Original subtitles

reported attacks by an aggressive monster

in the farthest reaches of Alaska

have locals on edge.

[Sean] I heard a coyote getting killed.

It was scary.

[Josh] My team heads to the last frontier

to stalk what could be the infamous Sasquatch.

[Phil] It was right here.

[suspense music]

[Jessica] There's like, two sets of tracks.

[Phil] Holy [bleep]!

[Phil] Let me send it up.

[Phil] Clear the trees.

[Josh] But Phil and Jess soon realize

that this Alaskan beast might be stalking them.

[Jessica] There it is.

[spooky sound effect]

[Phil] That thing's sprinting.

Oh, [bleep]! Oh, my God!

[opening theme]

[Phil] Okay, you guys.

I have something I really wanna show you

that I cannot stop thinking about.

These are photos that were recently taken

at Alaska's Denali National Park

and I gotta say, they're pretty interesting.

[Josh] -Whoa! [Jessica] -Ooh!

That's Sasquatch, there you go.

[Josh] Phil, are we looking at genuine Sasquatch prints?

[Phil] You know I'm not gonna go that far,

but what I will say is, they are unusual.

Initially I thought, okay, "It could be bear."

But bears have five toe pads.

This looks more like three or four.

Also, it looks like something that's walking on two legs,

not four legs. So based on these images,

this is not something I can identify.

[Jessica] Because it's a Sasquatch.

[Josh] Did the national park weigh in on this?

[Phil] They did and they agreed,

it does look like something walking on two legs.

But they also said it could be a wolf

whose hind foot stepped in the exact same spot

as the front foot.

But then again, they didn't actually go there

to investigate it.

[Josh] A-ha, and you'd like to.

[Phil] I've already started, and the more I researched,

the more I think we need to get there now

while the evidence is hot

because considering Alaska's vast wilderness,

there could be something big out there

waiting to be found.

[Josh] This is a really compelling case,

not just because of this evidence.

When it comes to legends of unknown creatures in Alaska,

there is more mythology there

than anywhere else in the country.

[suspense music]

[Josh] Alaska, the last frontier.

A land shrouded in mystery that has long beckoned

rugged explorers into its vast punishing

and mostly unexplored wilderness.

Today, civilization has only encroached

into around 250 of Alaska's almost 665,000 square miles,

leaving an area about twice the size of Texas

completely uninhabited.

It's not just the wilderness that's dangerous here,

it's the wildlife.

Grizzly bears, Arctic wolves, and even the gargantuan moose,

all pose a threat to humans

unlucky enough to cross their paths.

But some believe the most dangerous creature of them all

is one that is yet to be discovered:

The Alaskan Sasquatch.

[spooky sound effect]

[Josh] Reported encounters with the creature

date back to 1899, when US Army Captain,

W.R. Abercrombie leads an expedition into Alaska

during the Klondike Gold Rush.

In his report, Abercrombie includes

an encounter with a miner who claims that his son

has been killed by a hairy beast

he describes as a demon.

[spooky music]

[Josh] Most infamously,

there's also the case of Portlock,

a village on the Kenai Peninsula.

The once bustling fishing and canning community

is hastily abandoned in the 1940s

after a string of shocking disappearances

and savage attacks, reportedly perpetrated

by a large, hairy man-like creature.

Indigenous legends go back even further.

Some native Southwestern Alaskans

warned children not to venture alone into the forest,

lest they fall prey to the Urayuli or Hairy Man,

a legendary beast said to be taller than a bear

with shaggy fur, a strange call and a penchant

for punishing disobedient kids.

[roar]

[Josh] While the Inuit people of Northern Alaska

warn of the Tuniit, a giant man-like beast

that once peacefully co-existed with humans.

Today, lifelong Alaskans and tourists alike

continue to report harrowing encounters

with huge, humanoid, and often hairy creatures.

In the fall of 2021, one witness reports

that his dog is killed by a possible Sasquatch

near Susitna Creek.

Early in 2023, a witness in Copper Valley

claims to see a furry bipedal giant

cross the highway.

And in just the last few weeks,

an oyster farmer from Homer has come forward

with tales of a disturbing encounter in Kachemak Bay.

Are these accounts a case of ancient folklore

casting a very long shadow

or could there be an undiscovered,

unfathomably violent creature

roaming the brutal Alaskan wilderness?

[suspense sound effect]

[Phil] The evidence and sightings are so intriguing,

I just don't think we can pass this one by.

[Josh] Look at this guy, so enthusiastic about this.

[Jessica] I love this too.

I mean, so many indigenous tribes in Alaska

have Sasquatch-like legends

that there's gotta be something to this.

[Josh] Okay, I don't wanna snow

on anybody's subarctic parade here,

but just in terms of the eyewitness reports,

a big, shaggy, aggressive creature;

couldn't this just be a bear?

I mean, bears can stand on two legs, right?

[Phil] They absolutely can stand on two legs,

but they can't walk long distances on two legs.

I'm not saying it's Sasquatch;

I'm saying, we need to go there to investigate

and I already lined up our first witness,

and get this, he swears that he just had

a close encounter with a Sasquatch.

[Josh] Okay, amazing.

So go up there, meet this eyewitness,

see what you can find out.

I'll look into some of the other recent reports here

and you guys stay safe,

especially considering you're hunting a monster

that could be hunting you.

[Phil] -Yeah. [Jessica] -We'll try.

[Josh]It's an eight-hour flight

from New York to Anchorage.

Although the footprints in Denali National Park

that sparked Phil's interest have since melted,

the trail is far from cold

and has picked up to the south.

Jess and Phil take a four-hour drive

along the Kenai Peninsula toward the town of Homer

where they'll meet their first witness.

[Phil] Flying in, driving through this area,

there are mountain ranges everywhere covered in snow

that you know people have not gone through.

[Jessica] Do you think Bigfoot hibernates like a bear?

[Phil] If it exists, it would be an omnivore like a bear,

eating meats but also eating, you know, plants and fruits

and all that kind of thing. And roots probably too.

So, I guess the question is,

could it find enough food in the winter to sustain itself?

[Jessica] I don't see why not.

[Phil] -Well... [Jessica] -Right?

[Phil] I guess a moose can. Moose here don't hibernate.

[Jessica] -Oh, they don't? [Phil] -Uh-uh.

Um... Why do bear hibernate then?

[Phil] Honestly, that's a good question.

I mean, it's a different survival strategy to winter.

[Jessica] Huh...

So it is a possibility either way?

[Phil] Yeah, or it could be a type of hibernation

where it's not technically hibernation,

but storing up goods.

I mean, that's even something

that people have done historically,

where if they lived in an area where at one season

there isn't food, then you would store up your food

and keep it an area where it won't spoil

and then you could survive the winter.

So perhaps there's some caves they live out of too.

[Jessica] I mean, we're early spring now,

so, if they do hibernate,

then they would be coming out right around now.

Right? Looking for food?

[Phil] That's true and I gotta think of bears.

One of their first meals that they go after

is basically animals that have died over the winter...

[Jessica] Ugh...

[Phil] Stuck in the ice, so they're preserved well

and then once it starts to thaw out,

easy access to relatively fresh meat.

[Jessica] A little meat popsicle action.

[Phil] Yeah.

[Jessica] It makes sense 'cause they don't have

to chase after it. They're probably pretty weak

because they haven't eaten all winter.

Is that the thought process behind that?

[Phil] That's the thought process.

But then again, there are some Bigfoot sightings

in the winter, so who knows, even if it's not hibernating,

it would still go after the easiest access

-to a big chunk of calories. [Jessica] -Huh.

How dangerous are we talking here?

Like, how do Bigfoot kill you, do you think?

[Phil] Oh!

That's a fun question going into this.

I guess if you compare it to other primates,

chimpanzees, gorillas...

They're way stronger per mass and muscle than we are

and they can kill mammals by ripping off their limbs.

And I know chimpanzees and humans

have interacted in that way in the past and...

[Jessica] Interacted that way in the past?

Like, gotten their limbs ripped off?

[Phil] Yeah, that if a chimp attacks a human,

they will rip off their ears, nose, or bite their face off.

[Jessica] -That's disgusting. [Phil] -Yeah.

[Jessica] -And terrifying. [Phil] -Yeah.

[Jessica] So it boils down to a really dangerous creature

-that we're chasing after? [Phil] -Yeah.

If they're out there,

you don't want to be their neighbor,

that's my guess.

[Jessica] Well, we're gonna meet with somebody who...

[Phil] May've moved in right next door?

[Jessica] May've moved in right next door. [laughs]

[Phil]After a 12 hour travel day,

we finally arrive at Homer's main port and harbor.

Fishing and charter boats line the docks;

that is in between the countless sea otters

who may be as infamous around here

as the fabled Alaskan Sasquatch.

[Jessica] -Hey, Sean! [Sean] -Hey!

[Jessica] Nice to meet you, Jess.

[Sean] -Nice to meet you. [Phil] -Hey, Phil.

[Phil] Sean Crosby is a local oyster farmer

who's lived in Alaska for nearly 40 years.

His alleged Sasquatch encounter occurred

at the site of the cabin that he's building

near Peterson Bay,

which is about a 15-minute boat ride

across Kachemak Bay.

[Phil] -Alright, away we go. [Jessica] -Good to go.

[Phil Our long travel day just got even longer.

[suspense sound effect]

[Phil] So, what is out there?

[Sean] Well, there's a few small summer communities

and then it's the Kenai Mountains.

It's a national park.

[Phil] How small are we talking,

when you say, "summer communities"?

[Sean] Anywhere from three cabins to 20

in some of the other bays and coves.

[Phil] So at any one time,

especially during winter and spring,

there's only probably a handful of people

on that entire area?

[Sean] In winter there will be none.

[Phil] No one else is out here?

[Sean] -No, we are alone. [Jessica] -Alright.

[Phil] We got this whole peninsula to ourselves.

[dramatic sound effect]

[Phil] At what time of year were you out there

when you had your encounter?

[Sean] That was February 1st.

I'd been working on my cabin.

The winter's the best time to burn slash.

[Phil] So you're basically clearing land

-so you can build a cabin? [Sean] -Correct.

[Jessica] Do you think that whatever you heard

is fighting for territory

now that people are building cabins out there?

[Sean] No, I think it was winter hunting.

[suspense music rises]

[Phil] Do you hear a lot of stories out here?

[Sean] Yes, because of Port Chatham there, Portlock.

[Phil] Yeah. We've heard the history of Portlock.

What do people around here believe

about what happened there?

[Sean] Some people do believe it.

-The native Alaskans do. [Phil] -Yeah?

[Sean] Yeah.

[Phil] That essentially Sasquatch came in there

and attacked people and killed almost an entire town?

[Sean] Yeah.

[Jessica] Do you believe in Bigfoot

-or Sasquatch out here? [Sean] -I do now, yeah.

[Phil] Let's say you're a large predator

out here in the winter, what kind of prey is out there

in this area of the peninsula?

[Sean] The biggest game would be coyotes and wolves.

Small game, rabbits, squirrels...

[Jessica] Are there bears out there too?

[Sean] The bears will be coming out

-right about now actually. [Jessica] -Oh, great.

[Phil] How do those bears behave

right when they come out of hibernation?

[Sean] Same way you would

if you hadn't eaten in six months.

[Jessica] -[bleep]! [Sean] [laughs]

[Jessica] I love Alaska...

[Jessica] We pull into Peterson Bay

and Sean docks up at the edge of his property.

[Jessica] [gasps]

[suspense music]

[Jessica] There's a lot of [bleep] on this dock.

[Phil] -Sea otter [bleep]. [Jessica] -It's everywhere.

Ugh!

[Jessica] From there, it's a short climb

to the side of Sean's future cabin

where he had his infamous run in

with what he thinks was a Sasquatch.

[suspense music rises]

[Jessica] -So this is it? [Sean] -This is it.

[Phil] Okay.

Can you take us back to that night?

Walk us through exactly what happened to you

that made you realize this was something a little odd.

[Sean] It was about midnight, pitch black out.

Coyotes howling all around me.

[Phil] Where was your tent?

[Sean] Right underneath that black net there.

That particular night,

I listened to the coyotes for a few minutes...

and then I heard the sound of a coyote getting killed.

[coyote crying]

[Phil] That's not a fun sound to hear.

[Sean] But you recognize it.

[Phil] -Uh-huh. [Jessica] -Uh-huh

[Phil] It's got that yelp and that desperate whimper.

[Sean] Right.

And that was somewhere off in the distance this way

and I lay there listening

and I started hearing footsteps

coming up this game trail.

[footsteps in the snow]

[Sean]I was absolutely terrified.

[Jessica] Were you able to record any of this?

[Sean] No, but I did catch the coyotes howling.

[coyotes crying]

[Sean] They're close. They're really close.

[Phil] -That's really close. [Jessica] -Very loud.

[Sean] When it was light, I came out and...

First thing I saw was blood drops

coming up the trail to right about here

where there was a small pool of blood.

[Phil] Could you see footprints in the snow?

[Sean]I could see impressions.

No toes, no claws or anything like that

but it looked more like...

a large foot in a moccasin sort of thing.

[Jessica] Could it have been somebody out here

that you just didn't know about?

[Sean] Anything's possible, but there again,

it was midnight. No flashlight, no headlamp.

No boats in the bay here.

[Phil] What else could be walking around?

[Sean] Well, it could be a wolf.

[Jessica] But then there would be drag marks, right?

[Sean] Yeah.

[Jessica] Did you have any drag marks?

[Sean] -No. [Jessica] -Okay.

Bears?

[Sean] -Not in early February. [Jessica] -Hm!

[Sean]I don't know what it was

but I was so terrified that the only thing I could do

was just grab my gun and lay there.

It was scary.

[Jessica] Yeah. It sounds scary.

[Phil] Okay, the last direction you saw it go,

was that trail of blood leading up that way.

[Sean] -Yes. [Phil] -Okay.

Then Jess, I think we should go up that way.

[Jessica] Okay, I agree.

[Sean] Do you guys have a sat phone?

[Jessica] -We do. [Phil] -We do.

[Sean] Good.

The bears are starting to come out right now,

so be careful.

But if you should get into any trouble,

there's a trapper cabin not far that way.

[Jessica] Okay. Well that's good to know.

[Phil] We'll look out for that.

[Jessica] Even if we just need some shelter for the night.

Awesome. Well, thank you so much.

[Sean] Pleasure.

[Phil] Thanks, Sean.

[Jessica] Good luck on the cabin.

[Phil] Ooh, look at this view.

[Jessica] Let me see.

Ooh, that's pretty.

[Phil] Whoa!

[Phil] The initial plan is to get a lay of the land

surrounding Sean's property before we set up our camp.

[Phil] Right, getting steep right here, Jess.

[Jessica] Oh, jeez, yeah it does. Hold on.

[Phil]As we try to track down

whatever it was that Sean witnessed,

we're potentially going to be spending

multiple nights out here in the elements,

isolated and cut off from civilization.

So, the trapper cabin that he mentioned

could come in real handy for us.

[Phil] I think we found it, Jess.

[whispering] -Jess, hold on. [Jessica] -What?

[whispering] Just remember,

if this is the only shelter for miles,

there could be something living in it right now.

So, let's just... enter carefully. [sighs]

[spooky music]

[Phil] -Anything? [Jessica] -I don't think so.

Hold on, I'll check the corner.

Oh, careful.

[Phil] Oh, my God...

[Jessica] Oh, it's disgusting.

Something's definitely been living in here.

[Jessica] [screams] [Phil] -Oh!

[spooky sound effect]

[Jessica] -I saw a rat! [Phil] -You saw a rat?

[Jessica] I saw a rat. [laughs] I'm sorry.

[Phil] You scared me into falling through the floor.

[Jessica] Ugh! What have you kicked up?

Argh...

Okay, this place looks disgusting though.

[Phil] It looks really disgusting.

[spooky music]

[Phil] It's totally not usable

except if you're in a bind or in a really bad snowstorm.

We can head in here

and hope the roof doesn't collapse.

I'm gonna work on GPS so that we can head back here.

[Jessica] Yeah, I wouldn't want to stay

-in here too, too long. [Phil] -No.

-We gotta find a game trail. [Jessica] -Alright.

Ooh, watch the floor.

[Phil] If we want to lure

a large predator out of hiding,

and if indeed coyotes are its natural prey,

then we need to get the coyotes out.

So, we're on the lookout for an active game trail.

A path created by the natural movements of animals.

[Jessica] Look over there, to your left, right there.

[Phil] -That's a game trail. [Jessica] -Perfect.

[Phil] We finally find one near the banks of a river,

down a ways from the old hunter's cabin.

[Phil] Right, let's do it.

[Phil]We canvas the game trail

with our camera traps to give us more sets of eyes.

[Phil] Smile to the camera.

[Phil] Coyotes may be using this area as a feeding ground,

so that means any alleged Sasquatch

or unidentified beast could be using it too.

[Phil] So, considering this is the most solid game trail

we've seen the entire time,

I wonder if we set up the coyote lure right here

-and see what comes in. [Jessica] -Yeah, absolutely.

[Phil] Okay, Jess, do you wanna see this thing?

[Jessica] Yeah, I'm curious.

Oh, my God. [laughs]

[Phil] Yeah, and just wait, wait.

[comic music]

[Jessica] Is that for real?

[Phil] This actually works.

[Jessica] -Seriously? [Phil] -Seriously.

[Jessica] Okay.

[Phil] Something about the fuzziness and this,

triggers the predatory response in an animal

like a coyote and they just fall straight for it.

[Jessica] Alright.

[Phil] Alright, so...

I'm gonna put it where it's nice and visible.

[suspense music]

[Phil] That looks ridiculous, but I think it's gonna work.

[dramatic sound effect]

[Jessica] Is that ketchup in your hand?

What you got over there?

Coyote juice?

[Phil] We're busting out the big guns tonight, Jess.

[Jessica] Wow! Wow! Alright, let's do this.

[suspense music]

[Phil] The best way to lure in a coyote

is through their sense of smell.

Our coyote juice emits a powerful scent

that triggers their curiosity and predatory instinct.

[distant howling]

[Jessica] -Good? [Phil] -Yeah.

[Jessica] Alright. Back up.

[Phil] We spray coyote juice all along the trail

and rig up more camera traps.

As night falls, we establish our surveillance perch

on a hill that overlooks the game trail.

[Phil] [whispering indistinctly]

[Phil] Get this FLIR up and running.

[Phil] I calibrate the thermal imager

while Jess sets up the parabolic mic.

Getting a visual heat signature

might be more challenging through the thick forest,

but we should be able to at least hear any animal

or beast that approaches the game trail below.

[Phil] [whispering] So, since the lure's that way,

the scent trail's this way,

I'm just gonna leave the FLIR...

[Jessica] Right there.

[Phil] Pointing in that direction, recording.

[spooky music]

[music ceases]

[Jessica] I hear like, rustling around

but that's about it.

[Phil] I just heard branches breaking.

[sound of something moving]

[Phil] [whispering] You're hearing this?

[sound of something moving]

[Phil] Seriously, Jess, is that moving?

[Jessica] Oh! Yeah, in time.

[Phil] [whispering] It starts right about there.

[Jessica] Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I hear it too.

[Phil] [whispering] You can actually see

there's a branch right in front of it

so it's behind one of the trees over there.

What the hell is that?

[whispering] It's sure as hell

bigger than a squirrel or a rabbit.

[Jessica] What's that down there?

[Phil] Yeah, that I think... Yeah...

[whispering] There's a little mouse down there, I think.

Or a squirrel.

[Phil] It's moving along the trail.

[Jessica] [whispering] Is that other...

The heat signature still there?

[Phil] [whispering] Yeah.

What we could be about to see right now

is whatever the big thing is,

go after whatever the little thing is.

[Jessica] I don't see that little mouse any more.

[Phil] No...

[device beeping]

[Phil] No [bleep], Jess.

[Jessica] Did you get it?

Oh, nice!

[Phil] Oh, my God!

[Jessica] Oh, that was it, that was it!

[Phil] Look, look, look!

[Jessica] That's it.

[Phil] We got a tail.

[Jessica] So a fox or a coyote or something.

[Phil] I think that's a coyote or a wolf.

[Jessica] You think a wolf?

[Phil] Look at that tail,

it's definitely not a fox, it's too tall.

[spooky music]

[Jessica] [whispering] So the coyote lure is working.

[Phil] This game trail is active.

[Jessica] Yeah.

[Phil] Typically when there's one,

there's multiples.

There could be an entire pack down there.

We've basically attracted every large predator

within a mile or two of here to this location.

[something moving]

[Jessica] I heard that.

[whispering] It sounded like it was right in front of me.

Oh, man, I can't see anything.

[Phil] No.

[Phil] Nothing on the FLIR.

[Jessica] I feel like some... [animal screaming]

[Jessica] Where was that? Where was that?

I couldn't tell.

It just started echoing, it was so loud.

[Jessica] [whispering] I'm hearing something running.

[Phil] Okay, okay.

[action music]

[Jessica] [whispering] Do you see anything?

[Phil] [whispering] Nothing on the FLIR.

[Jessica] I was hearing something running

in this direction.

[animal screaming]

[Jessica] Oh, that was definitely over there.

[Phil] Oh, my God!

[Jessica] Something's running.

[spooky music]

[spooky music]

[Phil] That was a coyote yelping,

as if it's just got attacked by something.

[Jessica] Nothing on your FLIR?

[Phil] We got nothing.

[whistle]

[Jessica] Was that a whistle?

[Phil] [whispering] We should head in that direction.

[Jessica] Many experts in the cryptozoology world

believe that Sasquatch communicate by whistling,

so we might've just heard one up close and personal.

[Jessica] I don't see anything.

[Phil] The snow has melted right here,

so we're not gonna have good luck with tracks.

Oh, [bleep]!

[spooky sound effect]

[Phil] That is a cliff right there.

[Jessica] Oh, yeah, that's a straight drop.

[Phil] That's like, 30 ft.

[Jessica] Did something fall off the cliff?

[Phil] It's possible.

It's super icy at the edge right here.

[whispering] Let me see if there's anything down there.

There's nothing on the FLIR.

[Jessica] Right, so here's the thing,

I'm not seeing any evidence

of whatever was making that noise,

but we definitely have coyote or wolf in the area.

[Phil] [whispering] Let's head back.

[spooky music]

[Phil] We return to our surveillance spot

and continue our stakeout,

but the trail goes quiet for the rest of the night,

so we decide to shift our strategy.

[spooky music]

[Phil] The next day, Jess and I split up

to gather more intel.

While she tracks down another alleged Sasquatch witness,

I pay a visit to the local zoo

to see if the legend of the Alaskan Hairy Man

could simply be a pervasive case

of mistaken identity.

[Phil] Wow, it's staring at me.

[Rich] It's a big boy.

[Phil] Rich Capitain is the Education Director

at the Alaska Zoo and one of the foremost authorities

on wildlife in the area.

[Phil] Given your extensive experience out here

and scientific background, how do you interpret it

when people say they've encountered

-something like a Sasquatch? [Rich] -Sure.

I always run kinda through the Rolodex in my head.

Well, alright, that could be the case.

But what might you run into, you know, more likely?

Is it a brown bear? You know, is it a black bear?

Is it a person?

If it's that big, it sounds like a brown bear.

[Phil] When they stand upright, how tall are they?

[Rich] Oh, gosh, they can be, you know, 10 ft.

[Phil] Wow.

[Rich] It's looking like with climate change

and temperatures changing, brown bears are moving

basically into polar bear habitat

and the two are kind of meeting

and intermingling and so they are able to reproduce.

[Phil] Um...

[Rich] Species are doing kind of unexpected things.

[Phil] Interesting. What about this time of year?

We're right at the beginning of spring,

[Rich] Uh-huh.

[Phil] What could be out there?

[Rich] Right now, probably anything.

You've got brown bears that are waking up.

It's just a touch early for black bears,

but any time now they're gonna be out too.

You've got wolves, coyotes, lynx, wolverines.

You could really run into anything.

[Phil] Behaviorally,

when a bear wakes up from hibernation,

how are they?

[Rich] Oh, they're gonna be grouchy and hungry, yeah.

They've been sleeping on and off all winter long.

[Phil] Desperate for you to throw a moose leg at them.

[Rich] You gotta toss the protein, absolutely, yeah.

[Jessica] Hi! Nice to meet you.

[Fred] Nice to meet you, how you doin'?

[Jessica] -Good, thanks. [Ryan-] Ryan.

[Jessica] Nice to meet you, Ryan.

[Jessica]While Phil is at the zoo,

I've arranged to speak with Fred Roehl and Ryan Benner.

Fred is a native Alaskan and local Sasquatch expert

who's been collecting encounter stories

from his fellow Alaskans for years.

One of his newest contacts is Ryan,

who had a recent scare in these woods.

[Ryan] I was out hiking next to a creek

and I brought my two dogs with me.

Off to my left, I heard a sharp whistle.

It was like a... [whistles]

And it sounded like a person whistling.

[Jessica] Huh...

[Jessica]Phil and I heard a whistle

in our investigation last night.

[whistle]

[Jessica]I want to dig further

as this could be a substantial link between

the various Sasquatch sightings in the region.

[Jessica] Like, trying to get your attention kinda thing?

[Ryan] Yeah, we continue along the game trail

and from my front I hear another whistle.

So the first one was off to my left,

the second one was from my front.

After we heard the second whistle,

I could hear something rubbing up

against the spruce trees.

[Jessica] So something moving through the woods?

[Ryan] Yeah, and it was coming towards us

and that's where the alarm bell

started going off for me.

If it was a bear,

it would've changed direction from my smell,

you know, they don't like people.

[Jessica]Did the dogs react at all

when they heard this whistle?

[Ryan] They reacted to the second one a little bit.

Like, their ears piqued up.

And as I decided to leave, the dogs left me,

which is abnormal.

[dogs barking]

[Ryan] They stick usually right next to me.

This noise parallels me for about 150 yards.

[Jessica] So it starts tracking alongside you.

[Ryan] Yeah, I can hear it. I couldn't see it.

And I couldn't see any trees moving,

but I could hear this thing paralleling me out

to the end of the trail.

[Jessica] That's legit terrifying.

[Ryan] Yeah.

Just to know that something's like, stalking you

in the woods.

[Jessica] What got you into collecting stories

of people's experiences?

[Fred] Um...

Because we're losing elders at a fast rate

and so I decided to start collecting the stories.

And so it's just to continue that lineage

of the oral history.

And instead of just keeping it exclusively native,

I expanded out to all Alaskans.

Because... there's people throughout the state

that deal with the Hairy Man

completely covered in hair but with like,

-an ash gray skin tone. [Jessica] -Okay.

Do you mind giving me the coordinates

to where you had your encounter?

[Ryan] Yeah, I'll text 'em to you.

[Jessica] Okay, perfect.

[Phil] Let's just say,

I probably think about the Sasquatch

similar to the way that you think about it.

In general, I'm skeptical but very curious

as to what someone actually did see.

But the question I always come across is,

if something like that has lived around here

for thousands of years, why is there no carcass?

Why is there no fossil evidence?

[Rich] If you've been out in the woods,

you know how often do you find the carcass of a bear?

It's not very common.

You know, nature takes care of it really quickly.

Up here we've got porcupines

and other rodents that eat those bones for the calcium.

[Phil] Really?

[Rich] So those carcasses disappear pretty darn quick.

And there's also talk, you know,

if it's a Sasquatch, is that a cultural thing

that specie has where...

What if they bury their dead? You know, something like that.

So there's kind of a lot of unknowns and you know,

-invariables there. [Phil] -Interesting.

[Phil] After our day of research,

Jess and I meet up to plan

our Sasquatch search for night number two.

[Jessica] I did get coordinates from Ryan

as to where he had his encounter.

It looks really far away.

[Phil] Well they're so remote.

Any ideas how we're gonna get out there?

[Jessica] Yeah, snow mobiles.

[Phil] Snow mobiles it is.

[engines running]

[suspense music]

[Phil] Jess, keep going that way, yeah?

-Through the trees. [Jessica] -Through the trees.

[Phil] -You good? [Jessica] -I'm stuck!

[Phil] I can help you.

[engine running]

[acceleration]

[Phil] I gotcha!

[Phil] Let me help you out.

[acceleration]

[Jessica] Oh! Behind you!

[Jessica] We continue on and cut through the woods

as far as the snow mobiles can take us.

But in order to get to the exact spot

where Ryan had his alleged encounter,

that requires a bit of a hike on foot.

[Jessica] GPS says we should be going that way.

[Phil] That looks like some thick snow.

[Jessica]Some of the snow here

can reach depths of up to 6 ft this time of year,

but we should be able to stay on the surface

with these snowshoes.

[Jessica] Alright, let's go.

Oh, man, even with the snowshoes I'm sinking.

[Phil] Yeah.

[spooky music]

[Phil] [sighs] [Jessica] [sighs]

[Jessica] Argh.

Alright, hold up!

[Phil] How we looking?

[Jessica] We are right on it.

[Phil] -This is the spot, huh? [Jessica] -This is the spot.

[Josh] Just 20 miles from where the team investigated

on the Kenai Peninsula,

lies the abandoned fishing village of Portlock.

It was once a bustling community

but according to legend,

an Alaskan Sasquatch changed all that.

In the 1940s, villagers reported sightings

of a hairy bipedal creature. According to accounts,

residents then began to vanish

before bodies started showing up

in the nearby wilderness.

The community was said to be terrified.

Businesses closed, the schools shuttered.

Families fearing that they'd be next,

packed up and fled, abandoning the town forever.

Now, what exactly happened to Portlock remains a mystery.

The buildings and homes have long since decayed,

gradually consumed by the relentless

Alaskan wilderness.

Today, the few traces that remain

are eerie reminders of an entire village

supposedly destroyed

because of the fearsome Alaskan Sasquatch.

[Jessica] [sighs] Set up camp?

[Phil] I say we set up camp here.

[Jessica] Okay.

[Phil] I'll build us a little snow shelter here.

[Jessica] I'll start working on the tripwire.

[Phil] -Alright. [Jessica] -See you in a bit.

[Phil] Time to start digging.

[sighs]

[Jessica] Ryan said that whatever he encountered,

stalked him from all sides.

So while Phil builds us a protective snow bunker

to keep us out of sight tonight,

I establish a perimeter all around our position

using a tripwire alarm system.

[Phil] [sighs]

All those years building snow forts as a kid

finally paid off.

[suspense music]

[Phil] [sighs]

[Jessica] Here's what we've got.

I've got a personal alarm and some wire...

We're gonna tie this end to one tree trunk.

Tie this end to another tree trunk.

That way if anything busts through this wire,

it will pull this out of the alarm...

and we know that something's trying to sneak up on us.

[Phil] So, inside this case

I have four microphones just like this.

They're unidirectional microphones,

meaning for example,

this one that is pointing due north...

And then I'll go south, east, west as well...

And I'll have them all fed into an iPad

that gives me the different levels.

Using this setup, we'll know 100%

if something's coming from the north

or the west or somewhere in between,

and then we'll look in that direction

and maybe head that way too.

So we got the snow fort built.

Microphones are all recording.

Obviously, we wanna document something that's out here

but we don't want that something

to get too close.

We have snowshoes to try to walk around in the snow

but we don't do it very gracefully.

Any big predator out here, bear, Sasquatch or otherwise,

it's gonna be very good at moving around.

We are at a distinct

evolutionary disadvantage out here.

Welcome to your new office.

[Jessica] It actually looks quite nice.

I'm very impressed.

Let me get... [screams]!

[Phil] I'm still walking on the stairs.

[Jessica] [laughs]

This looks like a modern art exhibit.

[Phil] [laughs]

[Phil] So, talk a little bit.

[Jessica] Talk, talk, talk.

[Phil] So, you are south and a little bit west.

[Jessica] Oh, that's great.

[Phil] And if I talk, I'm south and a little bit east.

[Jessica] Ooh!

[spooky music]

[Phil] It just got really quiet.

[Jessica] [whispering] Yeah, it sure did.

[Jessica] I have a whistle on my backpack.

You wanna try and lure something here?

-Might as well try it. [Phil] -Yeah.

[Jessica] -Ready? [Phil] -Yeah.

[blows whistle]

[Jessica] I either scared it away or drew it closer.

[Phil] [whispering] We're committed now. Go for it.

[Jessica] -Again? [Phil] -Yeah.

[Jessica] [blows whistle]

[sound of something moving]

[Phil] [whispering] It's moving up to the north.

[Jessica] I'm gonna get night vision goggles.

I wanna see if I can see it.

[footsteps] [animals grunting]

[Phil] What the [bleep] is that noise, Jess?

[Jessica] I can hear it.

[Phil] Sounds like something's being dragged.

[Jessica] [whispering] I hear it. Hold on.

[Phil] A little bit more left. Should be right around there.

[Jessica] Okay, yeah I hear it coming from that direction.

I'm not see... Oh.

What was that? Did you see that?

Did you see that right there?

[whispering] Okay, you see that, right?

[Phil] That?

[Jessica] Yeah, do you see that?

[Phil] Is it eye shine?

[Jessica] That's what I'm thinking.

[Phil] Something's reflecting up there.

[Jessica] It's moving too.

[animal roaring]

[Phil] Whatever we're hearing does not sound small, Jess.

[Jessica] No, it does not.

[footsteps]

[Jessica] Oh, [bleep]! That's getting close.

[alarm goes off]

[Jessica] That's one of the alarms!

[tense music]

[Phil] It was right here.

[Jessica] There's like, two sets of tracks.

[Phil] Holy [bleep]!

[Jessica] This has gotta be a game trail.

[Phil] Oh, yeah.

[alarm setting off]

[Jessica] [sighs] [Phil] [sighs]

[Jessica] There's the alarm, right there.

[Phil] Keep your eyes up for anything.

[spooky music]

[alarm sound]

[alarm stops]

[Phil] Okay.

[animals barking]

[Phil] You hear all those coyotes barking too?

[Jessica] Yeah it was quiet a whole night

until this just happened and those things went off.

[sighs] [animals barking]

[Jessica] It definitely ran through here.

Look at this...

[Phil] Oh, my God!

So it must've ran all the way up here.

-Tripwire scared it. [Jessica] -Yeah.

And it freaked out and ran back out.

[Phil] It looks like it stuck around here

for a little bit.

[Jessica] Well it's probably sitting and watching us.

[Phil] Yeah, look how far that trail goes.

It's so hard to tell.

[Jessica] That one looks really...

[Phil] It looks big, but it also looks...

God, I can't tell.

If something is sprinting through this snow,

is it gonna be running on its toes

or completely flat-footed?

[Jessica] Yeah, I don't know.

[Phil] I don't think we stand a chance

trying to actually track that thing down

and keep up with it.

What if we try to send the thermal drone after it?

[Jessica] Let's do that from base camp

'cause I wanna make sure that we actually have like,

all our defenses up as much as possible

because I do not feel good just sitting out here,

waiting to be attacked.

[Phil] Our snow bunker is

the only defensive position out here,

so we head back there

and prepare to launch our thermal drone.

[suspense music]

[Phil] Let's get this thing in the air.

[Phil] Whatever set off the tripwire alarm

could still be close by, so we need to get eyes on it.

[Phil] Alright, drone is going up.

[drone flying]

[Jessica] Nice.

[Phil] Alright, I'm gonna send it up.

Clear the trees...

West, let's see where that gets us.

[Jessica] So those are all the treetops, yeah?

[Phil] Those are all the treetops.

[Jessica] Everything's blue. It's so cold.

[Phil] Yeah.

[suspense music]

[Phil] [sighs] Okay, come on.

Where are you? Where are you?

[Phil] Oh, [bleep]!

[spooky sound effect]

[Jessica] Did you see that glimmer?

[Phil] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jessica] There it is.

[Phil] Okay, I'm chasing it. [suspense music rises]

[Phil] -God, it's fast. [Jessica] -It's superfast.

[Phil] That thing is sprinting.

[Jessica] Chase it, chase it, chase it.

-Oh, that is hauling. [Phil] -It is fast.

[Jessica] Ooh, you're going too fast.

Go back. Go back, go back.

[Phil] What just happened to this drone?

Jess, we got it.

[Phil] It's lost signal. [Jessica] Did you hit a tree?

[Phil] It just lost signal.

[Jessica] Is it not connecting?

[Phil] It's not connecting.

[Jessica] Alright, so you can track the drone

with this thing, right?

[Phil] We have the drone's last location

but look at this, video feed's completely blank.

It says, "aircraft disconnected".

[Jessica] Okay, well I want that footage and the drone,

so let's go get it.

[Phil] [sighs]

[Jessica] I'm following you

'cause I don't know which way to go.

[Phil] Okay.

[Phil] Alright, Jess,

do you wanna take that side, I'll take this side?

[Jessica] Yeah, I'll go over here.

[Phil] Alright...

[Phil] Jess!

[Jessica] -You got it? [Phil] -Got it!

[Jessica] Oh! It's busted.

[Phil] It is very busted.

Let's look around, let's look around.

Because this was flying

right over the top of whatever that was.

[Jessica] I mean, that thing took off.

[Phil] It did.

I'm not seeing any tracks.

[Jessica] I'm not even hearing anything.

[Phil] Check this out.

[Jessica] All the blades are gone.

[Phil] Missing a prop blade there.

We have the SD card in here,

so even though the signal cut out,

this should've been still recording,

so we'll be able to look at it

and be able to identify it from that.

Let's take this back, let's put the card in,

and let's check out that footage again.

[Jessica] Okay. Here, I'll grab this.

[Phil] Alright, thanks.

[Jessica] [sighs]

[Josh] The thermal drone managed to scare off

whatever it was

chasing because Phil and Jess did not hear a peep

for the remainder of the night.

They did go back to the site of the tracks

so Phil could collect a snow sample

and run an environmental DNA test

on whatever left those large prints.

eDNA opens up the possibility

of analyzing imperceptible genetic material

that has been expelled

into the surrounding environment.

Unfortunately, the results came back inconclusive,

possibly the result of any biological material

becoming compromised by the melting snow.

When we later analyzed the thermal footage,

the figure speed was clocked at roughly 15 miles per hour,

slower than a polar bear or grizzly,

but significantly faster than a human being,

especially in the deep Alaskan snow.

But when we slow the footage down,

it appears like it could be running

in a bipedal human-like manner.

So, is this the beast who stalked our eyewitnesses?

Who maimed those coyotes?

Who's ravaged this region for decades?

There are many more questions than answers,

but one thing we do know

is that if there is an Alaskan Sasquatch,

he remains at large.

[suspense music ceases]

[Discovery vignette]