Two Men Found Dead of Exposure in Washington’s Cascade Range Were Hunting For Sasquatch, Officials Say

On Dec. 28, after a three-day search-and-rescue mission that involved 60 people and the U.S. Coast Guard, two men from Portland were found dead in a remote forested area of southwest Washington State. Officials with the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office say the two men had gone into the Cascade Range hunting for Sasquatch. Their families first reported them missing around 1 a.m. on Dec. 25.

“Reaching them and bringing them out to help give family members closure required extraordinary physical strength, ingenuity, and perseverance from every rescuer involved,” the SCSO wrote in a Facebook post honoring the rescuers who answered the call during the wee hours of Christmas morning. “Creeks had to be crossed, obstacles climbed, and frozen ground navigated, all while maintaining the safety and well-being of the entire team.”

The identities of the two men, aged 37 and 59, have not been released. Their bodies were found in a heavily wooded area of Gifford Pinchot National Forest after rescuers located one of their vehicles parked off a road near the small town of Willard. SCSO officials said that both deaths appeared to be due to exposure, and that the men were ill-prepared for the weather conditions they faced.

Sasquatch Hunting in the Cascades

Spend enough time in the thickets of the Pacific Northwest and you start to understand why the area is a hotbed for Sasquatch sightings and lore. There is a primordial quality to the woods that oscillates between cacophonous forest chatter and eerie silence in the space of a ridge or two. Here, strange noises, scratches, and even movements take on an outsized quality that can spook even experienced outdoorsmen and women. It’s no wonder why so many of the people who live and recreate there end up believing that the woods have secrets.

While the Shasta area of Northern California is arguably the most popular locale for Sasquatch lore, there have been countless sightings up and down the Cascade Range. Skamania County, which encompasses a large portion of Gifford Pinchot National Forest, where the two bodies were found, has its own Bigfoot tradition. By the 1960s, there had been so many Sasquatch sightings in the area that Skamania County commissioners passed a law making it illegal to kill, harm, or shoot at a Sasquatch. The county is also the home of the Skookum Cast, one of the most cited pieces of evidence for the existence of Sasquatch. 

Today, Skamania County encourages tourists in the area to conduct their own “search” for Sasquatch with suggested itineraries. But the recommended seasons for outdoor activity in this part of the Pacific Northwest are typically during the summer and shoulder seasons, unless you are someone with extensive experience in cold-weather conditions, such as a backcountry hunter, snowmobiler, or skier. 

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For a part of the world with comparatively mild temperatures, winter is still a serious affair in the Cascade Range. While temperatures were unseasonably warm around Christmas time this year, that can sometimes lure individuals into neglecting to prepare properly. Hypothermia can set in even in temperatures as high as 40 degrees Fahrenheit, especially when the air is as wet as it often is in the PNW. This can lead to deadly situations for Sasquatch hunters and other explorers during the winter months.