Yeah, I used to crack Big Foot jokes too (I still laugh at them though). That was until I heard not one, but two separate accounts from two different friends. While I myself can be full of crap (and so are most of my friends), - these guys would be the last I would expect to fabricate goofy stories. Both are experienced hunters/fishermen and know the animals of the NW.

Does this mean I "believe" in Big Foot? - hell no, but I don't rule him out any more either. It got me interested enough to do some reading. I fully expected to find nothing but "National Enquirer" material (and yes, there was some that), but found that there might actually be something to it.

In fact, the real question isn't "does Big Foot exist?", - it should be, "is Big Foot EXTINCT?". That's because a dead-ringer for Big Foot actually DID exist!

The largest primate known to science lived in eastern Asia during the Pleistocene period as recently as 300,000 years ago (when the Bering land bridge was open to North America, - hmmm). This gorilla-like critter, formally known as Gigantopithecus Blackii, stood upwards of 10 feet tall and weighed as much as 1200 pounds! While it is not known if Giganto was bipedal, the structure of the jaw and skull indicate that he/it did walk upright. A 10-foot, half-ton "gorilla", walking on two legs, - sounds kinda familiar. Again, this was a REAL animal, - not a guy in monkey suit or some stoner's hallucination.

As hard as it may be to believe, it is at least possible that Gigantopithecus migrated to North America and has survived officially undiscovered to this day. If "Big Feet" are half as smart as believers make them out to be, they would have learned to avoid humans at all costs. A species of this size remaining hidden isn't totally far-fetched considering it's reported nocturnal habits, fear of humans, intelligence, omnivorous diet, and small population spread over thousands of square miles. Think of it this way, what are the chances of "discovering" a squad of Navy Seals given the mission of "disappearing" in the Gifford Pinchot Nat'l Forest?

I don't know what my buddy "Bob" saw cross the road in front of him, or what threw inhumanly large rocks at my buddy "Joe" (interestingly, also up by Mt. Adams). Having heard these stories first hand I will say this, - IF they are full of crap, they could win millions playing poker.

Keep the jokes coming though. Real or not, Big Foot's alway's good for a laugh.

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