Hiking Sasquatch Country
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on June 4th, 2015
Maybe not everyone believes in Sasquatch (or Bigfoot), but it’s still a good thing to look over your shoulder when you hike in southern Oregon.
At least that’s the opinion of the authors of a revolutionary new hiking book, “Hiking Sasquatch Country,” by Wendy and Gary Swanson of Grants Pass.
The book covers 39 hikes and 37 historical points of interest in southern Oregon, selected for their beauty more than for their physical challenge.
What makes this book unique, also in the opinion of the authors, is that all but three of the 76 adventures are linked to an online photo journal for the reader to preview on their laptop or mobile device.
Hikes range from above Wolf Creek, the Rogue River Trail past Galice, through the Illinois Valley, across the Applegate Valley and through the historic areas of Oregon’s border with California. This is Oregon’s Bigfoot country, a.k.a. Sasquatch, in the wilds of the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon’s Jackson and Josephine counties.
If you run into a Bigfoot, don’t call the sheriff in one of those counties, because you’re more likely to see a Sasquatch than a deputy.
The 37 excursions are attractions that you can drive to and, with limited walking, are mostly field trips into some of Josephine County’s rich history, though Jackson County gets a nod, too.
The Sasquatch stories are from recorded history in southern Oregon, such as the Almeda Mine killings of four gold miners by two “mysterious apelike creatures” and the authors’ own “unexplainable and possible close encounters of the wild kind.”
Hiking Sasquatch Country: Exploring Bigfoot’s Backyard is available at Amazon.com.
Five years of hiking and exploring the mountains long rumored to be home to the elusive Sasquatch, have resulted in a hiking guide like no other! Not only is the reader given driving directions and GPS coordinates, but a also a complete photographic journal of the hikes is available for online viewing. Take a preview of each hike on your laptop or tablet, to have an advanced look at your destination. 39 hikes and another 37 historic places of interest with photos of almost all destinations are included. Read about the “possible” Bigfoot encounters by the authors, and the historic records of the murders, like the “Almeda Mine Disaster.” This story was brought to life by research into old records by the noted author, Zane Grey, who had a cabin on the Rogue River not far from the site where the miners were killed by “mysterious apelike creatures!” Hike into one of America’s few remaining wilderness areas, and you may also come to understand why the authors’ started their journey as critical of any possibility of Sasquatch, and now they agree that, “with the vast amount of wilderness areas that no human has ever touched, combined with several unexplainable occurrences,’ the possibility that Bigfoot creatures exist certainly would explain a lot of things, and it’s entirely believable now that we’ve been in its beautiful home!” They ask that you treat its home with respect and tread lightly while you enjoy your visit!
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
