06x06 - Line of Sight

[bunniefuu]

Previously on expedition bigfoot.

I believe big foot are here in
Washington in large numbers,

but something is causing
that migration route to fork.

So what I want to do at this point

is set up a perimeter of
trail cams around this area.

You ever get the feeling
they're watching us right now?

I do.

What is that?

- Michael, did you hear that?
- Yeah, I did.

We caught something on film.

What is that?

Holy.

It's massive.

Look at this. This is tied off.

That's freaking creepy.

That's definitely interesting.

There's definitely some
flesh attached there.

Like it got pulled out of an animal.

Freaking creepy.

After tracking a potential
big foot across a river,

biko Wright and
primatologist, mireya mayor,

discovered multiple large tree structures

along with what appear
to be patches of white fur.

It looks like it was actually tied off.

Look at how this bark,

it's almost like there's a
cord running through it.

Yeah, a little bit of bark cordage.

That's definitely hard to explain there.

What's crazy is just a few days ago,

we ended up finding several trees

that looked like they had been
stripped of some of the bark.

Holy.

There's a lot of trees
here that are stripped.

I was just noticing that, too.

I wonder if that correlates now

to what we're finding here.

What stripped those trees?

And what made that cordage?

Because making cordage

takes some serious
manipulation and time.

What's got that much white fur out here?

I don't know.

- Maybe a wolf.
- I mean, that's a lot.

I heard a story from a friend of mine,

and him and his mom saw
what they think was a sasquatch,

and he described the color

being different than
anything he had heard before.

He described it as being like

a polar bear at the zoo color

that's, like, been dirty

and, like, kind of yellowish white.

So I mean, that kind of
looks like that color to me.

As reported by eyewitnesses

as well as detailed in the accounts

of various first nations tribes,

sasquatch is reported to
have a variety of hair colors.

In the him a lay as, where
they're known as yeti,

they are often said to typically be white,

while the coastal salish
people describe them as brown.

However, many eyewitness
stories do detail accounts

of elderly big foot becoming
gray, silver and white as they age.

We should definitely bag that up.

Our best chance, short of actually
seeing the animal constructing this

is to collect a genetic sample

that will tell us exactly
what it is that made this.

What I would like to do is
come back in the morning

when we can look for
more visible evidence

or just anything that left
something as it moved through here.

I think that's a good idea.

- This is just way strange.
- Yeah.

I don't know what these things mean.

I don't know what the structures mean.

I don't know why these
things are all lined up

pointing in the same direction.

I don't know what's going on,

but there's some strange
happening out here.

So I've been hearing sounds.

I keep hearing those clicking sounds.

The same sounds I heard from before.

Listen.

And I think that thing

is on this side of the mountain.

Same side of the hill as me.



survivalist Russell a
cord has been tracking

a possible big foot sixty-five yards away

from an abandoned cabin.

So the plan is.

I'm going to actually work my
way back towards that cabin

and walk by the trail cams I set
out yesterday around the property.

I think I've got the perfect trap set.

At the command center,

Bryce Johnson monitors
the seismic surveillance array.

It's pretty late, but I just wanted to do

one more check in
on the seismic trip wire,

see if anything has crossed over.

At the beginning of the
expedition 13 days ago,

the team placed an


that spans the north
edge of the target zone.

That first sensor should be online now.

Yeah, I gotcha.

It will notify them if anything
bipedal crosses through in real time.

Here's some live feed that's
coming through right now.

Look at this.

High pass filter enabled.

So that didn't actually
trigger any of our alarms,

which is set to go off

when something large
and walking on two feet...

It has that Cadence which those
sensors will be able to pick up.

But the good news is is everything
seems to be online and running.

I just got a text here
from mireya and biko.

They found tree structures.

Multiple tree structures.

Take a look at this.

Look at that.

Wow, that's reminiscent

to the structures we found in norcal.

They said there's like three of them.

I wonder if they line up.

Those ones in norcal,

they actually lead us to a group of nests.

- Russ, here's the other one up here.
- Wow.

I mean, right here, line of sight.

- Yeah.
- That's huge.

Isn't this crazy?

Look, three nests.

Wow!

You see that fur?

I've never seen anything like that before.

Is this a new behavior?

You know, something
specific to Washington?

What is this hair?

What does it mean?

Check this out in the daylight.

You can see all three of them.

Just after sunrise,
mireya and biko are back

at the tree structures
they found last night

to further investigate in daylight.

I mean, they really
are just in a straight line.

Yeah, that's wild.

Boom, boom, boom.

Heading in that same direction.

Really weird.

So I'd love to keep
heading in that direction

and see if there are any other
things that we missed last night.

Prints or any sign of what
could have come through here

and made something like this.

Yeah. Sounds good.

It's critical that when
we have a finding at night

that we go back to it during the day

because there's always things that
we could have missed in the darkness.

You don't want to leave
any evidence behind.

Whoa. Mireya, check this out.

There's a little bit of that
same colored fur here.

- Yeah?
- The white fur, yeah.

Looks really similar to the other one.

The other odd part about this

- is the height at which it's at.
- Right.

Like something was
moving through here

and brushed up against that stick.

Something else interesting
about this that I just noticed.

This is more bark cordage.

It's almost hung like
a Christmas ornament.

It's threaded here.

I mean, that takes some
careful manipulating.

I mean, look at that.

Wow!

Now, that is definitely manipulated.

Wow, it's braided with
more bark cordage,

more of the fur from the first
evidence we found over there.

What I'm seeing here

is something that looks
to be intentionally made.

Yeah.

But that wouldn't have
a real use for an animal.

- Right.
- That is really puzzling.

So if a human didn't
make it, then what did?

Very puzzling.

I've left directional markers
before while hunting, you know?

But these, I've never
really seen anything like it.

I mean, it's like mireya says, you know,

she thinks that these
are intentionally made.

But for what purpose?

If these creatures are gathering at
this fork, possibly looking for mates,

could these be woven objects
related to that in some way?

Like an advertisement or gift or sign?

I don't really know, but it's an idea.

See where these tree leans are pointing.

See if there's any natural landmarks.

It looks like there's a lake that way.

These tree leans are pointing
in the direction of that lake.

All right, let's start heading that way.

Let's see what we find.

We might be able to
catch up to this thing.

Look.

A stump is down.

Something tripped my wire.

Six miles from mireya and biko,

Russell returns to check
on his surveillance array

to see if the plan to
lure a potential big foot

to pass by his trail
cameras last night worked.

Look at this.

It came right through here.

Look at my trip wire.

So it's coming this direction.

I think I caught this thing off guard.

Whatever moved through here
is gonna be on these cameras.

Look at this real quick.

Okay.

Let's see what we got.

Okay, that's yesterday.

One nighttime shot, but it's nothing.

Check that out, look.

Look at my trail camera.

Look at this.

It got shoved off to the side.

Remember, if this thing...

It would be pointing right here,

right at me, and now
it's pointed out that way.

There's a big gouge in the tree

where that something
shoved the trail cam

off to the side.

It knew the direction
of that lens would see it.

Look at this. Come here.

Look at this.

Do you see that?

It's a freaking hair.

Whatever pushed it.

Look at that. It just shoved it.

A couple strands of hair.

Whatever pushed this
camera left something behind.

I want that.

And I'm hoping that whatever pushed it

is also captured on that card.

All right, let's see.

Holy.

Okay.

Holy.

Holy crap.

I can see what looks
like the top part of a hand.

Something either grabbed
it this way or this way

and pushed it.

Let me get the card out of this thing.

It's time to pull this card.

I cannot wait to show
Bryce what we've got.

Holy crap.

Salmonberries and huckleberries.

That's a good sign for food.



mireya and biko have been following

in the direction

the tree structures were pointing,

which the maps
indicate should lead them

right to a water source.

I see water.

Wow, look at that.

From the very beginning
of this expedition,

all of these findings
have been leading us

consistently in one direction.

We have been paralleling waterways.

We had to cross a river,

and then we find these tree structures

which lead us to this water source.

And what I'm hoping is that this find

is going to lead us closer

to an even more substantial discovery.

I actually think this is a great spot

for us to see whatever
it is that's coming here

because there weren't a lot
of water sources on that map,

which means that it's going to force

and drive animals into this area.

Also noticing that there's a ton of
wild edibles around, lots of berries.

Some huckleberries, salmonberries.

So this is somewhere

that has a lot of foraging opportunities,

as well as, I'm sure
there's critters living in this.

So this area reminds me

a lot of how we watch
gorillas and elephants.

In Africa, there's these areas called bis,

and they congregate there.

They spend, in fact, a lot of time.

And what we do is we actually
build a platform so that we're elevated

and we can see at a distance all of the
animals that are coming into this one area.

And it's a great way to observe
everything that comes into there.

We could do the same and build
blind, right, so that you're hidden

and you're not scaring off
anything that might want to come in.

Right. That seems like a really good plan.

I think the fact that
this is kind of alone,

and we're not near any
creeks or rivers at the moment,

that means animals are going
to come into this no matter what.

I'd really actually like to
get in the middle of this.

So let's go call Bryce.

All right. Sounds good.

Hey, mireya, biko, what's going on?

- Hey, Bryce.
- Hey, Bryce. What's up?

So, hey, when we
went back to check out

the tree structures this morning,

we found even more stuff.

What did you find?

Some of them had upside
down trees in the construction.

And we did find some
more of that strange cordage.

Are you serious?

I mean, when I took a
look at that first picture

that you guys sent, I was floored.

Are you guys telling me
you found more like that?

Yeah.

Bryce, it reminded me a little of
when we were in northern California.

I mean, these tree structures,
these weren't quite as,

let's call it intricate,

but they did progressively get larger.

And like in northern California,

there was sort of this
directional pattern to them.

They were all lined up in a line

about 50-75 yards apart,

pointing in the same direction.

We took a look at the map,

and it seemed to be pointing in
the direction of a water source.

So we're at that watering hole now.

Yeah. What were you thinking?

I actually want to get into
the middle of this marshland

where I would have a 360-degree view.

I want to stay hidden around the
perimeter, up in a tree or something,

in case anything comes
up so I can start to track it.

We're gonna need
something to pull this off.

- Yeah, whatever you need.
- Let me know.

I need you to drop
off that inflatable raft,

and then I think that
we can build something.

I love that. Yeah.

Yeah, I can do that. Absolutely.

Remember the hand print that I found?

I have a call with an expert about it,

so I'll make sure to get
that boat out to you asap.

We'll get you the coordinates

to the nearest logging road.

- Okay. Sounds good.
- Thanks, Bryce.

- Thanks.
- All right.

All right, let's start heading that way.

Sounds like a plan.

At the command center

at the southernmost
point of the target zone,

Bryce is meeting with
Dr. Esteban sarmiento...

Hey, Esteban. How are you?

Good. How are you doing?

A primatologist with over


specializing in hand morphology,

to discuss and analyze the handprint
he discovered just 48 hours ago.

Thank you so much for taking
the time, not only to speak with me,

but to analyze this crazy handprint

that I found on my cabin.

So I know you have taken a look.

But just to give you some context,

this was a lone
handprint on a glass pane

right next to the screen door of my cabin.

Looks like a handprint.

It's pretty big, too.

Someone, or something came up here

and pushed its hand up against there.

But that's a big hand.

What is the morphology of
this huge hand hint at for you?

The number one thing that I was
impressed seeing it from the beginning

is that the hand was flat
against the window pane.

So that it got a palm
print and a handprint.

And other great apes certainly don't.

I mean, a chimp would probably
just touch it with the tip of its fingers,

but he wouldn't put it full on like that.

The abilities to put the hand flat
like that are in some way human-like.

- When I compare it to the great apes...
- -Right.

Some of the width and
breath, length of the palm,

end of the digits, is very human-like.

You know, I measured
this thing at 13 inches long.

I mean, it was just huge.

Let me ask you this.

How many 13-inch hands are there?

I've never seen one.

- Really?
- No.

- I've never seen a 13-inch hand.
- No, I never have.

Well, then, what the heck
are we talking about here?

I've never seen a 13-inch hand.

No, I never have.

Well, then what the heck
are we talking about here?

You're talking about an animal

that would leave a 13-inch handprint.

Thirteen inches is bigger than
any human hand I've ever seen.

According to the guinness world records,

the largest human hand ever recorded

measured a length of 12.75 inches

or 32.


the wrist to the fingertip.

These hands belonged to Robert wadlow,

who lived from 1918-1940.

Wadlow's hands were nearly
three-quarters of an inch longer

than the second-longest hand in history,

the hands of leonid stadnyk,

whose hands measured 12 inches.

These two men are the
only two known humans ever

to have hands that
measured 12 inches or longer.

But otherwise, the hand does
look human in its proportions

that it seems to have what
could be a reduced thumb.

Does that mean anything

if it did have a reduced thumb?

Well, there's differences between all the
great apes and the humans in their hands.

You know, distinguishing differences.

And humans have a very large thumb.

But great apes in general
have a reduced thumb.

That means, in fact,
really, the differences

show up between
each genus in the hands.

And those proportions reflect
what the animal does with its hands.

I love what you're saying

about this sort of reduced
thumb on great apes.

But that makes no sense

for how and where I found
it, here in Washington.

Dr. Sarmiento, let me ask you,

what are some of the implications

of a reduced thumb?

Generally, it's associated, it seems,
with arboreality, a reduced thumb.

Hanging and using the hand as a hook.

Right.

Like this, with the thumb to the side.

- Here's the orangutan hand.
- Yeah.

You see the fingers, that's the thumb.

Right. Wow.

And then, right next
to it, the human hand.

And you can see how much
bigger the thumb is in the human

even though the other
fingers are so much shorter.

That's wild!

That's incredible.

It almost looks like this
hand is a mix between the two.

The handprint you found
has proportions like humans',

but the thumb seems to be small.

But in other proportions, the hand is very
human-like from the fingers to the palm.

So I would say that this hand

is very in between humans and gorillas,

almost, in its proportions.

I'm going to put it to you this way.

We're coming across a lot
of tree structures out here.

Some of these structures we're finding,

it would take a very capable hand

to weave and manipulate

some of these smaller
and even huge branches.

In other words, this looks like a hand

that could make some of those
structures we've been seeing.

Yes, I would agree that it could.

It could weave.

A hand like that has the ability to weave.

Dang.

Thank you so much.

This conversation has
been absolutely enlightening.

I'm just so grateful. Thank you.

In the eastern quadrant
of the target zone,

Russell continues to
review trail camera footage

to create a game plan

to try to lure whatever came
near the cabin last night.

It was a good place for those cameras.

I do want to turn this file over.

West of Russell's position,
after hiking two miles,

mireya and biko get
ready to assemble the boat

in preparation for tonight's stakeout.

As a field researcher,

something that I'm
keenly aware of at all times

is how my presence will
affect an animal's behavior.

If I'm out looking for an
elusive and reclusive animal,

the last thing I want
to do is for it to see me.

So ideally, what I want to do

is get into the middle of that bog

so that my presence
does not affect the behavior

of any animal out here.

Just drop it here.

A lot of good material
to work with here, I think.

It's pretty sizable, and I
want to remain hidden.

Right.

What's gonna make it look so that
it just blends into that environment?

I can make it blind.

Some of the stuff that's growing
along the edge here will work great.

What should I start looking for?

I think, first things first,

we need some more
rigid, like, branches like this,

for just the framework, you know?

Four posts, maybe.

And then once that is up and
we've got a sizable framework,

then we can kind of weave in
foliage to conceal you in there.

- Try and make it camouflaged.
- Awesome.

It sounds like a plan.

- Sweet.
- Yeah.

Let's get started.

For a strategy like this to work,

we have to use our natural environment

because we don't want it to stand out.

That's why having someone like biko

on this expedition is so valuable

because he has these bush craft skills

where we're able to
actually create something

so that we can get the job done.

One of the reasons I wanted to use

as much natural material as possible

is to make this thing not stand out.

I've built blinds before to hunt from,

but this will be the first time

I've ever tried putting
one on a floating boat.

How does that look?

- That looks perfect. Yeah.
- That looks good.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

That's right.

So I think it's coming along pretty good.

We've got all the framework in.

All right, great.

So now we hang ferns.

Yeah. These ferns are kind
of the perfect thing to use

because they're so plentiful.

My idea is to hang as much
sword fern blades or leaves

until this thing is completely covered.

It'll be just a great little hiding spot

where mireya should be
able to see from all sides.

This is looking good.

If we're dealing with an
intelligent nocturnal creature,

it's gonna see into the
dark a lot better than we are.

Even with our fancy tech
like thermals and night vision,

this thing is gonna have a one-up on us,

and we need all the help we can get.

I gotta get these things charged up.

I need to get hold of Bryce.

After reviewing

all of the trail camera
footage from the day before,

Russell contacts Bryce

to discuss the strange
activity he captured.

Looks like it's Russ.

Hey, Russ, what's going on?

Hey, do you know how
I set up that perimeter

of trail cams around
this abandoned cabin?

Yeah.

I've got some stuff I want
you to see as quick as possible.

I got a hit on one of them.

And Bryce, from what
I'm seeing in this clip,

looks like a large hair-covered hand

pushed this trail cam to remain unseen.

Wait, are you serious?

Yeah.

It's like even with the cameras
camouflaged, it knew how to avoid them.

But you can see some hair and
maybe part of a finger in the frame

as the camera gets pushed.

So I want to get this to you
so you can enlarge the frame

and see if there's any detail.

Okay. Sounds good, Russ.

Bye.

Ready? All right.



mireya and biko

prepare for their water blind stakeout

at the water source

where the tree structures lead them.

All right.

- Here's a push stick for ya.
- All right.

I'll go ahead and push out
into the middle of this bog.

I'll take the thermal
out, I'll start scanning.

You go ahead and get
in position in the tree.

Sounds good. Yeah,
I've got a thermal, too.

So I'll get up high in there.

- I'll be your boots on the ground.
- Sounds good.

What I really like about this strategy

is that it's really the first time

that we have removed our presence

from anything that wants
to come to the water.

If prey wants to come down to the water,

I'm no longer standing in its way.

And most importantly,

if a predator wants to go after that prey,

I'm going to be able to see
it from a 360-degree angle.

How's my positioning in the bog?

You look like an island.

I am an island.

There could be numerous
creatures out here

roaming this area.

And that's why I think stealth is
going to be so important tonight.

We need to have people in position

to cover as many sides as we can.

Biko for mireya.

Go for mireya.

Hey, I'm in position in the tree.

I got eyes on you. You got eyes on me?

I've got you on my thermal right now.

Awesome.

I'm actually able to scan the
entire periphery of this bog.

So if I see anything, I will
let you know immediately.

Sounds good.

Yeah, if you need me on
land, I can be there pretty quick.

I'm eyes on the water,
you're boots on the ground.

And now we wait.

Boy, those bullfrogs are
sure talking up a storm.

I wonder if bigfoots eat frogs.

I call them swamp rabbits.

Tastes a little bit like rabbit

and a little bit like swamp.

Biko for mireya.

Go for mireya.

You picking up anything
on your thermal?

No visual as of yet.

Not even the frogs.

Not much going on out here tonight.

Biko and I, in a way, set
up the best of both worlds.

I had complete visibility, but no mobility.

But having biko perched above in a tree

made it possible that
if I spotted anything,

he could immediately start going after it.

The frogs are really,
really loud right now.

But if anything walked
past them, the chances are,

is that they would go very quiet.

And who knows what else
is in this freaking water?

Mireya for biko.

Go ahead, mireya.

I heard something coming into the water,

and then suddenly all the frogs got quiet.

I'm gonna try and scan
the view that I have,

see if I see anything.

I don't see anything.

Everything has gone silent.

I hear nothing.

The forest is silent.

Like there isn't a thing alive in miles.

But I know that's not the case.

I know that it's more likely

that there's a large predator in the area,

and I'm going to lay in wait

until that thing comes through.

We have heard and recorded
some very strange audio

on this investigation

that we believe could possibly
be coming from big foot.

When I reached out to my sources

to see if they had heard of
anybody who's had encounters

of hearing strange noises
or audio in the woods,

everybody immediately told
me, "you've got to talk to Randy."

Randy is an experienced bow hunter.

He's lived here forever,
hunting his entire life

right in the heart of
the fork, and apparently,

he had such a haunting experience,

it completely changed the
way that he looks at the woods.

Randy, I understand you had kind of
an encounter while you were hunting.

Can you walk me back
through your experience?

Yeah. It stuck with me.

I was out hunting one morning by myself

and got into some snow,

and in the snow, I
crossed some elk tracks.

Went in the woods after 'em,

and I was getting fairly close to the elk.

I was beginning to smell 'em.

All of a sudden, this squall came
roaring through the woods that shook me.

What do you mean, a squall?

It was a kind of a high
pitch, echoing squall

that just lasted for, I don't know,

five to seven seconds, I would guess.

And it just echoed through the canyons.

- You said it was high-pitched.
- High-pitched. Yeah.

You know, it wasn't an elk,
and it wasn't a cow crying.

It wasn't a calf.

It was just so intense.

It just echoed and echoed and echoed.

I couldn't tell where it was coming from.

So intimidated that whatever made
that noise doesn't want me here.

The types of sounds
that Randy is describing

line up perfectly with what the
team is experiencing in the field.

And what's even more fascinating

is that it took place right here.

So if what Randy is saying
is true about these sounds,

that these creatures are using them

as a way to Mark off territory,

then that's incredible,

but they also could
be used to alert others

of our presence in the area.

So in your mind, do you
think it might have been sort of

something threatening

or waving you off the hunt perhaps?

I kind of take it as that. And it worked.

So you got out of there?

I did.

What type of creature do you think
can make something that loud of a call?

Yeah. There was only one
thought in my mind at the time.

- What was that?
- Bigfoot.

It was always in the back of my mind

that he could be watching me.



Russell begins to circle the area

surrounding the abandoned cabin,

hoping whatever moved his trail cameras

last night will return.

Did you hear that?

Tonight we're in a little bit tighter area,

smaller trees, lot more undergrowth.

Literally impossible to
move through this brush

without making a ton of noise.

What the hell was that?

What?

It's not smashing through.

You're hearing little
bits and twigs snapping.

It's something that is either

trying to move quietly away from us

or working its way to us.

We're close to something here.

We're surrounded by darkness,

and there's enough undergrowth

that if something is
within ten feet of you,

before you realize, it's
already coming at you.

Come here, come here,
come here, come here.

Stand right in front of
me. Stand right here.

Come in front of me. Come here.

Whether you're hunting
an animal for food

or tracking an animal for science,

the skills and the mindsets
needed are the same.

When I'm coming into a new area,

the first thing I'm gonna want to do

is to get up high and glass
for a while and survey the area.

Look for any obvious animal trail

going down the mountainside.

I like to get into the timber
and see what's been fed on.

A lot of times, in my area,

you'll see the huckleberry
bushes chewed off by animals.

When you can see that
everything is kind of mowed,

you know that that's a
frequent feeding area.

Other things I'm gonna start looking
for are signs of scat and tracks.

I want to make sure there's a water
source because all things need water.

The bottom line really is

if you know how to read the land,

then you're going to
find a detailed road map

of everything that's going on out there.

Okay.

Keep it close.

In this environment, this tight of space,

smelling something that close

is a little bit nerve-wracking
to say the least.

Something just moved
out here in front of us.

Not more than a hundred feet out there.

Can you smell that smell?

Okay, let's be smart

and back out this way.

Did you hear that? That's a cat.

That's a damn cat.

What we're smelling is a mountain lion.

What this thing is equipped with

with the claws and the teeth,

and maybe 150 to 200 pounds,

that wants to do nothing
more than to devour you

or bring you down.

Go back out the way we came.

We are at the worst
disadvantage possible.

Dark, closed in,

and certainly not equipped
for a threat like this.

Keep moving.

Don't worry about noise right now.

That thing is close.

Let's move. Let's get out of this area.

You cannot outrun this thing.

Is that?

I'm not seeing anything on the thermal.

It sounded pretty big.

Biko for mireya.

Go for mireya.

I heard something on the shore,

but I couldn't see a visual.

On the shore opposite you or near you?

Near me.

Was it approaching the water?

Yeah. Come down from the forest.

All right. I'll scan again.

Biko, I just heard something
moving on the shoreline.

Give me a few minutes to scan that area.

Whoa.

Did something just hit
you? I just heard a loud bang.

Something got thrown in the water,

but didn't come from me.

There's something there.

Holy.

There's something out there.

Mireya for biko.

Biko, there is something
moving right underneath you.

Biko, what I'm seeing is on two legs.

Honestly, it looks like as if

a human is walking near where you are.