Bigfoot + Cary Stayner

I was wondering, is there any Bigfoot? I have known only one person to claim they have seen him (it?), Cary Stayner, ya know the Yosemite Killer? He lived above my parent’s restaurant and worked for the lodge. He claimed that he was camping and this thing walked by and made a loud screech. Supposedly he saw it well and it was about 7’ and walked lamley and did not/could not turn it’s neck. I am not about to believe who is now (maybe was THEN?!) a serial killer, but recently there were sightings up here in WA and footprints on the news. Have any of these findings been proven true or is it another werewolf/vampire science fiction thing?

-J.O.Y

<<Banging head against the wall>>

It is indeed taking longer than we thought.

C’mon, Smeghead, at least make an effort… “Bigfoot”-type footprints are fairly common, and can be explained in a number of ways. The simplest, of course, is that they’re a hoax. Another explanation, especially if the prints are in snow, is that they were originally made by an ordinary animal like a bear, and then enlarged by melting/sublimation.

Certainly, there’s plenty of species on this planet that we don’t know about, but it’s unlikely at best that there’s a large land mammal that’s escaped our notice. Even if they’re smart enough to avoid us, what happens when they die? We ought to find bones occasionally.

I spent a lot of time in the Sierras and neighboring foothills while I was growing up (well, getting older, at any rate), and we used to tell stories about Bigfoot, especially to scare the shit out of the littler kids with us. To my knowledge, however, there has never been any proof that Bigfoot really exists. And I think you’re right in not believing the one source you know…Cary Stayner isn’t the most reliable of witnesses, IMHO.

I know. It was uncalled for. Sorry. I just wasn’t up to arguing the topic, but I had to say something. My bad. Carry on.

What?!? Another Yosemite lover here on Straight Dope? Welcome! We need to exchange Yosemite photos! (But I don’t climb much - I paint watercolors on location, mostly.)

I don’t disbelieve that there might be a Bigfoot, but I agree - Stayner isn’t the most reliable witness.

Waitaminnit…you mean there are folks out there that don’t love Yosemite?? Hard to believe…especially on a summer weekend in the Valley!

I just figured out the truth about bigfoot. A shambling, reclusive figure leaving hugely indented footprints behind - it must be Elvis! He probably started leaving tracks right after that day in '63, just after he had to leave Dallas in a REAL hurry.

In all seriousness, Bigfoot tracks really cannot be dismissed that easily. Those who study Bigfoot tracks say that it’s a mistake to think that Bigfoot tracks are simply enlarged human footprints. Apparently, there are distinct morphological differences that they can use to discriminate between hoaxes and ‘genuine’ tracks. The specifics escape me, but they have to do with weight distribution and the structure of the foot that would make such a track.

As for where they would hide, note that the majority of sightings occur in Canada. Has anyone else here actually seen the Canadian wilderness? About 90% of Canada’s population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border. You could hide the Ten Lost Tribes of Isreal up there, and noone would find them. :slight_smile:

I never said anything about enlarged human footprints-- I said enlarged bear footprints, which would certianly be morphologically different from human prints.

Yes, maybe you could hide the Ten Lost Tribes in the great Canadian north. The difference here is, the Tribes meticulously and religiously bury their dead. I can accept that living Bigfeet might evade human notice, but where’s the dead ones? Even if they do bury their dead (which means that we’re talking intelligence here), doesn’t one occasionally get caught by a predator and dragged back to its lair? When that happens, do all of the others get together and retrieve the bones? It all sounds kind of implausible to me.

By the way, does anyone know what the plural of “Sasquach” is?

There’s a fellow who’s written a book, North America’s Great Ape: the Sasquatch about’em, he uses “sasquatches” for the plural. Not surprisingly, he is convinced they exist. I don’t find it absolutely impossible, but a bit more tangible evidence is needed to convince me.

And I am sure we’ve never been visited by sentient beings from other worlds.