Micheal and I met a wonderful couple, Betty and Walter this past week. Not only did we realize that we were kindred souls but we also could see that we had many stories to share with each other. This Sasquatch story is one of two that Betty has given us permission to share with you all. Enjoy and stay tuned to next weeks story a coworker shared with Betty. Betty, thank you for sharing your story and the gift of your friendship! Betty’s Story I had been in Northern Utah for about two months when I had an interesting experience whilst hiking the North Ogden Pass. I had gotten into the habit of hiking with my dog each morning, early, so that I could clear my head before work and starting my day. My dog, Sooner and I had been doing this daily and I often would bring my camera to take pictures of wildlife, the beautiful flora and fauna we would see on our hikes, etc. On a very cold December morning, we pulled into the parking area, full of fresh snow, and for a change, I decided that we’d hike along the dry wash toward the back part of the mountain. An area we had not previously hiked.
Sooner was his usual self, briskly walking a figure eight pattern about 20′ forward and behind me as he liked to do on our hikes. I assumed it was to ensure my protection. I was paying attention to the energy of the mountain, listening to the forest sounds and for whatever else might be on the mountain. This has always been my practice in nature. As we got deeper into the backside of the mountain I became aware that Sooner was making a smaller and smaller figure eight patterns, keeping ever closer to me and at that same time, I also began to notice that the forest was growing quiet. Suddenly the wee animals rustling under bushes and ‘crunching’ snow were no longer heard, birds were becoming more few, and there was a palpable shift in the energy on the mountain. I began to pay closer attention as my senses were pinging me to pay attention. Soon my dog was no longer taking his pattern up but remaining right in front of me. The forest was now in total silence, and that caused me to stop. We were on a part of the trail that was still pretty heavy with snow as the sunlight didn’t really touch the ground for all the heavy treeline. At that moment, while pushing out my senses to see what I might be able to pick up, I noticed to my left that Sooner was sniffing very intently at something at the edge of the trail where it began to drop down into heavier brush and give way to a slope leading down toward to valley floor. I became curious as to what had captivated my dog’s attention and walked over to discover 3 or 4 very distinct tracks, large tracks.
My first thought was, oh, someone has been up here snowshoeing. But as I looked more closely I decided, no, that’s not it. Snowshoes don’t have toes! Sooner had pretty much destroyed the first print, but the rest were very clearly visible, so I shooed him away so that I could examine them more closely. These were distinct step-over-step prints that appeared pretty much human…other than the size. I saw a very clear definition of five toes, a ball, and arch with all the lines that go along with the bottom of a foot, and a very large defined heel that had to measure at least 6 to 8 inches across. I was wearing size 7 hiking boots and when I put my foot up against the print it was as if holding a newborn’s foot up against a grown man’s foot…and I mean a man with feet about a size 16 or better! These were LARGE prints.
I quickly grabbed my pack from my back so that I could get my camera, only to discover that I had left it at home. Dang, I always hiked with my camera, but not this time. Sooner and I stood there for a few more minutes while I was still processing what exactly I had before me, again, still listening to the deafeningly silent forest. My first thought was to run. I don’t run. I might get “spooked” on occasion, but my life experiences have taught me to HOLD MY GROUND at all costs. Never let ’em see ya sweat as the old saying goes, and that is a code I live by. So, after another moment or two, I decided to press on along the trail and resume our hike. We, maybe, got another ‘block’ in the distance when I decided that the mountain was still too quiet and did I REALLY want to “meet” whatever had made those tracks? It was obviously a Big Foot and I knew it was far bigger than I.
As much as I was curious, and really wanting to have that experience, I decided that with my dog and everything considered we had better turn around and go back to the car. My intention was to come back later in the day, with my camera, and document the tracks. However, I was delayed in town and by the time I could’ve gotten back there a hard rain had set in. I decided the next morning that the tracks were probably lost in the rainstorm, and so Sooner and I resumed our normal hiking trail to the peak. We never did go on that back trail again in all the time we continued our hiking of the pass. But, it was a few days later that I was having lunch with one of my coworkers and I felt impressed to share my hiking story with him when he asked if I was still hiking each morning. Much to my surprise, he not only totally believed my recounting of events but went on to share an even more interesting Big Foot story with me. To be continued
Rainbow …