Rocky Mountain Sasquatch
© Florence Cardinal
They inhabit the hidden valleys and shadowed canyons of the Rockies. They drink from icy mountain streams and roam the dim reaches of the forests and perhaps even the snowy-crowned crests of the mountains.
People call them by many names - Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti. Some people believe they are creatures invented by myths and legends, the fantasy creatures of overactive imaginations.
I believe they exist. Hundreds of random sightings offer proof of this. Sasquatch fascinates and frightens campers and adventurers Reports of these giant hairy creatures stretch back into the early 1800s, and even before that, the Native Americans told stories about them. One article claims they have been around for over 6000 years and are the descendents of a species of animal.
Sightings became more prevalent during the 1950s and research began in earnest. But Bigfoot is an elusive creature. About the best proof we have is plaster casts of giant footprints, oral accounts and some indistinct photographs.
< I've never had the privilege of seeing Bigfoot although sightings have been made not too far from my home. Bigfoot was reported near Cold Lake in 1976. I live only a few minutes' drive from Cold Lake. Unfortunately, I've been unable to unearth any more information about the sighting.
In the United States, the most common name for the creatures is Bigfoot. Canada prefers Sasquatch. They are reported to be tall - perhaps eight feet or more and weighing close to 500 pounds. They are covered with reddish brown or black hair. Some people who have had Sasquatch encounters report a terrible stench associated with the beast, like a mixture of dirt and excrement. This may well be true. Many large animals have a strong smell.
Many of the sightings might have been better documented, but these creatures produce an overwhelming fear in many who see them, so rather than standing around to observe or snap photos, these people flee in terror.
Bigfoot is sometimes thought to be a relative of the mountain gorilla. No one knows for sure just what Bigfoot eats. If his food habits resemble those of the gorilla, then most of his diet is probably leaves, roots, betties, perhaps insects and small animals.
Despite the terror they arouse, there is no evidence of Sasquatch harming a human. Some stories do tell of kidnappings or baby-snatching, but there is no proof any of these stories are true.
Whether you call him Sasquatch or Bigfoot or even, as some do, the hairy ape, I think this creature is a big, shy animal, probably more afraid of man than man is of him.
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