ROFL!
Well searching for a 10 foot tall, 500 pound ape-like monster is tough enough...add the winter elements and it gets out of control!!
Very little snow below 2500’ in that region but a ton on higher slopes. There’s a 12k peak (Adams) in that general area. Where I live we have two feet of snow, bare ground down lower in Columbia valley.
The time line in the news story is a bit odd, it would take three or four hours to get from Portland to the general area described. Gifford Pinchot NF roads at best 30-40 mph dirt logging roads.