This initiative stands as the most critical undertaking to date for the Clouty Skies Research Institute (CSRI). To investigate the long-standing anomalies associated with the Hominid cryptid phenomenon or as you and I know them, Bigfoot. Our team executed a series of multi-phase field expeditions. We created a 28-minute documentary detailing these deployments is currently available on the Clouty Skies TV YouTube channel. This report serves to compile our primary field observations, environmental data, and spatial mapping, noting that while select GPS track logs are included, some trips remained unrecorded. Notably, several anomalous acoustic and visual encounters occurred during off-duty, recreational periods while still in the area.

The Location

An objective for CSRI was establishing the historical name of the mountain we were investigating. Although an additional period of expeditions is scheduled for Q4 2026 through Q1 2027 which we aim to include localized interviews and archival reviews, the exact historical name of the mountain remains unverified.

Preliminary cartographic research involved analyzing map archives via davidrumsey.com spanning from the 1850s through the 1980s, alongside modern databases from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Forest Service, yielded no definitive records. Throughout the initial phases of our field investigations, the peak was accidentally misidentified as its immediate geographic neighbor, "Treasure Mountain". This nomenclatural discrepancy was only identified and corrected during post-expedition data compilation, revealing that our primary explorations had actually taken place on an adjacent, unnamed landmass.

Our team established its base of operations at the Little Truckee Summit Staging Area, located at 89 Jackson Meadows Rd, Sierraville, CA 96126. We specifically selected this site because it offered the perfect balance: it was remote enough to get us away from civilization, yet accessible enough that we didn't require off-road vehicles to transport our heavy gear. We were able to park, run final diagnostic checks on our equipment, and suit up right from the asphalt.

From the parking lot, the mountain itself possesses a relatively unassuming profile with no major defining geological features. The initial trek begins as a gentle, low-gradient slope for several hundred yards. However, the terrain quickly shifts into a much steeper, demanding incline as you climb toward our first primary site of anomalous activity, The Threshold.

Trip Report for The Initial Investigation

Details

• January 28, 2026
• start time: 9:18 pm, end time: 11:08 pm
• start temp: 28°F, end temp: 25°F
• lunar phase: 82% waxing gibbous
• start point: Little Truckee Summit 89 Jackson Meadows RD, Sierraville, CA,
• 39.5042792,-120.2830454
• Threshold coordinates: 39.501734,-120.286912
• total distance: 1.23 miles

Notable Observations

• Keeley heard a single, loud, bass heavy impulse in direction of Threshold, no echo
• Horrid feeling of being watched from Threshold, felt worse from behind
• "Huh-HI,” vocalization coming from left side off anywhere from 10 to 50ft away from Lonnie
• Animal-like huff noise from 50ft away

First thoughts:

Lonnie - The odds of seeing anything is low, but still exciting.

Keeley - I’m a little bit apprehensive, but still excited. We stopped at a gas station before continuing. Bought a Gatorlyte and cleaned the mud off the bear spray canister.

Full Report

We made it to the parking lot of the trailhead, and there were only two other cars there. Hiking up the hill wasn’t too bad; the snow was pretty hard and compact, so sinking wasn’t a problem. However, keeping quiet as we progressed proved difficult. At one point, Lonnie heard a rumbling sound like a low-flying jet. He described it as pure bass in both ears, but it stopped the second he stopped moving. We kept going and eventually came across a clearing with a dark, dense tree line on the far side. It was a strange sight, maybe 200 to 300 feet across. As we walked along our side, keeping our distance from the tree line, we tried to get a noise and response. Lonnie let out a loud hoot that echoed through the area, and followed it up by whacking a stick against a tree trunk. Nothing responded. Right then, we began calling that tree line and clearing "The Threshold."

Just as we neared the end of the grove, the Threshold made Keeley‘s body feel like it was being tossed straight into an ice bath. Lonnie tried hitting a tree with a stick one more time, but still got nothing. Then, a trick of the light made it look like someone was standing in the trees nearby, which definitely spooked Lonnie. After that, we decided to head toward the road, turning our backs on the Threshold. The feeling of being watched was incredibly strong, and we both felt it was coming directly from that tree line. To test it, we decided to count down and point at the exact spot making us feel the most uncomfortable. On the count of three, we both pointed at the exact same spot in the direction of the Threshold. Keeley said it felt like her guts and bones turned to ice; not that she was scared exactly, just deeply threatened. We both knew our fight-or-flight response would have been fully tested if we had heard anything else right then.

Speaking of noises, we caught a few sounds as we continued walking toward the road that we figured were just a coyote. But then, noises started coming from Keeley's right, followed by a heavy "huff" on her left, like the exhale of a large animal. Around the same time, Lonnie caught a distant "huh-hi" sound in his left ear. As we pressed on down the road, the persistent feeling of being watched led us to spread out about six or seven paces apart and use walkie-talkies to communicate. Keeley‘s radio accidentally blared out super loud at one point, which broke the tension and made us both laugh. About five minutes after the breathing sounds, we safely made it to the main road without further incident. From there, we spaced out a bit more, about 10 to 15 paces this time, and kept communicating through the radios. The only other notable things we crossed paths with were some old tracks that looked like they were from a bear, and the sound of some coyotes yapping in the distance.

The Threshold

As you have just read, no Sasquatch. Yet the preliminary investigation already yielded intriguing results for the both of us. Not to spoil any of the other investigations but The Threshold never ceased to make us uncomfortable throughout our time there. We failed to give a good description of the Threshold in our initial report most likely due to the adrenaline and unease we felt immediately after the expedition. 

Measuring roughly 466 feet long by 166 feet at its widest point, 'The Threshold' slopes gently upward to the northwest. For the majority of our field investigations, the entire area was buried under a thick winter snowpack. When the ground finally cleared, it exposed a rugged, mostly barren terrain. The underlying substrate consists of raw, muddy earth mixed with a heavy clay base and jutting granite boulders typical of the northern Tahoe National Forest.

Aside from matted layers of dead grass and pine detritus sheltered directly beneath the tree lines, the area was devoid of active plant life. However, given the rich soil and snowmelt moisture, this clearing likely erupts with lush mountain wildflowers during the summer months when we were not on site.

Investigation 2

Details

• February 1, 2026
• start time: 7:35 pm, end time: 10:15 pm
• start temp: 34°F, end temp 28°F
• lunar phase: full moon
• start point: same as Trip 1
• total distance: 2.3 miles
• uphill: 702 ft, downhill 693 ft
• avg speed 1.6 mph, max speed 5.1 mph

Notable Observations

• Brief, sourceless flash of light, 200 yards up the hill below the horizon
• What felt and sounded like a small projectile pass very close to my left ear
• Large footsteps which most likely are snowshoe tracks or overlapping boot tracks that have aged
• What looked like mist form, drift 10 ft and hide behind a tree in front of me about 100 feet away.
• Could be snow falling from tree*

Initial Thoughts

• Lonnie: We will probably be spooked more because we built up so much hype around the Threshold, but the odds are still low that we'll see anything.
• Keeley: I know the odds are low as well, but I'm still curious about what we might find.

Report

We started at the same spot as last time, but we had a difficult time retracing our exact steps. There was a lot more ice than before. The forest itself felt much calmer, but moving uphill was more dangerous because of the slick ice coating the packed snow. Despite that, we made it to the Threshold much quicker this time and without much incident. All we really heard on the way up was a snowmobile on the road below, traveling in the opposite direction.

Instead of just following along the edge of the Threshold this time, we decided to walk right through it. The snow was incredibly deep, at points swallowing us up to our waists after we broke through the thin upper crust of ice. As we headed up the hill beyond the Threshold, Lonnie had a really tough time shaking the feeling of being watched and grew pretty freaked out. Two specific things happened to him there. First, he heard something fly right past his ear; it sounded like a thrown baseball or a shot airsoft pellet, enough that he could actually hear the air being disturbed. Second, he caught a brief glimpse of light, almost like a flashlight being shone directly into his eyes for a split second before vanishing. It was below the horizon, and we ruled out planes, stars, or anything similar. We have no idea what it could have been, and the whole encounter lasted less than a second.

We continued up the hill and ended up in another clearing that we dubbed "Threshold 2." There wasn't much there, just a lot of snow. We pressed on until we started crossing paths with more snowmobile tracks. At this point, we were walking on a level surface again, having reached what I think was the ridge of the mountain. Following the snowmobile tracks led us to some massive footprints. The most reasonable explanation we could think of was that they were snowshoe tracks, but they were abnormally large; over twice the length of our boots and about 1 1/2 times the width. It was really unusual. We saw a few different sets of these tracks, all heading up toward the peak alongside more snowmobile tracks and a few regular boot prints, which looked like snowmobilers getting off their rides to pee into the bushes.

The snow near the summit was incredibly thick and brutal to trek through without snowshoes of our own, so we decided to cut straight down the side of the mountain toward the road. We fell down several times and sank all the way to our hips, basically trying to run down the slope until we finally hit the asphalt.

We ended up on Jackson Meadows Road and started making our way back toward the parking lot. Along the way, Lonnie thought he saw a mist drift about ten feet from the roadside into a tree, disappearing behind it. He did a quick LiDAR scan of the area and behind the tree, but nothing came up. We figured it was most likely just snow falling from a branch and getting caught in the moonlight. After that, we kept walking back to the car and drove home with no further incident.

Regarding the large footprints, we eventually concluded that they were most likely explainable by either manmade snow shoes or old animal tracks that collapsed on themselves. We still can't shake how coincidentally Hominid shaped the track pictured above looks. You can almost make out toe indentations even though there's not a uniform amount of toes let alone the odd looking placement. 

Investigations 3 and 4

I decided to combine these 2 investigations for the simple reason that was not a remarkable amount of activity.

Investigation 3 Details

• March 2, 2026
• Start Time: 7:37pm; Temperature: 36ºF
• End Time: 11:01pm; Temperature: 32ºF
• Duration: 3 hours and 24 Minutes
• Distance: 3.04 Miles
• Lunar Phase: 98% Waxing Gibbous

Notable Observations

Nothing too notable just hiding from snow mobiles.

Report

This expedition ended up fruitless. We had to hide twice from a groups of snowmobiles heading down Henness Pass Road since it was midnight and we were in camo and masked up and didn’t want to scare them. Lonnie did describe in a recording that he thought he saw a figure that looked like a deer, but had movement similar to the locomotion of a spider.

Investigation 4 Details

• March 4, 2026
• Average Temp: 33°F
• No trip data was recorded (On a mostly recreational visit to the mountain)

Notable Observations

While playing hide and seek, Lonnie heard 2 distinct bass heavy impulses seemingly coming from the top of the mountain. Then later on, maybe 3-5 minutes later, he heard a loud noise of like a tree moving or branches breaking. The sense of being watched and dread were very palpable and he felt very vulnerable. 

Trip 5 - One of the scariest anomalies we've ever experienced.

On our fifth trip into the wilderness, one of the most anomalous encounters I've honestly ever heard of, happened to Keeley. Even now, with the benefit of hindsight, we have toiled over the situation over and over and still have no plausible explanation. The log reads for itself.

"Investigation" 5 Details

• March 8, 2026
• Average Temperature: 44°F
• No Trip Data Recorded

Notable Observations

• Lonnie heard possible directional vocalization in left ear
• Keeley sees dark, rapidly moving figure move between two trees directly in front of her
• A couple of minutes later Keeley hears incomprehensible whispering behind a bush 7-10 yards away for 3-5 seconds from an unknown source

Report from Keeley

We originally went out just to spend some time together and play hide and seek. While I was hiding, Lonnie heard what sounded like a directional whisper cutting through the instrumental of a song he was playing. He rewound the track to check but did not hear it a second time. In hindsight, he admits he is unsure if it was part of the music or something else entirely.

Then it was Lonnie’s turn to hide. We started out in our usual hidey hole, and I waited there while he went off into the woods. After giving him the required time, I began my search. The sun was already going down, and it was getting dark fast.

I was bounding through the trees when I suddenly caught sight of an all black figure darting like a flash between the trunks right in front of me. Believing I had found Lonnie, I advanced toward it, even firing two quick shots with my airsoft gun. Before I could reach the tree where the figure had just vanished, my walkie talkie crackled. It was Lonnie. "I'm behind you," he said.

I stopped dead in my tracks and just stared at the tree. I knew he had to be behind it because I had just seen him run there. Assuming he was just messing with me, I stopped advancing and took a moment to observe my surroundings, trying to catch a glimpse of him.

I kept staring at the tree where the figure had vanished. Then Lonnie’s voice came through the radio again. He told me to sweep my flashlight across the area, saying he would tell me to stop when the beam pointed in his direction. I did exactly as instructed. He told me to stop when the light was aimed straight toward the parking lot, so I started heading that way.

I reached a small overlook above the parking lot and could see Sinjin down below. I swept my flashlight around to try and spot Lonnie. Suddenly, from the dense brush to my left, I heard a loud string of incomprehensible whispering.

It went on for a few seconds before I keyed the walkie talkie. "I'm spooked," I said. I asked Lonnie to come out, fully expecting him to step right out of that nearby brush. Instead, he replied over the radio that he would turn on his flashlight and get up from his hiding spot. My stomach dropped. He was so far up the hill and covered by trees that I could not even see his light in what was now a completely dark forest. I was for sure scared at this point. I was stuck between staring at the spot in the brush and trying to see where Lonnie was up the hill.

Lonnie asked over the radio where I was. I told him I was by the parking lot. He got upset and said I cannot just leave him in a forest when I am scared. I told him he was the one who told me to come in this direction.

This is where we realized there had been a lot of miscommunication. It started with the fact that he was lying prone underneath a tree with a camo leaf blanket partially obscuring his vision. After hearing this, I headed up the hill to find Lonnie. I helped him pack up, and we promptly left. I waited until we were safely in the car to explain everything to him.