BFRO: Possible dusk sighting at Kananaskis campground (2011)

Report # 34794  (Class B)
Submitted by witness on Monday, March 26, 2012.


Possible dusk sighting at Kananaskis campground


YEAR: 2011

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: May

DATE: 14

PROVINCE: Alberta

COUNTRY: Canada

LOCATION DETAILS: It was just south of the bow valley campground located just off the Trans Canada highway and the Stoney Indian reserve.

NEAREST TOWN: Bow Valley Campground

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 1 (Transcanada)

OBSERVED: I was camping with my daughter and dog, we had went down by the river after dinner just prior to the sun going down. My daughter and myself were skipping rocks into the river(east side), my dog was watching for squirrels and rabbits behind us (see was looking northeast). Just after the sun went down I called the dog over to get a drink before we left, she came to the river and stopped. She started to stare across the river, and her hair started to brissle. I looked over the river and what I thought was a grizzly bear(west side of river). It was right at the bank of the river, and then it stood onto it back legs turned around and walked into the brush behind it(3 maybe 4 steps before I could not see it.) I’m not sure how big but I would guess well over 6′ 6″ – 7′ 0″ and was twice to triple the width of a person. It was across the river and upstream, about 165 yards from me.

ALSO NOTICED: My dog chases wildlife, she is a sight hound, she loves to chase. She will chase rabbits, deer, and even stood in between a bear and myself later that year. With this she was scared.

OTHER WITNESSES: I was there with my daughter (8) who did not see, and my dog, so no other witnesses

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was around 9pm just after the sun went behind the mountians.

ENVIRONMENT: River bank, very well treed on both sides, in a valley with mountians closer to the west side.


Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Gary Cronin:

I had the opportunity to visit the site of the encounter with the witness. The creature he saw would have gone unnoticed except for the awareness of his dog. Once he spotted it he was unsure as to whether it was a boulder or an animal of some kind. After about 30 seconds it moved and he could then see that whatever it was in a squatting position and stood, pivoted and walked into the trees. He estimates that it was substantially larger than a person, closer to 7 feet, and had much larger mass than a large man. Sighting was just before dusk, it was still light outside and witness was amazed at just how camouflaged the creature was.

A few added facts lead me to believe that this was likely a sasquatch sighting. First the witness is ex-Canadian military and has had training in target recognition. He is convinced that this was not a person. Second, there was another report from two mountain climbers who believe they encountered a sasquatch within two kilometers of this location in the same month.

 


ASO Note: Here is a second report of the same account made to Cliff Barackman of the BFRO and then followed-up with by Thomas Steenburg

ALBERTA FILE #50092
LOCATION: Bow Valley Campground, North bank of Bow River, Near Exshaw, Alberta.
DATE: May 2011
TIME: Proxy, 8:45 pm
REPORT BY: Thomas Steenburg

The following report was forward to me by Cliff Barackman. The witness had submitted the report to Cliffs web page. It took awhile to contact him as he was on vacation with his family to British Columbia for a few weeks, so he did not hear my phone message to him for some time. I called me on the night of May 6th, 2013. And I had made arrangements to interview him over the telephone the following evening. The witness did express the desire to remain confidential so only his initials will appear in print here.

Could you state your full name for me?

Withheld from report upon request. Initials used will be AV.

What is your present mailing address?

Withheld from report upon request.

What is you phone number?

Withheld from report upon request.

What is your occupation AV?

I work for Mercedes Benz, parts department.

You are formal military, aren’t you?

Yes.

What branch of the military?

Army. 2nd Battalion, P.P.C.L.I.

Do you ware corrective lenses?

Occasionally, for reading.

Were you warring them at the time this happened?

Yes.

What was your age at the time of the incident?

I would have been 30.

Please tell me what happened.

Basically what happened is, we went out camping. It was the first time we had gone camping that year. We had got to the campground that Saturday morning. We spent the day there, we, you know did typical camping things, walked the dog, had lunch, we had just finished up with dinner, when we decided to go for a walk down by the river, we were just kind of walking along the bank for a bit, not paying to much attention to anything. The sun had just gone behind the mountains, which was why we had decided to start heading back, and I took the dog down to the edge of the river, and when she got down there she just started staring across the river. I didn’t think much of it at that point, told her to get a drink, hurry up, she just kept staring across the river and then all of a sudden the hair on her back started to bristle? I looked over and couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and she is still intently staring across, so I kind of got on top of her and put my head on top of her head so I could kind off see the direction she was looking at, then I saw this large mass across the river, it was um, 150 or 130 yards away from us. I originally didn’t know whether it was a large bear, or a rock because it wasn’t moving? Then about after 30 seconds of looking at it, I bent down to the dog and told her, “Common, lets go”, and looked up again and that’s when I saw it stand up. When it stood up it took a step to its, would have been to its left, kind of pivoted, and took 3 more steps into the tree line. It was 3 distinct steps I saw, and when it went into the tree line, into the shadows it just blended so well with the shadows of the trees, I did not see it anymore.

Where did this incident occur?

Bow Valley campground, which is Bow Valley Provincial Park just, east of Canmore, Alberta, just off the trans Canada highway. It’s right on the Bow River.

Near that old cement plant on the river there right?

Yep, just down river from that a little bit.

Steenburg Note: The cement plant is kind of an eye sore as you drive along the trans Canada highway. It lies on the north bank of the river along route 1A. While the trans Canada highway is running along the rivers south bank. The plant has a small community called Exshaw. Most of the population works at the plant.

What was the date of this incident?

We always go camping um. It was the weekend before the May long weekend, (Victoria Day in Canada), I think it would have been May 10th or 11th? The Saturday before the long weekend, That’s the first weekend we go camping.

Steenburg note; in his report to Cliff Barrackman he wrote May 14th? At this point he starts to go into details, which have not been asked for yet. He continues.

When I first saw it, I, you know, I know what it wasn’t, but I didn’t know what it was. And I didn’t think much of it. You know my thought on the situation was it wasn’t possible because there are none, (Sasquatch) in Alberta, that’s something more BC, Washington, Oregon area, so I didn’t make a report for it at that time. It was later on that year I was actually reading through the paper, and came across an article about Todd Standing, and his accounts and everything, and looked at his research and what he had was not what I saw what so ever, so I put the whole thing by the way side for a bit. It was probably close to a year after I saw it when I started talking a little bit about it. I made 1 report to another research people, and we did an interview and went out to the location. He told me that there had been other activity in that area that same month reported by other people.

Steenburg note; in his written report to Cliff Barackman he wrote that a researcher from the B.F.R.O. named Gary Cronin went with him to the location in June 2012

What time of night or day did this incident occur?

It was just after the sun went down, Between 8 and 9 o’clock, the sun had just gone behind the mountain and that’s why we were kind of heading back so, It was still light enough that you could see, but there was no glow from the sun in that west direction.

Describe the area in which this took place?

It was off the Bow River. Fairly large river.

Was it on the south bank or the north bank?

We were on; it would have been the east bank. And it would have been on the west bank.

Does the river not run west to east at that point?

Um. Yes it runs west to east.

So was the subject on the north or south bank?

It would have been on? I am trying to think here. Would have been on the north bank.

Steenburg note: I think he is wrong here as the campground lies on the north bank on the Bow river, which is where they were camping, and if the subject was on the opposite bank that would have to be the south bank.

So you are saying it was on the north side?

Yeah. I think so?

What distance would you estimate you were from the subject when you saw it?

115 to about 130 yards.

What color was it?

Ah, really couldn’t get a color, not a specific color, it was dark but not black. Possibly a heavy dark brown? When I thought it could be a grizzly, but it was darker then a grizzly, wasn’t a black bear, way to big for a black bear. Ah you know with gray hound there’s a color which is called Dunn, which is a gray with some brown mixed with it, it was similar to that.

What was your first impression of it?

I first thought, because it was hunkered down, I first thought it was ether a rock or a grizzly bear, Ah but when it stood up That’s when I was 100 per cent sure of what it was. I knew what it wasn’t; I knew it wasn’t a person. Just from the size of it. I know it wasn’t a bear. Because a bear couldn’t stand on two feet and pivot the way this did, and walk as cleanly with a stride.

How did you react when you first saw it?

Shock more or less, just basically trying to process, what was that? I just saw this and I can’t explain what I saw, I felt no fear or excitement or anything like that, it was more military, you know trying to evaluate your situation and surroundings, ah, I just tried to figure out what it was I saw, I really can’t explain it.

What was it doing?

Ah, it was bent down near the river. I don’t know if it was digging at the river, as soon as I, when I was looking at it there was no movement from it what so ever, Then as I said after about 30 seconds I turned around and went to grab my dog and looked away from it, when I looked back up that’s when it got up and moved so I don’t know if it noticed we were over there, and was just staying still. When I broke looking at it that’s when it decided to get up and move.

Was it hairy?

I really couldn’t tell if it was hairy, it was one solid color. Ah at 115 or 130 yards I really couldn’t distinguish hair, It wasn’t skin, it wasn’t clothing, ah I can rule out what it wasn’t but I can’t say with 100 percent certainty that it was hair.

How far do you think you were from it?

115 to 130 yards.

Did it stand and walk upright?

Yes.

Did you ever see it go down on all fours?

No.

How tall would you estimate it was?

Based on the size, and the distance, ah, 7 and a half, Yeah I would say 7 and a half, foot range.

How much do you think it weighed?

It would be 500 pounds. Easily. Shoulder width um. Being in the military you see guys that distance walking with full ruck sacks, and kit gear, with 130 pound kit gear on their back and this thing was bigger than that.

How long did you see it for?

30 seconds when it was standing, no when it was ether squatting or sitting, 30 seconds while it was down by the river. From the time it stood up, took those 3 steps into the bush it was, 8 to 10 seconds?

When it was down by the river was it at the waters edge?

Right at the waters edge, yes.

How far from the waters edge was the tree line?

Ah. I didn’t go over there. I estimate, 10 yards?

Did it see you?

I think it did.

What was its reaction?

I think its reaction was to stay as still as possible. Which it did until I broke eye contact with it? As soon as I did that that’s when it got up and moved into the bush.

Could you see any facial features?

No.

Could you tell if it was male or female?

No.

Can you describe the arms?

When it walked it did have arm swing, you could see that, you could see the motion.

Did it make any noise?

No. No noise.

Did you smell anything before, during or after?

I didn’t. But I honestly think my dog might have? Which might be why she started looking over there.

What bread is your dog?

She’s a gray hound.

How old?

She would have been 3 and a half when this happened.

Did she bark or growl at the subject?

Not at all. Which is strange for her.

Are there any other physical characteristics of the subject that stand out in your memory?

Just the fact when it did get up, it made a step of the left hand, I mean left leg, I mean it made a distinct pivot, 180 degree back toward the tree line.

Did you check for footprints later on?

I did not, no, no. Not knowing what it was.

Did you report this to anyone?

I did report it to the BFRO, and I talked to one of their representatives in the area here. We went out to the area where this happened, and he told me that within a month and a half there were 2 other sightings near the same area.

Steenburg note: The BFRO researcher was one Gary Cronin. At this time I have no knowledge of the two other incidents he is claimed to have mentioned here. The witness went on for some time here telling me how he went quite for a time because he did some reading and research of his own and was doubting himself because he had seen some video footage from one Todd Standing. His doubt was from the fact that what he saw did not resemble any of the Standing footage. There is a good reason for that in my opinion.

Describe for me your general outdoor experience.

I grew up camping, We continue to camp now, We go out with the dog quite a bit, I was in the military, so I have outdoor training, survival training, you know how to act when confronted with different wild animals found in Canada, and this was nothing giving to us as a recognized animal in Canada. I can navigate topography well. I can survive with limited supplies for quite some time. I am not outdoors a lot anymore, but when I get the chance we do go.

Steenburg note; Having served in the same regiment as our witness in this report I can say with experience that the Sasquatch is not included in any wildlife recognition course taut by the Canadian army.

My daughter was there but she did not see it.

Was she at the riverbank with you and the dog?

She was at the riverbank. She was throwing rocks in the water.

You didn’t try to draw her attention to it at all?

Well. I didn’t know what it was.

How old was she at the time?

She was 8.

What do you think it was?

Originally I thought, I didn’t, I thought, looks like a Sasquatch or Bigfoot but at the same time I thought they don’t live here, they are on the west coast. I always thought that was the reported range or habitat, after awhile, after I processed everything it came to me that more than likely that’s what it was.

Have any of your friends or family members ever had an incident like this before?

No.

Are you convinced you saw a Sasquatch?

Right now, the more I process this, yes.

Have you ever made a report like this to anybody before?

No.

Do you wish to remain confidential?

Yes. Just because of my work. The reason I haven’t mentioned it to a lot of people is because of my profession, and my family I would like to remain confidential.

AV seems to me to be an individual whom encountered something, which he tried to find out more about, and for sometime, was disillusioned by the workings of a well-known hoaxer. Fortunately he did end up talking to a researcher from the BFRO whom did an investigation of the matter. Though I am little surprised he did not mention filling a report to Cliff Barackman whom brought this case to my attention. I remember when I was in Alberta I to looked into a few reports from this same campground in the 1980s. Also there’s a long history of incidents all around the Bow Valley and near by Banff National Park.

– Thomas Steenburg