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 Murfreesboro Pulse Magazine is forming an expedition to investigate recent Bigfoot reports in Mammoth Cave National Park Kentucky and I am leading the expedition. The venture will be sponsored by a number of local businesses which is a slight departure from the normal research model applied by the BFRO et al. But it's not quite the same as Finding Bigfoot which is designed to sell out and fail in order to have multiple seasons and constantly change scenery whereas focusing on one spot would yield more evidence. We have some "low tech" yet experimental techniques we intend to deploy in the field so look for coverage at www.boropulse.com Here are some of our sponsors.
Last week Angela and I took a little trip up to Mammoth Cave National Forest to do some zip-lining and investigate some recent bigfoot sightings in the area. The guys giving the zip-line tour were already talking about some Bigfoot sightings they knew of in the area so we got excited about hunting a hot location.
Possible structure
Next we headed into the park and crossed the ferry into the backcounty portion of the park to the area I had previously identified as promising. This part of the park near the White Oak Trail is among the least traveled and features a one-way trail which does not connect to any other. In fact it dead ends at the Green River. We couldn’t take our rig on the hiking trail so we identified an opening in the foliage that we could use to climb up the steep bank and enter the forest from the road. I locked down the differentials (gots REAL 4x4 ya'll) and headed off-road into the woods all the way dodging trees, boulders and stumps. Thank gawd for skid plates and ground clearance. We then carefully selected a campsite far enough into the forest so as not to be seen by anyone coming down the dirt road. After establishing a camp I prepared a fire for cooking and after dinner we enjoyed some whiskey as is our tradition when on expedition in the state of Kentucky or any state for that matter.
Later that evening at around midnight I began doing some tree knocks. Now anyone who has read about bigfoot research is aware that these things are believed to communicate at times by banging rocks or logs against trees. I've heard tree knocks before and have used this approach to attract the creatures. My first round of knocking yielded no response.
After a few more sips of whiskey I had an idea. Angela is an impressive vocalist with a some powerful lungs. In fact she was the pop artist known as Angela Ammons back in the early 2000's and was signed with Universal Records. So of course I got her to sing for Sasquatch. You may be asking, just what does one sing to the Sasquatch? That’s a good question. While Angela had some commercial success during her career I don't think Squatch is down with American teeny-pop. So I asked her to just ad lib something like Native Americans might sing. My whiskey fueled logic was that injun music might resonate better with this ancient being than say Ke$ha or 50 Cent. What she came up with isn't really native American but just a simple rift you might hear from one of those hippies playing the pan flute at a drum circle in Asheville North Carolina. Click below to listen.
Angela sings for Sasquatch
About 20 minutes after Angela finished her serenade to Sasquatch we heard a series of tree knocks that we were unable to record because
we weren’t ready with any sort of recording device. This was the only
sign of bigfoot that we encountered besides some oddly stacked wood which may
or may not be placed intentionally. I’m planning a larger expedition in the
fall to further investigate this same area. See below for picks from our trip.
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"
Whilst checking out a book called Indian Trails of the Southeast I discovered that two ancient Native American paths, the Creek War Trace and the Nickjack Trace intersect just down the street from my house. I then discovered that where these trails converge is a place called Black Fox Camp Springs named after the famous Cherokee Indian Chief . It's a beautiful patch of swampy wetland and forest which is the former site of Black Fox's hunting camp. This is the spot where he made his legendary escape from Major James Ore's force of militiamen who were part of the Nickajack Expedition en route to attack the Chicamauga towns of the "Lower Cherokee" in September of 1794.
According to the story, Black Fox's men were taken buy surprise. It's said that he escaped by diving into the spring where he subsequently emerged 3 miles away at Murfree Springs. Now, either this whole story is a load of BS or there's a subterranean link between the two locations. I tend to believe the later isn't impossible based on the fact that both Springs share the same source and seem to located along the same limestone aquafer which is essentially an underground waterway. The question is did Black Fox actually make his escape this way? If he did travel underground all the way to Murfree Spring it stands to reason that he was familiar with this route and that he did not swim the entire way underwater. I'm sure most people are skeptical of this legend and I can understand why.
I have confirmed the presence of a cave entrance at Murfree Springs. But I have yet to identify any possible entrances to any subterranean caverns at the Black Fox Camp site. It's my guess as of today that the entrance has been covered up. This may have happened either when the nearby neighborhood development inserted a drainage pipe into the spring or when the land was altered to create "Todds Lake" which is the crappy little artificial swamp-lake that lies immediately NW of the Spring. There is no way to know for sure whether or not he really made his escape underground. However, studies conducted in 1999 using dye tracing methods did confirm underground links in this area. At any rate, the impact of development and erosion since the late 1700's has altered the surface geology so substantially that any previously existing passages or entrances may indeed be lost forever.
Most people in Murfreesboro have no idea that this immediate area near the springs called Dilton was actually the first to be settled by Europeans in Rutherford County. Black Fox Camp Springs and Dilton were almost selected over the Murfee Springs location to become the center for the community's development. Overall the place has a quiet air of mystery. The area South of the Spring is one I use to get away from things when I don't have time to go far but still wan't to be alone.
Black Fox Camp Spring (December 2012)
The distance between Black Fox's Camp and Murfree Springs is about 3 miles.
Back on the Nickajack - December 5th 2012
Returned to explore more of the Nickajack trace this morning and look for possible Indian burials along the banks of Lytle's Creek as well as any sign of Sasquatch activity. I haven't found any yet as it is too far from the Stones River where the majority of sightings occur. I don't plan on digging up dead Native Americans but I'm always on the lookout for mounds, arrowheads and other artifacts which might surface as a result of the rain. You see this was no side street back in the day. The Nickajack Trace/Trail is part of the larger Cisca-St. Augustine Trace which ran down to Spanish Florida via Savannah Georgia. Indians used this trail for hundreds or possibly thousands of years for travel, trade and warfare. While we associate this area with Chief Black Fox, in reality this was an important location for thousands of other natives who likely used this spot as a camp and water source.
If you are interested in finding trails like this one a good resource is Indian Trails of the Southeast William E. Myer published in 1925.
Remnant of the ancient Nickajack Trace outside Murfreesboro, TN
My handsomely well-shaped leg sustained a pretty good gash while fording Lytle's Creek. My feet however are not so handsomely well-shaped.
Drums along the Nickajack?: a possible paranormal incident
I have to report one incident of note that might be attributed to paranormal activity. While exploring the area near Black Fox's old camp my partner Reagan and I heard the faint sound of tribal drums but were unable to detect the direction of the sound. It was very strange. This happened on 3 occasions. I will be returning to take some EVP recordings at a later time.
Additional information:
Indian Trails of the Southeast William E. Myer 1925
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