OntarioSasquatch

Our Field Notes ...

Field site visit to Grassy Narrows First Nation by Terence Sakohianisaks Douglas

Published in the Kenora Daily Miner and News on Friday, July 26, 2008 [It was published in many other newspapers as well. See our Media Articles section.]
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Randy informed me that at the place where the sasquatch allegedly came back onto the road, it must have lingered and stripped berries off a tree to eat. Randy arrived at this conclusion because he found a footprint and broken stalks and berries within this footprint. I was able to photograph this footprint and was impressed by the depth that it sank into the ground. The ground at this location was covered with tall grass and generally would not have been conducive at that time to humans leaving footprints. And I did note that neither Randy nor I left an impression.

In checking the weather conditions for the Kenora area at Environment Canada’s website, I determined that between July 22, 2008 and the day of my visit on August 7, 2008, there had been three days with significant rainfall, the most rain (23.8 millimeters) falling on July 31, 2008. In addition, on July 20, 2008, two days before the sighting, there had been 27.4 millimeters of rainfall. It is evident that the ground where the footprint was found was likely still wet from two days previous thereby allowing an impression to be made either by a sasquatch or a human to the depth that was found on August 7, 2008. There is also a possibility that the footprint was made after July 31, 2008, either intentionally or accidentally, when the story of the sasquatch sighting circulated around the community.

However, given Randy’s character, the fact that he found the footprint the day of the sighting, and that the location of the footprint was in the bush a short distance away in an area that no one would generally be walking, I am confident that the footprint (Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 below) is likely made by the sasquatch sighted by his mother and sister.

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Friday, August 7, 2008 ...

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Fig. 15 The footprint found in the tall grass where Randy Fobister tracked the sasquatch coming back onto the road. The footprint measures approximately 15 inches from heel to big toe.

Fig. 16 The footprint found in the tall grass sank approximately 1 inch into the ground.

Fig. 17 Example of one of the breaks found near the sighting location.

Fig. 18 Another tree break.

In investigating the surrounding area, Randy showed me a young sapling that had “breaks” made onto it. Randy stated that he found these a few days after the sighting. I believe it likely that these “breaks” were man-made, since Randy found them a number of days after the sighting had become common knowledge in the community which precipitated an influx of curious community members to the area. It is certainly within reason to believe that such “breaks” could have been made by a community member as a prank.

Randy then showed me the footprint that he made a cast from and which figured prominently in most of the newspaper articles written about the sighting. When I saw the footprint, it was washed out and barely visible in the ground, so I could not make any determinations one way or the other. A photo of the track (Fig. 19) appeared in several newspapers as "6-toed track".

However I was able to examine the cast made from the track. I photographed and measured it as well. After examining both the photo and the cast (Fig. 20 and Fig. 21), I believe it's most likely a bear overstep.

Fig. 19 Grassy Narrows 6-toed track impression

Photo Credit: Randy Fobister

Fig. 20 Grassy Narrows cast width

Photo Credit: Terence Douglas

Fig. 21 Grassy Narrows cast length

Photo Credit: Terence Douglas

Conclusions

Below are some of the conclusions that I have in relation to the events at Grassy Narrows:
I believe a sasquatch was seen by Helen Pahpasay and her mother on July 7, 2008. All indications from community members are that Helen and her mother are honest, hard-working and “good Christians”.
The impression at location one was not clear enough to determine its origins. The person who found it may have become caught up in the excitement of a sasquatch sighting and saw something that perhaps had a more “normal” explanation.
The impression found while travelling to location two is of indeterminate origins, but likely a bear print.
The track impression that appeared in the newspapers as a "6 toed track" and which Randy Fobister cast I believe to be a bear overstep track.

Fig. 22 Bear overstep track

Photo credit: Paul Willison

Fig. 23 Enlargement of Grassy Narrows track

Photo Credit: Randy Fobister

Additional Notes from the OSR team:

We believe that the sighting is a legitimate one. However, the "6-toed track" that Randy Fobister found near the sighting location, then photographed and cast, may not be a sasquatch track. Sometimes bear overstep tracks can look deceivingly like overlarge human-type tracks. Even seasoned outdoorsmen can make this innocent mistake. Compare the photo above at left (Fig. 22), a bear overstep track, with the track that Randy Fobister found and cast (Fig. 23). The similarities between the two are striking.

We also question whether the track actually has six toes. Bears, like humans and sasquatch, have five toes. When you examine the photograph carefully, the second and third toe impressions appear to be less defined than the two smallest toe prints. It's possible that the animal's toes were splayed or separated more than usual as its weight came down on the foot. That, combined with natural irregularities in the soil, could give the impression of more toes than there really were.

Read more about footprint tracks in "The Trouble with Footprints".