0224 Somewhere in the UP...
We've survived our first "squatching" expedition - and if you don't think it is terrifying to wander miles into the thick of nowhere with no lights and a lot wild things lurking in the dark... then there is something seriously wrong with you.
But already, I can't wait to go back for more - that is, after some sleep.
On our way in, we stopped and interviewed a man and his wife (who by all standards appeared to be very level headed folks) that had encountered something that could only be described as an unknown beast - it had even frightened the couple's fearless dog for whom they had been taking for a stroll through the woods. They had photos too of a footprint that wasn't a deer or a bear!
After the couple lead us to the site where they had allegedly been exposed to a Sasquatch, we broke up into small teams to search the area.
Andy and I were in the lead group with Pam, Eric and Don - all of whom have had numerous encounters with the beasts. Don recounted that after his first experience, he didn't go near the woods for a few years... Can you blame him?
At this point, I'm thinking to myself: if you saw a great white shark in the water, would you be in a hurry to go BACK?
And a side note about the Sasquatch-deer relationship. The Sasquatch follows and herds the deer like a shepherd over its flock... Until it decides to maul it, snap its limbs off for bone marrow and harvests its soft organs. This was a small detail that I could have gone without learning before I was standing in the dark.
On several occasions, we heard things moving in the trees around us - which is a slightly less than reassuring sensation. At one point Don got still on the track and told me that he had "gotten the chills" which had a sphincter-tightening effect on me. Pam too said at the same moment, she began momentarily to feel "apprehensive."
Shortly thereafter, Pam began to attempt to call one in... Her long, whooping scream added a whole new dimension to the evening. We even heard a few similar howlings, but most of the crew believed it came from Matt and his group. (Matt appears to be the only other tracker qualified to call them in besides Pam)
And while the first night's mission seems to have been less than successful in provoking an encounter with the legendary Bigfoot... It more than piqued my curiosity and frightened the daylights out of me.
Tomorrow is another day... and night!
