Washington Outdoorsman Shares Decades of Sasquatch Sightings and Encounters

So, I stumbled across this fascinating interview on YouTube the other day, and honestly, I couldn't stop thinking about it. A guy named Gary Hines sat down with the folks over at The Facts By Howtohunt.com to share some absolutely wild stories about his encounters with Sasquatch, and let me tell you, this one is worth your time. Gary isn't some random guy spinning yarns for attention. He's had four separate sightings over the course of his life, and each one is more detailed than the last. The first happened when he was just 12 years old, salmon fishing with his family on the Columbia River. After hours of boredom with muddy water and no bites, he looked out over the bow and saw a head break the surface. He got a clear profile view, complete with what he later realized was a sagittal crest sticking out the back. This thing was swimming from the Oregon side to the Washington side in broad daylight, around noon or 1 PM, just casually popping up for air every 30 feet or so. His dad dismissed it as a seal, but Gary knew better. It wasn't until 53 years later, when he read Jay Robert Alli's book about a fisherman in southeast Alaska who spotted Sasquatches swimming in the exact same way, that the pieces finally clicked into place. His second encounter was just as striking. Around 3:30 in the morning, driving along what he believes is Highway 542 between Bellingham and Mount Baker, he saw a massive figure silhouetted against some halogen lights and a streetlight below. The being was crossing the road at an angle, and Gary could see shoulder movements but couldn't make out the arms. He hit neutral, put his hands on the steering wheel, and just stared. That's the kind of reaction you have when your brain finally registers what you're looking at. The third sighting happened in the Blue Mountains of Oregon while he was out mushrooming with his Rottweiler, Dink. A seven-footer in his winter coat came down the trail toward him, only about 50 feet away. Gary got an incredible look at this one. The coat was in dreadlocks about 20 inches long, light brown with strands of black and darker brown mixed in. He noticed a dingy, dirty white mark about an inch wide, eight inches from the spine just below the shoulder blade, and figured it was an old arrow wound that had healed over with white hair. The figure wasn't running in a panic, just casually moving away. Dink took off after him, but a well-built barbed wire fence with five strands stopped the chase. Dink doesn't do well going downhill, so Gary wasn't worried. The dog came back unharmed about half an hour later. But the fourth sighting? That's where things get really interesting. Gary describes seeing a teenager, probably 14 to 17 years old, standing about 60 feet away in the shade. Dome head, no visible ears, long distinct neck, all black from head to toe. He figured the shoulders were about 40 inches across, and the being hadn't put on muscle yet, still working on the frame. Gary observed him for about 10 minutes with no ill feelings whatsoever. The Sasquatch had him and the other dog walkers in the area completely figured out, knew where they lived, and just stood there watching. What really got me, though, was Gary's observations of three different families he's been monitoring. One family left him what he believes was a note, three stones arranged in a pattern he interpreted as "Mom and Junior." Another family wasn't as friendly. A male whistled at him seven times, five whistles each, and Gary didn't whistle back because he knew that would be a challenge. About a week later, the same Sasquatch picked up a limb and whacked a cedar tree real hard, real fast. Gary could hear him and see the shrubbery moving, but couldn't see him directly. Gary also theorizes that Sasquatch are insomniacs, which makes sense when you think about it. A male with a woman and children has to put a lot of protein on the table, so he's out hunting a lot. The last family he observed had five members: dad, mom, twins, and a babysitter that came in from another family. He mentioned that out of the three families he's been observing without seeing them, the little ones have always been boys, except for one family that had a boy and a girl. The Columbia River, Mount Baker Highway, and the Blue Mountains of Oregon are all areas that have long been associated with Sasquatch activity. The Pacific Northwest is basically ground zero for sightings, and Gary's accounts fit right into the broader pattern of encounters reported throughout the region. The sagittal crest he described on the swimming figure is a feature that comes up in Sasquatch research fairly often, and the detail about the healed arrow wound with white hair growing over it is the kind of observation that makes you realize these beings live full, complex lives in the wild. Gary comes across as someone who's spent a lot of time in the woods and pays attention to what he sees. He's not trying to prove anything to anyone, just sharing what he's experienced. The interview itself is worth watching because he goes into even more detail about his observations and the behaviors he's witnessed over the years. Definitely check out this video if you haven't already. Gary Hines has some stories that will stick with you.