A Trip to Grottoes, Virginia

Well folks, this is Billy Willard and I figure it's about time to add some new information to the research blog.

Yesterday, on December 1, 2007, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Adam Frye. Adam recently came home from Kosovo where he was deployed on a mission with the U.S. Army. So, first off, my hat is off to this fine gentleman and his great service to this nation!

After we became aquainted with each other, we were both eager to get out into the field. After a brief drive along the dirt road where Adam lives, we made our first stop at an old abandoned nursery. We parked my truck alongside the road, and walked in carrying some simple equipment. The nursery contains hundreds if not thousands of pine trees that were planted. Alot of these pines create a perfect blind for staying hidden. In some areas, a person would have alot of difficulty seeing anything within 10 feet of them.

One of the first strange things Adam pointed out to me were the strange, almost bipedal looking footprints found on this obviously, well used trail. The footprints do not show up well on the forest ground during the colder months, but I have included a photo that was taken by Adam back during the warmer months to give the readers an idea of what I mean. This was really strange, the impressions were really quite deep and appeared to have been used over and over again. I have to say that this was a first for me, I have never seen anything like this before.

As we continued on, several tree breaks were observed. All of the tree breaks were in locations concealed from any possible wind damage. The pines provide a thick barrier preventing any high winds in these tree break locations. In addition, the tree breaks were concentrated in certain areas. There seemed to be several tree breaks in certain areas, not one here or there. I tried to examine the areas around the tree breaks to identify any possible footprints or other evidence, but most of them appeared to be rather old occurrences. Therefore, any possible prints were probably long gone.

Several piles of feces were discovered. Again, like the tree breaks, the feces seemed to be concentrated in one general area. Items found in the feces were grasses, nuts, corn and seeds. The sizes of the feces seem to be different sizes and quantities.

But, probably one of the most exciting discoveries was some hair found on a tree. This particular tree was bent over in an arch blocking an obvious game trail. Adam with his amazing eyesight, spotted the hair on the tree while investigating it. We collected several hair samples, but one of the hairs were different from the rest. One of them had a reddish color, all the others were black. The hairs were collected using tweezers and placed into a plastic evidence bag for later examination on Adam's microscope.

We crossed over the dirt road and examined some property managed by the National Park Service (NPS). There, we found a FRESH tree break. This was a nice, healthy tree with no disease or imperfections. The tree was about 3-4 inches in diameter with a clean break.

We left this area and went to a local Italian grill for lunch. We had a brief drive around in the surrounding area and went back towards Adams house.

When we arrived back near Adam's house, we decided to take a walk up a fire road that leads towards Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Forest. We decided to climb up to a high point of rock formations as seen in the photo to the top left. We took our time climbing. As we climbed, we jumped something from the brush above us, approximately 50-60 feet away. Neither of us caught a glimpse of what it was, but it sure made alot of noise to get out of there.

Obviously, once reaching the top, it was time for photo opportunities. (Adam Frye in top photo, Billy Willard in bottom photo) There was a beautiful view all around. Both Adam and I saw some wonderful opportunities for future audio recordings within this valley area as well as a good survelliance spot.

Before ending the day, Adam decided it was time for more fun! He knew of a small cavern nearby and decided to see if he could still get through it. (I mean, afterall, caverns do seem to shrink over time, right?) It was a tight fit, but he made it through without me having to break his collar bones to get him out.

We decended the mountain by way of a rock slide area. It seemed to be easier to travel versus the slick, leaf covered forest area. I don't think I would want travel down this during the warmer months. What a perfect habitat for mountain rattlers! The temperature in the valley was getting quite cold by this time as it was approaching 5:00 pm EST.

On our way out, Adam spots a tarp alongside a creek bank. The tarp is rolled up in such a way that it appears to contain something. We first discuss whether or not we want to open it. Of course, bad thoughts are passing through our minds as to what it could contain. The last thing we wanted to find was a dead body. Once making a decision, Adam slowly opens the tarp to reveal that someone has cut off the paws and limbs of a bear. What a shame!

We made our way back to Adam's house to have a look at our collected hair samples. Adam had recently purchased a microscope with a USB connection live video feed to his laptop. What a wonderful purchase from Ebay! Next to follow are some known microscopic hair samples and our unknown hair sample. Further research will be done to determine what the unknown hair sample is and will be provided as an update on this research blog at a later date.

<---------------Domestic Cat

Domestic Dog------------>

<--------------Human

Mink-------------------->

<----------------------Raccoon

Skunk---------------->

<----------------Unknown???

The unknown hair appears to have a segmented type membrane in the center. None of the other hairs appear to have that feature. Further research will be conducted by examining other known area animal hairs. Any updated information regarding this issue will be posted here at a later date.

In summary, I truly enjoyed my visit with Adam. And I am proud to announce that Adam Frye is the newest addition to the Sasquatch Watch of Virginia group. After meeting him I can see that he is dedicated, hard working and devoted to this line of field research. His future plans are to write and publish a book and film a documentary. In my opinion, Adam certainly has the expertise to do all the above. Sasquatch Watch of Virginia will, in the near future, conduct more field visits and we look forward to planning some survelliance projects along with Adam.

Sasquatch Watch of Virginia visits Eastern Ohio

Billy Willard and Tom L visited eastern Ohio this past weekend. DB Donlon has put together a nice blog that discusses the findings and activities.
Enjoy the information by clicking the following link: http://blogsquatcher.blogspot.com/

Thanks to DB Donlon for his great work putting together the blog!

Sasquatch Watch of Virginia Announcement!!!

Sasquatch Watch of Virginia is pleased to announce the addition of a new member to the group. She is small, smart, walks on four legs and has one heck of a nose. We have in our possession a Beagle puppy that we have named “Autumn”. You may ask “Why?”

We plan to train her to pick up the scent and track Bigfoot/Sasquatch. How? She was picked up when only 5 weeks old. Since then, we have obtained some “possible” Bigfoot/Sasquatch hair from an anonymous source. The hair has been laboratory tested and results were returned as “almost human”. Does that mean that the hair is that of Bigfoot/Sasquatch? No, of course not. But could it be? Sure! Point being, what does it hurt to step out on a limb and try something new?

We have allowed the Beagle to sniff the hair everyday. At first, she was extremely reluctant to get near it, which was very interesting. She would pull back in a jerking motion every time the hair sample was brought near her nose. After a couple of weeks, she began taking more comfortable sniffs of the hair sample to the point where she now sniffs it very willingly. We are hoping, if this hair sample is indeed Bigfoot/Sasquatch hair, that the hair has some type of scent that is similar to every Bigfoot/Sasquatch creature. Could this dog eventually lead us to where these creatures live and dwell? Only time will tell. In the meantime, until she is old enough to be taken out into the field for research and investigation, she will continually be given a scent of the hair sample.

Why was a Beagle chosen for this task?
The Beagle is a breed of medium-sized dog. A member of the hound group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game. They have a keen sense of smell and tracking instinct that often sees them employed as detection dogs for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in quarantine around the world. They are popular as pets because of their size, even temper, and lack of inherited health problems. These characteristics also make them the dog of choice for animal testing.

Alongside the Bloodhound, the Beagle has one of the best developed senses of smell of any dog.[33] In the 1950s John Paul Scott and John Fuller began a 13 year study into canine behaviour. As part of this research they tested the scenting abilities of various breeds by putting a mouse in a one acre field and timing how long it took the dogs to find it. The Beagles found it in less than a minute, while Fox Terriers took 15 minutes and Scottish Terriers failed to find it at all. Beagles are better at ground-scenting (following a trail on the ground) than they are at air-scenting, and for this reason they have been excluded from most mountain rescue teams in favour of collies, which use sight in addition to air-scenting and are more biddable.[33] The long ears and large lips of the Beagle probably assist in trapping the scents close to the nose.[34]
Although bred for hunting, Beagles are versatile and are nowadays employed for various other roles in detection, therapy, and as family pets.[29] Beagles are used as sniffer dogs for termite detection in Australia,[70] and have been mentioned as possible candidates for drug and explosive detection.[71][72] Because of their gentle nature and unimposing build, they are also frequently used in pet therapy, visiting the sick and elderly in hospital.[73] In June 2006, a trained Beagle assistance dog was credited with saving the life of its owner after using his mobile phone to dial an emergency number.[74]

We know first hand here in Virginia about the usefulness of Beagles.

Marlowe is a certified termite-sniffing Beagle that works for the Pro-Tech Termite and Pest Control Company operating in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. area. Trained by Master Dog Trainer Bill Whitstine, Marlowe has undergone more than 600 hours of training demonstrating his ability and accuracy in detecting termites. Marlowe is a powerful new weapon against the destructive termites and a welcome new addition to ProTech's team of inspectors. Marlowe can inspect and locate termites in places that human inspectors cannot. He can detect termites behind walls, under floors, beneath the soil, and otherwise inaccessible areas of a home or commercial building. This is a fantastic advantage for the real estate buyer because Marlowe offers a 100% Guarantee against the absence of termites - and no other company will offer that!

Master Dog Trainer Bill Whitstine also trains Beagles as drug-sniffing and arson detection dogs. Mr. Whitstine's arson dog has been instrumental in collecting evidence, which has assisted law enforcement agencies in putting hundreds of criminals behind bars. Marlowe, like all of Mr. Whitstine's Beagle trainees, was rescued from a dog pound. He lives with his handler, Brian Embrey, also a certified inspector.

We here at Sasquatch Watch of Virginia are very excited to try this new approach. We will keep our research blog at the website (http://www.sasquatchwatch.net/) updated with progress reports of our work with Autumn. Autumn will be taken on her first research project at the age of 16 weeks. Until then, stayed tuned…

Data May Suggest Unnatural Stick Structures are a Navigational Tool, Fauquier County

This research blog entry contains illustrations of unnatural stick structure mapped data and associated photographs obtained in the area around the previously referenced track site. The track data illustration is provided again as a quick reference (print and track pictures are provided in an earlier blog entry further below).

The unnatural stick structure data was collected as a part of a further study of the area around the track site. Please keep in mind, the limited data does not prove anything other than to encourage more data collection over a larger area. At this point, it really is not worth analyzing the limited structure data with an elaborate statistical package. However, it is interesting to note that the random probability of the highest stick in a structure to point to another stick structure next to it along the illustrated trend line is 11%, assuming + or - 10 degrees on your compass. The random probability of the highest stick in each of the six stick structures (ST-1, ST-2, ST-2b, ST-3a, ST-3b, and ST-4) to point to another stick structure next to it and along the illustrated trend line is 0.0016%, again assuming +/- 10 degrees on your compass. That is, there is a 99.9984% random chance that at least one of the highest stick in each of the six stick structures will “not” point at an adjacent stick structure along the trend line.

The hypothesis used in the development a data collection strategy was "unnatural stick structures could have been created by bigfoot creatures as a navigational tool." The idea of researching unnatural stick structures as possible Bigfoot navigational tools, and collecting directional data of the highest stick in the structure are wonderful ideas that originated from another researcher.

The possible trends illustrated in the second map (below) have inspired a more extensive future mapping of unnatural stick structures using a more comprehensive data collection strategy over a larger area (i.e. square miles) around the track site.

As a quick reference, here is the data for the "Six Print Track" shown in the maps above and posted in an earlier blog entry.

ST-1 Unnatural "X" Stick Structure

ST-2 Unnatural "Teepee" Stick Structure

ST-2 Closeup

ST-3a Unnatural "Teepee" Stick Structure

ST-3b Unnatural "Teepee" Stick Structure adjacent to ST-3a

ST-4 Unnatural "Teepee" Stick Structure

Feb. 3 Track Data, Fauquier County, VA

2 of 5 Prints within the Track, One Being Casted
Depression of 15"x7" Print within the Track
Depression of 15"x7" Print within the Track

Depression of 15"x7" Print within the Track

Log with Smashed in Center within the Track

Close Up of Smashed Portion of Log

Depression of 15"x7" Print within the Track

Depression of 15"x7" Print within the Track

Field Research February 18, 2007

Since I was bored today and I was having research withdrawals, I took a little trip out to the Fauquier County site to see if I could find any tracks in the snow. I did find tracks, just not Sasquatch tracks. It was a nice, brisk cold day (about 30 degree F). Not many people walking around in the woods, that's for sure. Below are some pictures I took today. The first picture simply shows that there hasn't been much human traffic tracking through the woods in the snow.

I did; however, run across some turkey tracks. See the photo below.

And of course, alot of deer tracks. See photo below.

If you are asking yourself, "Why are you posting this?". Here is the answer. Folks, we don't find possible evidence every single time we go out into the field! Certainly, anyone who says they do are not be completely truthful. I can say that there have been many times I have searched and found absolutely nothing! Is there anything wrong with that? NO. However, you will notice that I will post field research EVEN WHEN NOTHING IS FOUND! I think this is very important. First of all, it shows that we are very SERIOUS in our investigations. We are not out there trying to find ANYTHING to call Bigfoot evidence. Second, I think folks need to see that we are out there making an attempt to find evidence even when we don't. How many sites dedicated to Bigfoot/Sasquatch research do you see doing that? Try ZERO!!!

From here on out, I will be making frequent updates to this field research blog to keep everyone informed of the research we are doing. Obviously, the locations will be kept secret. So, check back often and feel free to leave any comments or questions. Oh, and don't worry, if you leave a comment or question, you can do so and remain anonymous. Happy Squatching!!!

February 3, 2007, Field Research, Fauquier County, Virginia

The following field research was performed by Tom Lancaster and Billy Willard on February 3, 2007 in an area located in Fauquier County, Virginia.

First, a little history about the area of research. There have been repeated experiences of strange noises and mysterious animal deaths at this location going on two years now. There has also been a sighting of a tall, bipedal creature by an anonymous individual. The area is very plentiful of deer and other wildlife and PLENTY of water. Very thick, luscious wooded areas abound the property.

The day of our investigation was cold (36 degrees F) and windy (10-15 mph). Our main purpose for the site visit was to cast a possible print we had found about 3 weeks earlier. Temperatures below freezing prevented us from casting the print previously. The print measured 15-inches in length and 7-inches in width. Below is a photo of the print prior to casting.

Billy Willard poured the casting material into the print at about 4:30 pm. While the cast was setting up, Tom and Billy performed additional investigation of the area.

A few minutes later, Tom discovered more prints. After a period of about 30 minutes, Tom had located an additional four (4) possible prints. A measurement was taken between each of the possible tracks from heel to heel and measured an AMAZING eleven (11) feet! The only exception was the print near the small stream that measured a nine (9) foot stride length. The photo below shows the location of the other identified print from our casted print. The other print is in the location where the pink bowl is placed in the top, center of the photo.

Finding the additional tracks we believe further substantiates the findings.

Other discoveries were made during our work. Some unexplainable stick structures and log configurations were discovered near the area of the tracks. The log configuration was located ninety (90) feet southwest of the tracks and the stick structures were located one hundred fifty (150) feet northeast of the tracks. Below is a photo of the log configuration. Just as a note. these logs did NOT fall into place at this location. Careful investigation was performed to try and locate any nearby broken trees or tree stumps that could indicate that these logs actually fell naturally in this position. No evidence was found of stumps or broken trees; therefore, these logs have been placed in this position.

Below is a photo of the stick configuration. Again, careful searching was done to determine if this could all occur from natural falls. No evidence could be found to show this was a natural occurrence.

A well-known researcher gave us a suggestion and theory to test out on certain stick structures. It was suggested to begin recording the positions of certain sticks or logs (particularly the top and longest one) and record the pointing directions of them. Surprisingly, the top and longest stick or log in both configurations pointed northeast/southwest. Now, what does this mean? We don't know if it means anything. Could we theorize that this could be some type of navigational device? Sure, it's possible, but further research of these structures and other discovered structures needs to be performed. Below is another, smaller stick structure found. And yes, the larger, top stick is pointing northeast/southwest.

Further investigations and research will be performed in this area over the next several months. We will continue to update this section with our progress. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions in the blog and they will be answered and replied to.