Sasquatch's Cousin (Kind of a Dork)

As usual, I have been scouring the news for more proof of the existence of The Sasquatch. It turns out that Sasquatch's cousin, the Yeti, has been in the news lately. For you Bigfoot-family virgins out there, the Yeti is a ape-like creature that is said to live in Tibet and Nepal. The Yeti also goes by another name that I am sure that you have heard before - The Abdominal Snowman. This is because the creature exists in the snowy, mountainous regions of the aforementioned countries. By the way, whoever coined the phrase "abdominal" for this creature really picked the right catch-phrase. What else have you ever heard described as "abdominal" other than The Snowman? Well, maybe some Vikings play calling earlier this year, but not much else. But the name has stuck. I looked up the word in the dictionary and it means "odious, loathsome, detestable." Wow, not good. But that makes sense because the Yeti has always got the short-end of the stick when it comes to Sasquatch lore. He's kind of a dork, but more on that later.


The Yeti has been in the news lately because ape-like footprints have been discovered near Mount Everest. Here is the low-down from a story by Gopal Sharma (who else?) for MSNBC.com:

KATMANDU, Nepal - Members of a TV production team investigating the existence of the legendary Yeti in Nepal said Friday that they have found footprints intriguing enough to merit further investigation.

The team of nine producers from "Destination Truth," armed with infrared cameras, spent a week in the icy Khumbu region where Mount Everest is located and found the footprints on the bank of the Manju River at an elevation of 9,350 feet (2,850 meters).

One of the three footprints found on Wednesday is about 1 foot (30 centimeters) long, with an appearance similar to those shown in sketches of the purported apelike creature, the team said.

Of course, you have the "it's a bear crowd," but not according to archaeologist Josh Gates:

"I don't believe it to be a bear. It is something of a mystery for us. This print is so pristine, so good, that I am very intrigued by this," said Gates, flanked by his team members.

That is all fine and good but I must say, and lets not mince words here, nobody really cares about The Yeti. If this was a story about Sasquatch footprints found in, say, Northern California, everyone would be freaking out (no question). But Nepal? Who cares. Who is going to Nepal soon? Nobody. Plus, most Yeti sightings are by freaky, wizard-looking people who live in the mountains. People who live in the mountains are probably crazy, and don't have as much credibility as people who see Bigfoot and live in the woods.

When I think of The Sasquatch, I think of a powerful, 8-foot muscular creature roaming the forest. When I think of the Yeti, visions of a tubby, white Orangutan come to mind, probably hiding in a cave. Actually the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, does have one famous image. Here it is:

Yes, it's the lovable "bumble" from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He was mean at first, but then was tamed and actually put the star on the Christmas Tree at the end of the show. Nice. Would The Sasquatch put the star on the Christmas tree? No. He would DESTROY the Christmas tree. Therein lies one of the fundamental differences between the two.

So, I can't get too fired up about the Yeti footprints discovered in the mountains of Nepal. They'll probably lead right to a cowering creature hiding in a cave. I'll keep searching for Sasquatch news.

Peace,

Jeff