Photos: "Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
Does Lake Champlain on the Vermont-New York border have its own Loch-Ness-like monster? This photo was taken by Sandra Mansi, who says her family's encounter with the watery beast named "Champ" took place on Tuesday, July 5, 1977.
Loch-Ness-like monster in Lake Champlain?
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
A closer look at Sandra Mansi's 1977 photo of what supposedly is "Champ," a beast many locals claim they've seen swimming in Lake Champlain.
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
Dee Carroll claims she saw "Champ" in 1980. She told "The Early Show" that, "We were driving along in the mid-'80s, the first weekend in December, and I was looking out the window of the car and said to my husband, 'What's that post-like thing out there? And turned my head back, and here were concentric circles on the water moving out, and the post was gone. Now, posts don't just disappear. They float or stick up or do something. They don't just go down."
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
"Champ" originated in an entry in Samuel de Champlain's diary in 1609. He said he'd seen a sea serpent in a lake with large coils and scales that reflected in the sunlight.
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
Residents near Lake Champlain keep records of "Champ" sightings.
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
Lake Champlain business owner Lorraine Franklin sells "Champ" merchandise in her store, "Champ's Trading Post." "Its fun to have things devoted to Champ," Franklin said. "It's funny how many people will come in looking for something that has Champ on it, and its even funnier when people come in and say, 'Where can I find Champ, where can I go to see him?'"
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
But does "Champ" really live in Lake Champlain? Some say they don't want to know for sure.
Loch-Ness-like monster in Lake Champlain?
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
Richard Affolter, who claims he saw "Champ" in 2006, said of the monster, "Do I want this being to be netted or shot or killed? Absolutely no, I don't, because there are so few mysteries left in the world -- they have all been taken away from us by our incredible inquisitiveness."
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
A photo from an unknown source that is said to be of "Champ."
"Champ" – American Loch Ness monster?
Another view of Sandra Mansi's 1977 photo, said to be of "Champ."
Loch-Ness-like monster in Lake Champlain?