Thom Powell
Thom Powell was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, a mere seventy miles from the Serpent Mound State Memorial in Adams County. His early years were spent as a Boy Scout in northeast Ohio, where he developed a passion for hiking, canoeing, and camping, primarily in Ashtabula County. He attended Ohio State University, and during his time there, he frequently drove through the mound country of southern Ohio to reach his job as a river guide on the New and Cheat Rivers in West Virginia. This sparked his curiosity about the abundant mound systems, which were primarily seen as burial structures.
Upon graduating, Thom relocated to western Oregon to continue his interest in river guiding on the Rogue, Salmon, and Klamath Rivers. In the mid-1980s, he embarked on a career as a science teacher and established a kayaking school. This venture led him to purchase property on the Clackamas River outside Portland, where he first encountered the Bigfoot/Sasquatch phenomenon. This scientific mystery perfectly aligned with his interests in science and the outdoors. Over the next two decades, Thom balanced raising a family, maintaining a rural property, guiding, and researching the Sasquatch mystery. His research culminated in the completion of three books:
The Locals, a detailed investigation of the Sasquatch mystery; Shady Neighbors, a light-hearted novel with profound implications; and Edges of Science, a compendium of interrelated paranormal mysteries. In 2005, Thom returned to Ohio for his father's funeral. A local researcher introduced him to a suspected Bigfoot grave, which, to Thom's astonishment, was located only five hundred yards from a campsite he had frequented in his youth. This discovery, along with his earlier exposure to the mounds and his birthplace's proximity to the Serpent Mound, led Thom to question whether these encounters were purely coincidental. His subsequent exposure to the Sasquatch phenomenon in Clackamas County, Oregon, added to this intrigue.
Thom posits that we may be guided through life by forces beyond our control, suggesting that we are offered invitations that we can choose to accept. His scientific curiosity and openness to seemingly random events led to the compilation and publication of his fourth book, Planet Strange.
This book, which could be subtitled Edges of Science, Volume 2, establishes a clear connection between multiple terrestrial mysteries. It suggests an overarching view that humanity is subtly guided by conscious, external forces that are gradually shaping human development. Planet Strange is Thom's attempt to define these forces, which appear to originate both beyond and within Planet Earth. Now retired from teaching and river guiding, Thom continues to research and write from his home on the Clackamas River, which he shares with his wife, Cecilia.
