For years cryptozoologist Mark Jacobs has been on the trail of Bigfoot.

Mark has been everywhere, from the Ozark Mountains to the Appalachian Trail, (even to a Macy’s One day sale) and all of it in the name of science.

Despite the questionable facts surrounding Bigfoot, Mark has always been a staunch believer. In his new book, “Finding my Footing”, he talks about how his belief led him through some pretty rocky slopes in his life.

From his fathers alcoholism to the crumbling of his marriage, Bigfoot saw him through it all.

Below is a brief snippet of the book which is being released next month from Bantammy Books.

We had been tracking the creature for three days.

I felt, though I was probably alone in this feeling, that we had never been closer to finding Bigfoot than we were at that moment.

The signs were everywhere. From the strange feeling of being watched, to all of our coffee being stolen the day before(I still don’t know why Bigfoot loves coffee but he obviously does, 14 field expeditions, 13 times our coffee gets stolen. The only time I bring tea, he stole all my clothes and left the tea.).

We were going to see him this time, I just knew it.

As we walked, every sound seemed to come alive and pop in my ear as if whatever was causing them was right there next to me. The sway of the trees in the wind….. the scurry of little forest animals……. the heavy, dull breathing of Carl(map expert), who had been struggling to keep pace since leaving that morning.

I hated that we always brought Carl. He always seemed to just slow things down and depress everyone. I’ve never seen someone so sweaty in all my life, but he makes a mean western omelet so we bring him.

Suddenly, Carl’s emergency phone started to vibrate. He answered and handed it to me. It was my mother calling to say that dad had passed in the night.

I was stunned.

I dropped the phone and cried right there. Amanda (tech expert), sensing that something wasn’t right, (I never cried on field expeditions) came over and lightly patted my back.

Robert(tracker), feeling awkward at seeing a grown man cry, yelled out that he heard something and ran away. It was the last we ever saw of him.

Kenshi(ninja) appeared from the shadows.

That night I sat around the campfire with my friends and we talked of my father. Each had their own story to tell, some funny, some sad.

As I sat and listened to them all I felt grateful to have such good friends at such a time in my life. All of us brought together under the one common goal of finding Bigfoot.

I know that Bigfoot felt bad for me too. In the morning after, upon leaving my tent I found a bundle of flowers. Badly clumped together and hastily arranged. They were placed at the foot of my tent so I would find them, and all of them had the same distinct smell of piss and shit and coffee that always goes hand in hand with Bigfoot.

When I picked them up I found a child’s birthday card that had obviously been out in the woods for quite some time. The words Happy Birthday had been scratched out from the front and inside something had tried to write something new, ” Soree fuur th luss”.

All I could do was hold the card and cry.

Finding my Footing is out next month at bookstores everywhere and will be available on Amazon.