I pride myself for not fearing the supernatural. Being a paranormal investigator, I am among ghosts on almost every investigation. I have always been able to feel them, an ability I inherited from my mom and my grandma, but to be honest I have never been face to face with one until last weekend.
The SIM Crew was invited to lead two ghost hunts and present at an event called Northern Frights in northern Minnesota. On the second night while investigating with Katie and a group of event attendees, I had to leave for a moment to bring a key to another room to Jerry and his group. As I walked out into the dark hallway (no lights were on for the investigation) and began the walk to that room, I sensed something to my left. I turned to look and found myself looking into the face of a ghost. No more than two feet away, the apparition of the face of an otherworldly being appeared to be coming out of the door to one of the rooms.
Obviously I don't have nerves of steel, and I screamed (yes I screamed) and turned to move away from this apparition. I turned back though to see it again, but it had disappeared. Even though I could no longer see it, I felt this spirit follow me down the hallway, and I nervously kept looking over my shoulder for it. Now, what should I have done? I should have stared that ghost down and asked some questions. Instead I called Jerry on my walkie and told him the story. A missed opportunity to be sure. Sigh.
Jerry and his group were anxiously awaiting my arrival. I finally arrived at the room, key in hand, wild eyed and obviously shaken up.
"Are you OK?" They asked, concern etched on their faces. They wanted to hear all about my experience, but I'm pretty sure they were taken aback my wild appearance.
"I'm scared.......and I am a GHOST HUNTER" I blurted out. Now what I meant by that was that ghost hunters aren't supposed to lose it like I did and be afraid. Now this statement will be forever in the minds of the SIM Crew. They laughed and laughed at this, and immediately began planning t-shirts that will read:
"I'm a ghost hunter......and I got scared!"
OK. Whatever. So I ran and screamed like a silly school girl. Sigh. I was scared, no doubt, but I'm still trying to figure out if I was really scared or just startled? Scared? Really? I've been with and around a lot of ghosts and not been scared. But I guess there's something about coming face to face with one that drains the blood from your face.
Later on during the investigation, Jerry and his group got the key to the room where the manifestation occurred, and as they entered they were hit with a palpable force. They stood their ground and entered the room where they observed a filmy shadow move across the room., The same ghost that scared me I'm thinking, and I'm sure that ghost had a good laugh at Northern Frights, which to me at that moment was indeed frightening ;)
--SA
4/12/2011
3/01/2011
New Teammates and Other Things.....
December and January were quiet months for our ghost hunting group. Mostly self-imposed because well, December is hectic with Christmas and New Years, and January is the month of rest after that hectic schedule in December. For me the entire month of January and the beginning of February was pretty much spent in a fog. I was sick the whole month of January with a nasty virus that made me cough incessantly, and pretty much sapped my energy, and that left me feeling, well, quite under the weather.
The SIM Crew did however add two additional people to our team. Why? Well, after much consideration among us, it was decided that we needed additional members mainly because our investigations really require "more bodies". We just did not have the number to do a sufficient job on the larger properties. It's exciting but at the same time quite stressful adding new people to the mix. Our original six members are very close and we have a unique relationship. My main question as we entered this new era, was simply could we do this without losing the special and unique bond we share? I hope so, I really do. Time will tell, but I'm hopeful that we will be better and stronger :)
That said, we chose a couple of very competent and fabulous people out of the many that came to meet us on a very cold January evening at a local restaurant. Both are very personable and friendly. Annette, comes to us with the sensitivity of a physchic. Several of us are sensitive to the presence of spirits, and now with Annette on board we have that additional boost of sensitivity during investigations. Our other new teammate Jaffe comes to us with a healthy skepticism, and along with George he will keep the rest of us "highly excitable" members in check. He has great interest in the supernatural and he is a wonderful addition to the SIM Crew.
In February, we had two investigations with the "newbies". Jerry and Mae each teamed up with a newbie on last Friday's investigation for training, and it's good to say Annette and Jaffe both did a phenomenal job. The property we investigated is quite large, rich in history, and boasts a lot of paranormal stories.
The crew will gather soon to go over all the evidence from both investigations and prepare for the reveals. Stories to come soon, here! What I can say is that the first investigation in February we revisited a home we investigated last Fall and we were not disappointed. We caught some amazing evidence, so stay tuned my friends, I will be blogging about both --- soon ;) Until then, stay warm!
The SIM Crew did however add two additional people to our team. Why? Well, after much consideration among us, it was decided that we needed additional members mainly because our investigations really require "more bodies". We just did not have the number to do a sufficient job on the larger properties. It's exciting but at the same time quite stressful adding new people to the mix. Our original six members are very close and we have a unique relationship. My main question as we entered this new era, was simply could we do this without losing the special and unique bond we share? I hope so, I really do. Time will tell, but I'm hopeful that we will be better and stronger :)
That said, we chose a couple of very competent and fabulous people out of the many that came to meet us on a very cold January evening at a local restaurant. Both are very personable and friendly. Annette, comes to us with the sensitivity of a physchic. Several of us are sensitive to the presence of spirits, and now with Annette on board we have that additional boost of sensitivity during investigations. Our other new teammate Jaffe comes to us with a healthy skepticism, and along with George he will keep the rest of us "highly excitable" members in check. He has great interest in the supernatural and he is a wonderful addition to the SIM Crew.
In February, we had two investigations with the "newbies". Jerry and Mae each teamed up with a newbie on last Friday's investigation for training, and it's good to say Annette and Jaffe both did a phenomenal job. The property we investigated is quite large, rich in history, and boasts a lot of paranormal stories.
The crew will gather soon to go over all the evidence from both investigations and prepare for the reveals. Stories to come soon, here! What I can say is that the first investigation in February we revisited a home we investigated last Fall and we were not disappointed. We caught some amazing evidence, so stay tuned my friends, I will be blogging about both --- soon ;) Until then, stay warm!
1/04/2011
Northwoods Supernatural
In October the SIM crew took to the road and investigated a property we believed to have supernatural activity. The property is a large, 110+ acre affair with several abandoned buildings set back in the woods thick with birch and conifer. The place is ripe with history, but to tell any of it here I would have to divulge the name and place, which I won't do. We were allowed on this property for our investigation only if we agreed to keep the location, name, and nearby towns confidential. What I will say is that my husband Jerry's father grew up nearby, and it was this connection that brought us there.
We had five members of the SIM including me on this wild and woolly investigation. My daughter Kacie, one of our crew, opted to stay at home and care for our three cats and dog while we were away. The property is enormous, and I remember wondering just how we would tackle an investigation of this magnitude while we walked around it in the day.
Well, we arrived on site around 9:00 that evening. It was a chilly 38 degrees, the sky was clear and the moon was bright and almost full. It was just a week until Halloween, that time of year when the veil between the living and the dead is at his thinnest. With the full moon, and the big trees looming all around us it was a perfect night for a ghost hunt. It was quiet back there in the woods, and I thought perfect EVP conditions.
We began by setting up our equipment. The first event happened shortly after we arrived. While Katie and I were setting up night vision video recorders in one of the buildings, Jerry came quickly in, exploding with excitement, and said that while he was setting up another infrared video recorder in another building he saw a shadow move past him. Attributing this as a paranormal presence, he was quite worked up (as I would be), but by the time we got there with him it was gone, and wouldn't return to us that evening. Too late.
All of us had personal experiences during the investigation. As a sensitive, I knew there were spirits watching us there. In the building where we had set up two night vision video cameras I know there was someone in the corner. We heard knocking and I physically felt a presence there.
Several times as I moved about outside from building to building I felt that odd, heavy, electrically charged feeling of paranormal presence near me. I felt that the site is definitely the home of otherworldly spirits, why are they there? We always ask why, but we never will know the answer. I do know that it is place of great history and thus they could be spirits of Native Americans, early settlers, even passed over people from a more modern time. Spirits from any and all of these categories of peoples are certainly possible. What were their stories? I'd love to know, but in all probability we will never know. You know as a history major, I've always been fascinated by old stories. The world of paranormal investigating is really finding stories in the end isn't it? Well, I'd like to think so anyhow.
While we were investigating in one of the buildings, we felt sure that there was a paranormal presence with us. Jerry asked it to repeat a number he had softly spoken into his hand, inaudible for the rest of us. I distinctly heard a soft raspy voice clearly say "4", and afterward I asked if 4 was the number. Jerry was shocked and I stated I had heard it clearly. When we listened to our recording, it was there, without a doubt. Apparently it also wanted us out of there as we also hear "get out" on the recording as well. It was in this same spot that Katie, Jerry and me all felt the presence of a spirit. The two photos below tell the story clearly. One minute there was nothing there; the next the space was filled with orbs, as if a ghost was trying to manifest.
THE STORY OF MURDER ROAD
When we interviewed the property owners, they told us about the "Murder Road". They called it that because a man who was murdered at the edge of the property on a road there but didn't have any further information. We asked Jerry's dad about this story, and he told us what he remembered, and the tale follows.
Seventy plus years ago, a man who owned a farm near the site kept sheep and one race horse. This man also had military background, and the locals say he was crazy in the head. The man was good with a gun, you might call him a sharp shooter, and he would shoot animals in the distance just because he could. A very mean and vulgar individual, he would leave the animals to suffer terrible deaths. He would also take shots at the kids walking by, and they all knew not to go any closer than about a quarter of a mile. One fateful day, this ex-military man lost his mind. He shot his friend who was coming to visit between the eyes on that road and killed him. After he killed him, he went back to his property, confessed to the sheriff what he had done and proceed to slit the throats of all his sheep, killing them in a bloodbath.
A crazy and most deadly happening to be sure, and we have been unable as of yet to find true documentation of this story. I am hopeful that we will have some time to check out the local historical records next time we are up that way, so that we can hopefully substantiate the story.
After hearing about this "Murder Road" two of our investigators, Mae and George, decided to walk out on that road at the start of our investigation. With the light of the moon leading their way, they walked to the end of the road and were placing their night vision video camera when suddenly they heard horse noises, like heavy blowing and foot clomps. They feared they would be trampled the sound was so near and so real. Thankfully nothing happened to them and though they discovered a fence, they found no evidence of any horses or other hoofed animals. Could this be the ghost of the race horse that belonged to the crazy military man? It definitely falls in to the weird and unexplainable category, and we don't know with absolute positivity whether this horse they heard was real or phantom, but it's quite intriguing experience on this investigation.
EVIDENCE ANALYSIS, REVEAL AND MY CONCLUSIONS
It was a fabulous investigation, and we had a lot of experiences. When we analyzed all the data we found several voices in various parts of the property. Some in answer to our questions, some just stating something, and some that we feel is a voice saying the same thing over and over again voices indicating a second type of haunting as well, one that is termed residual haunting.
We had left a voice recorder in the first building we entered and did EVP work, that honestly, I had no inclination of a supernatural presence in. Boy was I surprised at what we found on the recording! Constant moving around when the space was empty, footsteps, closing of doors, and a voice that says "LISTEN".
All in all this investigation was definitely one for the books. It was exciting and very interesting, especially the story we heard about the murder there early in the last century. The two property representatives made me feel very welcome there, and I enjoyed the gals coming along with us on our hunt for the supernatural.
We revealed the evidence in late November to about a dozen people. We have been invited back and are looking forward to another hunt there next year and I will definitely be spending a little more time in that one building where we caught all the activity on our recorder. Who knows? Perhaps that's the most haunted of the bunch!
The official field notes will be published on http://www.siminnesota.com/ soon, so check them out!
We had five members of the SIM including me on this wild and woolly investigation. My daughter Kacie, one of our crew, opted to stay at home and care for our three cats and dog while we were away. The property is enormous, and I remember wondering just how we would tackle an investigation of this magnitude while we walked around it in the day.
Well, we arrived on site around 9:00 that evening. It was a chilly 38 degrees, the sky was clear and the moon was bright and almost full. It was just a week until Halloween, that time of year when the veil between the living and the dead is at his thinnest. With the full moon, and the big trees looming all around us it was a perfect night for a ghost hunt. It was quiet back there in the woods, and I thought perfect EVP conditions.All of us had personal experiences during the investigation. As a sensitive, I knew there were spirits watching us there. In the building where we had set up two night vision video cameras I know there was someone in the corner. We heard knocking and I physically felt a presence there.
Several times as I moved about outside from building to building I felt that odd, heavy, electrically charged feeling of paranormal presence near me. I felt that the site is definitely the home of otherworldly spirits, why are they there? We always ask why, but we never will know the answer. I do know that it is place of great history and thus they could be spirits of Native Americans, early settlers, even passed over people from a more modern time. Spirits from any and all of these categories of peoples are certainly possible. What were their stories? I'd love to know, but in all probability we will never know. You know as a history major, I've always been fascinated by old stories. The world of paranormal investigating is really finding stories in the end isn't it? Well, I'd like to think so anyhow.
While we were investigating in one of the buildings, we felt sure that there was a paranormal presence with us. Jerry asked it to repeat a number he had softly spoken into his hand, inaudible for the rest of us. I distinctly heard a soft raspy voice clearly say "4", and afterward I asked if 4 was the number. Jerry was shocked and I stated I had heard it clearly. When we listened to our recording, it was there, without a doubt. Apparently it also wanted us out of there as we also hear "get out" on the recording as well. It was in this same spot that Katie, Jerry and me all felt the presence of a spirit. The two photos below tell the story clearly. One minute there was nothing there; the next the space was filled with orbs, as if a ghost was trying to manifest.
 |
| An Empty Room |
 |
| The same room a few seconds later. Orbs are clearly visible. |
When we interviewed the property owners, they told us about the "Murder Road". They called it that because a man who was murdered at the edge of the property on a road there but didn't have any further information. We asked Jerry's dad about this story, and he told us what he remembered, and the tale follows.
 |
| Murder Road |
A crazy and most deadly happening to be sure, and we have been unable as of yet to find true documentation of this story. I am hopeful that we will have some time to check out the local historical records next time we are up that way, so that we can hopefully substantiate the story.
After hearing about this "Murder Road" two of our investigators, Mae and George, decided to walk out on that road at the start of our investigation. With the light of the moon leading their way, they walked to the end of the road and were placing their night vision video camera when suddenly they heard horse noises, like heavy blowing and foot clomps. They feared they would be trampled the sound was so near and so real. Thankfully nothing happened to them and though they discovered a fence, they found no evidence of any horses or other hoofed animals. Could this be the ghost of the race horse that belonged to the crazy military man? It definitely falls in to the weird and unexplainable category, and we don't know with absolute positivity whether this horse they heard was real or phantom, but it's quite intriguing experience on this investigation.
EVIDENCE ANALYSIS, REVEAL AND MY CONCLUSIONS
It was a fabulous investigation, and we had a lot of experiences. When we analyzed all the data we found several voices in various parts of the property. Some in answer to our questions, some just stating something, and some that we feel is a voice saying the same thing over and over again voices indicating a second type of haunting as well, one that is termed residual haunting.
We had left a voice recorder in the first building we entered and did EVP work, that honestly, I had no inclination of a supernatural presence in. Boy was I surprised at what we found on the recording! Constant moving around when the space was empty, footsteps, closing of doors, and a voice that says "LISTEN".
All in all this investigation was definitely one for the books. It was exciting and very interesting, especially the story we heard about the murder there early in the last century. The two property representatives made me feel very welcome there, and I enjoyed the gals coming along with us on our hunt for the supernatural.
We revealed the evidence in late November to about a dozen people. We have been invited back and are looking forward to another hunt there next year and I will definitely be spending a little more time in that one building where we caught all the activity on our recorder. Who knows? Perhaps that's the most haunted of the bunch!
The official field notes will be published on http://www.siminnesota.com/ soon, so check them out!
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