Phantoms and Monsters

Bownessie Rears It's Ugly Humps Again
Fortean / Alternative News: British Northern Lights, NYC Apocalypse Manual and Dwarf Village Mystery
The Uwharrie Bigfoot Rundown

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 11:50 AM PST

The image of 'Bownessie' taken by IT worker Tom Pickles on Lake Windermere

dailymail - The legend of 'Bownessie' is echoing across the waters of Lake Windermere once again after what is being called the best ever sighting of the mythical sea creature.

Emerging from the mist with oily black skin and three eerie humps, this picture reveals a mystical looking beast gliding through the lake.

The snap was taken on a camera-phone by terrified IT graduate Tom Pickles, 24, who said an animal the size of three cars sped across the lake in front him last Friday.

'It was petrifying and we paddled back to the shore straight away,' he said.

'At first I thought it was a dog and then saw it was much bigger and moving really quickly at about 10 mph. Each hump was moving in a rippling motion and it was swimming fast.'

This is believed to be the eighth sighting of a long hump-backed creature - affectionately known by locals as Bownessie - in the past last five years.

Mr Pickles, who said he watched the creature for 20 seconds, added: 'I could tell it was much bigger underneath from the huge shadow around it.

'Its skin was like a seal's but its shape was completely abnormal - it's not like any animal I've ever seen before.'

Mr Pickles's companion Sarah Harrington, 23, said: 'It was like an enormous snake.

'It freaked us all out but it wasn't until we saw the picture that we thought we'd seen something out of this world.

'I only saw it for a few seconds but all I could think about was that I had to get off the lake.'

The pair - who both work for Shrewsbery based IT company CapGemini - were on the last day of a team building residential training course at Fallbarrow Hall, Bowness, Cumbria.

They had kayaked 300m out into the lake near Belle Isle when they spotted the monster to the south.

Mr Pickles's picture perfectly matches the description of an earlier sighting from the shores of Wray Castle in 2006 by journalism lecturer Steve Burnip.

He said: 'I'm really pleased that someone has finally got a really good picture of it.

'I know what I saw and it shocked me, it had three humps and it's uncanny the likeness between this and what I saw five years ago.'

Monster hunter Thomas Noblett and TV psychic Dean Maynard said this new sighting has fired up their enthusiasm for another search.

The pair have twice scoured the lake with sonar equipment looking for Bownessie, but to no avail.

'We're convinced there's something down there and were going to get straight back out on the water,' said Mr Maynard.

Photo expert David Farnell of Farnell's photographic laboratory in Lancaster, said he couldn't rule out a hoax but this is the best quality image of Bownessie he'd seen.

He said: 'It does look like a real photo but because its been taken on a phone the file size is too small to really tell whether it has been altered on Photoshop or not.'

Sceptics remain unconvinced that something that size could exist in the 11 mile long lake.

Nigel Wilkinson, director of Windermere Lake Cruises, said his boat crew had over 100 years experience out on the water in all conditions and hadn't spotted anything unusual.

He said: 'We carry 1.3 million passengers - that's is 2.6 million eyeballs - and none of them have ever brought Bownessie to our attention.

Dr Ian Winfield, a lake ecologist at the University of Lancaster, said it was highly unlikely that an animal as large as three car lengths could survive in Windermere.

'It's possible that it's a catfish from Eastern Europe and people are misjudging the size but there is no known fish as large as the descriptions were hearing that could be living in Windermere.'

'We run echo sounding surveys every month and have never found anything.'

The mysterious aquatic beast is starting to draw parallels with the infamous Loch Ness monster for drawing even more tourists to the Lake District hot-spot.

Ellis Butcher from Cumbria Tourism said: 'The truth is Windermere and Bowness are incredibly popular destinations and don't need gimmicks to get people to visit.

'Nonetheless at the start of the tourism year, it doesn't do the industry any harm to have this kind of profile across the media.'

----------

The Bownessie Search Continues....

Sky - Monster hunters have used sonar equipment for the first time to search for a mysterious creature reportedly living in England's largest lake.

Sky News filmed out on Windermere with the team looking for proof that the beast exists.

In the last four years there have been seven reported sightings of a long humpbacked animal, now nicknamed Bow-Nessie.

Windermere hotel owner, Thomas Noblett, described his strange encounter in the water, saying: "All of a sudden I felt something brush past my legs like a giant fish.

"And then I was lifted up by a 3ft wave. I've no idea what it was."

During the sweep of the lake, the team spotted a strange 14 metre long disturbance in the water but were unable to detect anything on sonar.

Searching Windermere is a huge task as the lake is 220ft deep in parts and over ten miles long.

Hunt organiser, Dean Maynard, said: "We've had more creature sightings here than at Loch Ness in recent years so we think it's time that Bow-Nessie received more attention."

Last year, a local film crew spotted a 20 metre long object below the surface of the lake but sceptics believe the footage shows a wave from an unseen boat.

----------

thewestmorlandgazette - A team of monster hunters will set sail on Windermere in a fresh search for 'Bownessie'.

Lakeland hotelier Thomas 'The Gladiator' Noblett and celebrity psychic Dean 'Midas' Maynard will embark on their second journey into the depths of Windermere in search of the fabled monster.

The two men led a team of investigators to the lake to look for evidence last year but returned empty handed.

"Since last year, a lot of local people have told me they have felt something in the lake but have been too scared to say anything," said Mr Noblett, owner of the Langdale Chase Hotel.

"There is obviously something large in there. You just have to look at the depth, width and length of it to know that."

Bownessie was first spotted by tourist Steve Burnip in 2006. Mr Burnip described a serpent like creature, around 15-feet in length, at the north end of the lake.

Mr Noblett was prompted to prove the existence of the creature when he was hit by a three-foot wave whilst swimming on Windermere last year.

"A lot of people boo-hoo it but they are mainly people who have never set foot in the Lakes," said Mr Noblett.

"Those who have seen it describe it as a very long and eel-like. One sailor told me he saw what looked like a big slab of meat roll past his boat and disappear underneath the boat.

"It could be a very large catfish that has just grown to be really big. Some of those fish do live for a very long time."

Mr Noblett and his crew of three will set out on a £300,000 yacht using sonar equipment to try and track Bownessie.

They will explore the deepest part of the lake and sail to a spot near Gummers Howe, where the creature was snapped by Winderemere photographer Linden Adams in 2007.

"Whenever I swim across the lake I always get the heebys jeebies at that part. There is a real eerie feeling around there."

Mr Maynard said: "The last Bownessie investigation was very memorable and we are hoping to have the same if not better results this time around.

"Since last year I have been contacted by many members of the public who have told me that they have also witnessed seeing something large in the lake over the past few years and we hope to get more evidence to back up these claims."

The Bownessie hunters will set sail on September 11.

Click for video

**********
Originally posted 9/6/2009

In Search Of Bownessie

thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk - A team of investigators will scour Windermere in a hunt for a legendary monster that is claimed to lurk in its deep waters.

The search follows years of reported sightings of a big creature in the lake, the most recent being in July when Lake District hotelier Thomas Noblett was hit by a three-foot wave as he was swimming.

A chartered boat will take to England's longest lake on September 19 with celebrity and sports psychic Dean Maynard at the helm. He will be joined by Windermere photographer Linden Adams who claims to have seen 'Bownessie' – the nickname for the monster – from a viewpoint on Gummers How in 2007.

There will also be people with cameras dotted around the shoreline to capture any unusual activity.

"Linden Adams and I are really geared up and ready for the challenge ahead and we hope to find some concrete evidence something big does exist in the lake," said Mr Maynard.

In 2006 The Westmorland Gazette reported how Huddersfield University journalism lecturer Steve Burnip, of Hebden Bridge, saw a serpent-like creature emerge from the waters as he stood at Watbarrow Point across from Waterhead.

He described it as being 15 to 20 feet long with a little head and two small humps following in its wake. He said it looked like a giant eel.

"I am absolutely convinced that there is a big creature in the lake," said Mr Burnip. "I am really pleased that there is a renewed interest in it because I know what I saw.

"I can see it in my head now, this grey lump and the humps breaking the water like you see in the classic Loch Ness pictures. There is something in there, something quite big and elusive."

Mr Adams, whose picture of the creature was studied by photographic experts after appearing on the front page of the Gazette, said: "I looked at it through binoculars and the naked eye and what I saw was huge.

"A lot of photographic experts have had the opportunity to look at the pictures and they are still baffled."

Ecology experts have told the Gazette that catfish are sometimes introduced to lakes by anglers. They believe that what could be being seen is the Welsh catfish that originates from mainland Europe.

----------
Originally posted 7/23/2009

'Windermere Monster' Wake Pummels Swimmer

A bizarre swimming incident on Windermere coincided with the announcement that a team of paranormal investigators will plumb the lake's depths in search of a giant creature.

Thomas Noblett, 46, was swimming the lake this week when he was suddenly swamped by a three-foot wave of unknown origin.

A spate of eyewitness sightings reported by The Gazette during 2006-2007 described a 50-foot long serpent-like animal surfacing on Windermere.

Psychic Dean 'Midas' Maynard, who came to prominence by accurately predicting sports score lines and X factor winners, will join The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ), in the hunt for the beast in September.

Mr Noblett trains on the lake for four hours every day in preparation for a channel swim.

Never having had to deal with anything more than the odd passing trout, the 46-year-old said he had since reconsidered the legend of the Windemere monster.

"I didn't entertain it before. Now when I'm in the lake it has my full attention," he said.

Mr Noblett, managing director of The Langdale Chase Hotel, was swimming close to Wray Castle at 7am on Wednesday morning when the 3ft swell hit.

He and swimming trainer Andrew Tighe – paddling in a boat beside him – were the only people on the lake.

"We had gotten up early and Windermere was crystal clear. The lake was totally empty apart from us and all I could hear was the slapping of my arm against the water," explained Mr Noblett.

"All of a sudden this wave just hit us. Andrew said 'where the hell did that come from?' and it made the boat rock from side to side," he continued.

Treading water, alone, in the centre of the lake, Mr Noblett watched as two large waves sped towards either shore.

"It was like a big bow wave; a three-foot swell at least. There was two, as if a speed boat had sped past, but there were no boats on the lake," he said.

Previously an escape from the jellyfish he dodges while training at sea, Mr Noblett said the lake's depths were not so inviting anymore.

"I always look forward to swimming in Windermere, now I'm starting to get the fear. Twice I have looked down and seen fish, but only small trout. The reeds sometimes scare you, because they suddenly appear like triffids."

Devon-based CFZ are the world's only full time cryptozoology organisation for the study of unknown animals.

Dean 'Midas' Maynard will join CFZ in September to search the lake for the monster.

Mr Maynard, with a background in ghost hunting, is currently searching for a sonar-equipped boat to use in the search.

"It's a fascinating subject. I'm not saying there is or isn't something down there. Most eyewitness accounts describe some sore of eel, which if living in open water can grow very big," said Mr Maynard.

Mr Noblett is swimming across the English Channel in mid October. He hopes to raise £10,000 for Richard Rose Central Academy in Carlisle and the Cyctic Fibrosis Trust.

----------
Monday, February 26, 2007

Suspected Monster Spotted in Lake

Windermere, UK - Sightings of a suspected monster in Windermere have prompted claims that it could be the English equivalent of Nessie.

The 50ft long "creature" was snapped by photographer Linden Adams, 35, who was out walking with his wife near the lake recently.

They were at a secluded spot more than 1,000ft up a mountain when they spotted a dark shape moving in the water.

"It just came out of the blue," said Mr Adams. "The water was incredibly peaceful and then this huge thing appeared, diving and thrashing around."

He thought it was 50 ft long when compared to boats nearby.

He said it had a head like a labrador, only "much, much bigger".

'Serpent-like'

Mr Adams, from Bowness-on-Windermere, said he knew the lake well and what he saw was not a freak wave or boat. His sighting comes just months after scientists visited Windermere to examine claims by a tourist that they saw a 20 ft "serpent-like" creature.

A team of scientists visited the site last October to interview eye-witnesses and sent divers to Coniston Water to investigate reports of similar sightings there.

Mr Adams has christened his find the Bowness monster. "When I looked at my pictures on my computer I realised I had something," he added.

He sent his picture to a forensic photographer who confirmed it had not been digitally enhanced.

Richard Freeman, of the centre for Fortean Zoology which researches mystery animals, said the sightings could be giant sterile eels which, unlike normal eels, stay in fresh water and "get bigger and bigger".

NOTE: Once again I am posting an update to the Bownessie saga. I've been watching this tale develop and continue for about 3 years. Frankly, I think this 'cryptid' is a tourist grab for the Langdale Chase Hotel. Why? Well, in 2008 I was asked by a LakesTV representative to publish the screen captures from the original video (above) on my blog. The video was located on the LakesTV website at the time. I asked if I could use the video and was denied...I was told that they wanted to 'market the video and it would be copyrighted'. I declined to publish the screen captures and decided to wait until something else popped up on this 'creature'. Then in July 2009, the owner of the hotel, Thomas Noblett, conveniently experienced a 'rogue wave' while swimming in the lake. It could very well be a large eel or fish...but using the 'Nessie' moniker as part of a name is somewhat disingenuous. Anyway, you make your own determination on this 'cryptid'. I would really like opinions on this, especially from those who have investigated the sightings...Lon

Fortean / Alternative News: British Northern Lights, NYC Apocalypse Manual and Dwarf Village Mystery

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 11:30 AM PST

Storm to bring Northern Lights to Britain

news.yahoo - Britain should experience spectacular Northern Lights displays from Thursday due to a large solar storm which could disrupt communication networks, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.

"Since February 13 three energetic solar flares have erupted on the sun and spewed clouds of charged plasma called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) out towards the earth," a BGS geomagnetic storm warning said.

"Already one CME arrived on the 14th sparking Valentine's Day displays of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) further south than usual.

"Two CMEs are expected to arrive in the next 24-48 hours and further...displays are possible some time over the next two nights if skies are clear."

The strongest storm in four years is expected to interfere with satellites and electrical networks, with astronomers in southern China already reporting disturbances to radio communications.

The BGS Wednesday published geomagnetic records dating back to the Victorian era which it hopes will help in planning for future storms.

"Life increasingly depends on technologies that didn't exist when the magnetic recordings began," Alan Thomson, BGS head of geomagnetism said.

"Studying the records will tell us what we have to plan and prepare for to make sure systems can resist solar storms," he added.

**********

New York City's Official Apocalypse Manual (Download)

villagevoice - Should New York City face a "very grim" situation, the government has the right to "establish curfews, quarantine wide areas, close businesses, restrict public assemblies and, under certain circumstances, suspend local ordinances," the New York Times explains in a feature this morning about the legal rulebook that governs potentially apocalyptic times. It's terrifying in theory, but also very boring because it's written by lawyers. The "New York State Public Health Legal Manual," a/k/a The Oh My God We're All Goin' to Die book, "provides a catalog of potential terrorism nightmares, like smallpox, anthrax or botulism episodes." But don't worry, they have a plan.

The rules oscillate between chaos and order, using dry language and "We're in charge here"-style optimism to describe situations where people would likely be screaming in the streets. Basically, you can loot someone's house, but expect to face the consequences after things get sorted out with the ravenous disease because "violations of individual property rights, if actionable, would generally be sorted out after the need for such actions has ended." That sort of thing.

And it provides chilling instructions on how to proceed with cases in the midst of outbreaks of contagious disease. The stockpiled gloves and respirators "already available at many courthouses," it says, may be necessary.

But the image of an infected New Yorker surrounded by a masked judge, lawyers, and court officers was a miserable one even for this gruesome guide. "The wearing of respirators by the multiple participants in a courtroom setting, would no doubt be disruptive," the manual notes.

Download the whole manual here, share it with your family and decide now which Dean and Deluca you're going to pillage first.

**********

Burglar killed goldfish because he didn't want any witnesses

Three goldfish were killed by a 16-year-old burglar because he "didn't want to leave any witnesses", police have revealed. The teenager was arrested and charged by police with residential burglary and cruelty to animals following the incident in January.

According to Arlington Heights Police, Illinois, the youth – along with a 15- and 17-year-old – broke into a house and stole a games console and 30 games, CD player, 30 DVDs,a BB gun, jewellery and a safe.

The 16-year-old is then alleged to have poured mustard, ketchup and spices into a tank, killing the fish. The police report says the boy looked at the first tank and said "we can't leave any witnesses," before carrying out the pointless act of cruelty.

Sgt. Mike Hernandez of the Arlington Heights Police Department, Illinois, said: "As a matter of fact, it's a little disturbing."

**********

Dwarf Village in Ecuador: Unlocking the Cancer Mystery?

news.gather - A dwarf village in Ecuador has been the subject of a study to determine why cancer and diabetes is extremely rare among its 100 inhabitants. Researchers from the University of California wonder if blocking growth hormones in full grown adults might unlock the cancer mystery.

An article published in the Science Translational Medicine suggests that blocking growth hormones through prescription drugs or diet may enable future societies to live without "major illness."

Valter Longo, who led the team of researchers, said the potential side effects would be a fair trade for the devastation of cancer and other serious diseases. "It's the dream of every administration, anywhere in the world....You live a long healthy life, and then you drop dead."

Fox News reports that the 23 year study included the dwarfs and about 1600 relatives of normal stature. They found no documented cases of diabetes, and one "non-lethal" cancer case. Growth hormone deficient dwarfs lead normal lives, says Longo, but they also appear to die for "strange reasons", including those related to alcohol.

It seems logical that a growth inhibitor might slow cancer cells along with others, and Longo and his team are hoping for approval to begin clinical trials. Will this dwarf village finally reveal a cure for cancer? One can only hope.

The Uwharrie Bigfoot Rundown

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 10:43 AM PST

The following reports are updates to Bigfoot Mania in Central North Carolina and Fortean / Alternative News: Bigfoot Reports and Updates that I posted on 2/11 and 2/13. The original incident (Michael Greene's video) and subsequent information is posted after the reports. I'd be interested in the readers' take on this entire scenario:

montgomeryherald - About 200 people filled Troy Fire Department last Tuesday night as film crews came to tape individuals who had had a Bigfoot encounter. Approximately 6-7 people told their individual stories including Daniel Dunn. Dunn told of his winter morning encounter saying he had gone prospecting for gold off Tower Road and carried his gun in case he saw any deer. Dunn eventually shot a spike, but did not immediately go after the deer, since he still planned to look for gold. When he returned to where the deer was, it was gone. Dunn said he had watched the deer for an hour and it had not moved so he was sure it was dead. Dunn begin to search and found a trail where it was obvious something had been drug. Following the trail Dunn soon saw something standing over the deer. Moving in for a better look, Dunn said he was shocked to see the creature hovering over the deer, stand up. Describing the creature as extremely tall, with huge footprints, Dunn said the creature appeared to be covering the deer with leaves before he dropped to all fours and ran off.

West Montgomery High School football coach John Pate, a Bigfoot Field Researcher, opened the meeting telling how hesitant he was to let people know what he did as a hobby for fear they would think he was crazy. Pate explained he had been doing this for many years and "the more I do it the more I love it."

Mike Greene of Salisbury got the group going while waiting on the Animal Planet people, who were very late. Greene told of capturing his thermal imagery of Bigfoot in the Uwharries two years ago. Greene said he had left a Zagnut candy bar on a stump and during the night Bigfoot came and took the candy bar, allowing the camera to catch the image. A recreation of the image is posted on his website Bushloper.net. Greene also shared some observations about Bigfoot including that they are usually sighted crossing the road and that the juveniles are more active, not as cautious as the adults. Greene also said the creatures were very smart and knew where to draw the line when interacting with people. Greene assured the people they would not be made fun of and their stories would be treated with respect.

At the Tuesday night meeting four actors were introduced. These guys are affiliated with the Bigfoot Field Research Organization. Matthew Moneymaker is the head of the group. Others included an educator, a logger and a scientist who was also the skeptic of the group and often asked specific questions related to the experience. After each story this group of four quizzed the individuals about their experience, drawing out more details.

A lady named Amanda shared her tale of four wheeling in the Uwharries one night with some other people when they stopped at the top on the mountain. Thinking they had jumped a deer, they sat and waited, listening to the noises. Amanda described seeing a creature that was furry and walking on all fours. Saying that it scared her she said she turned into her husband's back and screamed for him to get out of there. Amanda said she looked back one more time as they were fleeing and saw the creature again. Amanda said it was not a bear and that she was terrified. The incident happened almost 12 years ago and there was a full moon that night. Amanda said they did make a report to the ranger, but all he did was ask them how much they had been drinking that night.

Others told of having rocks thrown at them while hiking and even at their campsites. A man from Gibsonville brought photos of paw prints he had photographed near his house. The investigators said it was probably Bigfoot judging by the size of the print and the spacing between prints meant he was probably running.

Others had tales of unexplained happenings. Cliff Atkins told of when he was a young boy living off Beaman Road, walking home one night around 11 p.m. Atkins said there were no other houses around then and he had walked that way many times before. That particular night though he heard something behind him, and when he stopped, whatever was behind him stopped. Atkins said this happened several times while he was on his way home and though he was not too scared (he was carrying a gun) he has carried that strange feeling with him all his life.

On Saturday approximately 200 people gathered at the Eldorado Outpost for a search in the Uwharrie National Forest. Walking through an open field a long line of searchers spread out as if they were doing a drive. A helicopter flew overhead, filming the scene. Camera crews on the ground filmed the searchers and whistles and bullhorns alerted the searchers when to stop. The searchers, found a deer carcass, animal hair on a fence and a Bigfoot print in the ground.

----------

yourdailyjournal - Hunting dogs crossing property lines to flush game have ruffled some feathers among landowners in Richmond County, but some believe another creature may be stalking deer in the area.

Television crews from Animal Planet, prompted by an Internet video posted by a Salisbury man in 2009, led a community search for Bigfoot in the Uwharrie National Forest near U.S. 220 in Richmond County's northern neighbor, Montgomery.

Hundreds showed up to a meeting at the Troy Fire Department last week, where some shared their stories of encounters with a large, ape-like creature which may be the infamous, and elusive, "Bigfoot."

Michael Greene, the Salisbury man who has hunted Bigfoot for more than two decades and got the attention of the cable television network, said the accounts shared at the meeting more or less jibe with accounts offered across the country.

"They're all pretty typical, though they're not all the same," Greene described sightings reported by others near Uwharrie.

He said the most common stories, both in this neck of the woods and others, people share are some variation of, "I was driving down the road one night and this great big, hairy gorilla-looking thing jumped out in front of me, and almost made me wreck my car."

"There are also a lot of campers and hunters who will smell something or hear something, or see bushes shake or get rocks thrown at them," Greene explained.

As odd as it may seem, Greene isn't the only person scouting for Bigfoot in the area.

The Montgomery County Herald reported a county resident, John Pate, is also searching the Uwharrie area for signs of Bigfoot.

"The one dominant thing about 'Bigfoot' is his eyes," Pate is quoted. "They are orange and have a dominant shine to them."

Pate and Greene both belong to the Bigfoot Field Research Organization, which pools the efforts of those in the field across the country. It can be found on the internet at www.bfro.net.

It was this Web site April of 2009 when Greene captured a geo-thermal video of what he believes was Bigfoot at Uwharrie, oddly enough eating a candy bar, and caused a stir on the internet. Since then, he said he has held vigil one night a week camping in the national forest alone in hopes of encountering Sasquatch.

Saturdays big hunt yielded some evidence, Greene explained, though no one involved reasonably expected it to yield a documented firsthand encounter.

"You'd have to be insane to think you're going to traipse off through the woods with a film crew and people, making noise and talking to each other, and actually encounter one of these things," he said. "If he's there, he can smell you, and hear you, coming a mile away."

What the film crews did document was a find of a deer with an unusual break in its front leg which could point to the hunting methods of the Sasquatch.

"We find a lot of deer carcasses," Greene said. "We think that's how they get most of their sustenance, and when they catch one, it seems they probably grab them by the front leg and twist and jerk it really hard to get a good, clean break."

If a Bigfoot is hunting deer in the Uwharrie National Forest, it's a reasonable leap in logic that he may have competed at some point with hunters in Richmond County for game, Greene explained.

"I'm purely guessing here, but they're pretty big so I'd imagine they've got to spend a lot of their time eating and sleeping and foraging," he said. "They're also pretty fast and smart, so I imagine they'd move around quite a bit to get whatever it is they need. If I had to say a number, I'd probably guess maybe a 10-mile (hunting grounds) area."

Greene explained a lot of work has been done in the Bigfoot research community to map sightings and determine if they have some type of migratory pattern, but the Sasquatch appears to behave differently than bears and other large mammals - if it exists at all.

"They seem to move around," he said. "It doesn't appear they stake out any one place and stay there. It's not as easy as, 'If you keep coming back here you're sure to find me.'"

While Greene can't say for certain whether the elusive Bigfoot is, or has ever been, in Uwharrie, he said "there seems to be an undercurrent of this idea in our culture."

"I have found over the years that almost no matter where you are … if you just approach someone on the street and ask them if they've ever seen Bigfoot, they may not say, 'Yes,'" Greene said. "But they may say, 'You know, my uncle's brother's sister's cousin had this really strange thing that happened to them.' Almost always, you will find there's at least a one- or two-degree connection."

Others don't think it unlikely Bigfoot wanders an area that could include the northern end of Richmond County, though, as the Herald reported Chris Cagle of the El Dorado Outpost put it, "If there was a Bigfoot in the forest, he would already be mounted on some guy's wall."

----------
originally posted on 6/4/2010

North Carolina Hominid Video

Uwharrie, NC (PRWEB) -- "This is the most important footage of a Sasquatch since Paterson/ Gimlin film taken over 40 years ago," said Matthew Moneymaker, head of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO)as he introduced guest speaker Michael Greene to a crowd of 250 Bigfoot researchers in Yakima, Washington, at an invitation only tribute to Bob Gimlin.

In 1967 The Paterson/ Gimlin film of a Sasquatch striding across a creek in northern California made headlines around the world.

Since then there has been only dubious additional footage, usually crudely made fakes.

Until now.

In April 28th,2009, some three minutes of video of a Sasquatch were taken through a thermal imager (FLIR) by Michael Greene, in the Uwharrie National Forest, NC.

This footage, known as "The Squeaky Thermal" was first shown at Bob Gimlin's birthday party 2 weeks later. It was viewed with wild applause and a heartfelt "Thank you, thank you so much" from Bob Gimlin, who was finally receiving some well deserved vindication of his efforts so long ago.

Michael Greene is the retired Chief of a State Fraud Investigations Bureau. has a Master's Degree in Psychology, and is a Court Qualified Questioned Documents Expert ,and former Investigator for the Public Defender's Office .His hobby for the last 20 years has been searching for proof of this elusive beast. This quest has taken him from glacier fields in the Yukon, to a giant meteor crater in northern Quebec, the Everglades of Florida and the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest.

In 2008 he briefly saw a Sasquatch in the Uwharrie National Forest , and spent the next year repeatedly camping at the spot, trying to encourage its return and gain some semblance of its trust.

"Over and over I left out bananas, apples, peanut butter, Zagnut bars, and little squeaking bathtub toys that my grandchildren like to play with. Hence the name 'Squeaky', one of the toys the Bigfoot took. Sometimes things would be taken , most times not. At the time I could only record for about 2 hours, the battery life of the thermal , so a lot of the night went unrecorded. This is definitely a patient man's game.

"A thermal imager sees only images made by heat. FLIR, or Forward Looking Infra Red, is most familiar to viewers of police reality shows like COPS, where a fugitive is seen from a helicopter as a white image, running through backyards. You cannot fool a thermal imager as it is recording only the heat signature of what it sees. Thus, a man in a costume would look splotchy and irregular, as his costume would suppress the body heat to varying degrees, unlike a naked man, or Bigfoot, which would appear primarily as a solid color."

Greene continues, "Around 11:30 on the night of April 28th, 2009 I was setting up the thermal recording stuff, to try hiding it in the back of my Toyota Highlander when I heard movement in the woods down in the area I expected it to show up. On an impulse I took the thermal imager and put it on a tripod, with the DVR ( Digital Video Recorder) on the ground next to it. Then I got in the car and drove away, leaving my campsite very obviously deserted . I drove to the one entrance to the area ( which had no one else in it) and parked for two hours ( the approximate life of the thermal's battery ). When I returned the battery was indeed dead, but the bait was gone.

"On reviewing the tape I saw that about half an hour after I drove away, the creature very cautiously approaches, crawling up the hill behind the stump, then reaches up with its right arm and grabs the Zagnut bar. Then it crawls backwards , moving almost out of sight and moves off to the right of the screen. A few seconds later, perhaps emboldened by its success, it reappears on the right side of the screen and moves, standing upright, to behind a tree, where it slowly sways back and forth, giving the viewer a good idea of its enormous bulk. This swaying behavior has been repeatedly reported by other witnesses. The height I estimate at around 7 ½ feet, but it is hard to exactly pin down as the ground slopes down , away from the viewer so one cannot exactly tell where it's feet hit the ground.

"My website, www.bushloper.net, gives a thorough explanation of the area, and how it was filmed and a reenactment of the Sasquatch's movements by me, wearing only shorts, taken from the same spot, with the same equipment. You can see the difference, and I'm 6'5" tall and 190 pounds .By comparison, this thing is huge. The website also contains the complete Squeaky Thermal video (Copyrighted).

"After Bob Gimlin's birthday party I posted some of the footage on the BFRO website, where it has been viewed over 80,000 times, with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

"Most people are completely unaware of the enormous body of reports and evidence for this fascinating but very elusive creature's existence. I suggest that they explore the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) website at bfro.net and spend a few hours reading.

"My efforts continue to this day, now with the ability to record all night long with two thermal imagers, in hopes of getting clearer and longer footage to finally put the question of their existence to bed once and for all."

Michael Greene recently moved to Salisbury, North Carolina. Formerly from New Jersey, he is a Private Pilot, Former EMT, and 18 year veteran of the National Ski Patrol., He served as a Sergeant/ Tank Commander with the 4th Recon Squadron,6th Armored Cavalry.

A full biography and details of his long search may be seen on his website www.bushloper.net.

An interview with Greene discussing how he obtained the thermal footage may be seen on YouTube at BFRO VIDEOS, Mike Greene (sic) Interview.

Click for video
_____________________
posted 2/5/10

Video: Hominid Captured by Thermal Camera in North Carolina

The full video is roughly 3.5 minutes long. This clip shows only the highlights, and in lower resolution than what is possible. You can pay a few bucks to see the entire clip online at www.bushloper.net or you can wait a few weeks for the full version in better resolution (not a whole lot better resolution though). Mike Greene will make the whole clip available for download, eventually, so you can rewind and watch it multiple times.

The download will cost a few bucks also, but it's still much cheaper than a DVD.

Greene feels he deserves something in return for the intermittent two (2) year effort he made to get this footage. We can't argue with him. It's his footage.

It is very important footage though, because it was gotten with the new technique that others should try:

Get up and drive away from the camp at the first indication of a stalking sasquatch. Leave the camp unattended for at least one hour with the camera rolling, and aimed at the food pile near a treeline, near some big trees.

There is great potential in this method for daylight footage, and it has not been tried anywhere else. It should be tried a lot more, in a lot more places. It may be the easiest and most practical way to obtain clear, close-range footage in daylight, and it can be done easily with a newer hard-drive camcorder and an extended battery. Sony makes several High-Def hard-drive camcorders nowadys that can accommodate extended batteries that will give you 10 hours of continuous recording.

Tape camera or disc camcorders are not ideal for this because they don't record long enough before the media needs to be swapped.

The camcorder must be hidden among other camping gear so it is not conspicuously aiming at the food. This is where most people will fail, because they will underestimate the intelligence of these animals.

No one can remain hidden near the camp either. Squatches seem to know that trick and won't come near if they think someone is left behind to possibly ambush them. That is why Squeaky was so very cautious approaching the stump. It didn't know if someone was still in the tent.

For that reason it will be best to have no tent at all, rather just tarps, airmats, and sleeping bags, like a backpacker.

If you have a vehicle nearby, leave the camp and drive far enough away so your engine cannot be heard by anything up on elevation acting as a whistling sentry.

Mike Greene made sure no one could steal the expensive thermal camera by parking on the only road into the camp, but some distance away. For that reason, a camp at the end of a small spur off a desolate forest road, would be ideal for car campers, if good equipment were to be left there for several hours

If your camp is somewhere where no one can possibly spot it from a driveable road, then just stay far away for an hour or two. Let the camera do the work.

Don't be obvious about the camera when you return to the camp. Assume you are being watched and don't approach the food pile til morning.

That's the "Greene Method." Give it a try and make him proud.

NOTE: I've circled the food pile (red), the hominid first appearance(yellow) and the hominid second appearance(teal). Compelling evidence if proven to be have taken as advertised...Lon

Click for video
A recreation and comparison of Mike Greene's thermal video.

Have you had a close encounter or witnessed something unusual?
Send us an email

Phantoms and Monsters
Now Available on Kindle

Spirit Rescue International™
Providing no-cost professional spiritual help, personal support and guidance
Take the first step towards genuine peace of mind

The Spirit Rescue International™ Haunted Help Forum
*Join Our Group On Facebook*

New Items - Strickler's Celebrity Autographs

ANOMALIST BOOKS
Works on maverick science, unexplained mysteries, unorthodox theories, strange talents, and unexpected discoveries. Please check out their excellent and diverse catalog