Welcome to Wildfoot Explores: In Honor of Nathan
People often ask me why I built Wildfoot Explores. They see the books, the stories, the research, the Sasquatch discussions, and all the strange mysteries I spend my time exploring, and they wonder what started it all. The truth is that Wildfoot Explores isn’t really about Bigfoot. It isn’t even about the unexplained. At its heart, this website exists because of a man named Nathan.
Nathan Dee passed away on April 11, 2023, but his story is still being written through the people who loved him, the memories he left behind, and the lives he touched along the way. Before you dive into the encounters, the theories, the books, and the adventures you’ll find throughout this website, I want you to meet the person who inspired so much of it.
Nathan was one of those rare people who could make any room feel warmer simply by walking into it. He had a way of making people laugh, making them feel comfortable, and making them feel like they belonged. Whether you had known him for ten years or ten minutes, he treated people the same way. He was genuine, kind-hearted, and carried himself with a level of loyalty that seems harder and harder to find these days.
He was a devoted husband and a loving father who cared deeply about his family. He was an amazing son who never forgot where he came from, an incredible brother who would stand beside the people he loved no matter what life threw at them, and an uncle who made every visit feel like an adventure. He was also the kind of brother-in-law who never felt like an in-law at all. Once you became part of his circle, you were family. That was simply the way Nathan lived his life.
One of the things people noticed immediately about Nathan was his curiosity. He loved talking about ideas, possibilities, mysteries, and questions that didn’t always have easy answers. We could spend hours talking about Sasquatch, ghosts, haunted places, strange encounters, science fiction, history, or some wild theory that most people would dismiss before giving it a second thought. Nathan didn’t care if a topic was unusual. If it was interesting, he wanted to talk about it.
He also loved the outdoors. Fishing wasn’t just a hobby for him. It was one of those places where he seemed completely at peace. Some of my favorite photos of Nathan are the ones where he’s sitting in a boat, enjoying the water, enjoying the day, and simply being himself. Those pictures capture something important about him. He wasn’t chasing attention. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone. He was happiest spending time with the people he cared about and enjoying the simple things in life.
At the same time, Nathan had an entrepreneurial spirit that constantly pushed him to create. He was always thinking about new ideas, new projects, and new things he could build. He loved making things that would bring people together and leave a lasting impression. Long before Wildfoot became what it is today, Nathan was already thinking creatively and finding ways to turn ideas into something real.
After Nathan passed away, I struggled more than I care to admit. Losing someone like that leaves a hole that doesn’t simply disappear. There are conversations you never get to finish, plans you never get to make, and moments you wish you could go back and relive one more time. For a while, it felt like a piece of my motivation disappeared with him.
Then one day a package arrived.
Inside was a carving Nathan had created. It was the same carving that eventually became the inspiration for the “The Search Is On” design that many people now recognize through Wildfoot. When I held that carving in my hands, it felt like I was holding a piece of Nathan’s spirit. It reminded me of every conversation we had shared, every mystery we had discussed, every laugh, every debate, and every dream about what might still be out there waiting to be discovered.
That carving changed something inside me.
It reminded me why I started searching in the first place. Not because I expected to find all the answers, but because the search itself mattered. The questions mattered. The stories mattered. The people mattered.
In many ways, Wildfoot Explores grew from that moment.
Everything you see throughout this website carries a little piece of those conversations. The books, the articles, the encounters, the theories, the stories submitted by readers, and the community that has formed around this topic all exist because curiosity is worth preserving. Nathan understood that better than most people.
Today, this website serves another purpose as well. It serves as a place where Nathan’s memory can continue to live on. Through the stories shared here, through the friendships built here, and through the community that continues to grow, his legacy continues moving forward.
If you would like to honor Nathan’s memory, a memorial page has been established where visitors can leave messages, share memories, and even plant a tree in his honor. It is a beautiful way to celebrate a man who loved family, loved people, and loved the outdoors.
As you explore Wildfoot Explores, I hope you’ll take a few moments to look through the photos, read the stories, and get to know the man who inspired so much of this journey. When you do, you’ll quickly understand why this website means so much to me and why keeping his memory alive will always be one of the most important parts of what I do here.
The Search Is On.
Until we meet again, brother, I’ll keep walking this trail for both of us.
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