While at the Waverly Hills Event, I saw a presentation by Shannon Sylvia and she talked about the laser grid pointer she uses.
There are many small laser pointers sold out there in the stores and used for a variety of reasons. One that has different filters you can screw onto the end of it to make different shapes. Some for cats to chase or others to use in business presentations.
This one however that I picked up from Shannon that she was selling at her table, is a green grid of laser points that you can alter the pattern by screwing the end of it in different directions.
This is used to capture or detect shadow people as their form passes thru the lasers, you can see it block out a few of the points. Should anything cross in front of it, you can see it quite clearly.
I thought this was something very interesting and yet another inexpensive tool to pick up.
Shannon also had a little tripod to use with it. I picked that up also later on.
The tripod is used by sliding the pointer thru the block in the space there and then you screw it down tight. Just be sure to NOT use the screw to hold down the button to turn on the laser for it will damage the button.
So how to hold the button down? I've used masking tape to hold it down and then I slid it into the tripod.
The legs of the tripod are flexible so you can angle this just right and it will keep the laser fairly stable and still. Here is how it looks without the masking tape and just using the tension but making sure the screw is not sitting on the button:
http://www.shannonsylvia.com/equipment.html
I have used this tool in a few places but have not experienced anything with it just yet as far as seeing anything, however the batteries in it were drained during a recent investigation from a spirit that does not like the laser grids nor any lights at all.
Before I use the laser, if I am investigating with others, I am most courteous and ask if they mind if I do use this tool. This is important to ask, especially with a seasoned investigator or with one who knows the area or location you are investigating. Many times, they will be quite familiar with the entities that are lingering about in the area and have had past experiences with laser grids. Some spirits like them, others are frightened by them and will hide away from them. So always best to ask before you use them on an investigation.
Like with all lasers, be sure not to point this directly into someone's eyes nor an animal's eyes.
GP
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The famed tunnel where bodies were taken down quietly after the person died and taken away in such a manner so that others could not see them going. The Death Tunnel is quite long and gated at the bottom. There is a ramp on the one side and steps on the other. It is very steep. I went there with two other ladies that I met from my group. They were a lil spooked of going there alone so I went with them as I just wasn't creeped out by it at all.
Now don't get me wrong...this IS a creepy place! The history alone can get you! But I have found that if you are alone, YES you will get scared, you will hear things, you will get creeped out, spooked out and those heebie-jeebies will crawl up into your gizzard and grab ahold hard!! But!
When you are with others, with a couple other people, you just don't get scared. You turn to your friend and ask them, did you hear that? Or what was that? You might be a little scared but for the most part? Nah! It's just an old building with a great history, alot of deaths, alot of sadness, violence maybe...
but unless things blatantly happen, when in a group like this, you just don't get scared.
Of course, I am a fairly brave person too and can go into haunted houses and I tend to just laugh when something jumps out at me. I may get startled at the suddeness but not scared and even then, when going into one of those places, I expect it. So it is not so easy to get me to jump.
So on down the Death Tunnel we went. We stopped about half-way and I took out my green laser grid I had picked up earlier from Shannon Sylvia.
http://www.shannonsylvia.com/
I shined it down towards the bottom of the tunnel and sat down on a step and began to take out my equipment. The other ladies took pictures and had their recorders and KIIs and whatnot and I took out my recorder and Shack Hack. We turned it on and I asked if there was anyone there if you could please tell us your name.
Now this is weird....I am now in Kentucky...a few States away from PA where I first purchased the Shack Hack at Gettysburg a few months ago. But the reply I got was the same voice saying "David".
Talk about bizarre! That instantly ruled out this was a radio person and it made me wonder then if perhaps a spirit is hanging out with me by the name of David?
As we sat in the Death Tunnel, asking questions, talking, we didn't really pick up on too much. We could hear water dripping as there is a pool of water at the bottom from the rain the previous day. We heard a few splashes that could have easily been frogs or something like that. We thought we did hear some pebbles skipping down at the bottom and perhaps a shadow pass by but it was hard to tell and it did not happen again.
Eventually, we heard Jeff Belanger and a few others at the top of the tunnel and realized it was about time for our ghost hunt to end and the private one to begin. So we gathered up our gear and began the long walk up the tunnel. It sure seemed easier going down than hiking all the way back up that steep tunnel!
I definitely would like to return to the Waverly. It seems once you go initially, you learn alot of what you'd like to do and not to do and I have began to take notes and write of what I wished I had had with me or could have done. So that is still going to remain on my list of places to return to investigate!
GP
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Mark & Debby are well known as the EVP Specialists for they always seem to be able to get some amazing EVPs! We were all led to the back room where surgeries were performed. There had to be at least 20-25 of us there. Mark had us all sit around the room with our backs to the walls. I chose a spot by the window and as we were all settling down, this really heavy door just slammed shut!! I had caught it closing out of the corner of my eyes when I saw the motion and turned in time to see it!
Now this door was super heavy! Debby jumped up and went over to it to see jus thow much force was needed to shut it and it took a great deal! This was wild and took a bit for everyone to calm down!
Once settled, we began an EVP session and Mark & Debby were able to capture a few words from what sounded like who had been the doctor in there who was not happy we were all there and was quite adamant in his words for us all to leave.
We later went up to the next level and I remembered from having seen the show that there was a nurse who had hung herself and she was pregnant at the time. An unwed mother was more of a shameful thing back then in those days. I went inside the room and did a quick EVP session but could not make out anything. It definitely had a heavy feel to the atmosphere in there however.
Again, sometimes it was hard to make out things as you were not sure what was going on in the floor below or above you and sound travels as there are not many windows intact in this building. Voices carry outside and are lifted up, sounds echo up and down the halls.
Last stop was the first floor, the morgue and the death tunnel. There are parts of this floor that has been set up for a Halloween haunt that you pay to walk thru and get scared from people jumping out at you. I could imagine how creepy and fun that must be!
I met with Andy Coppock who explained his full spectrum camera and had it set up in the one room. Jeff Belanger was also on this floor along with a couple other people. I could definitely see if you are by yourself, that you can easily creep yourself out! The place is pitch black and hard to see a thing. Some rooms felt more ominous than others and you just could sense the tension and heaviness to the air there.
But I could not leave the area or the Waverly for that matter, without going down to the Death Tunnel!
Next floor, was with Chris Fleming. He had his Spirit Box going and several other pieces of equpiment and he could sense a lot of spirits and energies all around us. He seemed to be a bit under the weather and not feeling so well and I was starting to worry for him. I tend to get protective when I noticed another feeling like this. Others in our group kinda went off on their own but I stayed near Chris as I knew he had a lot of insight and I felt more comfortable with him, having had a reading and gone ghost hunting with him before in Minnesota just a few months ago.
I didn't get much evidence wise myself here except for what came over his Spirit Box!
He had a volunteer come over to ask questions from our group as we listened thru the white noise. I held the flashlight so they could see the controls. The lady invited the spirit or entity to touch her or pull her hair or anything it would likt and the answer we got was quite rude!!
Now, we are not allowed to provoke any spirits at the Waverly. Most of the people who had died there, died of tuberculosis and they are not harmful spirits. We were told that if we were caught provoking, we would be escorted off the premises and not allowed to return. They are quite strict about that, so if you go, bear that in mind. We were told that the spirits there were nice and friendly. I found out later, that not all them are. I do get and understand however why they did not want us to provoke, mostly for our own safety. You do sign waivers so that the ownevers can protect themselves against you injuring yourself and you'll find that's a pretty set standard thing whenever you go ghost hunting on one of these type of events. Sometimes when the buildings are in ill-repair, it is to protect the owners in case you injure yourself. If you watch any of the shows, you have seen where many mishaps have occured and and can happen, some paranormal and some just clumsy as you are stumbling around in the dark.
The classes back at the hotel were great! I always enjoy them and some, even if I have seen them beofre, like Dave's basic ghost hunting 101 type of class, I still laugh so hard as he is a very witty man! I hope to showcase a few different people and groups that I have met and shining a light on some of the more interesting aspects of them that I have learned from various events.
As I had the second night of ghost hunting, I got to hear from the first group of some of their experiences and hearing of it all, I always seem to want to kick myself for not having chosen that particular night or, to have the money to go twice!
Getting my badge, I overheard a lady talk about having purchased TWO event tickets? WOW?! Really? Why?
Well, so she could go ghost hunting BOTH nights! WOW! Now that is a great idea! Expensive, but great!
During most of these paranormal events, there are auctions for charity. Sometimes, the money goes to the Shriners, Animal Shelter or to a local charity and sometimes even a portion to the site itself to help them with renovations or to make the place more safe for us paranormal investigators! :) Items that are auctioned off are clothing from the Ghost Adventure guys, sometimes allowing you to take it right off their bodies which this drives many women crazy!! LOL
Also, there are private ghost hunts auctioned off with the celebrities. A private ghost hunt will normally take place just after the general ghost hunt is over with, normally at 2 am and then the private hunts will run for 2 more hours afterwards. Of course many women it seems who show up for these events are more so fans of the show or the guys and they are all googly-eyed over Zak, Nick, and Aaron. Can't blame them as they are a nice looking set of men!
The auction was held in a building just outside the main Waverly building. You can see it here off to the left in this pic:
Beyond this red roofed area, you can see the building just beyond to the left and that is where the gift shop sells souvenirs and some great t-shirts like this one I picked up:
I've been getting these in the largest sizes I can when I attend the events and that allows for shrinkage! ;) And I use them to work out in.
I arrived a bit later for registration and the line was really super long! The main bathroom would quickly have lines outside it and so I had found a more private one off the pool side that was just for one person. So while all went to the large one, I would duck back down the hallway towards the pool and go there.
Now something interesting about that particular bathroom and why I am mentioning it here. A funny story happened!
This bathroom had one of those automated faucets that was sensitive to light and motion. I had already noticed that and of course, didn't think twice more about it. Who would, right? Well there I am, standing in line and waiting to register for the event and get my badge, talking to people in front of me and behind me. Aaron Goodwin from Ghost Adventures came up to the lady in front of me and struck up a conversation as I kinda hung in there too. He was very pleasant, jovial and down to earth, very friendly! He made us laugh and then went on down the line to greet other people. now there was a lady behind me from CA who was really super excited about this event! It was her first one and she could hardly wait! She had not purchased the full event ghost hunt ticket however, just the meet and greet portion and that would include the lectures, so it was more of a half ticket. She needed to go to the bathroom so I told her about my private find and sent her off, holding her spot in line for her.
When she came back, she was bursting! She told me, "Hey Dude! It's happening already!!" I was like what is? She goes on to tell me that the bathroom is haunted! She said when she walked in, the faucet turned on all by itself! I was like really? Wow! I then got to thinking, not wanting to burst her bubble, but I asked her, is it an automatic faucet? She was like no, she didn't think so! But wow! she goes on to say, how exciting that things are happening already and we haven't even started! I was like, yea, wow! But something nagged at me that something was wrong about this.
So later on, we get thru the line and I choose the 2nd night to ghost hunt as I get told that it's the better night with more chance of things happening and so were to meet back there for the meet and greet in a couple hours.
And why the 2nd night over the 1st? Some do believe that the 2nd night is better because on the first one, all those people have stirred things up already for you. Plus, there are usually less people than on the 1st night.
Well this whole faucet thing really kinda bothered me. Something told me...that no...so I went and checked it out.
Sure enough, the faucet would come on whenever I opened the door and the light or your shadow hit it just right. It was an automatic faucet. There was a play of shadows whenever you opened the door and stepped in so it was quite obvious as to what was going on. I later saw the lady and let her know about it and she thought it was really cool that I debunked that.
But that goes to show you that when you go to an event, be careful not to get too hyped up or excited so much that you see ghosts everywhere or you believe every odd thing is paranormal. It happens to us all because it is what you are wanting to see and expecting but most things can be easily debunked. It would have been really neat to have had it be something paranormal! But, when you go to these events, you really need to be grounded and wearing your skeptic hat more so and check things out fully.
The Waverly Hills Sanitorium! What can I say?! This is one of THE most spookiest, creepiest places I have been to! Haven't heard of it? Check it out!
http://www.therealwaverlyhills.com/
It had been a while...a couple months, since I had gone to an event or traipsed off ghost hunting and I was so itching and so excited to be planning this one! PLUS! I was going to be going out there to Kentucky with Darkness Radio's Dave Schrader AND The Ghost Adventure guys from the Travel Channel!
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Ghost_Adventures
I had not really ever seen their show before. I had heard of it and caught maybe some bits and pieces and was told that they really provoke a lot more and challenge the nastier energies and spirits at some of these haunted locations. So before I left, I went to YouTube (which is a great source to see some great videos!) and I checked them out before I went so I had a sense of who they were.
While in Gettysburg, as I may have mentioned, last year, I was walking thru the vendor tables looking for a device called the "Shack Hack". Dave, from Darkness Radio was selling a few of these at his table and I purchased it from him and he showed me how to use it.
Basically what it is, is a regular AM/FM radio from Radio Shack that has been hacked so that when you press on the scan button, it will continuously scan the AM frequency channels. This provides white noise and the theory behind that is that the spirits can utilize this white noise and use it to communicate to us.
WOW! eh?
Does it work? Well, of course not 100% of the time nor is their proof--->skeptic talking there.
Now we all know what a radio voice sounds like, that booming, distinctive type of voice that you hear on commercials or announcers. Great voices like Dave Schrader from Darkness Radio or that famous guy who was featured on tv a few months back that you may have seen who was picked up off the streets looking for money and advertising himself as having a golden radio voice.
The channels are scanned so quickly, that you don't normally get a whole phrase out from any one channel. So when you get a word or reply when asking questions, it's assumed ---wince--- that it's a spirit replying. Ahem. yea....that lil word, assume. Perhaps, we should say hope anyway. :)
Now the issues with this device is that yes, it can eventually stop on a radio channel and you have to push the scan button again.
It's also hard to hear thru all the crackly white noise what is said sometimes.
You do have to have a recorder on too so you can capture what you do get from it so you can analyze it later.
Of course there is again, no way to really verify this but it IS an interesting theory and cheap piece of equipment that is so simple and yet it can really give you a great response at times.
Sometimes you may not get anything at all, but it does not mean it is not working. I have a theory on this device and others that if what they are designed for, is true, and let us say it is for argument's sake. Then, it is a theory of mine that the spirits have to understand it and realize that they can utilize it to communicate with us and that yes, we are actually hearing and responding to them too! Now that's a big concept I would think.
Has my Shack Hack worked? Yes, I do believe it has. So here's my story on it:
I got it in Gettysburg last year while with my friend Tina of Ghost-Guide.com and after Dave showed us how to work it, we went up to our room to put some things away before our next class. While there, I thought to perhaps give it a whirl real quick to see if we might get something there in our room. I began to ask if there was anyone there and if so, could they please tell us their name. After a minute or so of scanning, we immediately got a response: David.
Wow! Ok, maybe not too impressive and yea, maybe it could have been a radio voice coming thru? Ok so next question. I said hello David. I told him my name and Tina's and then asked if he wanted to talk to Tina? Same voice came back and said "No." I was like ok, laughed a bit and then said oh so if you would like to talk to me, is there a message or something you might like to tell me? Same voice again said: "Druid, listen."
I didn't quite make out the first word, but Tina did. She gasped and asked me if I heard what he said? She told me and I was so shocked and surprised at this for the word Druid has significant meaning to me as I am studying Druidry and only Tina knew that.
Later on, we had the Shack Hack down on Confederate Ave where we got the EVP that I had on the previous blog post here. Just before we captured that EVP, I had the Shack Hack turned on and the antennae pointed out the window and we began to ask if there was anyone there who might like to talk with us or share something with us. As the radio scanned the channels, we kept getting these three words repeating over and over, in a halting manner and in a different order:
"Neil, shot, dead."
Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing at the time just the significance of where we were and now that I've returned to Gettysburg after researching it a bit more, I went to the monuments in the area along Confederate Ave and I did not see any soldiers who may have been named Neil. Those in that particular area we were at, only shows the General or officer in charge and the state that is represented and honored there.
Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to have my recorder on to have captured that. I did go down there to see if I could duplicate it again when I just returned to Gettysburg and sadly, no.
I don't think it was a civil war program at all considering a man's voice must have said it like 7-8 times those same three words and in different order. Very bizarre!
Features on this radio is that yes, it is a typical radio too and you can listen to the FM channels as well. There is also a place for headphones and a nice wrist strap and the volume control is on the left side.
It's a nice lil radio, lightweight and small and not cumbersome. It does take time to get used to the white noise and being able to distinguish a radio voice from something that might just be..otherworldly. ;) But it is relatively cheap and an easy add to your ghost hunting equipment.
I'll be talking about this radio again as I go into the Waverly Hills investigation which is coming next!
GP
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This was my second piece of equipment that I purchased at Radio Shack. I can't remember how much I paid for it back then, but it wasn't too expensive, maybe $50/$60 at the time? It's a simple little recorder and uses 2 AAA batteries that seem to last forever!
It's very simple to use and has 4 folders that will hold 100 messages per folder. The recording time on it varies depending on the speed you are recording at. It can go as little as 5 hours and 40 mins to 71 hours and 40 mins!
I have used this recorder alot for every investigation and event over the years and picked up some pretty good evps on it now and then.
I sent my friend Tina, a couple of the recordings her and I got from the Stanley Hotel and Gettysburg and she cleaned them up a wee bit and amplified the sound so you could hear but this is what we heard on the recorder when we played it back. This is from the Stanley if you have not listened to it yet:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GhostPeeker?feature=mhum#p/a/f/1/axck-vjdqqU
And this one is from Gettysburg:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GhostPeeker?feature=mhum#p/a/f/0/JhdyHCVZgh0
What you do when you've recorded on this device, is take the transfer cable and plug it right into your laptop or pc and using the software it comes with, you upload the file to your pc. Then, you can put it thru a program like Audacity (that is a free download off the internet) and start to amplify, single out or clean up what you believe you might hear.
Now, you have to bear in mind alot of things when you go to do this. While recording, if you are sniffling, shifting positions or say, a car comes by, you want to always 'mark' that sound. For example, while we were recording in the car in Gettysburg out on Confederate Ave, whenever a car came by, we would say, "car going by", or when I shifted and my leather jacket creaked, we announced that sound.
Reasoning why? Well when you go back to listen to that sound file, some creaks or shifts or odd sounds you may believe it is something when in reality it was just cloth or material rubbing and it just 'sounds' like a voice or could be a word or two or phrase.
I know that sounds odd, but sometimes if you do not go back to listen to these sounds for days or weeks later, you will not remember those little details and your brain, as much of a wonder as it is, will immediately be searching for patterns and sounds and words and it will 'matrix'. Matrixing is when your brain is trying to find that pattern or when it tries to make sense out of the nonsensical, trying to find the logic in the illogical...the pattern in an abstract painting or picture. So this is very important for you to remember to try to always do while out investigating.
As I attended some of the past few events, I began to see other recorders and I was always intrigued about the EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenons). I always felt I should probably try to get a different recorder, something maybe a little better or had a better mic to it.
Recently, while at the Stanley Hotel just last month, I attended a Darkness Radio Event with Ghost Adventures. Billy Tolley, who is the EVP guy for Ghost Adventures was there and he did a class on recorders and EVPs. He went over the various different ones out there, including my own and talked about the pros and cons of them. I had been thinking recently that I should pick up a better recorder, maybe one that had a special extended mic or something? I knew it would probably be expensive however. Yet, listening to what Billy had to say during his great class made me think otherwise! He said that oftentimes than not, it is the smaller little cheaper recorders that they manage to get more EVPs on than the expensive $300 ones!! In fact, my Olympus got most EVPs on it versus other recorders!
How exciting to know that!
Plus, it is difficult to get my recorder now from what he said.
Here's a lil fact sheet on this specific recorder that I found however on the internet:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_faqs.asp?id=1272#1
And if you look it up on good ol Amazon...yup! Sure enough I saw one there for $99!
If you have not used Amazon yet, you'd be amazed at the things you can find there! So I've added Amazon search engine to this blog for you to look things right up on it! I order lots from Amazon myself and I could not say enough good things about them! I joined their Prime membership and I pay a fee yearly so that on many of the items I purchase from them, the shipping is free and I can get it in 1-2 days!! It's awesome!
Truly free? No, you pay that yearly amount but if you order alot from them throughout the year, that amount you'd easily pay and more on shipping fees so for me, it's well worth it! :) The only time I have to pay for shipping is when the items comes from a third party outside of Amazon.
That's about all I can say of this great Olympus recorder. It's reliable and it's served me well over the years and after Billy's class, I am definitely keeping it! Thanks Billy!
I'll be talking more about that return trip to the Stanley and also about the EVP Experts, Mark and Debby Constantino! A really great couple who really know how to get EVPs!
GP
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