PK Podcast 58: Les Stroud On The Question Of Bigfoot
Les Stroud is my guest on Episode 58 of The Paul Kirtley Podcast. Known to millions around the world as Survivorman, Les is a pioneer of survival television and an icon in the outdoor and survival communities. With his groundbreaking series Survivorman, Les redefined the genre by filming and surviving entirely on his own in remote locations and harsh environments.
Beyond his television success, Les is an accomplished filmmaker, author, and musician, with a passion for environmental advocacy and inspiring others to reconnect with nature.
One area of backwoods lore and legend that has held Les’s fascination for more than a decade is the phenomenon known as bigfoot or sasquatch.
Back in 2014 Les began recording a 10-part series on this. He says it took him places he did not expect to go and gave him perspectives he did not expect to have. And now he’s coming back for more.
When I last met Les, in the summer of 2019, we talked about bushcraft and survival, as you might expect. We didn’t talk about bigfoot.
I recently learned Les was going to record another documentary on this subject area and I was keen to find out what keeps drawing him back to this subject and what questions he hopes to answer with this latest project…
Our conversation forms Episode 58 of the Paul Kirtley Podcast…
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Links Mentioned In This Podcast
The Question Of Bigfoot Kickstarter Campaign
Global Bushcraft Symposium 2019
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz
Night Watch in One Brain Hemisphere during Sleep Associated with the First-Night Effect in Humans
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Related Material On Paul Kirtley’s Blog
PK Podcast 57: Mattias Norberg On The Art Of Fire
PK Podcast 56: Craig Caudill on Nature Reliance, Good Woodsmanship and Traditional Bushcraft
PK Podcast 55: John Rhyder – Woodsman, Naturalist, Educator and Senior Tracker
PK Podcast 53: Theresa Emmerich Kamper On Traditional Tanning
PK Podcast 043: North American Titans Of Bushcraft (moderated by Les Stroud)
PK Podcast 26: Kevin Callan On The Joys Of Winter Camping
4 thoughts on “PK Podcast 58: Les Stroud On The Question Of Bigfoot”
Great interview Paul, nicely handled.
Alot of people out there would be very wary of approaching this subject matter , so thank you.
Nothing but massive respect and admiration for Les…
Thanks Deano. I very much appreciate your feedback. All the best, Paul.
Thank you Paul, I’ve never watched any of Les strouds coverage on Bigfoot, because I thought “aah here we go again , another one “. But I have to say that interview made a lot of sense. I always admired Les and his survivorman series. It struck a chord on many levels, especially the one about feeling comfortable in the woods, and by being there experienced encounters which are rare or seemingly somewhat supernatural. During my youth on a military exercise, my company were set up in a woodland, whilst having a sneaky rolled cigarette acquired from a mate, I started to notice little lights blinking all over the place. In my dismay I extinguished the cigarette, thinking my mate gave me a joint instead . I said nothing, never mentioned anything till the next morning, one of my comrades asked if anyone noticed the fireflies during the night. My mate was of the hook. 2 years ago camped in a local wood late summer/ autumn. I was awoken by a churring sound close by, never heard this sound before, turns out it was a nightjar. I mentioned this to a learned member of the local birdwatch group. Who replied ” no it couldn’t have been, because they’re extinct in Ireland and the last recorded was in the South East of the country”. Sure what would I know a simple bushcrafter with no qualifications, but being in the right place at the right time because I’m a bushcrafter and camping in the woods at night. I heard a supposedly extinct bird.
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you found the podcast episode sensible and level-headed. I was also somewhat sceptical. But it’s an interesting field to discuss and the planet is a big place, despite the number of humans.
Yes, it is often those of us who spend nights out in the woods who experience the most. Thanks for sharing your experiences too.
And the “distribution maps” of species can be somewhat off. During canoe trips in Canada I have come across plants, particularly on partage trails, that were not supposed to be there. The maps of their distribution according to experts showed them to be further south or further east and not be present in the place we were travelling. But they were definitely there.
Warm regards,
Paul