When Connor Flynn was twelve years old, he had a night time encounter that changed his life — he saw a large, dark figure that he believed could have been Bigfoot.
“In following years, we found footprints, two hair samples that have been submitted to studies, and recorded ‘boogers’ communicating with each other,” Flynn shared.
Some may say that this was merely a figment of his imagination, however, it was believable enough to inspire him to start a YouTube channel dedicated to the subject and become a self-proclaimed Cryptid researcher.
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Flynn is part of a group known as “Squatchers,” or individuals who have an affinity towards this hairy, human-like mythical creature. Whether that’s from personal experience or that they are simply allured by the concept, these people believe life is too short to have questions go unanswered.
Similar to Flynn, researcher and podcast creator Shayn Jones, recalls his interest in Sasquatch starting when he was around six-years old.
“My grandma who was 100% Cherokee would tell me stories of the interactions between the tribes and the Sasquatch about how they lived in harmony with each other until the white settlers showed up,” he said. “The Sasquatch, knowing what damage they would bring, went into hiding and stopped interacting with the tribes as regularly.”
It was from there that Jones’ interest flourished into what it is today. He spends time looking for more information and searching for trace evidence of this hairy creature out in nature. On one excursion, he came across large footprints that weren’t there earlier that night, which is common according to researchers he’s contacted on the subject.
While Jones and Flynn have a more hands-on approach to uncovering Bigfoot, there are other people who have a more quiet fascination. J.L. spends time listening to podcasts, browsing social media forums, and reading books—that’s not to say they aren’t as passionate as other Squatchers; they actually dressed up as Bigfoot for Halloween in past years out of passion for the cause.
Although J.L. isn’t out in the woods collecting hair samples, they feel squatching should be taken more seriously and has critiques for modern media's portrayal of Bigfoot. “I think people see shows like Finding Bigfoot and the way Bigfoot is played up for media and assume that the community is just a bunch of people running around and yelling in the woods,” said J.L. “However, there are actually a lot of people who are out there doing the work of citizen science [who] are incredibly intelligent and well-informed people.”
At the end of the day, Bigfoot believers aren’t outcasts of society, but real people—parents, teachers, military, professionals, who believe there are creatures out there beyond what our brains can currently comprehend.
“Squatching isn’t just about trying to discover Bigfoot,” says Jones. “It’s also about enjoying being in the forest and having a profound respect for the mysteries of our reality. It's about giving support to people who have no one who will believe or hear about their encounters.”
Many Squatchers have been isolated by their experiences in the past, but now have a better means of fostering community and validating a shared understanding of the world.
Bleecker Street’s new movie, Sasquatch Sunset, written and directed by David and Nathan Zellner, follows a family of Sasquatch through the forests of North America and shines light on this subspecies in a fun and lighthearted way. Although the movie is fictional, it offers a creative interpretation of what a year in the life of a Sasquatch family could look like.
For many people, Sasquatch Sunset will help provide validation that there are other people out there who have an interest in Bigfoot and/or have had experiences that led them to become believers. Be sure to catch it in select theaters on April 12 and nationwide starting on April 19.
This post was authored by a guest writer and the content was approved by Bleecker Street.
