(BBC 4/MrMikoulis) Natural World "Himalaya Incredible"
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| Buddhist Sherpas guide Westerners (NatGeo) |
The Himalayas (Sanskrit,
hima "snow" +
ālaya "dwelling," the "abode of the snow" and home of the
Yeti) is a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau claimed by China.
The Himalaya, as it is also known, is home to some of the planet's highest peaks, including the highest, Mt. Everest. The range includes over 100 mountains exceeding a height of 7,200 meters (23,600 ft). By contrast, the highest peak outside of Asia -- Aconcagua, in the Andes -- is 6,961 meters (22,838 ft.). These mountains have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia, many of its peaks being sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus.
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| Yeti (i.e., Abominable Snowman) scalp on display, Khumjung, Nepal, Himalayas |
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| Bigfoot, Laos (Jenny-H-Edwards) |
MONSTER QUEST (History Channel via Esoteric Haven) Gathering evidence over the past century of the existence of the yaksha Yeti, the Abominable Snowman, we follow an expedition into the Himalayas in search of this nocturnal creature attacking villagers and slaughtering yaks. The Yeti is an ape-like cryptid taller than a human, similar to the lowland Bigfoot, inhabiting the Himalayan region of Nepal and Tibet. The names Meh-Teh (man-bear) and Mi-göi (Tibetan, "wild man"), Bun Manchi (Sherpa, "jungle man"), Mirka (Nepalese, "wild-man"), and Kang Admi (Snow Man) are commonly used by the indigenous Buddhist people, for whom these creatures are central in history and mythology. The cryptozoology community regards the Yeti as a legend.
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| Early European Yeti trackers, Mount Everest, 1954 (DailyMail.co.uk) |
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| The Himalayan range is vast |
Apart from the Greater Himalayas of these high peaks, there are parallel lower ranges. The first foothills, reaching about 1,000 meters along the northern edge of the plains, are called the Sivalik Hills or Sub-Himalayan Range. Further north is a higher range reaching 2,000-3,000 meters known as the Lower Himalayan or Mahabharat Range.
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| Trying to summit from base camp |
They abut or cross five countries: Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, and Pakistan (formerly Gandhara, which includes Afghanistan and the Hindu Kush, which is technically also a part of the Himalayas), with the first three countries having sovereignty over most of the range. They are bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges, on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, and on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
Three of the world's major rivers -- the Indus (from which "Hinduism" gets its name), the Ganges, and the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra all rise near Mount Kailash to cross and encircle the Himalayas. Their combined drainage basin is home to some 600 million people.
Lifted by the collision of the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian Plate, the range runs west-northwest to east-southeast in an arc 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) long.
Where to find Bigfoot(s)
Reported sightings of Bigfoot -- the legendary apelike creature that's been a favorite of cryptozoologists for decades -- have abounded for decades [centuries if one counts the testimony of Native American tribes]. Now, for the first time, someone has created a map showing the places where alleged Bigfoot sightings have occurred.
Joshua Stevens, a doctoral candidate at Pennsylvania State University, used data compiled by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), which tries to document "the presence of an animal, probably a primate, that exists today in very low population densities," according to the group's website. [He] plotted 3,313 data points showing where people have claimed to see
Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, Yeti, Skookum...)
MoreBigfoot exists
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| Sleeping Bigfoot "Matilda" colorized (CC) |
(WQ) Many sincere Americans are hot on the search for the elusive North American Bigfoot (Sasquatch). Often seen, often photographed, often leaving forensic evidence (hair, DNA-rich follicles, footprints, sound recordings of otherworldly howling), and well known to the governments who continue to deny and mystify their existence as another human or semi-human species for reasons only they know, Bigfoot evidence is not hard to come by; it is impossible to certify. The gatekeepers and knowledge filterers in academia and mainstream outlets will not stand for it. They would sooner admit that extraterrestrials, PSI activity, various forms of astrology, and subterranean carnivores are real. This is far from the best available evidence, and that is exactly why it is suddenly getting attention. If it could not be debunked (by the fact, e.g., that the face of the creature does not move just like a mask is expressionless or that high definition video has poor definition), we would not be allowed to see it on a large scale. Those who search will find a great deal of plausible evidence, such as that of Dr. Ketchum's recent DNA analysis and more DNA data being confirmed by a group that will be much more careful how they release the information this time.
Even if that means finding a satellite dish and setting it up on top of their quiet hermitage. An inspiring tale of colliding cultures, midnight escapades, and daring secret plots is all set against the rich traditions of Tibetan/Bhutanese Vajrayana Buddhism and art. (Rated G, Tibetan with English subtitles, showing tonight FREE at the Norton Simon Museum of Art, Pasadena, as part of the Himalayan Buddhism exhibit).
