Family Spots an Elk Near Mount Rainier—Only Two See What Walks Beside It
September 24, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readOn a rainy morning near Packwood, Washington, Donnie Wesson and his family took the scenic route around Mount Rainier. At a roadside stop, Wesson and his daughter saw a massive figure moving beside an elk—a creature so large it made the elk look small. But what struck Wesson most was not the creature's size, but its face. "I think the face is what's gonna stick with me for the rest of my life," he told Bigfoot Society host Jeremiah Byron on the four-year anniversary of the sighting.
The Sighting: A Brief Encounter
Wesson was driving his family back to Olympia after a birthday trip when Google Maps rerouted them onto a longer road around the mountain. After about an hour and a half of driving in light rain, the family stopped at a stop sign. Everyone in the van noticed a large elk standing across the road. But only Wesson and his daughter saw what walked beside it.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Introduction and Episode Setup** - Host Jeremiah Byron opens with a teaser about a witness who saw a massive figure beside an elk near Mount Rainier.
- 2 (02:26) **The Sighting Begins: Family Road Trip** - Donnie describes the morning of the encounter, traveling with his family after a birthday celebration.
- 3 (04:14) **Only Two See the Creature** - Donnie and his daughter simultaneously spot a massive, ten-foot-tall figure walking beside the elk, but the rest of the family only sees the elk.
- 4 (06:02) **Brief Encounter and Disappearance** - The sighting lasted only about five seconds before the creature strolled back into the woods, unfazed by the cars.
- 5 (07:36) **Family Disagreement and Perception** - After driving away, Donnie and his daughter try to convince the rest of the family they saw something else, but no one else perceived the creature.
- 6 (10:06) **The Perception Theory** - Donnie reflects on how the experience changed his view of reality, suggesting that perception is key to why Bigfoot remains un-cataloged.
- 7 (12:51) **Skepticism, Spirituality, and Technology** - Donnie argues that the creature is a "legitimate factual real being" but that its existence is tied to something beyond simple biology.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
The figure remained visible for approximately five seconds before returning to the forest. Years later, Donnie can still picture its proportions, active facial expressions, and the face he says will stay with him for the rest of his life.
In this detailed firsthand account, Donnie reconstructs the sighting near Packwood, Washington, explains why the elk provided such a powerful sense of scale, and explores how the encounter changed his understanding of the wilderness.
Originally released as Bigfoot Society Episode 555 on October 12, 2024.
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