I thought I would share a story from an experience in my life, it's not firsthand, but it's good conversation. It's also why I've taken an interest in Bigfoot. I'm guessing this would have been in the summer of 1965 or 1966.

My dad and a freind of his would go on a week long fishing trips together every summer. Usually in northern Minnesota or sometimes in Ontario. In the summer of '65 or '66 my dad realized that if he took me or one of my brothers, my mom would allow an additional trip during the summer. This also worked out well because my dads freind never had children. We would do canoe trips, so I would share a canoe with my Dad's friend and my younger brother would share a canoe with my dad. Because my Dads friend never had children, he would really take me under his wing and I think he enjoyed these trips. Also, for some background, my dad was a doctor and a state Senator for 12 years. His friend was the head surgeon at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN. He operated on two former Presidents and was a consultant to the Surgeon General in his later years. Needless to say, they were both well educated and neither of them were predisposed to joking around or hyjinx in in the slightest. As a mattert of fact, my dad had no sense of humor, he considered joking around to be assine. Anyway so back to my story.

In the summer of '65 or '66 we were planning a fishing trip into an area in northern Minnesota. In this area, there is no outboard motors allowed, canoe only. This area is very remote and is a designated Federal Widerness. [It is called the B.W.C.A.W. or Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness located in Minnesota] The lake we were going into, was 9 portages and we planned on staying for 4 days. It would take a very long day, but we expected to get into our campsight late the first day. In one canoe was my dad and my 10 year old brother and in the second canoe was my Dad's friend and myself. I was 12 years old. When we would reach a portage, my Dad and his friend would each carry a canoe, while my brother and I would carry the paddles, fishing poles, and other small items. Then my Dad and his friend would return for 2 big backpacks, while we waited at the end of the portage. Once they returned from their second trip, we would start across another lake. We were 6 portages into our trip of 9 portages and my Dad and his friend decided to start a fire. The portage we came to had a very nice campsight and they thought it would be a good place for lunch. Their thought was to haul the canoes and by the time they returned the fire would be ready to cook lunch. So my brother and I sat by the fire, by the packs, waiting for them to return. They returned with the canoes, immediately put the fire out and said we are leaving. I asked my Dad's friend many times on the way out what was wrong and he wouldnt answer, or he would say that he didnt feel well. On the last 2 portages as we were leaving, my brother and I were both crying because it was pitch dark, and we were starving. Also, my Dad and his friend were acting very strange. We went to a Hotel that night and returned home the next morning. By the way, at the hotel, the story was my Dad didnt feel well. But for 4 or 5 hours while frantically paddling out, my Dad's friend was telling me we were leaving because he didnt feel well. The other stange thing was, my Dad and his Friend were both Church Deacons who never drank. They bought a 12 pack of beer and from what I could tell they never slept that night. I also woke up during the night and there was a Sheriff and a Forest Service guy at our door talking to my Dad.

My story continues in 1989. I bought a Cabin about 20 miles from where this Federal land is and the lake where we had entered years before. My parents had long since retired and they no longer owned a home in my area, so I never had mentioned where I had purchased a cabin. I just told my parents I bought a cabin. I never figured they cared or had any interest in where it was located. Anyway, at Christmas one year my parents were traveling in Europe and unable to return for the Holidays. So I felt the urge to spend more time than usual on the phone with my Dad. I mentioned that I had applied for a day permit to the same Federal Wilderness that we had been to years ago, because it was close to my cabin and I thought my son would get a kick out of the trip. My Dad became very serious and very concerned. He asked me if I remembered the trip that I have mentioned to you people earlier and I told him yes. He then said, " didnt you find it strange that every year for 14 years, I went on my annual fishing trip, but never went again after that year?" I told him I had never really thought about it. I also was surprised because he wanted me to spend time with my son, so this was completely out of character. Also, the main topic of converstion was my daughters upcoming wedding. So you can imagine how out of context this conversation was. Then he told me what had happened. He said that he and his freind were carrying the canoes. They came to a spot where there was a canoe rest [a log lashed across 2 trees so you can easily lean up your canoe from your shoulder making it easier to pick up again]. My Dad was leading and he didnt expect the portage to be so long, so he figured to lean up the canoes and return to me and my brother. He didnt want to leave us alone that long and was concerned the fire would burn down and they wouldnt be able to cook on it. He said they sat down to take a break before returning, and at this point he hadnt even mentioned to his freind yet that he was thinking about returning, but he was being quiet to see if he was able to hear us. Determining whether to return now or later. The trail was like a tunnel, all grown up on each side very thick, and the tops of the brush were leaned over - creating a tunnel effect. Ahead of them was a steep hill with rocks and it was very thick on each side, but bright and open. He said they were sitting facing the trail ahead of them and almost immediately after they sat down, they saw an animal coming down the trail towards them. The animal was traveling fast because of the steep grade of the hill. He said it was tall, and heavy set and covered in hair. He had no clue what it was, he thought it was a hybred gorilla that may have been released or escaped to the area, but it was almost running and upright on 2 legs. To add to their thoughts also, the summer before a camper in the same area was killed by a bear, it turned out the bear had a parasite in its brain, this made them more leary than normal because this parasite was still rampant and had spread to the moose population. This animal was running upright, which in my Dads mind, told him that there was something wrong with the animal and it must be sick with the parasite. He had come to these conclusions in his mind before his freind had even spotted it. Once his freind spotted it, my Dad watched his friend reaching for a rock and then his friend got into a position to throw the rock at the animal behind the canoes, at an inside turn at the bottom of the hill. When my dad looked back from his freind to the trail, the animal was now much closer and he realized that it was huge and that it was no animal he had ever been exposed to. It had now come down the hill so it didnt seem to be moving as fast. He then became concerned about us kids and that his freind was holding a rock the size of a loaf of bread -which would only create more problems - so he jumped into the trail and started hollering at it and waving his arms. He said that was a mistake because at the speed the creature was traveling and how thick the trail was, it was to late, the creature couldnt get off the trail. He was stuck in the middle of the trail and by the time the creature came to a stop, it was 3 feet in front of him and he stopped yelling and waving his arms. He said that it was much larger than him, 7' plus- but much heavier. He then watched his friend step into the trail, throw the rock, and fall about 6 feet behind the animal, into the trail.The animal then let out a terrible roar [my Dad didnt think this was because of the rock but because they startled it] and ran straight into the woods. My Dad said he stood still and upright while his freind tossed the rock but then dropped to the ground when he threw the rock. He said when he looked up there were Poplar trees that were popping back up, large enough that if you hit them with your truck, they would do damage. They both started running back towards us kids, but then my Dad had to almost tackle his friend, because he realized they needed to calm down and get the canoes. My dad said when the animal was coming down the hill, the sun was in its eyes and very bright, the hill was steep and a sandy loam surface and that the portion of the trail they were on was quite dark and around a corner. He figured by the time he stepped on the trail, the animal was blind, waiting for its eyes to adjust. He said the animal had no clue anyone was there and to add to the situation, when the animal came to a stop, the trail on both sides was thick. Alder brush and poplar trees. He said he looked directly at the animal, so close that if he took a step he could have touched it. My Dad said he stood there long enough to decide what to do, he raised his hands in a boxing pose. My Dad has passed, but at the time he related this story he had no reason to embelish a story. He was retired with nothing but his grandchildren and his rose garden on his mind. His integrity meant everything to him and I will compare his resume to anyone who would care to discredit his account. I have left out a number of his credentials to secure his privacy.


Now, I must admit I'm skeptical about the existance of Bigfoot, but there are some points that are very hard to dismiss.

a. To be in this area you have to have a permit, there was no other permits issued until 2 days later. The Park Service mentioned there was another party coming in 2 days later, otherwise they were on their own.
b. Both witnesses are professionals with nothing to gain and a horrible amount to lose. Imagine the credibility issues? Also, my Dad never drank or was one to exagerate. He used to say, tell one lie and you have to remember it forever, tell the truth and you only have to do it once.
c. I can go on and on so this lends itself to misidentification. My Dad's parents owned a resort on the Canadian/Minnesota border while he was growing up. He spent a ton of time in this area and in the remote woods. He hunted and fished, he even bagged a Grizzley on Kodiak. He told me how he had to be able to identify a Male or Female Grizzley from 100 yards before he was able to hunt Kodiak. He never lied and he never joked. He was also very well educated and trained to think rationally. So at 3 feet, in the middle of the day and witnessed by 2 Doctors - it picqued my interest.


Sorry about the long story, but I thought I would share for what it is worth.

hmmm this one could be real or fake just going by the siting it seems unlikely that it would run after an act of aggression such as getting a rock hucked at it from my few sitings and what other info i have it doesn't seem to take it too well but very possible if it was startled then theres the area Ive been in there its very remote perfect for a small family and when u take the character of the wittnesses id say that is 60/40 for it being real at least but the age of the story makes it hard to tell if it wasnt just a bear the got hands over the years

As far as aggression - a rock hucked at it - he fell over in his excitement to throw the rock, it hit the creature but was basically dropped on it.

My Dad said the thing ran because it was completely surprised. It came down a hill in the bright sunshine, with the sunshining in its eyes to a portion of the trail that was like a tunnel, very dark and shaded.

The age of the story isnt relative to the credibilty. It just happens I bought the property 20 years later and thats also the only reason it ever came up . By the way, the other witness is still alive. He was Henry Kissengers personal surgeon, he operated on the former Shah of Iran and served as an advisor to the Surgeon General. And you claim 60/40 that the witnesses are viable?

Very interesting story, and well told. Did your father relate any noticeable odor from the animal?

I thought I'd bring up one other item. My Mom is still alive and she is still sharp. She is a psychiatrist and I asked her about this story. She was surprised my Dad told me about it. I asked her if it was true and she said yes. She said my Dad was haunted by it and that he talked to her about it many times, she felt he was trying to cope with it but it didnt fit. He fought with trying to rationalize this for years. My Mom also said she didnt think he had ever told anyone about it. The day we returned my Dads freind stayed over night. He lived in Rochester which was 2 1/2 hours away. They both expressed guilt for not acting more calm with me and my brother and my Dads friend also recounted the entire story to her.

We lived in a pretty remote area at this time and my Dad had not yet entered Politics. Yet, my Mom said that is when he started carrying a concealed weapon. For the last 35 years of my Dads life he always carried a pistol. Our house was in a remote area. My Mom was a dog lover but my Dad hated dogs. After this he bought 2 Neopolitan BullMastiffs and until he got into Politics and had bodyguards, I never knew him not to have guard dogs [I was grown and gone by this time]. This was completely out of character for him also. My Dad was 6'4" tall and never thought a fight would settle anything. He was very religous and yet he carried a pistol until he got to the church parking lot on Sunday.

I've thought about this later, after I've had time to do some research. I don't recall my Dad ever mentioning it. But, he wasn't trying to justify anything, he was relating a story for my benefit. The objective of his story wasnt the details but to get his point across. I thought about asking my Mom later, but she would have considered any questions to be disrespectful. This creature could have stunk to high heaven and my Dad wouldnt have mentioned it, he took for granted I would accept his warnings and that wouldn't have been the crux of his concerns or his argument. He told me just the minimum of the story, he felt ashamed even bringing it up, so he definately never went into detail.

WOW, GOOD STORY DUDE!

I don't want to sound rude, but as I am VERY skeptical of the existence of a Bigfoot I am going to say it was a wildman/hobo/hermit or a bear/other ape-like beast, although the latter is unlikely.

Awesome story though, would love to hear more. Stories are what these forums need!

I'm very skeptical of Bigfoot. I dont belive it is possible for it to exist. There is no way for it to hide or for it to sustain sustanace. That is my rational thinking. But, on the other hand, my Dads IQ was judged to be 191 and I never knew him to be suspect especially regarding something that was common sense. For him to misjudge something of this magnitude, is unimaginable to me. So the question is misidentfication, for a doctor, at 3 feet? That is impossible. I will give a more indepth biography to substantiate that misidentification is highly unlikely.The other witness dosen't want any part of this coversation, but I'm certain anyone with a computor can figure out who he is with the information I have already provided.

Well, awesome story, will you be posting anymore?

Good story....you say 3 feet.........anywhere between 3 to 5 feet is close enough to be caught off guard in an encounter like you discribe...Maybe a bit too close....but the education these men only adds credibilty to their tale.....so with you being so close to the site..... have you givin any thought to maybe goin and lookin for the beast ????.......trail cameras????if so .....take yer dads gun along.......thanks again for the story......Ej

The portage we took is now from a different bay of the lake we entered from and ends at a different corner of the other lake. I talked to someone familair with this area and that portage is to grown up now to ever find. The access that we used in 1965 has now been closed, so the 9 portages in 1965 is now 12 portages, but much longer. When we entered in 1965, we were boated across 2 lakes and then portaged from there. Those 2 huge lakes are now canoe only. To get to the lake we were going to camp on, which we were going to reach in a day, would now be 3 very,very long days. Also, the last few portages are not well marked. This area is much more remote now than it was in 1965. They have closed the access roads back another 20 miles and the border lakes are now considered canoe only. If you look at a map we motored across Brule Lake and North Lake, in the B.W.C.A., now you would have to paddle them.

My Mom complains I dont call enough. I'll pick her brain for some more details. I do remember my Dad did mention that when they first sat down on the portage they heard some strange noises but I dont think and/or recall if he told them to me. Also, my brother did elude to this encounter, a number of years earlier, but the way he phrased it I would have only caught if my Dad and I had discussed it and at that time we had not. I'll see what my Brother may have discussed or know about this situation. He was closer to my Dad than I was.

WOW! that was a cool story, and your dad and his friend seem the most credible eyewitnesses i've ever heard stories from. Shame it happened so long ago though, even if you went back there theres a good chance whatever it was has moved on.

Do you know if there were ever any other sightings in that area? did the group going in 2 days after you see anything?

I enjoyed the story as well, and especially because I live in northern Minnesota and have been to the Boundry Waters a number of times.

It's a wonderful area where no motor boats are allowed on most lakes -- you can only canoe or row. It's still very pristine, and back in the 60s, it was even more primitve and untouched by large amounts of tourists.

I can imagine a Bigfoot would prefer and area where there are no din of motorized vehicles -- if there is such a crearture.

There have been a number of other reported Bigfoot sighting in Minnesota.

Gave me chills, and that usually means it checks out in my subconscious. =P

I don't see any gaping holes in the story, but I find it very hard to simply take someone's word on it, sorry. Could you give us a little more information, nothing specifically identifying in terms of your family, but just more confirmation?

Great read. Thanks for taking the time to share this.

You should report this story to the BFRO. Very well told. Thank you!

^ I agree BFRO would be interested. It soundd like a very plausable story. I've heard of another guy who practically ran into a yowie and got roared at only he turned and ran.

Two points: if you were 12 in 1965 then you were 36 in 1989. But you had a daughter old enough to be getting married? Possible, if you became a father yourself at 18 but kind of unusual in a 'professional' class family. And: why did your father and his friend portage the canoes if they were going to abandon the trip, which is what you apparently did? Or did I simply misread that?