Shattuck: WHEN I FELL THROUGH THE FLATHEAD,
I HAD A FEELING THAT NOT ONLY COULD I DROWN,
BUT THAT I MAY BE EATEN BY THE FLATHEAD LAKE MONSTER.
Jones: THEY GOT CLOSER AND CLOSER,
AND WHEN THEY'RE READY TO GRAB HIM...
TURNED INTO A WOLF.
[ GROWLING ]
THE SPIRIT OF THAT NATIVE AMERICAN
WHO TURNED INTO A WOLF
IS THERE IN THE PORTLAND UNDERGROUND.
Narrator: AND A "MONSTERS & MYSTERIES" EXCLUSIVE.
Smeja: THE WHOLE EVENT...
EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS...
IT WAS A LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT. I SHOT BIGFOOT.
Randles: YOU COULD HAVE THAT ONE DEFINITIVE PIECE OF EVIDENCE
THAT COULD HELP GET THIS SPECIES VERIFIED.
Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER,
FLESH-AND-BLOOD REMAINS OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BIGFOOT.
A GROUNDBREAKING DNA STUDY IS UNDER WAY.
Randles: ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS, IF NOT THE BIGGEST THING,
THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE SASQUATCH WORLD TO DATE.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator: THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST --
ONE OF THE LAST PLACES IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S. TO BE EXPLORED.
IT'S A REGION DRENCHED IN RAIN --
MORE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN AMERICA --
PRODUCING SOME OF THE DENSEST FORESTS.
A GOOD PLACE FOR SOMETHING TO HIDE.
YOU CAN'T REALLY EVEN SEE 6, 12 FEET DEEP
INTO SOME OF THESE WOODS.
IT'S SO DEEP AND IMPENETRABLE DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF YEAR.
PEOPLE THAT FLY OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
ARE GENERALLY JUST IMPRESSED
WITH HOW VAST THE FORESTS ARE OUT HERE.
Germeau: IT'S A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN HAVE AN IMAGINATION
AND THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD BE OUT THERE
BECAUSE IT IS SO DARK, THICK, AND LUSCIOUS.
Narrator: THERE ARE POCKETS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
THAT REMAIN OUT OF TIME -- WILD AND UNTAMED.
PERHAPS THAT MAKES IT THE PERFECT HOME
FOR AN ELUSIVE CREATURE KNOWN AS SASQUATCH.
Germeau: IT IS A REAL THING.
IT'S A FLESH-AND-BLOOD BIOLOGICAL BEING THAT EXISTS,
AND IT'S OUT THERE.
IT'S BEEN PART OF THE FAMILY STORY SINCE I WAS BORN.
A LOT OF KIDS HAVE THE BOOGEYMAN UNDER THE BED. I HAD BIGFOOT.
WHEN I GO ON NIGHT HIKES, I FEEL MORE VULNERABLE,
AND I FEEL MORE LIKE SASQUATCH IS WATCHING ME
BECAUSE IT'S DARK, AND I CAN'T SEE MY SURROUNDINGS,
AND I FEEL LIKE HE COULD EASILY BE WATCHING ME.
Narrator: SASQUATCH, BIGFOOT, YETI --
INTERCHANGEABLE TERMS
FOR THE GIANT, HAIRY HUMANOID SAID TO STALK THESE WOODS.
STORIES OF THE GIANT ONES
MAY HAVE BEGUN AMONG NATIVE AMERICANS.
Michael: THE THING THAT CONVINCED ME THAT BIGFOOT IS REAL
IS 1,500 YEARS
OF NATIVE AMERICANS TALKING ABOUT IT, CARVING TOTEMS FOR IT,
DOZENS AND DOZENS OF WORDS FOR IT
IN ALL THE DIFFERENT NATIVE LANGUAGES.
THEY'VE SEEN IT FOR HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
Narrator: NATIVE AMERICAN LEGENDS
EVENTUALLY MADE THEIR WAY INTO POPULAR AWARENESS.
THEN, IN 1958,
AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE IN BLUFF CREEK, CALIFORNIA,
BULLDOZER OPERATOR JERRY CREW FOUND AN ENORMOUS FOOTPRINT.
AFTER THAT,
THE ELUSIVE TRACK-MAKER WAS A MEDIA SENSATION.
DESPITE YEARS OF CHEAP STUNTS IN GORILLA SUITS,
THE PUBLIC'S INTEREST HAS ONLY GROWN.
Broughton: THE BIGFOOT WHOLE PHENOMENON HAS JUST RECENTLY BLOWN UP,
AND PEOPLE ARE BEING MORE AWARE OF IT AND OPEN TO IT.
NO MATTER WHERE WE GO WITH FINDING OUT
IF SOMETHING'S A HOAX OR SOMETHING'S REAL,
SOMETHING'S OUT THERE THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT --
IT'S THRILLING TO ME.
Narrator: AND THEN THERE ARE SOME WHO NEVER GAVE BIGFOOT A THOUGHT
UNTIL THEY CAME FACE-TO-FACE.
THE WHOLE EVENT...
EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS...
IT WAS A LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT.
THERE WAS THIS MOMENT WHERE I WAS JUST LIKE,
I-I SHOT BIGFOOT."
Narrator: ON THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,
NEAR THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA,
27-YEAR-OLD JUSTIN SMEJA LIVES WITH HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER.
Smeja: ABOUT THE ONLY THING I DO IN MY FREE TIME
IS HUNTING AND FISHING.
SINCE I WAS RAISED, THAT'S ALL WE EVER DID.
EVERY WEEKEND, IT'S ASSUMED
THAT WE'RE GOING HUNTING OR FISHING YEAR-ROUND.
WHEN IT CAME TO BIGFOOT OR SASQUATCH GROWING UP,
I JUST NEVER HEARD ANYBODY TALK ABOUT IT LIKE IT'S A REAL THING.
I REALLY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT.
Narrator: ON OCTOBER 8, 2010,
ALL THAT CHANGED.
IT WAS 65 DEGREES UP THERE -- RELATIVELY NICE FOR THIS YEAR.
I WAS AT ABOUT 7,000 FEET.
ME AND A BUDDY WERE OUT BEAR HUNTING.
THERE WAS ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF LEFT OF SUNLIGHT.
WE CAME INTO THE CLEARING WHERE THE MEADOW IS,
AND BOTH OF US KIND OF LOOKED OVER. WE SAW MOVEMENT.
STOP! STOP! STOP!
AND I SAW THIS CREATURE STANDING THERE ABOUT 80 YARDS AWAY.
IT WAS 600 POUNDS AND LIKE 7½, MAYBE 8 FEET TALL.
REALLY BIG SHOULDERS -- VERY MUSCULAR-LOOKING.
THE ONLY THING THAT I EVER SAID IN MY HEAD WAS,
"THIS IS A MONSTER.
"THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T BE HERE.
"THIS IS A NIGHTMARE.
THIS IS DIFFERENT. THIS IS UNREAL."
HEY. HEY, JUSTIN, I DON'T THINK THAT --
THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT A BEAR!
IT WAS APPROACHING US SLOWLY.
IT TOOK MAYBE TWO OR THREE STEPS.
AT THAT POINT, I HAD ALREADY ACTUALLY CHAMBERED MY RIFLE.
MY BUDDY'S STARTING TO PANIC.
DUDE, DON'T SHOOT! DON'T SHOOT!
AND AT THAT POINT, I WAS LOOKING AT IT,
AND I WAS THINKING, "THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE.
THIS THING NEEDS TO DIE."
I JERKED THE TRIGGER A LITTLE BIT AND SHOT.
[ GUNSHOT ]
THE ANIMAL WENT DOWN.
GOT HIM!
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
IT STARTED TRYING TO GET UP, SO I RE-CHAMBERED.
IT WAS STAGGERING AWAY --
SOMETIMES ON TWO LEGS, SOMETIMES ON ALL FOURS.
IT WAS JUST GETTING OUT OF EYESIGHT.
I TAKE MY EYE OUT OF THE SCOPE AND I LOOK OVER,
AND THERE'S TWO SMALLER ONES.
THEY WERE OF A CINNAMON COLOR.
THEY WERE BROWN, AND THEY WERE ON TWO LEGS,
AND THEY WOULD DROP DOWN TO ALL FOURS.
I WAS STILL KIND OF IN NIGHTMARE MODE.
OH, MY GOD! THERE'S MORE!
AND I WAS THINKING, "THIS IS CRAZY."
THEN, IT BECAME EVEN MORE FRIGHTENING.
THEN WE'RE THINKING, "WELL, ARE THEY GONNA COME AND BITE US?
"ARE THEY GONNA COME AND ATTACK US?
SHOULD WE BE AFRAID RIGHT NOW?"
LET'S GO!
Narrator: FOR THE NEXT 15 MINUTES,
JUSTIN AND HIS BUDDY RAN THROUGH THE WOODS SEARCHING.
SUDDENLY, JUSTIN FOUND HIMSELF ALONE,
STARING AT ONE OF THE JUVENILES.
Smeja: I COULD NOT MAKE SENSE OF IT.
I WAS SITTING THERE LOOKING AT THIS THING,
THINKING, "HOW CAN THIS BE REAL?"
MY ADRENALINE, MY HEART WAS PUMPING A MILLION MILES AN HOUR.
I DECIDED THAT I WAS GONNA SHOOT ONE,
'CAUSE IF I DIDN'T SHOOT THIS THING,
NOBODY WOULD EVER BELIEVE THAT THIS HAPPENED.
I PUT THE SCOPE ON IT.
[ GUNSHOT ]
I SHOT IT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NECK.
I PICKED UP THE LITTLE ONE.
IT WAS STARTING TO CHOKE TO DEATH.
IT WAS JUST IN THE LAST MOMENTS OF ITS LIFE.
WHEN I GOT CLOSE TO IT,
IT SEEMED TO HAVE A LOT OF REALLY HUMAN FEATURES.
THE HAIR WAS REALLY THIN, AND IT HAD WHITE IN ITS EYES
AND WAS JUST SITTING THERE, LOOKING AT ME.
AND I WAS SITTING THERE HOLDING IT, LOOKING AT IT,
AND I WAS LIKE, "I MESSED UP. I MESSED UP."
IT PROBABLY ONLY TOOK MAYBE 10 SECONDS
FOR IT TO CHOKE TO DEATH.
RIGHT ABOUT THAT TIME, MY BUDDY COMES UP THE HILL,
AND HE WAS KIND OF THINKING THE SAME THING I WAS --
THAT IT WAS -- THIS WAS JUST TOO HUMAN.
WHAT WE DID WAS WRONG.
I FELT SO ASHAMED.
Narrator: FEARING THE GAME WARDEN WAS HEADING THEIR WAY,
THEY PANICKED AND DECIDED TO BURY THE CREATURE.
Smeja: I WENT TO THE THICKEST BRUSH I COULD FIND
AND STARTED TO JUST PUT IT IN AND STARTED GRABBING STUFF
THROWING IT ON TOP OF IT, WHATEVER WE COULD FIND --
STUMPS, TREES, BRUSH, ROCKS.
ON THE 2½-HOUR DRIVE HOME -- NEVER SAID A WORD TO EACH OTHER.
IT WAS REALLY JUST NOTHING BUT SHAME.
IT WAS JUST, I KNEW THAT I HAD MESSED UP.
I FELT AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF GUILT.
THEY DIDN'T MEAN US ANY HARM.
AT ONE POINT, IT JUST HIT ME
THAT I REALIZED THAT I HAD SHOT NOT ONE, BUT TWO BIGFOOTS,
AND IT WAS -- IT WAS LIFE-CHANGING.
Narrator: WORD WOULD GET OUT ABOUT THE SHOOTINGS,
AND JUSTIN WAS SOON CONTACTED BY DEREK RANDLES,
ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT SASQUATCH HUNTERS
IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.
Randles: WHEN WE SPOKE, I SAID, "THERE'S A BODY OF RESEARCHERS
"THAT HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR DECADES, AND YOU COULD HAVE
"THAT ONE DEFINITIVE PIECE OF EVIDENCE UP THERE
THAT COULD HELP GET THIS SPECIES VERIFIED."
Smeja: SO, DEREK'S JUST TRYING TO SAY,
"HEY, YOU NEED TO GO BACK THERE. YOU NEED TO GET THE BODY."
AND I WAS LIKE, "I'M NOT DOING THAT."
HE'S LIKE, "NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.
"THIS IS THE BIGGEST ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY EVER,
"AND YOU'RE SITTING THERE
SAYING THAT YOU'RE GONNA LET A BODY ROT IN THE WOODS?"
IT WAS JUST THIS IDEA OF GOING BACK TO RELIVE THIS NIGHTMARE
AND RELIVE THE SHAME
OF KILLING SOMETHING THAT SEEMED AWFULLY HUMAN.
I WAS REALLY GETTING THE FEELING LIKE JUSTIN WAS ON THE LEVEL.
IF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE UP A HOAX,
WOULD YOU GO THROUGH ALL THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THIS STORY
THAT ARE SO GRAPHIC AND SO HEARTBREAKING
AND SO UNNECESSARY?
I WOULDN'T.
Narrator: MANY YEARS AGO,
DEREK HAD HIS OWN HARROWING ENCOUNTER WITH BIGFOOT
AND BARELY ESCAPED WITH HIS LIFE.
Randles: I NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD FEAR TO THAT LEVEL
UNTIL I LAID EYES ON A SASQUATCH.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
Narrator: IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,
CONSTRUCTION WORKER JUSTIN SMEJA WAS HUNTING
WHEN HE CLAIMS HE CAME ACROSS...
[ GUNSHOT ] AND KILLED A SASQUATCH.
700 MILES NORTH,
IN WASHINGTON'S OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS,
DEREK RANDLES HAS SPENT YEARS HUNTING THIS VERY CREATURE.
NOW, LOOK HERE.
WHY DON'T WE GO OFF THIS FIR TREE HERE RIGHT OVER HERE?
PLACING CAMERA TRAPS THROUGHOUT THE WOODS,
DEREK IS HOPING TO FINALLY PROVE THE MONSTER IS REAL.
IT'S A PASSION THAT BEGAN THREE DECADES AGO.
WHEN I WAS YOUNG -- PROBABLY ABOUT AGE 15 --
I GOT INTO OFF-TRAIL HIKING AND MOUNTAINEERING.
IT'S MY ELEMENT. IT'S WHERE I FEEL LIKE HOME.
I'M ACTUALLY SAFER IN THE WOODS THAN I AM IN THE CITY.
Narrator: SAFER...
UNTIL ONE AFTERNOON IN AUGUST 1985,
WHEN HE AND A FRIEND WERE HIKING IN THE MOUNTAINS.
I NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD FEAR TO THAT LEVEL
UNTIL I LAID EYES ON A SASQUATCH.
[ GROWLING ]
WE LEFT THE TRAILHEAD PROBABLY, I'M GONNA SAY AROUND 2:00.
WE ENDED UP GOING PROBABLY ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF
PAST CAMP PLEASANT.
Narrator: AS SUNLIGHT BEGAN TO FADE,
THEY HIKED OFF-TRAIL ANOTHER HALF MILE
AND SET UP CAMP ON A MOSSY FINGERRIDGE.
Randles: AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE HEAR THIS CRASH.
[ CRASH ]
AND WE JUST KIND OF STOPPED,
AND THE ONLY THING THAT I COULD THINK OF AT THE TIME
WAS MAYBE WE SPOOKED AN ELK
BECAUSE THE CRASH WAS PRETTY BIG.
IT SOUNDED HEAVY.
AS WE'RE PEERING TO THE LEFT,
ALL OF A SUDDEN, HERE COMES A ROCK.
WHAT THE --
AND IT LANDS ABOUT 10 FEET TO THE LEFT OF US.
IT WAS DELIBERATELY THROWN,
AND AT THAT POINT... [ CHUCKLES ]
TIME JUST KIND OF FREEZES.
Narrator: WITH A ROCK THAT SIZE,
WAS THIS AN ATTACK BY AN OUT-OF-CONTROL HIKER...
WHOA, MAN!
...OR A CREATURE TOO SCARY TO IMAGINE?
Randles: AS WE'RE PROCESSING THAT,
ANOTHER ROCK FLIES AND LANDS,
ALMOST HITS THE OTHER ONE -- VERY ACCURATELY THROWN --
LANDS ABOUT 10, 12 FEET TO THE LEFT OF US AGAIN.
AND THEN, IT'S JUST LIKE IT GOT REAL AT THAT MOMENT.
THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING FEELING
OF BEING IN TROUBLE, BEING IN DANGER.
SOMETHING FELT VERY WRONG.
IT WAS A VERY DREADFUL FEELING.
LET'S GET OUT OF HERE, MAN.
Narrator: WITH NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE UP AGAINST,
ESCAPE INTO THE WOODS SEEMED THE ONLY OPTION.
Randles: NOW WE'RE IN FULL-BLOWN PANIC AT THIS POINT.
I'M RUNNING DOWN THIS MOUNTAIN.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN IN A DREAM AND SOMETHING'S CHASING YOU...
...AND YOU'RE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME MOVING.
IT WAS JUST --
IT WAS ALMOST LIKE EVERYTHING WAS IN SLOW-MOTION,
AND I COULD NOT GET FAST ENOUGH DOWN THAT HILL.
I'M HEADED DOWN THE RIDGE AT THIS POINT,
AND I REMEMBERED THAT I HAD A .357 IN MY BACKPACK.
HOLD UP, MAN.
I STOPPED, PULLED OUT MY GUN,
AND JUST VERY QUICKLY LOOKED BACK.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
I SAW A BIGFOOT.
AND WHEN I LAID MY EYES ON THIS THING,
EVERYTHING FROZE,
AND I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS THROWING THE ROCKS AT US
AT THAT POINT.
IT WAS VERY LARGE.
THE LIGHT WAS FADED TO A POINT
TO WHERE I COULDN'T MAKE OUT FACIAL FEATURES,
BUT I WAS ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED.
[ CREATURE GROWLING ]
I CAN TELL YOU WITHOUT A DOUBT
THAT WAS ONE OF THE SCARIEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE.
Narrator: ALMOST THREE DECADES LATER,
THAT ENCOUNTER STILL BURNS BRIGHT.
IT SET DEREK ON A QUEST TO PROVE TO THE WORLD
THAT SASQUATCH IS REAL.
Randles: ONCE YOU BREAK THAT LINE BETWEEN MYTH AND REALITY
AND IT BECOMES REAL --
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S AN OBSESSION.
I JUST -- I CAN'T PUT IT DOWN.
I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN. I JUST NEED TO KNOW MORE.
IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF WHETHER THEY'RE REAL OR NOT.
NOW IT'S JUST I WANT TO LEARN EVERYTHING I CAN ABOUT THEM.
THE GOAL OF THE OLYMPIC PROJECT
WAS TO OBTAIN CRYSTAL-CLEAR PHOTOGRAPHS
OF SASQUATCH IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
YEAH, THIS CAMERA'S GONNA BLEND IN BEAUTIFULLY.
IT WON'T BE NOTICEABLE.
Broughton: WE HAVE OVER 50 CAMERAS SET UP.
THEY'RE SET UP IN LOCATIONS LIKE THE NATIONAL FOREST
AND MOUNTAINS, WILDLIFE TRAILS --
PLACES THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD SIGHTINGS.
YEAH, THERE'S PROBABLY ENOUGH DISTANCE, HUH?
Man: YOU WANT ME TO CUT SOME OF THESE BRANCHES?
Narrator: THEIR CAMERAS HAVE CAPTURED THOUSANDS OF IMAGES --
MOSTLY FAMILIAR WILDLIFE.
BUT ON A FEW,
TANTALIZING GLIMPSES OF SOMETHING UNUSUAL.
THIS THING SHOWS UP IN THE CAMERA FRAME
AT 4:00 IN THE MORNING, AND WE SEE A PROFILE
OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE JUST THE SIDE OF SOMETHING'S ARM.
AND THEN THE NEXT FRAME, UP IN THE CORNER,
YOU COULD SEE TWO FINGERS THAT WERE IN THE TOP CORNER
AND EVEN THE PART OF A FINGERNAIL.
WE GOT PRETTY EXCITED.
AND THERE'S ANOTHER PICTURE OF --
WE BELIEVE IT TO BE A FACE, BUT IT'S KIND OF BLURRY.
Narrator: WHEN ALL YOU HAVE ARE BLURRY PHOTOS,
EVERYTHING CHANGES WITH THE NEWS
THAT A HUNTER IN THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS
MAY HAVE SHOT A BIGFOOT.
IF IT WAS TRUE, PERHAPS THERE WERE FLESH-AND-BLOOD REMAINS.
DEREK RANDLES QUICKLY CONTACTED JUSTIN SMEJA.
IT WAS PARAMOUNT FOR JUSTIN TO SEE THE SHOOTING IN A NEW LIGHT
AND TRY TO RECOVER THE BODY.
A MONTH LATER, WHEN JUSTIN FINALLY RETURNED,
THE KILL SITE WAS COVERED IN SNOW.
Smeja: SO, WE'RE DIGGING IN THE SNOW.
WE FOUND SOME HAIR, AND WE STARTED DIGGING AROUND IT.
I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE THE WHOLE BODY,
BUT IT TURNED OUT TO JUST BE A PIECE OF HIDE THAT HAD FAT ON IT
AND THAT HAD A LOT OF HAIR ON IT.
IT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT THIS BIG.
WE DROVE IT STRAIGHT HOME AND PUT IT IN THE FREEZER.
DEREK RANDLES IS SAYING,
"HEY, I GOT THIS DNA LAB THAT I WANT YOU TO SEND IT TO."
Narrator: HAIR FOLLICLES, FLESH, FAT.
WITHIN THIS HANDFUL OF ONCE-LIVING TISSUE,
CAN WE FIND THE MISSING LINK --
THE DNA BLUEPRINT FOR CREATING A MONSTER
AND THE SOURCE FOR ALL THOSE RUMORS
OF A MAN-LIKE CREATURE STALKING THE WOODS?
IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS,
IF NOT THE BIGGEST THING, IN MY OPINION,
THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE SASQUATCH WORLD,
IN THE BIGFOOT RESEARCH COMMUNITY, TO DATE.
Narrator: BIGFOOT HUNTERS DEREK RANDLES AND JUSTIN SMEJA
RECENTLY SUBMITTED SAMPLES OF AN UNIDENTIFIED CREATURE
TO A DNA LAB.
IN NOVEMBER 2012, PRELIMINARY FINDINGS WERE ANNOUNCED,
ALLEGING THAT BIGFOOT IS A GENETIC RELATIVE...
OF HUMANS.
THE RESEARCHERS CLAIM THAT SOME 15,000 YEARS AGO,
A HYBRID SPECIES DEVELOPED FROM MALES OF AN UNKNOWN PRIMATE
CROSSING WITH ARCHAIC HUMAN FEMALES.
THE RESULT WAS THE LINE OF HAIRY HUMANOIDS WE CALL BIGFOOT.
DEREK AND JUSTIN WILL HAVE TO WAIT
FOR THE STUDY TO BE PROVED CONCLUSIVELY.
IN THE MEANTIME, THEY KNOW THEIR EFFORTS HAVE HELPED
TO FINALLY PUT BIGFOOT UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.
Randles: LITTLE DID I KNOW, 27 YEARS AGO WHEN I STARTED,
THAT I WOULD BE RIGHT HERE ON THE CUTTING EDGE
OF SOME OF THE MOST MONUMENTAL, GROUNDBREAKING NEWS
THAT'S EVER COME DOWN THE PIKE.
Smeja: IT'S AN AMAZING FEELING
TO CONTRIBUTE A CENTERPIECE IN A DNA STUDY
THAT COULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT
ON THE WAY THAT WE SEE THE OUTDOORS.
NOW WHEN I GO INTO THE WOODS,
THERE WON'T BE A DAY THAT I WON'T THINK ABOUT THIS.
I WILL WONDER IF BEHIND EVERY TREE,
THERE'S A BIGFOOT STANDING THERE.
Narrator: WHILE FOLKS IN THE RAINY REDWOODS
ARE FEARFUL ABOUT WHAT CREATURES ARE LURKING IN THE TREES...
...200 MILES SOUTH, IN THE VERY HEART OF URBAN PORTLAND,
THERE'S SOMETHING STRANGE GOING ON BELOW THE STREETS.
PORTLAND IS A SOPHISTICATED CITY.
YET, ITS GROWTH OWES MUCH TO ITS HARD-KNOCK WATERFRONT PAST.
IN THE 1880s,
THE MARITIME BUSINESS MADE PORTLAND A BOOMTOWN.
ALONG THE WAY, THERE WERE CASUALTIES.
THE NORTHWEST NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE
WERE PUSHED ASIDE -- OR WORSE.
SOME SAY THESE TROUBLED SPIRITS LINGER.
Slockish: WELL, HERE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,
THERE'S A MONSTER THAT LIVES UNDERGROUND.
WE'RE AFRAID TO GO THERE FOR THAT REASON.
WE DON'T WANT OUR CHILDREN OR US TO BE TAKEN UNDERGROUND.
AND I KNOW THERE'S SOME IN THIS PORTLAND AREA.
Narrator: UNBEKNOWNST TO MANY IN THIS BUSTLING METROPOLIS,
UNDER A SECTION OF DOWNTOWN, THERE ARE A SERIES
OF MYSTERIOUSLY INTERCONNECTED TUNNELS --
A SUBTERRANEAN REALM
FULL OF SECRETS BOTH SINISTER AND SHOCKING.
DOWN IN THE TUNNELS,
I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF SPIRITS THAT ARE TRAPPED.
YOU HAVE THAT FEELING THAT YOU'RE BEING WATCHED.
I KNOW I'M NOT DOWN HERE ALONE IN THE TUNNELS.
Pegg: IT WAS REALLY DARK DOWN THERE.
WE WERE USING FLASHLIGHTS.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THESE EYES...
LIKE, JUST SHOWN OUT AT ME
LIKE CAT EYES DO WHEN THEY GET LIGHT PUT ON THEM.
AND THEN I WAS, LIKE --
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEN I COULD SEE
THE WHOLE WOLF'S SNOUT AND EVERYTHING.
IT'S LIKE THAT WOLF CAME OUT OF THIN AIR.
Narrator: MANY BELIEVE THE SUPERNATURAL PHANTOMS THEY'VE SEEN THERE
ARE ROOTED IN THE TUNNEL'S AWFUL PAST.
INTEREST IN THE UNDERGROUND BEGAN SOME 20 YEARS AGO,
LARGELY DUE TO ONE MAN -- MICHAEL JONES.
Jones: WHAT IS STRANGE ABOUT THE TUNNELS IS ITS HISTORY.
IT IS A PLACE OF HUMAN ABUSE
WHERE SOME PEOPLE TRY TO CLAIM IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
WHEN YOU GO INTO THE UNDERGROUND,
IT'S A PLACE OF, REALLY, A HORRIBLE FEELING
BECAUSE WHAT TOOK PLACE HERE WAS HUMAN ABUSE AT ITS WORST.
Narrator: PORTLAND NATIVE MICHAEL JONES
WAS INTRODUCED TO THE UNDERGROUND TUNNELS
WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG BOY.
Jones: WHEN I WAS 7 YEARS OLD,
I WAS IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND VISITING A RELATIVE.
I WAS TALKING TO AN OLD SEA CAPTAIN IN THE HOTEL LOBBY,
AND HE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND NETWORK
THAT EXISTED HERE.
AND SO, I WASN'T BELIEVING A THING HE WAS TELLING ME.
SO, WE WENT INTO AN OLD BUILDING THAT WAS BEING TORN DOWN.
HE REACHES DOWN THROUGH THE RUBBLE ON THE FLOOR,
AND HE PULLS UP A TRAPDOOR.
WE WALKED INTO THE UNDERGROUND.
SO, I LIT MY FIRST MATCH...
...AND A WHOLE NEW WORLD OPENED UP --
A WORLD OF BEAUTIFUL STONE AND BRICK, BUT ALSO OF DARKNESS.
Narrator: THE TUNNELS WERE DARK AND MYSTERIOUS.
BUT WHAT WAS LURKING THERE -- EVEN STRANGER.
Jones: ALL OF A SUDDEN, I SEE SOMETHING MOVE IN THE SHADOWS,
AND I NOTICE A SHADOW CAME OUT FROM THE FAR SIDE
AND WALKED OUT, AND I REALIZE --
A WOLF.
AND IT WALKED OUT, TURNED AND WENT INTO ANOTHER TUNNEL,
AND VANISHED.
I WENT AFTER IT.
I SAW NOTHING.
DID I REALLY SEE THAT?
DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN?
Narrator: THE LAST OF OREGON'S WOLF POPULATION
WAS EXTERMINATED BACK IN THE 1940s.
YET SOMEHOW, PEOPLE ARE SEEING THEM TODAY
IN THE PORTLAND UNDERGROUND.
ON HIS QUEST TO FIND OUT WHY,
MICHAEL WOULD UNCOVER DARK SECRETS ABOUT THE TUNNELS
AND THE CITY'S GRISLY WATERFRONT PAST.
THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE FOR THE TUNNELS WAS FOR SHANGHAIING.
SHANGHAIING WAS THE ACT OF KIDNAPPING MEN
AND SELLING THEM TO SEA CAPTAINS
WHO FORCED THEM TO WORK ABOARD THEIR SHIPS FOR NOTHING.
Narrator: DEMAND FOR MANPOWER KEPT THE SHANGHAI TRADE GOING.
BUT WHEN THE KIDNAPPERS BEGAN PREYING ON NATIVE AMERICANS,
LEGENDS SAY THEY ENCOUNTERED A SUPERNATURAL ENEMY.
Jones: PORTLAND ONCE WAS THEIRS AS A CAMPSITE --
HAS NOW BEEN TAKEN OVER BY WHITES,
AND THESE HORRIBLE THINGS ARE TAKING PLACE,
AND THE NATIVE PEOPLE REACT,
AND THINGS THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND OCCUR.
PEOPLE TRANSFORM INTO ANIMALS...
[ GROWLS ]
...LIKE WOLVES.
[ GROWLING ]
[ BARKING ]
Narrator: UNDERNEATH PORTLAND, OREGON,
IS A MAZE OF MYSTERIOUS PASSAGEWAYS AND CHAMBERS.
WHILE EXPLORING THIS DARK REALM,
MICHAEL JONES ENCOUNTERED A PHANTOM WOLF.
ITS EXISTENCE, HE BELIEVES,
IS CONNECTED TO CRIMES AGAINST NATIVE NORTHWEST INDIANS
IN PORTLAND'S DISTANT PAST.
WHEN PEOPLE VENTURE INTO THE PORTLAND UNDERGROUND
AND THEY EXPERIENCE SOMETHING ABOUT THE WOLF --
THAT IS THE GUARDIAN OF THE TUNNELS,
AND HE WARNS THEM TO BE CAREFUL,
BE CAUTIOUS OF THE DARKNESS AND SHADOWS.
Narrator: LEGENDS OF THIS GUARDIAN WOLF
BEGAN BACK IN PORTLAND'S MARITIME DAYS
WHEN AN ORDINARY MAN WALKING ALONG THE WATERFRONT
HAD REASON TO FEAR.
Jones: THERE WAS A NATIVE AMERICAN MAN --
HE WORKED ON THE LONGBOATS HERE ALONG THE PORTLAND HARBOR.
WHAT HE DID IS -- EVERY NIGHT AFTER WORK,
TAKE A DRINK OUT OF SKIDMORE FOUNTAIN.
ONE OF THE SHANGHAIERS DECIDED HE WANTED HIM.
[ WATER TRICKLING ]
THEY GOT CLOSER AND CLOSER AND CLOSER,
AND WHEN THEY'RE READY TO GRAB HIM...
[ WATER TRICKLING ]
...HE TURNED AROUND, AND HE LOOKED AT THE MEN.
THEN HE TURNED INTO A WOLF.
[ GROWLS ]
Jones: HIS EYES WERE FLASHING RED, AND THEY RAN AWAY.
THE SPIRIT OF THAT NATIVE AMERICAN
WHO TURNED INTO A WOLF
IS THERE IN THE PORTLAND UNDERGROUND.
Narrator: MICHAEL JONES IS JUST ONE OF THE DOZENS
THAT HAVE WITNESSED STRANGE SPIRITS IN THE TUNNELS.
WE WERE IN THE TUNNELS, WE WERE WALKING THROUGH,
AND WE CAME TO A CERTAIN ROOM,
AND I HAD THIS CRAZY, WEIRD, RANDOM IMPRESSION,
AND IT WAS OF THIS COYOTE WOLF DOG.
[ GROWLING ]
I WOULD SAY THERE'S A VERY, VERY LARGE AMOUNT
OF WOLF SPIRITS -- ANIMAL SPIRITS --
INHABITING THIS AREA IN PORTLAND.
Jones: PEOPLE SENSE THE WOLF'S SPIRIT
MORE THAN, POSSIBLY, ANYTHING ELSE.
IT'S BECAUSE THIS SPIRIT
IS REALLY LINKING THE PAST WITH THE PRESENT.
IT'S A REMINDER OF THE ABUSE OF NATIVE PEOPLE.
Narrator: IN ADDITION TO THE WOLF-MAN,
VISITORS TO THE UNDERGROUND CLAIM TO ENCOUNTER
THE SUPERNATURAL PRESENCE OF A NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN...
RUMORED TO HAVE DIED TRAGICALLY IN THE TUNNELS.
Jones: NINA WAS KLICKITAT INDIAN.
SHE LIVED ALONG THE COLUMBIA RIVER,
WHERE SHE WAS GRABBED BY WHITE SLAVERS,
BROUGHT TO PORTLAND, AND SOLD INTO PROSTITUTION.
[ NINA SCREAMS ]
Narrator: TRYING TO ESCAPE, NINA MET WITH MISSIONARIES
AND AGREED TO INFORM ON THE SHANGHAI TRADE.
Jones: THE MISSIONARIES WERE THE ONLY ONES
TRYING TO STOP SHANGHAI AND THE OTHER VICE IN PORTLAND.
AND THEY BEFRIENDED HER -- TOLD HER, "YOU HELP US
"BY GIVING US EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT THESE SHANGHAIERS,
WE'LL GET YOU HOME TO YOUR FAMILY."
NOW, SHE KNEW SHE'D BE RISKING HER LIFE,
BUT SHE HAD TO GET AWAY, SO SHE AGREED.
IF THEY FIND OUT I TOLD YOU, THEY WILL KILL ME.
THE MISSIONARIES TOOK THE INFORMATION TO THE POLICE,
AND THEY WERE VERY INTERESTED
BECAUSE SOME OF THEM WERE ON THE TAKE.
WHEN THEY ASKED THEM,
"WHO PROVIDED SUCH DETAILED INFORMATION?"
AND THEY MENTIONED NINA'S NAME --
SEALED HER FATE.
TWO NIGHTS LATER, SHE WAS THROWN DOWN THE ELEVATOR SHAFT.
[ SCREAMING ]
AND EVER SINCE THE NIGHT OF HER DEATH,
THEY SAY SHE HAUNTS THE UNDERGROUND.
Narrator: NINA'S SPIRIT HAS BEEN FELT
BY A GROWING NUMBER STARTING TO VISIT THE UNDERGROUND.
Angle: SO, AS WE ARE ABLE TO GO DOWNSTAIRS,
I'M GETTING REAL EXCITED, AND I'M LIKE, "OKAY."
SO, I DESCEND THE STAIRS VERY SLOWLY.
AS I WALKED INTO ONE OF THE CHAMBERS,
I COULD SMELL A VERY STRONG PERFUME,
AND I'M LIKE, "WHOA. WAIT A MINUTE."
AND I WALK BACK INTO THE PREVIOUS CHAMBER,
AND THE SMELL FOLLOWED ME.
Narrator: TRACES OF ANCIENT PERFUME...
...WOLF PHANTOMS...
COULD THESE SPIRITS LINGER FROM A TRAGIC EVENT
THAT TOOK PLACE MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO?
WHEN TRAGEDY LIKE NINA TAKES PLACE,
THE NATIVE PEOPLE REACT.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THEY RELEASE SPIRITS LIKE THE WOLVES
INTO PLACES LIKE THE SHANGHAI TUNNELS.
IT'S A REMINDER THAT, "WE'RE NOT GONNA STAND FOR THIS.
IN SOME WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, WE'RE GONNA FIGHT BACK."
Angle: I THINK GOING UNDERGROUND CAN BE SCARY FOR MOST PEOPLE
BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA ENCOUNTER,
BUT I THINK WHAT I EXPERIENCED WAS JUST AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE.
Jones: YOU'RE UNDER THE CITY OF PORTLAND.
YOU'RE UNDERGROUND.
YOU'RE BENEATH THE SURFACE IN THE DARKNESS AND SHADOWS,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU REALIZE
THAT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE HERE.
Narrator: THE HARBOR CITY OF PORTLAND, OREGON,
IS NOT THE ONLY PLACE IN THIS REGION
WHERE MYSTERIES LURK BELOW THE SURFACE.
FLATHEAD LAKE, MONTANA,
ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,
THE LARGEST NATURAL FRESHWATER LAKE WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
HAS BECOME FAMOUS FOR A MONSTER --
A SERPENT THAT APPEARS FROM NOWHERE...
THEN, JUST AS SUDDENLY, DESCENDS BENEATH THE WAVES.
ONE COUPLE'S RECENT CRUISE ON THE LAKE
SUDDENLY WENT FROM LEISURE TIME TO SHEER PANIC.
WHAT WE SAW WAS PROBABLY AS LONG AS OUR BOAT,
WHICH WAS 24 FEET.
Julia: TO KNOW I WAS SWIMMING IN THE WATER
WHERE THE CREATURE WAS --
YEAH, IT WAS SCARY.
Narrator: RESTING ON THE EDGE
OF ENORMOUS FLATHEAD LAKE IN MONTANA
IS THE QUAINT COMMUNITY OF POLSON --
A LITTLE TOWN...
WITH A MONSTER PROBLEM.
Hanzel: THE LAKE IS MYSTERIOUS BECAUSE IT'S DEEP, AND IT'S LARGE,
AND YOU CAN ALMOST SEE ACROSS IT,
BUT YOU CAN'T QUITE SEE THE LENGTH OF IT.
AND SO I THINK THIS ADDS MYSTERY TO WHAT'S HAPPENING.
Moriarty: YOU KNOW NO BOATS ARE OUT THERE,
BUT STILL, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
YOU MIGHT SEE A WAKE COMING OUT OF NOWHERE,
AND IN YOUR MIND, YOU WONDER WHAT COULD BE UNDER THERE.
Avison: BOATS HAVE GONE MISSING.
THERE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE DROWNED
AND THEY'VE NEVER RECOVERED THEIR BODIES.
Hanzel: NOW WE HAVE 98 SIGHTINGS OF THE FLATHEAD LAKE MONSTER
SINCE 1889.
Moriarty: IT WAS ABOUT 7:30 AT NIGHT,
AND I WAS STANDING THERE AT THE KITCHEN SINK
DOING THE DISHES,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I LOOK TO MY RIGHT.
I DID A DOUBLE TAKE.
AND, BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER,
I ALWAYS HAVE MY CAMERAS IN THE KITCHEN
READY TO TAKE PICTURES.
ABSOLUTELY FASCINATED ME BECAUSE...
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
...NEVER HAVING SEEN IT BEFORE...
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
...IN MY MIND, IT WASN'T EXACTLY HOW I'D PICTURE IT WOULD BE.
CERTAINLY NOT LIKE THE LOCH NESS MONSTER OR ANYTHING.
Hanzel: AS FAR AS, REALLY, A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION,
IT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED.
PEOPLE CAN'T SAY WHAT IT IS.
WE SET MANY NETS -- MILES OF NETS -- IN THE LAKE,
AND I CAN ONLY REFER TO SOME LARGE HOLES
THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY SOME ORDER OF CREATURE.
Narrator: WHILE BIOLOGY CAN'T PROVIDE MANY ANSWERS,
EYEWITNESSES HAVE PLENTY TO SAY.
IN 2005, LOCALS JIM AND JULIA MANLY
FOUND THEMSELVES STRANDED ON FLATHEAD LAKE...
...AND, AS THEY WOULD DISCOVER,
ONLY YARDS FROM THE LAKE'S FAMOUS MONSTER.
I'M AN ATTORNEY.
I'VE BEEN A COUNTRY LAWYER
IN THIS LITTLE TOWN OF POLSON FOR 33 YEARS,
WHICH IS ON FLATHEAD LAKE.
I'D HEARD THERE HAD BEEN SIGHTINGS,
BUT I DIDN'T REALLY PAY ANY ATTENTION TO IT.
Jim: I THINK I WAS A SKEPTIC,
ALTHOUGH THERE WASN'T REALLY ANY EXPLANATION, TOO,
FOR SOME OF THE SIGHTINGS.
SO I DIDN'T KNOW.
Narrator: THAT SKEPTICISM WOULD BE TESTED
ONE SUMMER AFTERNOON OUT ON THE LAKE.
Jim: AFTER WORK, WE WERE OUT THERE.
IT WAS A CALM DAY.
THERE WAS A LIGHT BREEZE BUT NO WAVES.
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY,
AND THERE WERE NO OTHER BOATS ON THE WHOLE BAY.
[ ENGINE SPUTTERS ]
WE TRIED TO START THE BOAT UP, AND THE BATTERY WAS DEAD.
IT'S A HELPLESS FEELING,
BEING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WATER LIKE THAT.
WE CALLED MY DAUGHTER, WHO -- SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAD A BOAT.
Julia: WHILE WE WERE WAITING FOR THEM TO COME TO RESCUE US,
WE WERE JUST LAYING ON THE BOAT, KIND OF RELAXING.
AND THERE WERE NO OTHER BOATS OUT THERE,
THERE WERE NO PEOPLE THERE,
BUT WE HEARD SLAPPING ON THE WATER -- LOUD SLAPPING.
[ SPLASHING ]
NOT LIKE SOMEONE DIVING IN,
BUT SOMETHING HEAVY SLAPPING THE WATER.
IT WAS LIKE, "TSSSH! TSSSH!"
LIKE THAT.
AND IT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH THAT -- I COULD TELL IT WAS CLOSE.
WE FROZE, AND WE JUST STARED AND WATCHED.
LOOK AT IT!
THE FIRST FEELING I HAD SEEING IT WAS JUST SHOCK.
I KNEW I WAS SEEING IT,
BUT IT'S SO UNBELIEVABLE TO THINK ABOUT IT.
Jim: AS WE'RE WATCHING, THIS THING STARTS MOVING,
AND IT WAS MOVING SUPER-SLOW,
AND WE COULD SEE HUMPS OUT OF THE WATER.
Julia: IT WAS LIKE A SERPENT --
DIDN'T SEE A HEAD, JUST THE BODY.
WHAT WE SAW WAS PROBABLY AS LONG AS OUR BOAT,
WHICH WAS 24 FEET.
AND THAT'S KIND OF FREAKY THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING OUT THERE
THAT MIGHT BE TWICE AS BIG AS YOUR BOAT
SWIMMING BELOW YOU.
AS WE WERE WATCHING IT,
BEYOND IT, HERE CAME OUR DAUGHTER.
SHE AND HER HUSBAND --
THEY'RE COMING DIRECTLY TOWARD US IN THEIR BOAT,
AND I WAS GOING LIKE THIS,
TRYING TO GET THEM TO LOOK AT IT,
AND THEY THOUGHT I WAS WAVING.
[ Chuckling ] AND THEY WERE JUST WAVING LIKE THIS,
AND AS THEY CAME ON TOWARD IT,
IT JUST SLOWLY SLIPPED DOWN IN THE WATER AND DISAPPEARED.
Julia: TO KNOW I WAS SWIMMING IN THE WATER
WHERE THE CREATURE WAS --
IT'S JUST MADE ME REALIZE
THAT WE'RE NOT ALONE OUT THERE IN THE LAKE.
Narrator: IF ANYONE WERE GOING TO FINALLY SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE MONSTER,
IT WOULD BE FISHERMAN TIM SHATTUCK.
FEW HAVE AS MUCH TIME ON THE FLATHEAD AS TIM.
I LOG ABOUT 1,000 HOURS A YEAR ON THIS LAKE.
I'M VERY COMPETITIVE IN FISHING.
THE VALLEY OFFERS OTHER FISHING THAN FLATHEAD --
ICE FISHING, PERCH FISHING, RAINBOW.
JUST FISHING -- IT'S ALL I DO.
Narrator: ON THE FLATHEAD,
TIM SHATTUCK WOULD EXPERIENCE A FRIGHTENING BRUSH WITH DEATH.
[ SCREAMS ]
Shattuck: I FIGURED THE MONSTER COULD COME UP
AND JUST GRAB ME AND SUCK ME UNDER.
MAYBE I COULD HAVE GOT OUT OF THE ICE,
BUT MAYBE HE WAS GONNA EAT ME.
Narrator: FLATHEAD LAKE, MONTANA,
ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST --
THIS ENORMOUS LAKE
HAS BECOME THE FOCUS FOR HUNDREDS OF WITNESSES
ALL CLAIMING TO HAVE SEEN A MONSTER.
ONE MORNING, TIM SHATTUCK AND A FRIEND
SET OUT TO GO ICE FISHING.
CONDITIONS COULDN'T BE BETTER --
CLEAR SKIES, SOLID ICE...
OR SO HE THOUGHT.
Shattuck: THE LAKE HAD HALF-FROZEN OVER,
SO WE WERE ABLE TO WALK ROUGHLY A MILE OUT INTO FLATHEAD,
AND AS WE WERE WALKING,
I OVERHEARD HIM SAY THAT HE HEARD OPEN WATER.
AND THEN ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER,
AS I WAS CHECKING THE SAFETY OF THE ICE AS I WAS WALKING ALONG,
I LITERALLY, PRETTY MUCH, JUST WALKED INTO OPEN WATER.
[ SCREAMS ]
IT WAS JUST AN INSTANT,
YOU WERE IN THE FLAT-- I WAS IN FLATHEAD LAKE --
6:00 IN THE MORNING, MINUS 10 BELOW ZERO.
Narrator: WHILE HIS LIFE HUNG IN THE BALANCE,
FLASHES OF HIS FIRST ENCOUNTER
WITH FLATHEAD'S MYSTERIOUS MONSTER
RAN THROUGH HIS MIND.
HE WAS OUT FISHING WITH A FRIEND...
TIM, CAN YOU COME BACK...
...AND THEY NOTICE THE ELECTRONIC FISH-FINDER
WAS INDICATING SOMETHING STRANGE.
Shattuck: WE WERE NOTICING AN OBJECT,
AS WE WERE FISHING ON A THURSDAY MORNING,
ON THE BOTTOM,
AND THEN WE NOTICED THAT THIS OBJECT
WAS ACTUALLY FOLLOWING THE BOAT ACROSS THE LAKE.
PUSHED IN, LIKE, 10 TIMES ZOOM,
AND THIS OBJECT WAS PROBABLY 6 OR 7 INCHES.
IT TOOK THE WHOLE SCREEN OF MY FISH-FINDER UP.
IT LITERALLY FOLLOWED US ALL THE WAY ACROSS OUR FIRST RUN.
AND WE WERE FRANTICALLY TRYING TO GET DIFFERENT BAITS DOWN
AND LURES AND TRYING TO CATCH THIS THING.
NOTHING LIKE IT'S EVER BEEN CAUGHT OUT OF THIS LAKE.
THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT OF WAS THE FLATHEAD LAKE MONSTER.
[ SCREAMS ]
Narrator: NOW, YEARS LATER, TIM IS SHIVERING IN THE FROZEN WATER,
TRYING TO HANG ON
AND HOPING THE MONSTER IS NOWHERE NEARBY.
Shattuck: THERE'S A CREATURE DOWN THERE, AND YOU'RE WONDERING --
ARE YOU GONNA BECOME A PERMANENT FIXTURE IN THIS LAKE?
I FIGURED THE MONSTER COULD COME UP
AND JUST GRAB ME AND SUCK ME UNDER.
MAYBE I COULD'VE GOT OUT OF THE ICE,
BUT MAYBE HE WAS GONNA EAT ME.
Narrator: TIM'S FEAR WAS UNDERSTANDABLE.
HE WAS REMEMBERING ANOTHER ENCOUNTER
HE HAD WITH THE LAKE MONSTER JUST MONTHS EARLIER,
WHEN HE FINALLY GOT A CLEAR VIEW OF THE CREATURE
WITH HIS OWN EYES.
Shattuck: WE WERE GOING OUT TO DO AN AFTERNOON CHARTER
ON FLATHEAD LAKE WITH ONE CUSTOMER,
AND WE HAD TRAVELED DOWN THE EAST SHORE TOWARDS YELLOW BAY,
AND WHEN WE REACHED OUR DESTINATION,
I NOTICED THE FISH SWIMMING ON TOP OF THE WATER UPSIDE DOWN.
I LOOK BACK UP THE EAST SHORE,
AND I SAID, "LOOK AT THIS SWIMMING ACROSS THE LAKE."
I'M GONNA SAY IT WAS ROUGHLY 8 TO 12 FEET LONG,
BLACK ON THE TOP, WHITE UNDERNEATH,
ACTUALLY PORPOISING FROM THE EAST SIDE OF THE LAKE
TO THE WEST SIDE.
I KNEW THAT I WAS LOOKING AT THE FLATHEAD LAKE MONSTER.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE,
I'VE ACTUALLY SEEN SOMETHING WHAT EVERYBODY HAD TALKED ABOUT.
IT PUTS THE FEAR INTO YOU.
Narrator: IF TIM WAS FEARFUL OF THE SERPENT
WHILE SAFELY ABOARD HIS BOAT,
IMAGINE THE FEAR HE WAS FEELING
HALF-SUBMERGED IN ICY FLATHEAD LAKE.
[ GROANS ]
NOW TIM WAS WONDERING
IF THE MONSTER MIGHT BE WATCHING HIM.
IT IS AN EERIE FEELING TO KNOW THAT SOMETHING CAN JUST COME UP
AND GRAB YOU AND PLUCK YOU DOWN,
AND NO ONE WOULD EVER SEE YOU AGAIN.
I ACTUALLY HAD ANOTHER PERSON WITH ME
WHO TOOK ALL OF MY GEAR OUT OF A PLASTIC SLED,
TURNED IT UPSIDE DOWN, PUSHED IT TO THE HOLE.
Narrator: LUCKILY, TIM DIDN'T HAVE TO FACE THE MONSTER.
HE SURVIVED.
AND I WAS ABLE TO LIFT MYSELF UP TO GET BACK ONTO THE ICE.
YOU COULD'VE BEEN ATE BY THE MONSTER,
YOU COULD'VE DROWNED, FROZE TO DEATH,
BUT NO. FORTUNATELY, I DIDN'T. I WAS SPARED, FOR SOME REASON.
IT JUST SCARED ME TO DEATH THAT HE COULD'VE DROWNED
OR SOMETHING COULD HAVE GOT HIM IN THE LAKE.
Shattuck: I WAS VERY SKEPTICAL OF THE FLATHEAD LAKE MONSTER,
BUT NOW THERE'S NO SKEPTICISM IN MY MIND WHATSOEVER.
I KNOW THAT IT EXISTS.
HOPEFULLY, BEFORE I DIE ON THIS LAKE,
I'M GOING TO BE THE ONE
THAT GETS TO COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THIS THING.
Jones: PEOPLE WHO VENTURE INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
WILL STUMBLE ACROSS UNUSUAL THINGS,
AND SOMETIMES THOSE UNUSUAL THINGS
WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER.
THEY WILL NEVER LOOK AT SOMETHING THE SAME WAY.
IT WILL ALWAYS BE DIFFERENT,
AND THEY'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHERE THEY'RE AT,
WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.