Author Erica Canavari Shares Humboldt County Bigfoot Lore Behind The Carrying

There's a fascinating interview that recently popped up on the Bigfoot Society YouTube channel that's worth checking out, especially if you're into firsthand accounts from folks who live right in the heart of Sasquatch country. The episode features author Erica Canavari, who calls coastal Humboldt County, California home—and if you know anything about Bigfoot research, you know that's basically ground zero for sightings. The episode opens with a gripping detail: a hunter in the mountains of Northern California looked down from a ridge and spotted something kneeling beside a river. But what really caught his attention wasn't just the sighting itself—it was what happened next. The creature moved away from the water very carefully and then smoothed the sand behind it to erase its tracks. That kind of deliberate behavior is exactly the type of thing that makes researchers' ears perk up, because it suggests an intelligence that goes beyond what mainstream science typically attributes to unknown primates. Erica is the author of a fiction novel called *The Carrying*, which is set in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. Even though it's fiction, it's deeply grounded in real locations and lore. She's spent years riding horses through that backcountry, and the area has serious Bigfoot history attached to it—including the famous footage from years back showing a tall figure walking along the ridgeline of the Marble Mountains. If you haven't seen that clip, definitely look it up after you watch this interview. What makes Erica's perspective so interesting is how she got into the subject. Growing up surrounded by the redwoods, with Willow Creek just to the east where the Patterson-Gimlin film was captured in 1967, she was practically marinating in Sasquatch culture from day one. Native tribes in the region have histories that include these beings, and the lore runs deep. But it was her own experiences in the woods that really pulled her in. She shared a couple of personal encounters that gave me chills. The most recent happened just last year while she was out with friends who travel around Humboldt County measuring the world's tallest redwoods. They were off trail near ML Road in southern Humboldt, close to the Avenue of the Giants, in a remote area where running into another person would be extremely unlikely. Then they heard it—a stomp and a growl. Her first subconscious thought was that someone was coming up the trail with a dog, but then reality kicked in. There was nobody around. The stomp sounded almost like a walking stick hitting a root underground, but paired with that strange growl in broad daylight, it was enough to send them heading back to the vehicle pretty quickly. The look on her friend's face told her everything—she'd never seen him that spooked before. An earlier experience around 2007 near Berry Summit off Highway 299 involved hearing four distinct knocks in the trees that seemed to coordinate with the four people in her group. At the time, she had no frame of reference for what that meant. It wasn't until the internet became more accessible that she started researching knocking sounds and discovered this was a behavior frequently reported by Sasquatch witnesses. That moment really launched her deeper into the research community. One of the coolest parts of the interview is how Erica ended up collecting stories from locals. As a farrier—she travels around the county shoeing horses—she spends hours at people's properties, which gives her a unique opportunity to build rapport and hear things folks might not share with a stranger dropping by for a quick interview. She started putting up Craigslist ads looking for people willing to share their experiences, and it worked surprisingly well. She met some really interesting folks that way. A lot of the stories she hears involve the Marble Mountains, which is why she chose it as the setting for her book. Witnesses often describe trees knocked over in ways that suggest something incredibly heavy, mud impressions too deep for any known animal, and certain distinctive smells. And here's a detail that comes up repeatedly in her interviews: people describe the fur as having that reddish, shaggy quality that blends perfectly with the redwood environment. It's brilliant camouflage, honestly. If you're trying to move through old-growth redwood forests without being noticed, that rust-colored coat would make you practically invisible. The book itself sounds like a must-read for anyone who loves a good backcountry mystery with Sasquatch elements woven in. Erica mentioned the audiobook version was coming out around the time of this interview, so that's worth checking out too. The whole conversation is laid-back and genuine, with Jeremiah Byron doing a solid job letting Erica tell her story. It's the kind of interview that reminds you how much rich oral history is still out there, just waiting for someone curious enough to sit down and listen. Definitely carve out some time to watch this one—it's a great listen whether you're heading out on a hike or just want to feel like you're spending an afternoon in Humboldt County.