>> male narrator: THERE'S A FRIGHTENING SNOW BEAST THAT'S BEEN STALKING THE COLORADO ROCKIES. >> I'D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE I SAW THAT DAY. >> narrator: EYEWITNESSES CLAIM THAT THE MASSIVE CREATURE HAS A BELLOWING SCREAM AND NO FEAR OF HUMANS. >> THIS THING COMES AT YOU, YOU MAY ONLY HAVE ONE SHOT. >> narrator: THE MONSTER IS SAID TO BE HUNTING ELK AND OTHER ANIMALS IN THE AREA. >> ONE CLAW MARK ON ONE OF OURS HAD DREW BLOOD. >> narrator: NOW<i> MONSTERQUEST</i> LAUNCHES AN EXPEDITION USING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO DETERMINE THE CREATURE'S IDENTITY. >> IT'S UNKNOWN TO ME OF ANY TYPE OF ANIMAL THAT LIVES IN THIS REGION THAT WOULD MAKE THOSE TYPES OF TRACKS. >> THERE'S NO BEARS IN THIS AREA THAT WOULD GO 800 TO 1,000 POUNDS. >> narrator: ALL IN AN EFFORT TO REVEAL THE PREDATOR WHO SEEMS TO BE STALKING THESE MOUNTAINS. >> LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING'S BEEN IN HERE IN THE RECENT PAST. >> OUT LEFT SIDE. I THINK I SEE SOMETHING. ALL RIGHT, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO. >> narrator: WITNESSES AROUND THE WORLD REPORT SEEING MONSTERS. ARE THEY REAL OR IMAGINARY? SCIENCE SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS ON<i> MONSTER QUEST.</i> COLORADO. THIS WILDERNESS PARADISE IS DOMINATED BY THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, THE WORLD'S LARGEST ELK POPULATION, AND SOMETHING ELSE, A LARGE, TERRIFYING, HAIRY CREATURE SAID TO PROWL THESE MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS LOOKING FOR PREY. >> I KNOW WHAT THE ANIMALS SOUND LIKE HERE, AND THIS IS NOTHING LIKE I'VE EVER HEARD. >> ONCE I SAW THE TRACKS, I STARTED TO GET THAT FEELING LIKE SOMETHING MIGHT BE WATCHING ME. >> I MEAN, THIS THING RAISED UP OUT OF THE BEAVER POND, IT STOOD ON TWO LEGS, AND LOOKED RIGHT AT ME. >> YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THINGS IN THIS WORLD YOU CAN'T HAVE-- PUT A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION TO. AND THIS ONE OF THEM. >> narrator: EYEWITNESSES REPORT SEEING A 7- TO 10-FOOT-TALL CREATURE THAT WALKS UPRIGHT WITH LONG, MASSIVE ARMS AND HANDS. THE ANIMAL IS THOUGHT TO WEIGH BETWEEN 600 AND 800 POUNDS, LEAVES MASSIVE TRACKS, AND, MOST SHOCKING, IS SIMILAR TO A HISTORICAL BEAST THAT WAS THOUGHT TO HUNT AT SIMILAR ELEVATIONS. >> THERE ARE PERSISTENT STORIES ABOUT MANLIKE, GORILLA-LIKE CREATURES IN THE WOODS. >> narrator: KATHY LELL HAS BEEN A NEWSPAPER REPORTER AND HISTORIAN IN COLORADO FOR OVER 36 YEARS. SHE HAS RESEARCHED STORIES OF THE CREATURE THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY. >> THE EARLIEST DATE BACK TO THE 1880s, REPORTED IN MINING CAMP NEWSPAPERS OUT OF LEADVILLE. COUPLE OF MINERS OUT WORKING IN THE MOUNTAINS. [distant roar] THEY HEARD A STRANGE MOANING NOISE. THEY WENT TO INVESTIGATE, CLIMBED A PILE OF ROCKS TO SEE WHAT IT WAS. >> narrator: WHEN ONE OF THE MEN CROSSED TO THE TOP OF THE PILE OF ROCKS, HE HAD A FRIGHTENING ENCOUNTER. [beast roaring] WHAT HE REPORTED WAS AN INCREDIBLE STORY OF COMING FACE-TO-FACE WITH A LARGE, FURRY CREATURE, A HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST UNLIKE ANYTHING HE'D SEEN BEFORE. >> THE NEWSPAPER DESCRIBED THE FRIGHTENED MINER AS PALE AS DEATH AND FRIGHTENING SO BADLY, HE COULD BARELY SPEAK TO EXPLAIN THE STORY OF WHAT HE HAD SEEN. EACH STORY DESCRIBES HIM SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY. IT'S ALWAYS A CROSS BETWEEN A MAN AND A GORILLA-LIKE CREATURE, TALLER THAN A MAN, MUCH LARGER, LIKE, IN THE 400- TO 800-POUND RANGE, HAIRY, VERY LONG ARMS, VERY LONG LEGS. >> narrator: THE HISTORY OF SIGHTINGS HASN'T STOPPED OTHERS FROM BEING SKEPTICAL OF THE CREATURE'S EXISTENCE. BILL HEICHER, A BIOLOGIST WITH THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE, POINTS TO THE LACK OF SOLID PROOF. >> IF THERE WAS SUCH A CREATURE AS PEOPLE--A BIGFOOT, SASQUATCH, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT-- THERE'D BE SOME PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. THERE WOULD BE--YOU KNOW, WHAT DO THEY FEED ON? WE WOULD FIND KILLS. WE WOULD FIND BONES. WE WOULD FIND--EVEN IF THEY'RE VEGETARIANS, AS SOME PEOPLE CLAIM, YOU WOULD FIND WHERE THEY'RE FEEDING. >> narrator: FOR HEICHER, THE INFREQUENCY OF SIGHTINGS ONLY ADDS TO HIS DOUBT. >> YOU WOULD RUN ACROSS THESE CREATURES ALL THE TIME, OR SIGNS OF WHERE THEY HAD BEEN. >> narrator: BUT IT IS THE ENCOUNTERS THEMSELVES THAT HAVE LED TO MANY BEING CONVINCED THAT THE CREATURE EXISTS. RESEARCHER KEITH FOSTER HAS FOLLOWED SIGHTINGS IN THE AREA FOR OVER 15 YEARS. >> SURPRISINGLY, IN COLORADO, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SIGHTINGS FROM THE INEXPERIENCED CAMPER. THE SIGHTINGS SEEM TO BE BY PEOPLE THAT ARE SPENDING AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME IN WILDERNESS AREAS. AND SO THAT LENDS SOME CREDIBILITY TO THE SIGHTINGS THEMSELVES. >> narrator: FOSTER HAS CATALOGUED OVER 100 REPORTS OF THE CREATURE, THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF WHICH ARE CENTERED NEAR PIKES PEAK, A PART OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGE 50 MILES FROM THE POPULATION CENTER OF COLORADO SPRINGS. THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN ON THE MOUNTAIN AT ABOUT 10,400 AND 11,000 FEET. THEY'RE PART OF A RASH OF RECENT SIGHTINGS IN THE AREA. >> THE TRACKS THEMSELVES ARE VERY LARGE, AND THE STEP LENGTHS ARE BETWEEN 4 AND 7 FEET LONG, AND SO THEY'RE EASY TO IDENTIFY, BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE LEAVES TRACKS LIKE THESE IN NATURE. >> narrator: FOSTER BELIEVES THAT THESE COULD BE THE TRACKS OF THE ELUSIVE BEAST. IT IS HERE THAT<i> MONSTERQUEST</i> WILL LAUNCH AN EXPEDITION TO DETERMINE THE IDENTITY OF THE PREDATOR. THE TEAM WILL HEAD TO 11,000 FEET TO CONDUCT AN AERIAL SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE THAT MAY LEAD TO THE CREATURE'S HIDING PLACE. >> THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO FIND A CREATURE LIKE THIS IN THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING TO IS BY HELICOPTER. >> narrator: VETERAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER PAUL DREXLER WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CAPTURING PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF OF THE CREATURE. FOR THIS EXPEDITION, HE'S SELECTED TWO CAMERAS ATTACHED TO GYROSTABILIZER MOUNTS. ONE IS A HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO CAMERA, AND THE OTHER, THE LATEST IN THERMAL CAMERA TECHNOLOGY. >> WE'RE LOOKING FOR HEAT SIGNATURES LEFT BEHIND BY ANY TYPE OF CREATURE THAT'LL LEAVE A TRACK, AND WE'RE DOING THAT WITH THE MICRON THERMAL CAMERA. >> narrator: THIS ADVANCED THERMAL CAMERA SHOWS HEAT FROM NOT ONLY ANYTHING WITHIN ITS VIEW BUT ALSO RESIDUAL HEAT LEFT FROM ANY RECENT ACTIVITY. THIS MEANS THAT HEAT SIGNATURES FROM RECENT TRACKS COULD SHOW WHICH DIRECTION THE CREATURE IS HEADED AND WILL PROVIDE THE TEAM WITH NEW LEADS. >> UP ON THE MOUNTAIN, WHEN IT STARTS SNOWING, SOMETIMES--SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOT TO LAND AND NOT DIE. >> narrator: THE DANGERS OF FLYING AT SUCH A HIGH ALTITUDE WILL MAKE THE EXPEDITION TRICKY, EVEN WITH A VETERAN PILOT. >> HIGH-ALTITUDE FLYING GIVES US A COUPLE PROBLEMS. ONE IS THAT THE WINDS CAN BE REALLY SEVERE. TODAY WE HAVE A WIND SHEAR. A REGIONAL JET ALREADY REPORTED LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE, WHICH WILL EQUATE TO A LOT OF TURBULENCE FOR US. THE OTHER ISSUE AT HIGH ALTITUDE IS THAT WE HAVE LESS AIR, LESS AIR MOLECULES, AND SO IT MAKES FLYING MORE DIFFICULT. WE HAVE TO PUSH MORE AIR, USE MORE POWER. WE HAVE LESS RESERVES. >> narrator: THE TEAM WILL BE FLYING ABOARD A WESTLAND GAZELLE HELICOPTER, WHICH IS CAPABLE OF GREAT MANEUVERABILITY, EVEN AT THIS ALTITUDE. >> WE'RE ABLE TO GET RIGHT DOWN INTO THE ACTUAL--WE'LL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW ANYTHING THAT WE CAN FIND OUT THERE. WE'LL BE ABLE TO STAY WITH IT. IT'S GOT THE POWER TO BE ABLE TO HOVER AND LEAVE US THERE. >> GO AHEAD. [helicopter blades whirring] >> narrator: AT 8,000 FEET, THEY START TO FEEL TURBULENCE. >> narrator: AS DREXLER SCANS THE WILDERNESS BELOW, HIS ONLY PROTECTION FROM THE WIND AND A FATAL FALL IS A HARNESS. THE TEMPERATURE IS DROPPING, ADDING ANOTHER ELEMENT OF DANGER. >> narrator: THE TEAM HEADS TO SOME OF THE AREAS WHERE TRACKS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN THE PAST. >> IT LOOKED AT ME, AND IT KNEW I WAS THERE. >> narrator: JEFF DYSINGER HAS BEEN A PROFESSIONAL GUIDE IN THE AREA FOR OVER 15 YEARS. WHILE SCOUTING FOR ELK, HE SAYS HE CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE CREATURE. >> I HIKED UP TO WHERE I THOUGHT THE ELK WOULD BE. SO I ENDED UP SITTING ON THIS HIGH SPOT THAT OVERLOOKED A DRAINAGE. I HEARD A BUGLE DOWN BY ONE OF THE BEAVER PONDS. SO I REALLY--YOU KNOW, I WAS REALLY FOCUSING ON THIS SPOT INTENTLY, AND... AND THAT'S WHEN I SAW IT. I MEAN, THIS THING RAISED UP OUT OF THE BEAVER POND, IT STOOD ON TWO LEGS, AND LOOKED RIGHT AT ME. NOW, I WAS ABOUT 200 YARDS FROM IT. I GOT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU; MY FIRST THOUGHT WASN'T, YOU KNOW, "WHAT IS THIS?" OR WHATEVER. YOU KNOW, WITH MY MILITARY EXPERIENCE, MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS, "IF THIS THING COMES AT YOU, YOU MAY ONLY HAVE ONE SHOT." MY FIRST GUT REACTION WAS PACK YOUR STUFF AND GET OUT, AND SO THAT'S WHAT I DID. >> narrator: KEITH FOSTER BELIEVES IT IS NOT COINCIDENCE THAT THE CREATURE WAS SEEN NEAR THE ELK. >> WE HAVE QUITE A FEW INDICATIONS THAT SASQUATCH ARE ACTUALLY A PREDATOR, AND THAT'S A NICHE THAT IS OPEN IN COLORADO. A PREDATOR OF ELK WOULD NATURALLY FOLLOW THE ELK AND HAVE TO PREY ON THEM BUT STILL STAY AWAY FROM THEM ENOUGH NOT TO RUN THEIR FOOD SOURCE COMPLETELY AWAY. >> narrator: FOSTER CONTENDS THAT THE CREATURE MIGRATES WITH THE ELK THROUGHOUT THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGE. HE SAYS THAT THIS IS WHY THE TRACKS APPEAR TO MOVE SEASONALLY. HOWEVER, TO DATE, NO SOLID RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE. >> THEY'RE VERY INTERESTING, TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF SIGHTINGS THAT HE'S BEEN ABLE TO DOCUMENT. CHRIS MARKISON IS G.I.S. MANAGER FOR PUEBLO COUNTY, COLORADO, AND WILL THE SCIENCE OF COMPUTERIZED MAPPING CALLED THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM, OR G.I.S. IT WILL ALLOW THE TEAM TO CLEARLY SEE SIGHTING PATTERNS. >> WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO WITH G.I.S. IS TO TAKE COMPLICATED AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION, ESSENTIALLY IN DATABASE FORM, AND PROJECT THAT IN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL VIEW OR IN A MAP-BASED VIEW TO ALLOW US TO DO INFORMED DECISION MAKING AND IDENTIFY GEOSPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SEEMINGLY DISPARATE OBJECTS. >> THERE IS A HISTORY IN COLORADO OF DIFFICULT-TO-DETECT SPECIES. SPECIFICALLY, THE GRIZZLY BEAR AND THE WOLVERINE ARE TWO ANIMALS THAT HAVE CONSISTENT SIGHTING REPORTS, BUT IT'S BEEN VERY DIFFICULT TO DOCUMENT THEM. >> narrator: WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST BILL GIVEN KNOWS IT IS DIFFICULT TO TRACK EVEN KNOWN SPECIES IN COLORADO DUE TO THE SCOPE OF WILDERNESS AREAS. HE HAS BROUGHT ANIMAL DATA FROM THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE THAT WILL BE COMPARED AGAINST THE DATA OF THE SIGHTINGS AND WILL LEND HIS EXPERTISE TO THE SEARCH. >> OKAY, SO, BILL, WHAT WE DID IS, WE TOOK THE DATA FROM KEITH AND JUST PLOTTED IT ON THE MAP HERE, AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS, THE RED DOTS BASICALLY REPRESENT EACH OF THE ALLEGED SIGHTINGS. >> YEAH, CLEARLY THE SPECIES IS CONCENTRATING IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS, ESPECIALLY IN THAT CENTRAL AREA, IS REALLY THE HIGHEST WILDERNESS AREAS IN COLORADO. AND THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF SPREAD TO THE WEST, ONTO SOME OF THE MORE HIGH PLATEAU AREAS THAT ARE ALSO STILL VERY REMOTE. >> narrator: BY RUNNING A DENSITY ANALYSIS, THEY ARE ABLE TO DEFINE THE AREAS THAT ARE SIGHTING HOT SPOTS. >> IT WOULD APPEAR THAT UP HERE IN ROUTT COUNTY AS WELL AS DOWN TELLER COUNTY AND THEN A LITTLE BIT DOWN IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS THERE, THOSE ARE ALL WILDERNESS AREAS, BUT WHAT'S INTERESTING IS, IT'S TOWARDS THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS. SO THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE, BECAUSE YOU'D HAVE MORE PEOPLE IN THOSE AREAS THAT MIGHT HAVE SIGHTINGS, BUT YET THERE'S ENOUGH REMOTE AREA THAT SIGHTINGS WOULD NOT BE FREQUENT. >> narrator: THE INITIAL ANALYSIS REVEALS THAT HALF THE SIGHTINGS FALL BETWEEN OCTOBER AND APRIL. THIS WOULD SEEM TO RULE OUT ONE PLAUSIBLE SCENARIO OF WHAT COULD BE PREYING ON THE ELK, MISIDENTIFIED BEARS. >> IF PEOPLE WERE MISTAKING BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS FOR BEARS, THERE'S A BIT OF AN ISSUE IF THEY'RE SEEING THEM DURING THE WINTER, BECAUSE BEARS SHOULD BE HIBERNATING. NOW, WELL, WE'RE FORTUNATE IN COLORADO TO HAVE MORE ELK THAN ANY OTHER STATE. THIS IS THE MOST PLENTIFUL FOOD SOURCE FOR LARGE MAMMALS. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE WESTERN 2/3 OF THE STATE OF COLORADO, WHICH WOULD ENCOMPASS ALL OF THE SIGHTING AREAS THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE. >> narrator: THE IDEA THAT THE SNOW BEAST IS FOLLOWING THE ELK'S MIGRATION PATTERN WOULD MEAN SIGHTINGS WOULD OCCUR AT LOWER ELEVATIONS IN WINTER. IN EXAMINING THE AVERAGE ELEVATION, THEY DETERMINE THAT THE WINTER SIGHTINGS RANGE FROM 7,300 TO 9,000 FEET, WHILE IN SUMMER, THE MEDIAN ELEVATION RANGE IS 1,000 FEET HIGHER. >> THIS CLEARLY SHOWS A SPECIES THAT'S USING HIGH ELEVATION SITES AND, INTERESTINGLY, MIGRATES DURING THE DIFFERENT SEASONS, GOING FROM HIGH ELEVATION IN SUMMER TO LOWER ELEVATIONS IN THE WINTER. >> narrator: THE DATA SEEMS TO SUGGEST THAT THE SNOW BEAST IS INDEED HUNTING THE ELK ON PIKES PEAK. >> THAT'S THE REALLY IMPORTANT THING FOR CONSIDERATION HERE, BECAUSE AS WE SAW WITH THESE BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS, THERE'S A ELEVATIONAL CHANGE FROM THE HIGH TO THE LOW WITH THE SEASONS, AND THAT WOULD CORRESPOND WITH HERE, 'CAUSE THE ELK'S IMPORTANT WINTER FOOD. >> narrator: THE<i> MONSTERQUEST</i> EXPEDITION TEAM PLOTS LIKELY AREAS TO SEARCH WHERE THE ELK ARE KNOWN TO SEEK WATER. MANY WILL BE IN WOODED AREAS, SO A PART OF THE TEAM SETS OUT BY FOOT TO LOOK AT LIKELY LOCATIONS. >> THIS AREA BACK HERE, BECAUSE IT'S SO RUGGED AND PRIMITIVE ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS VALLEY ACTUALLY, COULD EASILY SUPPORT A NONNATIVE SPECIES BACK HERE. ANOTHER PREDATOR COULD BE BACK HERE IN THE AREA. >> narrator: THE GROUND TEAM IS LED BY KIM SAUERBREY, A MILITARY-TRAINED TRACKER WHO HAS WORKED IN THE AREA FOR OVER 30 YEARS. >> TODAY, WE'RE GONNA TRAVEL UP THIS VALLEY, THIS PART OF CATHEDRAL PARK IN THE PIKE NATIONAL FOREST. AND WE'RE GONNA GO INTO AN AREA THAT WE CALL THE LOST CABIN. >> narrator: HE WILL WORK WITH OTHER TRACKERS TO SEARCH THE SOUTHWEST SLOPES OF PIKES PEAK. THAT IS A KNOWN AMBUSH AREA FOR OTHER ELK PREDATORS, SUCH AS MOUNTAIN LIONS AND WOLVES. >> AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE ELK LIKE. THE STEEP AREA FOR THEM, THEY GET BACK IN THERE. SAME WITH THE MOUNTAIN LIONS. IT OFFERS THEM SAFETY AND SECURITY. THEY GET IN THAT DARK TIMBER, STEEP TERRAIN, IT MAKES IT HARDER FOR A PREDATOR TO GET TO THEM. >> narrator: DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, THE ELK TEND TO FEED AT THE SNOW LINE LOCATED AT ABOUT 9,500 FEET. IT IS HERE THAT THE SEARCH WILL BEGIN. >> SO WE'RE GONNA TIE OFF OUR STOCK DOWN HERE, 'CAUSE THE TERRAIN GETS REAL NARROW, DEEP, SOME STEEP AREAS. AND WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY DO MOST OF OUR SEARCH AND LOOKING UP IN THIS AREA ON FOOT. >> narrator: THE MOUNTAIN RAVINES OF THE AREA ARE PERFECT TERRAIN FOR BOTH THE ELK AND THEIR PREDATORS. >> THE PREDATORS LIKE IT HERE. THEY CAN GET HIGH. IT'S DARK. THEY CAN GET IN CLOSE BEFORE ANYTHING CAN REALLY REALIZE THAT THEY'RE THERE. YEAH, A LOT OF PLACES FOR THEM TO DEN UP AND HIDE. IT'S A EXCELLENT AREA FOR THEM TO AMBUSH. >> narrator: THE HIGH ELEVATION IS TAKING ITS TOLL ON THE TEAM, BUT THE EARLY RESULTS ARE PROMISING. THEY FIND SIGNS OF ACTIVITY, BUT THEY'RE NOT FRESH. >> THAT'S ALL OLD. >> narrator: BUT THEY FIND OTHER EVIDENCE THAT A ELK HERD HAS RECENTLY BEEN IN THE AREA. >> HE JUST TORE THIS GROUND UP FOR SOME REASON. HE WAS HERE FOR A LONG TIME. >> narrator: THE GIANT ANIMALS USE TREES TO SCRAPE THE VELVET OFF THEIR HORNS OR TO HELP SHED THEIR ANTLERS. >> THERE'S NO MISTAKING, A BULL DID THIS. >> narrator: THE TEAM IS ENCOURAGED BY THE EVIDENCE OF ELK. IT SEEMS THEY WILL STAND A GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING A LOOK AT THE SNOW BEAST. >> THE BIGFOOT, IF THEY WERE IN THIS AREA EATING AND FEEDING AND HUNTING THE ELK, AS IT'S BEEN THEORIZED, WE SHOULD SEE SOME TRACKS IN HERE. KIM SAUERBREY AND HIS TEAM OF TRACKERS HAVE DISCOVERED AN OLD MINE AND ARE ABOUT TO INVESTIGATE. IT IS TOO DANGEROUS TO EXPLORE WITHOUT SOME WAY TO SEE WHAT IS INSIDE THE DARK TUNNEL. >> THE REASON YOU DON'T WANT TO GO IN THERE, WELL, ONE IS, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE. AND THEN THE OTHER IS THE FEAR OF CAVE-INS. YEAH, STAY OUT AND STAY ALIVE. >> AND WE SEE IT LOOKED LIKE SOME BEDDING HAD BEEN PULLED DOWN, SOME TREES, SOME TREE BRANCHES, LEAVES, PINE BRANCHES. AND PAW MARKS WHERE SOMETHING HAD CLAWED THAT CLIMBED OUT TOWARD THE DIRT UP AS IT CAME OUT OF THE HOLE. >> narrator: SAUERBREY MAKES THE DECISION THAT IT IS TOO DANGEROUS FOR THE TEAM TO PROCEED WITHOUT SPECIALIZED GEAR. >> TOMORROW, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS MAYBE PUT TOGETHER A CAMERA RIG AND EXPLORE IN THERE, SEE IF MAYBE THERE WILL BE SOMETHING THERE. >> narrator: THE TEAM HAS BROUGHT A THERMAL CAMERA RECORDING SYSTEM THAT THEY WILL MOUNT FACING THE ENTRANCE, IN CASE THERE IS ACTIVITY IN THE AREA OVERNIGHT. >> WE SHOULD SCORE SOME GOOD ACTIVITY AND GET SOME GOOD FILM OF THE ANIMALS COMING IN. IT'S A REAL NARROW CHOKE POINT. ANIMALS HAVE TO COME THROUGH. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET A GOOD PICTURE. IT'S GETTING NEAR DUSK. THE ANIMALS ARE GETTING READY TO MOVE. WE'RE GONNA BE MOVING PRETTY QUICK. WE'RE GONNA BE GOING UP IN HERE, LOCATE IT, THEN GET OUT OF HERE REALLY QUICK. >> narrator: THE CAMERA RECORDS TO A TAPE DECK, ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR A TEAM MEMBER TO STAY BEHIND AND MONITOR THE CAVE OVERNIGHT. THIS WILL ENSURE THAT THE CREATURE WILL NOT BE SCARED AWAY BY HUMAN PRESENCE. >> ALL RIGHTY, I THINK WE'RE ABOUT SET. THE CAMERA LOOKS LIKE IT'S FOCUSED GOOD ON THE TWO ACCESS POINTS. IF WE CAN GET OUT OF HERE REAL QUICK BEFORE WE GET CAUGHT, WE SHOULD HAVE A GOOD CHANCE TO CATCH SOMETHING ON THE CAMERA TONIGHT. >> narrator: THE TEAM RETURNS TO CAMP TO BED DOWN FOR THE NIGHT. WHILE THE SEARCH ON THE GROUND HAS LED TO SOME INTERESTING FINDS AT LOWER ELEVATIONS, THE HELICOPTER RECONNAISSANCE HAS ALSO UNCOVERED A LINE OF TRACKS IN THE SNOW. >> narrator: PAUL DREXLER USES THE SPECIALIZED THERMAL CAMERA TO CHECK FOR EVIDENCE THAT THE TRACKS ARE FRESHLY MADE. HE SEES NO HEAT SIGNATURE. THE CLOSER LOOK REVEALS SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. >> narrator: THE TEAM IS ENCOURAGED BY THE SIGHTING AND KNOWS THEY'RE LOOKING IN THE RIGHT AREA. >> CLEARED TO LAND >> narrator: THESE TRACKS, KNOWN AS THE EAGLE RIVER TRACKS, WERE PHOTOGRAPHED IN APRIL OF 2000 BY BILL BRICE, WHO'S AN AREA FISHERMAN. >> I HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE I SAW THAT DAY. >> narrator: BILL BRICE COMMONLY USES FLY FISHING AS A WAY TO RELAX AFTER WORK. >> I HAD WORKED MY WAY UP TO A FAIRLY REMOTE SPOT ON THE EAGLE RIVER THAT I FISHED A LOT. THE DAY I SAW THE TRACKS, I WADED UPSTREAM TO A REMOTE PART OF THE EAGLE RIVER THAT I USED TO FISH VERY OFTEN. AND I HAD JUST MOVED OUT OF THE RIVER ONTO THE SOUTH BANK TO TIE ON A NEW FLY WHEN THE TRACKS CAUGHT MY EYE. THEY WERE LARGE HUMAN-LOOKING FOOTPRINTS BIGGER THAN ANY TRACK THAT ANY ANIMAL IN THAT AREA WOULD LEAVE, AND DEEP IN THE RIVER MATERIAL. SO I KNEW WHATEVER IT WAS HAD TO BE BIG AND HEAVY. YOU KNOW, I STARTED LOOKING AROUND IN THE BRUSH AND WONDERING IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT COULD STILL BE HANGING AROUND. SO IT WAS PRETTY UNNERVING. SO I JUST--I JUST WRAPPED IT UP AND WENT HOME. >> narrator: AFTER RETURNING THE FOLLOWING DAY TO PHOTOGRAPH THE TRACKS, HE SHOWED THE EVIDENCE TO LOCAL WILDLIFE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. >> I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT CREATED THOSE IMPRESSIONS THAT BILL BRICE HAS A PICTURE OF. IT'S NOT A BEAR. I DON'T THINK IT'S A HUMAN. >> narrator: BILL HEICHER IS A BIOLOGIST WITH THE COLORADO WILDLIFE DIVISION. HE SAYS THAT AFTER 32 YEARS OF WORKING IN THE WILDERNESS, HE HAS NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THESE EAGLE RIVER TRACKS. >> I REALLY DON'T THINK HE WAS PERPETUATING A HOAX. I THINK HE REALLY AND TRULY FOUND THESE TRACKS, AND HE HASN'T--HE THINKS THEY'RE BIGFOOT, I BELIEVE. >> narrator: EAGLE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY BILL KAUFMAN WAS ALSO ASKED TO HELP IDENTIFY THE MYSTERIOUS TRACKS. >> IT'S UNKNOWN TO ME OF ANY TYPE OF ANIMAL THAT LIVES IN THIS REGION THAT WOULD MAKE THOSE TYPES OF TRACKS. THE DEPTHS OF THE IMPRESSION WERE REMARKABLE. I KNEW IT HAD TO BE A RATHER HEAVY TYPE OF CREATURE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE IMPRESSIONS. AND THROUGH MY RESOURCES, WE ESTIMATE IT, AT THE TIME, TO BE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 400 AND 700 POUNDS TO MAKE THAT TYPE OF DEPTH IN THAT TYPE OF SOIL. >> THE PLACE WHERE HE FOUND THESE TRACKS ARE SOME--IS A LOCATION WHERE YOU WOULD NOT EXPECT ANYBODY TO GO TO. THERE'S NO ROADS. THERE'S NO TRAILS. THE ONLY EASILY WAY TO ACCESS IT IS CROSSING THE RIVER. YOU NEED WADERS. EAGLE RIVER IS ONE OF THE SLIPPERIEST RIVERS I'VE EVER BEEN IN. IT'S KIND OF TREACHEROUS TO WADE. IT'S NOT REAL DEEP RIGHT HERE. BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU WOULD NORMALLY DO. IF SOMEBODY WAS PERPETUATING A HOAX, MAKING TRACKS, YOU WOULDN'T--YOU COULD WAIT DECADES FOR SOMEBODY TO FIND THEM OVER THERE. >> narrator: THERE IS ANOTHER TYPE OF ANALYSIS THAT MIGHT HELP TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SNOW BEAST MADE THE EAGLE RIVER TRACKS IN BRICE'S PHOTO. >> FIRST THING I DO, TRACKS, IS RATE THE QUALITY. IS IT A GOOD TRACK? >> narrator: ECOLOGIST DR. JIM HALFPENNY IS AN EXPERT IN FORENSIC TECHNOLOGY AND HAS TAUGHT PROFESSIONAL SNOW TRACKING FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. >> WE CAN THEN TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OR CASTS THAT COME FROM THE FIELD AND COMPARE THEM TO A ENHANCED PLASTER CAST, OR WE CAN COMPARE THEM UP ON A PHOTOGRAPHIC SCREEN COMPUTER MONITOR. >> narrator: HALFPENNY IS FREQUENTLY CALLED IN TO ANALYZE UNIDENTIFIED TRACKS USING THE TECHNIQUES HE TEACHES. HE HAS SEEN MANY CASES OF MISIDENTIFICATION, BUT THERE ARE SOME INSTANCES THAT HE SIMPLY CANNOT EXPLAIN. >> THEN THERE ARE A SET OF CATEGORY OF TRACKS THAT HAVE ONLY TWO POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THEM. THEY ARE EITHER MADE BY A CREATURE NOT DOCUMENTED BY MODERN SCIENCE, OR THEY'RE FAKES. >> narrator:<i> MONSTERQUEST</i> WILL PERFORM SEVERAL EXPERIMENTS TO DETERMINE THE IDENTITY OF THE PREDATOR HUNTING THE ELK OF THE COLORADO ROCKY. BILL HEICHER WILL CONDUCT AN EXPERIMENT ON THE SAME SOIL WHERE THE EAGLE RIVER TRACKS WERE FOUND TO DETERMINE THE WEIGHT OF THE CREATURE THAT MADE THEM. THIS WILL HOPEFULLY PROVIDE ANOTHER CLUE TO THE IDENTITY OF THE PREDATOR. >> TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE. >> narrator: THE<i> MONSTERQUEST</i> TEAM HAS USED PHOTOS OF THE EAGLE RIVER TRACKS TO REPLICATE THEM. >> REALLY GOOD PHOTOGRAPHS. THE--HAD MEASUREMENTS, TAPE MEASURE RIGHT BESIDE IT, INDICATED LENGTH. YOU COULD FIGURE OUT WIDTH. YOU COULD FIGURE OUT DEPTH OF THE TRACK. >> narrator: THE FOOTPRINT REPLICAS ARE ATTACHED TO A WOODEN FRAME, WHICH HAS BEEN BUILT TO SUPPORT THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF WEIGHT. SANDBAGS WILL BE ADDED UNTIL THE IMPRESSIONS MATCH THOSE IN THE PHOTOS. >> ALL RIGHT. >> narrator: THE TEAM WILL ALSO UTILIZE A TIME-LAPSE CAMERA TO DETERMINE IF THE WEATHER COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING TRACKS OVER TIME, RESULTING IN MISIDENTIFICATION. >> TRYING TO SEE HOW MUCH TRACKS WILL DISTORT, CHANGE OVER TIME. >> narrator: THE CAMERA CAPTURES ONE IMAGE EVERY TWO MINUTES, ALLOWING THE TEAM TO SEE HOW THE CHANGES IN WEATHER PATTERNS CAN AFFECT TRACKS. THIS PROCESS COULD HELP TO FURTHER DETERMINE THE PREDATOR. >> AND IS SUGGESTIVE THAT IT COULD BE BIGFOOT FOOTPRINT. >> WE WERE BUILDING A FIRE TO HAVE A LITTLE BARBEQUE, AND IT WAS JUST BEFORE DARK. WE HEARD CLACKING, LIKE ROCK CLACKING. WE HEARD THE HORSES OVER HERE RUSTLING. THEY CAME UP FROM THE FIELD, RUNNING FULL BLAST TOWARDS US. AND THEY WERE ALL WIDE-EYED AND EVERYTHING. THEY WERE SPOOKED. AND THAT'S WHEN THE FIRST YELL CAME. AND IT WAS JUST A SHORT YELL. AND THEN THE SECOND YELL CAME JUST A FEW SECONDS LATER. AND IT PROBABLY LASTED, I'M GUESSING, FOUR TO FIVE SECONDS. >> narrator: THE TERRIFIED COUPLE LEFT IMMEDIATELY, NOT NOTICING THAT THEIR HORSES HAD CLAW MARKS FROM THEIR RIB CAGE BACK TO THEIR HIND LEGS. THEY COULDN'T IDENTIFY A PREDATOR THAT WOULD HAVE MADE THE MARKS. THEN, ANOTHER HORRIFYING ENCOUNTER. >> MY DAD CAME OUT--OUT TO HELP ME WATER--WATER AND FEED THE HORSES EARLY IN THE MORNING. OUR DOG THAT WE HAD IS USED TO--WHEN YOU OPENED THE DOOR, HE USED TO RUN ON THROUGH THE FIELDS HERE. AND HE'S NOT AFRAID OF NOTHING. AND AT THAT TIME, HE WENT OVER TOWARDS THE CORRALS HERE. AND THE DOG SEEN SOMETHING, AND MY DAD SEEN SOMETHING AT THE SAME TIME. >> narrator: THE ELDER TRUJILLO SPOTTED A LARGE 8- TO 10-FOOT DARK COLORED CREATURE WALKING ON TWO FEET THROUGH THE TREES. WHEN THEY TRIED TO GET CLOSER, THE BEAST RAN OUT OF SIGHT. >> THIS DOG MADE A BEELINE BACK INTO THE HOUSE. THE DOG ACTUALLY GOT SCARED. WE COULDN'T EVEN GET THE DOG OUTSIDE THE HOUSE FOR TWO HOURS. >> narrator: IN THE SEARCH FOR NEW EVIDENCE, THE<i> MONSTERQUEST</i> TEAM HAS HIKED DEEP INTO THE FOREST IN SEARCH OF THE CREATURE. THEY HAVE UNCOVERED WHAT THEY BELIEVE TO BE A PROMISING AREA FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION. >> IF WE'RE GONNA FIND US A LARGE PREDATOR, THIS IS THE IDEAL SPOT TO BE LOOKING FOR IT. EVERYTHING HE NEEDS IS HERE, THE FOOD, THE WATER. THE ANIMALS ARE TRAVELING THROUGH HERE, HIS PREY. >> narrator: THE AREA ALSO HAS AN ABANDONED MINE WHICH REVEALS VISIBLE SIGNS OF PREDATOR OCCUPATION. THEY BELIEVE IT COULD BE THE HOME OF THE SNOW BEAST. >> PARTICULAR CAMERA WE'RE USING TODAY, THAT WE'RE SHOVING IN THERE, WE PUT ON A WIDE-ANGLE LENS, SO WE GET A NICE BIG VIEW INSIDE THE CAVE. WE FEEL CONFIDENT WITH THE POLE BEING ABLE TO EXTEND ABOUT NINE FEET, AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE WAY IN THE CAVE AND SEE IF ANYTHING'S INSIDE. >> narrator: THE INITIAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MINE REVEALS THAT IT IS CURRENTLY EMPTY. THAT DOES NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT A LARGE PREDATOR OF SOME KIND HAS MADE ITS HOME INSIDE. >> SOMETHING'S BEEN DOWN IN HERE BEDDED FOR A WHILE. IT IS LARGE ENOUGH, THOUGH, FOR A NICE LARGE PREDATOR TO MAKE A NICE HOME OR HABITAT OUT OF. >> narrator: JIM HALFPENNY'S EXAMINATION OF THE FOUR SETS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CREATURE'S TRACKS HAVE PROVIDED SOME USEFUL INSIGHT. >> WE HAVE A LIST OF CRITERIA FOR EACH OF THE DIFFERENT MAMMAL SPECIES, AND I'LL GO THROUGH AND EVALUATE THE CRITERIA TO SEE IF A GIVEN PHOTO FITS IN A PARTICULAR SPECIES CATEGORY. AND ONCE I'VE DONE THAT, THEN I'LL TRY TO DECIDE, WAS THIS TRACK MADE BY A WILD ANIMAL THAT'S NORMALLY AROUND, OR COULD IT HAVE BEEN MADE BY BIGFOOT? >> narrator: THE FIRST SET OF TRACKS WERE PHOTOGRAPHED IN NIWOT, COLORADO, WHICH IS 100 MILES FROM PIKES PEAK. >> THIS LOOKS, INITIALLY, LIKE IT COULD BE A PRIMATE TRACK, MAYBE A BIGFOOT TRACK, AND IT'S VERY CLEAR THEY'RE TOES. I'VE GOT SOME PONDEROSA PINE NEEDLES HERE THAT HELP ME WITH SCALE. THE TOES DO NOT FORM A SMOOTH ARCH. JUST THINK OF THE TOES OF YOUR OWN FOOT. THEY HAVE A SMOOTH ARCH, WHEREAS HERE, YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE OF TOES, MAYBE THREE, AND THEN THESE ARE JUST PLACED UP ABOVE. THIS IS A PAIR OF TOES FROM A DIFFERENT TRACK. ALL THREE OF THESE CRITERIA-- TOE SHAPE, THE ARCH OF THE TOES, AND THE INTERDIGITAL PADS-- SUGGESTS STRONGLY OF A LARGE CAT, PROBABLY A COUGAR. >> narrator: THEY APPEAR TO BE SIMILAR TO THE NEXT SET OF TRACKS, WHICH ARE FROM PIKES PEAK. >> WELL, MY INITIAL REACTION TO THIS SET OF PHOTOS, LOOKING AT IT, BECAUSE OF THE STRAIGHT LINE AND GROUPS OF TRACKS, WOULD BE A GALLOPING PATTERN OR A HOPPING PATTERN. >> narrator: IF THE CREATURE WALKS ON TWO FEET, THE TRACKS SHOULD HAVE A LEFT-RIGHT DISPLACEMENT. TRACK DISPLACEMENT, OR THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TRACKS WHEN MEASURED SIDE BY SIDE, IS A KEY FACTOR IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT LEFT THE IMPRESSIONS. >> THE PATTERN IS BASICALLY STRAIGHT WITH NO DISPLACEMENT. THE FASTER AN ANIMAL MOVES, THE LESS THE RIGHT-LEFT DISPLACEMENT. BUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AN ANIMAL PURPORTED TO BE A SASQUATCH, WHICH IS SEVERAL HUNDRED POUNDS, HAS VERY BROAD HIPS, IS NOT ABLE TO REALLY GET A SUPERFAST SPEED UP WHERE TRACKS MIGHT COME ONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER. EVEN A RUNNING SASQUATCH, AND FROM OTHER EVIDENCE THAT PEOPLE HAVE FOUND, WOULD INTEND TO BE A DEFINITE RIGHT-LEFT RIGHT-LEFT DISPLACEMENT. I THINK IT'S A GALLOPING COYOTE. >> narrator: NEXT, HALFPENNY TURNS TO THE EAGLE RIVER TRACKS THAT HAVE STUMPED THE COLORADO WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT AND LOCAL POLICE FOR YEARS. >> narrator: THIS IS AN INTERESTING SET OF TRACKS. THEY'RE IN THE DIRT, NOT THE SNOW. I SEEM TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A STRADDLE THERE. WE'VE GOT A CONTEXT PHOTO THAT SHOWS, OVER A DISTANCE, THE TRACKS COMING TOWARDS US, AND THEN CLOSE-UPS OF EACH OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS, WHICH IS A MUCH BETTER WAY TO REPRODUCE OR DOCUMENT YOUR SCENE. >> narrator: THE TAPE MEASURE IN THE PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS THE PRINT WAS 18.5 INCHES LONG. BUT THERE WAS ALSO WHAT LOOKS TO BE A POSSIBLE HEEL DEPRESSION AT 13 INCHES. >> DOWN IN COLORADO, ALL WE'VE GOT IS BLACK BEAR. AND WE--IF YOU JUST LOOK AT WHAT WE CALL A MAXIMUM OUTLINE MEASUREMENT, THIS COULD BE A BIG BLACK BEAR, CONCEIVABLY WITH A LITTLE MOVEMENT WITHIN THE TRACK WITHIN THE DIRT. BUT THE TRACK ITSELF, 13x7 1/2 IS BIG FOR A BLACK BEAR, PERIOD. IT COULD BE THE HIND FOOT OF A BLACK BEAR, BUT THAT WOULD STILL BE VERY, VERY BIG. SO 13x7 1/2, BY SIZE, REALLY RULES OUT A BEAR AND IS SUGGESTIVE THAT IT COULD BE A BIGFOOT FOOTPRINT. >> narrator:<i> MONSTERQUEST</i> IS CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE JUST HOW HEAVY THE SNOW BEAST THAT IS STALKING THE AREA MAY HAVE BEEN. >> ONE MORE, I GOT IT. >> narrator: AFTER STACKING 300 POUNDS OF SANDBAGS, THE TEAM CHECKS THE IMPRESSION THAT THE ADDED WEIGHT MAKES. >> YEAH, AVERAGE MALE BLACK BEAR'S PROBABLY UNDER 300 POUNDS. BUT 300-POUND BLACK BEAR'S A GOOD SIZED BEAR BUT NOT HUGE. WELL, THERE IS, ACTUALLY. THE HEEL COMES BACK AROUND HERE, COMES UP. BUT THAT'S PRETTY INDISTINCT. IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT MORE WEIGHT. >> narrator: THEY ADD 240 POUNDS, BRINGING THE TOTAL TO 540 POUNDS. THE PRINTS MADE ARE STILL WELL SHALLOW OF THE 3/4 INCH IMPRESSION SEEN IN THE EAGLE RIVER PHOTOS. >> 540 POUNDS, THAT'D BE A HUGE MALE BLACK BEAR. AND WE'VE GOT THE HEEL BACK HERE GOING IN, BUT I DON'T--I REALLY DON'T SEE--THE FOOTPRINT IS NOT UNIFORMLY GOING IN. LET'S PUT ON ANOTHER, OH--LET'S PUT ANOTHER FOUR BAGS ON THERE. >> YEAH. >> YOU KNOW, THAT'S 540. BE 780 POUNDS. THAT'D BE THE EQUIVALENT OF THE BIGGEST BLACK BEAR EVER FOUND IN COLORADO. >> narrator: THE AERIAL SEARCH IS AGAIN BEING AFFECTED BY THE WEATHER. HIGH WINDS AND SNOW ARE FORECAST FOR THE AREA, MEANING THE ATTEMPT TO FLY WILL BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. >> YOU'D BE EXTREMELY HARD-PRESSED TO FIND ANYBODY ELSE TO GO AND FLY AND FILM IN SNOW OR, REALLY, ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THESE TEMPERATURES AND CONDITIONS. >> ONLY CRAZY PEOPLE DO THIS. [laughter] >> narrator: THE STORM KEEPS THE TEAM BELOW THE 11,000-FOOT ELEVATION THAT THEY WERE HOPING TO ACHIEVE. >> narrator: THIS IS WELL BELOW THE CURRENT SNOW LINE AND THE AREA WHERE THE ELK ARE LIKELY TO BE GRAZING. THIS MEANS LOCATING PREDATOR TRACKS WILL BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. >> narrator: WITH THE WEATHER GETTING WORSE, THE TEAM GETS A BREAK. THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 100 REPORTED ENCOUNTERS IN COLORADO. THEY HAVE BEEN MAPPED BY CHRISTOPHER MARKISON AND BILL GIVEN, WHO ARE ANALYZING THEM TO SEE IF THE BEAST IS FLEEING THE ADVANCE OF MODERN CIVILIZATION. >> AND SO I USED THE DATE OF THE SIGHTINGS TO SHOW WHERE THINGS WERE BEGINNING, IN THE EARLIEST SIGHTINGS WERE, AND HOW THEY'VE PROGRESSED OVER TIME. >> SO IT WOULD APPEAR TO YOU THAT THE SIGHTINGS HAVE MOVED FURTHER INTO THE WILDERNESS AREA, AS IF IT'S MOVING AWAY FROM THE POPULATION CENTER OF HUMANS. >> THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO DO, TO TAKE A LOOK AT AND SEE IS, YOU KNOW, AS COLORADO SPRINGS HAS GROWN, NUMBER OF SIGHTINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE SEEN, IT WOULD SEEM TO CORRELATE DIRECTLY WITH GOING EVEN FURTHER INTO THE FOREST. >> YEAH, AND THAT WOULD CERTAINLY CORRELATE WITH THE HISTORICAL RANGE OF THE GRIZZLY BEAR THAT WE LOOKED AT RECENTLY. AS PEOPLE MOVED ACROSS COLORADO, THE BEAR RECEDED UNTIL IT FINALLY DISAPPEARED. AND THIS SUGGESTS A SIMILAR MOVEMENT PATTERN. >> narrator: THE STUDY OF THE REPORTED SIGHTINGS SUGGESTS THAT THE CREATURE IS MOVING WEST, AS ITS WILDERNESS HABITAT DECREASES. >> I WOULD SUSPECT THAT, REALLY, ANY WILDLIFE SPECIES THAT IS BEING ENCROACHED UPON BY, YOU KNOW, NEW DEVELOPMENT OR HUMAN IMPACT, THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME SORT OF CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO. >> narrator: THE WEATHER THAT HAS PLAGUED THE AERIAL SEARCH IS ALSO BEGINNING TO BECOME A WORRY FOR THE GROUND TEAM. THEY HAVE FOUND A CAVE THAT THEY HOPED MAY BE USED AS THE CREATURE'S RESTING PLACE AND HAVE DEPLOYED A THERMAL CAMERA. >> WEATHER TODAY IS NOT LOOKING GOOD. WE HAVE A STORM COMING IN RIGHT NOW, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT EITHER SNOW OR RAIN, AND WE'RE DOWN IN A VALLEY WHERE IT'S A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO GET OUT IF WE GET EITHER. >> narrator: THE TEAM BEGINS TO DISCONNECT THE THERMAL CAMERA, SO THEY CAN SEE IF AN IMAGE HAS BEEN CAPTURED ON TAPE. >> SO HOPEFULLY WE GOT SOME GOOD VIDEO ON HERE. STILL DON'T SEE ANYTHING MOVING IN THE BACKGROUND. I FEEL THERE COULD BE SOMETHING OUT THERE, THAT WE HAVE THE HABITAT HERE TO SUPPORT A CREATURE AND FEEL THERE COULD BE SOMETHING OUT THERE. >> narrator: THE TRACK TESTING CONTINUES. THE TIME-LAPSE IMAGES HAVE BEEN DOWNLOADED FROM THE CAMERAS AND BROUGHT TO DR. JIM HALFPENNY'S LAB. >> IN THE TIME-LAPSE EXPERIMENT IN THE SNOW, THE RADIATION EFFECT IS DRAMATIC AND IMPRESSIVE. TRACKS JOINING TRACKS TO BECOME ONE HUGE TRACK. INDIVIDUAL FOOTPRINTS ENLARGING TO BECOME A HUGE BIGFOOT TRACK. WHILE WE EXPERIMENTED WITH THE TRACKS, WE USE SOME ELK, SOME BEAR TRACKS, AND HUMAN TRACKS. IT WAS VERY EASY TO SEE HOW BEAR TRACKS COULD CHANGE INTO A BIGFOOT-LIKE TRACK. AND HUMAN TRACKS COULD. ELK TRACKS, NOT SO EASY TO MAKE INTO A BIGFOOT. BUT THE ENVIRONMENT CAN EASILY CHANGE BEAR AND HUMAN TRACKS TO LOOK LIKE A BIGFOOT TRACK. >> narrator: HALFPENNY DETERMINES THAT MISTAKEN IDENTITY SEEMS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE TRACKS FOUND IN SNOW. HE CANNOT SAY THE SAME ABOUT THOSE FOUND IN DIRT. >> AND WHAT I'VE GOT HERE ON THE SCREEN IS A FRAME OF THE TIME-LAPSE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING AND A FRAME OF THE TIME-LAPSE AT THE END. AND THESE SETS OF TRACKS WERE MADE IN SORT OF A SOFT DIRT. WHEREAS IN SNOW, WE GET SHAPE AND SIZE CHANGE, HERE THEY SORT OF DISINTEGRATE, AND YOU LOSE QUALITY MORE THAN CHANGE SIZE. >> narrator: THE EXPERIMENT HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT VERY MINIMAL CHANGE OCCURS OVER TIME TO IMPRESSIONS FOUND IN DIRT. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THESE PRINTS CANNOT BE EXPLAINED BY MISTAKEN IDENTITY. THE OTHER PART OF THE TRACK EXPERIMENTATION ALSO SEEMS TO POINT TO THE EXISTENCE OF A LARGE SNOW BEAST CREATURE THAT IS CURRENTLY UNKNOWN TO MAN. >> THREE. WE'RE OVER THE BIGGEST RECORDED BLACK BEAR. >> narrator: THE WEIGHT NEEDED TO REPLICATE THE PRINTS HAS REACHED STAGGERING LEVELS. EVEN AT 780 POUNDS, THE IMPRESSIONS STILL DO NOT MATCH THE PHOTOGRAPHS. THE TEAM ADDS MORE WEIGHT. >> OKAY, THEY GOT 900 POUNDS. I CAN DEFINITELY SEE THE TOES KIND OF GOING INTO THE GROUND. I THINK THE--I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE. OKAY, LET'S TILT 'ER UP. OH, YEAH. YEAH, THERE'S DEFINITELY A TRACK THERE. MAKE OUT TOES. YOU CAN MAKE OUT A HEEL ON YOURS. DEFINITELY A HEEL ON MINE. BOY, YOU CAN REALLY MAKE OUT THE BALL OF THE FOOT COMING ACROSS HERE. THE TOES ARE DEFINITELY DISTINCT. I THINK THAT'S PRETTY SIMILAR TO WHAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW. THIS IS 900 POUNDS, SO... BUT IT'S STATIONARY WEIGHT TOO. IT'S NOT--DOESN'T HAVE THAT DYNAMIC MOVEMENT OF A PERSON OR AN ANIMAL MOVING AND WEIGHT SHIFTING. SO I THINK YOU'RE-- WE'RE IN THE REALM. IT COULD BE 800 TO 1,000 POUNDS IT WOULD TAKE TO CREATE A TRACK THE IMPRESSION SIMILAR TO BILL BRICE'S. >> narrator: THIS TEST HAS MADE ONE THING CLEAR. THE TRACKS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MADE BY A KNOWN NATIVE PREDATOR. THE HELICOPTER SEARCH TEAM HAS LOCATED A LINE OF TRACKS THAT IS OF INTEREST. >> narrator: THEY MAKE ANOTHER PASS TO GET A CLOSER LOOK. BUT THE TRACKS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY COYOTES. THE TEAM SEEMS TO BE FINDING SOME INTERESTING LEADS, BUT THE STORM ROLLING IN IS WORKING AGAINST THEM. THE<i> MONSTERQUEST</i> TEAM HAS BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE BEAST STALKING THIS AREA IS BIGGER THAN ANY KNOWN NATIVE PREDATOR. THEY'VE ALSO CONCLUDED THAT THE BEAST SEEMS TO BE STALKING THE LOCAL ELK MIGRATION. THE TEAM ALSO RULED OUT MISIDENTIFICATION OF BEARS AS THE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION. SO WHILE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF OF COLORADO'S SNOW BEAST REMAINS ELUSIVE, THE SEARCH HAS YIELDED SOME POSITIVE RESULTS. >> WE DID COVER ABOUT 60 MILES OF TERRAIN, AND WE LEARNED THROUGH THAT WHAT WE CAN SEE DOWN BELOW AND WHAT KIND OF CONDITIONS WE NEED WHEN WE'RE FLYING IN THE HELICOPTER. AND THE TECHNIQUE IS GOING TO WORK WELL IN THE FUTURE. AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO TRYING THIS AGAIN. >> ONE OF MY HYPOTHESES IS THAT BIGFOOT COULD EXIST. BUT DOES BIGFOOT EXIST? THAT'S STILL AN OPEN HYPOTHESIS THAT HASN'T BEEN PROVEN. PERHAPS IT DOES. >> PEOPLE ARE SEEING SOMETHING IN THE FOREST. WHETHER THAT'S BIGFOOT OR NOT, I CAN'T SPECULATE TO SAY THAT. BUT I WOULD SAY THAT THEY'RE PROBABLY SEEING SOME SORT OF ANIMAL THAT THEY'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH. >> I CAN TELL YOU WHAT IT WASN'T. I KNOW IT WASN'T A BEAR, AN ELK, MOUNTAIN LION, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. >> AS A SCIENTIST, YOU ALSO HAVE TO KEEP AN INQUIRING MIND AND REALIZE THAT SPECIES THAT YOU DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT CAN BE HARD TO DETECT, AND WE ARE STILL DISCOVERING NEW SPECIES IN REMOTE LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD.
