Finding Bigfoot

The year was 1991, the location was just outside Big Bend CA, the occasion was an endurance ride.

My friend Kate & I had planned to ride 50 miles together, with the intention of elevating to the 75 mile ride if our horses looked good at the end of the 50.  It was apparent that Kate's horse Koi was getting tired by the time we hit 45 or so miles.  We slowed down & walked most of the next 5 miles.  There was no question that she wouldn't be elevating to the 75 miler that day.  When we arrived at the 50 finish/vet check, the vet confirmed that Koi was too tired to continue.  Wraff on the other hand was almost literally rearing to go.  It was already 5pm so I wasn't sure I wanted to elevate.  We'd ridden a little slower than planned, so I'd be leaving on the last 25 mile loop later than I'd anticipated.  After the hour hold it'd be 6pm before I'd hit the trail again.  What the hell, off Wraff & I went.

Just before dusk I found myself riding along a ridge line, beneath power lines, with manzanita thick along the trail.  We were just trotting down the trail, having fun, when I heard crashing off to my right.  I could see the top of something dark brown parallelling us.  Wraff pricked his ears & sped up a bit, but otherwise didn't seem to be bothered.  I, on the other hand, was freaking out that a bear was running parallel to us, just 10' or so away.  With a lump in my throat & adrenaline rushing, right then I decided that as soon as I got to the road crossing I was going to ride down the road & back to basecamp.  I was DONE riding & didn't want to be out after dark.  About a mile later the trail turned & there was a little family of deer peacefully grazing.  Relief spread over me because if the deer weren't afraid that meant I was no longer being followed, errr chased.  A pitstop was in order.  A quick stop & I was back in the saddle, trotting down the trail into the night.

Silly me, I'd told ride management I didn't need glow bars for the last couple of miles because I knew the trail & we'd ridden it earlier in the day.  Silly me!  I knew where we were but couldn't find our way through the narrow trail & brush.  I even got off & tried to lead Wraff, who was totally disgusted with me by now.  It was so dark I had to reach my hand out & proceed by feel.  I began to have visions of spending the night on the trail & waiting until daylight to find my way into camp.  I couldn't believe I couldn't find the trail.  Finally I rode back up the hill to the last glow bar, plucked it off the bush (I was the only rider still on the trail), & back down the hill I went.  Gee, is was easy to find the trail with a little light.  Thirty minutes later we arrived at the finish line. 

As I vetted Wraff in, I told of our bear scare & how I almost ended my ride out of fear.  A couple people looked at me funny & said there was no way it was a bear following along the trail.  Bears aren't that big.  I was puzzled.  Then the vet asked me how tall was the manzanita.  Well, it was just about as tall as me.  Yes, just about as tall as me, & I was ON Wraff's back.  If Wraff was 15 hands (or 5') & I was on him, that would have made that bear about 8'-9' tall.  Holy moly!  That was no bear.  As the look on my face changed, the vet patted me on the back & told me I was lucky as I'd seen what very few people ever see.  Bigfoot! 

Until now I've told very few people this story.  Why?  Because part of me still refuses to accept the truth of what was running along side Wraff & I that night.  I try to find some other logical explanation.  But the realization that I could just see the top of something dark brown at a heigth of about 8'-9'' travelling at our speed...I have to accept that I what I saw was a bigfoot.  That thought still raises the hair on the back of my neck.  That's a night I'll never forget.  The night I was more afraid than Wraff.  The night I had a close encounter with Bigfoot.