We found Sasquatch.
Kind of.
On our way up to the top of Pikes Peak one day, I spotted a sign (pictured above). I went in to my mental recall and couldn't locate any stories about Bigfoot in Colorado.
Thirty minutes earlier we were standing inside the North Pole, a tourist trap of a place on the toll road up to Pikes Peak. I thought this Bigfoot sign was maybe just a gimmick.
It's not. Turns out, the area around Pikes Peak is pretty rich in Bigfoot lore. You can hear about a good number of Colorado sightings on the Squatch Podcast.
We continued upward and, summited.
Way up there, 14,115 feet above sea level, there's a gift shop. Inside is a ten foot tall Sasquatch. At it's feet are Mr. and Mrs. Bigfoot stuffs. My son, stunned by the massive beast before him, articulated that he wanted a stuffy, so we got it (pictured with him, above). On our way back down, we found the Bigfoot sign again and that's when the fascination for my children was born: they were hooked ever before we even talked much about it.
On the ride home, I told them what I knew.
When we got home, my daughter wanted to know more. She wanted to watch things about Bigfoot. I showed her the Patterson-Gimlin film. Not super-impressed. She wanted more. We then found Squatch hunter shows. She was locked in.
I didn't know we had sightings in Colorado. Did you?
The Mystery
I had always been curious about the quest for Sasquatch. In the same way that I'm intrigued by the stories of lost treasure. Forgotten cities and cultures. Arcane places. Supernatural sites. UFOs. Alien lifeforms. The cosmos. God. The quest for our authentic self.
This is what Sasquatch is for me: it's a symbol. A representation. A metaphor.
Sasquatch is a representation of: Exploration. Adventure. Mystery. A quest. A cabal.
For me, Bigfoot has always been about hidden mysteries. Secrets. Something that happens in the middle of the night, under the cover of night. Out in the woods. Something you have to put effort in to finding.
It's said that: you can typically smell them before you see them.
It's said that: they snap trees way up on the trunk (8-9 feet) on trails to mark territory.
It's said that: they twist tree branches into strange configurations and arches. These could not happen naturally. They're the work of a strong creature with strong hands.
The proofs and sightings are fascinating.
True or not? I dunno.
I do know that this has been a story that has been pervasive in Western culture for nearly a thousand years. Since the 12th century in Europe they called it the "Wild Man".
Truth? I don't really care if there is or isn't actual Sasquatch.
What I'm sure about is: I don't ever want one to be actually found.
I want the search to go on and on and on.
Because what's important is: The mystery. The adventure.
Bigfoot is not an animal.
Bigfoot is an allegory. Embedded in that story is the hidden meanings on how to live life.
There's a Big, Scary World Out There
I know: the world really is dangerous. And scary.
And I know: your kids, my kids, will encounter some of these scary ideas, concepts, and visuals.
I've heard: Bigfoot is scary to the kids.
My response? No it's not. Not if you're actually parenting your children.
Parent them. Flip the script. Educate them.
Try this on them: Son of Bigfoot. My kids are obsessed with this movie. The music is really great too. The big hit song is about finding the light, not being limited by fear and finding our true self.
You can even take them to this amazing place that also furthered my kid's education and made them even more excited about Sasquatch: The Sasquatch Outpost in Bailey, CO.
Inside they have a scavenger hunt for kids. This is exactly the mentality that should be imbued here. Look around, you never know what you'll find.
As it is with everything: it's about how you position it. It's about perspective.
And above all: it's about remaining curious.
Teach your children how to be curious any way that you can. If you want "smart" kids, this is the foundational ingredient: teach them how to be curious.
Go hunting. Go see what you find.
It doesn't matter if you find it or not.
What does matter is putting on your adventure hat and going into the woods at all and exploring.
So yeah: we found Bigfoot.
Kind of.
Or you could say: Bigfoot found us.
"Do we know where the light is the brightest,
Do we know how to clear what the fear is,
Do we know how to feel when we crave it,
Do we know what we are."
- Puggy, "Where the Light is"
from "Son of Bigfoot"
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