Rare Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Film Screen Captures, the BBC X-Creatures Documentary, and THE LEAP OF SKEPTICISM

In the 1998 BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/) production, "X-CREATURES: SHOOTING THE BIGFOOT," there is an interesting presentation of the Patterson-Gimlin film reel with John Green in his Harrison Hot Springs, Canada home. He is actually sitting beside his projector running a copy of the full film reel, not just the famous bigfoot segment. One can see how very small and brief the reel is and, though they don't show the roll from begining to end (they cut to Green talking and images of the host pondering and commenting), some of the rarely seen earlier footage taken before the famous apprx. 1-minute bigfoot segment is shown.

Here at left is Bob with the pack horse riding on a washed-out area.

This is revealing stuff, wherein one may get a larger picture of the activities of Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin in the area before the creature was filmed. Also, one sees the seasonal and landscape conditions of Bluff Creek that year pretty clearly. These bits were meant to be used as stock footage in a documentary film idea on which Patterson was working.

Here's another one, with a more rare instance of Bob filming Roger rather than the other way around. One can see the autumnal colors of the foliage probably shot that day, October 20th, 1967, or directly prior to it.

Here's an interesting screen-shot capture of Gimlin riding up the Bluff Creek creekside road. Not always known is the fact that at that time a leveled dirt logging road ran right up along the creek itself. Access to the film site from their base down by Louse Camp, about 2.5 miles away, would have been much easier than the hellish bushwhack, boulder-hopping creekwalk and bracken climb that it is today. These days it is a hike that could take one all day in the round trip, with many a scratch or twisted ankle. This image appears on the film reel just before a pan through the trees on the hillside. Then the film breaks suddenly into the famous Bigfoot sighting part. Heading upstream they, "came to an overturned tree with a large root system at a turn in the creek, almost as high as a room," and they saw the hairy hominid "crouching beside the creek to their left."

Here we show the first two clear strides the creature takes in the film, and an image of just how high the sand bar was that Roger had to bound over to get his filming spot (this crossing is seen as a frantic white blur in the film). Then we see a blurry Patty entering the most well known part of film terrain, by the long, fallen log.

BIGFOOT SCREEN CAPTURES (click to enlarge images somewhat):
One frustrating thing with the P-G film is that it is difficult to catch the first glimpses of the Sasquatch creature as it moves off from the creek side right at the start of the film (and often these are edited out from documentaries). At this point Patterson is probably in a state of shock and extreme excitement (not to mention most likely some fear of this apprx. 7-foot cryptid creature), having just gotten away from the panicking horses. At the start of the film he is running up to and across the creek to get a better filming vantage point. We have endeavored to freeze-frame these moments, otherwise nearly totally lost in blur. The first creature image above shows the first clear glimpse of the film's subject. Here we may see the wet sand at the creekside, and then in following frames a fleeting glimpse of the water of Bluff Creek, to the left.

"Cover me!" Roger yells to Bob, as he races up the bank. Bob is trying to control the horses, while bounding off and readying his rifle, just in case the creature attacks.

Here follow the first clear stride, one from the begining of the more stable part of the film, and then an obscure image of the retreat of the creature at the very end of the film, at the east side of the film site.

Just before the film reel ends one can barely distinguish the creature as it retreats into the dark forest at the big bend in the creek at the east end of the film site, right up against the canyon wall. At next frame one can see the tail-end film leader when the roll expires. This is evidence that this is a direct copy of the original camera reel, presented in its original form.

In a subsequent part of the episode we can see John Green in his cast collection room. In another a brief segment of Green's film of 6-foot 4-inch Jim McClarin walking on the film site for comparison is presented. The creature is clearly taller and more bulky by far than the human figure when the two films are shown together.

One great feature of this documentary is a brief clip of Bob Gimlin from a filmed interview John Green did in 1992. Here's Bob, transcribed as best I may: "This particular day that we got the film footage, well, starting out early in the morning, I left early in the morning and Roger slept in. And my horse loosened a shoe up, and I come back in to tack the shoe on tighter, and Roger was gone when I got back and uh after a while.... I had covered that morning and I had told him, and he said why don't we ride up in this area that we had ridden in...."

And then the host Chris Packham actually calls Gimlin on the phone. The transcription: "When I first saw this thing well it was just like the adrenaline flew, you know I was shocked, excited, like all right then, THEY DO exist, you know. [clever filmmaker edit here, making it SEEM as if Bob has changed his mind]... Well I've thought about this many, many times over the years. At one time in my life right shortly after the film footage I was totally convinced that no one could fool me. And of course I'm an older man now, and I see a lot of things, and I think there could have been a possibility. But it would have to have been really well planned by Roger, and I feel that they would have had to have been very, very careful because I had a thirty-ought-six loaded with a hundred and eighty grain bullets. And if that thing had have turned and rushed me I would have shot it. So I feel that IF that was a hoax somebody was taking an AWFUL big chance with their life."

What follows is some rather spurious logic from Packham, and a high-budgeted, but failed, BBC attempt to recreate the film for this documentary using an original Kodak Cine-100 camera and a guy in a reddish-furred ape suit.

They intentionally use obscuring trees and bushes, blurry focus and distance, all of which are to some degree in the PGF; but the end result, and especially the manner in which it is presented (attempting to debunk by assumption rather than evidence) lacks greatly in the kind of detail one may see in the P-G Film. Anyone can shoot a blurry home movie; but will it contain the fascinating and subtle details of the PGF? This one does not, and is transparently a man in a suit. The PGF film has been questioned, but never proven to be a hoax, whatever Packham thinks he's shown.

Craig Woolheater has put the two images side-by-side for comparison (http://www.cryptomundo.com/bigfoot-report/x-creatures/). OBVIOUSLY, this recreation does not replicate the creature, and is not even worthy of being put up against the original. Certainly it is not "proof" in any way that the film WAS hoaxed, even if it COULD have been.

Packham's absurdly illogical leaps of skepticism at the end of the film are truly laughable: "There's a hell of a lot of space in America, but it's trampelled all over. And in biolgical terms there is absolutely no chance at all that there's an unknown species of giant apes stalking around California, or for that matter Canada. You see the Bigfoot phenomenon isn't based on good science, it rests upon one thing: the Patterson film. And that is a hoax. We've shown you [OH REALLY] just how easily it could have been done [YEAH, RIGHT]. And now Bob Gimlin has broken his silence and confessed that he's not entirely sure of what he saw in the first place. And to me that is incredibly significant, because it's his word that has helped keep this hoax alive for over thirty years. But now it's over. Bigfoot isn't dead because it was never alive, only in the minds of the dreamers and the schemers. But then, good on them. You know if Roger Patterson were here today I'd shake him by the hand. I'm not saying I'd load his camera, but I'd shake him by the hand." This is logic worthy of, say, a third-grader; but anyway, more on that in my next post.

The X-CREATURES show does not seem to have been released on DVD, at least not in the USA. I couldn't find it anywhere save on YouTube. Here are links:
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE3JlDgFbt4
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naTIP2R_hNo&feature=related
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7UUPpN7dPU&feature=related It was hosted by Brit, Chris Packham, and aired in a six-episode run in 1999. Check here for a list of episodes and other info.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Creatures.

My own analysis will follow later. Coming up soon: THE LEAP OF SKEPTICISM!

Bigfoot and Beer, Lost Coast Ganesh I.P.A. Controversy Surrounds Flatmo Image; Church of Bigfoot, Scientist up in Arms!

As we were preparing the blog entry regarding Duane Flatmo's BIGFOOT MURAL an article appeared on the front page of the Eureka TIMES-STANDARD newspaper (check it HERE: http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_12881698standard.com/localnews/ci_12881698standard.com/localnews/ci_12881698standard.com/localnews/ci_12881698) regarding one of the labels he had designed for the LOST COAST BREWERY'S (http://www.lostcoast.com/) Indica IPA. Here, at left, is the rare image that has caused the controversy, now absent from the beermaker's web site, and now redesigned to remove the offending third and fourth arms, one of which once held a nice, frothy mug of this great beer.

Fundamentalist Hindus seemingly without a sense of humor have been angered and are up on the internet seeking removal and recompense (including one lawsuit seeking $25,000 and $1 billion for damages "to compensate Hindus around the world"). Accusations of "hate crimes" have been hurled, threats of bombing and destruction emailed in, and the brewery has been forced to back-pedal from promoting their best (IMHO) beer. The T-S reports: "Briar Bush, the brewery's general manager, said he received a couple of hundred angry e-mails on the issue, about a dozen of which even threatened to bomb the brewery or contained other threats of violence." Online petitions have been proliferating on the WWW--Google it.
[Second image above by the Times-Standard, showing the amputated God.]

Well, you can see the old image here. We don't believe in censorship, especially when the label here in question is an HONOR to Ganesh, showing Him as a jovial and friendly God offering many blessings... including beer.
NOTE: The writer of this blog himself is a practitioner of Hindu-Buddhist philosophy, so please don't take offense. Ganesh is just alright with me! It should also be noted that INDICA is a variety of marijuana associated with Indian origins. It is a popular strain grown and much beloved here in Humboldt County. Hence, since the Hindus gave us (and are responsible for) this blessing/curse, they shouldn't be too angry that it is recognized by a Humboldt beer, an India Pale Ale no less. Plus, IPAs are very high in hop content, and the hop plant is part of the Cannabaceae (or Cannabis) family.

One online petitioner asked whether Christians would be offended if Jesus were on the label of a beer bottle. We found evidence that he HAS been there. Check out, too, the hilarious video advertisements on http://www.jesusbeer.com/. Where in Hell (or Heaven) can I buy some of this stuff? Jesus, as is well known, was a hearty drinker of wine, so we presume he liked beer as well. After all, he encouraged his millions of followers to drink wine as the transubstantiated blood of his own sacrifice!

Meanwhile, Tuesday, Church of Bigfoot, Scientist members, up in arms after hearing about the censorial actions of the Hindus marched down Fifth Street from their headquarters in the A. A. (Armchair Anarchists) Bar & Grill, and ordered a full round of protest pints of their favorite beer at the Brewery's pub. "Doesn't this remind you of the Danish Muslim Cartoon Protests," asked Church acolyte Zogboy. "No god without Beer!" said the Church's Reverend Lord.

Indeed! The god, Ganesh, is the patron saint of commerce and luck, a quite fitting image to grace the front label of the beverage universally known as the nectar of the Gods, drink of conviviality, blessing from above. Ben Franklin, surely a wise man, once said, "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

In the world of BIGFOOT, now, beer is truly loved. One bigfooting expedition this author went on featured a full keg of BLUFF CREEK ALE, from Six Rivers Brewery, tapped up at Louse Camp, downstream from the P-G film site. Following please find a true celebration of freedom and fun, and the love of SASQUATCH. Surely, we are not offended. Even Rene Dahinden once did a television commercial for Kokanee Glacier Beer (it can be seen in the documentary, SASQUATCH ODYSSEY).

SUPPORT THESE GREAT BREWERIES! SUPPORT FREEDOM!

Six Rivers Brewery, http://www.sixriversbrewery.com/, in McKinleyville, CA, makes the good everyday-drinking BLUFF CREEK PALE ALE. Try it in the bottle or at the brew pub up on the hill in front of Raymond Carver's old pad.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, http://www.sierranevada.com/, makes perhaps the best large-scale microbrews in the state of California, and is drunk nearly every day by the author of this blog. They produce a seasonal barley wine style ale BIGFOOT ALE, that is twice as strong as the average beer, and quite good. The label changes with each year's vintage. This year features a bottom-of-the-sixpack comic image that is rather amusing.
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/bigfoot.htmls/bigfoot.htmlbigfoot.htmlI quote: "This year marks the 25th release of Bigfoot®. Our award-winning barleywine boasts a dense, fruity bouquet, an intense flavor palate and a deep reddish-brown color. Its big maltiness is superbly balanced by a wonderfully bittersweet hoppiness."

“…Bigfoot® captures the imagination, and its character is as big as the name implies, with a huge hoppiness in its earthy aroma, a chewy palate, and a great depth of flavor.”
– Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion

Old Yale Brewing Company, http://www.oldyalebrewing.com/sasquatch_stout.html, out of British Columbia, Canada, makes the interesting SASQUATCH STOUT.

Other breweries have produced some interesting Bigfoot brews, knick-knacks, and iconography.

The newer SKOOKUM BREWERY, out of Arlington, Washington, were at the YAKIMA BIGFOOT ROUND-UP, dispensing donation-only cups of their fine beers. I couldn't have survived those hot days in the speakers' tent without it. Check them out: http://www.skookumbrewing.com/. What IS a Skookum? Check that out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skookum.
And, of course, there is the famous KOKANEE GLACIER BEER, http://www.kokaneeglacierbeer.com/, out of Canada, once featuring Rene Dahinden but still producing ads featuring Mel the Sasquatch. Check on YouTube for some examples (most are spoofs). Here's one, anyway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Oac1y__jY&feature=related.

And let's not forget, Willow Creek's own BIGFOOT RED, made by SENTINEL WINERY, 2263 Patterson RdWillow Creek, CA. The wine is available at the winery, or else exclusively at CINNABAR SAM'S RESTAURANT, on the main drag in town. Get more info. here: http://www.winesandvines.com/directoryonline/index.cfm?dataReportWinery=1&lookupdata=1&entityid=15873


Speaking of RENE DAHINDEN... Check out this great little online documentary of him in the CBC DIGITAL ARCHIVES' Monsters, Myths and Mystery: Great Canadian Legends series:
http://archives.cbc.ca/lifestyle/pastimes/topics/1462-9705/

Most images by Steven Streufert, though some were taken from official company images, or as credited.

Above, the BIGFOOT BOOKS collection of sasquatch-related alcoholic beverage containers, so far.

Recent Bigfoot Reports, Sighting on Friday Ridge Road, Little People and Injun Devils, Bigfoot Books Blogged Again

MORE BIGFOOT REPORTS COMING IN!

These Bigfoot-related anecdotes were reported at Bigfoot Books in Willow Creek by long-time resident of the area (now of Salyer), Dave Short. Dave is a sane and reliable guy whose career was spent in public service on the Fire Department and driving ambulances. Here are more or less verbatim/unedited report notes, taken by me, Steve Streufert. Most of this is paraphrased shorthand of Dave's statements.

DAVE SHORT: An old Indian woman from the Pecwan (most likely Yurok) once told this story. Dave was taking her to town in the ambulance, asked if she'd ever seen bigfoot. Bigfoot? Yeah, Ohmah, Sasquatch. Oh, you mean Wildman! "He sings." What does he sing." My lady, my lady I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you." And then what? "And then," she says with a straight face, "he eats you!!!"

Another friend of Dave's, Kenny (no last name given), saw a larger one and a smaller one together. On the back road between South Fork Road and Burnt Ranch. Hunting, way up on some ridge on a four-wheeler ATV, glassing with a scope for deer. In the fall, during deer season. Looking down a few hundred yards into a clearing, cut-block clear cut. Saw BF walk through, on hind legs, straight up, hairy, large. A smaller one came in right behind it, walking one after the other. Saw it all the way across the clearing. Then he hightailed it out of there, inexplicably scared. Year very apprx. only, between 1970s and 90s. Up at 3000 feet or more.

Edward Patrick, called "Ed" or "Patrick"--logging equipment was attacked up around Bluff Creek area, before 1970s. A certain man, up from LA, had some money to apply to Bigfoot hunting, was hiring local guys with jeeps to chain up the tires, driving as far as they could get up into the snow, then look for BF sign. Hair, scat, prints. "How many tracks/prints have you seen." The reply, "Well, ah, maybe 500." They were in fresh snow, no other tracks around, early in the morning, on roads where nobody else had been as seen by the undisturbed fresh snow fall. No one lived up there and no one could get up there. Up steep hills where humans could not have walked, long stride, esp. in snow. Never actually saw one.

These tendencies give rise to... Dave's summary assessment: they don't really trust people, could probably eat just about anything, don't need fire, don't need clothes, hence don't need people; hence it is understandable they are not seen. Just stay to themselves, if they see people they just stay put and watch. If they are omnivorous they could live and survive around here quite easily.

Dave has lived around here since 1978. He worked (until 1995) with local EMT Ambulance service; Fire Dept. volunteer, too, since he was a kid. He is not personally an outdoorsman, but he's heard from a lot who have seen them, LOTS of old Indians. He lived on the Hoopa Reservation, ran the ambulance there for 15 years. Most friends of his were on the older/elder side out there, with interesting stories to tell.

I asked Dave further about the other cryptid/mystery creatures spoken of around the Willow Creek and Hoopa area....

The Hupa people are "superstitious" about "INJUN DEVILS" and LITTLE PEOPLE. Don't really like to talk about them. East Fork Bridge near the campground, had its own Indian Devil... a family member had an encounter with one, caused his car to crash (like a Gremlin? Troll? or Ghost?) Not necessarily good luck, maybe bad. Hence the fear. None seemed to have actually seen one. More a "felt" thing. Are "Indian Devils" human, or are they Bigfoot-related? Anthropological sources relate the "Devils" to sorcery.

[Editorial note: another source, Bobo, says that the Yurok-Hupa Injun Devils were a tribal shamanic role practiced by some local natives (like the old Bear Shamans?). I have had local Natives confirm this. Lucy Thompson's TO THE AMERICAN INDIAN book says clearly that they were human, not bigfoots, and carried certain things like sticks and medicine bags, unlike sasquatches. Many BF researchers take any Native statement about "wild folk" or "devils" to be indicative of the sasquatch, but that is not necessarily so. There is no reason a human could not choose to leave the main tribe and live in a less socialized or wild state.]

SUGAR BOWL, out near Hoopa, the sacred Rain Rock is down there, a nature-calendar. LITTLE PEOPLE? Other reports have stated that there was no Native settlement made permanently down there, despite ideal natural conditions, due to the presence of the Little People. [It was THEIR turf, much like the upper headwaters of Bluff Creek were avoided as the home of the Mountain People or Ape-men.] What are these "Little People"? Some accounts depict them as furry little bigfoots, while others claim they are more like elves, pixies or brownies. We will be investigating this issue, but information is hard to come by, with sources reluctant to speak. Also... Willie Burgers ("boogers")? KAMOSS? Snake-like creature once reported: wider than the road! Also seen in the rivers, sometimes serpentine, other times more like a Loch Ness Monster.

And more news:

RECENT SIGHTING! Another one, the fifth report from that area we've heard in the last couple of years, was seen up on FRIDAY RIDGE ROAD. Local BFRO affiliate James Bobo Fay responded and investigated, driving the road, but no evidence was found. This road runs right back of Bigfoot Books' location, with its terminus at Brush Mountain Lookout (see image, below) being just a mile or so as the bird flies from the cabin of yours truly. See my own report in the begining of the article BIGFOOT IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY, linked to the right of this blog.

ANOTHER REPORT: An customer in the shop, Billy (no last name given), told of being followed by a Bigfoot out near Maple Creek, in the hills past Blue Lake and Korbel. His kids were with him, and they all saw it. At first they thought it was a bear, but then noticed it standing in the shadows, with a clear arm raised up against a tree. It was very tall. It never stepped out into a clearing so that they could see it distinctly from its camouflaged background. They decided to retreat, but periodically heard it behind them, moving stealthfully in the brush and staying behind or beside trees. Looking back, they saw it a few more times. Getting to the cabin it was seen again by the man's girlfriend. They decided to stay put in the cabin rather than pursue it.

AND IN ANOTHER AREA:

Bigfoot Books was blogged again, this time by a customer. She enjoyed getting her "Humboldt County Bookmark," found pressed between the pages of a dictionary, at no extra cost.

Image pilfered from Kristabel's blog, since she pilfered one from mine, that I pilfered (with permission) from Tom Yamarone's blog. Ah, the wonders of blogging!

Check out the CHOCOLATE COVERED XANAX blog article here: http://chocolatecoveredxanax.blogspot.com/2009/06/humboldt-county-bookmark.html

with an UPDATE here:

http://chocolatecoveredxanax.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-crush-562.html

Back to work on deciphering the P-G FILM TIMELINE! Report coming sooner or later. Also, DUANE FLATMO is going to respond to our questions re. bigfoot and his ACE HARDWARE BIGFOOT MURAL. He has nearly finished the final touch-up and detail work. We'll have a full pictorial expose soon.