Who are we?

I grew up as a kid in Minnesota with a wooded back yard that always seemed a bit spooky at night. My mom often told me to take the trash out after dark, which meant going around to the end of the garage where there were no lights and the woods were just 30-40 feet away. I always feared that I would go to open the trash can only to find a bear or raccoon digging through it in the dark. Since there were always owls, squirrels and other birds in the trees, there was no shortage of sounds to scare you at night. Then once I got a little older, we would frequently watch horror movies, which gave me a whole new set of things to be afraid of when going outside in the dark. Fortunately, I survived the dark, creepy woods through my teen years and eventually grew old enough to realize there was nothing to be afraid of. 

Fast forward some 25 years later...my wife and I took the kids camping with some friends. While sitting around the campfire, my friend asks if we've ever gone squatchin'. Of course I had no idea what he was talking about, so they said they would take us squatchin' after it gets dark. 

It turns out that what he called 'Squatchin' was going for a walk in the woods after dark with the goal of finding a Sasquatch and trying to scare the other members of the group. Of course if you were really looking for Sasquatch, after dark is much harder to find anything...but if you're trying to scare people, the dark woods is the only way to go!

I'll never forget the first time out in the winter. There was snow on the ground and every step through the woods made a crunch. There were 4 adults and 3 teenage girls. He was trying to get us all to walk as quietly as possible, following him down a dark path in the woods. Periodically, he would put up his hand to stop or motion us to be quiet. The last time, he made a motion to stop, and then he took a couple of steps forward as if he was looking at something in the woods. Then he slowly turned around and whispered to us "Everyone...slowly...turn around...as quietly as you can..." and then says much louder "and run for your lives!". Of course the 3 teenage girls were scared pretty good at the time, but it gives them a great memory to look back on and share with friends. 

So that is what Squatchin' Country is all about. Getting people out for a hike, building memories, getting some exercise and experiencing nature. We can't recommend hiking at night since it can be dangerous, but we definitely recommend going for a hike. Get out and explore Squatchin' Country - stay active and stay young!