In the fall of 1951, while scouting routes for a future ascent of Mount Everest, British mountaineers Eric Shipton and Michael Ward stumbled upon a series of large, humanoid footprints in the snow near the Menlung Glacier. Intrigued, Shipton photographed one of the clearest impressions, placing an ice axe beside it for scale, a move that would immortalize the image and spark decades of speculation.

The footprint appeared to be 13 inches long, with a distinct big toe and arch, resembling a human foot but far larger and broader. The clarity of the print, combined with its remote location and the credibility of the expedition team, gave the photo immediate notoriety. It was published in Popular Science in 1952 and quickly became a focal point in the growing Western fascination with the Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman.

For decades, the Himalayan monastery of Pangboche was home to two of the most famous alleged Yeti relics: a mummified hand and a skullcap. To locals, these sacred objects carried spiritual significance, said to have been taken from a Yeti by the revered Lama Sangwa Dorje. To outsiders, they became the centerpiece of one of the strangest cryptid controversies of the 20th century.

In the 1950s, explorer Peter Byrne examined the Pangboche Hand and, in a moment of opportunism, removed one of its fingers. With the help of Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart, the finger was smuggled out of Nepal, hidden in Stewart’s wife’s lingerie case to avoid customs inspection. The relic eventually made its way to London’s Royal College of Surgeons, where scientists conducted tests.

The results? The finger was human, not from a cryptid or unknown species. Despite this, the story of Stewart’s involvement gave the relic a surreal blend of Hollywood glamour and Himalayan mystery.

Alongside the hand, monks displayed a supposed Yeti skullcap. Scientific analysis revealed it was crafted from goat skin stretched over a frame, not an undiscovered primate. Likely, it was a ritual object that gained legendary status through oral tradition.

The original Pangboche Hand was stolen in the early 1990s, depriving the monastery of its most famous relic. Years later, adventurer Mike Allsop delivered a replica hand, created by the same team behind The Lord of the Rings props, as a gesture of respect to the community.

Were the relics “fakes”? Not exactly. The hand was human, and the skullcap was a crafted artifact, but both were revered by the monastery and became powerful symbols of Himalayan folklore. Their journey from sacred objects to international curiosities shows how myth, faith, and Western fascination can intertwine, creating legends that endure even after science offers its verdict.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if Bigfoot ran a community TV station, you’re not far off from what we’re building with MUTV. Born in the Appalachian foothills and powered by a mix of folklore, fiber-optic cables, and sheer stubbornness, MUTV is our homegrown streaming channel amplifying local voices, legends, and labor.

We’re not just chasing cryptids — we’re chasing connection. MUTV is where you’ll find live broadcasts from the backwoods, indie creators telling stories that don’t fit the mainstream mold, and the occasional blurry trail cam footage that might just be something. It’s DIY media with a mission: to honor the weird, the working-class, and the wonderfully real.

So whether you’re here for the folklore, the fish tales, or the frame drops (we’re working on that), MUTV is your signal from the shadows. Tune in, support local, and keep your eyes on the treeline.

One of the best reports on tracks that John Green ever received was in a letter sent to him by Jack Woodruff in September 1967.

I would like to just quote from that letter, as it shows you just how important tracks are to research. And how casting them can help you have time to study them more in-depth later on.

So, with thanks to John Green and Jack Woodruff :

For decades, “swamp gas” has been used as a convenient explanation for UFO sightings, but let’s be real: it doesn’t hold up.

Swamp gas is a real phenomenon—flickering lights caused by methane and other gases from decaying vegetation in wetlands.