Two Unprepared Oregon Sasquatch Seekers Perish From Exposure

Many people don't understand that the "environment" can kill you if you venture into it unprepared. Folks who get their ideas of the wild places on the planet from Disney movies never seem to get that.

Now, I have no idea what the background is of the two Oregon men, as yet unnamed, who went into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington on Christmas Eve looking for Sasquatch. All we know about them is that they were from Portland - of course - and that they were woefully unprepared, as both died of exposure.

Two Sasquatch hunters died after they went missing while searching for the elusive mythical creature in the Oregon wilderness on Christmas Eve.
The bodies of the two men, ages 37 and 59 years old, were found in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington State, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.
Police said the pair appeared to have died of exposure amid the harsh weather conditions and their ill-preparedness for the forest.
The men had set out on their excursion into the wilderness hoping to spot Bigfoot with intentions to return home before Christmas.

It's unclear how these two were equipped, but from the viewpoint of a guy who has spent a fair amount of time mooching around in wild places, it's pretty obvious they were not properly prepared or properly equipped. How can I know that?

Because if they were properly prepared and equipped, they wouldn't be dead. The conditions were, shall we say, less than ideal for an impromptu cryptid hunt.

A “grueling” three-day search was conducted for the men as over 60 volunteer search and rescue personnel took to the area looking for the Bigfoot fanatics.
The search party fought through freezing temperatures, snow, rain and the heavily wooded terrain.
Seven separate law enforcement agencies from around the area and the Coast Guard offered services and help in the search that included canines, drones, ground teams and helicopters.

I hate to sound unsympathetic; these two no doubt had family members who are grieving today. But, while details as still sketchy, it's important to note that this happens more often than one might think. Up here in the Great Land, people disappear into the bush every year, and some of them are never found. Any stretch of cold, damp woods, like much of the Pacific Northwest at this time of year, can kill the unprepared.

I do have some suggestions for any like them who might be thinking of wandering into some damp, cold woods to look for a creature that isn't there.

Aspiring Sasquatch Hunter Has Legality Questions - Game Regs Are Ambiguous on Cryptids

1) Carry matches, a torch-style windproof lighter, or both. When I was wandering around solo in places like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, as I was wont to do when I was in my teens, I always carried a fire starter kit that included a waterproof match safe, windproof matches, and some kindling - and I still keep a kit like that handy now. Biologically, we are still creatures of a warm, dry climate, and it was fire that enabled our ancestors to spread across the planet. Bear that in mind; the ability to build a fire can literally be life or death.

2) Layered clothing. I still like wool; wool has the ability to retain one's body heat even when soaked. Dress, not for the trip, but for the weather - and always plan for the worst.

3) Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back. Leave them a map. Mark where you intend to go.

4) Carry a compass and a map. Learn how to use them. Don't rely on your phone or a GPS device; if the batteries go dead, you're in trouble. You'll never lose power in a map and a compass.

It's sad, what happened to these two unnamed cryptid-seekers. It's sadder when one considers that the creature they were looking for doesn't exist. But saddest of all is that with even a modicum of preparedness, they would have been found alive - perhaps uncomfortable and unhappy, huddled around a fire, but alive.