One of the most legendary cryptids in history is Bigfoot. Many people have set out to hunt for the creature to prove its existence. Sadly, one hunt has gone horribly wrong. This past weekend, two men’s search for Bigfoot in Skamania County, Washington, ended in tragedy.
Around 1 a.m. on Christmas morning, the Skamania County Communications Center received a report that two men had gone missing in the area. The two were meant to return home on Christmas Eve but never returned.
The sheriff’s office accessed footage from a recently installed camera and located their vehicle near Willard, Washington. After the three-day search with 60 volunteers, their bodies were recovered. Their names and the exact cause of death have yet to be announced. However, reports say the deaths of the 59-year-old man and the 37-year-old man were believed to be due to “exposure.”
“After a grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions, the 59-year-old male and 37-year-old-male, both from Portland, Oregon, who were reported missing/endangered were located, deceased, in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest,” the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) stated in a Saturday post on Facebook. The SCSO added: “Both deaths appear to be due to exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness.”
But could it have been something more than bad weather conditions or a lack of preparedness that took the men’s lives? It’s possible. We won’t know until the autopsies are completed and the manner of death is confirmed and announced.
Reports and sightings of Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest and Canada are nothing new. Settlers and Native Americans have long stated that the giant, hair-covered creatures have existed. However, no concrete proof has ever been discovered. Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch) reportedly stands five to nine feet tall and weighs 600 to 900 lbs. They are said to be completely covered in brown, black, or gray shaggy hair. The first recorded mention of Bigfoot goes back to the early 1800s.
In Skamania County, where the bodies of the two men were found, harming a Bigfoot is punishable by a $1,000 fine. According to the county’s chamber of commerce, it can also get you jail time. The law is meant to protect the creature and to prevent hunters from accidentally getting shot by confused Bigfoot seekers.
If you want to learn more about Bigfoot, we recommed watching the documentary On the Trail of Bigfoot: Land of the Missing or the series “Expidition Bigfoot” on the Discover channel.
Our condolences go out to the two mens’ families.

Search and rescue teams searching for missing men in Skamania County, Washington