Derek Randles has been involved in Bigfoot research for 29 years. His first encounter with Bigfoot was in 1985 in the Olympic National Park in Washington State. Since then, Derek has worked with many researchers, scientists and wild life biologists along the way. In 1997 Derek was invited to join the North American Ape project with Jeff Meldrum and Ron Brown. In September of 2000 he was invited to join the BFRO and attend their first Bigfoot expedition in Skookum Meadows near Mt. Saint Helens. During that expedition, Derek was one of the three people who found and cast the Skookum impression. Derek owns and operates a wilderness guide service in Washington state.