In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond: In Search of the Sasquatch

Whether you call it Sasquatch, Bigfoot, the abominable snowman, the yeti, or something else, there’s no denying that these creatures have captured the imagination of millions. Although definitive evidence has proven elusive, that hasn’t stopped many from searching. John Zada is among those on the hunt for the mythical being, and In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond, his search takes him to the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia.

I confess, this was nothing like I expected when I first picked it up. If you’re looking for something akin to Finding Bigfoot on TV, you’ll be disappointed. Sure, there are plenty of stories, both first- and secondhand accounts of encounters with sasquatch-like creatures, but this is less a hunt for Bigfoot than it is a meditation on what that search means for people.

The book also offers a wonderful new perspective on the creature, exploring it as both a part of a greater ecosystem and a part of a spiritual system that goes beyond simple biology and into the metaphysical. And that narrative, more than the hunt, is what makes this an engaging read. The people Zada encounters, the culture, the way that Bigfoot is woven in local legends and native mythology… that strikes far more of a chord with the reader than any of Zada’s wanderings looking for tracks, etc.

This tome is less about “when will we find him?” and more about “Why do we search for Bigfoot in the first place?” And that journey proves to be exponentially more interesting.