THE SASQUATCH AS A TRAVEL COMPANION

The Sasquatch as a Travel Companion

By Raph Goulet, Summer of  2008

During my stay at the Hancock Wildlife Foundation in the summer of 2008 I was given the most peculiar task. Putting the reader into context is in order here before revealing the comical and unexpected anecdote that resulted from this unusual appointment. My name is Raphaël Goulet and I am student at McGill University in Montreal, doing my Master’s on the urban ecology of Bald Eagles in south-coastal British Columbia. My thesis supervisor Dr. David Bird has been a long-time friend of David Hancock’s and through their relationship I found my way out west to study my favourite bird using the long term eagle records of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation as a starting point.

I stayed over at the  Hancock’s home during my three-month field season. One day, David asked me whether I would be interested in doing something other than studying eagles for a few days: a “weekend trip” to the BC Interior. The main purpose was to drive North from the Fraser Valley to Castle Rock, just before Quesnel, to pick up this giant  reproduction of a “sasquatch skeleton”. Actually the artefact had been created by students at the University of Arizona based on a giant man many years ago, and was now being used as a tourist attraction.

Also, being in BC for the first time of my life, this trip would give me the chance to discover and enjoy the spectacular Ashcroft dry country and the Cariboo on the way up to Castle Rock. My curiosity obviously triggered – the Sasquatch not being nearly as famous back home as it is on the West coast – I decided to fully embrace this tempting opportunity.

Accompanied with my good Vancouverite friend Ben, and who conveniently had never seen the Cariboo, we set for Castle Rock. The drive up Highway 1 to Cache Creek was uneventful but spectacular. Watching the mountains drawing closer as you move up the Fraser Valley, then cutting through them on the sinuous and climbing road, and finally reaching the arid ranches and carved canyons, was something I will never forget. Soon after we passed Williams Lake and arrived at our destination. We could hardly have missed it: the tourist shop being an actual castle!

The lady expecting our arrival came to greet us and swiftly lead the way to the corner of the shop where the Sasquatch skeleton was displayed. Laying our eyes on such an impressive and realistic creature for the first time was an interesting experience. First of all, the 10-foot-high structure almost reached the ceiling and resembled a museum masterpiece more than a fake monster.

The position of the body was also intriguing. The trunk was twisted and the arms wrapped around it as if the Sasquatch had suffered a painful and agonizing death, and had frozen in place. The bones seemed real and their proportions were respected. It actually looked like the remains of a giant man. After taking a few pictures with our soon-to-be travel companion, we proceeded to our van and realized how complicated it would be to find room in our vehicle for this long and awkward bony & metal frame. Unfortunately for our new friend, the only way to do this was to behead it, and place its legs all the way in front, between the driver and passenger seats. Ben and I could not help but laugh at the situation, driving around with a giant Sasquatch skeleton lying on the floor of our van. 

David is the owner of Hancock House Publishers, the world’s largest publisher of books on the sasquatch or bigfoot, so there was naturally a connection. I later learned that David wanted the skeleton to demonstrate the probable size of a sasquatch skeleton. Sightings of this creature often indicate that it is 8 feet tall or greater.  But had we known what was going to happen next, we might not have retained our excitement.

On our way back from Castle Rock, we decided to branch off the route we took on the way up, instead heading west towards Lillooet and eventually Whistler. The drive had been pretty uneventful so far. But a few kilometres before reaching Whistler, as we went through Pemberton, I attempted a passing maneuver I soon regretted. At the time I had been driving for a very long period and I was looking forward to getting back home. This is not an excuse but anyways I tried to pass the car in front of me as a big pick-up truck was coming in the opposite lane. I probably misjudged the speed of the oncoming vehicle in my hurry and as I pulled back into my lane after passing, the pick-up truck zoomed by a bit too close to our van.

We were far from creating an accident, but I must agree that the move was a bit tight. Normally, things would have stayed that way… no fuss, both vehicles resuming their course. But in our case, the pick-up truck happened to be a police car! To our clear misfortune, the truck instantly turned on its blue and red flashing lights, making my heart spin 3 times in my chest in the process. I obviously knew I had to pull over at this time, and soon enough the police officer's slow but assured gait appeared in my side mirror. Ben and I, taken by surprise and not thinking at all about our most unusual passenger, greeted the officer in a joyful yet acknowledging way. I really wanted him to see that I felt sorry and just wanted to resume my journey. As we discussed my previous misbehaviour, he did like any good police officer would do during interrogation: look for incriminating evidence! He nonchalantly scanned the insides of the car until his eyes most expectedly fell on what he thought would make this routine highway intervention the case of a lifetime! The ultimate prize for a small town officer… discovering a dead body!!! Well, in fact an entire giant skeleton! Even better! “What the heck is that?!?!” he shouted as he jumped a meter up and away from  the car, almost reaching for his revolver as a reflex.

The expression on his face was so tense and suddenly urgent that he even made Ben and I wonder and quickly look through the car to see what the problem was, not realizing we still had the Sasquatch on board with us. The legs and feet of the creature laying in between the two front seats seemed so real that he really thought we were smuggling human remains through the region! Seeing the officer’s reaction, I made sure to remain calm to make him realize we were not affected by his sudden urge, not having anything to hide. I quickly told him the whole story about picking up this Sasquatch replica to relieve the stress and awkwardness of the moment and he soon acknowledged his mistake… or overboard imagination! Who knows? The Sasquatch might have saved me a ticket that day, because a few minutes after making us pull over, the officer let us go with a minor warning and a smile on his face…

Photos of our adventure follow. I am wearing sunglasses, Ben is in a jacket with white stripes.