Friends, we have reached the dramatic conclusion of our quest to find the Berkshires’ Bigfoot! As we prepared for one final expedition to search October Mountain for the elusive creature, or shy friend, as Asa has considered him during our journey, there was a palpable sense that day was different from the rest of the week.
Our first real clue though, was the mythical guide that accompanied us. We are not sure what kind of bug this even was, but he certainly wasn’t the horseflies from the previous day. And just look at his Golden color! Is it a coincidence? This Dog Ufologist says, NO! Normally Dad would have swatted at him, but Mom instantly recognized that he was special. Despite numerous opportunities to fly away, he stayed on the dashboard the entire day as our copilot. Was he sent to protect us on our quest? Or maybe just seeking shelter from the horseflies too? You decide as you read the final chapter of our tale.
As we set out that fateful morning, I had an uneasy feeling of doubt. This was especially true as we passed this big beaver, who ran a storage company. What if all the Bigfoot sightings were just tourists accidentally misidentifying this Berkshires resident and business owner?
Once again we found ourselves driving down a lonely dirt road, moving farther away from civilization, towards our destiny. We couldn’t help but get nervous when the GPS map, on this heavily forested road with no houses, made it look like we were headed straight towards becoming Bigfoot’s lunch! Mom nervously asked, what we all were thinking, “should we turn around?” Yet onward we drove.
Next thing we knew, our car was being swarmed by horseflies! But many more than the ones we encountered the day before. This photo does not begin to do justice to the dozens upon dozens of horseflies that were clinging to the windows, as we pressed onward. Horseflies on mirror were definitely closer than they appeared! In fact, ghost hunters say that there is a connection between flies and paranormal activity. We must be getting closer!
And my suspicions were correct! We eventually found the trailhead we were looking for! However, given the swarm of horseflies having grown from dozens to what looked liked hundreds, Mom refused to get out of the car. I had to agree. We were clearly outnumbered! So we turned around and headed back towards civilization.
According to firsthand accounts, UFOs have been seen hovering over Felton Lake at October Mountain. Well just like lightning never strikes twice, what are the chances so do UFOs? Therefore I decided to outsmart them, and instead explored Buckley Dunton Lake and Dam, also located at October Mountain State Forest! Bigfoot would never expect me to be here! This would be the place I meet my destiny!
I reminded Asa, as with the day before, this was serious, and not to interrupt me with those quotes from authors associated with the Berkshires, like he was doing earlier in the week. Would you believe Asa tried to convince me that he was just following the advice the Bigfoot episode of Ancient Aliens? In it someone theorized that the reason Bigfoot keeps his distance from earthlings, is because he is an alien and does not find humans smart enough for interaction. Asa had the silly the idea that he would be considered, as they say in Massachusetts, “wicked smaaaaht,” by quoting Melville, Wharton and Hawthorne on our quest! I just laughed!
We began by taking a short hike on the trail along the shores of the lake. The wind had mysteriously picked up, keeping the horseflies away, making it a more enjoyable hike. Then we set up camp to begin our surveillance.
As we waited, I happily reviewed the evidence with Asa, proving that we were close to finding the Berkshires’ Bigfoot. Asa played the role of the skeptic debunking it. We heard knocking, which as every Bigfoot researcher will tell you is a sound he makes. But as Asa pointed out, so did the woodpecker in the nearby tree.
I reminded Asa that Bigfoot was known for his pungent scent, and I could smell on the wind that he was quite close! That is until Asa revealed before leaving the geese infested yard where were staying, he dabbed a little of their droppings behind his ears as cologne. Again his logic failed him, as he tried to rationalize his choice of cologne was so that he’d smell nice when we met our ginormous friend.
Well explain that strange whistling noise, Asa! Many Bigfoot hunters have heard that sound on their investigations. Oh right, that was Dad whistling because he was getting bored with the stakeout too.
Then it happened! While Mom was taking more publicity photos, of me the renowned Dog Ufologist about to make his biggest discovery yet…
…I was reminded by what Ronny LeBlanc of the television series, Expedition Bigfoot, and author of the book, Monsterland, taught us at last year’s Exeter’s UFO Festival! Bigfoot can turn invisible! We saw it ourselves, or actually didn’t see it ourselves, when we searched the Leominster State Forest for Bigfoot last fall! But this time we have proof! Look at how this photo Mom snapped in succession turned mysteriously dark. An invisible Bigfoot must have walked between the camera and us! We were photobombed by an invisible Bigfoot! It is the only logical explanation!
Even naysayer Asa was at a loss of how to debunk it, after trying to replicate the lighting. However, in this world where naysayers and skeptics outnumber believers, who will believe this evidence of my great discovery? Only time will tell. But I know the truth about the Berkshires’ Bigfoot!
Thank you to everyone who joined us on our quest for the Berkshires’ Bigfoot! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. In the coming days we’ll share posts for each of the locations, so that you may also plan your own dog friendly adventure in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.
This trip was inspired by the television show and podcast New England Legends, by author, historian and folklorist, Jeff Belanger. He concluded that legends draw us in, and command us to become a part of them in their retelling. I hope by sharing our quest for the Berkshires’ Bigfoot we are now part of that legend which began way back with the first sighting in 1765.
