Bob Gimlin Interview!!!

 

 

   Due to the logistic problems of getting this interview with Bob, I had to ask the help of my friend Thom Cantrall. Thom is a very good friend of Bob's and has regularly scheduled lunches with him near Bob's home. The interview was actually videoed to insure accuracy and transcribed verbatim from Bob. In addition, the format is in a dialog form and I have included most excerpts from the discussion from both men as to add authenticity to the interview. Also, there are a few questions that have been changed or omitted simply because it was a live interview and with that, were asked by Thom as he saw fit. He either changed to help get a better clarification or some were just missed during the very interesting dialog.  I do think this interview was probably the most interesting interview I have seen Bob do and I hope all enjoy it. Thanks for the questions and again, apologies if your question was missed. I am sure we can do a follow up at another time.

KB

1) norseman -  Bob, did you think the film would solve the mystery and gain public acceptance?

Bob:  I definitely did not think it'd solve the problem.. it did not even solve the problem with me.

And do you regret not shooting Patty which would have assured species recognition almost 50 years ago?

Bob:  No I don't... I had no intentions to unless I thought that I HAD to.

2) people booger - Bob, during the encounter, did you feel concern for your or your colleagues or horses safety?

Bob:  Yes, I did somewhat.  I didn't know how much or what to expect.

Do you feel you would have retreated or shot the creature if it had turned and threatened yall?

Bob:  Yes, I do... I've always said I feel I would have shot and I wasn't sure with something that size.  At that time I was an excellent shot.  And I had 180 grain... 30'06 180 grain and I'd shot a lot of elk with that same projectile.

 3) Terry - Bob, did you observe the tracks immediately after seeing the bigfoot?  

Bob:  Yes, I did.

 

Were the ground conditions suitable for it leaving tracks like that and do you remember thinking something wasn't quite right with them?

Bob:  the tracks were...

Thom:  I'm not sure what that means...

Bob:  I don't either what that means.  The tracks were well acceptable for tracks for what that type of soil was.

4) ptangier – Bob, have you had any other eye- witness events….have you had any close non-visual events?  

Bob:  Yes, I have.

 Thom:  Yes, one was on that trip... (The trip Bob took on the Pacific Crest Trail when he rode from Mexico to Canada the full length of the Pacific Crest Trail)

Bob:  One was on that trip... one was up at Bumping... (Bumping Lake in the Cascade Mountains, just east of Mt. Rainier in Washington)

Thom:  When was that?

Bob:  Around 6 years ago.

 5) WSA - Mr. Gimlin: Are there currently any active Bigfoot field/academic investigators that, in your opinion, are on the cutting-edge of research or worthy of exceptional credibility?

Bob:  I think that's a definite yes on that.

Could you explain why you feel this way about them?  

Bob:  OK, I feel this way particularly because I know the people individually and they are doing the very, very best they can in the field research at this time.  There's been some, uh, uh, tremendous things happen in my opinion.

 

6) HairyWildMan - Bob,...the old saying goes "Hindsight is 20-20"....is there anything(s) you wish that you had done differently...then,...... from the beginning of your search....to the end result of having the footage of Patty?

Bob:  Well, that's changed over the years... Yes, there’s a lot of things I would have done differently the first 35 years.  The first thing was, I wouldn't have been down there to start with!

Thom:  Chuckle... Yeah, I hear that!

7) Vafooter - Mr. Gimlin, Are there any videos that you have seen that you believe are real BF?

Bob:  I haven't really witnessed very many videos so the ones I have seen I leave an open book there of, it looks pretty good but, uh... and I'm not going to say, “not quite good enough,” but there's always that question now...

What would you consider to be the area most likely to encounter a BF these days?

Bob:  Well, I've always said the Olympic Peninsula (of Washington) in my opinion is a great area.  But, you're limited there for foliage and also for rain so I, uh, have changed my mind somewhat over the years.  I  used to say over the years I think the Olympic Peninsula is your best shot.  Well, I strongly believe that now, maybe back down in the Willow Creek area and that partic... that radius within a hundred miles or fifty is probably as good a place as any because of the way everything lies there... the mountain range and that close to the ocean and also the rivers and uh, the privacy.

Thom:  Just to add.. of the places I've been that I've found, that southeastern Oklahoma area is absolutely alive with them.

Bob:  See, that's it, I've never been east to some of those places that I hear about so I don't really know.  I've been to the Olympic Peninsula, I've been to Bumping Lake and I've been in California and those have always been.. uh... we've heard sounds... and somewhat... of course, the film footage itself speaks for the California area.  uh.. So that's my opinion as far as that part of it goes.

Other than your own encounter, what is your favorite BF report or incident?

(didn’t ask this one)

8) Salubrious – Mr Gimlin, did seeing Patty change anything about how you see the world?

Bob:  Oh, definitely.  'Cause I never... I was a … Basically I'm telling the truth, I was a skeptic up til that time... That they must exist but I was kinda like old Harry Truman, I had to see to totally believe.  (interruption)  Anyway, at that particular time the only thing I was going by was what Roger had talked to me about and played those cassette tapes (Roger used to play cassettes of people's testimonies about sightings when he and Bob were camped on their trail rides) that other... the testimonials of other people.  I thought Yes... they are probably there... there must be something there but I wanna see it!

9) lightheart - Mr. Gimlin did you hear Patty make any vocalizations of any kind?

By this I don't necessarily mean screams or yells typically associated with Bigfoot but also grumbling noises at having been disturbed, snorts, etc.?

Bob:  If she did, I never heard it... there were so many things were happening so quickly... uh, and the horses moving... Roger moving... me trying to get settled in to help him in case I had to...

Thom:  It's like the case of the old adage, when you're up to your tail in alligators, it's hard to remember your initial objective was to drain the swamp...

Bob:  Chuckle... That's right... Exactly Thom... that is exactly it

 

10) Will – Bob, have you been following the work of Bill Munns and what is your opinion about it?

Bob: uh.. Well I.. When I met Bill Munns and found out what he was doing... I met him and was really impressed... and for what he's doing at this present time... I don't know exactly... I will know this weekend but I take my hat off to Bill Munns for what he's done actually for my credibility part of it and so, to me, Bill Munns is really high on my list.  Very very high on my list.

Thom:  I'll echo that... very high on mine too... He has done fantastic work...

Bob:  He has indeed.

 Have you seen any other BF photos that look a lot like what you saw?

 

Bob:  Well, some have come about as, uh, close as I that I could still identify that and I, uh, really, uh, most of the ones I see show a face and, uh, and the body part of it, uh, will deviate a little and I understand that there is going to be differences in body of bigfoot, so therefore, I say whatever they saw and took a picture of or described is probably as accurate as my description of … of … of Patty, and... but I did she her face very clearly and some of those are very, very close.

 11) Sunflower - Bob, Have you seen anyone, at any time, able to duplicate exactly what you saw that day in 1967?????

Bob:  No, I haven't seen anyone that totally duplicated it because with... when Patty walked away with that tremendous amount of muscle underneath that hair moving, uh, it's pretty hard to duplicate that, uh, in a picture or anything else in my opinion.

Thom:  You're right, that was...

12) Bi-pedalist - Mr. Gimlin, besides  the adrenaline rush and fear factor operating did you still get the hair on your neck rising that day in 1967?  

Bob:  Well, I definitely did, yes, I, uh, uh, I finally realized these creatures do exist and here's one right in front of me... walking away from me with a size and muscle that I never dreampt that any creature could ever have..

 Also, you have been to many conferences and have met many people and have many friends in this field many with eyewitness accounts.  What do you make of the "high strangeness" accounts that people share with you, especially those that occur before and after sighting events?  

(Didn’t ask this one)

13) simplyskyla - How many bigfoot sightings has he had in his lifetime?

Thom:  We covered that... (We had covered the question of the number of sightings he's had... three.. Patty, the one on the Pacific Crest Trail and one at Bumping Lake)

Was patty the closest he ever got? 

Bob:  Well, es.. this is an estimated distance... the closest I got was when I first saw her and I'd say that was probably 60 feet... uh.. just a ball park figure was 60 feet or less.

14) Chelefoot - Mr. Gimlin, Have you ever had any doubts that Patty was anything other than 100 percent real?

Bob:  Never have... Uh, with all the litigation that's come out about that... with the different people saying they were in a suit down there... I knew in my own mind and watching that and being right there that if couldn't have been a man in a suit.

If you could change one thing about that day in Bluff Creek, what would it be and why?

Bob:  That people earlier on the film footage would have accepted it... what's been proven in the past and left me and my wife alone for the first 35 years.

One last question from me... Do you think there is any possibility that there is a question about that day at Bluff Creek that you haven't been asked yet?    

Bob:  Not really.  It seems like I have been asked so many different questions.  … I meant... I think possibly that I have forgotten some of... some of the most basic events because of my age and because of the injuries I have sustained over the years 

15) Kitakazee – Mr Gimlin, there were sources that said you had Bob Heironimus’s

Horse name Chico at Bluff Creek, can you confirm that?

Bob:  Okay... I did have Bob Heronimous's horse because Roger had, apparently, borrowed that horse from Bob Heronimous.  'Cause I never got the horses together to go.  Roger gathered up the horses... I had the transportation and I knew the horse.  I'd been around the horse before... Big, stout... good roping horse and I think Bob used him back in those days to rope on but Bob Heronimous actually had that horse early in some of the work he was doing for Roger as well as myself where Roger was trying to get together a film to generate revenue to go on an expedition.

(rephrased question) Mr Gimlin, you look amazing for your age, what do you eat and how do you stay this fit?
(Not asked, but Bob stays very busy and still cowboying!)

16) Rockape - Bob, did you ever consider the possibility that Patty was trying to lead you away from her young?

Bob:  Well, I never had enough time to even think about that.  I just knew she was walking away... didn't even know that they suspected a young or other one in because at that particular time, I knew about the three different sizes of tracks we'd been called down there for but I hadn't... I wasn't … I was tired from the long distances we'd been riding at the time we'd been down there... so I never gave it any thought about her trying to lead me away from anything...

 

The PGF is considered the gold standard of BF evidence, is there any other video, photo, etc. that you find impressive evidence?

Bob:  No.

 What would you say to the people who think the PGF is a hoax?

Bob:  I say you ought to take a good look at the film footage and realize that there is gonna possibly be people out there try to make a story out of this.  Forever that they're gonna say they were in a suit in northern California when Roger and I were there... and it's been done more than one time as far as I know... in fact, I didn't even realize that Greg Long had had somebody... a big guy, uh, 6 or 7 years before he got ahold of Bob Hermonimous and tried to prove he was in a suit down there.  So, You know, it kinda is a... a two sword, double sword or double edged question for me because I don't really know... the thing is... is... I just know that's what happened and I'm going by what happened.

Thom:  Right

 

17) WV Footer – Mr Gimlin, Upon seeing "Patty", what was your first thought? What were you feeling at the time, Fear, Awe, Excited,...?

Bob:  There's a great big thing and they really do exist.

Thom Chuckle... yeah... that is the first thought, isn't it?

Bob:  that's the first thought I thought of...

Thom:  The first... first time I saw one here to there and yeah... standing there looking at him and said “where are the experts now?...”

Bob:  Exactly, Yeah... Well, I thought “All doubt is gone...”

 18) bf2011HBMay -  Even though you and Roger agreed not to shoot a Sasquatch, did you ever think in the back of your mind that it would benefit the world to have a specimen for scientific study despite the agreement? Thanks. (Question not asked, apologies Henry)

19) AaronD – (Slightly rephrased) Bob, have you had any encounters with anything that even COULD be a bf since 1967? (Covered this above)

You have already said it was NOT an ape he saw in 1967 (PGF subject), could you have guessed what it was?

Bob:  No... uh.. you know I, I.. could not... all I knew was it was a big, hairy covered human like creature walking away with a... with a great stride and a great, uh, amount of muscle mass and so, that's the only thing I could come up with.  I had no idea...

Thom:  It's mind boggling, isn't it?

Bob:  Yes it was... definitely was...Still is to my...

Thom: Right...

Bob:  after all the evidence... all the sightings that people have had, and all of the... all of everything that has happened since 1967 that's given me more strength about that than uh, than prior.

Do you have any idea why your 47 y/o piece of evidence is still the most convincing of any that sasquatches exist? Like why hasn't something been since found to better prove?

Bob:  Well, yes, there's questions in my mind about that, but, you know, there's no way to really address them, 'cause in my opinion, uh, there's been a lot of effort to... to get more evidence.  The only other thing I could come up with.. I have no proof... their ability to stay away, uh, from the camcorders, whatever, and basically I can figure out a little bit of my own personal opinions why they avoid human beings so much now... especially modern human beings... whereas we've heard the native Americans had close contact with them as if they were just part of the, uh, they wouldn't bother, uh... they were there, they belonged to Mother Earth... And we start shooting at them or we start to gather evidence they really exist and they're just trying to live their own life and be left alone.

Thom:  And, well, look... look at our society... who's want to be a part of that if they had a choice?

Bob:  Well, I can't... I'd like to be the first one to the moon if I could to get away from all this.

Thom:  Chuckle...

20) Pbeaton – Mr Gimlin, I know you told me in the past her tracks went across the entire sand bar. My question is do you recall roughly how many were relatively good clear tracks ?  12 to 20 ?  20 to 40 ? 40 plus ?

Bob:  Good tracks?

Thom:  Yeah...

Bob:  Oh, I'd say roughly, 50 to 60...

Thom:  50 to 60?

Bob:  or maybe even more than that.  I covered as many as I could with all the material I covered as many as I could with all the material I could gather off the dead tree.  There was a pretty good line of tracks there... uh... Matter of fact is, I can't recall just how long that, uh, type of soil was there but I'd say probably, uh, a hundred yards almost... at least 150 feet of that same type of soil (silted in) that had gathered up underneath that logjam or behind that logjam.

Thom:  Uh huh... before it got into the rocky stretch?

Bob:  Before it got into the gravel.  … You know, and my error was then, I wished Roger and I would have measured that... but, you know, you just don't think of all that...

Thom:  and then you have the film to take care of...

Bob:  Exactly.  Plus, you've got a lot of other issues and October 20^th the day's a little short already... and you're dealing with darkness early.

Thom:  That's right... and none of us are professionals...

Bob:  I was the furtherest thing from a professional and... and.. and apparently Roger was too... We did what we thought was the best thing at the time.

21) Gigantor - Mr Gimlin, There have been claims that there were other BF type animals at the sighting location. Did you ever see any other animals in addition to the one filmed?

Bob:  No I did not.

 

22) Drew- (Rephrased) How many days did you and Roger spend at Bluff Creek?

Bob:  Yeah... My estimation was about 21 days down there.  I never could decide whether it was the last day or so in September or the 1^st of October because we'd been down there approximately 3 weeks.

Thom:  Right

23) Sweaty Yeti – (slightly rephrased below) Mr Gimlin, I would like to ask if you recall any additional little things that Roger said to him...(that he hasn't previously mentioned)....the night of the filming...and on the following day, on their way back home?

Thom:  I'd like to ask if you recall any additional little things that Roger said to him that (you) haven't previously mentioned on the night of the filming and on the following day on their way back home.. uh, you know.. Personal type of things... what were his feelings?

Bob:  Well... okay... the next day on the way home, uh, ok.. that has to be explained because there was no “next day”.  That next day was trying to get out of that area with a storm in there... and then, all night I drove and Roger slept most of the time while I did the driving.  So... the only thing that was talked about that night after we got back to the truck is that, uh, what... what really happened that day and what he saw through the camera and what I felt I saw and smelled.  So, Therefore, each thing that we talked about varied just a little and then, of course we went on to sleep... the next morning it was raining and, uh, things just kind of broke loose from there.

Thom:  Was there an odor associated with her?

Bob:  a what now?

Thom:  Was there an odor?  Did you smell her?

Bob:  Yeah, yes, there was an odor... I thought it had kind of a... a skunky, mest... musty, skunky type of smell... Pretty stinky but with a must to it.

 Thom:  That's cool... Uhm...I think I have a couple I wrote that I wanted to ask too...

If you were to have that happen today, what would you do?

 

Bob:  If that happened to me today, I would not ride across the creek with the horse... I would try my best to act real submissive and get as close to her as I possibly could instead of all the scramble that went on that day.  Because if... if that happened to me again, I would hope that Roger didn't have a camera and was running after her to take a picture and I could try my best to get as close as I could and act submissive like... I want to be a friend... That's what I'd like to do and that's what I'd like to do today if I ever get another opportunity to get close to one again.

 

Thom:  Do you have any regrets about the publishing of the film to the world?

 Bob:  Oh yes, I do... so many different issues on that it would take me days to go through all of it