Backpacking into the heart of California Bigfoot Country, a wildland firefighter and a struggling writer seek evidence of the legendary Bigfoot. They hope to solve the mystery-for themselves if for no one else. An early track find of 21-inch footprints offers as much intrigue as it does doubt. Are they even prepared to believe in the creature that may have left the tracks? And what to make of grunts late into the night and rocks being smashed together? This is their true story unlike any other. It is a side of nature-and mankind-unknown to all but a very few.
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The sticky heat, the intensity of the high-altitude sun as morning waned toward noon, the circling shadows, and the smell of pine and snow melt on the earth were the sensations that affirmed our endeavor was very real now. It was as if there was some gradient I’d passed through, culminating in just this moment when my foot came in contact with this piece of wild earth. Only two nights before, our whole proposal still seemed unreal. But after loading the truck in the morning, driving deep into the mountains, farther from the familiar, the actuality of it churned closer by the degree. To think that it had all come about on a whim. JT and I had been over at our buddy Walter’s house, channel surfing after a football game, when we came across a program about Bigfoot, whether the footage shot by Roger Patterson was real or a hoax, when I announced I was going to look for the creature myself. I didn’t realize it immediately, but the larger question I was asking myself was if there was any mystery left in the world, any wonder, any unknowns. There seemed to be no room for such things anymore.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The quest for truth,
This review is from: In Pursuit of a Legend: 72 Days in California Bigfoot Country (Paperback)
There were 4 things I liked about this book in particular.
1. It is a first hand account that fully captures the wilderness and the difficulty of the terrain. If anyone harbors the idea that searching for, much less finding a Bigfoot (or any other elusive quarry like a mountain lion) is an easy proposition, this book does a good job of bringing the reader into the reality of the difficulties. I liked in particular the chapter where the author backpacks into mountain lion habitat where the vegetation is so dense he cant see anything but the trees surrounding him a few feet on all sides. (Not a position I would want to be in in mountain lion or Bigfoot habitat.) This chapter alone shows how easy it is for a primarily nocturnal animal like a Bigfoot to escape detection. 2. Pictures were included that showed where the Bigfoot related events occurred. These helped me envision the habitat better.(There are other pictures as well of other animal encounters, like an elk that rushes out of the brush and blocks the trail). 3. Personally, I find people who are going against the grain interesting. While mostly everybody else in the world is going one way, doing "A", the two main characters, the author and the firefighter, are going the exact opposite way, doing "B". They are out looking for a potential truth. The writer seems to be driven by a spiritual hunger. At its core, this is a quest book. The most unusual one I have read at that! Both characters have an extreme reverence for nature and this really comes across. 4. Each chapter reads like a small drama onto itself. While not every chapter yields Bigfoot related events (if that is all you are reading for), there always seemed to be some psychological or physical obstacle the characters need to overcome. For example, in one chapter the author falls off a rock ledge and must spend a dark night out in the open. Following his thoughts here--some a little surreal--was entertaining/interesting. Great ending. Whether you are a literal believer or not, Bigfoot takes on added symbolic dimension in the hands of the author. It definitely makes you stop and think about our relationship to spirit and earth.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very engaging read! Defies all expectations.,
By
This review is from: In Pursuit of a Legend: 72 Days in California Bigfoot Country (Paperback)
If you've ever walked into a bookstore hoping to find a book that defies all expectation, then left disappointed because it was all the usual stuff, I recommend you give this book a chance. I think what surprised me the most was it was a first-rate human drama. There's plenty about the search for Bigfoot and I don't see how any open-minded reader could be disappointed about what the protagonists uncover (it'll probably fuel more controversy, especially the final chapters), but the two central characters really move the story along, aided in large measure by the wonders of mother nature. Is Bigfoot her ultimate secret? It may very well be so, but read this book for her other wonders as well--the deer, the variety of birds, the elk, the bears, etc. I found the author's (he is a former college English instructor) description of the wild terrain to be so creative and alive. He seems one of those people with an ability to commune with nature and see things others miss. Most unexpected of all was the rich humor throughout, which springs much of the time from the character's "adversarial friendship." Until I read it, I couldn't understand why fans of Bill Bryson were buying a Bigfoot book. Now, I know. The humor really disarmed me and brought me into the characters lives. It was also a nice contrast to the more thought provoking passages. If you are a fan of adventure, mystery, nature, backpacking, or ever wondered if a creature that we don't know about could exist out in the wilderness, give this book a read.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining travelogue centered around this great mystery,
This review is from: In Pursuit of a Legend: 72 Days in California Bigfoot Country (Paperback)
This is a really excellent book, a great read for a cold fall evening. First-time author Wilson weaves a story of a 72-day jaunt into the backwoods of the California Sierra Mountains and points further north. He and his friend, a firefighter named JT, encounter a strange set of tracks, 21 inches long, that do not appear to be of bears. After JT leaves to fight a raging forest fire, Wilson has several strange encounters on the trail alone, including a strange call in the middle of the night, a dung sample he cannot identify, some strange happenings on the trail and a possible sighting of his own. Wilson's style of writing is comfortable and easy to read, and the book really takes us deep into the territory he is exploring. We can almost picture the trails he takes into the mountains of the High Sierras and the other points he explores. This book is highly recommended even for those who are non-believers. It can be ordered through amazon.com
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