Telling the difference

Today I had gone with a friend to a location that I had previously found Bigfoot signs while out doing some sight seeing with my dog, Manny, 14 months ago.  I had always wanted to go back but with my limited time to squatch and many other Bigfoot obligations it was put on the back burner until today.  I had given this tip to my friend so he had a place to investigate.  I went today with him to see about the possibilities.  The signs were still there.  This will be a good starting place for him to get his feet wet investigating.  My plan is to help and support him at this location.

I came across this snow track of prints that was going down towards the water.  I was excited at first.  It had a 5 foot stride between 3 of the prints.  Then I looked closer but something did not seem right for it to be Bigfoot related.  Usually you are able to follow the tracks for a distance.  This track of prints seemed to change to the left and to the right of the 3 middle tracks.

When I looked closer I discovered that it was a track of deer prints.  In the middle where it was at least 2 feet deep the deer had jumped from one spot to the other.  That was the 3 I had first seen that was 5 feet apart.  

I was a bit disappointed that it was deer tracks but that is the nature of investigating.  A lot of work with little result.  I rather problem solve correctly than pass incorrect data off as Bigfoot related when in reality it is not.  If you are evidence driven as I am then you have to learn to read what the forest tells you.  All living things in the forest leaves signs.  It is up to me to know the difference.

The day was a good solid day.  We were able to find a few signs of their presence.  Just nothing sensational as a snow track of prints.  There was a spot that does show some promise of them using.  We will keep an eye on it and hopefully there will be a track there for us to find and photographed in the next few months.

Onward we go.

SQUATCH ON!

I started this blog to document my experiences while out investigating Bigfoot.  I was completely ignorant about anything Sasquatch.  When I started I was so frustrated at the lack of knowledge and field experience I had.  I wanted help but did not know where to turn or who to contact.  This frustration fueled this blog into fruition.  My hope is that others who are experiencing this frustration will be able to use my blog to help them in their journey of discovery.  I will be honest with you.  I have come a long way in my journey but I will never be an expert.  I feel I will always be clueless because there are always more questions than answers in my quest.  When I figure out one thing then another 10 questions emerge.  That is the nature of this endeavor.  That is why you have to be patient and willing to work hard for little results.

So with my limited amount of knowledge, what can I tell you that will help you the most?  The most important aspect of this endeavor is realizing that you are not in control when you are investigating.  I cannot make them do anything.  Much less show themselves.  That is why they have been so successful in staying hidden.  All I can do is to be in the right place at the right time and cross my fingers.  By studying primate behavior and knowing something about them can help but in the end it is their choice.

I feel there is a reason why people end up doing stuff such as this.  In my next blog I will go over what I take with me while out in the field.  This is important if you are evidence driven like I am.  How do you know the size of prints or the distance or height of found evidence without having the correct tools to help you?

So my friends we will continue this journey together.  Sharing and learning together.

SQUATCH ON!

For 2 years I have gone into the wilds of Colorado trying to find the evidence of Bigfoot.  My quest was to find the evidence that points to the existence of a bipedal primate.  I have been all over the beautiful state of Colorado seeking the evidence.  I have been in the northwestern area, the central area, the southern area and yes, even in the outlying urban area of metro Denver.  Each area is unique and different.  The most astonishing part is the urban aspect of my investigations.  How is this possible that this primate is able to do this and live while majority of the people are oblivious?   In my other blog, Hiding in Plain Sight, I have stated how it is possible for them to stay hidden from us.  I have no doubt about this.  It is possible and it is done each day.  There are a lucky few who do see them briefly.

It is this amazing feat that keeps me captivated and looking for more answers.  I am amazed at how something so big can elude us.  I am not surprised because of what I have discovered about them and also knowing human nature.  We humans tend to have tunnel vision about ourselves and the world around us.  It is that aspect and our arrogance that so far have help this elusive primate to stay hidden from our society.

How is this possible about them being in urban areas?  I am not talking about downtown areas or major urban areas.  I am talking about the more rural outlying suburban areas where there are woods, forest and areas to travel and have abundance of deer/elk.  I have investigated 2 urban sightings this year.  This is in neighborhoods that were developed but is close to woods, streams, abundant wildlife.  Able to move undetected using ravines/gulches, wooded creeks/trails and having a major national park somewhat close by is actually feasible.  I was astonished at seeing prints, tree breaks and yes, even a tee pee structure while investigating the urban areas.

While I am amazed at the ability of a group of very large, hairy bipedal primates to move largely undetected in neighborhoods.  I shouldn't be.  Why shouldn't I be?  In my investigations I have been able to get glimpses of their lives.  I know how they travel.  The areas they like to be in.  What they like to eat.  Also how curious they are.  I think there are 2 reasons why they will go into urban areas.

1. They are in survival mode of living.  They are not like us where we go to the grocery store or to McDonalds to eat.  They have to find food on a consistent basis or they will perish.  Who is messy and have food surrounding them?  People.  We have garbage cans, dog/cat food on porches, gardens and animals that taste good.  This would make an easy mode of foraging with a greater return with not much effort.  We blame coyotes and other wildlife when in fact some of it could be attributed to our forest friends.  Smart.
2. They are primates with suspected great ape and human genes.  What is one major factor that primates have?  Curiosity.  Who is another primate that walks on 2 legs like Sasquatch?  Humans but seem different.  When you factor in this curiosity with tunnel vision humans, you have urban Sasquatches.  How irresistible it is for them and we are oblivious!

One of my main goals for this new year is to figure out what pathways they use to get to the urban areas that they have been sighted at this past year.  My hope is to figure it out and maybe doing some nighttime stakeouts.

Yes, we think majority of Sasquatches live in the forest far from humans but there are a few who are brazen enough to be urban Sasquatches.  This primate has many surprises still to be discovered.  Never say never with this species.

ONWARD WE GO!

SQUATCH ON!  

As I reflect on my 2013 year of squatching, I have made several conclusions that I consider important:

• Never assume anything while out investigating.  Usually what you expect is the opposite of what will happen.
• Being in the right place at the right time does pay off sometimes.  
• Persistence and the willingness to be out in the field almost every weekend help establish your presence with our forest friends.
• Being respectful of the forest and all who reside in it.
• Able to read their signs in the forest is crucial.
• The most important conclusion that I have made that had a huge impact is being unpredictable while out in the field.  

Why would being unpredictable while out in the field be important?

My three visuals of BigFoot happened because I was being unpredictable while out investigating.  Some of the best eye shine I have ever seen was because I did the unexpected.  When you factor this into the equation it makes sense.  What many in this field fail to realize is that our forest friends are primates. What is a couple of the primate's innate characteristics?  Curiosity and the drive to figure things out.

How was I being unpredictable?

I was following a track of 14 inch prints along a game trail.  I was measuring and taking pictures when I suddenly glanced up towards the cliffs.  I stood still and just looked at where I thought I saw movement.  I suddenly saw a grizzled brown Sasquatch leaned down from standing next to a tree and watched me.  I saw the hair on its head swayed back and forth from its movement to lean down to look at me.  Then it turned around and climbed up the rock behind it.    

 What was I doing that it wasn't expecting me to do?  I was engrossed in the prints, talking loudly to myself and taking my backpack off/on.  I suddenly looked up towards the cliffs and not at the ground or the area right by the game trail.  I don't know why I looked when I did.  I think corner of my eye caught its movement.

An hour later, a black one was peeking at me.  It stood between the large boulder and a tree.  When I leaned to the left it leaned the same way.  When I leaned to the right it leaned to the right.  At one point I leaned a bit further to the left and when it did the same thing I clearly saw the whole head and both shoulders.  I think it came to peek because I was playing an instrument when I spotted its movement up and to my right.  Since I saw both on the same day I consider this one visual even though I saw 2.  

 At this location, my husband and I was following signs down a ravine.  At this spot we found these trees that looked like they were dragged and placed between the trees in the ravine.  You could tell that the trees did not break off and fall that way.  We couldn't find the bottoms.  Surrounding this structure was 3 tree breaks.   After exploring and taking pictures we continued down the ravine.  Just past this point the ravine splits to the left and to the right.  We had been staying to the left of the ravine much of the time.  I decided to go to the right while my husband was back behind me and to the left.  In fact I moved quickly.  Ten feet in front of me on the embankment I saw a BIG mahogany brown one watching me.  It quickly moved to my left , then turned and then left.  I only saw the chest, shoulder and head.  The face was a lighter color than the body.  IT WAS BIG. 

At another location, I found this pathway that had some large impressions coming down.  We were camping down below this spot.  Later in the afternoon we took food to the gifting area that has been used many times in the past for this group of Sasquatch.  After placing the food and calling them in, 3 people were walking around the food but I had turned and moved away from the food area.  I decided to look up in the direction of where the pathway of impressions I had found earlier in the day.  I figured they may be coming down through there to watch us.  My hunch was correct.  I spotted 3 black ones watching us.  The one in the middle was the biggest.  It swayed back and forth the whole time.  It turned its head to watch one of us move closer.

  At this location, I spotted eye shine within 100 feet.  I was sitting by the camp fire by myself.  My husband decided to go sit in the jeep to hear the hockey game.  I was just sitting there playing with the fire with a stick.  I suddenly looked up and saw eye shine that flared when I saw it.  I stood up and watched it.  I knew it was fairly close because it was pretty big.  I saw it moved to my right.  I quickly went and got my husband.  We watched the eye shine from at least 2 off and on for 2 hours moving around our campsite.  When we moved unexpectedly the eye shine would flare.  Several times we were able to see the eye shine change colors.  That was how close they came.

The common denominator from these encounters was doing something that caught their attention and then doing the unexpected that caught them off guard.  Their curious nature gets them to come in but being able to catch them off guard when they are not expecting it is the key.

I love this adventure!  Who knows what 2014 will hold for me and our forest friends?

SQUATCH ON! 

You know when you are camping at a good location for Sasquatch when you find this close by.  This location and another was picked solely on the signs of their presence.  Both places was not what I would call an ideal location.  Just from my previous investigations I would expect them to be more remote.  It is not the case for these two groups.  I know they are not the same because of the distance between them.  Too far about 25-30 miles.  You would think I have learned by now not to have preconceived ideas or to assume anything in regards to this shy, elusive primate.

At each of location I have had them come in close to peek at me when it was dark.  The reason I know this because I had seen very good eye shine at both spots.  At one they got within 50 feet of me.  A little too close.  So I know they are there.  The signs and their presence clinched it.

I don't know why I was so surprised.  The environment at both location is great for our forest friends.  Teeming with deer and elk, densely forested with lots of ravines and hard for people to navigate.  One of the characteristics of primates is their adaptability.  This does apply to them.  I continue to be amazed at where they hunt and live.

So my friends onward we go.

SQUATCH ON!     

 

We have oral history from Native Americans and also from people in the last 100 years that pointed to an intriguing correlation of BigFoot, women and children.  Some of them benign and some not so benign.  At first when you come across these reports and stories you zero in on the negative and not so much on the ones that are not.  It would be easy to categorize BigFoot as a species who is aggressive towards women and children but when you factor in the other reports that is not the case.  The conclusion I would derive from the stories and reports is that our forest friends show some similarities to humans.  There are some who are naturally aggressive, some that are curious, some who are drawn to humans and some who were put in a situation that requires an aggressive response due to the action of the human.  When you put all these in perspective it shows a species that is complex and intelligent.  This species is not one dimensional but a species that is diverse much like us.

 

The reason I bring this up is because I had the pleasure to take a group of 28 Elementary-aged children on a field trip to "Look for BigFoot" in October.  Living in the Denver area is a positive for anyone who wants to do a day time investigation.  You can literally be in an area that has several sightings within an hour.  

 

Before I would take children out looking I had several criteria that must be met:

• Safety of the children was the number one priority.  If there was any question or a chance of danger there was no trip with the children.
•  Location of the trip needed to be within 1 hour from Denver.
• 1-3 sighting reports within 5 miles.
• Location had to have physical signs of their presence. 
• Parking for a school bus.
• Facilities that can accommodate a large group of children such as bathrooms, picnic tables and a covered area in case of inclement weather.
• Easy walking for the children which is a tall order because our forest friends normally are in rugged areas.

At first it seemed like an impossible task.  It took me months of research and physically inspecting areas that had showed promise.  Finally I was able to find a great location in Jefferson County.  In hindsight I should have started in that area first but I'm glad I didn't because I saw some great locations that I want to go back to investigate on my own more in depth at a later time. 

 

Children are naturally curious, loud and mobile.  I can see how children would be a draw for BigFoot.  I had in the past was zapped by one that was hiding while watching some children laughing and playing in a creek.  I popped into the spot to look at some tree structures and surprised one.  He/she had zapped me as a defense mechanism and nothing more.  I never saw him/her but I felt them!

 

The children had a great time.  We had one Sasquatch answer back to our knocks and whoop.  One child found a track of prints.  We looked at a tree break and a large arch and also found a tee pee structure.  Unfortunately we ran out of time.  The children did not want to leave.  I literally had to drag them back onto the bus.

 

So if you are looking for a secret weapon in looking for BigFoot, you will need to take a large group of loud and curious children.  You and Sasquatch will be entertained. 

 

SQUATCH ON!

 

    

My husband and I went back to our new winter research spot last weekend.  We were hoping for the great eye shine and maybe hearing them.  This trip resulted in mixed results compared to the first weekend we camped there.  As in any new endeavor you will have your ups and down but if you get results over the long haul then it was worth while.

We hiked over where we saw the eye shine the first weekend.  It was steep and rugged.  I have yet to find a spot where they are located and it is easy to navigate.  I just pace myself and keep going.  We did not really see much in that area.  Our conclusion was that they use it to move around undetected.  We did come across deer and found scat from them and elk.  Some fresh.

We ventured back to the creek area.  My husband came across a 14/15 inch impression.   It looked fairly recent.  We found more tree breaks that seem to be markers coming down from a certain area.  We plan on exploring that next time.

On Saturday night we had some eye shine but nothing compared to the first time.  My impression was that they were more cautious and unsure of us this time.  Our frequent trips will hopefully help with that.

I will be posting soon a wonderful trip I had with 28 elementary children exploring for BigFoot.

So my friends onward we go.

SQUATCH ON!