Lead expedition vehicle preparing for departure in front of sponsor Mayday Brewery
On October 16th a group of hand-picked team members from Middle Tennessee embarked on a research expedition to Kentucky in order to investigate alleged Bigfoot sightings and follow up on a possible encounter we had back in the summer.
This was a groundbreaking venture for several reasons. Firstly, it was my largest research expedition to date from both a personnel and logistics standpoint and involved 6 vehicles and 17 total participants over the course of the weekend. Most importantly though was the significance of the unique model employed to fund the entire affair. First and foremost the expedition was backed by the Murfreesboro Pulse, a publication based in Middle Tennessee. With this platform it was then possible to attract additional financial and material support from local businesses interested in supporting the trip and benefiting from the attention from print advertisement and the social media campaign during the months leading up to the launch of our foray into the unknown. In this manner I've effectively discovered something nearly as exciting as Bigfoot himself. I've demonstrated that it's not only possible but advantageous to conduct research by leveraging the resources of business entities, even if your audience is relatively niche. The ability to fund one's own research in similar fashion in which a race car driver funds his or her racing team is relatively unique within the Paranormal, UFO and Bigfoot research communities. We all know that Television "research" in the form of TV programming is supported using a sponsorship model native to networks. We can also agree that these efforts are subject to the pressures of such entities to provide entertainment, sometimes resulting in compromises to research. I personally believe a better approach exists and intend to continue the development of a model for research funding that preserves the autonomy of the researcher and still brings value to sponsors through social media and other mediums. Once the Pulse publishes the final coverage of the Expedition in the November issue of the Pulse I can post what we found while in the field including further details on methodologies and experiences of various team members. Until then, enjoy these pics! SEMPER EXPLORANDUM
Better Days BBQ in Smyrna Provided Dinner the first night as well as bait or "gifts" for the Bigfoot
The Bigfoot phenomenon is all the rage right now and is the subject of numerous websites, documentaries and even a reality TV series called Finding Bigfoot featured on the Animal Planet.
I may not have my own investigative reality TV series but what I do have is a wild curiosity for the unknown and a camera. In September of 2012 I traveled to Newton County, Arkansas, after learning my relatives own property in a mountainous area bordering a national park that is known to be a hotspot for Bigfoot. What I found on my solo camping adventure was eye-opening.
Wishing at first to avoid contact with locals I made camp in an isolated hollow with no cell phone service and 10 miles from any paved roads. It was prime squatching territory with a myriad of indicators that nightfall would be interesting. However, after a day of exploring, a storm forced me to move my camp early. My vehicle barely made it up the rocky hill. The rain was making the trail muddy and almost left me stranded. So I continued my search elsewhere for signs of Sasquatch.
Between hikes through the dense forest I explored the nearby community asking questions at opportune moments. Having a connection to the area helped open conversations and I was able to get a handful of witnesses to speak to me about their experiences with Bigfoot. What I uncovered was a surprise. One couple I spoke with has owned real estate in the area for 30 years. They said that on several occasions they saw a 9-foot “person” covered in hair but didn't report it. Several of their guests had also seen the creature. Two gentlemen I met at a local café said they had seen it cross the river last winter. Whenever I asked about reporting these incidents a fascinating theme emerged. They didn’t fail to report out of fear of being ridiculed. Instead they believed that if the authorities were to find out, life would change.
Would recognition by mainstream science of a large primate in North America force unwanted changes on Americans? Once Bigfoot is found, we cannot lose him. In order to manage and protect Bigfoot’s natural habitat land in many regions where Sasquatch lives could be taken using the Endangered Species Act through eminent domain as has been the case for thousands of Americans in the past. Furthermore, a beast having characteristics so similar to that of humans you might even have some trying to put it on food stamps and section 8 housing.
To make matters more interesting, it was suggested by one witness that spoke with me that enough photo evidence has been suppressed that if revealed it would “make a believer out of anyone.” I have no reason to doubt what I was being told and the attitude of this particular witness seemed pretty indifferent to whether or not I believed the tale or not.
Thus it seems the tendency on the part of some locals to avoid the topic, suppress information or simply not report sightings serves as a bulwark to change. Add to this the commercial interests like the logging industry which might be impacted. The result is a coalition of silence working against official discovery.
On the hunt...
What I have uncovered here isn't news to the Bigfoot research community. But the public needs to know that there are many credible eyewitnesses who don’t come forward because the discovery of a new species where they live isn't a good thing for them. Since I have family who could also be affected by this discovery I understand the complexity somewhat better than some who are unconnected. It may just be a horrible Pandora's box that society can never shut. The fact of the matter is that once we find Bigfoot, we won't lose him again. We will be forced to reckon with a host of implications which will be both costly and controversial. What will it cost the taxpayer? What will be the laws that govern human-Bigfoot interaction?
The price of finally acknowledging Bigfoot as a species will be high in many regards. That being said the recognition of Bigfoot is inevitable and some say overdue. In any case it must coincide with protection for the little guys. By little guys of course I mean homo sapiens . The 9-foot super-primate with night vision has the proven ability to protect themselves without government help or food stamps.
Links to other Bigfoot articles:
Size Matters: Why Sasquatches might have made good lovers 15,000 years ago
It has been widely known within the Bigfoot research community that for several years Dr. Melba S. Ketchum (a veterinarian from Texas) and her firm DNA Diagnostics has been conducting a study to find Bigfoot DNA from various samples collected by witnesses and other researchers. The Daily Mail reported on November 28th that results from this study reveal that Bigfoot is a human hybrid descended from human females that mated with an unknown and likely extinct hominid species.
The essence of her claim is that 'Sasquatch mtDNA is identical to Homo Sapien Sapiens'. If the samples aren't contaminated (and I'll go out on a limb here and say these guys probably know what they are doing,) this means that a half-human hybrid species could have been created any number of ways. However, here is my current theory:
In the prehistoric world, having children (especially sons) meant your chances for survival were greater once they reached a certain level of maturity. They can hunt and defend the family thus ensuring a long life for parents and clan members. Now if your sons are 9 feet tall, built like linebackers and can survive the harsh climate extremes of the previous last ice age, then chances for survival are even greater. After all, homo sapien children require a great deal of care and warmth to survive the first years following birth and infant mortality was high throughout prehistory. Humans are among the most helpless of all mammals while in our infant stage. However, if overlooking a few undesirable traits in your mate meant your offspring would survive and your own safety were guaranteed, it makes sense why some prehistoric women might start feeling a little squatchy. We've all seen attractive men and women select otherwise physically undesirable mates for economic security right? My general thesis is that a species of super-primates compatible with homo sapiens mated with females to insure survival of themselves and their offspring during the inhospitable periods of the recent ice age and the decedents of those unions still roam our forests today.
Making sweet love to a Sasquatch may not appeal to most modern women today. However, 15,000 years ago if a women wanted to increase her chances for survival they might hook up with someone, shall we say, of above-average size?
Still more questions than answers...
I'm not proposing this theory as an answer to all our questions. I may be completely wrong but EQ is about finding answers not having them all. I also know it raises more questions such as WHO or WHAT were these super-primates that mated with these ice-age women? Were they bigger and more furry than your average Sasquatch? Not necessarily. We know from our own breeding experience that traits exhibited by off-spring are often amplified when like organisms are cross-bred. So it's possible that this super-primate species was lot like the Bigfoot that researchers such as myself are chasing around the globe today.
Of course other theories can be entertained. It's possible that Bigfoot is the result of genetic intervention on the part of extraterrestrials or even a group of highly advanced humans who have been erased by time and the many periodic cataclysms our earth has experienced. If this theory is true it might be what the Bible is referring to in the book of Genesis.
"The Nephilim ( often translated as giants) were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown." -- Genesis 6:4 NIV
The possibilities are endless. Keep exploring and visit EQ for updates on my areas of research.
Want more? I'll be joining the radio program Superunknown on February 25th at 7:30 Pacific Time to talk more about my theories and research.
Listen Live Every Monday Night at 7-9 pm pst on 106.5 KITC FM or Listen At http://kitcfm.com/ Just Click "Live Radio"
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