I stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy when I was about 9 years old. I guess I was just too frightened to believe a fairy was paying me for the nubs of bone I used to lose. Something I'll never grow out of is my die-hard belief in the creature known as Bigfoot. Sasquatch has wandered throughout my imagination since I was a rugrat. Whether or not he wanders the wilderness of our real world is still a topic of debate in American culture.
Cryptozoologists are people who study animals that have not been proven to exist yet and are assembling evidence to prove the existence of the Sasquatch. However, other people known as “scientists” refute claims about the existence of Bigfoot because there is an overwhelming “lack of proof.” Since when has proof been important in determining if something is real?!
Don’t worry, Bigfoot has found some time in his schedule to make a visit to Colorado. According to The Bigfoot Field Research Organization - yeah, that’s a real organization, Google it - there have been 3 reported Bigfoot sightings in the Rocky Mountain State. Out of the 3, 2 of these sightings were in lovely Boulder County.
In 1971, a child reported spotting Bigfoot taking a peek into his cabin on Sugar Loaf Mountain. Fortunately, the child lived to tell the tale of this sighting and reported it to the prestigious BFRO. In 1995, another Bigfoot sighting was reported, this time in Chautauqua Park. On this dark November night, a man reported seeing Bigfoot run into the woods after they both made what sounds like incredibly awkward eye contact. The BFRO didn’t hesitate to record this historic report of Bigfoot amongst the Buffs. If this doesn’t scare you from walking your dog on our local mountain trails, maybe you’re the crazy one!
If these first-hand accounts of death-defying run-ins with the Ape Man don’t impress you, then let’s look at evidence Bigfoot has left behind. Potential Yeti pelts used to be souvenirs brought back from explorers who journeyed into the Canadian wilderness. This always excited me. To think that we haven’t found this beast that is ripping parts of his skin off like little breadcrumbs for us to find him is exotic to say the least. It’s like he wants us to find him! Of course Bigfoot has earned his namesake from the incredibly large footprints that he also leaves behind. Cryptozoologist Dr. W. H. Fahrenbach, who is an expert in things that don’t exist, claims that footprints found have varied from being 4-27 inches long. This reliable range gives us a pretty consistent idea that Bigfoot either had small or big feet. How exciting!
Let’s not forget about the stacks of photographs taken of this monster. Skeptics might point out that out of thousands of photographs of Bigfoot, not a single one since the dawn of photography has managed to get a clear shot of what it looks like. Maybe he’s camera shy? Besides, we don’t let photographic evidence keep us from believing a man jumps down our chimneys every Christmas.
Bigfoot is also the main character in one of my favorite shows: "Finding Bigfoot." In this sparkling example of modern television, “professionals” run through the wilderness searching for any signs of the creature. Spoiler alert: They haven’t found Bigfoot yet. It’s hard to believe that after 6 seasons, the furry guy couldn’t pop his head into the studio at least once just to reassure these 'squatch-hunters that they aren’t wasting their time. Alas, it seems like the dragons from "Game of Thrones" are going to grow up and head to the kingdom before they’ll find this thing. But why would that stop these fearless mountaineers from spending nights in the woods and days in the lab searching for an animal nobody has any proof of?
If I didn’t convince you that Sasquatch is real as the wind, then you’re hopeless. I guess you’ll never see the proof that’s in front of you. Of course, Bigfoot isn’t in your science textbooks. That’s the best part about Bigfoot. He’s not mainstream like other animals. He’s content with not being on the cover of Zoobooks, a magazine to which I still have an active subscription. I’m sure he’s totally fine jumping through the forest, ripping pieces of his skin off, and running away before we can get a picture of him.
This furry Kim Kardashian is trying to stay out of the spotlight. We’ll just have to make due with our footprints and TV shows. Besides, seeing isn’t always believing.
