Yeti. Russia

Valery Shchekalyov is a well—known person at Chelyabinsk Pedagogical University: head of the Tourism department, for many years he headed the regional Sports Tourism Federation, an instructor of sports tourism of international class, master of sports of the USSR.

He has been walking in the taiga for a good half century, and has visited various regions of our country. I've seen bear tracks more than once. But what he saw on July 26, 2013, remains a big mystery to him to this day.

On that day, Shchekalyov's group was walking along the azimuth. The first trace was picked up at the foot of the Urenga ridge, approaching Zlatoust. The protected area of the Zyuratkul National Park stretches here. And even to those places where tourists go, with a good dozen kilometers, and even to housing, if not in a straight line, but along the trails, then at all with fifty! In these remote, impassable places, no one walks behind Nurgush…

And suddenly he saw a huge footprint on the trail. Shchekalyov called the new guys over. Look, they say, it seems to be bearish ... the guys doubted, especially when they saw an uncharacteristic heel for the beast. And they went on. Almost eight kilometers after we passed the Urenga, before the confluence of the Yurak River with Ai, we met another trace. Left on the damp ground after the rain, it was clearly fresh, the same day.

They began to reason. When an animal comes out on some kind of trail — an elk, a bear or a wolf, it leaves random traces that appear and then disappear again. In addition, the beast leaves, if not all four of its legs, or rather, paws, then two or three - for sure. And here - a single trace. One thing was clear: the creature clearly did not want to inherit — maybe it was moving next to the path. Or maybe it moved through the trees? And if it's a man, then where the hell is his other leg?! There was only one - the right leg! Well, this giant creature wasn't jumping on one leg! Disabled? Or did it even appear from another portal and went there as well?

Now they had two tracks: one indistinct and looked like a bear with its pillow, and the second…

By the way, a bear's footprint is very similar to a human footprint. But much broader. It is rather quadratic — only slightly more elongated in length and the fingers are arranged in an even fan, and the claws give out! Here, the thumb stood out sharply — it was clearly a different creature.

Even Shchekalyov's size 45 boot was inferior in length to the footprint of a bare foot. And the width of his sole is several centimeters wider than the boot! So a boot for this creature would require at least 48-50 sizes! And it should be under two and a half meters tall. Judging by the deep dent, the mass of the unknown creature was very, very significant!

- Eh, - the trackers regret, - it was necessary to take off the boot - and take a picture of your foot next to it. But it was very cold, and they didn't guess…