Today my good friend and longtime “Squatching” buddy Tom and I hiked out to the site of the iconic Patterson-Gimlin film, which made Bigfoot a household name around the world.
If you’re not familiar with the lore, adventurers Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin rode on horseback to the very remote site after reading reports of a logging operation finding huge footprints in Bluff Creek, California. On the afternoon of On October 20, 1967, they surprised a massive, human-like creature covered in hair, with Patterson filming it on his Super-8 camera. This particular Bigfoot came to be known as “Patty,” with the film making Bigfoot a household name around the world.
To reach the site, we drove from Willow Creek to the small outpost of Orleans, then about 18 miles up into the mountains of Six Rivers National Forest. Once up there, we traveled about 8 miles over a series of logging roads, parked, then hiked about three miles in to the film site. The area is indicated by a small sign and orange flags tracing Patty’s route and other landmarks in the film. Thanks to the Bluff Creek Project for the thorough directions.
You’ll find some photo highlights of the journey below, with a complete photo album here. Learn more about the evolution of Bigfoot research at my blog post here.
Enjoy, and don’t stop believing.
Robert Gimlin gives a rare interview with the “Finding Bigfoot” team.
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