[narrator] Previously on Expedition Bigfoot...
[Bryce] We are back here in Northern California
because I believe Bigfoot is using this area as a breeding ground.
[Russell] Man, this thing looks amazing.
This is a 15 or 16-inch foot cast that wasn't a bear, deer or an elk.
[Bryce] This pheromone, if it does draw out Bigfoot,
then Bigfoot could possibly be a missing primate.
Hey, Mireya, I just saw some trees moving.
I'm picking something up on the thermal behind you.
Bryce?
[Bryce] This looks to me like a marking of some sort.
[Mireya] This really looks like something placed it here.
I just got the chills.
[Mireya] This is weird.
[Bryce whispers] This is amazing.
[narrator] On the southwestern peak of a mountain,
high atop the team's Northern California target zone,
Bigfoot researcher Bryce Johnson and primatologist Dr. Mireya Mayor
have discovered a massive tree structure
near two smaller ones of a similar shape.
That is really, really bizarre.
[Bryce] Mireya, this is huge.
[Mireya] It sure does seem similar
-to the other wood pilings that we saw. -[Bryce] 100%.
I mean, look at those up there.
Those are woven in and that's 15 feet up. Look at this.
This tree structure could not have been built by just anyone or anything.
There's about a dozen logs, all weighing 150, 200 lb.
With this ornate ornamentation laid across the top,
it would have taken a crew of men to put this thing together.
[narrator] Tree structures are groupings of large branches,
arranged in unnatural patterns.
They're often found in areas known for large numbers of Bigfoot sightings.
In 2018, more than 100 structures were discovered
over a 10-square-mile area of Colorado wilderness.
Unlike nests which provide shelter,
many researchers believe tree structures are used as a form of communication
among groups of Bigfoot.
Yeah, this to me eliminates the idea that
those first two structures were perhaps natural.
This was put here for a purpose.
So what are you saying, like, you think this is some sort of...
[Bryce] A boundary marking.
This is nesting territory, and we are right smack in the middle of it.
[Mireya] This is definitely of interest.
I just really don't want to start leaping
-to any conclusions on it. -100%.
[Mireya] I'm always really careful and hesitant not to use the word evidence,
because to me, this is not evidence of anything.
But what it did remind me of instantly, though,
was that tree structure that we had found in Kentucky,
and that's where we had gotten some of our most interesting DNA results.
Take a look at that.
[Bryce] Whoa!
Holy [bleep]. Freaking jackpot.
[Mireya] When an animal goes into an area, it sheds its DNA.
And something with what appears to be chimp DNA left that DNA behind.
I definitely want to collect some soil samples from underneath,
-so stay on the outside... -I will.
...and I'm just gonna grab some samples from within here.
In isolation, these findings aren't incredibly significant.
But when you start to find similar structures
in multiple locations on multiple investigations,
then you have to stop and ask yourself,
Are these in fact, pieces of a much larger puzzle?
-Hey, Mireya. -What is it?
[Bryce] Uh, it looks like a hair.
-Where are you seeing it? -[Bryce] Right over here.
Check it out.
-Right? -Oh, yeah.
-Doesn't that look like a hair? -That looks like a hair.
-Yeah, that's a hair. -Right there.
Yeah, all right. Tweezers.
[Mireya] So, well, this is the moment of truth.
-[softly] All right. -[Bryce] Awesome.
I'm intrigued to get this back to a lab.
Not only is there this giant tree structure,
but there's also evidence in the form of hair.
[Mireya] Hey, Bryce, just saw another one here.
Right here.
[Bryce] And it feels to me like we are right at Bigfoot's front step.
We're getting close.
I think that we need to keep pushing through tonight
-and keep going down this river... -I agree.
...and see if it leads us somewhere else.
100% agree. We are hot on the trail.
Let's keep going.
[Russell] There's something moving right down here.
[whispers] Where are you?
[narrator] Two miles northeast of Bryce and Mireya,
on the opposite side of the same mountain,
survivalist Russell Acord continues tracking something
he saw moving through the forest.
[Russell whispers] Holy crap.
What is that?
[Russell whispering]
[in normal voice] Oh, this is weird.
We got something here.
What the heck?
Right in front of me
I see this structure, it doesn't belong here.
Humans will do something like this.
But if they do something like this,
they're usually making a shelter and they'll wrap it around.
On the backside of this, there's no branches
that have been laid around it to provide any protection.
It's just open.
This isn't a shelter.
This is a marker.
This feels like a centerpiece, like the attention is supposed to be on that.
The focal point that sat just above eye level
took me to a place that literally made my skin crawl in Alaska.
What in... Did you see that?
Is that a skull in the tree?
[bleep].
That looks like a goat skull or something, doesn't it?
It was wood. It was natural wood. It wasn't a goat skull.
But it was presented and placed there with intent.
And tonight, coming across the similarities of that center focal point,
it was there for a reason.
Why would you want to draw attention to this spot?
What's so special?
I just don't buy into the whole Bigfoot signaling,
but I'm gonna tell you something.
Something to put this here.
With intent.
Something with a thumb.
I'm gonna walk around this area a little bit more. See what else I can find.
[Bryce] Watch your step here.
[narrator] On the southwest side of the same mountain,
Mireya and Bryce are exploring the areas
surrounding the tree structures they discovered in order to scan the forest
for any evidence of what created them.
[Bryce] This large tree structure seems to be pointing
in a general direction where the branches are aimed.
So we're going to find a vantage point and keep searching
for this creature that we know is out there.
[speaking softly]
[in normal voice] Let me use you to calibrate.
-Can you move back a little bit? -[Bryce] Oh, yeah.
[narrator] Mireya is using a thermal camera, which picks up
on any heat signatures in the area,
while Bryce's camera is equipped with infrared night vision.
I'm not getting anything. Are you?
No, I'm not getting anything.
[Bryce] [bleep].
[Mireya] What?
[Bryce] Come here. I'm picking up a strange light.
What is that?
-Do you see it? -[Mireya] Oh, yeah.
[Bryce] Isn't that strange?
That is really bizarre.
[Bryce] I have no answer for what the hell that is.
Are you getting anything on the thermal?
I'm not, no.
This wouldn't pick up any light
but if anyone was standing there with the light, it would pick them up,
and I'm not seeing anything.
I don't like that.
What the [bleep] is that?
[narrator] Coming up...
When I say we brought out the big guns, I'm not kidding.
[man 1] We'll be able to cover everything
-out there in the mountains. -[Bryce] Yeah.
[Russell] This is gonna allow us that edge that we've always wanted
but could never quite reach.
I'm in position.
Let's find Bigfoot.
-[Mireya] Are you still seeing it? -[Bryce] Yeah.
-Oh, yeah, it's moving again. -It's moving?
[Bryce] Yeah, take a look.
[narrator] In their Northern California target zone,
close to where Bryce and Mireya discovered a massive tree structure
the team has spotted a mysterious light in the woods.
Oh, it is moving.
Here, here.
If it's moving it's got to be attached to something.
[Bryce] Nothing.
I'm not picking up on anything moving.
[narrator] Bryce's night vision camera amplifies existing light
to reveal more detail than the human eye,
while Mireya's thermals will only pick up an object's heat signature.
Look, in our past expeditions, we've come across these balls of light or orbs.
Could this be something like that?
What the [bleep] is that?
[whispers] There's little white dots above this heat signature.
It's getting smaller and starting to disappear. Hold on. [gasps]
[in normal voice] The bottom half is gone,
and now it's just a small white circle.
[narrator] Seeing orbs in conjunction with Bigfoot
has been reported as far back as the 1800s.
Some Native Americans, such as the Lakota people,
believe that Bigfoot is an extra-dimensional being.
Some have theorized that the balls of light
that often accompany Bigfoot sightings
are portals that they use to travel between worlds.
Well, I think we should make our way down there,
although it looks pretty treacherous.
[Mireya] Well, let's keep moving along this trail, paralleling the river
and see if we can get to a different vantage point.
Yeah, good idea. Let's go.
I can't help but recall some of the stories I've heard
about Bigfoot using lights to lure people into the woods.
This is where we saw that light right here.
And I'm wondering if these lights are an attempt to draw our attention away
from Bigfoot's potential breeding ground.
-[Mireya] Are you seeing anything? -[Bryce] No.
-[Mireya] I'm not seeing anything now. -I know, that light is gone.
Damn. Now I'm curious as hell as to what that was.
[Mireya] All right.
-So that was really strange. -Yeah.
[Mireya] We should definitely come back tomorrow
during daylight hours and really scour the area.
See if we can find anything surrounding those tree structures.
[Bryce] Yeah, I'm with you.
[whispers] Was anyone glaring?
[narrator] Back on the northeast side of the mountain,
Russell has been exploring the area near the tree structure he discovered.
[Russell] Do you see this?
That thing's been pulled up and thrown on the ground
out here in the middle of a clearing,
How did this thing get out here?
What's so special about this spot?
Let's get out of this clearing.
I need to be back in that tree line. I don't like this.
I want to bring in Bryce and Mireya.
This tree structure, the center point,
the evidence that I've picked up along the way,
everything is piecing together.
I want Bryce and Mireya to know that there was something here
that was not here by accident.
[cell phone ringing]
Hey, Russ.
[Russell on the phone] Hey, Bryce.
I came across something
I want to bring your guy's attention to.
It's not my thing, you know that.
But I found a tree structure that
is something that I think you guys should see.
There's like teepee, um, angled logs placed in the center of it.
[Bryce on the phone] Russell, man, you're not gonna believe this.
Mireya and I also found a tree structure. It's huge.
Really?
Not only that, but we found two smaller structures leading up to it.
I think you need to meet up with us first thing in the a.m.
Okay.
I thought this was pretty awesome find,
but they've got something I need to be part of.
It sounds to me like they're on to something pretty big.
[Bryce] I didn't get much sleep.
I just can't stop thinking about those structures that we came across last night.
That reminded me of a conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum
about the significance of more ornately built structures
and what it could possibly mean.
Hey, Dr. Meldrum, how are you?
Good, thanks.
I want to talk to you a little bit about some of the the lesser-known
Sasquatch behaviors like tree manipulations and nest building.
Maybe some of these structures have not...
not just territoriality, but also,
perhaps they convey something that occurs on... on special occasions.
Hmm.
The nests are very intriguing, as rare as they are.
-Uh, this one particular site, there actually was a cluster. -Wow.
My kind of gut reaction to the situation was that it was a birthing site.
The reason I think that is there was one nest
that was in the crook of a bush about two and a half feet off the ground.
When I saw it, the first thing that came to mind was,
"My gosh, this is a bassinet."
So it wouldn't surprise me that when a Sasquatch female gives birth,
perhaps there's a kind of gathering of the extended family,
which is otherwise scattered over a large area.
You know, something is taking place
that isn't taking place every year. It feels different.
And to your point, maybe this is one of those years,
uh, where these things might be actually procreating and breeding.
It could be, or, uh,
I mean, if there are signs of nest building and so forth,
that would probably mean more birthing.
If there was this sort of birthing season, just to use your word,
this advertising of this event,
whether it's demarcations throughout the forest or... or stuff like that.
That's a... I never even thought of that. But it makes total sense.
You know, he felt that when he came across those nests,
it was a rare occurrence,
uh, that these creatures were coming together like that.
And seeing those structures last night,
I don't know, I can't help but to think that
there's a birthing season happening right now here in Northern California,
and that's the reason for all of this activity that we're experiencing.
I have a feeling this is our best chance ever
to get close to a family of Bigfoot.
There he is right now. Hey, Russ!
[narrator] After a 2-mile trek from the position he's been searching,
Russell meets up with Mireya and Bryce to assist in the analysis
of the tree structures they found the night before.
-[Bryce] How are you? -[Russell] How's it going?
-Good, man. -[Russell] Good to see ya.
Good to see you too.
It's nice to see the rain let up a little high.
[Bryce] Yeah, but unfortunately it's not gonna last.
The Lost Coast has been experiencing some historic weather patterns,
and right now we're tracking a massive storm that's bearing down on us.
[narrator] Due to make landfall in just ten hours, the approaching storm
threatens to be one of the worst on record for this region.
Known as an atmospheric river,
these layers of water vapor can reach up to two miles high,
500 miles wide and 5,000 miles long.
[Bryce] It's been decades since the Lost Coast
has experienced this type of weather,
and I have no idea how it's gonna change Bigfoot's behavior.
My big concern is that if we don't find them now, we might lose them.
[Russell] It feels like I've been through every season under the sun,
from, uh, blizzards to rain to, well today, finally getting some sunshine.
The speed at which the weather changes here
is faster than anywhere else I've ever worked before.
That makes it so difficult to come up with a game plan.
[Russell] What do you got?
Well, we found something really significant, Russ.
[Mireya] Hey, Russ, look up here.
[Russell] Oh, wow. Interesting.
[Mireya] This immediately caught my eye from quite a distance, actually.
I mean, it was so orderly amongst all this chaos.
[Russell] Yeah, it definitely stands out.
You know, my... The first thing I think of is, Okay,
-all these branches and rain, a lot of stuff's falling... -[Bryce] Yeah.
-...'cause a lot of these trees have that around it... -[Bryce] Yep.
...but this is all in one a focused area.
[Bryce] For me, Russ, these smaller structures represent directional markings
and this one points right up that corridor where the other ones are.
-[Russell] Let's see the others. -[Bryce] Let's do it.
[Mireya] Russ, here's the other one up here.
-Oh, wow. Look at that. -[Bryce] Yeah.
-[Russell] I mean, right here, line of sight... -[Bryce] Yeah.
...looking at this one, I see the one beyond it.
That's huge.
I bet that's a perfect line that one way back there, this one and this one.
[Bryce] And this is clearly the most significant marker.
This is what we're really interested in.
[Russell] There's no question that this was put here with intent.
This has a purpose.
-Hundred percent. -This has a reason for being here.
And my first thought is,
"What makes this area so spectacular?"
[narrator] High atop their Northern California target zone,
the team is analyzing the massive tree structure
that Bryce and Mireya discovered the night before.
[Mireya] So, is this more similar to what you found?
Let me show you what I found.
Picture this, but at about six or seven foot level,
-there was a centerpiece. -[Bryce] Oh, [bleep]!
Do you remember the thing in Alaska
-that looked like a goat's head? -Yeah.
[Mireya] This is really strange.
All of these different findings in isolation, to me, frankly,
don't amount to much.
But I like the fact that you're having similar finds
because that's how you start to see patterns emerging.
And that actually makes it really interesting.
One of the most important things in science
when you're trying to confirm
the existence of a species
is having multiple lines of evidence.
These tree structures, for example,
we're finding all of these repeated throughout the forest.
Now we're on to something.
[Bryce] If those smaller structures line up with this
and then the one you found on the mountain,
I think this could possibly be a new nesting site.
And these tree structures
are a way of marking it.
Agreed.
[Bryce] Northern California is the only place
where we've found nests in groups.
And considering that those nests were situated
close to the tree structures, then it would make sense
that these tree structures demarcate the place
where family groupings gather to possibly breed
or even raise their young.
[Mireya] I'd also love to compare our footprint cast.
-Okay. -Because right now, we have all of these findings
in different parts of this one area.
-Yeah. -But we don't actually know that
-it all belongs to the same animal. -[Russell] Agreed.
[Mireya] All right, so now that we've established that we're in the right zone,
how do we hone in on whatever it is then that is making these?
[Bryce] Yeah, that's what we need to do next.
You know what? I actually have a piece of tech
that I think can help us pinpoint their location.
I'm gonna go get on that because
you guys know we are running out of time.
[cellphone ringing]
[Bryce] Hey, Ben, what's going on?
[Ben over phone] Hey, not much, Bryce.
Headed out to meet one last witness,
and I wanted to run something by you.
-Yeah. What's up? -[Ben over phone] Well, I managed to dig up
a really interesting witness with a pretty scary story,
while backpacking alone inside our hot zone.
The problem is I'm having a really hard time
convincing him to talk on camera.
And I wanted to get your take on concealing his identity.
Yeah, you know, we've protected witnesses' identities in...
[over phone] ...the past. It really just depends on what they have to
say and why they wanna stay anonymous.
What did this guy say happened to him?
Well, I don't have a ton of detail yet.
He's been pretty cagey, but what I do know is that
he says he was surrounded by a group of Bigfoot.
That sounds insane, Ben...
Okay, we've gotta talk to this guy because
if he was surrounded by a group of Bigfoot,
then that lines up with exactly what we're theorizing,
about this being a potential breeding ground.
And last night, we came across a series of tree structures
that I believe demarcate actual Bigfoot territory.
In other words, I think there's a high chance we're gonna
come across multiple Bigfoot.
So, I think we need to hear this guy's story.
Well, if that's the case, then I'm gonna work
with the camera crew to hide his identity,
because I really think that the more details we can gather
on how these groups interact with humans,
-it could really make all the difference. -[Bryce] Yeah.
I agree. Let's do it.
-Awesome. Man, I'm on it. -[Bryce] All right. Nice work.
[Ben] Talk soon.
Thank you for being
-willing to share with me. -[man in modulated voice] Sure. Yes.
I haven't really talked about it to a lot of people.
It could hurt my reputation, you know?
I work at a college. I'm a humanities professor,
and I don't wanna risk that.
But at the same time,
it's something that I think people need to hear about.
-So tell me-- Let's walk through this experience. -[man] Mmm-hmm.
So, I decided to take a certain trail up in Northern California.
-And you're by yourself? -[man] Yes.
It's about 20 mile out back,
-so it was getting late already. -[Ben] Ah.
-And sun's down? -[man] Yeah. Sun's completely down, yeah.
No, no, it's dark out.
Set up camp and I was in my tent and
I heard something outside.
It was kind of like this rustling in the brush.
I open up the tent and I'm like,
you know, flashing my light out there and, um,
I see something.
And how far away do you think that...
-So, I would say 10-12 feet. -[Ben] Okay.
I can see it over the brush, clearing the brush line.
-Can you see appendages? Can you see... -[man] I can tell that
-it is upright. -[Ben] Uh-huh.
[man] And it is running like a human, and it's fast.
It's just like this whoosh of
red and brown, and it's not a bear. [chuckles]
There's no way this is a bear.
So, I'm flashing my light around and in that moment,
from the ridge that's behind me,
probably, I don't know, 40, 50 yards?
I hear a howl
that made the hair on my neck stand up.
I mean, it was terrifying.
So I turn around, trying to find it
over on that ridge on the other side.
And as I'm looking over there,
I hear more rustling behind me,
back where I was looking before near my camp.
And it is for sure closer this time.
Wow.
So at that point,
there's gotta be more than one thing there,
-sounds like it's circling around me. -[Ben] Mmm-hmm.
[man] And I don't know which way to turn. [chuckles]
It just... [inhales deeply]
Yeah, it was very, very scary.
So I just got back in my tent at that point.
And I was just quiet,
where I could actually have a moment
to think about it and realize
that it was a Bigfoot.
[man in modulated voice] So I just got back in my tent
and realize that
it was a Bigfoot.
And I haven't been able to
really do any solo-camping since then.
-[Ben] Hmm. -[man] 'Cause I... Now I just,
I just honestly don't know what's out there.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Ben grunts, sighs]
That was a crazy story.
I found him to be a highly credible witness.
He's got nothing to gain, in fact, a lot to lose
from being on camera with me, talking about Bigfoot.
I really found this story compelling.
I don't think I have been quite as scared
listening to a story as I have his.
He also brings up some really interesting data points
that I think track with what we're discovering out here.
One, it just confirms
the body of evidence we're gathering here,
that these creatures move in groups.
Two, it seems like there's something special about this area.
Whether it's migration, whether it's breeding, whether it's food
that brings them here together.
They're here, and they're not alone.
[Mireya exhales deeply]
-Welcome to base camp. -[Russell] Yeah, I like it.
[narrator] While Bryce secures technology
that will allow the team to search the entire mountain,
Mireya and Russell return to base camp
to compare footprint casts that they each discovered
in different areas of the target zone.
-I'm gonna go grab my cast. -[Russell] Okay.
[Mireya] Let's see how this turned out.
Wow.
[Russell] See how that whole thing moves in one piece? There we go.
All good.
[Mireya] We found these two footprints in different areas,
but we're not sure if they came from
the same individual or two different ones.
All right, let's compare these.
Wow.
[Mireya] We need to analyze these casts to make that determination,
because if we know we have multiple individuals,
that could vastly change our research strategy.
Oh, look at that.
[Russell] It almost looks like a left and right foot, doesn't it?
[Mireya] That's wild.
There is a similarity to 'em. This one's slightly bigger but...
[Russell] And toe to heel, 17.
-Toe to heel... -About 19 inches.
From here to here.
That is wild.
-[Mireya] Just about an inch and a half bigger on this one. -[Russell] Right.
Huh.
[Russell] I mean, when I first pulled it up out of the ground...
This looks like separation of toes.
But I'm only seeing three, which is really strange.
[Mireya] There's a lot that you can learn off a footprint.
And actually having this distinction on Russell's,
where it only has what appears to be three toes,
could actually help us.
So I have to admit, with this one,
there was not a good definition of toes.
It was just a really big, deep impression.
-So we thought that it would be worth casting. -[Russell] Right.
[Mireya] Bryce has always been convinced that there are
multiple individuals out here.
And now, the evidence points to that as well.
I'd actually really like to pull out some tech that I have...
-Yeah? -...and go back to that tree structure,
and see if I'm able to extract more DNA out of there.
Okay. I wanna go
from that large tree structure where we were just at,
up on top of the hill and back the other side,
and see if there's anything between those two points.
-Mmm-hmm. Yeah, good idea. -[Russell] And see if there's any more... Yeah.
All right, I'm gonna leave this with you, in your capable hands.
-I'll keep in touch. -[Mireya] All right, Russ.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Russell] Boy, this dirt is pretty bad.
[grunts]
[narrator] As Russell scours the area between the tree structures
the team discovered the night before...
[Mireya] This is gonna be a total game changer for us.
[narrator] ...Mireya returns to the tree structures near the mountain peak
with a special piece of technology
to help her gather more evidence.
[Mireya] This hyperspectral camera is relatively new,
and we have never had anything like this on the expedition.
This allows us to target an area
where we are more likely to pick up on a DNA signature.
It's actually used in forensics
to make sure that no clue is ever left unseen.
[narrator] This hyperspectral camera collects and processes data
across the entire electromagnetic spectrum,
allowing it to differentiate
between objects that look similar
but have different chemical compositions.
In forensics, it's used at crime scenes
to locate potential trace DNA evidence
left on surfaces or hidden in fabrics.
So, I'm gonna start by taking an image
of the very top of the structure.
[camera beeps]
[Mireya] All right, it's starting data recording.
The hyperspectral camera can detect mammal DNA traces.
The idea being that I am able to pinpoint
exactly where to take DNA from.
I wanna make sure that I don't miss anything while we're here.
And now it's just processing the data.
We're actually gonna be able to get indicators
that will potentially lead to us being able to extract DNA.
We're just waiting for that little bit there to process.
If there is any residual DNA on this,
then we're gonna collect it.
There we go. Huh.
In this image, it is not picking up on any indicators
that's giving me a potential target where I can collect from.
So, I wanna move on to the large structure
and do some more data analysis there.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Mireya] So, this is interesting here because
the hyperspectral camera is actually picking up
on an indicator.
And it's only a few feet
from where I collected any DNA sample last night.
So, it just tells me that I was close,
but I could have potentially missed something,
and hopefully now we've got it.
There is so much that resembles a CSI investigation
during these expeditions.
And the hyperspectral camera gives us the advantage
of making sure that we can find DNA
which would have otherwise been overlooked.
Tech like this is a game changer.
If I had not had this technology,
I might have completely missed it.
And maybe now we've found something
we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
[clouds rumbling deeply]
[Mireya] Bryce should be just right up here
-through these trees. -[Russell] Cool.
I can't wait to see what he's got.
-[Mireya] Yeah, it sounded like something big, huh? -[Russell] Yeah.
[narrator] As Mireya and Russell prepare to rendezvous with Bryce,
the first wave of the atmospheric river hits land.
During the onset of these massive storm systems,
the weather can fluctuate without warning,
from light rain and fog to hail, lightning and snow.
These sudden shifts can trigger floods, mudslides,
and even wildfires throughout the region.
[Bryce] Hey, guys.
-[Mireya] Hey, Bryce. -How's it going?
I've got some people I want you to meet.
-This is Kyle and Jordan. -[Mireya] Hey.
-[Russell] Hey, guys. -These guys are gonna help us out today.
And when I say, "We've brought out the big guns,"
I'm not kidding.
Growing up, my dad taught me the survival skills to know
that if I was in the forest, I'd be fine.
I'm gonna give you a couple pieces of advice
to be successful in the forest.
Number one, if you're ever gonna go into the forest,
always let someone know where you're going.
Make sure you check in when you leave,
and you check in when you get back in.
Number two, always go out in pairs.
Do you sleep at all?
For the show, I have a cameraman.
And that gives me a lot of comfort,
knowing that if something happens to me,
I've got backup right in front of me.
The last thing, bring a means of
how to protect yourself from the elements.
If it rains, if it snows,
you can get into hypothermia and put yourself
in a situation that is highly dangerous.
We've got to get out of the open right now, get into some cover.
Play it safe.
There's no sense in taking risks that are unnecessary.
[clouds rumbling deeply]
When I say, "We've brought out the big guns," I'm not kidding.
Now that we've established that this mountain
is these creatures' territory, we've brought in the most
incredible piece of tech
to help us pinpoint their exact location.
To help us set up this surveillance array,
I brought in Jordan from Axis Communication
and Kyle from Evolon Tech.
You guys wanna tell us a little bit about what we've got?
So, what we're looking at here is a variety of cameras.
We're gonna have standard optical cameras.
It's gonna show us color, it's gonna show us what we look at in photos.
And then the rest of it is thermal cameras,
where we can see heat at distance.
[Bryce] I'm liking that thermal.
[Jordan] And we do have a special camera up there called the bi-spectral.
And it has a thermal camera and an optical camera
inside of a giant pan-tilt-zoom mount.
[narrator] The bi-spectral camera allows the team
to not only zoom in on a target,
but to also determine whether that target has a heat signature.
[Bryce] How far are we scoping here?
So right now, I actually have a shot.
But we're gonna be looking about a mile and a half out.
And as we zoom back out here,
we can just see how far out this camera zoomed.
-[Russell] Wow. -[Mireya] Amazing.
[Kyle] We have eight cameras.
And these cameras are self-driven,
so they're gonna be looking for that target and they will alert us,
so we'll know what's happening much quicker than the human eye.
So, if the thermal sees something that
it recognizes as a target we're looking for,
it communicates with the larger camera
and locks in on that.
[Jordan] Yep, it will give it the coordinates,
the camera will zoom in on that target.
-[man] Yeah. -That's unbelievable.
And we'll be able to cover everything out there in the mountains.
[Russell] The tech that he brought up on the mountain here for us to use
is absolutely unheard of.
This is the type of stuff that I never dreamed
I'd actually be able to use
this kind of technology in Bigfoot research.
This is gonna allow us that edge that we've always wanted
but could never quite reach.
[Bryce] Now if I understand it it's already set to eliminate small targets?
Yeah, absolutely. So, the company I work for
designed software that runs on the camera itself.
-[Russell] Wow. -[Kyle] So, we're able to run algorithms
that will be looking for an object of a specific size
at a specific distance, for example.
[Mireya] So you're saying that this will only hone in on something that's big,
and then you're able to track it and zoom in on it?
-[Kyle] Automatically. -[Mireya] That's amazing.
This is really exciting because this is the first time
that we have ever deployed
artificial intelligence on any of our investigations.
Being able to filter out
things that move through the forest,
specifically looking for something tall and upright.
Kyle and Jordan have basically created
the dream tech for us on this expedition.
We go through rain, snow, fog.
How does that affect this technology?
So, the technology does work pretty dang well
in a variety of weather conditions.
But some of the big limitations are gonna be fog and snow.
So, what thermal cameras cannot see through
is glass and water.
-[Bryce] Hmm. -So, if there's enough water in the air,
either through fog or snow,
we can't see through that no matter how much
heat we have on target.
[Mireya] In my experience,
one of the biggest threats to an expedition is the weather.
Here we have this unbelievable technology,
but there are limitations.
And if this weather becomes any more extreme,
we're basically gonna be flying blind.
[Bryce] Well, look, here's the plan, you guys.
This whole side of the mountain
is covered by this array of cameras.
And let's get some boots on the ground.
I think Russ, you take one side. Mireya, you take another.
I'll stay here with these guys,
and we'll watch you as you move through the area.
-All right. Sounds good. -All right.
[Bryce] Let's get these optical cameras
and thermal cameras on our target.
Let's find Bigfoot.
-Thanks, you guys. -Holy smokes.
-Great meeting you. -Nice to meet you guys, thanks.
-You weren't kidding, this is amazing. -Awesome. We'll be in touch.
[Mireya] We started off this search with 7,000 acres.
And we have honed it down to just
one single mountain.
-Fog's rolling away. It's perfect timing. -Yeah, this is great.
[narrator] The surveillance array is positioned
on the hillside opposite the mountain
where the team found the tree structures
so that the cameras can provide
a comprehensive view of the surrounding area.
Mireya for Bryce, I'm in position.
There they are, right there.
[Russell over radio] Hey, Bryce, can you see me?
I'm in my position.
[Bryce] Yep. I got you, Russ. I see you on the thermal.
[Russell over radio] Excellent.
I'll let you know if I see anything.
Bryce being back here with the equipment,
it's like having that eye in the sky that sees everything.
If anything moves at all on that hillside,
he's gonna be able to see it, identify it,
and direct us directly in its path.
This technology is our game changer.
This is what's gonna give us
the answers we've been looking for for years.
[dramatic music playing]
[Bryce] This surveillance array will have everything we need.
These cameras are so powerful, they can pinpoint targets
up to two miles away.
If these creatures are here, we're gonna find 'em.