Sasquatch - by Derek VonHatten

UPI - Derek VonHatten

   Sasquatch

By Derek VonHatten

When I was young I watched a lot of the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, National Geographic, anything that told stories of the world and animals. I then watched a Documentary on the Patterson Gimlin Film, I was from that day on interested in the stories behind Bigfoot. I was about 8 years old and asked my Mom if she believed he was real, she said he sure could be. I have believed he could exist from that day on, and watched, and read more about him, all I could. That, in turn, turned me to ghost hunting, an interest in UFO’s, and all aspects of the paranormal really. That's another story though, well many more stories any way. I am here to talk about my quest so far to find Bigfoot, and my theories on where they could be, why we haven’t found him, and why there are no dead bodies. I will also venture into a bit of my past and our groups methods.

To start out, some of my past. When I was young I started to read many books, my favorite authors being Loren Coleman, and Jeff Meldrum. Those two authors in my mind have the closest theories to my own. I read these books and began to believe more and more, Bigfoot has to exist! So I watched more documentaries, and researched more histories, learning that the story didn’t begin with the Paterson Gimlin Film, only the name Bigfoot coined by a the reporter that brought the story forward. Sasquatch was an ancient name used by Native American tribes of North America, and that was only one of many names! I came to learn that Sasquatch is not a recent known, but an ancient one, past down for generations in Native American Tribes, all a little different, but all had one similarity, the wild man. Then looking further into this, I found that cultures all over the world had their own version. The most famous being the Abominable Snowman or Yeti, known to inhabit the Himalayas of Nepal and Tibet, this version of Bigfoot also received public attention in 1921. After I learned so much I decided to go look for this creature one day, but not after I started my paranormal research group called Untitled Paranormal Investigators or UPI. We began this in 2007, meeting Ron in 2008 and our group ran from there. It wasn’t till after I met Ron that he renewed my interest in Bigfoot, and we began to pursue the subject. To this day we are still searching for great evidence, Ron is our center of Bigfoot research due to his history with other researchers in Utah, and the BFRO. He has successfully collected a few three toed tracks, reports from all over Utah, especially South Eastern Utah, and has seen Bigfoot himself, which I hole heartedly believe. I only hope one day I get to run into this elusive creature, and find the evidence to prove he exists if not only for myself and maybe everyone!

Enough about my past, a little about how UPI goes about this. When we receive a report, we dispatch a member to check it out, usually Ron Johnson. He has the most experience in the field and usually receives the reports. If Ron finds the report to be compelling enough to look into we make a date to go and stay a few nights. Not always so easy as most of us work full time jobs, when we get the date set we head to the area of interest and set up a base camp. We then hike the area for miles searching for evidence and documenting the sighting area’s. We also try and interview the person that had the sighting, also not always easy because many people are afraid to come forward to give a full report. Seeing a Bigfoot is viewed as crazy to the norm, so we like to keep our clients identities safe. We never disclose their name unless given permission to do otherwise. After we conclude our investigation we take all, if any, evidence and the story and put it out there for all to see. If we find any evidence such as tracks or hair we take  it to the proper entities to examine them, and place them out there on the web for all to see as well. The main objective behind our group is to put this evidence out there for the general public to see, we then let them decide what to believe.

My personal theories to answer a lot of questions many always ask are as follows. To answer the question of why hasn't he been caught alive with all the people in the woods, or shot by a hunter? My answer is, there are thousands of square miles of forest, desert, and wild lands in North America alone that is often vacant of humans, and very few Bigfoot in North America. If this creature is highly intelligent, then he could avoid anyone that they hear or see in the woods. Deer, Bear, Cougar, they all succeed in evading humans to a point, and they do not harbor vast intelligence. The Mountain Gorilla of Africa was known by Science to be a myth until its discovery in 1902, only 60 years before the Patterson Gimlin film. So many new species are discovered daily, the day will come soon the find proof of Sasquatch. So if there is so few Bigfoot, and such a massive habitat no wonder why we haven't found him, especially if he hides from view. I also believe they travel in family groups, perhaps up to five in one, and maybe one of these groups per state or two that has a volume of common sightings. Utah has had a flurry of sighting in 2012 to 2013 in South Eastern Utah, our own Ron Johnson including. I believe these Sasquatch could have migrated from the high Uinta’s or Wasatch front, even Colorado in a family group in search of new feeding grounds. If Bigfoot are always on the move, only residing in one area for a short period of time then we only get that window to research them. So my answer in short is, they move in family groups across vast amounts of forbidding terrain to avoid human eyes. We think we have some to research, then they move on.

Another common question I get is where are the dead? Usually being veteran outdoorsman asking me this I answer, how often do you run into a random dead cougar, or bear? They usually say, “never”. So then I answer, I do know they are found, but imagine only one passing on per 1000 square miles in the most remote place you can find. A body decomposes within days in the mountains, bones then spread from hell to high breakfast by predators. Good luck ever finding that dead body unless one is hit by a truck even then there are reports of that happening only to have them disappear. One more thing to add to this, what if they are intelligent enough to bury their dead? Chimpanzees, elephants, and even magpies are know to hold some kind of ritual for their dead. Image a Sasquatch, they must have an intelligence to have been at our side this long and not been caught, and had such a prevalence with Native Americans and other cultures world wide. I believe they are smart enough to at least hide if not bury their own dead. There are even stories of hunters killing a Bigfoot, knowing where the body was only to find it gone the next day. Showing that the other must have come back for it.

Those answers pretty much sum up my theories, I believe Sasquatch travel in family groups within a massive expanse of land. They possibly bury their dead, and are extremely intelligent, enough so to know that human are no good, and to stay out of their reach and prying eyes! So why not, I completely believe in the Sasquatch of Native Americans, Bigfoot of today’s North American west coast, Yeti of the Himalayas, Wendigo of Canada, Yowie of Australia, Skunk Ape of the North American deep south, Orang Pendek of Sumatra, Yeren of China, Mapinguari of South America and all the others out there one day to be recognized by science and protected forever. In my mind there is no way that for thousands of years, these creatures are merely folk lore, legend, and stories, rather I believe they are all real, hidden creatures waiting to be found.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

Rt Fork White River - Uinta National Forest, Utah - 1981

     I interviewed Ron, concerning a possible Bigfoot encounter, back in the fall of 1981 during the deer hunt. This occurred on the right hand fork of the white river in Wasatch County Utah, approximately 12 miles east of Soldier Summit. Even though he hadn't actually seen the animal one on one, he did happen to see, what looked like an upright walking figure between their tent and camp fire. I'm including this story as a possible sighting. Here is his story as he related it to me :

     Ron lives in Price, Utah and in the fall of 1981, he was preparing for his annual deer hunting trip. This year was a special hunt, as his brother and a friend was coming out from California to join in the hunt. Driving up the right hand fork of the white river, from near Soldier Summit, they finally arrived to their destination near the top of the canyon at reservation ridge. They set up their camp, made dinner and sat around the fire talking about past hunting trips. The first night before opening day of the hunt, they all went to bed early, anticipating the next morning. They got up early the next day, made breakfast and went hunting. That evening, after eating dinner, they decided to go to bed early. I remember we left the camp fire burning that night, letting it burn out on its own. Ron was sleeping against the wall of their big tent, towards the fire. Finally after falling asleep, something wakes him up later. As he is lying there, he can see the glow from the fire, very well through the wall of the tent. Almost immediately, he can hear what sounds like someone walking around the tent, but very slowly. The first thing that enters his mind, is a bear has come into camp. At this point in time, its walking from the back side of the tent, around to where the fire is. As it approaches the fire, Ron can see the image of some one through the wall of the tent, walking slowly between the tent and fire. This wasn't a bear, deer or other big animal, as the image was clearly showing it walking on two legs. It continued on around the tent another time and you could hear the cracking of twigs every so often. It had come around to the fire once again and you could tell it was a big upright walking person. Not knowing what to do, he laid there, heart pounding, just listening to the sounds it made as it walked around the tent. His brother and friend, were still sound asleep, totally not aware of what was happening in their camp. Ron told me that he heard what sounded like coolers being thrown around. Ron laid there most of the time, before morning came, wondering what the hell it was. The next morning, they all noticed the coolers had been emptied out and thrown away, along with the chairs and garbage sacks. I told my brother about what I saw in the glow of the fire, but I know he never believed me. He just laughed an said it was a bear and so I just let it go. I asked Ron if he could remember any other sounds it might of made that night, and all that he remembers is the sound of very heavy breathing.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

Spring Canyon, Utah Tracks Found - 2008

Sowbelly Gulch - Spring Canyon, Utah

     A resident of Helper, Utah told me of large human looking barefoot tracks, that he and his wife had found in the snow along side of their tracks, while they walked back to their vehicle, down Sowbelly Gulch, above the ghost town of Spring Canyon. Even though they didn't see what had made the tracks, they both feel that it was observing and following them for a while. This is their story as Fred related to me :

     In the fall of 2008, Fred and his wife drove up Spring Canyon to the old ghost town of Spring Canyon, located about one mile up Sowbelly Gulch from Spring Canyon. There, they would park their vehicle and then go for a walk up Sowbelly. I hope this isn't too confusing, as there is the main Canyon out of Helper, called Spring Canyon and also there is an old ghost town called Spring Canyon, which is located in Sowbelly Gulch. This time of year, there was a little snow, just enough to cover the ground. Walking on up the road and around the bend, they decided to turn around and head back the vehicle. When they got to the old mine shop building (picture) they both noticed large barefoot human looking footprints in the snow along side their tracks. These tracks came onto the road from the wash, approximately one hundred twenty feet below where the building sits and departs approximately where the end of the shop is located. The picture doesn't show it very well, but there is a deep wash between the road and the old building. The tracks went through the wash and up towards the building and from there, they don't know where they went to. The footprints were approximately 16 inches long and about three and one half foot apart. Below is a map showing the area and the two Spring Canyons, for clarification.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

Water Canyon, Utah - Encounter Fall 2010

View Showing Switchbacks in Water Canyon

     I interviewed a man from East Carbon, Utah who in the fall of 2010, while hiking up Water Canyon, had a Bigfoot type creature cross the dirt road ahead of him. Water Canyon is located  approximately five miles north of Sunnyside, Utah in the Book Cliffs of Carbon County. To protect his identity, I will use the name Carl in place of his true name. This is his story as he related it to me :

     While hiking up the dirt road, from the parking area at the bottom of the canyon, Carl's destination was the site of an old asphalt mine located near the top of the canyon. This is a very easy hike to do, if a person stays on the dirt road. Its approximately two miles to the first switchback and approximately five hundred feet before reaching the first switchback, there was a large dark colored animal, walk across the road about one hundred feet in front of him. These canyons are very steep and difficult to climb, without using the road. At first, he thought maybe it could be a bear or possibly a deer crossing the road, but realizing that it was walking on only two legs. He quickly went up to where the animal crossed the road, began looking up the slope and saw it standing about fifty or so feet up the slope from the road, looking directly at him. The animal turned around and quickly walked up the slope to the next switchback. He then noticed large human looking footprints leading up the slope from the road. He also noticed the same prints coming from the bottom of the canyon, to the road. He thought by continuing on up the road to the first switchback, he might be able to see it again, but never did. He continued on up the road past the second and third switchback, not seeing the animal, but did find tracks where it had crossed the road two more times. He had no idea of how tall it stood and can only guess at its height, somewhere between seven and eight feet. He told me it had long dark reddish black hair, reminding him of what a gorilla looks like, but somewhat different. The tracks were considerably longer and wider than his own foot and showed having five toes.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

    

Mill Creek Canyon, Utah - Encounter 2004

     I interviewed a man from Seattle, WA who in the spring of 2004 while hiking in Mill Creek Canyon, had seen a Bigfoot standing alone in the trees, on the opposite side of the creek. This is his story :

     While hiking along on a trail that follows the creek, his dog stops and stares across the river looking hard at something that is on the other side. Not seeing anything himself right away, finally notices something standing not to far off into the trees. After watching it for a moment, he walks up the trail a little farther to get a better look at it. He stands there watching it for a while and then it turns around and slowly walks away, disappearing into the trees. He estimated its height to be approximately seven to seven and one half feet tall, hairy and described it as looking like something between a human and an ape or gorilla. He told me that he never did believe in the existence of  a Sasquatch or Bigfoot and thought it was all nonsense, but now he tells me that he had to rethink it, believing now it could most likely be real. I asked him how he and his dog reacted to seeing it; telling me that the sight of it didn't frighten him at all, that he was only curious about it. He told me his dog just stood there looking at it, not moving, growling or barking. If it weren't for his dog stopping an staring, he wouldn't of seen it.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

    

Indian Canyon Summit Encounter - Fall 2009

Indian Canyon Summit

     I interviewed a woman from Price, Utah who had seen a Bigfoot standing on the left side of the road at the summit of Indian Canyon in the fall of 2009. She absolutely wants no contact of any kind concerning her sighting and stressed to me to keep her identity totally anonymous. This is her story as related to me :

     In the fall of 2009, while driving to Duchesne, to visit relatives, she saw what looked like a big man standing at the left side of the road, where the big turn out is located. As she approached him, driving past she realized that what she was seeing, wasn't a man at all, but a large burly looking human type animal standing and watching her drive by. She told me that it looked like a giant ape and reminded her of Harry, from the movie "Harry and the Henderson's". I asked her, about how tall she thought it stood and told me probably somewhere between six and seven feet tall, but can't be for absolute sure, because she didn't want to stop for a better look. She told me that for sure it wasn't a big animal like a bear, deer or elk and that it definitely was standing on two legs, like a human. She told me that she wasn't a believer in Bigfoot until she drove by and seen this.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

     

Millers Flat, Utah Encounter - Fall 1974

Millers Flat - Emery County, Utah

      Jim is a successful business owner from Carbon County, Utah and in the fall of 1974, he had an encounter with a large bigfoot type animal while camping at Millers Flat, in the fall of 1974. Millers Flat is located approximately halfway between Electric Lake and Joes Valley reservoir, in the Manti LaSal National Forest, Emery County, Utah. The Emery and Sanpete county line actually runs through the area, where Jim had his sighting. This is his story as he related it to me :

     In the fall of 1974, Jim parked his camp trailer at Millers Flat, right after the summer camping season, knowing that he would most likely be more to himself, not having the area full of campers. He was staying the weekend and had his dog with him on this trip. Late in the evening, his dog started to whine and became very nervous. Letting his dog out, he immediately hid under the trailer and wouldn't come out. Not knowing why he was acting this way, he decided to go for a little walk and leave his dog at the trailer. Approximately 100 feet away, Jim notices large human shaped, barefoot tracks on the ground. He thought this was very odd, why somebody with such big feet would walk around in this area barefoot. He didn't have anything with him to measure the length of the tracks and speculated they were approximately 16 inches in length, with a span somewhere between 3 and 4 feet. After looking at the tracks for a moment, Jim becomes very nervous, raising the hair on the back of his neck, feeling as if someone was watching him. Approximately another 50 or so feet in front of him, he see's something moving in the trees and it stops to look at him. Jim described it as, looking something like a big ape or gorilla. He turned around and quickly made it back to his trailer; the dog still underneath, not wanting to come out. At this point in time, he quickly loaded everything up in his truck and while hooking his trailer to the truck, the dog finally come out from underneath and jumped inside the truck, still whining. He told me that this is the only time, he ever seen anything like this and still thinks about it whenever he goes camping. I still see Jim from time to time and always ask him about it. He has never changed his story and firmly believes he had seen a Bigfoot.

Ron Johnson - Utah Bigfoot Hunter
UBH-10018

     

Wellington, Utah Encounter 1974

Dirt Road To Mounds, Where Bigfoot Was Seen

     A resident of Price, Utah, who is the owner of a very successful business here locally, told me of an encounter that she and a friend, had with a Bigfoot type animal back in 1974, on the east side of Wellington, UT. At her request, her identity will remain anonymous. This is her story :

     Growing up in Wellington, UT, Mary had many friends and on one sunny weekend in the summer of 1974, Mary and a friend of hers left early in the morning to go for a walk towards Mounds, along a dirt road following the Price River. When they got past the coal washer plant, they noticed what looked like a big man standing on top of a nearby hill. Thinking it was only another hiker, they kept on proceeding. When they got closer, they seen that it wasn't another hiker, but what looked like a big hairy tall animal, standing like a human on two legs. They stopped and stood there staring at it. This animal never moved nor made any kind of a sound, all the time they watched it. They soon decided to go back to Wellington and not to go any further.  Turning around, they hurried back towards Wellington.

Ron Johnson - Utah Bigfoot Hunter
UBH-10025

Price Canyon, Utah Encounter 2002

Price Canyon, Utah

     I interviewed two brothers from Arizona, who hunt deer every year in Utah. In 2002, they both had an encounter at the top of Price Canyon. This is their story :

     John and Robert are two avid hunters from Arizona, who every year, come to Utah to participate in the yearly deer hunt. They parked their truck and horse trailer, just north of the railroad tracks on the Emma Park road. After packing their horses, the brothers took them down by the river to let them drink. The horses become spooked and very hard to control and finally broke free and ran away towards Price Canyon. At that time, John noticed a very large creature walking on two legs, approaching the area where they had their horses. His brother Robert hadn't noticed it. The animal was approximately two hundred feet away, but still walking towards them. John, physically grabbed Roberts head and turned it towards the creature. They both fled in the same direction their horses ran. They eventually caught up to the horses, approximately 1/4 mile down river. Looking back, they didn't see the creature and didn't know where it had gone or if it was even following them. I asked them if they remembered any details about the creature, but they told me they didn't stick around long enough to find out. After the two brothers and their horses calmed down, they went back to their truck and trailer, loaded their gear and horses and left the area. They hunted in a different area after that. I asked what it looked like and they told me, like a big giant gorilla, walking on two legs and this was the only description of the creature, they gave to me.

Ron Johnson - Utah Bigfoot Hunter
UBH-10033



Water Canyon, Utah Tracks Found 2011

Water Canyon, Utah

     I interviewed Trent Boyd of Wellington, Utah on 10-20-2013 at my home in East Carbon. This is his story, from fall of 2011:

     While driving down Water Canyon, after spending the day on the mountain, I noticed a very large footprint along side the road, while looking out my side window. I got out of my truck to take a closer look and found others heading up the steep slope to the top of the mountain, in a direction towards Bruin Point. These footprints looked like barefoot human footprints, but much larger. I put my shoe print inside one of the tracks and had my wife take a photo. My shoe size is 13 and these were considerably longer and wider than my foot. Trent is a an avid hunter, outdoors man  and knows the characteristics of the tracks that different animals make. He even tried to step from one to the other, but could only do so by hopping. The pictures of the footprints, were taken with his cell phone and can't be retrieved. I stress this too many times, please use a regular camera or a cell phone with a removable chip, when taking these kind of photo's. Below is his interview.

Ron Johnson - Utah Bigfoot Hunter
UBH-10005

Photo of foot print taken on cell phone. Photo can't be retrieved from phone.

Arronco Canyon, Utah Encounter 2011

View of Bronco Canyon, From Wood Hill

     I interviewed Mr. A, who wishes to remain anonymous, is the owner of a successful local business in Price, Utah. This is his story as he related it to me :

     In the fall of 2011, he was riding a four wheeler with his daughter, up Arronco Canyon, which is located right above the town of Kenilworth, Utah. The dirt road leading up the canyon is very rough and difficult to drive on. When they get approximately one mile, they both see a very large animal walking on two legs, down off the side of the canyon from the right side, stopping for a brief moment to look at them and then start walking up the same road, but ahead of them. This happened approximately 200 feet in front of them. He described it as being a dark brown and red mix in color and definitely walking on two legs as a human would, except that this was no human. With his daughter riding on the back behind him, he wasted no time in turning around and getting out of there. I asked if he got any other details of it and he told be that he wasn't concerned about that, only concerned about getting his four wheeler turned around.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge



Desolation Canyon, Utah - Encounter Story

     In the late 1980's I worked as a mechanic for one of the car dealerships in Price, Utah. An old cowboy, who worked on one of the big ranches on the West Tavaputs Plateau, came in an bought a used truck. I got to be pretty good friends with him and when ever he would bring his truck in for service, we would usually do a lot of talking. On one occasion, the subject turned to Bigfoot. He told me about a family of five giant apes living in the Desolation Canyon area, not far from the Green River, below the ranch where he worked. Every fall it was his job, to ride his horse down into this area, to search for and drive out stray cows, before the winter snow fall. He told me on many occasions, he would see these giant ape people watching him ride his horse in the area between Jack Creek and Flat Canyon, but closer to the river. At first, he was very afraid of them, but over the years he got used to seeing them and after losing his fear, they no longer bothered him so much. He would never ride his horse towards them or bother them in any fashion, he would just let them be and they didn't seem too awfully concerned about him either, after seeing him many times riding his horse. He described them to me as two parents and three kids or smaller ones. He told me that he could tell when they were close by, that his horse would become jittery and very difficult to control.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

Darrell Smith - Bigfoot Hunter 1945 - 2012

Darrell Smith on Hoyt Peak 2008

     Darrell Duane Smith 01-03-1945 to 03-23-2012 was a good friend and fellow Bigfoot hunter for over thirty years. I first met Darrell in Salt Lake City, Utah back in 2005, when he gave a presentation on the Utah Bigfoot. I stayed after the meeting and we talked for quite a while about the subject and we become good friends. We would spend days in the different mountain areas of Utah, searching for evidence of the big elusive fellow. Hoyt Peak, I know was his favorite place to be and we spent many days on the mountain looking for tracks by day and calling by night. Darrell always told me that the Hoyt Peak area was a hot spot for activity and in August of 2008, we spent 5 days near the summit and had spectacular results. On that trip we got plaster casts of two different sets of three toe tracks. I remember it was getting late in the evening and after we cleaned up the area and collected our casts, I asked Darrell to do one of his long Bigfoot calls. We were approximately ¾ of a mile from my truck and after Darrell called, we got a response of three long yells back, similar to the Washington State vocal. That was one of my favorite Bigfoot hunting trips, ever.  In 2010, we were camping at Mill Hollow, east of Francis, Utah and that’s when he started to show signs of something being wrong. After this trip is when he told me he had ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). I would visit Darrell on many occasions and we would always talk about UFO’s, ghost hunting and other paranormal  subjects, but  Bigfoot was his favorite topic. On 12-17-2011, with the permission of his wife Debra and family, I recorded Darrell for the last time in an interview at his bedside. Darrell, your earthly work here is done, for now you know the truth in all things.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

2009 Paranormal Symposium - Angel Fire, New Mexico

Provo Canyon, Utah - 2007

Darrell Relaxing After a Long Day's Hunt

C Canyon, Utah Encounter 05-13-2012

Clearing Where Bigfoot Stood

     On 05-07-2012, I received an e-mail from Mr. Phillip Jensen (PJ), stating that he had a possible Bigfoot sighting while driving home from work. This happened on the west side of C canyon road approximately two miles below the West Ridge coal mine, near mile marker nine. C canyon is located in Carbon County at the base of the Book Cliffs, in southeastern Utah. I contacted Phillip to get more details of his sighting and then went to the area to investigate. For six days, I searched the area around the mouth of C canyon for evidence of tracks, hair or anything that seemed out of the ordinary, but didn’t find much. I went back at night to try calling, but only had coyotes answer. On 05-13-2012, I was in Price, Utah and asked a friend, Kevin Allridge if he would like to go see the area where the Bigfoot sighting was. I usually have my cameras with me all the time, but this day I left them at home. This will turn out to be a big mistake on my part. We arrived at the area and looked around a while. From there, I drove northwest on a dirt road that follows the base of the mountains for approximately one mile. We stopped and looked around and then soon left to come back to Price. We did see what looked like possible tracks alongside the dirt road on the bank. On the way back to the C canyon road, approximately a quarter mile from the road, I noticed a very large animal, standing in a small clearing off the road to our right. I backed up to get a better look. I pressed my chin against the steering wheel, cussing myself for not having my cameras with me, literally looking at a Bigfoot. Kevin, very excitedly asked me three times if I see it. I tell him yes and to get out very slowly. When I got out and looked again, it was gone. Kevin asked if we should walk over to where it was standing, approximately 100 feet away, but then I got this terrible feeling, like a message in my mind telling us to not proceed any further. A moment later, when the bad feeling I had subsided a little, we started to walk to where it was standing. About halfway there, we both heard a grunting sound coming from further into the trees and a series of three thumps, as if a big animal was running away, with each thump getting much quieter. Kevin dropped to the ground on his hands and knees and told me that he could see a smaller one running away, but I never seen it. Again at this time, I got another bad feeling, like someone in my mind telling again not to follow, stay back. A moment later when that bad feeling left me, we walked over to the edge of the trees and we seen three unknown animals just clearing the crest of a big hill off in the distance. We didn't get a good look at what they were and can only speculate on them. We continued over to where we first seen it and looked around. It was standing next to a big pinion pine tree and the next day I went back and measured the height of it. The tree was 8 ½ feet tall to approximately where the top of its head was and  measured approximately 90 feet from the edge of the dirt road to about where it was standing. While I was sitting in my Jeep looking at this, it looked as if it might have been leaning forward a bit, not standing straight or maybe slouching a bit. It was covered with reddish brown hair that had gray mixed in with it and had a very sparse looking gray beard that almost went to its waist. The head looked wide and looked as if it was attached to the shoulders without a neck. There was a crown on the top of its head, like on a gorilla, had large brow bones with deep set eyes. The nose was wide, but flat with visible nostrils. The lips were big, fat with teeth sticking out, reminding me of a horse when it whinnies or a braying donkey. I didn't see hair on its face, but there looked like longer sparse hair on the sides of its head. This thing was big and massive in size and the biceps on it, had to be three times the size of my legs. This thing intimidated me and even now, I feel uneasy when I go back there.

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

Price Canyon, Utah Encounter 1955

Price Canyon, Utah

     I interviewed a local Price business man, who told me about an encounter with a Bigfoot type of animal, back in 1955 involving his entire family. This is his story as he told it to me :

     In 1955, the family was taking a trip to Salt Lake City. They loaded up the family car and left Price early in the morning, being an all day trip. The sun hadn't yet rose and was still dark outside as they proceeded up Price Canyon. In those days, driving on the old road; you can still see parts of it today (Photo), was a very narrow and dangerous highway, you had to take extra care when driving it. Just before Ford Creek Falls, there was what they had thought at the moment, a man standing on left side of the road and Joe thought someone might need help. After stopping, Joe and his son Joey, get out of the car and proceed back to see if he needed help. They almost reached him, when his dad yelled at his son to run back to the car. The man they thought was on the side of the road, wasn't a man at all, but some kind of a big beast, that they thought was a man in need of help. The beast never threatened them, moved nor made a noise of any kind, while all this was all taking place. They got back into the car an quickly sped away. I asked Joey if he could recall what it looked like; he told me it stood approximately nine feet tall, much bigger than an average man, very muscular and looked something like a giant ape or gorilla. At that time in 1955, they could only guess as to what it was, but now Joey tells me, he knows without a doubt that it was a Bigfoot. 

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

Hoyt Peak, Utah Tracks 08-12-2008

     These tracks were found and cast on the south side of Hoyt Peak, east of Kamas, Utah, by Ron Johnson (East Carbon, UT) and Darrell Smith (Sandy, UT). We had followed these two sets of tracks for approximately one quarter mile and were in very poor condition, probably made the previous fall, making them very difficult to follow.

3 Toe Tracks, Hoyt Peak, Utah

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

Lower Fish Creek, Utah Encounter - Early 1970's

     Paul Pugliese is the owner of a successful business in Price, Utah and is very well known through out the county. Paul was riding dirt bikes with his cousin down lower fish creek and had an encounter with a Bigfoot. Here is his story, as told to me by Paul :

 Lower Fish Creek, From Colton, Utah

     Paul and his cousin, were riding their dirt bikes from the dam at Scofield reservoir, to Price canyon. They were slowly making their way down the canyon and Paul decided he better stop and wait for his cousin to catch up. When he turned around to look back, he noticed a big upright animal following his cousin at a short distance behind. He told me it seemed to be pacing his cousin. Trying to get his attention at no avail, his cousin had no idea of what was following him. When he arrived, to where Paul was waiting for him, he finally turned around to look behind, but by this time the Bigfoot had crossed the river and was climbing the side of the canyon to the northwest. This was about one mile from the confluence of the Price and White rivers. They started their bikes and got the hell out of there. Paul described it as being approximately 8 feet tall and looking like a very large gorilla. The sides of the canyon are very steep and he told me that it was proceeding up the side very quickly. 

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

C Canyon, Utah Encounter 05-04-2012

     On 05-07-2012, I received from Mr Phillip Jensen, an a-mail stating that he had a possible Bigfoot sighting while driving home from work. This is his story of what happened :

High Ron - 

     This is an account of my sighting of an unknown animal from May 2012. To date, the closest animal that I have seen that is close to what I saw, is the subject of the Patterso/Gimlin film from 1967. Here is my story : 

     On Friday May 4th, 2012, I left work at approximately 4:30 PM (MST) as usual. I was driving southbound on "C" canyon road at approximately 60 mph. The wind was blowing strongly that afternoon, so I slowed down. As I reached the stretch near mile post 9, I noticed at a distance, what I thought at first to be a dead tree. It was about the right size and color. I don't remember seeing a dead tree there before, so I kept looking. As I approached the figure, I realized that I couldn't see through the figure, as you would a normal tree. This thing was solid. As I got closer, I also realized that the form wasn't that of a tree, more like a gorilla sitting upright. That was my first impression. The shape was approximately correct, but the proportions were different. It did have a conical crown on its head and the trapezius muscles were enormous. They reminded me of a Cardassian's neck, from Star Trek. As I passed the animal, I noticed that the hair was blowing in the wind. The hair actually parted and I saw what I thought to be a pale pinkish skin, like a long-haired dog's skin, but lighter. I didn't see an undercoat, like on a long-haired dog. The hair was approximately six inches long. The animal was sitting next to a large rock that went just below the arm pits of the animal. It had shoulders and two arms hanging below. The animal was sitting or crouching. I then rounded a bend in the road and lost sight of the animal. I wasn't able to see it in my rear-view mirror, due to the direction of the turn. The closest that I got to the animal was approximately 60 - 70 feet feet. It was directly beyond a barbed wire fence on the west side of the road. my sighting lasted approximately 6 - 7 seconds. it took me a few moments for my brain to comprehend what I had just seen. my first instinct was that I had just seen a cinnamon-colored massive Gorilla, but my brain couldn't believe what my eyes were telling it. I have lived in this area most of my life and I have never seen anything like that before. 

     Later that evening, my wife and I returned to the area where I seen the animal. We searched all around and couldn't find any sign of it, no footprints or hair. Nothing. We left after about an hour of searching. 

     The following Monday, May 7th, I returned to the site after work to search again. In time, I found what could be a footprint, but it was severely degraded. I measured the rock by which the animal was sitting or crouched. The rock measures 4.0 to 4.5 feet. By my estimation, that makes the animal 6.0 to 6.5 feet to the crown of its head while sitting. When standing on two legs, I estimated, that it would be in the 8.0 to 8.5 foot range. I also found were three branches had been broken from a pinion and juniper tree and placed in a "C" formation below. I took some pictures, that I still have on my phone, but I don't know how to retrieve them. While I was looking at the "C" formation, I suddenly had the feeling that I was being watched. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I become very uneasy. That's when I heard a cow "moo" from some bushes approximately 75 to 100 yards away. What I find very peculiar about this is that I haven't seen any cows for several weeks. I honestly thought that they had moved to their summer ranges. Then I remembered something that I had read about Sasquatches imitating wildlife in the areas. I immediately gathered myself up and left. I didn't see what made the sound and I didn't see any cattle in the area, until the following Autumn.

     After my sighting, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I had seen. I tried to determine if I had misidentified a known animal. I picked up a book by the Audubon Society, that describes animals that are native to the area. I carefully considered each large mammal, to see if that is what I had seen. Nothing else matches the description. Then in July, I was watching a program were the Patterso/Gimlin film was shown. When the subject of the film turned its back to the camera and walks away, I jumped up from my chair and shouted " that's what I saw!!" and it was. The proportions were correct, but the color wasn't. The subject of the film most closely represents what I saw that day.      I have also had another possible recent sighting of the same animal that I haven't mentioned to you yet. It happened on 10-1602013. Again I was driving home from work down the same "C" canyon road. This time, I was further down the road, closer to hwy 123. I looked to my right and noticed what looked like a cinnamon-colored animal standing on two legs, trying to hide behind a tree, but the tree was much too small for him. Then I saw the face looking back at me. It was a face halfway between human and gorilla, in my opinion. It had a strong brow ridge and the eyes were lost in shadow. The nose was wide, but I could see where the nostrils were. The sighting was only a couple of seconds, so I didn't get as much detail as my first sighting. it may of been the same animal that I saw in 2012, or a completely different specimen. I'm not sure. I thought about turning around, but there isn't a safe place to turn around in that area and I didn't want to risk getting hit by a coal truck. I went back to look for evidence the following day. I did find what could be a track, but it was degraded to where the details were gone, but the general size and shape were correct. I haven't reported this to you or the BFRO, because I'm unsure about the exact location of the tree, where I was standing and it was such a brief sighting, lasting only 1 - 2 seconds. But I'm convinced that we have something roaming the Book Cliffs area, that closely resembles Sasquatch. Attached is a picture that I found on the Internet, that most closely resembles what I saw in October. 

     Both sightings happened at the same time of day, approximately 4:30 PM (MST). Both sighting were on the west side of "C" canyon road. The lighting was good for both sightings. In both sightings, the figure was massive. I can't think of any other that matches the description of what I saw in either sighting, except a Sasquatch. Its the only animal with the correct size, shape, color and mass of the animals that I saw. 

     Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything else. 

Thanks

PJ Jensen

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge

Sunnyside, Utah Encounter 2010

Whitmore Canyon, Utah

     A resident of Sunnyside, Utah contacted me (asking to remain anonymous) very concerned about the possibility of Satan worshippers practicing their trade up Whitmore Canyon, approximately one mile from her home. After talking with her about her concerns, she asked if it would be OK to tell me about an encounter she had back in the winter of 2010. This is her story as she relayed it to me :

     One night in the winter of 2010 after going to bed, she was woken up sometime later by noises coming from outside her home. She got up out of bed to see what was making these noises and soon found that they were coming from behind her living room curtains. As she opened the curtains, there was a big hairy looking wild man staring at her from outside the window. She screamed and ran back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her and hiding on the floor beside the bed. The next morning, she found large barefoot, human looking footprints in the snow around her house. These had come in from the direction of the mountain behind her home, twice around her house before departing back towards the mountain. She showed me the window from which this animal/creature was looking through, measuring 7 1/2 feet from the ground to the bottom of the window frame and the window itself was 3 feet tall. From where she told me it was looking at her through the the window, I estimate the height of it to be approximately between 8 1/2 feet to 9 feet tall, from what she told me. She heard it make the second trip around her house, then didn't hear it anymore. She called the local police, but they never responded. 

Ron Johnson
Kevin Allridge