SC EP:1291 The Skookum Thermal

In Chinook Jargon, Skookum means strong, powerful, something that does not yield.

Older still, in the languages beyond the Jargon, it carried another meaning: a spirit of the timber, a presence in the mountains that was not quite human and not quite safe.

Across Washington and the rest of the Northwest, the word is stamped on the map.

Skookum Meadows, Skookumchuck Lakes, creeks, and ridges that sit in a country where the canopy never fully lets go of the dark.

When you hear the word Skookum, the original meaning didn't necessarily mean wild men.

It seemed to be a catch-all.

Evil spirits were called Skookums.

Wild men were called Skookums.

In 1847, the painter Paul Kane stood in the site of Mount St. Helens.

He heard the Chinook talk about Skookums.

They were referring to wild men, wild men of a different kind, who lived on the mountain.

A generation later, in 1924, gold prospectors in Ape Canyon, not far from where Paul Kane was, said that they were attacked by ape-like figures.

In modern times, many reports have come out of Skookum Meadows.

Back about 26 years ago, the BFRO were out there doing an expedition, and they left fruit in a muddy wallow, and came back at dawn to a body-sized impression in the mud.

A hip, forearm, heel.

The press of something large that had reached in and then was gone.

The group poured hundreds of pounds of plaster, and they were able to pull from it the Skookum Cast.

Tonight, we'll be chatting with Gray Bear.

He's a member of the tribe there in Northern California.

He lives here in Washington.

He went out on an expedition and sent me this thermal video, and I'll post the video underneath this episode for you guys to check out and tell me what you think.

But I asked him to come on and share how they captured that thermal and what happened that night.

And this incident with the thermal happened this year, just a few months ago.

If you've had an encounter and you'd like to be on the show, shoot me an email.

My email address is wes@sasquatchchronicles.com. And if you get a chance, check out sasquatchchronicles.com. You can become a member and get additional shows.