These ghost hunting events always seem to just fly by! You arrive and before you know it, they are over.
As I was about to leave Estes Park, there was a snow storm brewing up over the mountains and I could see it coming and I was glad that I was leaving early so I would miss it and be able to fly home and not be stuck at the Denver airport.
Luckily, it was not too early either so I could see driving down the windy, wet roads and not worry as much as I would before sunrise of hitting all the wildlife that crosses the roads. You still have to be careful up there but I knew closer to lunch, the less likely the wild animals would be out.
I could not help but look back towards the Carriage house while I was loading my car up in the parking lot that is off to the side of the hotel itself. I had to wonder just what ghosts or spirits were there that we did not get to investigate or try to engage in communication with. It is said that there is a darker element there. Those who had died in the hotel on the beds, those mattresses are taken down to the carriage house and before, it was used as a morgue. This place is abandoned and no one is ever allowed to go in there unless escorted or approved by staff. There are cold spots, EVPs caught there and EMFs have been detected. Someone had grabbed a woman who had been in there and things have been noted to fall over with provoking. The staff will not allow the regular person in there to investigate however and there are signs posted all over that you will be removed from the property if you are seen skulking about there. Part of me wanted to go sit near there at night to see what, if anything, I might get.
The rooms of the Stanley that are purported to be haunted are: Room 401 - Lord Dunraven's room. He was the original owner and it is said that people can sometimes see a man standing in the closet and many provoke him. It's also said that he watches women dress.
Room 407 - Footsteps are heard outside this room's door and noted that it appeared that someone sat on the bed as you see the indentation but no one is there.
Room 428 - Noises are heard, a man pacing the room and has kissed women on the forehead and left. It is said to be a cowboy ghost with a hat.
Room 412 - Bed levitating and a woman hysterical. This is known as the poltergeist room.
Room 418 - A boy spirit here named Matthew.
Room 217 - Stephen King Suite, where he stayed and got the idea to write The Shining.
This room is where Jim Carey was to stay while filming Dumb & Dumber but he only remained within for like an hour and he came running back down to the front desk with his bags and said he would not remain there and would be staying elsewhere. To this day, he has not spoken of just what happened in that room.
My room the first year I stayed here, Room 215 is right next to this one and it is where I got my first EVP. Check out my posts of it in the archives here on this blog!
In the Manor House:
Room 1302 - People have woken up feeling paralyzed. Could be sleep paralysis? Or paranormal? Odd. This was the room that I felt the single pin prick in my right knee while sitting in one of the soft cushy chairs. Very bizarre and there was talk of a pig man?
Admin Building is said to be haunted by a little boy who died of TB and was 4 years old. Employee was killed.
Concert Hall - An old woman is there. John Phillip Sousa opened it up.
I learned a lot during this last trip to the Stanley Hotel. The classes were even better than ever and we really got into the nitty gritty when it came to equipment. I liked to hear how certain pieces of equipment worked for some of the more experienced like the Constantinos and Billy Tolley. I scribbled lots of notes during those classes.
I look forward to my return there this November with another ghost hunting event with Darkness Radio and Ghost Adventures. I definitely want to hit a few places there for sure to investigate as it will probably be the last time I am at the Stanley for a long while.
Next up, I'll be talking of the return to Gettysburg! :)
The next morning, I decided to go down to the pet cemetary as I had gotten directions to where it was, right there on the property of the hotel. I had taken my equipment with me and although it was during the day, I still thought I might get something. I reached the cemetary and there was a man and a woman there already, looking around.
I had later heard a rumor that this pet cemetary was where Stephen King got his idea for that book, Pet Semetary but after a bit of research, I found out that no, that is not so. But so odd and coincidental that here at the Stanley, they too had a pet cemetary.
I had my PX with me and this is where I kick myself for not having my recorder on at the same time.
Anyway, I got there and saw the other two people and was respectful to not be in their way. I got out my PX just to see what I might get from it and I began to look over the small cemetary plots, reading epitaphs and being respectful of the small little fences that lined the path. My PX started to talk pretty quickly. I began trying to interact with it and ask questions. The guy who was there in the cemetary, noticed that I had a PX and he came over closer to talk with me as I realized that he and the lady too, were also there for the event.
As I began to talk with the guy and ask questions of the PX, I heard it say, "Officer". I turned to him and asked him if he is an officer? He said well yes, he is, actually and just as he said that, the PX said, "Hidden". The guy then lifted up his shirt and showed me his badge, the 5 pointed star badge that was 'hidden' and that he is actually a detective!! That was just amazing!
I started to ask questions of the PX and of the animals that were buried there and it said, "Rabid" and then I asked which dog was rabid? (There are mostly dogs at the cemetary). It then said "East" "15". So I took that to mean it was east and I faced that way and then 15 paces towards that way. It took me to the last grave and looking at the dates, the dog had only lived a year. Pretty wild eh?
Unfortunately, we did not get to stay too long. The PX went quiet and I spoke with the handsome guy for a little while longer and then he and the other woman left and more people came by so I took that as my own cue to leave and allow others a chance there.
This is definitely an area I would like to return to and definitely plan on doing so when I go back to the Stanley in November for the next ghost hunting event with Darkness Radio and Ghost Adventures' Zak and Aaron. I wish Nick could go there too! :) HINT HINT NICK!! ;)
I know it will be pretty cold up there in the mountains too, not much different in November from March and from when I was first there at the Stanley. But this is definitely a key area that I plan to get a bit more investigating done and I will be for sure keeping my recorder on for possible evps! This cemetary felt a bit sad and definitely spooky!
It was also nice that the pets who passed away, were seen to and memorialized right here on the land they roamed and played upon and that in some way, their spirits would never be forgotten.
I was signed up for the 1st night of investigations at the Stanley. We all assembled to where Dave had separated us into the 1st night and the 2nd night, which comes to about half and half of the over 200 people who were attending the event.
What is nice is that Dave also further breaks you down between those who are new at investigating and those who are more experienced. I got to go with the first group of more experienced and I was led out to the Concert Hall where Bill Chappell was at with a plasma device that was very impressive and interesting as he showed us how it worked and had us do an EVP experiment. Again, as I've said often in my posts, this was not really the time to do any serious investigating due to all the people there and the inevitable contamination from everyone. But, it is very interesting in talking with those who are more experienced in the paranormal field and to learn of the latest technology that is being worked on and that is due to come out and be available to the general public.
We only had 4 hours to investigate and it seems there were more than 4 locations so that meant that we would have less than an hour at each location which was a bummer. My next stop was in the basement with the Constantinos!! Now here is where it got really good! My group got split at that point again, which was just brilliant and I made sure that I went with the Constantinos to the basement. They were getting some things happening there and I definitely wanted to see and hear for myself. I was towards the back of the group as Mark and Debby had us all sit down in a tight group and they said to keep an eye out on the hallway that had a light on at the end of it in an adjoining room. There was a curtain across the doorway there and the rest of the tunnel was dark where we had sat down at. I faced towards that room and had my back slightly turned away from the group and I kept my recorder playing. Debby kept coughing and was having a hard time of it when all of a sudden, she caught an EVP and I was able to catch it on my recorder as well! Check it out as I put it up on YouTube recently:
This is the door at the far end of the basement that you can not get down into unless staff takes you there or at an event. Beyond the door are like tunnels. Take a listen and tell me what you think you might hear? I've cut and copied the evp and made it repeat itself so you might listen to it better.
Now this was just exciting!
But it got better!! While I watched the curtain towards the back, it looked like it kept moving on it's own. I saw shadows down at the bottom and then at times, the curtains would open slightly and then close again. After a while of that, all of a sudden, the curtains parted and I could see a pair of dark shadowy legs stride across the room in a hurry! I thought right off, oh it has to be that someone is there. Someone remarked on it and I said no, someone is down there but then Debby said no...there is NO ONE there!? Wow! It was very wild!
Well, after that, I went up to the 2nd floor and towards the Stephen King suite. I really did miss having my room just next door like I did during the first event but aye well. Zak and Billy were up here and just as I made it up to the room, Zak shooed a bunch of us out and only wanted a few people in there. So I hung out in the hallway and talked to the others of the vortex that is there at the stairwell that I had learned of while passing by a tour going on earlier in the day.
We got to feel the surge of energy that seems to swirl there and eventually, Zak came out to investigate down the hall on that floor. I didn't get to go back into the Stephen King suite and I regret not going back there myself and that is a room that I definitely plan on returning to. It almost seemed that Zak may have been able to contact a lil girl spirit but it was hard to tell at the time.
Next stop was back out to the Manor House with Jeff Belanger and Aaron Sagers. Our group was pretty big at this point, over 20 people and in we all went to the one large room said to be haunted. I sat on a cushy chair, one that had no hard edges to it and I got comfortable. I placed my PX on one side of me and the ghost meter to the other and then held the recorder nearby. Jeff had a Ouija board and this wild contraption for EVPs but we did not get anything out of it. While I sat there, the PX talked a bit as someone on the other side of the room had a Shack Hack and the PX was quiet until she turned on her Shack Hack and it was then that the PX began to say words.
While I was sitting there however, I felt my right knee sting, like it was getting pricked by a pin. This was not the pins and needles of when your foot falls asleep or the circulation gets cut off, no. It was a single pin prick. It was like someone was there in front of me with a single pin and would begin to poke my right knee. It was like..Poke....Poke......Poke. It kept doing it. I moved my leg around to be sure it was not something internal, like a pinched nerve maybe? and then relaxed my leg again. Yet still, it would start back up again. It was just so wild! Finally, Jeff said if anyone was feeling anything happening to please let everyone know. Well that was when I finally spoke up and casually explained what I was feeling. Some other girl who was on the floor piped up that she too, was feeling the same thing and yes, in her right knee too!? Now that was really weird!
I didn't panic but just calmly explained what was going on and that it was a bit annoying and whatever was doing it, really needed to stop. Eventually, it did.
Afterwards I was up was the 4th floor with Chris Fleming and Aaron Goodwin. Aaron was in Lord Dunraven's room with a bunch of equipment. His PX had died so I brought mine out and we used it, placing it on the bed along with all the KII's and ghost meters. Aaron was in there with myself and about 10 other women. He shared with us pics of his skull collection on his phone and we all got to chat and had the PX talking and it came out again with 'Mommy" and I knew it was talking of me. It was talking a bit naughty too at one point with a prior group and a bit more with our's. I eventually went off down to another room where Chris Fleming was and we listened a bit there with his spirit box.
This is where the night came to a close and they had to prepare for the private ghost hunt and I was off to bed. I helped Chris lug his stuff downstairs and told him goodnight. This had been a pretty eventful night and one of the first that I had been touched or effected by....something?
By this time, I realized that I had begun to see auras. I had seen Chris Fleming's and Zak Bagan's both and in two different states but I had not seen anyone else's as of yet. Something else to talk of, that the more a person gets involved with the paranormal, the more you do open yourself up, become more aware and then realize more is going on around you and soon, may very well effect you as well. I bought a book on auras as well as on psychic shields, which is what I believe that I am. I have yet to start to exercise that 'muscle' and practice looking at auras, but it is very intriguing and exciting that things are starting to happen!
Mass hypnosis? I don't think so. Wanting it to happen, so 'making it so' or creating it myself? I doubt it highly. No, there is something to this. Something is definitely going on!
It has taken me a while to post this part as I was hunting down that EVP out of the many recordings I have gathered. Many times I gather recordings and it can be daunting to listen to them all, especially when you are not sure you may have something because of the potential for contamination by too many other people in the area or near you when you were doing your EVP session. I knew of this one however with Debby for she had gotten the same thing on her recorder and I had played mine back and voila! I heard the same thing! Wild too that it sounds a bit different now than it did then. I still have a few more to listen to, some recordings are kinda long but as soon as I get thru them, I'll post more if I find anything and share it with all here! :)
