Ray Kolean
Raised in western Washington, at 18 years of age eschewed a full scholarship and instead pursued his dream of moving to Alaska. Commercial fishing, logging, and working “in the bush” loading freight and
mail onto small air carrier planes Ray lived and worked in West Alaska, Southeast Alaska and more recently above the Arctic Circle on the North Slope. Most of his work career was spent 27 years asowner/operator of a charter fishing business guiding clients on world class fishing trips. Many of these clients remain close personal friends of his. Ray also started a motorcycle adventure tour during this time period employing an excellent staff of fellow motorcycle enthusiasts who successfully guided over
six thousand clients during a six year period on the highways and backways of S.E. Alaska.
Ray’s pursuit of Bigfoot began as a teenager after three encounters (class A and B) including a nocturnal face to face meeting. Using a predator call on the edge a a large field a Bi-pedal slipped right up behind him in the darkness. Hearing a faint noise and turning around Ray lit up the creature’s upper body with an Eveready flashlight. Many decades later Ray was able to meet former Grays Harbor deputy sheriff Dennis Heryford, who, less than two months prior and two miles distant, had made six castings of what
became known as the Abbott Hill Bigfoot.
Ray and Joey are friends with both Dennis and Jackie and recently received training from Dennis in tracking Bi-pedals, of which Dennis used to train special forces with for the purpose of search and rescue and man tracking.
G.O.R.P. trained and certified (Guide Outfitter Recognized Professional) Ray’s love for the back country and pursuit of these magnificent creatures in the deep forest is contagious.
Joey Sternhagen
Raised around the country with parents who both taught school, Joey spent her childhood riding motorcycles in the sagebrush of Eastern Oregon, hunting arrowheads and Indian Beads in the Dakota’s and working on her parents commercial troller catching salmon, tuna and lingcod. Joey’s first encounter with a Bigfoot happened on a mountain top in the North Cascades when a seriesof large rocks tossed from a patch of timber above her compelled she and her party to quickly return to their solitary vehicle parked at the trailhead far below. Since then both she and Ray together while in the Cascade Mountain range discovered a credible and large track, had a mournful Bigfoot howl repeatedly while camped in the shadow of Mt. Adams, and had a grunting creature walk around their camp while high above Rimrock Lake minutes later a large tree knock confirming a class B encounter. Joey also has a U.S.C.G. 100 ton captains license for taking customers on the water. It was while in S.E. Alaska working as a charter captain that she and Ray met, after a summer of fishing the same waters.
She has worked and sailed both the Pacific and Atlantic and her abilities range from docking a boat in bad weather, creating and serving beautiful gourmet foods, troubleshooting a motorcycle engine to mixing a perfect Manhattan.
Now, Joey and Ray have embarked on a venture they wish to share with others, guiding like minded individuals from around the country and the world into the mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest, utilizing passive and innovative technology to capture any compelling evidence that can be used to bring
more appreciation and understanding of these fantastic and mysterious creatures.
These tours are operated with permission from the United States Forest Service under special use permit. Tours into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest are greatly affected by weather conditions
including snowfall which affects road and trail access along with forest fires and fire restriction.
