A Fascination with Bigfoot

You may have felt it while hiking in the woods or spending time in nature—the sensation of being watched, yet there was no visible confirmation of anything to cause that feeling. Perhaps you’ve seen something moving in the woods, or come across what appears to be an enormous footprint in the mud, or even heard the tree knocks that some say are clues of communication.

Are gigantic, mysterious primates lurking in the woods? Does Bigfoot live here in the Smokies?

If so, where are the remains?

That’s one of the first questions that comes to mind when I talked with John Bruner, the founder of Bigfoot 911 and the Bigfoot Festival in Marion, North Carolina. As a medical examiner for the state of North Carolina, he knows how to balance science with things that can’t readily be explained. He also says he knows Bigfoot exists. He says he came face-to-face with one near Lake James in McDowell County in August 2017. He said it was nearly 9 feet tall, with long, stringy, matted hair.

As for the lack of bodies or fossils, Bruner says, “I’ve done work with body farms,” research facilities where decomposition can be studied in a variety of settings. “And I know it takes two and a half weeks for a body to disappear. They are a smart species. I do think they are animals—they are not paranormal. They take care of their dead like we do, and it does not take long for nature to take care of things. Why do we never find black bears that die from old age? It’s because nature takes care of it.” 

A growing fascination

Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, when it comes to Bigfoot the stories of strange encounters are prolific. Different names, often by region, are equally prolific—from Sasquatch to Skunk Ape to Yeti to Wild Man to Tsul’Kalu (Cherokee), and more. 

There’s a growing fascination today, yet tales of Bigfoot have been around for hundreds of years, with ancient tribal stories handed down. 

In 2018, Bruner got a first-hand look at the Bigfoot fascination. That was the first year of a Bigfoot Festival in Marion that he spearheaded. As he worked out details with town leaders, he thought it would be a success if a thousand people showed up. Estimates of attendance from that first event reach almost 40,000. 

Bruner says 56,000 attended in 2019, and they expected a record-breaking number this year but canceled due to Covid-19 restrictions. Plans are currently in the works for the 2021 event, which he believes will shatter previous attendance records. 

An untamed world

Journalist Laura Krantz has some ideas about why Bigfoot is so fascinating these days. She created the “Wild Thing” podcast (foxtopus.ink/wildthing) through Foxtopusink, a multimedia company she founded with her husband in Denver, Colorado. 

Prior to delving into the science, psychology, skepticism, and evidence surrounding Bigfoot, she thought the creature was simply fodder for tabloids or tall tales around the campfire. But when she discovered that a relative had an obsession with Bigfoot during his career as an anthropologist and cryptozoologist, she had to find out more.

“He was a man fascinated by science and also fascinated by Bigfoot,” she says. “I thought that maybe there was more to this story than we’ve been led to believe.” 

That led her to do her own investigation to create the nine-episode podcast, which has had more than 2 million downloads to date. She’s now released season two: “Wild Thing: Space Invaders,” covering extraterrestrial life and UFOs. 

“I think one of the biggest reasons for the fascination is that people like to think the world is still untamed enough that Bigfoot could still be out there. We haven’t mapped and paved and pruned everything,” Krantz said. That’s one of the appeals, but there’s also the pop culture kitsch, the fun of Bigfoot. “It’s kind of hip, and I’d like to think I have a part in that,” she said.

“Bigfoot represents the non-civilized version of ourselves,” she said. “If we evolved alongside Bigfoot, he took a different path. He doesn’t have to put pants on. He doesn’t have to get up and go to work every day. Bigfoot can stay in the forest and live his or her best wild life.” 

Challenging the narrative

David Bakara, owner of Expedition Bigfoot!: The Sasquatch Museum, in Cherry Log, Georgia, says he believes that “there’s a really large faction of Americans that know there’s something else besides what they are teaching us. Whether it’s Noah’s Ark or giant megalithic structures or pyramids or the Sphinx, there are enduring mysteries that engage people’s minds. There’s a sizable portion of America that sees so many gaping holes in the official narrative. Bigfoot is just one of those things that challenges the official narrative. You don’t have to travel to Egypt to see a pyramid. Bigfoot lives right here in our backyard. It’s something science can’t quite answer and that’s the fascination. People know there’s something else to our planet. They know there’s something else going on.”

Bakara is a member of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, and is involved in researching encounters. He says there are so many people calling him with personal experiences that it would be impossible to get to them all. 

Descriptions of the creatures are varied. “Some are white,” Bakara said. “Some are jet black. Some have a mixture of colors. Some are 6 foot tall, some are 4 foot tall, some are 10 foot tall. They have different builds. Some are like bodybuilders on steroids, and some are tall like basketball players. There isn’t any regional specific physical description. They vary in every state.”

He says one common misconception is that Bigfoot sightings only happen in remote sections of the woods. 

“A lot of sightings happen in people’s backyards or as they are driving home from the store,” Bakara said. “They might be hanging clothes in the backyard, or if they raise chickens they might spot a Bigfoot crawling under their fence with two chickens in their hands.” 

Bigfoot’s helping hand

Bakara believes there are at least 4,000 Bigfoots in North America, but he said he believes the number is closer to 10,000. He says they’ve been spotted on every continent except Antarctica. He’s especially fascinated by reports of Bigfoot sights on New Zealand. “How did they get there?” he asks. “It was never attached to Australia.”

He says some Bigfoots don’t like humans because of the way they mistreat the earth and litter, but he said there are many reports of Bigfoots helping children and lost hikers. 

Will Bigfoot remain a mystery forever? There’s no way to predict that, but many say that if the hunt for Bigfoot encourages families to get outside, enjoying time together in nature, then the idea of Bigfoot is serving a worthy purpose. 

“I encourage people to get out and hike,” Bruner said. “Get some exercise. Spend time with family. You may really like it.” 

Krantz agrees. “One of the things I liked most about putting the podcast together was it gave me a chance to be outdoors and explore the woods. Bigfoot is just an excuse to be out there.”