Tall and Very Hairy.
Tall, very hairy and with massive feet! No, I'm not talking about Mr Blue, I'm referring to a certain hirsute beast called Bigfoot.
At the beginning of September, I will be deep in a forest in Alaska, looking for Bigfoot with 3 friends... and a Bigfoot tracker, obviously! Just to reassure you, lovely readers, I am not inebriated whilst writing this nor have take taken any medication which might alter my rational thought process. I really have been invited to the wilds of the Northwest, to try and find Sasquatch. Yippee.
As most of you know, I like a bit of 'odd', so when my friends asked me to join them on their next adventure, I was in.
I have known one of these friends since University in America, and have been green with envy ever since he set up his company 'Believe It', exploring the world and seeking out myths and legends. In his own words:
"I wanted to inspire people to live life like they did as a child. With open eyes and minds the world is a much more fascinating adventure. Covering the areas of paranormal, cryptozoology, extraterrestrial, monsters and folklore, this adventurous group travels the globe in search of mysterious legends... not afraid to ask “what if…?”
I know, a bit loop de loopy but that means I will fit in quite well. I constantly ask questions and query the unanswerable, I'm curious about the world and what's in it. I want to believe in fairytales and love stories, century old legends and ghosts, and the people that believe in these legends have a passion that we rarely see anymore. Wether the stories are believable or not, it doesn't matter... they tell a good tale and I can listen to that sort of passion for hours... and I want to do all of that with lovely fun people. Over the years, this group have sought out Dracula in Transylvania, searched the world for the secret to eternal youth, explored the Bermuda Triangle, investigated paranormal activity and buried crystal skulls in the Mayan jungles of Belize… very Indiana Jones! The trip in September will not only track Bigfoot but we will be hearing stories from Native American Indians about Thunderbirds, Water Monsters and Little People… and I'm sure that doesn't mean Loch Ness and dwarves! And because we will be travelling North, very close to the Arctic Circle, we will almost certainly see the Aurora Borealis, the thing I have wanted to see my whole life.
If I'm really honest, I had a few wobbles when Mike and Diana originally asked me to join them. My first hesitation was the expense and how far it was… it's not cheap flying all the way across Canada and let's face facts, Alaska is actually closer to the Eastern tip of Russia than North America, but once I had figured out money and flights, and with the added generosity of my Uncle in Minneapolis (my stop off point), the tickets were booked.
Then I had worry number 2. Mike told me about our mode of transport… a 24 foot Winnebago, or, as our American cousins like to call them, a Recreational Vehicle or RV. Twenty four feet sounds quite big doesn't it... but when I learnt that passenger number 4 was Brad, and heard a brief description of him, it sounded as if he might be more closely related to Bigfoot than was really necessary. I began to get premature 'sleep deprivation' anxiety. Where was this 6'5', 300lb man going to sleep? In fact, where were we all going to sleep? I asked Mike to send me the layout of the RV which he duly did. He and Diana, being a couple, were obviously going to sleep in the double berth at the back of the RV, which left a platform bed above the drivers seat (accessed by a tiny ladder), or a fold out bed converted from the kitchen seating, under the platform. Dilemma. If I chose to sleep on the platform, I would be up and down that ladder 4 or 5 times a night due to the ridiculous amount of water I drink. Also, I suspected the rungs of that tiny ladder would be like razor blades and would incur some sort of horrendous injury. Taking that all into consideration and with the added problem of me being accident prone, I thought it much safer to opt for the bottom bed. But that has drawbacks too... what if Brad rolls over in the night and comes crashing down on top of me, forgetting he is 6 feet up? What if Brad talks in his sleep or snores like a warthog? These things I have absolutely no control over so for a self-confessed control freak, I am about to enter the depths of my own personal hell!
Driving through the bear-infested wilderness for 2 weeks, whilst sharing a small space with one large man and two normal sized people, will be challenging, but the adventure will be worth it. I will never ever get the chance to do it again, especially with the knowledge of my friends and their incredibly good company.
So, I'm sure the little niggling worries are completely normal. I have three months to get used to the idea... that, or I will resort to alcohol, ear plugs and hypnosis!
Then I had worry number 2. Mike told me about our mode of transport… a 24 foot Winnebago, or, as our American cousins like to call them, a Recreational Vehicle or RV. Twenty four feet sounds quite big doesn't it... but when I learnt that passenger number 4 was Brad, and heard a brief description of him, it sounded as if he might be more closely related to Bigfoot than was really necessary. I began to get premature 'sleep deprivation' anxiety. Where was this 6'5', 300lb man going to sleep? In fact, where were we all going to sleep? I asked Mike to send me the layout of the RV which he duly did. He and Diana, being a couple, were obviously going to sleep in the double berth at the back of the RV, which left a platform bed above the drivers seat (accessed by a tiny ladder), or a fold out bed converted from the kitchen seating, under the platform. Dilemma. If I chose to sleep on the platform, I would be up and down that ladder 4 or 5 times a night due to the ridiculous amount of water I drink. Also, I suspected the rungs of that tiny ladder would be like razor blades and would incur some sort of horrendous injury. Taking that all into consideration and with the added problem of me being accident prone, I thought it much safer to opt for the bottom bed. But that has drawbacks too... what if Brad rolls over in the night and comes crashing down on top of me, forgetting he is 6 feet up? What if Brad talks in his sleep or snores like a warthog? These things I have absolutely no control over so for a self-confessed control freak, I am about to enter the depths of my own personal hell!
Driving through the bear-infested wilderness for 2 weeks, whilst sharing a small space with one large man and two normal sized people, will be challenging, but the adventure will be worth it. I will never ever get the chance to do it again, especially with the knowledge of my friends and their incredibly good company.
So, I'm sure the little niggling worries are completely normal. I have three months to get used to the idea... that, or I will resort to alcohol, ear plugs and hypnosis!
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