Distinctly Montana Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.distinctlymontana.com/i/170088
Literary Lode Department BIGFOOT, BIG SKY its roar can be heard all along Montana's bridger range. the mighty beast has returned on this summer night, tearing over knotted trails and bashing through the underbrush. all of the animals in the forest know this monster from previous visits and clear out as it howls deeper into the woods. it's bigfoot! written and illustrated by robert rath Or more accurately, it's Bigft1, the legendary truck that has taken wild journeys all across the western united states with a very specific mission: Find evidence 0f -- or interact with -- the mysterious creature known as sasquatch. Kelly is the talented and respected band director at bozeman high. Music and teaching are his life. But it's his other passion that brings him out here tonight: The mystery of bigfoot. fittingly for a musician, it was sound that first sparked his fascination. years ago, he heard recordings of strange, haunting, primeval howls and became inspired to find the creature that made them. he worked with some of the leading figures in bigfoot research, spending countless nights attempting to confirm that, yes, there is a large ape-like being that lives in the wilderness. bigft1's owner, kelly berdahl, is at the wheel, speeding the powerful rig past Trees, brush, suprisingly nimble cows, and road gouges that would snap the axle of a lesser vehicle. currently, he's starting his own research group, the Montana Bigfoot research center. his goal is to create a resource for people to report their experiences and check state-wide sightings. Kelly shares his passion for bigfoot by taking people out on expeditions. Tonight, his team is a dad and two kids who are so excited they can't sit still -not that they would be able to, bouncing in the backseat down the primitive road. "squatching" is what bigfoot hunters call field expeditions, and this is their very first one. 32 kelly helps set the mood by telling stories about his experience on different outings. Like the time he was surrounded by a growling group of them hidden in thick trees. or when he led a group down an old logging trail and something started throwing branches and rocks at them in the deep dead of night. by the time bigfoot1 growls to a stop, the kids are shaking -- from excitement and from the ride -- to find their hairy quarry. D I ST I NCT LY M ONTANA • FALL 2013