Customer Reviews

In Pursuit of a Legend: 72 Days in California Bigfoot Country

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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

The author makes his personal problems and opinions of paramount importance in his book. He seems to hate human beings, horses (or atleast their riders), campfires, and publishers. He does have a realistic view of bigfoot, in my opinion, and his adventures are somewhat drawn out but interesting. He provides abundant details into his personal life which is unusual so his honesty is somewhat refreshing and interesting.

When in doubt, seek for yourself the answers from within the heart of Bigfoot country. We need to thank and respect Mr. Wilson for undertaking such a task and sharing his adventure with us! This book is a great read for anyone who enjoys nature, but even more so for the Bigfoot enthusiast. If you've ever wanted to know the feeling of seeing, hiking and sleeping in Bigfoot country, but have never had the chance too yet, Mr. Wilson's experience allows us a firsthand account. You don't have to have a passion for Bigfoot to just read this story, simply a love for the outdoors is all that is needed. I highly recommend this book!!!

Ken Tambellini ~~

I could not put the book down - read it in one day. It was exciting as well as informative, and educational. I truly felt like I was experiencing this amazing journey in pursuit of Bigfoot right along with the author. This book lends itself well to a sequel that I would truly look forward to reading.

I didn't really know what to expect when I picked this book up and started reading, which may have been good since I didn't go in with any preconceived notions.

I found the book to be thoroughly enjoying, and thought Mr. Wilson did a wonderful job of taking the reader into the far reaches of the wilds in search of sasquatch, allowing one to journey far into the California wilds without leaving the comforts of home.

His encounters with what could possibly be a North American Primate are few and far-between and since this is a non-fiction book, that should be expected. I have spent countless hours in the Oregon wilderness and have never seen one, so I would have been highly suspicious if Mr. Wilson's experiences with the creature were more than what was described in the book.

While I enjoyed the feeling created by the writer, that I was with TA and JT, hiking vicariously through the Sierra right alongside them, I did have trouble with TA referring to his failures as a writer a little too often. Sometimes it was needed to describe his frame of mind, but at others it detracted from the adventure a bit.

I also know by travelling through Oregon's wilderness areas that man can be a destructive force on the landscape. However, I also feel that many more outdoorsmen and women have a great respect for nature than Wilson realizes, and that his contempt for many things human was somewhat misplaced. Many of us have found ourselves in the situation of having to pick up trash in the wilderness left by careless others, but we've also seen other conscientious people doing the exact same thing. At times it seemed like Mr. Wilson felt that he and JT were the only ones with the right to journey into these areas.

Overall though, a good read and one I'd read again sometime.

I had my doubts when buying this book, I really enjoy the sightings type of bigfoot book but this was a pleasant surprise. The day to day description of the author's trips into the wilderness make for very interesting reading! Although he does not use the real names for any locations (to protect them) you still get a good feel for the forest's of California. The story kept me interested up to and including the end with many harrowing moments. I will not give anything away but just take my word for it, if you are interested in the bigfoot/sasquatch phoenomena, this would make an excellent addition to your collection.

While I did enjoy this book, the title is a tad on the deceiving side. The author is very long winded about his stories not getting published. He brings it up almost at least once per chapter. He also is very opinionated about others to the land. I found his hate and brainwashing of campfires offensive. I camp very often and a campfire is the essence of camping. It is truly sad they do get out of hand though.

The instances of him having encounters of Bigfoot are few and far between. There is one chapter that is very revealing and wonderfully written, but overall your basically reading a adventure of hiking book.

It's worth a read, but don't expect to learn anything you already didn't know on the subject.

This is my second draft of a comment on this book. My first was intemperate and combative. I've counted to ten, but that doesn't obviate the problems I had with T. A. Wilson's approach.

On the subject of Sasquatch, the author has a refreshing perspective: open-minded, curious, grounded in physical science yet capable of awe. Just getting into some of these areas yielded experiences that I can tell were very powerful, and he does a good job of bringing the reader with him.

On the subject of... well, everything else, the author is self-important beyond belief. Apparently Wilson is the only human being, out of all 6.7 billion of us, who possesses any sensitivity or respect for Mother Earth. His complaints about the rest of us are a drumbeat through the book. He takes the melodramatic step of changing all the place names, because he doesn't want anyone to explore the same areas - even though all of his trips were on public land, for which the National Park Service publishes maps and issues permits. And, despite a pretty continuous display of wilderness skills, this astonishing mistake on p. 116: "Thunder cracked. I counted to twelve before lightning veined the sky." Can you spot it?

He's also morose. He can't bring himself to stray far from the theme of his forlorn, sputtering career as a writer, and I wore out several of the world's tiniest violins reading about his plight. Reference to one's own life as "Sisyphean"? Check. Description of a banal coincidence as "Jungian synchronicity"? Check. I especially liked the part where he said that having to submit his writing to agents and editors for their approval amounted to "censorship" worthy of Stalin. Good grief, son. Here's the thing: I'm a writer too. And I know that you can get a job, live a grown-up life, and have plenty of time and integrity left over for creative output. Plus, you don't have to have your mail sent to your mom's house.

Get over yourself immediately, T.A. Wilson. Are you hearing me? Imagine that you're Gilligan and I'm the Skipper, wailing on you with my hat. Get. Over. Your. Self. Congratulations on finally getting published, though.