On our regular trail, I mile from home, I have a large trio of ferns that stay green all year. I usually whistle, and say "HERE FREIND" "SOOKE" (Sooke is a name of a town on Vancouver Island. Sooke means "friend" in the native language, and I have heard stories of sasquatch saying SOOKE. They do not like green apples, or carrots. But sweet red apples, walnuts, shelled peanuts, and I put little biodegradable cups with Peanut butter (just a couple tablespoons) in and they love to lick them clean. The peanuts were picked up as a whole, carried 20 feet into the open trail, and all eaten in one spot with the shells in a pile. They also love little blue glass stones (dollar store decorations) taking whole handfuls making me think it isn't deer or elk messing with me. I place the "gifts" under the large ferns, in a little cubby that forms between 3 of them. Once, we showed up a day later and the "Natures paintbrush" weeds (thick rooted bushes with yellow flowers that produce a color when pulped.) all pulled and laid in a row on the trail. I cannot pull anything but a tiny one from the ground. We had a large rock (seemed like a bowling ball) the landed 5 feet from us on the trail, scaring all of us into a speedy hike that day. A week later, about 200 feet further, another rock shot out over our heads, hit a deadened tree and splintered bark and wood that rained down on us. Again....we saw nobody (probably up in a tree) and were setting our trail time record again.

The night after my "gorilla bark" experience, for the first time since I was a kid, (Im 54) I had a "sleep paralysis" dream. I thought I could see something in living room, and tried to get up to confront it. But I really just shot up from a dead sleep, shouting "Hey, what are you doing!" The wife just snickered. I have been a complete night owl now. Every day I take a nap after dinner, and then wake around 11pm. I take a few patrols around outside when I hear something suspicious, or the dogs get scared. I have mind speak with all creatures. It isn't a "voice", but a calm understanding of intentions that is shared. Usually calm.

I do have a gifting area right on the edge of our property (we are on a 3way intersection with quarries on the other 3 side of us, and the river is on the other side of the quarry) We live not much more than 2 miles from the 101-112 split on the west side of Port Angeles, just past Elwha river rd. I also have a gifting area on the trail, but was told by the BFRO it should be elevated. When taking fruit (or those little blue glass "stones" from the dollar store) I always lift it in the air, and look around as if to say, this is your's friend, leaving it behind our favorite "ferns" The carrots are always left behind, as well as any apples that are green. But red apples, and peanuts in the shell are their favorite. I left about a pound of peanuts 2 years ago one day, came back the next and the entire double handful was lifted, carried out on the trail and all the shells were in a about a 2 foot square. Like someone picked them all up at once, carried them 20 feet and then stood there and ate them. 3 years ago, I was making trips from our pavilion getting firewood for the house around 3am, (I am awake all night) as I walked out our door I could hear a deep groaning moan coming from the river, a deep gutteral moan. As soon as it stopped, the female in the quarry 200 feet from the house responded with a high pitched "WEEEEEPwhistle" (Try whistling and pronouncing the P in weep simultaneously, it is impossible). Again, I was surprised to hear them, especially so close. As I made 4 trips back and forth to the house, listen to this call and response several times (in my head I was picturing the old guy by the river moaning "mmmmmm salmon" and the female responding "Pond frogs" "POND FROGS!" Just my imagination, but usually you can "feel" what animals are telling you. I don't hear the actual speaking, I just get an impression what it means in real time. An empathic feeling of their fears and desires. I have a 4 security camera set up on the property, hoping to get someone passing by the quarries will make an appearance. My heroes growing up were Grizzly Adams, Tarzan, Marlin Perkins (Wild Kingdom tv show), Jane Goodall, Dianne Fossey and the Beatles. My favorite Saturday morning tv show in the 70s growing up was Bigfoot and Wildboy. When I was 7-8 years old, mom and dad took me to a double feature drive in, with Grease being the feature, and the opening flick was "The Legend of Bigfoot", with segments involving Ape Canyon, the Albert Osman case, and the Sierra sounds with some great 70s wilderness B roll. It gave me nightmares for weeks, living the Ape canyon experience in my dreams at night. I would love nothing better than to, like Jane Goodall, have a mobile camp to follow the sasquatch for years until direct contact and observations are made. Someone, Just like Todd, has to put in the time and patience to acclimate them to you enough for some trust to develop. I will keep you updated if anything happens this winter, it is now the season, with snow dropping in the elevations, they will be chasing the elk and deer here in the foothills near the beach and river. Thanks for listening, I have nobody else to talk to about this, being awake all night alone gives me these little moments with noone to share them with who gets excited. Thanks