(You should read the story "Skunk Ape" before you read this story)
You’ve seen and hopefully read the accounts of Mark and the “Bigfoot Dream” that really was a nightmare for some of us as Steve mentioned, there are few things more frightening than a raving sleep walker with a loaded gun.
As Swamp Lore evolves it becomes richer and sometimes may even transcend the real truth.To that end, Hoss and Jon came up with a plan to support the size, toe configuration and weight of the now famous Bigfoot. Using an old pair of tennis shoes, some plywood, a router and some screws, pair of true Bigfeet was constructed.
Now the real Bigfoot is in excess of 8 feet tall, has got to weigh more than any man, and by virtue of his ability to walk upright and stand, albeit stooped, Bigfoot must have Bigfeet. Using a scaling factor based on available scraps of wood in the garage, two 18 “ feet were jig-sawed out. Toes numbering fewer than mans were sculpted on one end and routed arches added some degree of realism. Screwed to the bottom of the tennis shoes, the Bigfeet/Bigfoot caper was taking shape.
Did we mention that a big part of going to the woods was telling stories…often true…oft not? We had been telling Bigfoot stories for years and the story of Mark was most likely made possible by the underpinnings of our incessant ramblings about Swampthings.
Now if you were looking for signs of living things in the wild, most all-good scouts would steer you to the watering holes. Sometimes during the dry season watering holes are hard to find even in the “River of Grass”. Many of the buggy trails passed near by watering holes and sometimes the buggies created them after being stuck a few months earlier and digging them selves out.
Donning the sneakers, Jon and Hoss would head for a watering hole. Jon, wearing the sneaks (Bigfeet) and carrying Hoss on his back lurked through the woods with all the grace and stealth of a bull in a china shop. But they did provide footprints that appeared to be made by something weighing around 400 pounds, walking on two feet…two very Bigfeet and what ever made the tracks was obviously interested in watering holes. We did this during a number of trips and we’re sure that somewhere along the trail folks saw the tracks…and once again the legend was substantiated.
The truth of the matter is, if no one else ever saw the tracks that was ok, because we had a great time making them and have had fun ever since telling the Bigfeet story.
This story was written by Jon, one of the owners of Six Pack. October 31, 2000
