03x07 - Where the Legend Began

[bunniefuu]

[David] Three, two, one.
Take off.

[narrator] Previously
on Expedition Bigfoot.

-[Ronny] How many
drones do we have?
-[David] Six.

[Ronny] To assist us,
do we have ground sensors?

They're calibrated to pick up
anything over 300 pounds.

With this many drones,
nothing is gonna slip by us.

[Ronny] We're gonna send
one of the drones

to your position.

[Mireya] That thing is big.

[tree knocks]

[Russell] I just
heard tree knocks.

[Ronny] Whoa.

[Mireya] Something's
moving right here.

I'm seeing some movement.

[Mireya] I'm gonna
move closer to it.

[David] What the [bleep]?

[Ronny] That's something
bipedal running.

[David] Yeah.
It's definitely on two legs.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Ronny] Hey guys,
we are seeing some

kind of large heat signature,
moving through the tree lines.

And it's near
Mireya's position.

[narrator]
For the last three hours,

the team has been using
state-of-the-art

military surveillance
technology

to investigate the area
around the lake,

where they've experienced
a large amount of activity.

[Mireya] Ronny,
I can't see anything

but something is moving

towards this position.

[narrator] The thermal drone
has just spotted

a large animal,

moving toward
Mireya's location

on the western
side of the lake.

She's repeatedly
heard movement

and knocking sounds nearby.

-[thump]
-Listen.

That was directly behind this.

[narrator] On the eastern
side of the lake,

Russell has also heard

what he described
as wood knocks,

originating
from close proximity.

Hang tight, the drone's
coming your way.

[narrator] Patrol drones
have been sent

to each of their locations

to observe from above.

[David] It's running.

Can you follow it?

Yeah. I'm trying.

[Mireya] [bleep]
This is a really difficult

forest to get around in.

[twigs snapping]

-Did you hear that?
-[cameraman speaking]

[Mireya] Ronny, I'm still
hearing wood knocks.

Can you see anything
on the drone?

[Ronny] Damn it. We lost it.

Right now we don't have
any movements.

[Mireya]
What the [bleep] is that?

How about Russ in zone one?

Pickin' up anything at all?

-[David] Dead quiet.
-Russ, are you still hearing

the wood knocks there
in your position?

[Russell] Negative, Ronny.

I'm making my way
towards where

I heard them coming from.

Copy that.

-[beeping]
-Oh, my sensor

just got triggered.

Hey, Mireya,
we just had a sensor

get triggered in zone three,

right where we spotted
that thermal signature

a few minutes ago.

[Mireya] Copy, Ronny.

[twigs snapping]

[cameraman speaking]

[twigs snapping]

[Mireya] Hey, whatever
that is, it is really close.

Something is still
moving towards me.

And I don't see anything
through my thermal.

[David] Reya? You need
to be extremely careful.

Whatever it is,
it is really big.

[suspenseful music playing]

[whispers] There's something
right over there.

Oh, what's that?

Right there.

I can't tell.
I can't make it out.

[Ronny] I think it's still
there behind that tree.

Zooming in.

[Ronny] It's still there.

Oh, my God.

Look at it.

It knows we're watching it.

[wood knocking]

[suspenseful music playing]

[Mireya] Ronny,
it's getting closer.

[Ronny] Mireya,
it's hiding behind a tree.

But we still have
eyes on the area.

If it moves, we'll see it.

It's widely believed

that Bigfoot
are tree peekers.

They'll use the trees
as a way to stay hidden

and peek behind them.

So, for me
what we're looking at

on the thermal is a Bigfoot.

[David] Batteries critical.

Battery fail safe.

We're gonna have to land now.

-[Mireya] Ronny?
-Hey, Mireya, hang tight.

We're trying
to recharge the drone

but it's gonna be
about 30 seconds

before we can get
another one over there

-to take its place.
-Copy that, Ronny.

So, that means right now there
are no eyes above my zone?

-That's correct.
-Oh, God.

I'm gonna head down there now.

Hey, Mireya, hang tight.

I'm heading down
to your position now.

[Mireya] Copy that.

We cannot take our eyes

off of this thing.

So, I'm heading
into the woods

to that area right now, to see

if I can catch up with Mireya.

To see if we can
sandwich whatever

this thing is running
in her direction.

I gotta go.

Mireya,
I'm heading your way now.

[Mireya] If you hurry,
we might be able

to corner this thing.

Moving as fast as I can.

Russell, I'm making my way
to Mireya's position.

What's your status?

[Russell]
I'm en route right now.

[Ronny] Copy. David?

Is that replacement
drone in position?

-[David] Yeah.
-[Ronny] You see anything?

[David] No.

[Ronny] Mireya?

[Mireya]
Ronny, I see your light.

[Ronny] Okay. I see you.

Did you see anything?

I should've ran right
into this thing.

I don't know where
the hell it went.

David, how about now?
Anything?

[David] Nothing yet.

[Ronny] What do you think?

[Mireya] I say we stick
around this area

and explore it some more.

Okay.

I don't see anything
on the ground.

[Mireya] Keep looking up.

[Ronny] No sign of something
movin' up here.

All right. So, this
is right about where we saw

on the thermal
but I don't see anything.

There was definitely
something here before.

[Ronny] You think we can get
through, is it too thick?

[Mireya] It's pretty thick.

[Ronny] We're gonna
have to turn around.

I don't think we can go

any further this way.

[suspenseful music playing]

Look at this, Zack.

This is fresh. Right here.

There's another one.

[wood rustling]

[Russell speaking]

Shh.

[cameraman speaking]

Did you see
how that was set-up?

As soon as I touched that,
these things

dropped right on top
of where you were at.

[cameraman speaking]

No kidding. That was
like a booby trap.

Holy [bleep].

Do you see how those two
are laying?

That side of the trail?

This one is laying
this side of the trail.

It's like it was...
These things were pushed over

intentionally
in opposite directions.

This booby trap, so to speak,

if this was put together
by a creature,

it had to have been something
with intelligence,

with intent,
and with a purpose in mind.

It's possible that humans
could've done this.

But realistically
we're in such a remote area.

It's not very probable.

Holy crap.

All right. Be careful
coming through.

Let me see,
here's another one.

Look right out there.

I think that these
booby traps

are created to make a noise

to let whatever
built this know

that something just passed
through this area.

And it seems like
something out here

is laying claim
to this territory.

That is just weird.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Ronny] Seeing anything?

[Mireya] No.

[Ronny] You think we're kinda
goin' off the spot here?

[Mireya] Damn it.

[Mireya speaking]

[Ronny] How the hell
is this thing moving around

without us
being able to see it?

Yeah. I don't know
what to say.

I'm at a loss.

[Mireya] Hey Russ,
I'm here with Ronny.

Are you heading towards
zone two?

Yes, I am. I'm about 10

or 15 minutes out, en route.

[Mireya] Okay. Ronny and I
searched this whole area

and found nothing.

10-4.

Gonna start working
my way back.

It's frustrating
because it felt like

we were really close
to something

and yet even
with all this tech,

the most tech
we have ever thrown

at something out here.

It still eluded us.

[Ronny] As soon as we have
some light in the morning,

we should try this again.

[suspenseful music playing]

[bird screeching]

[Ronny] Looks like we can see

most of the top
of the ridge here

with the sunlight
coming through.

[Mireya] Yeah.

[Ronny] We didn't sleep
much last night.

But we're back out here today

and heading in the direction

where Mireya
last heard it moving

which was up over the ridge
to the northeast.

And Russell's down
by the lake,

searching for any
physical evidence

that may have been
left behind.

[Russell]
Hang on a second, Zack.

There's been movement
through here.

What I'm seeing is deer
and elk tracks.

[narrator] While Russell
examines the area

surrounding the water source,

Ronny and Mireya
have begun the trek

up the ridge
that overlooks the lake.

It is over 900 feet
in elevation.

And there are no
discernable trails

or roads to make
the climb any easier.

[Ronny] It's like
a little razor wire fence

that you have to get through.

[Mireya] [bleep] hell.

As we're moving up
in elevation,

the forest really
begins to change.

The brush just starts
to become thicker and thicker

and suddenly it's basically,
like, getting through a wall.

We're barely moving
here. [bleep]

[suspenseful music playing]

[Mireya] Let me
look through here.

There are some
openings but not big.

Oh, this is interesting. Whoa.

Hey. Hey, Ronny?

[Ronny] Yeah?

I found an opening here

that looks like it's a tunnel.

[Ronny] Holy [bleep].

[suspenseful music playing]

[Mireya] You see that?

This opening looks
like it leads down

to a really long path.

[Ronny] Coming in.

Oh, wow.

I mean, it clearly looks
like something's moving up

through here, right?

[Mireya] I mean,
it's definitely wide enough.

[Ronny] Yeah.

Amidst this very dense
foliage and vegetation,

what catches my eye
is this very open tunnel.

There's not just
an opportunity there,

there's real intent.

And usually those
kinds of openings

are carved out by movement,

-like large animals...
-[Ronny] Right.

-Back and forth.
-[Mireya] moving consistently

-through an area.
-[Ronny] This is crazy.

[Mireya] Look at this.

It literally just shoots down

this path like a tunnel.

[Ronny] And it's all
covered too.

So, if you are
moving through it,

you're not gonna see
what's going up and down.

[Mireya] So, if something
wanted to escape,

it could easily do that.

It's pretty ingenious.

Something was clearly
using that tunnel

to get from the ridge
to lower elevation.

So, tonight we wanna explore
that area with the thermals.

[Ronny] Great find.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
Under the cover of darkness,

the team sets up
a three-tiered watch zone

along the ridge line.

In hopes of spotting
whatever is using

the mysterious tunnel.

Ronny to Mireya.

[Mireya] Hey,
I just got into position.

[Ronny] Okay. Great.
How about you, Russ?

So far, everything in this
wood line right now

is pretty calm.

Even the small animals
will show-up bright.

So, if there's anything
in those trees

that has a heartbeat,

we're gonna see it.

Okay. I'm rolling.

We're getting nothing
right now,

just dead quiet.

Keep your ears open.

Just really stay aware

and listen for any movement.

Can't see anything.

Hey, Mireya, how's
it going up there?

Do you hear anything
on your end?

No, negative, it is pretty
quiet over here.

I've been sitting
still in the same spot

virtually all night.

And I'm not hearing

and I'm not seeing anything.

[suspenseful music playing]

Hey, checkin' in,
how's it going?

[Russell] It is like
a bank vault here,

there's no sound whatsoever.

Nothing.

This plan is not working.

Sun comes up in an hour guys.

I'm wondering if we just
call it a night.

[Mireya] I feel like we hit
a bit of a dead end.

[Ronny] [bleep]
really frustrating.

[Mireya] It's a letdown.

So I am heading back
to the spot

where I was standing
the other night.

Since we didn't get
anything last night,

we're just gonna follow
the path of that tunnel

down into this ridge.

[Ronny] Specifically
in this area,

I don't see too much

but there's still
a lot to explore.

[Russell] Let's see
if we can work our way

back to the trees
on this side.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Mireya]
Without actual knowledge

of what this particular
animal's habits are...

There's nothing up here.

We can only go
by the evidence

that we're finding

and right now it's run dry.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Mireya] The best luck
we might have

is if a piece of hair or fur

got caught on something
as it was walking

through whatever it was.

When it comes
to Bigfoot research,

you feel like
you're hot on the trail.

Maybe over this ridge ahead.

And you're getting so close.

I got nothing.

And you get a glimpse
and then poof.

It's gone.

[suspenseful music playing]

[phone ringing]

[Bryce] Hello?
Yeah, this is he.

Who is this?

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, no we can do
that for sure.

[suspenseful music playing]

So what exactly did you see?

Really?

Are you serious?

That's insane.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Bryce] Just tell me where
you wanna meet.

I'll come out
there right now.

Yeah. Yeah, look,
you have my word.

All right. I'll see you there.

Wow.

-[producer speaking]
-So, I just got a call

from, uh, a logger.

I don't know, he sounds legit.
I wanna hear

what, uh, this guy has to say.

My gut just tells me
that this is important.

So, I'm gonna go check it out.

Eye witness testimony
is a key component

to our investigation

but it's not often they ask
to remain anonymous.

To me? It sounds
like he's afraid

of who might find out
he has this information.

[suspenseful music playing]

I need you guys just to hang
back here for a second,

all right?

[suspenseful music playing]

-[Bryce] Hey, how's it going?
-[man] It's all right.

-How you doin'?
-[Bryce] Good.

Thanks for meeting
me out here tonight.

[man] Yeah, you bet.

[Bryce] So,
uh, I'm gonna record,

but I'm gonna keep you
out of it.

I understand you have
some information

that you would be willing
to share with me.

[man] Yeah.

I, uh, I worked
in the logging industry

and, uh, the company
that I was working for

had just bought some property.

And I was on a crew
that was out there

doing some scouting

and there's lots of thorns,

lots of bramble,
and that sort of stuff.

And like so thick that you had
to crawl under some of it.

And, um, we came out
and there were...

Sounds so weird but...

[man speaking]

-[Bryce] Wow.
-[man] It was, like,

what the [bleep] is this?

[Bryce] Can you
describe the nests?

[man] Yeah.
Um, 8 to 10 feet long

and, you know,
like, 4 to 5 feet wide

and kind of oval.

Wow. That's huge.

[man] They were big.
Really big.

Like, you know,
mostly like green limbs

that had kind of been
woven together.

[Bryce] Someone or something
constructed these.

[man] Yeah.

[Bryce] Hearing
this witness describe

these huge oval structures.

In my mind there's
only one creature

that could've made those.

And that's a Bigfoot.

[narrator] During
their expedition in Oregon,

the team discovered
a similar structure.

-[Russell] What is that?
-[Ronny] Look at this thing.

[narrator]
Which was unlike anything

typically constructed

by animals in the area.

[Ronny speaking]

[man] And then we went
back and we talk about...

We were talking
to the owners and the...

Like, the boss
and stuff or something.

And then this is where
the story gets a little weird.

Uh, DNR or Fish and Wildlife

or someone got ahold
of that story from us.

Then they came down
and then they shut

our operation down.

The DNR, you mean
the Department

of Natural Resources?

[man] I think so, it might...

It was one of those agencies.

I can't remember.

A government agency came in

and basically shut
that contract down?

[man] That's what
it seemed like. Yeah.

My manager said a state
agency shut it down.

And that we're not supposed
to talk about it.

That was pretty much
what he said.

[Bryce] The land was taken
back by the government?

[man] Yeah.

[Bryce] Wow.

I'm blown away.

A Bigfoot nesting site

which led
to a government agency

purchasing that very land.

That's wild.

If I could find
other types of lands

that have been purchased
by the government

then that tells me,
that perhaps

is an area of interest

and I'm gonna look into it.

Crazy.

[suspenseful music playing]

-[Ronny] Hey, Bryce.
-[Bryce] Hey.

[Russell] Hey.

-How you guys doin'?
-[Russell] Frustrated.

-Yeah.
-[Ronny] Yeah.

It's disappointing.

It's been four whole days
since we saw

that thing on the drone.

I know you're tired
and a little bit frustrated,

uh, but I have
some great news.

I just spoke with
a logger who said,

when he was
with his crew mates

and they stumbled
upon what they thought

was a Bigfoot nesting site,

the next thing
that happened was,

the government came
in and purchased that land,

stripping them
of their logging rights.

Whoa.

So, I started doing
some research.

And I discovered another
huge land acquisition

in process by the government.

It's being turned into
protected wilderness,

which means they would have
a massive amount of control

over how that land
is used and restricted.

If that's any indication
that the government

knows what's going on
with these things.

I mean, are we safe
to assume that they maybe

have found nests
in this new location as well

and that's why they've
purchased that land?

Well, I don't know,
but you said it.

They're interested
in that area which makes us

-interested in that area.
-Sure.

And this land acquisition

just happens to be in a known
Bigfoot hotspot.

-Northern California.
-[Mireya] Oh, wow.

-The epicenter...
-Awesome.

of the Bigfoot mythology.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Russell] California has
the highest concentration
of sightings.

This place offers
a lot of history.

A lot of evidence.

I feel my heart that
there is something there.

So, I'm really interested
in this area,

right adjacent
to that land acquisition.

And that is gonna be
our target zone.

It's pristine,
ancient forest.

And I'm extremely
excited about that.

This is gonna be, like,
nothing we've ever
explored before.

Well, look, all expeditions
have to come to an end,

but honestly,
I'm excited with what we have.

with the bones,

eye shine, tree knocking,
thermals,

I mean, this is one
of the most active hotspots

we've ever had on all
of our expeditions.

-I really think...
-[Ronny] Yeah.

there's a group
of these creatures

-inhabiting this area.
-[Russell] Oh, yeah. Yeah.

But it's clear that
whatever was here

has moved on.

Over these last few days,
the activity has just stopped.

So I think our next move
is to just pack up base camp.

And let's get out of here.

-Right. All right.
-Sounds good.

-That's exciting.
-[Mireya] Let's go.

-Let's do it.
-[Bryce] All right.

Come on, I'll help you guys.

There's a pattern
which makes me believe

that this is the right time
to leave this location.

Often times we see animals
migrate in a certain way

because of the environment.

They might use an area
only at a certain time of year

before they move on
to the next area.

So it's likely that
we won't see any signs

of these creatures again
until this time next year.

And that's very often the case
when you're searching

for an animal
that has very specific
migratory habits.

Northern California
is one of the most well-known

Bigfoot hotspots in the world.

I have no doubt in my mind
that this new target zone

will be able to provide us
with the answers

that we're looking for.

To find Bigfoot.

[intense music playing]

[narrator]
Northern California,

home of the giant redwoods
and sequoias.

They tower over a landscape

as wild and untouched
as it was

a hundred and fifty years ago

when Westerners
began to populate its hills.

The place is really
thick and green here,

it's a great place
for anything to hide

that wants
to remain invisible.

[narrator] And Bigfoot
sightings in this area

stretch back even further.

Legends of the Hupa
and Yurok tribes,

tale of a malevolent
hairy wild man

living in these forests,

and terrorizing those
that dare to enter.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Bryce] This is all just
pristine wilderness.

Not a lot of foot traffic
through here.

So, it's all ours now.

[Russell]
We are most definitely
in the best spot.

[Mireya] You can see
how old these trees are.

[Ronny] These have
a definite energy about them.

[Bryce] Bringing the team
to Northern California

has always been
part of the plan.

And why wouldn't it be?

There are more
Bigfoot sightings
in this county

than anywhere else
in California.

[narrator] Humboldt County
alone has had over

a hundred Bigfoot sightings
of various kinds,

including some as recent
as two months ago.

[Ronny] It's amazing country.

[Bryce]
It's here in this county,

that the government converted
a large parcel of land

into protected wilderness,

the most restrictive type
of federal land designation.

And there's currently
a plan to convert

thousands of more acres.

And since we're not permitted
to enter that land,

our target zone will be
a 50,000 acre

swathe of forest
directly adjacent to it.

We've seen evidence
that Bigfoot

has a huge range of movement.

So there's no way its habitat
is restricted

to just the lands acquired
by the government.

So guys,
we'll just set up base camp

a few miles up ahead.

And that's pretty much
gonna be in the center

of our target zone.

So you guys will be able
to explore out from there.

[Ronny] All right.
Let's set it up.

One of the strategies
that I use

during my expeditions
is habituating animals.

That means getting an animal
used to human presence.

Basically the animals
go about their daily lives

the way they would ordinarily

because they're used
to you being there.

And one really effective way
of doing that

is to establish a base camp,

right in the center
of that habitat.

All right. Rods are assembled.

[Bryce] Okay.

We know the Bigfoot
is curious.

So having a base camp
in the woods

over a long period of time,

there's a high probability
that we're gonna get Bigfoot

to come closer and come
and check us out.

So guys,
this is our target zone

and I'm really excited
about it

because of all the potential
right around here.

Well, what's great
is that these forests

are teeming with life,

and there's not
human encroachment,

there's not hunters coming in.

And as far as habitat goes,

this forest holds more than
half of the population

of black bears in California,

which means that this area

-can sustain large animals.
-[Ronny] Yeah, right.

-That's great.
-Very comfortably.

-We're definitely
in a prime area.
-[Bryce] Yeah.

I really wanna concentrate
my efforts on following

some of these old
abandoned railroad.

[Bryce] Yeah.

[Ronny]
There's a long history
of a logging industry.

And once they left,
they left quickly.

And they left behind
a ton of old buildings

and these railroads systems.

This abandoned industry
would be like magnets

for Bigfoot activity.

They could actually use
these old abandoned buildings

to hide in these railroads.

Like a pathway, right
through this dense forest.

[narrator] Starting
in the mid-19th century,

the gold rush brought upwards
of 300,000 new people

to Northern California.

This massive population spike

created a desperate need
for homes and supplies,

which created a boom
in the lumber industry.

At its peak, there were
more than 400 mills

operating in the North coast.

These rapid changes
in industry

brought with them a massive
altering of the landscape,

with roads, new structures,
and railroads popping up,

as commerce
in the area evolved

for the next 70 years.

All the railroads

are gonna be level
all the way through.

It'd be a nice little highway

for wildlife or anything else

that wants to move quickly.

Oh, yeah. No question.

[Russell] Man, we got our work
cut out for us.

-[Ronny] Oh, we really do.
-Yeah, we do.

That's a lot of area
to cover too.

I need to get on out of here.

-All right.
-[Mireya] All right.
Thanks, Russ.

-Russ, be safe tonight, man.
-Okay. Yup. Thank you.

-Appreciate it.
-[Mireya] Good luck, Russ.

All right. Let's go set up
those trail cams

-around the perimeter.
-[Ronny] On the perimeter?

-[Mireya] Yup.
-[Ronny] All right.

All right.
Let's start over here.

Here's a good tree up here.

It's our first night at camp.

And typically, you wanna just
get into the forest

and start looking,

but there are things
that you need to do

to establish the camp.

From here, anything that comes
anywhere near our tents,

we'll be able to catch
on this.

[Ronny] That's good.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Russell] I think
this is about the safest way

to move through the night.

That there's enough
surface here,

I can actually
see where I'm going.

Well, it looks like,
I'm not too far

from that old railroad,

look at this cable.

Years ago,
the industry was logging,

but they have train's tracks
that go through here,

finding one of those
old railroads,

will give me a pretty good
flat surface.

Oh, [bleep] look at that.

Wow.

It's the old railroad.

Oh, look how it spans out
across there.

Look at all that...
all that old timbers.

It's a railroad trestle.

Something that used
to have trains go across it,

over a hundred years ago,

used to bear the weight
of the logging industry

in this immediate area.

We're definitely
on the right path

as far as staying
on these old railroads.

And that's what
I wanted to do.

But not only that,

it's an old railroad trestle

where we discovered
the footprints last year

in Washington State.

Holy [bleep].
Look at the size of that.

That's a really big print.

It could be a coincidence
but now that I found it,

I'm just gonna follow it.

Here we go. A little spot
to get down here.

Wait a second.

That's kind of odd.

What would push this down?

See those?

It's been pushed down
to go across the road here.

And that's green.

So it's not, like, uh,
it grew that way.

All the other trees
are growing straight up.

This little bad boy
has been pushed

to go across the road.

That is interesting.

I found some things
that really make me question

what I'm looking at,
which is really great

for an investigation.

Seriously.

Another one that's been
pushed down across the road,

that's the second one
within what?


Holy crap.

Trying to think of
what would push it over.

A deer wouldn't do that.

I doubt a bear would.

What would a bear benefit

from pushing a tree
over there?

It's not like it's digging
for grubs here,

nothing else is dug up.

But these two trees,
see the other one right here,

and this one right here,

they're just pushed out
across the road.

Like, it's blocking you.

I'm no small guy.

I'm over 240 pounds,
over six feet tall.

And for me to be able
to push these trees down

would be extremely difficult.

So whatever we're dealing with

is something large
and massive.

With tremendous strength.

So when you navigate
through these areas,

you have to be extra cautious
because you have no idea

what could be lurking
around the corner.

[dramatic music playing]

[Ronny] My place is,
uh, bunkered down.

[narrator] Ronny and Mireya
are exploring

the immediate area
around their base camp,

using a spiral
search pattern,

expanding out 200 feet
with each pass through.

[Mireya] It's like a whole
other world on this side.

Almost looks, like,
some kind of a den.

-[Ronny] Mmm-hmm.
-[Mireya] Possibly.

[Ronny] Oh, yeah.

[Mireya] In a forest,
there are plenty

of places to hide.

But in this forest,

when those trees fall,

they create nearly
a basement underneath them,

where some of these spaces
are taller than I am.

Anything large
could definitely hide
under there.

I just can't get over how many
little underground spots...

-[Ronny] Hmm.
-these logs offer.

[Ronny] Big enough
for a Bigfoot too.

The witness
that Bryce spoke to,

said that the government
took over the land

because they found nests.

For us, aside from finding
an actual Bigfoot

nests would be
a primary objective.

[Mireya]
You definitely see why

if something was trying
to remain hidden,

-they'd build nests up here.
-[Ronny] Yeah.

Traditionally nests
give us a lot of information.

Nests were in fact
the only way

that we could learn anything

about Western lowland gorillas
in the wild

before we were able to make
visual contact with them.

From the DNA
extracted from a nest,

you can tell what animal
has been there,

how many of them,
even the relationships

of the animals in that group.

If we're able
to find their nest,

then we know we're close.

[suspenseful music playing]

There it is.

That old bridge is amazing.

Wow, that thing is old.

I wanna get up
on this plateau here.

If I can move freely up there,
so can the animals.

[narrator]
Four miles from Ronny
and Mireya's position,

Russell is continuing
to travel

along the abandoned railroad

he discovered the day before.

For me I've been trying
to find these old railroads

or the train tracks,
to find clues and signs

of anything that crosses over

or actually uses
that easy path.

Wow, even the rail
is still here.

I wouldn't say this thing
has been decommissioned

a hundred plus years
but it's been a long time,

long enough for nature

to come back
over the top of it.

But it also makes me wonder,

what else would use
this bridge.

I'm willing to bet
that I'm not the first person

to be on this bridge
or the first creature.

[suspenseful music playing]

This is the perfect
environment for something

that wants to remain unseen.

I can cover a lot of ground
and see a lot of territory.

But it also gives me a chance
to get from one ridge line

to the next unnoticed.

Look.

Look at this.

If you look at this,
something flat with a pad

made this impression
on the soil.

And it's on this
little trail here.

I'm gonna come
and walk parallel with it

and see if I can find
anything else.

There's a flat spot right here

just on the other side
of that rail.

You see it's pressed down
and it pressed all the leaves.

And these pine needles
around it

whereas a hoof
will just drive in

and not cover that much
surface area.

See you have one,
stepping over the rail, two.

I found a trail that steps
off the railroad.

Something with a flat foot,
not a deer,

had actually made this
big impression,

right there
beside the tracks.

So I had to continue.

Oh, here we go.

Look at this hillside
right here.

All this dirt's been
laid over.

Something is making
a lot of disturbance
in the soil here.

And that is not a hoof print
and it's flat.

As it went down
on the side of the hill,

it literally looked like
it was side hilling.

It made the same
flat impressions

down this trail.

Doing the side hilling
is indicative

of what us humans would do

or something on two feet
would do.

Bipedal stepping
so that you don't slip.

That's pretty exciting.

Because what I'm looking for
doesn't have hooves.

It's got a flat foot
like you and I.

We've heard it.
See what else we can find.

[suspenseful music playing]

The one similarity
that I would say

I've noticed right off the bat
with this forest

compared to the other ones
that we've been at

is that dead silence.

It just seems to be
very quiet.

You don't really hear
much wildlife.

Or you think
you would be hearing

a lot more birds and movement.

It definitely has that
eerie quiet vibe to it.

-[growling]
-Shh.

Did you hear that?

[growling]

Do you hear it?

Right there?

[Mireya] Ronny,
that sounds like an animal.

That is weird.

[suspenseful music playing]

Do you think we should head
towards the sound?

[growling]

Can't tell if it's coming...

It's like coming
from every direction.

As we're walking
down this trail,

I start to hear what sounds
like a large animal.

But the wind is picking up,

there are lots of sounds
that the trees are making,

and it's all very difficult
to discern

what that sound is

or where exactly
it's coming from.

Let's go this way, Ronny.

Holy [bleep].

Look at that structure
over there.

Oh, wow.

[Mireya] It's like
a little cabin up on stilts.

The sound was coming
from over here.

[Ronny] What the...

Holy crap.

[Mireya] This thing
has been here a long time.

[Ronny] Like, what is it?

As we were exploring,
we uncovered

this enormous structure
built out of redwood trees

and it seems like
it's been around

for at least a hundred years.

Left from the logging
companies?

[Mireya] Probably.

Now see this.

This could be a habitat
for something.

[Ronny] For sure.

[Mireya] Because animals
are so highly adaptable,

they could very much be using

derelict structures like this
to take shelter.

So even though,

we weren't able to find
any nests,

the structure could give us

a lot of that same information

that you can get from a nest.

It's like a horror movie
in here.

God, I keep hearing sounds
coming from that direction.

Shh, I keep hearing something.

[growling]

[Ronny] What are you hearing?
Branches popping?

[Mireya] It's like, uh,
like, a screaming.

[Ronny] What's your thoughts
if we use,

uh, a Bigfoot recording

and see if we can
draw something to that.

[Mireya] Yeah.

The fact that
Mireya heard a sound

right below this area
where the structure was.

We are definitely coming back
to this spot tonight

to investigate further.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Mireya] So I think
if I find a spot

where I can tuck myself away
a little bit,

we really increase
the likelihood

of seeing an animal
moving in the forest.

[narrator] Ronny and Mireya
have returned

to the potential
Bigfoot shelter,

where Mireya heard
a strange sound.

[Ronny] Mireya, let me know
when you're in position.

[Mireya] I'm just getting
into position now.

I'm still looking.

[narrator] Ronny is preparing
to broadcast

a recorded Bigfoot call
across the valley

from a high vantage point
atop a ridge line,

while Mireya will look
for signs of movement below.

I think in here is good.

Hey, Ronny, I'm in position

and I've got
the thermal scanner
ready to go.

Just go ahead
and play the call
when you're ready.

[bigfoot recording playing]

[ominous music playing]

[Mireya] Shh, shh, shh,
stop for a sec.

-Holy [bleep].
-[Ronny] Holy [bleep].

Hey, Ronny,
did you play that twice?

I did not. I think
we just got a response.

[Mireya] [bleep]

He didn't play it twice.

That second one we just heard,
he didn't play.

[cameraman speaking]

That sounds like
it's coming down
from your area.

Holy [bleep].

[suspenseful music playing]