The Crater Mountain Sasquatch Legend by Robert A. Hunt
The Crater Mountain Sasquatch Legend
Book 1
By Robert A. Hunt
© Copyright 2012 Robert A. Hunt
Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. This story was written for the purpose of entertainment.
Dedication;
To Mom and Dad for long walks in the woods, your patience, love, friendship and humor. For letting me experience the kind of love that people would freely die for nowadays. Thank you for encouraging me to go on every adventure as I grew. Here’s one we can take together. Welcome to the world of my mind’s perception.
This book is for you.
Illustrations
Gurchukk
Gurchukk vs. Skurtchotte
Gurchukk and the little fellow
Rusty
Prologue
THE TERM “Sasquatch” comes from the Halkomelem word “sasq’ets” a name for “wild men,” essentially referring to bigfoot-like creatures. Halkomelem was a language spoken by a small group of Native Americans on the border between British Columbia and Washington.
While most scientists believe that the Sasquatch is a legend, some have been known argue, believing such a creature could exist.
Nearly one third of all Bigfoot sightings are in the Pacific Northwest. Stories of giant, hairy creatures that appears half man and half ape have been reported to exist in various parts of the world for centuries. In the Himalayas, it’s referred to as the ‘Yeti.’ In Canada, it’s the ‘Sasquatch.’ And in the northwest United States, it’s ‘Bigfoot.’
Essentially, Bigfoot is described as being between six and eight feet tall with a large forehead and pronounced brow and a rounded, crested head like a gorilla’s. Covered in brown or red hair and has large padded feet like his namesake, there are rare reports of this creature measuring fourteen feet tall.
Stories of “Sasquatch” existed among the Native Americans long before any European colonists moved in. Versions of Bigfoot ranged from harmless giants, to cannibalistic monsters living on mountain peaks. These stories varied from tribe to tribe, and even from family to family, which meant that the Sasquatch could have had a lot of other names.
I enjoyed researching this subject so much, I couldn’t stop. Talking to people in my area alone has proven very rewarding. You can’t tell what stories people carry around until you ask. I was surprised again and again by the legends and old tales. With so much evidence to chase, I hope after you read this book you’ll be encouraged to follow the footprints for yourself.
-Robert A. Hunt-
Chapter 1
HIGH UPON CRATER MOUNTAIN, dislodging rocks and hurtling them down the steep solid slope, came the nine hundred pound Sasquatch. Making his way along a ridge with quick wide strides, his long massive arms swung. At his speed, the chill gentle wind penetrated the long hair covering his body; dark brown and silver tipped. With the momentum of his stride, his long hair and beard kept rhythm.
Stumbling for just a moment, he almost over compensated for his top heavy musculature. Husky shoulders measuring six feet across, shook the frost free with each powerful step. The muscles at the back of his neck were so developed; it appeared as though he didn’t have a neck at all.
Stopping quickly, his huge feet dug into the loose rock.
The breeze flowing up the slope carried the scent of evergreens, fresh water, and – something else. Raising his flat, broad pug nose, he turned an ear to the wind, listening and sniffing.
Yes. His large lips stretched into a grimace. He was close now. Peering down at the valley below, he knew he’d finally catch up with his lifelong enemy, Skurtchotte.
Gurchukk looked down at the scars he carried from many previous fierce battles with the wicked grizzly bear. One great scar on his hind leg still acted up every time he thought of the old bear. It had crippled him for many weeks. Most of which is all but impossible to see any more for it’s hidden under his long dark hair.
Now, it had returned to his kind and ransacked their community. Gurchukk was regarded as one of the strongest and most courageous of the clan. Skurtchotte thinks he can come and go as he pleases? And just take whatever he wishes? Does he believe himself to be the king of the mountain? Perhaps invincible? Gurchukk was no coward when challenged and he was determined to make this, the final battle.
Sneaking up on the old grizzly, the Sasquatch peered through the bushes. He saw Skurtchotte rear up and carve his mark deep into the bark of an evergreen then he turned and ambled further down the steep slope into the woods. King of the mountain. Gurchukk snorted. Slipping down to the flat where Skurtchotte’s fresh mark in the trees was. The first thing he did was scrape the bear’s claw marks from the tree. Using the sharp edge of the rock to obliterate the grizzly’s brand, Gurchukk glanced at his shadow. Dusk was falling and it was time to end this.
Entering the thicker forest of coniferous trees, Gurchukk felt a lucky feeling come over him. Yes, today was the day. He’d finally be rid of the mischievous old grizzly. Empowered with confidence, he leaped over low bent trees and landed his full nine hundred pound body with sharp impacts. Feet thundering down the mountain, he let gravity pull him closer to his long awaited victory. Tramping through the trees to a long waterfall at the edge of a cliff, Gurchukk jumped across. He cleared a twelve foot expanse as the river cascaded to the rocks below. As he soared through the air, he imagined returning to his clan with a hero’s welcome. Chuckling at his own exuberant thought, the wind stroked through his long body hair. Gurchukk felt a keen sense, not only of freedom, but the spiritual connection between him and the entire land around him. The ground shook where he landed on the far side. With a deep huff, he swung his powerful arms and regained his balance.
This was Sasquatch country.
Continuing downhill, slowing his stride and working his way quietly through the bush, the burly creature sniffed the air. The scent grew stronger. Looking over a ridge of rock, he found Old Skurtchotte chewing on the branches of a Saskatoon bush, though it was not yet time for the bush to produce its fruit. Taking hold of a large rock from within the great mitts of his hand, Gurchukk hurtled it through the air like the stone had been launched from a catapult. The rock knocked Skurtchotte’s head to the ground.
Getting up on all fours, shaking his head and shoulders, Skurtchotte raised his head and made eye contact with his fierce attacker.
Gurchukk whistled triumphantly. Then he bellowed to make no mistake the danger the grizzly was in.
Wheeling, the old wild bear growled a warning of his own in an angered daze, before he broke into a run from Gurchukk.
The bear was very fast, but Gurchukk was faster. Bursting through the thick bush, he pursued Skurtchotte as the old bear skirted the edge of Squahalis Lake.
Moving through the air silently, the Sasquatch cleared the rocky ridge, landing on the flat ground below with a terrible thud.
In the past, he had scared Skurtchotte away by chasing after him, but this time it wouldn’t end with mercy. Through the mottled patches of moonlight under the puzzled casted shadows of the forest, Gurchukk gained on Skurtchotte. Their blurred reflections mirrored in its clear surface of the lake. On the far side, bright fires glowed as the delicious aroma of cooked meat wafted over them through the breeze. Both of them slowed as they sniffed the air. Their hungry bellies longed to investigate the source, but they couldn’t forget; they were at war.
When the Sasquatch lunged at Skurtchotte, the bear rolled and bucked the hairy creature off. The Sasquatch landed
As the little people pounded their drums, stomped their feet and howled at the evil in their midst. They always performed this way to frighten off any wild animals that lurked in their vicinity. There was no difference between predators of the wild and evil spirits.
Gurchukk rolled onto his haunches and heaved himself upright to face his enemy. Ignoring the crack of a rifle and the sting of arrows, the two exchanged powerful blows. The grizzly relied on his sharp claws mostly, but Gurchukk’s long arms were his advantage. Swinging powerful punches, Skurtchotte wheeled and charged right into the Indian camp. Women and children ran screaming, but the men attacked Skurtchotte in earnest.
Gurchukk remained behind in the concealment of thick foliage. The fury hide of the great bear collected arrows quickly. Chaos filled the camp. The women were busy rounding up the children into their huts. One small child ran unaccounted for. The frightened child searched for some kind of safety.
Four years of age, this toddler ran right into Gurchukk’s shin. She fell backwards onto her bottom. Blinking her glossy dark eyes, she strained to see through the night. Looking up at Gurchukk with curiosity and amazement, fear suddenly gripped her.
Gurchukk saw the shadow of a native man thrust a long spear through Skurtchotte’s heart, but no one noticed the Sasquatch’s presence, nor the little girl who was with him.
Unable to breathe, the child couldn’t even scream.
Gurchukk was about to back away out of sight when he caught the scent of the child. The aroma filled his sinuses and his mind calculated that the child was female. His nose; finely tuned in the wild, was sensitive to such scents.
Though it was indeed dark, the Sasquatch’s nocturnal eyes could see the little girl perfectly. She had ageless and smooth cinnamon skin with a sensitive, non-threatening innocence in her big brown eyes. At the sides of her head, was jet black hair braided down over her little shoulders. Colorful beads decorated her clothing of skins and furs.
With a swoop of his great arm, Gurchukk snatched up the child and disappeared into the woods. It was more a moment of spontaneity than a choice. Before Gurchukk could process another thought, or make his next decision, the little feminine child was in his arms and he was moving more swiftly than the wind through the deciduous forest of trees.
The mother of the child came out of her hut calling the little girl’s name. Her appearance was every bit like that of her daughter’s only in adult form. “Tiarrow! Tiarrow!” Intuitively she knew she’d seen the last of her daughter. Screaming out her daughter’s name, she finally broke down and wept. Gazing into the dark shadows of the forest, all it gave back was silence. Listening more intently, a distant sound was carried on the wind.
Trees cracked and earth thundered, then the faint scream of her baby girl faded out to the whistle of wind. Then all grew quiet in her heart… Deathly quiet.
Gurchukk’s heart pounded as loud as a native’s drum. Carrying the small body of the native girl cub in the palms of his hands, the Sasquatch traveled swiftly believing the native men were behind him; hunting him. Over the thick wooded lands and through a deep river, the creature then motored its way up the steep mountainside of Crater Mountain.
For many long hours he journeyed, until finally, at daybreak, they found themselves far up in the hills walking on the deep soft moss. Bright yellow flowers were springing up around the few remaining white patches of snow. Little streams of ice melt trickled into the ravines. The wind was so calming and the birds full of morning songs that they added to the Sasquatch’s comfort. This was his world. He leaned out over the edge and listened for signs of the native’s pursuit, but there was none.
The little girl was so frightened and delirious with exhaustion as Gurchukk was. Holding her close to his chest, he gently wrapped his enormous hairy arms around her. It was not long before the little girl was fast asleep in the warmth of the Sasquatch’s body heat and soft hair. He searched the area for a moment before discovering a patch of clover. Here, he made a bed and fell asleep with the girl cub in his arms.
The sun was high in the heavens as they lay basking drowsily in its warmth, until hunger beckoned them to get up. The warm hairy body had left the little girl and a cool breeze swept over her. Awakening, she shivered and to her horror, she saw the Sasquatch squatting a short distance away under a tall evergreen tree.
It sought shelter from the sun. The face of it was both man-like, and ape-like. Though the Sasquatch had caring eyes, he was horribly hideous and menacingly scary to the little girl. She began to cry and scream for her parents to come and save her. The overbearing presence of the creature felt like it was pressing in on her. Through all of her drama, the Sasquatch just sat and glared at her. In her vulnerability, she froze with fear. All hope of being saved from the creature left her.
Finally, after most of the day had passed, the girl was exhausted from stress and fear. Settling down, she still took little infrequent gasps of air. Just looking at one another in a silent moment, the girl wiped the tears from her dirty face. Her eyes never leaving the monster of monsters. Her nightmares had been made real.
More time passed. The girl sat shivering. Gurchukk even hungrier now, moved his long, powerful hairy arms. The girl began to scream and cry at the sight of the creature’s movement. It stood up to its full fourteen foot height. With one great step it neared the girl and scooped its great hand down to her. The girl rolled into the Sasquatch’s palm. There she curled into a ball.
Gurchukk strolled along at a lazy, slow pace. Nevertheless, his wide long strides carried them quickly through the tall trees. He sought after something to eat, stopping often to tear apart hollow stumps and rotten logs with ease. He worked his big flexible lips as he devoured the plump juicy grubs and rooted out an ant hill for the crawling red ants and their eggs. He foraged for a comb of sweet honey, heedless of the buzzing and swarming bees around them. Sometimes, he sought fish in the shallow streams. He ducked his upper body into the water with no hesitation, the mighty Sasquatch would then come out, usually with a fish. The little girl had seen the creature simply slap at the water to obtain its quarry. The long days turned into weeks.
How wonderful had been this time he spent with his new friend. Not sure what it was about the little person whom he now shared his life with, but having her near him made him feel alive. Like his life was worth so much more to live, just by having her near.
The little girl refused to eat anything on the first day but since that time they had eaten plenty together. The little girl began to warm up to her giant hairy captor, despite his atrocious smell. She especially liked to cuddle close to his warm hairy pelt in the chill of night.
The Sasquatch was always warm no matter how cold it ever seemed to be. The little girl found that the giant hairy monster was quite generous and often showed great affection for her. Through time she came to realize that Gurchukk didn’t want to hurt her at all. He even protected her from a pack of wolves once. He did so with ease and came away unscathed. Little by little, over time, the girl would open up to the creature. Her nightmares of it subsided and she even found it to be handsome at times, in a fatherly sort of way. Just as it was challenging for the girl to find something to admire in the wild creature, in this same way, it was challenging for her to continue to fear it as she first did. Because the girl was so young, she began to get used to the creature’s presence where if it were not around, she felt like she lost her sense of security. As soon as the creature came near again, her skepticism crept back in quickly and she would have trouble trusting it again. It took a long time before she was able to find a deep sense of trust for the creature, because as young as she was, she knew it was wild.
Gurchukk, decided to show his prize to his old friend. Carrying the girl cub down through the wilderness of the mountain at great speed, its big feet thundered something awful the entire way. It didn’t stop whistling, until it reached the edge to a deep go
The unprepared little girl began drowning immediately. She could feel the powerful momentum of the beast as it propelled them through the current and into an underwater cavern. Within, they broke through the water’s surface.
The cave was pitch black inside and the girl was tossed out of the water and onto a stone’s crown. Coughing and gasping for air, her little lungs were mostly full of water. Lifting her up by her ankles, Gurchukk shook her, then he laid her back down on the smooth stone again. She found breathing was a little easier after this, but she still worked at coughing out some water. In the midst of this, she heard the sound of Sasquatch chatter. There was more than one Sasquatch in the cave and they spoke to one another using some quick chirp-like language.
She felt huge powerful hands upon her little body as she was being examined by a creature. Suddenly, the examination was over and the sound of two large rocks smashing together sounded and echoed throughout the deep cave.
Sparks exploded from the rocks with each collision. In the flashes of light, the girl could see two large hairy forms huddled close to one another. Each of them smacked rocks together. Suddenly, a flame was produced.
Within the dank smelly cave, dead fish and fish bones were strewn about. The two Sasquatch yiped with excitement and whistled loudly; overjoyed to have the fire lit. The both of them laid down flat and faced the fire. They blew gently on the flame to make it brighter.
From the light of the fire the little girl could see that the new Sasquatch was covered in long white hair that was coarse like a horse’s mane. It resembled Gurchukk except for the white hair and the pink, pale skin, Mr. White. The spookiest thing for the girl was how the flames of the fire reflected in their eyes when they looked at her.
This new Sasquatch had more ape-like features to his face. Mr. White’s forehead sloped back and amidst the wrinkles of apparent age, he had a low heavy brow.
When he offered Gurchukk some fish, he happily accepted. As Gurchukk ate, the other Sasquatch seemed to be telling a story. It chattered using a vocabulary of mouthed sound effects, along with many gestures. It became so involved in the telling of his story, Mr. White took a stone and began to draw on the cave’s wall.
Using flint to draw pictographs, Mr. White pressed so hard the flint sparked.
This white Sasquatch was very old and very wise.
The visit came to a close and the little girl dreaded the thought of re-entering the cold water. All she could do was hold her nose and her breath, then let the Sasquatch take her out.
Gurchukk was a very avid swimmer, as was all of the Sasquatch. They could hold their breath for a substantial length of time. Gurchukk set the girl down for a very brief moment to shake off the water from his arms and legs. When he lifted the girl into his wet arms, she enjoyed his warmth. These creatures stunk worse after they were wet.
Off again at speed, it seemed nothing could slow Gurchukk down. There was no obstruction too high or too low and no steepness he couldn’t handle for great distances.
Time seemed limitless, trailing through the meadows and green forests. He crossed rushing streams, until at last, he climbed the high mountains to their tall snowy peaks. The snow-capped pinnacles glistened pink in the sinking sunset.
Feasting on the ripe and abundant berries that climbed the rocky ledges, they moved in and out of the bushes, climbing from patch to patch. The sleek hair of the Sasquatch shone with health and vitality.
The berries grew abundantly all over and a tang of frost was in the air. The leaves had turned a glorious gold and flaming red, making the world seem bright on the dullest day. A cold wind came out from the north. Taking their time they made their way to a cave near the high rocky slopes of Crater Mountain.
Now the sky was overcast and slow, large flakes of snow fell to further blanket everything. Mountain snow covered the herbage until the opening of the cave too, was covered. The occupants remained warm and snug. Thus passed the first of many long summers.
With time, Gurchukk taught the native girl much about his language and his ways, but she always had trouble adapting to his hunting methods. She couldn’t contend with his capabilities. Within the circles of the mighty Sasquatch, one’s worth is measured by their strengths of survival. The native girl obviously couldn’t measure up. Though many other Sasquatch were jealous of Gurchukk’s prize, they told him she would only tie him down. Gurchukk didn’t care, however, he simply couldn’t part with the little person.
Always, did he care for her, and tended to her needs. She knew the heart of the giant wild-beast. It was his nature to be gentle and kind to her. There was something about a human that interested the Sasquatch though they weren’t sure what, only that they found them fascinating. Though there were plenty of times when the girl and beast didn’t agree, they could tolerate one another.
At the very least, she would make a very nice pet.