03x09 - Tracks to Hell

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Previously
on Expedition Bigfoot...

[Mireya] What is that?

[Mireya] Whoa!

[Mireya whispering]
Just heard something
really big run past me.

[man] And then the edge
of this clear-cut,
well, I could see

a creature standing there.

I never believed

in Bigfoot,

but at that time
I instantly knew

that that's what
I was looking at.

[Russell]
I see a thermal
on the hillside

[on radio] above you.

This is a little bit

peculiar.

[screeching over radio]

[creature barking]

What the hell?

[Ronny]
You guys just heard
that whoop, right?

[Mireya speaking]

[Mireya speaking]

I just heard something.

[whispers] Hear it over here.

[bleep]

[narrator]
Deep in the mountain forests
of northern California

primatologist Dr. Mireya Mayor

is tracking what she believes
to be a massive animal.

[Mireya] Did you hear that?

[Mireya] Oh, my God. [bleep]

[Mireya] Stay still.
Stay still.

[bear grunting]

[exhales]

Hey, Mireya. How you doing?

[Mireya on radio] Ronny,
there's a bear

about 20 feet in front of us.

It looks like
it's at least 400 pounds.

For all we know,

we could be between
a mother and her cubs
right now

[on radio] This could be
incredibly dangerous.

[Mireya] Okay, guys,
stick close by me.

Walk away, but be cautious.

[Mireya speaking]

[Ronny on radio] Be careful.

[Mireya] I'm slowly making
my way back to your position.

[Ronny] There's no reason

to risk our safety out
in the middle of the dark
when we have bears

running around.

Okay, I'm gonna start
heading back too, Russ.

On my way out.

So we're pulling the plug

on this sound trap
so we can reconvene
and come up with a plan.

[Ronny] Hey, man.
So you had some

weird thermals behind me--

[Russell] Damn, that was some
really crazy stuff tonight.

When I first saw you
on that hillside,

there was nothing.

But directly above you,

in the trees, I saw red heat.

So it was like it was
kind of using the tree
to... to stay away from me.

[Ronny] Do you think that
was like a bear, or...

[Russell] I don't think so.

Whatever it was,
it was way bigger than a bear.

-[Mireya] Hey, guys.
-[Russell] Hey.

-[Mireya] That got
my adrenaline going.
-[Ronny] Yeah?

I mean, we were definitely
hearing... something.

Sounded like a whoop.

-Like, almost like a dog bark.
-[Russell] Right.

Right.

[Ronny] And to me,
it sounded like it was coming
from the river bottom.

So I think tomorrow, Mireya,

you and I should go down there
and check that out.

Yeah, before I leave
the area too,

I'm only about, maybe,
a half mile from here.

-Right.
-[Russell] Tomorrow, I want
to go back on that hillside,

and I'll be able to come back
to where I saw that thermal.

[Russell] I wanna see if
there is any clues
on that hillside,

from footprints, to hair,
to anything.

So, I'll follow up on that,

and I'll get back
with you on it.

-Yeah, let us know.
-Yeah.

[Russell] You guys be careful.

-[Ronny] You too, man.
Stay safe.
-[Mireya] You too, man.

Ronny, was right in the center
of that hillside.

[narrator] Russell Acord
has returned to the site

of their investigation
the night before.

He hopes to find clues
that explain the anomaly

he spotted
on his thermal scan.

[Russell]
You see where you have

that light, tanned stump?

Ronny was right there.

I want to physically
walk over there.

But I think, before I do that,

I want to actually
look at it with a scope.

So I want to be able to go

exactly to that spot
where I saw
that thermal imaging.

[Russell]
At first it looked like

it was in a tree above Ronny.

But if you look,
there's a hillside behind it.

And I'm more interested
in maybe seeing

if what I was seeing
was behind that tree
on that hillside.

Let's see...

if I can find some answers.

[narrator] As Russell makes
his way to where

the anomaly was recorded,

Bryce Johnson has a lead
on a cache

of rare and unique articles

that may shed light
on Bigfoot's

presence in this region.

[Bryce]
We were initially drawn
to this target zone,

when we learned
that the government
was acquiring land

known for Bigfoot activity.

But look,
we're in northern California,

a hotbed of Sasquatch sighting
going back decades.

So I'm meeting
with Jim Garrison,

head of the Humboldt County
Historical Society,

who has a rare collection
of archival data

that can really help
our investigation.

[Bryce] Hey, Jim!

-[Jim] Hey.
-[Bryce] How are you?

-[Jim] Good.
-Good.

-Hey, thanks
for taking the time.
-You bet.

Cool. Well, I'm really excited
to speak with you today.

[Bryce] So, Jim,
Humboldt County

is sort of the birthplace
of this legend of Bigfoot.

It absolutely is.

And I found a lot
of great stuff in the 1950s.

-Yeah.
-You know, when this guy,

Andy Genzoli...

And he was a local
newspaper guy

who had coined
the term "Bigfoot."

Right.

And he wrote about it,
probably, I think

for the rest of his life.

And he was a huge part
of getting the word out.

This was central to people

-knowing about it.
-Yeah.

And the story spreading
and becoming as big
as it is today, I think.

Jim went through dozens
of articles about Bigfoot
sightings in this area.

Well, I found a lot
of really neat things that...

[Bryce] And many of these
I'd never even heard about,

like where a Bigfoot
stalked three children
in 1957.

I love this one,
it's an article...

[Bryce] And in 1958,
two men saw a Bigfoot
in a construction camp

and used a wooden cage
to try to capture it.

[Jim]
Apparently still alive...

[Bryce] There were mentions
of behavior that we've
come to know

that are associated
with Bigfoot.

Like the time
a group of hunters
were chasing a Bigfoot,

when it let out
a high-pitched scream,

and then just disappeared.

And then there
were some articles

that were more unique
to this area.

Like the one
about a man in 1967

who was exchanging
food with a Bigfoot,

and watching him
hunt and fish.

For me, I...
I really do think that

eyewitness testimony
does bear some weight.

[Bryce] But then

Jim told me a story
that really stood out to me.

[Jim] There's one
that I wanted to talk
to you about.

It's an oral account

about someone walking
home on a trail,

through the woods,
by themselves.

They're showered with pebbles.

And they think,

"Well, there must be
somebody messing with me."

[Jim]
And so they spin around

and there is,
what we would call, Bigfoot.

[Russell]
Something moving up there.

And this thing,
when it's spotted...

[Russell] Right there,
right there.

[Jim] ...he says it drops
to all fours,

turns into a bear,

and runs away.

[Russell] See it?

[Russell]
That's a black bear,
right there.

[Bryce] Turns into a bear?

Yeah.

Really interesting stuff.

[Bryce] I have to admit,

hearing Jim tell that story
has me pretty shaken.

Just last night, the team

had something, that definitely
wasn't a bear, cornered.

And then from out of nowhere

a bear suddenly just appears.

There are stories
of shape-shifting monsters

that appear
in Native American legends
going back hundreds of years.

So the question is now...

are we dealing with a bear?
A Bigfoot?

Or something
even more powerful

that is really beyond
our comprehension?

I think I'm gonna drop down
and kind of get
into this stuff.

I need to get into
that opening where I can see.

There's just too much...

growth here
to see beyond it.

Seeing this black bear,

and the size of this thing,

it's not as big
as what I saw
in that thermal.

I want to get to this space

and see if there's
any kind of evidence

to give me the clues
as to exactly what I saw.

Okay, from right
where I was last night
with that thermal

and that tripod sitting there.

I can see the hillside
where Ronny was.

And I'm directly on this bank.

That would put me over
where Ronny is sitting.

And there is nothing here.

This is exactly where
that thermal was coming from.

And if I put that tree
right between the two of us

you're not going
to see me at all.

That's why I was getting
such a spotty thermal
that disappeared.

And it was keeping those trees
between... me and it.

Just to stay out
of line of sight,
regardless of the thermal.

Always remaining hidden.

But I do want to work
my way sidehill around,

and get down
into this stuff down here.

Maybe we'll...

find a little bit more
of what I'm looking for
down there.

There's a couple of pits
right here.

And it drops down
maybe 12 feet.

Whoa!

[cameraman 1] You okay, Russ?

[cameraman 2] Russ?

[bleep]

[Russell] This terrain
is very, very steep.

A lot of this undergrowth
that has come over top of it,

if you put
your body weight on it,
and it doesn't support you,

you could drop down

quite a few feet,
and injure yourself.

[Russell] If I slipped

on this log,

you're talking 12,

If I get injured here,
medical attention is a long
ways away.

I need to make sure
that each step I take

will support my body weight,
and allow me

to get through it safely.

[breathing deeply]
I don't like that.

That's a long ways down.

And it's slick.

But I want to make my way
up this hillside.

This hillside's

is so steep,

and so uncertain in the...

The footing is just...

treacherous.

Once we get
on the top here,

we'll traverse along
the skyline there,
and see what we can find.

[Mireya] Oh, boy.

Damn, they're slick.

[narrator]
Four miles to the southwest,

Ronny LeBlanc
and Dr. Mireya Mayor

are investigating
a mysterious sound

they heard during
last night's investigation.

[Ronny]
I'm wondering if that...

those sounds came
from around this area,

or more over here.

[creature barking]

What the hell...

[Ronny] Last night,
when we used the call blaster,

we got a response.

It was terrifying
and it sounded really close.

I don't know what this was,
but it wasn't a bear.

So today we're gonna go out,
check out the waterways.

Look for any sign

of what caused that sound
that was heard.

Definitely some tracks
right here.

Really small prints,
definitely you can see

it's all disturbed.

[Ronny] And it looks fresh.
Could be a deer.

[Mireya] Look at this.

-We've got some
big bear prints here.
-Oh, yeah.

-[Mireya] Look how heavy
and big that is.
-[Ronny] Mmm.

Definitely sunken in.
Tell you that thing is heavy.

[Mireya] Yeah,
that's a big bear.

[Mireya] One of the challenges

in looking for an animal
whose behavior
you don't really know,

is that it can be very easily
confused with the behavior
of other animals

that we do know of.

What we're seeing in this area

is that a large animal
was definitely moving
through here.

And based off my own
encounter last night,

I know there was a bear.

[Ronny]
Oh, wow! Look at this.

Too shallow?

[Mireya]
Yeah. Too shallow.

[Ronny]
Not big enough for a Bigfoot.

[Mireya] Why don't we play
the vocalization here.

We're close enough
to where we actually heard

that vocalization
and we got that response.

It means this is a good
open area.

And we're right by the water.

Where a lot of animals
are coming through here.

What I really loved
about this particular
vocalization is that

We captured in this very spot.

Normally, we bring
in a vocalization
from a different area.

I never have high hopes
with those.

But when you record a sound
in a forest, you know that

something here
made that sound.

And so the chances of getting
some kind of response

are just gonna
be a lot higher.

[howling on radio]

[howling on radio]

[twigs snapping]

[Mireya speaking]

I heard something snap
over there.

[Ronny]
That was a knock.

It's widely believed
that Bigfoot will communicate
via wood knocks.

And it's a way
of casting a sound
over vast distances.

And the theory
behind all this is that

they're actually communicating
with other Bigfoot
that are in the area.

So when I hear something
like a wood knock

in the middle of the forest,
and we're the only ones here,

there's only one thing
that does that,
and that's a Bigfoot.

[wood knocks]

[wood knocks]

Ronny and I played
the vocalization
several times.

First we weren't hearing
anything, but suddenly
we heard

what sounded like
two pieces of wood
knocking together.

Ronny is convinced
that this is what
Bigfoot researchers

refer to as "wood knocking."

And that Bigfoot
was actually making the sound.

But in this case,
I'm not jumping
to that conclusion.

We need to go and investigate

and see what made
that sound.

[wood knocks]

-[twig snaps]
-[wood knocks]

[Mireya speaking]

[wood knocks]

[Mireya whispering]
Ronny!

[Ronny whispering]
What's wrong?

Holy [bleep].

[distant howling]

[leaves rustling]

[Ronny speaking]

[Mireya speaking]

I'm not sure
that we're on

the trail
of what we were hearing.

Like those sounds,
where they were coming from.

It felt like the last sound
we heard

-was right by the water.
-Right.

[Mireya]
And then we started
coming in--

But I'm not getting the sense
that we're

-on the right path
anymore.
-[sighs]

[Mireya]
That's two nights in a row
hearing activity

from the river area.

First a bark
and now these
knocking sounds.

I don't know what's causing
those knocking sounds,

but something is definitely
happening down by the river.

Let's keep looking.

[birds tweeting]

[Russell] Yep.

But I wanna make
my way up this hillside.

It looks just about
straight up.

It's gonna be difficult.

[narrator] Eight miles north,
survivalist Russell Acord

is hiking up a steep ridge.

As he continues searching
for clues as to what created

the strange thermal signature
he recorded.

[Russell speaking]

Something was on
that hillside.
I wanna know what it was.

There has to be more to it
than just a thermal.

Something doesn't make
that much heat...

without a heart
beating in its chest.

Actually, this is nice!

This really opened up.

I think I can get down
this railway quite a ways.

Whatever it was that made
this thermal trace...

would have to know
this hillside
tremendously well.

Going through this,
I'm making a ton of noise.

And it's difficult for me
to traverse around a lot
of this deadfall.

Whatever that was,
it moved pretty fluid,

and got out of my line
of sight.

And I didn't hear anything
as it exited that area.

There's a lotta,
lotta traffic down the center
of this old railroad.

Ah, look at this!

This is nice.
It's, uh,

secluded. Private.

You drop down into this.

And you've got

four or five feet of bank
that you can use as cover.

If I'm being hunted
by something on the bank,

and I wanna hide quickly,

this is the perfect place
to go.

You've got so much separation
between you and whatever's
above you.

What better protection
than these earth walls
around you?

It's soundproof.

It's foolproof from thermal.

That looks like
toe impressions.

Let me get some of this
debris out of here.

It's partial.
So I won't be able to tell
the whole length.

But that looks an awful lot
like a footprint.

This would be a left foot.

With the big toe
being here.

But only seeing three toes.

It's long, narrow,
same shape as a foot.

There's too much debris.

There's just not enough detail
to actually cast a print.

But it leads me
to start thinking that

definitely on the right
path here.

This is something
I definitely wanna follow.

And get back
on these tracks,

and see if I can get a good
impression up here as well.

It seems like it's using this

same railway
that I'm on right now,

to cover a lot of ground.

Now I've been following
these railroad tracks
ever since we got here.

And they're a great pathway
because they're fairly level

they get us over the ridges,
and it's just
pretty comfortable.

Whatever made that track
might be using these

same railroad tracks
to get through here.

Something with a flat surface
literally stepped
off the tracks

and came back up.

You can see one,
two, three.

Three impressions
right back up on these tracks.

This is something large.

And heavy.

This platform,
this sub-ground,

is extremely compact.

And it's meant to bear
a tremendous amount of weight.

So something walking
along the side

that puts that much pressure
on these surfaces

and digs into the ground
that deep,

has a lot of weight
to it.

Something big
is using these tracks.

The only thing I can do
right now,

is keep following this trail.

We're gonna find it.

[animal howling]

[Ronny]
Where we sticking?

-This way? That way?
-[Mireya] Sticking this way.

See if there's any tracks.

[narrator] Six miles south
of Russell,

Ronny and Mireya are searching
for evidence left behind

by whatever was responsible
for the knocking sounds
they heard last night.

[Ronny] So what'd you think
about last night?

[wood knocks]

With getting that
wood knock response?

[wood knocks]

It was interesting,
'cause I heard it

-it sounded very clear.
-[Mireya] I mean,
I know what I heard.

But I can't assign

-a meaning to it or what
made that sound.
-[Ronny] Hmm.

And it's really difficult
out here because

-we're gonna hear...
there's a lot of wood.
-Right.

And it might be
that something fell

and hit another
piece of wood.

Ronny is convinced
that what we heard were
wood knocks.

That Bigfoot researchers
claim Bigfoot does.

But he's talking about
behavior of an animal

that we have not yet
been able to prove exists.

And that is a very big stretch
for me.

The interesting thing
is that was the same

vicinity where we had that
initial call response back.

Which we used that call,
and then we get a wood knock.

For me, hearing that sound
out in the forest...

[wood knocks]

...knowing that
is a way that they communicate
with one another,

That to me is evidence
of them being here.

The fact that
it's been repeated

over and over again
from researchers

as they're doing wood knocks,
as they're doing calls,

that is the response
they'll get back.

-[Ronny] To me.
-You know what
the problem is?

Is that even with all
those reports,

we still don't have
irrefutable evidence.

What we did get was,
something called back.

-And we have that
on the audio.
-[Mireya] Did it?

It may be that when
we have it analyzed,

it was a bobcat.

-[Mireya]
And that's the thing, like...
-Could be.

...I don't wanna jump
to the conclusion until we

actually really analyze
that evidence.

And then we
can go from there.

And start putting those pieces
of the puzzle together.

[Ronny] I hear where
you're coming from on it.

So I'm on my way to speak
with a Bear River Tribe Elder.

A medicine man.

His name is Hank.

And he said he's willing
to speak with me

about his tribe's
oral history

of their connection
to this creature

that goes back hundreds,
if not thousands of years.

They describe these animals
in their culture,

the bear, and the raccoon,
and the beaver,

and then there's Bigfoot,
in and amongst
the other animals.

So they don't believe
this is just
a mythical creature.

-[Bryce] Hank?
-Yeah.

How are you? Bryce.

-I'm good, yeah.
Let me show you around.
-Yeah. Let's do it.

[Bryce]
So you're part
of the Bear River Band.

Are you what we would consider
a medicine man?

You know, we call 'em yamta.
The word yamta

refers to someone
who's taught the traditional
ways and traditional healing.

-Yeah.
-What's your relationship
to this creature

we refer to as Bigfoot?

Well, what modern people
call Bigfoot or Sasquatch,

we believe
is the Siatka.

It's a race of people
that were here before us.
They're spirit people.

They exist
as two separate tribes
in that race.

There's the Stick Indians.

-[Bryce] Mmm-hmm.
-[Hank] Which are bad
malevolent tricksters

and shadow people.

That are helpful,
and have taught, like,
our medicine people

the medicines,
and the secrets of the forest
and everything.

Now, when you say
there is this tribe
of shadow Bigfoots,

that's very interesting to me.
Because a few of our
team members in Washington,

you know, they witnessed
this shadow creature

walking along this riverbed.

And then it just
sort of disappeared.

-[Mireya] Wait.
-[Ronny] Whoa.

[Mireya]
What was that shadow?

[Ronny] I just saw
a [bleep] shadow,
and it disappeared.

[Mireya]
Well, what the [bleep]
was that?

In our culture
and our tradition,

they walk, like,
in a plane
outside of our reality,

most of the time.

When you see them,
you're catching them
off-guard.

You're catching them,
just like,

being here
in the natural world,
enjoying whatever.

And our medicine people
were said to travel
the same way.

You could walk into a fog bank
or a shadow

and step out in Reading
or Shelter Cove.

-Wow.
-[Hank] Hundreds
of miles away.

I mean, that sounds like
a portal,

for lack
of a better word.

Yeah, it's just bending
the light in the world
around you

to come out
and be where
you wanna be.

[Bryce] Do these Stick Indians
and these shadow Bigfoots,

do they ever interact
with each other?

Have there ever been
conflicts between

the two different tribes
of Bigfoot?

There's traditional stories
of conflict.

Where shadow people
k*lled Stick Indians

because they came
into their territory.

So this strip
along the Eel River,

most people don't know
what makes the Eel River
special to us,

is it flows the wrong way.

Oh, really?

The Eel River
is one of the few rivers
that flows north.

And we say that's because
the Creator made it flow north

to remind us that he could
flood the world again
anytime he wanted.

Wow.

And, so, this area
around the river,

is where the shadow people
stay because
it's a holy place.

[Bryce] The river runs
100 miles through
Northern California.

And most importantly.
directly through
our target zone.

The fact that
Hank describes this as
Bigfoot tribe's territory

has me enthused
because it tells me

we're in the exact,
right location
that we need to be

to possibly prove
their existence.

What types of things
are associated

with these more
dangerous tribes,
these Stick Bigfoots?

They will whistle
at night and lure you.

They just entice you
to go off and do something
where you get lost.

And what happens
when you do, when you venture
off too far into the woods?

You get hurt,
you fall down a cliff
or whatever.

They don't have the same sense
of right and wrong that we do,

so it's like
a little three year old
pulling the wings off a fly.

It's not necessarily
malevolent, it's just
completely indifferent.

This isn't the first
conversation I've had

about Bigfoot
whistling
in the forest.

What surprised me
was to learn that
this might be a tactic

to lure their prey
into the woods
so they can attack.

We need to be cautious
on our investigation.

I don't want anyone
on our team to get lost,
hurt or even worse.

One thing to remember
is they are absolutely
not afraid of you.

Yeah, an encounter
like that can be terrifying
for a person.

They have absolutely
no fear of you.

There's absolutely
nothing you can do
to hurt them.

[Ronny] Which way?

As long as we stay
along the river
or next to it.

[narrator] Back
in the target zone,

Ronny and Mireya
have continued
their search

for the source
of the knocking sounds
they heard.

They've made their way
one mile upstream.

[Mireya whispering]

[Mireya] Shh.

[tapping]

We can't see as well
in these dense forests
at night

so we're basically
paying attention
to movement and sound

from the understory
to follow the source
of what's making that sound.

-Ronny?
-Hey.

-Does this seem like
the right direction to you?
-[Ronny] I don't know.

[Ronny] I don't like
the fact that we don't know
kind of where we are.

And now my GPS isn't working.

I've been trying to make
little landmarks in my mind
as we're walkin' through.

But everything looks the same.

[Mireya] It's much easier when
you're following a river

but it had gotten dark
and we had to cut up
through the forest.

And once we were in there
we became really disoriented,

and it was really difficult
to make out
exactly where we were.

[Ronny] This is so strange.

Both Mireya and I
have been doing this
for a very long time

and we don't easily
get lost in the woods.

But for some reason
we have gotten
completely turned around.

Not only that,
I can't figure out
why our GPS isn't working.

And no matter
which way we turn,

we can't seem
to find our way
out of here.

[softly] I feel like
we are being watched.

I'm not saying
that it's Bigfoot

but it definitely feels
that kind of, that vibe.

It's like they seem to be able
to have that ability
to screw with your head.

We're so disoriented
and turned around,

I'm actually starting
to feel dizzy.

I'm starting to wonder
if we're being somehow
drawn to this area,

being manipulated
and that would explain
why we are so lost.

[Mireya whispering]

[tapping]

[Mireya whispering]

[whispering] It sounds
like it's tapping.

[whispering] I guess
we're moving,
something else is moving.

[Ronny speaking]

[Mireya speaking]

[Ronny] We could be
right next to the river
but because of these trees

and how dense this forest is,
we could not hear a thing.

And I'm moving
through this tree line

and I keep on
hearing something moving
just further from me.

[whispering] Mireya,
I'm having this feeling
like we're being trapped.

[Ronny speaking]

[Mireya whispering]
I don't remember
coming through here either.

[Mireya whispering]

[tapping]

[Ronny speaking]

[Mireya whispering]

[tapping]

[Mireya whispering]

[Mireya] Oh, [bleep]!

[Mireya whispering] Wow!

[Ronny] Holy [bleep].

[Mireya speaking]

[Ronny whispering]
Oh, yeah.

As we're trying
to make our way
out of this area,

we stumble upon
an enormous den.

I don't think
it's a coincidence
that we've been so lost

and now
there's this
massive den.

This clearly
was something
large enough

for a seven to eight foot tall
Bigfoot to lay down

and easily be hidden
from all of the elements
around here.

[Mireya] Something's
been bedding down in there.

[Ronny] Holy [bleep]!

[Russell] Hopefully,
we get a chance to see
what's been using this trail.

[narrator] High above
the river valley below,

Russell Acord
has been following
abandoned railroad tracks

in search of the creature
he recorded on thermal.

It's weird how the tracks
just stop right here

and go out over that span
and just drop off.

I've been following
this railroad grade all day

and I hit a span where
the rails and the ties
had been removed.

And it felt more like
just an old road.

Watch your step over here.

Be a pretty nasty little fall.

The contour
of these hills
is unique,

with respect that
you could be following a trail
and if you rush,

you could literally
step off a ledge.

down a sheer face.

There's somethin' up here
with us, I can smell it.

Did you smell it there
a second ago?

That was real strong.

That's a strong,
gamey smell right now.

Hang on, hang on,
hang on, just listen.

There was something
out in front of us.

We dropped off
this main trail,
looking for any kind of sign.

We weren't maybe
and I heard something.

Somethin' was moving
and it moved fast
but then it stopped.

And I couldn't figure out
which direction it came from.

The sound was loud
and then it disappeared.

but there was still sound.
It was almost like it was
in a tunnel or something.

Holy [bleep]!

Check that out.

Oh, wow!

Look at this.

[Russell] Look at how far
back that goes.

They just bored this thing
right through the center
of the mountain.

There's literally
a mountain
right on top of it

and they just
blew right through.

Initially walking
up to this tunnel

you don't know what
you're getting into.

This tunnel could go
one of two ways,

is this a way
to get from one side
of this mountain to the other,

and go through unnoticed?

Or are we gonna get
into the back of this tunnel
and find it closed

and find something
inside, hiding.

I have to go in.

Oh, wait a minute.

Look up at these planks
above our heads,

this is the only thing
separating the soil
from all that earth above

to crashin' down
over top of our heads.

That's been holdin'
for 100 years.

I wanna see
how far back
this thing goes.

This thing broke through.

This stuff here
collapsed through
from above.

Through all my investigations,
I always look
for those hiding places,

the caves
or the underground passages
where something can hide.

And this rail tunnel
is the monster
of all caves.

This thing is enormous
and it provides
plenty of shelter.

But it goes straight
into the side
of the mountain

and disappears off
in the distance,

I can't tell how far
this thing goes.

It seems like these beams
are bein' harvested

and leavin'
all the small
planks behind.

Which makes this
really volatile.

Yeah.

This place is just creepy.

If this is not open
on that other end,

whatever's between us
and that end,
we're trapping it.

And we stand
between it
and freedom.

That's not a good feeling.

Watch your step.

[Russell] Oh, man.

Aw, that looks like
treacherous footing
right there.

Where's that breeze?

You feel that?

Some breeze
through here,
look at that.

Ah, check this out.

Look at that.
Oh, wow!

Check out this cave.
Holy [bleep]!

I can feel that,
oh, that's where that smell's
comin' from too, smell that?

This black void
in the middle of this mountain
has my attention.

It's old and it's dark
and it's very spooky.

I need to go deeper.

Oh, look at this.

-Wow! Yeah.
-[cameraman] Oh, wow, you can
feel that breeze, can't you?

[Russell] There's water
runnin' out of it.

You're looking at something

that would provide seclusion,
protection, privacy.

[cameraman whispering]
Where you goin',
are you goin' in there?

[Russell whispering]
Yeah, let's see
how far back it goes.

I'm standing right
on the threshold
of this abyss

and I don't know what waits
on the other side
of that darkness.

I can't tell
how far back
it goes.

[whispering] Look at this.

[whispering]
There's scratch marks.

[breathing heavily]

[whispering] I don't know.

It looks like
it's getting tighter.

[cameraman] Dear God.

Something on the end?

-[bats squeak]
-[Russell] [bleep]
Stay down!

Oh [bleep]!

What's that?

-[cameraman] Oh, dear God!
He's over your head.
-Good!

Oh, my God!

Oh!

Look, look, look,
look, look, look!