By Ryan Applegate
People’s Defender
A quiet winter evening turned into an extraordinary discovery for local resident Steve Green, who stumbled upon a set of massive footprints in the snow following a series of recent storms. Green, who lives along Chapparal Road, has long been familiar with the natural surroundings of his rural neighborhood, but what he found that evening left him stunned.
The tracks, which he measured to be nearly 17 inches long from toe to heel, featured a stride length of approximately six feet—far longer than an average human’s. Green, an experienced outdoorsman, immediately recognized that these were unlike any tracks he had seen before. Given their size, spacing, and placement, he began to wonder: Could this be evidence of the elusive Bigfoot?
Green made his discovery while driving home, he noticed an unusual pattern of tracks cutting across the landscape, “What caught my attention right away was the length between the tracks,” Green explained. “I tried to mimic the stride, and it was nearly impossible without jumping. Whatever made those prints had to be extremely tall and heavy.”
After carefully examining the impressions, Green noted that they followed a straight-line pattern, resembling the “tightrope-walker” gait often associated with alleged Bigfoot sightings. He also recalled hearing strange, unidentified animal cries at night in the area over the years, though he had never given them much thought until now.
Green’s findings align with research from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), a group dedicated to investigating reports of Sasquatch sightings across North America. According to the BFRO, Bigfoot tracks are often found in remote areas where other wildlife such as deer and elk are abundant. The organization notes that snow can serve as an ideal medium for spotting such tracks, as fresh snowfall captures footprints with clarity.
The BFRO advises those in Bigfoot-prone areas to look for distinctive characteristics, including:
• Large footprints measuring well over a foot long
• Long stride lengths, typically between 4-6 feet
• Straight-line walking patterns, unlike the staggered gait of humans
• Minimal side-to-side movement, in contrast to human footprints, which tend to angle outward
A striking detail reported by the BFRO is that human tracks in snow generally have a stride of about two feet or less, making the six-foot stride observed by Green particularly unusual. The organization also warns that some animals, like rabbits and coyotes, can create misleading patterns in the snow. However, closer inspection often reveals distinguishing marks, such as dual front-leg impressions.
While skeptics may dismiss the discovery as misidentified animal tracks or natural snow disturbances, Green remains intrigued. “I know what deer, coyote, and human tracks look like,” he said. “These prints didn’t match anything I’ve ever seen before.”
Despite the setback, Green’s discovery has sparked interest among local residents and Bigfoot enthusiasts alike. “People have always talked about strange sightings in this area,” he said. “Maybe there’s more truth to those stories than we think.”
Bigfoot sightings and track discoveries have long been a part of American folklore, particularly in wooded and mountainous regions. While scientific evidence remains inconclusive, reports continue to surface from individuals who claim to have encountered something extraordinary.
The BFRO encourages anyone who finds similar tracks to document their findings with photographs, measurements, and detailed notes. Preserving the evidence, they say, is crucial in determining whether an encounter is truly unexplainable or simply a case of mistaken identity.
As winter continues and snow blankets the landscape, Green and other curious locals will no doubt be keeping an eye out for more signs of the mysterious figure that may—or may not—be lurking in the shadows of Chapparal Road.
