Bigfoot Conferences IV

But let’s get back to the first conference on Bigfoot – Anthropology of the Unknown: Humanoid Monsters. Watch for clues now.

There were many college students, scientists and Bigfoot hunters in attendance. Like I stated before, the media thought that the topic of to kill or not was going to capture their readers interest and so at every opportunity they brought it up during interviews during the conference. Dr. Grover Krantz gave his talk and devoted quite some time to just this aspect.

He went to great lengths in describing the rifle and type of ammo he purchased for the task at hand. In fact most of the Bigfoot crowd back then had their own weapon of choice and didn’t think the topic was that controversial. Some kept it in the closet but others held it out for the world to see that they were indeed serious about it. Maybe that was really what it was all about… guns are serious business.

Behind the scenes, at least with the Bigfoot community in attendance, a completely different topic was stirring the pot. Who had a right to be at the conference? Anybody? It was a Canadian affair and not one of them wanted a particular individual to attend. He wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face… the public face of Bigfoot research because he did just that.

I was surprised that he did attend because just a few days before he told me he wasn’t going to. Of course I am speaking about the fraction surrounding Peter Byrne. It was really something to see with a camera crew in tow, trying to crash a lecture or two so that some sound bites could be had interacting with the speaker of the hour and the Canadians up in arms about it, wanting to throw him out of the country. Not only the organizers of the conference but also the rest of the people there shunned him eventually. His and the film crews presence was a distraction that paying attendants didn’t think was proper.

During the conference, secret cabal-like meetings between various individuals took place behind the scenes. I got to sit in on one that Peter was having with Al Berry concerning his then new sound recordings. Later, I was labeled as being in the Byrne camp and so was cast out from all others, but to some who were there it seemed I also became a spy for Rene Dahinden. Neither was true of course. Both were using me.

Barbara Wasson, with hostility, confronted me, got right in my face and verbally chastised me in front of many people about flittering back and forth between Rene and Peter… I told her she really didn’t know what she was talking about. She and Rene had become an item at this time and I thought she was trying to be protective and wasn’t really seeing straight. Later she wrote in her book – Sasquatch Apparitions – about a certain Ron character who acted just like how she was accusing me of doing. The setting was of course the conference.

I met with Barbara just a month before she past away and she confided in me that she was sorry and that she was completely wrong in what she said, wrote and felt at the time. I guess she finally found out what I was really after. Investigating the White film.

But back to the con… So, what people on the outside of the Bigfooters were seeing must have been less then desirable to get involved with, and this is exactly what I thought was happening to an older man and woman who came to the conference with a new film taken October 7th, outside of Mt. Baker National Park, in Washington state.

Frank and Lorraine White wanted to go up and film the fall colors at the park and so took with them a picnic basket and drove the distance from their north Seattle home. The spot they chose was very picturesque but after setting out their meal and getting their camera ready… a Bigfoot walks from out of the cover of the green forest. Frank captures it on 8mm film. It stops twice to stare at them, the last time is pretty menacing, so they leave immediately, not stopping to retrieve their lunch basket. He went to the newspapers later, after the film was developed. At first they thought it was a bear, but driving home they discussed it and thought it looked odd for a bear. Getting the film back confirmed that it wasn’t a bear.

Word got out that this was going to be something to see. But Rene Dahinden had a problem with it because it detracted from his interest in being THE Bigfoot person and of course the P/G film. None of the main characters wanted to investigate this film, Ok… I kind of helped that a bit… instead they wanted Bob Walls, Tony Healy and myself to go about it. So we did. We made plans to meet with the couple at their home, study the film a bit and then go to the site with them.

I know this is turning into a convoluted story but it really does tie back into the TBRC 2005 conference in Jefferson Texas. I’ve found that there are many coincidences in Bigfootery and this is just one of those stories. The ones the general public usually don’t get to hear about. They seem to always happen at these conferences and Craig’s was no different. Oh, and before I forget, I don’t remember seeing Cliff Crook at UBC or finding him in any involvement with the Whites.

Rick Noll About Rick Noll
Rick Noll has been actively searching for the Sasquatch since 1969 and continues his pursuit with extended field trips into the Pacific Northwest's most remote regions. Rick has worked with Peter Byrne, René Dahinden, Grover Krantz, John Green, Jeff Meldrum and the BFRO during all this. He helped with many documentaries on the subject including Animal X: The Skookum Expedition and Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science.

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