A cry in the woods
Ann Marie Reinhart was enjoying a peaceful day’s fishing near southern New Brunswick’s Kingston Peninsula when a sound between a howl and a scream tore through the air. Birds fell silent, she said, in response to the four eerie calls that sounded like they came from two distinct sources. “It was not of any animal I’ve ever heard, and I spent a lot of time in the woods,” Reinhart said, though she had little doubt about the creatures behind the noise. She was among roughly 45 people who gathered at the Irishtown Nature Park in Moncton, N.B., on Saturday to swap stories about purported encounters with Bigfoot. Tales abound in numerous cultures about a large, hairy, apelike creature who lives in the deep jungles or the snow-covered Himalayas. It’s known by many names — Bigfoot, Sasquatch and Yeti among them — and while its origins are still widely considered the stuff of legend, many firmly believe Bigfoot exists.
Tyler Paul, organizer of Saturday’s Bigfoot conference, said he began the New Brunswick Bigfoot Organization two years ago and held its first gathering last year in Sackville. The goal, he said, is to encourage more people to talk about their personal experiences. Paul believes his first brush with Bigfoot came last June as he hiked a woodland trail with his family in Elgin, N.B. “We started hearing this knocking … just this constant, whack, whack, whack, whack,” he said, adding the sounds continued for four or five minutes. “And I was kind of getting a little freaked out because I had the kids there and everything, and gave my wife a little look like, ‘is it really what I’m hearing?’ We believe that we found an imprint on the ground.”
Folklore is filled with centuries worth of suspected Bigfoot sightings, which Leger cites as reason enough to believe her encounters were genuine. Devotees contend it’s not just one Bigfoot who roams the world. There are many Bigfoots (the plural), they say, including families. Despite the stories and sightings, however, Bigfoot’s existence has yet to be proven. Reinhart won by mimicking the call she heard in July. Then after posing for a few pictures with enthusiasts and confessing to feeling hot in the sun, Bigfoot melted back into the woods. Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not, the alleged creature has made quite a name for itself in the Pacific Northwest. It’s no coincidence that the Tri-Cities has been chosen to hold this year’s International Bigfoot Conference from Sept. 1 to 3 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick. Dozens of Sasquatch sightings have been reported in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho — making southeast Washington a central meeting point. The convention will fall on the 50th anniversary of the famous Patterson/Gimlin filming of 1967, one of the most notable pieces of evidence supporting researchers’ claims, which depicts a hairy creature walking upright. Some say it’s a human in a gorilla suit. Others say it’s the real deal. This weekend, researchers, scientists, professors and travelers will meet under one roof to discuss and debate evidence that points to Bigfoot’s existence.
Big foot Funnies:
Bigfoot is sometimes confused with Sasquatch,
Yeti never complains.
Q: Why was Bigfoot doing stomach crunches all winter?
A: He was trying to be the Abdominal Snowman.
Bigfoot saw me today,
I bet nobody believes him.
What does Bigfoot do to keep his glutes in shape?
Sasquats
August 26th Birthdays
1994 – Keke Palmer, 1971 – Melissa McCarthy, 1989 – Danielle Savre, 1970 – Thalia
1988 – Evan Ross, 1992 – Dylan O’Brien, 1960 – Branford Marsalis, 1989 – James Harden