05x07 - The Gathering Storm

[bunniefuu]

Previously on expedition big foot...

We are back here in northern California

because I believe big foot is using
this area as a breeding ground.

Man, this thing looks amazing.

This is a 15 or 16-inch foot cast
that wasn't a bear, deer or an elk.

This pheromone, if it
does draw out big foot,

then big foot could possibly
be a missing primate.

Hey, mireya, I just
saw some trees moving.

I'm picking something up
on the thermal behind you.

Bryce?

This looks to me like
a marking of some sort.

This really looks like
something placed it here.

I just got the chills.

This is weird.

This is amazing.

On the southwestern
peak of a mountain,

high atop the team's
northern California target zone,

big foot researcher Bryce Johnson

and primatologist Dr. - mireya mayor

have discovered a massive tree structure

near two smaller ones of a similar shape.

That is really, really bizarre.

Mireya, this is huge.

It sure does seem similar

- to the other wood pilings that we saw.
- -100%.

I mean, look at those up there.

Those are woven in and
that's 15 feet up. Look at this.

This tree structure could not have
been built by just anyone or anything.

There's about a dozen
logs, all weighing 150, 200 lb.

With this ornate ornamentation
laid across the top,

it would have taken a crew of
men to put this thing together.

Tree structures are
groupings of large branches,

arranged in unnatural patterns.

They're often found in areas known
for large numbers of big foot sightings.

In 2018, more than 100
structures were discovered

over a 10-square-mile
area of Colorado wilderness.

Unlike nests which provide shelter,

many researchers believe tree structures
are used as a form of communication

among groups of big foot.

Yeah, this to me eliminates the idea that

those first two structures
were perhaps natural.

This was put here for a purpose.

So what are you saying, like,
you think this is some sort of...

A boundary marking.

This is nesting territory, and we
are right smack in the middle of it.

This is definitely of interest.

I just really don't want to start leaping

- to any conclusions on it.
- 100%.

I'm always really careful and
hesitant not to use the word evidence,

because to me, this is
not evidence of anything.

But what it did remind
me of instantly, though,

was that tree structure that
we had found in Kentucky,

and that's where we had gotten some
of our most interesting DNA results.

Take a look at that.

Whoa!

Holy. Freaking jackpot.

When an animal goes into
an area, it sheds its DNA.

And something with what appears to
be chimp DNA left that DNA behind.

I definitely want to collect some
soil samples from underneath,

- so stay on the outside...
- I will.

And I'm just gonna grab
some samples from within here.

In isolation, these findings
aren't incredibly significant.

But when you start to
find similar structures

in multiple locations on
multiple investigations,

then you have to stop and ask yourself,

are these in fact, pieces
of a much larger puzzle?

- Hey, mireya.
- What is it?

It looks like a hair.

- Where are you seeing it?
- Right over here.

Check it out.

- Right?
- Yeah.

- Doesn't that look like a hair?
- That looks like a hair.

- Yeah, that's a hair.
- Right there.

Yeah, all right. Tweezers.

So, well, this is the moment of truth.

- All right.
- Awesome.

I'm intrigued to get this back to a lab.

Not only is there this giant tree structure,

but there's also evidence
in the form of hair.

Hey, Bryce, just saw another one here.

Right here.

And it feels to me like we
are right at bigfoot's front step.

We're getting close.

I think that we need to
keep pushing through tonight

- and keep going down this river...
- I agree.

And see if it leads us somewhere else.



Let's keep going.

There's something
moving right down here.

Where are you?

Two miles northeast
of Bryce and mireya,

on the opposite side
of the same mountain,

survivalist Russell a cord
continues tracking something

he saw moving through the forest.

Holy crap.

What is that?

This is weird.

We got something here.

What the heck?

Right in front of me

I see this structure, it
doesn't belong here.

Humans will do something like this.

But if they do something like this,

they're usually making a
shelter and they'll wrap it around.

On the backside of
this, there's no branches

that have been laid around
it to provide any protection.

It's just open.

This isn't a shelter.

This is a marker.

This feels like a centerpiece, like
the attention is supposed to be on that.

The focal point that
sat just above eye level

took me to a place that literally
made my skin crawl in Alaska.

What in... did you see that?

Is that a skull in the tree?

That looks like a goat skull
or something, doesn't it?

It was wood. It was natural
wood. It wasn't a goat skull.

But it was presented and
placed there with intent.

And tonight, coming across the
similarities of that center focal point,

it was there for a reason.

Why would you want to
draw attention to this spot?

What's so special?

I just don't buy into the
whole big foot signaling,

but I'm gonna tell you something.

Something to put this here.

With intent.

Something with a thumb.

I'm gonna walk around this area a
little bit more. See what else I can find.

Watch your step here.

On the southwest side
of the same mountain,

mireya and Bryce are exploring the areas

surrounding the tree structures they
discovered in order to scan the forest

for any evidence of what created them.

This large tree structure
seems to be pointing

in a general direction where
the branches are aimed.

So we're going to find a
vantage point and keep searching

for this creature that
we know is out there.

Let me use you to calibrate.

- Can you move back a little bit?
- -Yeah.

Mireya is using a thermal
camera, which picks up

on any heat signatures in the area,

while Bryce's camera is
equipped with infrared night vision.

I'm not getting anything. Are you?

No, I'm not getting anything.

What?

Come here. I'm picking
up a strange light.

What is that?

- Do you see it?
- Yeah.

Isn't that strange?

That is really bizarre.

I have no answer for
what the hell that is.

Are you getting anything on the thermal?

I'm not, no.

This wouldn't pick up any light

but if anyone was standing there
with the light, it would pick them up,

and I'm not seeing anything.

I don't like that.

What the is that?

Coming up...

When I say we brought out
the big g*ns, I'm not kidding.

We'll be able to cover everything

- out there in the mountains.
- Yeah.

This is gonna allow us that
edge that we've always wanted

but could never quite reach.

I'm in position.

Let's find big foot.

- Are you still seeing it?
- -Yeah.

- Yeah, it's moving again.
- It's moving?

Yeah, take a look.

In their northern California target zone,

close to where Bryce and mireya
discovered a massive tree structure

the team has spotted a
mysterious light in the woods.

It is moving.

Here, here.

If it's moving it's got to
be attached to something.

Nothing.

I'm not picking up on anything moving.

Bryce's night vision camera
amplifies existing light

to reveal more detail
than the human eye,

while mireya's thermals will only
pick up an object's heat signature.

Look, in our past expeditions, we've
come across these ba*ls of light or orbs.

Could this be something like that?

What the is that?

There's little white dots
above this heat signature.

It's getting smaller and
starting to disappear. Hold on.

The bottom half is gone,

and now it's just a small white circle.

Seeing orbs in conjunction with big foot

has been reported as
far back as the 1800s.

Some native Americans,
such as the lakota people,

believe that big foot is an
extra-dimensional being.

Some have theorized
that the ba*ls of light

that often accompany big foot sightings

are portals that they use
to travel between worlds.

Well, I think we should
make our way down there,

although it looks pretty treacherous.

Well, let's keep moving along
this trail, paralleling the river

and see if we can get to
a different vantage point.

Yeah, good idea. Let's go.

I can't help but recall some
of the stories I've heard

about big foot using lights
to lure people into the woods.

This is where we saw
that light right here.

And I'm wondering if these lights are
an attempt to draw our attention away

from bigfoot's potential breeding ground.

- Are you seeing anything?
- -No.

- I'm not seeing anything now.
- I know, that light is gone.

Damn. Now I'm curious
as hell as to what that was.

All right.

- So that was really strange.
- Yeah.

We should definitely
come back tomorrow

during daylight hours
and really scour the area.

See if we can find anything
surrounding those tree structures.

Yeah, I'm with you.

Was anyone glaring?

Back on the northeast
side of the mountain,

Russell has been exploring the area
near the tree structure he discovered.

Do you see this?

That thing's been pulled
up and thrown on the ground

out here in the middle of a clearing,

how did this thing get out here?

What's so special about this spot?

Let's get out of this clearing.

I need to be back in that
tree line. I don't like this.

I want to bring in Bryce and mireya.

This tree structure, the center point,

the evidence that I've
picked up along the way,

everything is piecing together.

I want Bryce and mireya to know
that there was something here

that was not here by accident.

Hey, Russ.

Hey, Bryce.

I came across something

I want to bring your guy's attention to.

It's not my thing, you know that.

But I found a tree structure that

is something that I think
you guys should see.

There's like teepee, angled
logs placed in the center of it.

Russell, man, you're
not gonna believe this.

Mireya and I also found
a tree structure. It's huge.

Really?

Not only that, but we found two
smaller structures leading up to it.

I think you need to meet up
with us first thing in the A.M.

Okay.

I thought this was pretty awesome find,

but they've got something
I need to be part of.

It sounds to me like they're
on to something pretty big.

I didn't get much sleep.

I just can't stop thinking about those
structures that we came across last night.

That reminded me of a
conversation with Dr. Jeffrey meldrum

about the significance of
more ornately built structures

and what it could possibly mean.

Hey, Dr. Meldrum, how are you?

Good, thanks.

I want to talk to you a little bit
about some of the the lesser-known

sasquatch behaviors like tree
manipulations and nest building.

Maybe some of these
structures have not...

Not just territoriality, but also,

perhaps they convey something
that occurs on... on special occasions.

The nests are very
intriguing, as rare as they are.

This one particular site,
there actually was a cluster.

Wow.

My kind of gut reaction to the
situation was that it was a birthing site.

The reason I think that
is there was one nest

that was in the crook of a bush
about two and a half feet off the ground.

When I saw it, the first
thing that came to mind was,

"my gosh, this is a bassinet."

So it wouldn't surprise me that
when a sasquatch female gives birth,

perhaps there's a kind of
gathering of the extended family,

which is otherwise
scattered over a large area.

You know, something is taking place

that isn't taking place
every year. It feels different.

And to your point, maybe
this is one of those years,

where these things might be
actually procreating and breeding.

It could be, or,

I mean, if there are signs
of nest building and so forth,

that would probably mean more birthing.

If there was this sort of birthing
season, just to use your word,

this advertising of this event,

whether it's demarcations throughout
the forest or... Or stuff like that.

That's a... I never even thought
of that. But it makes total sense.

You know, he felt that when
he came across those nests,

it was a rare occurrence,

that these creatures were
coming together like that.

And seeing those structures last night,

I don't know, I can't help but to think that

there's a birthing season happening
right now here in northern California,

and that's the reason for all of
this activity that we're experiencing.

I have a feeling this
is our best chance ever

to get close to a family of big foot.

There he is right now. Hey, Russ!

After a 2-mile trek from the
position he's been searching,

Russell meets up with mireya
and Bryce to assist in the analysis

of the tree structures
they found the night before.

- How are you?
- How's it going?

- Good, man.
- Good to see ya.

Good to see you too.

It's nice to see the rain let up a little high.

Yeah, but unfortunately
it's not gonna last.

The lost coast has been experiencing
some historic weather patterns,

and right now we're tracking a
massive storm that's bearing down on us.

Due to make landfall in just
ten hours, the approaching storm

threatens to be one of the
worst on record for this region.

Known as an atmospheric river,

these layers of water vapor
can reach up to two miles high,

500 miles wide and 5,000 miles long.

It's been decades since the lost coast

has experienced this type of weather,

and I have no idea how it's
gonna change bigfoot's behavior.

My big concern is that if we don't
find them now, we might lose them.

It feels like I've been through
every season under the sun,

from, blizzards to rain to, well
today, finally getting some sunshine.

The speed at which the
weather changes here

is faster than anywhere
else I've ever worked before.

That makes it so difficult to
come up with a game plan.

What do you got?

Well, we found something
really significant, Russ.

Hey, Russ, look up here.

Wow. Interesting.

This immediately caught my
eye from quite a distance, actually.

I mean, it was so orderly
amongst all this chaos.

Yeah, it definitely stands out.

You know, my... The
first thing I think of is, okay,

all these branches and
rain, a lot of stuff's falling...

Yeah.

'cause a lot of these
trees have that around it...

Yep.

But this is all in one a focused area.

For me, Russ, these smaller
structures represent directional markings

and this one points right up that
corridor where the other ones are.

- Let's see the others.
- -Let's do it.

Russ, here's the other one up here.

- Wow. Look at that.
- Yeah.

- I mean, right here, line of sight...
- -Yeah.

Looking at this one, I
see the one beyond it.

That's huge.

I bet that's a perfect line that one
way back there, this one and this one.

And this is clearly the
most significant marker.

This is what we're really interested in.

There's no question that
this was put here with intent.

This has a purpose.

- Hundred percent.
- This has a reason for being here.

And my first thought is,

"what makes this area so spectacular?"

High atop their northern
California target zone,

the team is analyzing
the massive tree structure

that Bryce and mireya
discovered the night before.

So, is this more similar
to what you found?

Let me show you what I found.

Picture this, but at about
six or seven foot level,

there was a centerpiece.

Do you remember the thing in Alaska

- that looked like a goat's head?
- Yeah.

This is really strange.

All of these different findings
in isolation, to me, frankly,

don't amount to much.

But I like the fact that
you're having similar finds

because that's how you
start to see patterns emerging.

And that actually
makes it really interesting.

One of the most
important things in science

when you're trying to confirm

the existence of a species

is having multiple lines of evidence.

These tree structures, for example,

we're finding all of these
repeated throughout the forest.

Now we're on to something.

If those smaller
structures line up with this

and then the one you
found on the mountain,

I think this could possibly
be a new nesting site.

And these tree structures
are a way of marking it.

Agreed.

Northern California is the only place

where we've found nests in groups.

And considering that
those nests were situated

close to the tree structures,
then it would make sense

that these tree structures
demarcate the place

where family groupings
gather to possibly breed

or even raise their young.

I'd also love to compare
our footprint cast.

Okay.

Because right now, we
have all of these findings

in different parts of this one area.

- Yeah.
- But we don't actually know that

- it all belongs to the same animal.
- -Agreed.

All right, so now that we've
established that we're in the right zone,

how do we hone in on whatever
it is then that is making these?

Yeah, that's what we need to do next.

You know what? I actually
have a piece of tech

that I think can help us
pinpoint their location.

I'm gonna go get on that because

you guys know we
are running out of time.

Hey, Ben, what's going on?

Hey, not much, Bryce.

Headed out to meet one last witness,

and I wanted to run something by you.

- Yeah. What's up?
- Well, I managed to dig up

a really interesting witness
with a pretty scary story,

while backpacking
alone inside our hot zone.

The problem is I'm
having a really hard time

convincing him to talk on camera.

And I wanted to get your
take on concealing his identity.

Yeah, you know, we've
protected witnesses' identities in

the past.

It really just depends
on what they have to

say and why they
wanna stay anonymous.

What did this guy say happened to him?

Well, I don't have a ton of detail yet.

He's been pretty cagey,
but what I do know is that

he says he was surrounded
by a group of big foot.

That sounds insane, Ben...

Okay, we've gotta
talk to this guy because

if he was surrounded
by a group of big foot,

then that lines up with
exactly what we're theorizing,

about this being a
potential breeding ground.

And last night, we came
across a series of tree structures

that I believe demarcate
actual big foot territory.

In other words, I think there's
a high chance we're gonna

come across multiple big foot.

So, I think we need
to hear this guy's story.

Well, if that's the case,
then I'm gonna work

with the camera crew to hide his identity,

because I really think that
the more details we can gather

on how these groups
interact with humans,

- it could really make all the difference.
- -Yeah.

I agree. Let's do it.

- Awesome. Man, I'm on it.
- All right. Nice work.

Talk soon.

Thank you for being

- willing to share with me.
- Sure. Yes.

I haven't really talked
about it to a lot of people.

It could hurt my reputation, you know?

- I work at a college.
- I'm a humanities professor,

and I don't wanna risk that.

But at the same time,

it's something that I think
people need to hear about.

So tell me... let's walk
through this experience.,

so, I decided to take a certain
trail up in northern California.

- And you're by yourself?
- Yes.

It's about 20 mile out back,

so it was getting late already..

- And sun's down?
- Yeah. Sun's completely down, yeah.

No, no, it's dark out.

Set up camp and I was in my tent and.

I heard something outside.

It was kind of like this
rustling in the brush.

I open up the tent and I'm like,

you know, flashing
my light out there and,

I see something.

And how far away do you think that...

- So, I would say 10-12 feet.
- Okay.

I can see it over the brush,
clearing the brush line.

- Can you see appendages? Can you see...
- I can tell that

it is upright.

And it is running like
a human, and it's fast.

It's just like this whoosh of

red and brown, and it's not a bear.

There's no way this is a bear.

So, I'm flashing my light
around and in that moment,

from the Ridge that's behind me,

probably, I don't know, 40, 50 yards?

I hear a howl

that made the hair on my neck stand up.

I mean, it was terrifying.

So I turn around, trying to find it

over on that Ridge on the other side.

And as I'm looking over there,

I hear more rustling behind me,

back where I was looking
before near my camp.

And it is for sure closer this time.

Wow.

So at that point,

there's gotta be more
than one thing there,

sounds like it's circling around me.,

and I don't know which way to turn.

It just... Yeah, it was very, very scary.

So I just got back in my tent at that point.

And I was just quiet,

where I could actually have a moment

to think about it and realize

that it was a big foot.

So I just got back in
my tent and realize that

it was a big foot.

And I haven't been able to

really do any solo-camping since then.

'Cause I... now I just,

I just honestly don't
know what's out there.

That was a crazy story.

I found him to be a
highly credible witness.

He's got nothing to
gain, in fact, a lot to lose

from being on camera with
me, talking about big foot.

I really found this story compelling.

I don't think I have been quite as scared

listening to a story as I have his.

He also brings up some
really interesting data points

that I think track with what
we're discovering out here.

One, it just confirms

the body of evidence
we're gathering here,

that these creatures move in groups.

Two, it seems like there's
something special about this area.

Whether it's migration, whether
it's breeding, whether it's food

that brings them here together.

They're here, and they're not alone.

- Welcome to base camp.
- Yeah, I like it.

While Bryce secures technology

that will allow the team to
search the entire mountain,

mireya and Russell return to base camp

to compare footprint casts
that they each discovered

in different areas of the target zone.

- I'm gonna go grab my cast.
- Okay.

Let's see how this turned out.

Wow.

See how that whole thing
moves in one piece? There we go.

All good.

We found these two
footprints in different areas,

but we're not sure if they came from

the same individual or two different ones.

All right, let's compare these.

Wow.

We need to analyze these
casts to make that determination,

because if we know we
have multiple individuals,

that could vastly change
our research strategy.

Look at that.

It almost looks like a left
and right foot, doesn't it?

That's wild.

There is a similarity to 'em.
This one's slightly bigger but...

And toe to heel, 17.

- Toe to heel...
- About 19 inches.

From here to here.

That is wild.

Just about an inch and
a half bigger on this one.

Right.

I mean, when I first pulled
it up out of the ground...

This looks like separation of toes.

But I'm only seeing three,
which is really strange.

There's a lot that you
can learn off a footprint.

And actually having this
distinction on Russell's,

where it only has what
appears to be three toes,

could actually help us.

So I have to admit, with this one,

there was not a good definition of toes.

It was just a really big, deep impression.

So we thought that it
would be worth casting.

Right.

Bryce has always been
convinced that there are

multiple individuals out here.

And now, the evidence
points to that as well.

I'd actually really like to pull
out some tech that I have...

- Yeah?
- And go back to that tree structure,

and see if I'm able to
extract more DNA out of there.

Okay. I wanna go

from that large tree structure
where we were just at,

up on top of the hill
and back the other side,

and see if there's anything
between those two points.

- Yeah, good idea.
- And see if there's any more... yeah.

All right, I'm gonna leave this
with you, in your capable hands.

- I'll keep in touch.
- All right, Russ.

Boy, this dirt is pretty bad.

As Russell scours the area
between the tree structures

the team discovered the night before...

This is gonna be a total
game changer for us.

Mireya returns to the tree
structures near the mountain peak

with a special piece of technology

to help her gather more evidence.

This hyperspectral
camera is relatively new,

and we have never had
anything like this on the expedition.

This allows us to target an area

where we are more likely to
pick up on a DNA signature.

It's actually used in forensics

to make sure that no
clue is ever left unseen.

This hyperspectral camera
collects and processes data

across the entire
electromagnetic spectrum,

allowing it to differentiate

between objects that look similar

but have different
chemical compositions.

In forensics, it's used at crime scenes

to locate potential trace DNA evidence

left on surfaces or hidden in fabrics.

So, I'm gonna start by taking an image

of the very top of the structure.

All right, it's starting data recording.

The hyperspectral camera
can detect mammal DNA traces.

The idea being that I am able to pinpoint

exactly where to take DNA from.

I wanna make sure that I don't
miss anything while we're here.

And now it's just processing the data.

We're actually gonna
be able to get indicators

that will potentially lead to
us being able to extract DNA.

We're just waiting for that
little bit there to process.

If there is any residual DNA on this,

then we're gonna collect it.

There we go.

In this image, it is not
picking up on any indicators

that's giving me a potential
target where I can collect from.

So, I wanna move on
to the large structure

and do some more data analysis there.

So, this is interesting here because

the hyperspectral camera
is actually picking up

on an indicator.

And it's only a few feet

from where I collected
any DNA sample last night.

So, it just tells me that I was close,

but I could have potentially
missed something,

and hopefully now we've got it.

There is so much that
resembles a CSI investigation

during these expeditions.

And the hyperspectral
camera gives us the advantage

of making sure that we can find DNA

which would have
otherwise been overlooked.

Tech like this is a game changer.

If I had not had this technology,

I might have completely missed it.

And maybe now we've found something

we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Bryce should be just right up here

- through these trees.
- Cool.

I can't wait to see what he's got.

- Yeah, it sounded like something big?
- -Yeah.

As mireya and Russell prepare
to rendezvous with Bryce,

the first wave of the
atmospheric river hits land.

During the onset of these
massive storm systems,

the weather can
fluctuate without warning,

from light rain and fog to
hail, lightning and snow.

These sudden shifts can
trigger floods, mudslides,

and even wildfires throughout the region.

Hey, guys.

- Hey, Bryce.
- How's it going?

I've got some people I want you to meet.

- This is Kyle and Jordan.
- Hey.

- Hey, guys.
- These guys are gonna help us out today.

And when I say, "we've
brought out the big g*ns,"

I'm not kidding.

Growing up, my dad taught
me the survival skills to know

that if I was in the forest, I'd be fine.

I'm gonna give you a
couple pieces of advice

to be successful in the forest.

Number one, if you're ever
gonna go into the forest,

always let someone
know where you're going.

Make sure you check in when you leave,

and you check in when you get back in.

Number two, always go out in pairs.

Do you sleep at all?

For the show, I have a cameraman.

And that gives me a lot of comfort,

knowing that if
something happens to me,

I've got backup right in front of me.

The last thing, bring a means of

how to protect yourself
from the elements.

If it rains, if it snows,

you can get into
hypothermia and put yourself

in a situation that is highly dangerous.

We've got to get out of the open
right now, get into some cover.

Play it safe.

There's no sense in taking
risks that are unnecessary.

When I say, "we've brought
out the big g*ns," I'm not kidding.

Now that we've established
that this mountain

is these creatures' territory,
we've brought in the most

incredible piece of tech

to help us pinpoint their exact location.

To help us set up this surveillance array,

I brought in Jordan
from axis communication

and Kyle from evolon tech.

You guys wanna tell us a
little bit about what we've got?

So, what we're looking at
here is a variety of cameras.

We're gonna have
standard optical cameras.

It's gonna show us color, it's gonna
show us what we look at in photos.

And then the rest of
it is thermal cameras,

where we can see heat at distance.

I'm liking that thermal.

And we do have a special camera
up there called the bi-spectral.

And it has a thermal
camera and an optical camera

inside of a giant pan-tilt-zoom mount.

The bi-spectral camera allows the team

to not only zoom in on a target,

but to also determine whether
that target has a heat signature.

How far are we scoping here?

So right now, I actually have a shot.

But we're gonna be looking
about a mile and a half out.

And as we zoom back out here,

we can just see how far
out this camera zoomed.

- Wow.
- Amazing.

We have eight cameras.

And these cameras are self-driven,

so they're gonna be looking for
that target and they will alert us,

so we'll know what's happening
much quicker than the human eye.

So, if the thermal sees something that

it recognizes as a
target we're looking for,

it communicates with the larger camera

and locks in on that.

Yep, it will give it the coordinates,

the camera will zoom in on that target.

- Yeah.
- That's unbelievable.

And we'll be able to cover
everything out there in the mountains.

The tech that he brought up on
the mountain here for us to use

is absolutely unheard of.

This is the type of stuff
that I never dreamed

I'd actually be able to use

this kind of technology
in big foot research.

This is gonna allow us that
edge that we've always wanted

but could never quite reach.

Now if I understand it it's already
set to eliminate small targets?

Yeah, absolutely. So,
the company I work for

designed software that
runs on the camera itself.

- Wow.
- -So, we're able to run algorithms

that will be looking for
an object of a specific size

at a specific distance, for example.

So you're saying that this will
only hone in on something that's big,

and then you're able to
track it and zoom in on it?

- Automatically.
- That's amazing.

This is really exciting
because this is the first time

that we have ever deployed

artificial intelligence on
any of our investigations.

Being able to filter out

things that move through the forest,

specifically looking for
something tall and upright.

Kyle and Jordan have basically created

the dream tech for us on this expedition.

We go through rain, snow, fog.

How does that affect this technology?

So, the technology does
work pretty dang well

in a variety of weather conditions.

But some of the big limitations
are gonna be fog and snow.

So, what thermal cameras
cannot see through

is glass and water.

So, if there's enough water in the air,

either through fog or snow,

we can't see through
that no matter how much

heat we have on target.

In my experience,

one of the biggest threats to
an expedition is the weather.

Here we have this
unbelievable technology,

but there are limitations.

And if this weather
becomes any more extreme,

we're basically gonna be flying blind.

Well, look, here's the plan, you guys.

This whole side of the mountain

is covered by this array of cameras.

And let's get some boots on the ground.

I think Russ, you take one
side. Mireya, you take another.

I'll stay here with these guys,

and we'll watch you as
you move through the area.

- All right. Sounds good.
- All right.

Let's get these optical cameras

and thermal cameras on our target.

Let's find big foot.

- Thanks, you guys.
- Holy smokes.

- Great meeting you.
- Nice to meet you guys, thanks.

- You weren't kidding, this is amazing.
- Awesome. We'll be in touch.

We started off this
search with 7,000 acres.

And we have honed it down to just

one single mountain.

- Fog's rolling away. It's perfect timing.
- Yeah, this is great.

The surveillance array is positioned

on the hillside opposite the mountain

where the team found the tree structures

so that the cameras can provide

a comprehensive view
of the surrounding area.

Mireya for Bryce, I'm in position.

There they are, right there.

Hey, Bryce, can you see me?

I'm in my position.

Yep. I got you, Russ. I
see you on the thermal.

Excellent.

I'll let you know if I see anything.

Bryce being back here
with the equipment,

it's like having that eye in
the sky that sees everything.

If anything moves at all on that hillside,

he's gonna be able to see it, identify it,

and direct us directly in its path.

This technology is our game changer.

This is what's gonna give us

the answers we've
been looking for for years.

This surveillance array will
have everything we need.

These cameras are so
powerful, they can pinpoint targets

up to two miles away.

If these creatures are
here, we're gonna find 'em.