Expeditions FAQ

Fees and Conditions


The fee to attend: $300 - $500 depending on the expedition. When you inquire about the expedition you are interested in, you will receive a reply with the fee amount for that specific trip.

If you plan to bring a group of people you will need to let us know the details -- the size of the group, and their ages, and their relationship to the primary attendee, and the number of vehicles involved. The fees will be negotiated based on that information.

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The fee pays for the organizational efforts prior to the trip, and any special-use permits, etc. It takes a lot of time to do this all properly. The fee also helps regulate the demand to attend, while ensuring that only those people with a serious interest in the subject will be on the trip.

The BFRO members you will spend a few days with are not guides but rather highly experienced amateur researchers who have volunteered to orient newcomers while exploring the area themselves.

Adult companions of an attendee may receive a fee discount, but the amount of the discount will depend on the particular expedition. You will be able to discuss the discount for your companion(s) when you speak with the BFRO administrator about your registration.


Prerequisites for participating:

1) Prior to the expedition you must be able to:

a) Send and receive email when necessary,

b) Periodically check a private message board on the Web, and

c) Receive voicemail messages.

2) You must have camping gear and clothing for any weather conditions that may arise during the expedition.

3) You must bring your own food, drinks, and water.

4) You must provide your own transportation.

5) If you have a disability please describe the disability and indicate how you would need to be accomodated. Typically, physically disabled people will opt to ride in vehicles at night (as many other do) rather than tag along with teams on foot. Disabled people have also provided crucial support by driving the vehicles and/or managing radio communications and/or monitoring stakeout locations throughout the night. There are many ways to actively pariticpate in these efforts that don't necessarily require hiking up and down tricky, steep trails in the dark.
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The fee does not pay for meals. You must bring your own food as if you are camping on your own. We tried catering once and it took way too much of our time and focus. It's much more efficient to let people decide what they want to eat, and when to eat.

Most people bring a cooler from home and pick up additional groceries on the way to the base camp. The easiest way to handle meals is to have a cooler full of things to make sandwiches (or burritos) -- things you can wrap up and take with you in a day-pack, so you'll have food all day long. Eating small amounts throughout the day (rather than two large meals) will make it easier for you to continue moving late at night.

If you need to fly to area of the expedition, a decent size rental SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) is recommended because it will give you four-wheel-drive mobility and allow you to sleep in the back of the vehicle, if you choose. If you rent an SUV then you won't need a tent. You will only need to buy a sleeping bag and a small air mattress at a Walmart on the way to camp from the airport.

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Restrictions


Age Limits

21 is the general age limit for people attending alone, or without someone 21 or over.

The 21 age limit does not apply to:

• People accompanied by someone over the age of 21.
• Current military personnel.
• Former military personnel (honorably discharged).
• Currently enrolled, full-time college or university students.
• College or university graduates with verifiable degrees.
• Currently employed first-responders (fire, police, EMT, etc.)

Pets

No pets are allowed, especially dogs.

Weapons

You are not allowed to carry a gun in the field unless you head off completely on your own. Around other people you may carry a knife, a machette, a spear, pepper spray, etc. ... but not a gun. There is no need to carry a gun when you are with a group of people.

There are no modern reports of sasquatches attacking humans. They will sometimes approach and intimidate human intruders at night, but not attack them.

Guns in nervous hands put everyone else at risk. If you regularly travel with a gun in your car or camper, that is not a problem, but the gun should remain in your vehicle, unlesss you plan to head off by yourself for a long, long distance.

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Registration Process, Etc.

You must send an email to us at [email protected]

In the subject line of your email, please write the region of the expediton you would like to attend, such as "Western Washington" or "Oklahoma".

In the body of the message write:

1) Your name and the state you live in.

2) Your phone number (s).

3) The state/region of the expedition(s) you are interested in.

4) Please mention that you have read this whole FAQ page and that you are aware of the fee.



We can accept your payment via credit card over the phone or receive PayPal payments.

Once you have been approved to attend the expedition and your fee payment is received, you will be contacted again and added to a mailing list to which important information will be posted.

These expeditions do not get cancelled due to weather. We go to hot zones in the winter and cold zones in the summer to minimize the interference of weather.

You should reserve a space on an expedition far in advance if you know you want to go. Some people wait til the last minute to register but the trip is already full by then. It happens a lot, so sign up early if you're making plans to be there.