and hiked the gear in.

View looking down into the Flats from Creepy Camp. About another mile down the path is an abandoned campground. We're planning on hitting it next time.

Looking up towards the Sequoia Forest from Creepy Camp. We did a few wood knocks on the overhanging limb, but got no response. The next morning, Mr Scull told me that he "heard stuff running back and forth across the trail all night." Thanks for telling me!

Down a game trail from Creepy Camp, we found a football field-sized rock formation, perfectly hidden between two almost inaccessable ridge lines.

It had a maze of streams and secret nooks and crannies. Patsy explores and begins her T.O.L. (time off-leash)

There was an orange salammander in here. I'd wager there are a few elves as well.

This was the top of a giant rock waterslide. It was a good conference spot. Mr Scull pontificates.

The bottom of the rock slide had a wedge of jungle squeezed between the cliff walls. I'm thinking this is a night time hot spot. Probably a great spot for a trail cam or two. Wildlife abounds!

On the last day we were determined to go swimming before we left...

...and we found this spot. Successor to the title of "Most Awesome Swimmig Hole Ever."

It was seriously as clear and cold as it looks. No joke. Thats melted snow buddy...

After an entire weekend of no action, I finally caught a Sasquatch on film!

Pine Nuggets!

Country fun!

Red sky at night... Bigfoot's delight!

I'll be headed back there soon, thats for sure. Special thanks Cliff and Kerri for making it possible.

A Few 35 Millimeter Photos

Sheep in the clouds
Black Flag/ Nature Punk

Lost Photo

Somehow, this photo of Josh and the Abbot Hill (Heryford) Cast got lost in the shuffle. I just heard from Josh and if all goes well, we will be doing some fieldwork in the near future.

Video: Adult Supervision

It's reassuring to know that we were in good hands!

Brandon and Brooke engage in an old fashioned knife fight.

Brandon gets the pointy end of the stick.

Digital Photos: Set 1

This set of photos was shot with the pocket sized Cannon Digi. They are pretty much in chronological order, although there are plenty of gaps that I hope to fill in as soon as the 35 millimeter film gets processed and scanned. I plan on adding captions and accompanying text when it gets to that point. Until then, you'll have to use your imagination.

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The following photos are from a side trip I made on the way home. From Berkeley, I drove south and east, through Monterey and took the Highway 1 south, to Big Sur. From there, I stopped at the trailhead of the Tan Bark Trail for a quick hike. My intent was to climb through the forest to a clearing in order to plant some California Poppy seeds that Kerri gave me before my departure. She wanted me to plant them "where Bigfoot could find them". In the excitement of the tip, I misplaced the seeds, only to find them later, when I was three hours from the original expedition site. I know that there has been a record of activity in the Big Sur area, so I decided that I would scout out some suitable habitats.

Imagine my surprise when I entered the forest canopy to find an almost prehistoric environment. As far as Sasquatch habitats go, this was full of possibilities. There was plenty of game sign, edible vegitation and water available. Best of all, there are unlimited possibilities when it comes to camoflauge. You could probably put an elephant five feet from the path and you would never know it was there.

Of notable interest was what I am calling a possible nest-type area that I found in the base of a tree, located aproximately twelve feet up the side of an almost vertical rock wall. Practically invisible to any passerby, this perfect little nook became evident when viewing it from a spot further up the trail. It is located on the opposite side of the creek from the hiking path. I tried to climb up the wall to see inside, but I was completely thwarted by the slippery rocks and lack of footholds. I tried to climb above it from the side in an attempt to reach it from the top, aslo without any success. Although I was not able to verify it conclusively, through my binoculars, from a higher piont in the trail, it looked like some type of animal was using it for a bed. I'm not saying it wasn't a bear, but if it was, it had to be pretty fit in order to even get up there. (I also saw no animal tracks of any kind in the immediate vacinity). I guess it will have to remain a mystery unless someone else wants to check it out. It's totally worth the hike if you're in the area. Full-on Jurassic Park, dude.