Better than Bigfoot

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This article was published 31/08/2019 (2574 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most of us have watched that grainy footage of what looks like a tall, powerful humanoid figure covered with fur striding into the forest, then turning its head slightly to glance at the camera. Is it a Sasquatch or someone dressed in a costume?

Toronto freelance writer and photographer John Zada examines the question of whether or not a race of wild, forest-dwelling creatures that better resemble primitive than modern man really exist. Like the camera operator who captured that singular image, there are some who swear they’ve glimpsed, heard or been attacked by a Sasquatch, and others who’ve never seen one but still firmly believe they are out there living — and hiding — within the undeveloped parts of our planet.

Harrison Hot Springs in the Coast Mountains of B.C. is supposed to be the epicentre of Sasquatch sightings. The word “Sasquatch” was first spoken here in 1929, an Anglicization of the local Sts’ailes First Nations’ word, Sasq’ets, meaning wild man of the woods.

Zada candidly admits that he was a true Sasquatch believer while growing up, and he read all the accounts he could find on the subject. A previous writing assignment took him into communities along the B.C. coast, and prompted his later return to the area in search of proof that his childhood fantasy is a reality. Zada is a skilled writer who’s able to turn what some would call a wild goose chase into a narrative that intertwines what is real with what can only be imagined by a few.

While Zada writes about meeting people who claim they have encountered a Sasquatch in some form, his formal quest actually takes a back seat as the book progresses. What are most compelling are his descriptions of the unique remote communities he visits and the grandeur of Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest. He describes how only a fraction of this wilderness has been thoroughly explored by man. The mountainous terrain and dense forest act as effective barriers to keep all but the most intrepid explorers out. Even many of the First Nations people who live along the edges of this wilderness aren’t eager to join him in trekking into foreign and dangerous terrain.

Toward the end of his search, Zada reaches a lake in the midst of an uninhabited area. As he stares into the clear water, he sees the surrounding trees and mountains reflected and his mind creates an image that looks much like a Sasquatch. He realizes that it’s possible some Sasquatch sightings are likely to have been the result of the viewer’s imagination and a belief that such a creature is real.

He explores First Nations people’s history of interactions with wild men, some of whom seem to be the members of a large race that leave footprints double the size of a human’s footprint. There is also folklore about a smaller race of creatures that are more prone to creating havoc for humans. This type of mischievous or evil creature is depicted in the artwork and stories of many cultures.

The “noble beyond” in Zada’s title comes from a statement spoken by Darell Becker, or Darellbear, who tries to explain the coincidences that Zada experiences as part of the area’s mystique: “The Great Bear Rainforest, this whole coast, is the noble beyond. This is the land of serendipity, man. The ultimate landscape of myth, magic and metaphor. The domain that is the unseen universe. Interconnection and deeper meanings lie around every corner here. It’s where your Sasquatch, your coincidences and a million other possibilities exist.”

Zada’s In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond brings us as close as most of us will ever get to this piece of paradise that is part of Canada.

Andrea Geary is a reporter with Canstar Community News.