Bigfoot still a big draw in Washington

It has captured the imagination of many, especially here in the Northwest: the search for Sasquatch.

The search has never provided any conclusive evidence that it is real, but a Prosser woman hopes to change that.

Jaymi Trimble first heard of the illusive and mysterious animal three decades ago. “That happened when I was 11,” Trimble said. “I happened to see the Patterson-Gimlin film at the Princess Theater in Prosser here, and I was just captivated at that time by Bigfoot.”

Now 49, this mother of three and published author wants to pool the Bigfoot expertise from around the Northwest to help find the mythical creature.

“It’s just going to be about getting together and (use) what we discuss inside the four walls. We’re going to (go) out and put the test into the field,” she said. “That’s the goal.”

Two weeks ago, the first meeting of the Northwest Bigfoot Group drew more than 60 people to the library in Kennewick. It was far more than Trimble was expecting. “People are just intrigued,” she said. “It’s a part of Northwest lore.”

Trimble has found at least one track she believes is from the animal, and she cites a recent five year DNA study by a Texas scientist that suggests the creature is real. “I don’t really think it’s a question of if he exists or not, anymore,” she said.

I asked her how it’s possible no one has ever found a Bigfoot or the remains of one, and she compares it to the discovery of the Panda, which took many years for westerners to find and verify in the dense woods of China.

The group plans to meet once a month in Kennewick.