Monsters in the Woods

News clipping: Search for missing Kelowna teen expands, family offering 50k reward.

Nearly a week after Cheryl Ramsey, 18, of Kelowna went missing, the search has ramped up: Her family is now offering a 50k reward in exchange for any information leading to her safe return.

Ramsey hasn’t been seen nor heard from since May 15th after last being seen entering the Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. Her 2013 Toyota Rav 4 was discovered parked at the Chute Lake Recreation site. No other trace of Ramsey has yet to be found.

After several days of searching, he sister, Marylin Ramsey-Smith, said no new leads have surfaced.

“It’s hard not to panic, knowing that she could be hurt or worse in such an unforgiving environment. We’re asking for anyone who has time to come help search,” said Ramsey-Smith.

Cheryl’s family, community members, and many other concerned citizens have already joined the search, but as the days pass, optimism for Cheryl’s safe return is beginning to dwindle.

“We’re trying to stay positive. She’s smart and I know in my heart that she’s capable of surviving out here on her own. I mean, she grew up here; she knows this area really well,” Ramsey-Smith added.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue and the RCMP have held multiple searches, including a search of Chute Lake.

Journal Entry: John Thomas

I was up Myra Canyon way yesterday; I had just gotten out of the bush after a fairly ordinary hunting trip. I was on the same service road I’ve been on a hundred times before and I was paying more attention to the radio than I was the road. I mean, once you’ve driven this road as many times as I have, muscle memory takes over. This is me admitting to distracted driving! Oops!

Anyway, a day is a day is a day until something happens that takes you right out of the mundane.

While I was driving, I saw something that really threw me for a loop. Even now, I’m questioning what I saw, simply because it makes me feel just a tiny bit nutty. I know a lot of guys who have spent a bit too much time in the bush and they all tell tales of strange things they’ve seen, but usually it’s just nonsense said around the campfire for entertainment. It’s never something you have to try to make sense of- like I am right now.

I was heading up the service road and it wasn’t really all that dark yet, more dusk than dark, I should say. You know the time of day, where you turn on the headlights, but they really aren’t doing much? I was coming around a bend when I saw it. At first, I assumed it was someone walking down the side of the road in a big fur coat. I wasn’t really close enough to make out the fine details.

As the distance shrank, I realized how big it was and that it definitely wasn’t wearing a fur coat. When it turned to walk north, away from the road, I saw that it was clearly bipedal and given the depth of the ditch and the tree branches above, it had to be seven feet tall, minimum. Then it turned its head, like a human, and looked down the road right at my truck. I know it was just my headlights, but those eyes, they shined red, right at me. When I closed my eyes the moment after seeing them, I could see their glow on the inside of my eyelids.

The sighting both captivated and panicked me. Jolts of cold nervous excitement picked the ole ticker up a few beats and I fumbled with the steering wheel trying to maintain control of my truck.

I stopped right in the middle of the road, maybe thirty yards away from where it disappeared into the foliage and grabbed my .500 Smith off the passenger seat. I left the truck running and rolled out without really thinking about what I was doing. My instincts told me to chase after it, but logic quickly took over and I started looking for clues. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much along the lines of footprints or anything other physical evidence that I could see. The only tangible evidence was the odor hanging in the air. It smelled like a really bad body odor, like a trucker two weeks overdue or maybe a skunk wallowing in cat piss? Definitely stomach churning.

The darker it got, the more I felt like I was being watched. It dawned on me that the entire time, my truck had been cranking away in the background covering up any noise that thing may have been making. I was completely exposed and started to feel queasy. The thought of it sends chills up my spine even now, while writing this. High likelihood that it was just standing out there in the darkness watching me with those eyes. I’m the fool for leaving myself open like that.

Whatever that thing was, when I stood where it crossed the ditch, I couldn’t reach the branch that brushed the top of its head with my arm and fingers fully extended. I’m six foot two. It was wide too. I’d say half again as wide at the shoulders as I am.

In plain language: I’m pretty sure I saw a Sasquatch, and even right now, I’m a little anxious in this dark room with this glowing screen, that it can somehow see me. That it might be right behind me. That’s how haunting it was. I remember when I was young, I wanted to see something like this. I wanted to see a UFO. I wanted to be in on something no one else was. Now that I am, I’m not really all that excited about it.

But one thing is clear– I’m heading back out there and I’m going to find it.

News clipping: Family distraught as search for Vernon woman called off.

Two weeks ago, 25 year old Ashley Smith of Vernon BC, went missing while hiking near Little White Mountain near the city of Kelowna. RCMP along with search and rescue teams have spent the last week and a half searching extensively.

“I can’t sleep at night because I know if roles were reversed, she wouldn’t be sleeping either. We received a call from the RCMP detachment this morning telling us that they’re calling off the search. Words cannot express how upset we are right now.” Margaret Manning, mother of Ashley Smith, told CTV News Vancouver.

The search has spanned over 9000 man hours and covered a 4-5 kilometer radius. She has seemingly vanished without a trace.

“I begged them to come back out with us. It’s just family and friends now and we can’t cover enough ground by ourselves. People don’t just vanish.” Ms. Manning continued, “The RCMP officers think she ran away, but she hasn’t used her credit or debit cards and her phone hasn’t been on since the day she disappeared. Plus this just isn’t like her. She’s a small town girl. Loves Vernon; has no reason to run away. If she wanted to leave, she could; she’s an adult!”

CTV News Vancouver reached out to the local RCMP detachment for a statement, but have not yet received an official response.

Journal Entry: John Thomas

This old timer was talking about Turtle Lake a few years back and the ‘monster’ he had seen down there. My memory isn’t what it used to be, but his description of that monster pretty much describes what I saw up by Myra too. I called him to ask about it and he didn’t remember a thing and told me it was probably just the booze talking. That pissed me off. Goddamn drunk. I don’t need to confide in anyone about what I saw, but hearing his version would have taken the edge off mine.

I seriously question what I saw. I’ll be a skeptic until the damn thing is in my sights. I don’t expect to become some weird Bigfoot guy any time soon. You know the kind, the one in the nature documentary that everyone laughs at because he’s a few beers short of a six pack? No thanks.

Since seeing whatever it was I saw, I have been pouring over books and documentaries about the ‘Legendary Sasquatch’ in my free time. The bulk of what I’ve read is useless information. Oh, and the TV shows? They’re a waste of time. They all follow the same format: Dumb fat guys who don’t belong in the bush, stomping around making barking noises and banging trees with branches. That and they never see a goddamn thing.

I can’t shake how it made me feel when it looked at me. I know the red glow was likely the reflection of my Truck’s headlights and it very well could have been some jackass hiker, but whatever it was left a hell of a mark on me.

I don’t like being a marked man.

I daydream about the way those eyes lit up. God. I can’t explain it away. I saw something big, hairy, and it turned its head to look at me like a man does- not an animal.

I’ve had a few dreams about it and every time I wake up with a start. I feel like it’s close and I panic. I have my .500 Smith with me at all times. I don’t like feeling like there’s something out there beyond my control. Illusion or not, I don’t like being out of control. It’s unacceptable.

I’m getting ahead of myself.

I’ve hatched a plan to stake out a general area smack-dab between Myra and Turtle Lake. Nothing too crazy, only a 3-4 hour hike in. The odds might be long, but what the hell, it’s worth a shot.

I’ve spent the last week eating only berries and vegetation common to the area and I haven’t bathed. I want to blend in as well as I possibly can. I’ve left my ghillie suit outside to get a good stink on it and as soon as I have the shits, I’ll know it’s time to head on out and find that son of a bitch. I’m going to take the .45-90 Winchester which has plenty of punch and if I get a good shot, I’m going to take it. And no I’m not going to go to the news to make a name for myself. This is for me and me alone. Besides, the less attention drawn to this- the better.

Journal Entry: John Thomas

I parked at Myra station where I normally do and walked in. About a mile in, I put on my ghillie suit and I worked on blending into my environment as best I could. I took my time and made as little noise as possible as I moved further into the bush, which grew denser with every step. I kept thinking that no matter how well I know the area, this beast knows it better.

Once I got to the high ground I had mapped out as my scouting spot, I waited. I had a 360 degree vantage point and night vision for when the sun went down. The first night came and went and absolutely nothing happened. By the time the sun rose, honestly, I felt a bit foolish. Believe you me, I asked myself some serious questions about my sanity and obsessive behavior that night. I forced myself to ignore those thoughts and focus on what got me there. It didn’t work, I still felt like a fool, but I learned to accept my own foolishness.

I needed to find that animal and control it. It made my skin crawl just thinking about those eyes.

The sun set again and I felt myself growing more confident that I’d finally see it. But for the second night in a row, I didn’t see a thing, not even a deer or a chipmunk. The next two were just like the previous two- nothing, nada.

When the fifth day came around, I gave up. I was cold, wet, hungry and tired. I had my heart set on a cheeseburger and a beer. I was too hungry to be frustrated, but looking back, I wonder if it wasn’t just that I was too well hidden. Perhaps if I had made some noise and had a campfire like all of the other plebs that hike these woods, I would have had it over as a guest.

It was right around 9pm when I decided to make my way back towards Myra station.

My stomach told me to throw caution to the wind on the way out and I listened. I stopped worrying about moving silently. I wanted to cut down the time it’d take to get out, so I made my way swiftly through the trees, or more realistically, swift for a guy my age.

I didn’t hear anything aside from the noises I was making for a solid 45 minutes.

When I started to hear something, it was far off, but soon it was closing in rapidly. For some time it was roughly 20 yards northeast of me, moving in parallel. I kept moving, but let my .45-90 Winchester slide off of my shoulder and into my hands. I picked up my pace and whatever it was matched it. I was taking two or three strides for every single stride it took. I looked to my right and I could see something in the blue-black of my surroundings and it appeared to be humanoid.

That’s when fear really set in. I started running as fast as I could without stumbling or falling. My skin was crawling with sensation- that same feeling when you’re trying to get someone to stop tickling you, only this wasn’t one bit fun. Soon it dropped back behind me and I could hear the crushing sound of heavy feet gaining on me. I smelled that smell- that really bad body odor. Cat piss on top of spoiled fruit. The thing was right on my heels, by then. I swear I could hear it breathing, this heaving in and out snarling. I could hear its nostrils snorting like a labored boar running full tilt.

This all makes me very uncomfortable, just thinking about it.

That’s when the adrenaline kicked in. I pulled up the .45-90 Winchester and fired one off into the air and kept running. My heart was pounding; damn near beating right out of my chest. I must have frightened the beast because I didn’t feel it bearing down on me anymore. I didn’t look back– I just ran. I ran all the way to my truck and once I was in the cab I didn’t even wait for the glow plugs to cycle- I just fired it up and I got the hell out of there. I don’t think I fully caught my breath until I was back on the highway. Well, that might not even be that accurate because I still feel winded right now, while writing this.

That thing out there and it’s real and it isn’t Harry and the Hendersons.

News clipping: Oregon native becomes third missing person in Okanagan in four months

Stephanie Jane Reddall, 22, of Klamath Falls, Oregon has been reported missing by her family on Tuesday. Stephanie was visiting the Okanagan area on vacation and stopped communicating with her friends and family over a week ago. Social media posts also ceased around the same time, but the posts revealed that she was entering the remote Graystokes Provincial Park at the time of her disappearance.

Reddall represents the third missing person in the Kelowna area in four months. At this time, the RCMP does not believe these disappearances are connected.

“This backcountry is dangerous; this is why we recommend people contact and use guides when venturing into these remote areas.” said one RCMP officer, who asked to remain anonymous.

Members of Oregon’s Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue have joined forces with local departments to mount a search of the vast Okanagan highland of Graystokes Provincial Park.

Journal Entry: John Thomas

I saw it again yesterday, but I wasn’t looking for it. It was up the road from my cabin. Maybe ten miles. This was a day ago. I was driving home right around dusk and I saw it on the side of the road. Regrettably, I slowed down to get a good look at it and I got much more than I bargained for.

It’s nothing at all like I expected, although, I don’t really know what I expected? Something between a man and an ape? But this thing is nothing like the artist’s mock ups and it doesn’t look anything like it’s depicted in the Patterson-Gimlin film. I mean, it’s difficult to articulate what it looks like. I’m consciously trying to block out the image in my head. I feel like my brain doesn’t even want to process the images my eyes sent to it. It rests in my subconscious now and it’s making me want to throw up.

It’s awful. It’s god awful and every time I close my eyes, I see it. It’s a walking nightmare of a beast. It’s at least seven feet tall and it’s ripped. The creature in the Patterson-Gimlin film was muscular, but it seemed kind of tubby. This isn’t at all tubby- nothing but muscle. The shoulders are wide and the arms are long, fingertips damn near down to its knees. The neck is huge and muscular and atop that neck is an even bigger head and that face… My god. That god awful face.

I feel now like I’ve been living my whole life wearing rose colored glasses thinking that things like this existed only in movies and scary stories. Now, knowing that monsters like this really exist, I’m questioning everything.

I’m going to try to describe it even though I have this illogical fear that by describing it, I’ll somehow conjure it. The eyes are so human, but the pupils are elliptical and dark. They’re completely dilated like dark pits. The whites of its eyes stand out against its slick dark flesh like two moons in a pitch black night sky. The skin has a sheen over it, like perspiration only smooth. Its face was in constant movement too, as if every pore had a mind of its own. It has no definable nose either- just two orifices that alternate between convex and concave as it breathes.

I’ve grown accustomed to being the only monster in the woods. I’m the hunter. I’m the predator; not the prey. I’ve been face to face with some of the most impressive beasts in the world, but I’ve never seen anything like this.

And now it’s so close to home.

It’s supposed to be more beast than man. It shouldn’t be able to form complex thoughts. I mean, I’ve heard of certain mammals like Orcas hunting strategically– they follow prey for miles, but can they follow road signs? God, I’ve really lost it now.

Maybe it’s close to my property by coincidence. Maybe I’m blowing things out of proportion. Then again, I see that face and all I want to do is run! I’m trying to stay calm. What if this whole thing is just another one of my episodes? Am I mad? Am I losing it completely? Is my own paranoia spawning this thing? Is this all fear of finally being stopped?

I shouldn’t have gone into the bush to look for it. I should have just let that first sighting be an isolated incident.

I keep coming back to whether or not this thing is really hunting me. Is it a predator? Is it just waiting for that ideal moment of vulnerability to strike? I know that’s what I’d do, if I were in its place. The thought has me terrified.

I’m left with two options now: I stand up and fight or I pack up my shit and get the hell out of here. Classic fight or flight. I’m tending towards the latter, but I don’t know if I can live with the idea that it’s still out there.

How far is it willing to go?

News clipping: Items belonging to missing Oregon woman found near Kettle Valley Rail Trail

Items belonging to Stephanie Jane Reddall, 22, of Klamath Falls, Oregon, were found by bicyclists early Sunday morning. A small rucksack was discovered containing a wallet which identified the rucksack as belonging to Reddall.

Among the other items were a broken cellphone and a camera.

“We checked out the camera and they were mostly just pictures of birds, but like, the last ten pictures were all of the woods at night. Like, the same area over and over. It looks like maybe she was using the flash as a light? Not sure. The screen on the camera was too small to really make out anything in the picture,” One of the bicyclists offered.

The RCMP declined to comment on the exact details of the photos.

“Definitely scary man, I mean, we bike out there a lot, but it’d be easy to get turned around and lost if you don’t stick to the trail. Like, it’s dense out here. Thick. Like, It’s doubtful we’d have even seen the pack if it weren’t for the fact that it’s bright orange.” The bicyclist continued.

Reddall’s family could not be reached for comment as the search for the missing woman continues.

Journal Entry: John Thomas

It’s outside.

Tonight it finally showed up. I was right, it has been stalking me. I was in the basement when I saw it squatting down, looking through the window right at me. Those eyes- they send jolts of panic through my body every time I look into them. It made direct eye contact with me and welled its chest up and let out a terrible roar. An unearthly roar like a lion and a gorilla both set on deafening me.

I’ve barred the door and I think this might be the end of the line.

Escape is no longer an option. It killed my truck. I heard pounding earlier and when I peered through a crack in the boarded up windows, I saw the hood caved in and the beast was admiring its work.

I’m thirty minutes away from anyone. I can’t outrun it. I could scream at the top of my lungs and nobody’s going to hear it. There’s no help. My back’s against the wall.

I have these moments of hope where I think it has finally given up and left, but then I hear it again. The sun won’t rise for another three hours. Maybe if I could just hold tight till then?

It pounds on the walls and the whole house quakes. I know it could push the walls down if it wanted to, but it hasn’t. It’s as if it’s toying with me. It’s the big bad wolf and I’m the little piggy. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it out. Or, maybe it’s more a question of: How long until it lets itself in?

The noises it makes. They’re screams and yells and they’re horrendous and blood curdling. No matter how many times I hear it, it startles me. It’s an explosion of fury against nails on a chalkboard. Each roar overwhelms me and causes a mini panic attack. My heart must be pushing 200 bpm!

I don’t know what to do!

I have my .500 Smith right here, but I'm not sure what good it'll do. I’m terrified.

I wish I had never gone out there to try to find it. I could have just left it alone and I wouldn’t be in this mess. Why did I have to chase it? Why did I have to be so goddamn stupid? This is one prize I should have never hunted down. This is a trophy I don’t want, but now it wants me!

What if it’s been watching me all along? What if it showed itself to me on purpose? This could all be inevitable and I’m just a fish in a barrel? What does it know? What has it seen? Is it smart enough to…

It’s really pounding on the walls now and with each thrust, the stud walls give more and more. Inch by inch, they’re giving in. The house feels like it’s going to fall in upon itself. All of my framed pictures; all of the memories of all my kills and all the trophies now litter the floor and I’m next.

Those eyes, god, the eyes- they’re full of pure hatred and I feel crushed under the weight of its glare. I fear those eyes will look at me even after I’m dead. It screams louder than anything I’ve ever heard before! I feel the sound resonate in my chest like a ship’s horn. It’s overwhelming. I’m deaf.

I have to defend myself!

News clipping: Grisly discovery at remote acreage near Trepanier Protected Area

On Friday, the local RCMP detachment responded to a grim scene at a remote cabin not far from Kelowna. The cabin belonged to a local wildlife guide, John Michael Thomas, 55, originally from Seattle, Washington. Thomas appears to have been the victim of what has been described as a bear mauling.

“It looks like a bear, or a group of bears, somehow caved in the north facing wall and front door and entered the cabin and attacked, killed, and ate most of Mr. Thomas. A big bore Smith & Wesson pistol was found near the remains and all the rounds were spent.” an RCMP Officer explained, “But that’s only half of it.”

Upon further inspection of the premises, Stephanie Jane Reddall, 22, of Klamath Falls, Oregon, was found clinging to life in a cage in the basement cellar of the remote cabin. Shortly thereafter, the bodies of Cheryl Ramsey, 18, of Kelowna, and Ashley Smith, 25, of Vernon were also discovered in the cellar with Reddall.

The buried unidentified remains of at least twelve other women have been unearthed on the property.

“There are graves all around the property and in the rubble of the cabin, there are several pictures depicting what Mr. Thomas had been doing with these victims. Not unlike how a trophy hunter or fisherman poses with their kill or catch, Mr. Thomas did the same with his victims.” the RCMP officer added, “Honestly, these Grizzlies did us a favor- now it seems there’s one less monster in these woods."

END