Bigfoot Without the Hype with Cliff Barackman

In Part 1 of this two-part episode of the Ghost City Podcast, Tim Nealon sits down with Cliff Barackman, curator of the North American Bigfoot Center, to approach Sasquatch the way scientists approach any undiscovered species—through evidence, patterns, and repeatable data. Cliff explains why footprints matter more than fleeting sightings and how detailed trackway analysis can reveal behavior like foraging habits, seasonal movement, social grouping, and territory. The long-term patterns he's documenting—recurring track sizes, repeated visits to the same micro-sites, and consistent seasonal windows—challenge popular Bigfoot migration myths and point instead toward stable home-range behavior. The conversation moves from the forest floor to the lab, where an interdisciplinary team at North Carolina State University is testing environmental DNA (eDNA) from soil collected inside and outside suspected footprints. While early results don't "prove Bigfoot," they do establish a critical, auditable framework—one that allows future genetic discoveries to be cross-checked against archived samples. Along the way, Cliff tackles the cultural baggage surrounding Bigfoot research, separating evidence-based inquiry from paranormal hype, and explains how careful documentation, historical archives, and even limited uses of AI can support serious fieldwork without distorting the data. If you're interested in Bigfoot research rooted in biology, method, and patience—not myth—this episode lays the groundwork.