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Today at my work, a young kid (about 6 or so) saw my Bigfoot figure and started asking me a bit about it as he too liked Squatchy stuff. We made small talk and I mentioned I was glad I wasn't Bigfoot today as I would be hot under all that hair. He told me they were going to the lake to play in the water and he was going to watch for Bigfoot because he probably liked to play in the water too to cool off...just like his dog in the his backyard wading pool. It tickled me a youngster was even thinking about it. Nope...not a hot topic (no pun intended). But just something sort of amusing today and you know...he is probably right.

I guess my favorite would have to be my 1974 photo of the actual site where the Patterson film was shot. Although I had spent the month of May in 1972 at Bluff Creek, well actually Orleans but made the drive to the sandbar maybe 6 or 8 times. Really regret not taking notes but I was only 23 at the time and thought I knew a lot about the Bigfoot. Spent most of the month just looking at the whole Bluff Creek stream. Had thought Bigfoot Creek was where the film was taken. Late May a forest ranger told me about the sandbar. It was quite the adventure at the time and have no regrets at all about looking for Bigfoot. I do remember going to Al Hodgson's store and meeting him. He was very helpful and said he would have people there if I found anything. He also sold John Green's book at the time which I of course bought! After being there for that month without finding anything I thought I would call Roger Patterson himself and see if he could give me any advice. You can imagine how I felt when a lady answered and said he had passed away a short time before! After that I decided to end my trip. I later moved to Oregon in 1973 and worked there until 1979. Looking back I wouldn't change a thing! Also another thanks to Bill here on the forum for reversing my original photo and to Sweati Yeti for confirming that was indeed the site!

Not sure if you walk with a stick or not in the forest but ive substituted a 42in snake hook for a walking stick in the areas I know are thick with snakes. It comes in handy to sweep logs etc before stepping over or to sweep ledges before going over blind. Handy multi use tool.

It was in June last year that I had two encounters (in the strike zone) with a Timber Rattler in areas I didn't know they were. I immediately went out and bought two different pair of sturdy leather boots. Both very comfortable and I am confident both would withstand a rattler strike. My entire life of hiking and backpacking involved using running shoes and then trail runners. No sturdy leather boots needed. I'm doing a hike on Saturday, with several friends, and the total distance will be about 8 miles. I wondered how much more weight my legs are lifting over the course of the hike as a result of the waffle stompers so I did the math. I didn't rely on manufacturer's published weight, as I used a mailing scale at my business to weigh each shoe/boot (including a custom insert), so I know the weights are accurate. Let's do the math... 8 miles x 5,280'=42,240'/1.5'step length=28,160 steps times 17 ounces (2lbs 4oz vs 1lb 3oz)/16oz = 29,920 lbs extra weight lifted. I just got a new pair of trail runners (INOV-8 X-Talon 260) that would boost that number to over 36,000 extra lbs lifted. It underscores how additional weight on one's foot can cause a lot of extra work by your legs. I'll continue to wear the waffle stompers in the particular area where the Timber Rattler population is dense but am going to roll the dice and switch back to trail runners for all other areas. My legs are exhausted just thinking about all that extra weight! p.s. I couldn't help notice that INOV-8's logo (on the two shoes below) is similar to BFF's. Maybe it should be the official BFF footwear or a BFF sponsor!! Haha.

I'll never been a fan of hiking poles and still am not. I find them potentially dangerous going down mountains in wet, rocky areas. If hiking poles are good for arms, back, and abs then why isn't the absence of them equally good for thighs and calves? Not sure what your poles are made of but mine are made from carbon (Gossamer Gear LT3). They have very little lateral strength, would produce little sound if clanged together, and likely broken in that process, so mine would not be able to scare away chipmunks much less bears.

Hunster --- thanks for the valuable info. I appreciate and will look into it.

Maine is the most heavily forested state (90%) and it has nearly 18 million acres of forest. I has access to mountains and an endless number of ponds and lakes. Moreover, the human population is the least dense of any state east of the Mississippi and Maine is teeming with wildlife. I would be surprised if Maine doesn't have its own resident sasquatch population. https://www.maineforestry.net/the-maine-forest

They are all very shallow, fissures really. Nothing like the limestone networks of TN. Thunder Hole is not a cave but a slot in the rocky shoreline--Summer usually sees it ringed in tourists. Anemone is flooded at high tide, I think all the way but it's been a while. Despite the shallowness, the ice caves would definitely be a spot to cool down. Allagash Ice Cave is the deepest/longest IIRC. I was in there in the Fall season, no ice but significantly cooler. It's also remote, canoers may pop in from time to time but Allagash Lake is restricted to paddle and the access is maybe a mile long trail, nearly overgrown boggy in places slog--after driving 2hrs on washboarded dirt from the nearest town. That is if you're not doing an offshoot of the Wilderness Waterway.

I did a search. And found this. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/maine/otherworldy-caves-me/

I agree that situational awareness is critical and something I've always been mindful of. In my case, I never knew a Timber Rattler was an issue to be considered in the particular areas I was working, so I never looked for it. I do now and, as you've recommended, have sloooowed both my approach and movement in the woods. I'm tepidly confident that were I able to turn back time and walk on the same trails today I might be able to spot the second TR. There is no way on heaven's Earth I could ever spot the first one. Too close to the trail and too camouflaged. It becomes a risk you accept, or not. Me--I'll reluctantly accept it and wear the snake-appropriate gear when in the densely-populately areas. The fringe areas...I think I'll take my chance.

It's actually a 6 month term calling card costing $245 and includes 200 minutes, so all 200 minutes are available immediately upon purchase. If you use them up before the 6 months are over, you simply buy another card, and upon purchase of another card, remaining time is rolled over onto the next card up to a 1200 minute accumulated balance. This card is usable only for outbound calls originating from Alaska and Canada, but inbound calls from anywhere. Cards are available for all regions on Earth, so if I'm going to Africa, Florida, or Brazil, I have to buy the appropriate card. The name of the service provider is BlueCosmos, and you can review their plans online. I bought the phone used from a trophy hunter who carried it with him all over the world. It has a DC and AC charging plugs as well as adapters for various overseas electric systems, and all in a Pelican waterproof case that isn't too bulky. I paid $550 for the phone, which is a good buy. I was the first guy to call on his Craigslist ad, I went to his house immediately, and his phone was ringing off the hook as I secured the deal. The average price used on Craigslist for this phone runs @ $600-$1K. I created several Craigslist searches for various items with notification, so immediately upon somebody posting an ad with my keywords and features, I get an email. I've been able to call sellers so soon after they hit the "post" button that they were shocked. The PLB I bought is this unit. It's very small, and easily fits in a pocket:

Someone asked earlier in the thread for me to post the blueberry/huckleberry when we went back out. So here it is. Huge ridgeline with nothing but blueberry and what we call bear berry in the under growth.

general admission is sold out over 3 months in advance: https://www.porta.us/mfbf.html. It's a small venue to begin with, probably limited attendance due to protocols.

Looks like they have expanded activities for the weekend of June 19th and 20th: https://www.mfbigfoot.com/

Thanks for the on scene report Swift! I saw a clip of the stream and it seemed to be a pretty low key event. Maybe the old building and echo with the sound had something to do with it. These DIY events are hit or miss. Glad people were able to get out and mingle. Some of the vendors travel far for these events. I always confuse the she-squatchers with another female biogfooter team. These ladies come from the midwest so they must feel some kind of commitment to doing this. I think paranormal investigators in bigfootery is here to stay, always has been. Personally, I don't mind the mix of speakers. It all depends on what else I find and the people I run into at these events. Maybe the west virginia event had the better idea of including music to pick things up a bit.