Ghost Hunting - experiences and reviews

Paying to hunt a haunted location? Watch out for the red flags!

2010-06-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I went with my ghost hunting group, Hunting Haunts, to Ft. Mifflin in Philadelphia PA. For $80 a person, we were given the run of Ft. Mifflin for the night. It was incredible! I didn’t even cover the whole fort, and I can’t wait to go back.

I mention this trip because of how impressed I was. For that fee we were escorted to our command central; a heated room that had snacks, sodas and coffee for us. There were cots and benches, as well as some fliers for places that deliver food complete with notes showing how late they deliver. We were all impressed because we had carted in our own snacks, sandwiches and energy drinks for the night ahead of us.

We had a long night of hunting in the cold and the rain. It was so wonderful to be able to run into command central to warm up, and get comfortable for a few minutes before we went back out to a new location within the fort.

As if this weren’t enough, the next morning we were escorted to another building outside of the fort where we were served a full breakfast! I am talking about pancakes, eggs, bacon, biscuits… the whole nine yards. It was by far the best ghost hunt I had ever been on when it comes to hospitality!

Our group is making a return trip to the Fort this year. While arranging this trip I found that Ft. Mifflin is $90 a person this year (2010). In my opinion; still well worth it!

Don’t get me wrong, I did not expect even snacks and soda’s to be provided. I am very happy when I have a place to hunt even if I don’t have extra amenities provided to me. I was born and raised in the woods of Southern Oregon so I don’t even require an indoor bathroom (I am not saying I grew up peeing in the woods, but that I grew up camping a lot with my family… we had indoor plumbing!). Though my standards do not exactly reflect those of most of my fellow ghost hunting girls! Outhouse or not; I look at what I am getting for the price. Am I really being provided a cost to benefit that is acceptable?

Then there are the others…

I recently had a very different experience with a historic home near me. The person who runs this location asked myself and a fellow hunter to watch the house during an investigation as he was going to have to be absent for a portion of the night.

For the same cost of Ft. Mifflin last year, $80 a person, a group of friends had paid for an overnight ghost hunt of this location. Now this group was not a seasoned ghost hunting club, but several friends who had an interest in ghost hunting while most of them had never done it before.

This group had opted to have their night “chaperoned”. This meant that the host guided the group with an agenda for the evening, including a schedule of trainings and hunting throughout the location. In addition equipment is provided in this type of service as the clients most likely won’t have any. This is typically offered by many locations so that those who fit the above description can also enjoy a ghost hunting experience. It is a great way to introduce people to the field.

The host asked us to show up at 6:00pm. Unknown to us, this was the same time that the group was supposed to arrive, so there was no time to show us what we were supposed to do, or what his agenda contained. We had not hosted an evening at this house prior, so we were not familiar with his plans. Luckily the group was running late so we got a very short, very truncated explanation of what was expected of us. Poor planning on his part, but this alone is not a deal breaker by any means. Add to this other observations, however, and it made for a very interesting night…

I don’t think I mentioned that the host lives at the location, and it was a mess:

Large printers left on the table in the entrance to the house (just sitting there, no computer in sight…), cords all over the place, instead of put out of the way or in a closet.

A kitchen that had a very unpleasant odor coming from it even though the door was closed

We walked into the room used for “command central” to find:

Open and half eaten bags of chips, candy and licorice on the coffee table.

A large industrial trash can with no lid on it, and moldering with old trash.

Dirty footprints all over the carpet that didn’t look like it had been vacuumed in over a month.

Basic clutter and untidiness from someone who has been living there, but not picking up after themselves.

Now I know I said earlier that I don’t even need to have such amenities as an outhouse to be happy with my hunt. And I have hunted abandoned locations before, but in my opinion (and this piece is all about my personal opinion) there is a HUGE difference between dirtiness from abandonment/disrepair and dirtiness from being lived in by a slob. Peeling paint, vines growing through broken windows, glass and dirt on the exposed floors… not a problem! A location where someone just didn’t take the time to clean up after themselves, for what was obviously extended periods of time, is just plain disgusting. For me this is especially bad when the host cannot seem to take the time to clean up for his clients that have paid $80 a head to spend the night there.

This was just the beginning. When it came to the actual investigation it got even better. The host stayed around to do a tour then left us in charge to start the group on an investigation. Though there was no time planned to have myself and the other person get acquainted with what was expected of us, we trusted the host had prepared for the evening. We quickly found out that our trust was misplaced. There wasn’t any equipment designated for the group to use. And what we could scrounge up from around the room, we soon found to have dead batteries or none at all. Now I wasn’t hunting this night, but I did happen to have a couple of pieces of equipment on me. We were able to get a few things spread out among the group so that they could feel like they had SOME equipment to use.

In the mean time I took to digging around a house that isn’t mine in an attempt to find working equipment… with no luck. At the same time I am texting the host, unfortunately he was in an area with spotty cell service, and his answers back to me were rather ambiguous:

Text: Where do you keep your batteries? We need triple A’s.

Answer: In the drawer

Text: What drawer, where?

No answer

Needless to say, this was embarrassing. My friend and I are the two hosts this group is relating the service to, and if this were my house it would not be run in such a manor. But because I am filling in at this time, I am feeling responsible for the disorganization and unpreparedness that the host has left me and the other helper with.

Our issues became even more embarrassing when I started studying the agenda for the evening. A video vigil was fast approaching, and I knew that I had not seen any video camera’s when I was rooting around everywhere. The other helper and myself had no idea what we were supposed to do, and were trying to think of other options we could implement to keep this group occupied and having fun.

Well we were saved by the bell, my phone rang and it was time to pick up the host and bring him back! I went and got him, and asked him about the video vigil on the way back to the house. I got some clarification that made my heart drop into the pit of my stomach.

From midnight until 2am about 8 people were expected to crowd around a TV and watch a video feed trained on a toy rocking chair in another room of the house. Then for another two hours, from 2am to 4am the feed would be switched and they would watch a child’s bicycle in another room. BUT WAIT FOLKS THAT’S NOT ALL!!! Something nagging me in the back of my mind made me ask…

“Are those camera’s recording?” and the answer was no! So this group is expected to stare for 4 hours at a TV for nothing? If they see something there is no way to go back and examine, nor is there a way to take a copy of their new amazing evidence home with them! This person was in such a hurry to turn a profit that they had not even prepared with proper ghost hunting equipment before opening the place up for business. A seasoned paranormal investigator launched advertising saying he would take care of the inexperienced with an agenda and equipment when he didn’t even have what he needed to provide for that product. Call me crazy, but this doesn’t sound right.

Keep in mind that he is charging the same amount of money that a full night at Ft. Mifflin cost; and that is including all of the amenities that Ft. Mifflin provided. To be fair, this house was offering bags of chips and sodas… for $1.00 a piece.

Amenities aside, this house also doesn’t have the reputation that Ft. Mifflin has. Nor does it have the amount of evidence that the fort has to back it up. So you are paying a premium to hunt a home with no background to support the price charged. Granted, if the house really is haunted, it will gain that reputation. And it will have the evidence to back it up. But at this point in time, a new place that is basically un-tested? Are you getting the value from your dollar that you deserve? You decide.

We ghost hunters should not expect to get pampered like we do at Ft. Mifflin. But there are some things to look out for.

When booking the location:

Is the person running the location responsive? Returning your calls and e-mails in a timely manner?

How long has this location been in business? If they are a new location, this shouldn’t necessarily deter you. You may have found an untouched jewel, but if that location is trying to charge as much as well established places that have a reputation for their haunting, then you may want to think twice about this purchase.

Get details. This place said “video vigil” a term commonly used. But if there were details provided; “for our video vigil you will stare at a TV for 4 hours straight, but if you see something too bad! You will not be able to review it, and don’t even think about taking something with you to show your friends and family…” I think the clients mentioned above may have looked elsewhere for their weekend fun.

When you are at the location:

Is it clean? Now many locations are abandoned buildings so this question really needs to be in context… but you catch my drift.

If this is a lived in location: Does the location look like the person who lives there takes care of it?

Do they have it ready for his/her paying guests? Or does it look like you stepped into the world of the bachelor from hell… Complete with all of the smells to round out the experience?

Again, if you are a group that is asking for the agenda, and equipment to be provided:

Has the host taken the time to make sure the equipment you will be using is laid out for you and properly working? This is just disrespectful of the host not to even take the time to prepare the location for a group of paying guests. If this isn’t done, then obviously that host doesn’t think highly enough of you (who are taking the time to drive out there and pay money). You should ask for that money back and leave.

Why do I say this? Because I can guarantee you that the host meticulously takes care of, and maintains, their personal equipment. Making sure everything is charged, calibrated and loaded with fresh batteries before they go on their own ghost hunts. Why aren’t they giving you that same level of care? Look at the example I have given. There were 7 people paying $80 each to hunt the house over night. That is $560 for one night. The group arrived at 6:00pm. At no time prior to 6:00pm the host, who had several days advanced knowledge of this booking and what needed to be prepared, could not take a few minutes to lay out the items that would be needed for the night and give them a quick battery/charge test? I will venture to guess that I am not the only one that sees a problem with this.

I had another experience at Point Lookout Lighthouse down in Scotland MD. There were no drinks or snacks provided. Not even a working bathroom in the building (we had to go over to the public restrooms nearby). However, a group had worked out a deal with Parks and Recreation. They were allowed to open up the house and host nights of ghost hunting. They give a historical tour, and relay the stories of the paranormal that have occurred in the lighthouse. They then let you have run of the house until a certain time (per their contract with the Dept. of Parks and Rec.). When our time limit was up, we packed up our equipment, did a walk through with our hosts to make sure nothing was forgotten, and everything was put back in its place. Then we were sent on our merry way to go home and review our evidence.

What was so special about this place? Nothing! Except that I wasn’t jerked around by the host and I very definitely paid a reasonable price for the product I was given. Point Lookout is an unoccupied building so it was dirty, with falling plaster and dust, but that was okay because that is what comes with an unoccupied building. The hosts were very nice people, and they were very respectful of the wishes of Parks and Rec. They stayed extremely quiet in one of the rooms while we investigated the various parts of the house.

In reality, Point Lookout is the more common experience you will have in the ghost hunting field, and that is all that we can ask for.

So be careful out there! I have run across places I suspected weren’t haunted at all, but just a way for a struggling place to make some extra money. And I have run into calamities like the one listed above. But, just as often, I have hunted places that were exactly what they should have been, and I am happier for it. Just keep your eyes peeled. Just like any other retail operation, there are those out there who are not truthful, too lazy to provide a proper product, or just don’t care. Whatever the reason, it means you are not getting what you paid for.

Update to Feb 5 posting, Pro Measure EMF

2009-11-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post an update about my EMF detector. If you scroll down to that entry you will notice that one of my biggest complaints is that the back light on the instrument is so bright that it is blinding in a dark situation.

I went to a mechanic location who specializes is racing upgrades for cars. The owner was kind enough to just give me some window tinting film since my need was for such a small amount.

I applied it to my EMF detector and am happy to say that it worked like a dream! Unfortunately this actually opens another potential problem. In my efforts to learn more about this field I have found that ghost hunting strictly in the dark is actually more for the drama on the TV shows. If I use the EMF detector in normal light... well it is very hard to see the display now.

Now my next task is to decide weather it is more functional for me to deal with a very bright back light when in low light situations... or deal with the harder to see display when in lighted situations. Some use in real situations should help me make my choice.

I have another post ready to go... but I am having some technical difficulties so I may not have it online before the weekend. I have to bribe my husband to help me tomorrow to get it posted before the weekend... my husband doesn't bribe easy. But whining until he is annoyed with me may just work.

Until the next post; happy hunts!

Pro-Measure EMF Detector

2009-02-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

On January 31 - February 1 2009 I went on my first investigation of a private residence. The night was pretty uneventful, and I ended up primarily investigating one room in the basement. Right at the beginning of the night I had some interesting knocking, but following that there was nothing. We are still going over the video and digital recordings so I am not sure if anything else happened. If we find anything, and I am allowed by the home owner to share evidence, I will post it.

During this investigation I was able to use my new Pro-Measure EMF detector. Model Mel-8704. This EMF detector also has ambient temperature so you only have to carry one instrument instead of two.

Pro's:
1) I definitely feel that having two instruments in one is a great idea. As it is now I have been entertaining the thought of getting something like a fisherman's vest with a bunch of pockets to be able to carry several things at once.
2) The added plus about this EMF detector is that you can turn off the ambient temperature reader and the EMF detector starts working much faster because the unit is not performing two duties at once. You can keep the temperature off after getting your base readings. This affords you the ability to get fast readings while ghost hunting. When you start to see fluctuations you can turn the ambient temperature back on and see if you are getting interesting readings from two instruments at once.
4)I bought an upgraded model with a red LED light to help you see where you are going. This one LED light is substantially bright and does help you see a good 3 to 4 feet in front of you. This is better used to help you navigate when going completely dark during your investigations.
5) The unit itself has a "kickstand" to prop the instrument up on a table or other flat surface, but it also comes with a mini tripod to make the option of leaving the instrument stationary more versatile.
6) This EMF detector is calibrated for paranormal research, and comes with a one page "quick set" of instructions (in addition to the traditional manual) for your ghost hunting needs. I like to be able to file the manual and keep it safe, but having something to take with me until I get used to the instrument and all of it's features.
7) This Instrument is able to be calibrated online. Meaning you do not have to send it to a professional to do it for you. It comes with detailed instructions on how to do so.

Con's:
1) The back light is too much. The green back light on this unit is VERY bright! It hinders your field of vision if it is on while in the dark. The light is so bright that you just can't see beyond that little green rectangle you are holding in front of you. The good news is that you can turn it off. I did this, used and my red LED flash light to read the screen. I have the idea of getting some tinted film to put over the screen and see how that tones down the light, hopefully without making the numbers un-readable. I will have to update you on this to let you know if it is a good solution.
2) I did mention that the LED light is a pro in my review. The con is that I purchased this product through www.theghosthunterstore.com, and I paid and extra $26 for the built in flashlight. I do like the feature, but it was hardly worth an extra $26.

As you can see, the pro's far outweigh the con's. And I put this on my list as a good investment. I look forward to using this EMF detector on many more investigations to come. Stay Tuned for my next installments...

Equipment Review:

Daylight Infrared Photograph

Book Review:

The Ghost Hunter's Handbook - The Essential How-To Guide for Conducting Paranormal Investigations by, Troy Taylor
Ghost Research 101 - Investigating Haunted Homes by, Dave Juliano
The Art Of Ghost Hunting - 2nd Edition by, Jaeson K. Jrakman

If you have any suggestions of equipment or books for my review please leave a comment, or contact me at MariHuntingHaunts@gmail.com.

Welcome to my Blog!

2009-01-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome!
This is the first official post of my blog, Ghost Hunting - experiences and reviews.

It is my intention to use this blog to talk about my experiences while ghost hunting. In addition, ghost hunting affords me the opportunity to test equipment as well as different processes used in ghost hunting. I intend to offer my opinions and reviews of the equipment/processes in ghost hunting.

This Saturday I will be conducting my first investigation of a private residence. This blog will also chronicle my experiences as a young ghost hunter learning the art of controlled investigations within a paranormal investigation group.

So!!! In Summary, this blog is to:
- Chronicle my investigations, and the experiences I have.
- Offer my reviews of equipment and processes used during those investigations.
- Follow my education and experience gained as I officially dive into the world of Ghost Hunting.

A little about myself:
My name is Mari Bushway. I own a business and live in Northern Virginia, and I Ghost Hunt with a group out of near by Frederick Maryland. I have always been interested in the paranormal since I was a child; I think most every child liked to read the scary books and sneak a watch at a scary movie when they are not allowed to. Growing up I always preferred the suspense and thriller genre to any other in my movies, television and books.

As I am sure many of you are, I became a fast fan of Ghost Hunters. It was this show that started my interest in Ghost Hunting myself. I have never had a paranormal experience myself, but I am not a true skeptic. I am very open to the idea of paranormal activity. So instead of being a "couch analyst" I decided that I wanted to see for myself. Luckily I recently met a new friend, and one weekend while a bunch of us were camping I found out that his stepfather founded a paranormal investigation group. I quickly got Rod's information and contacted him. We met for a daytime investigation at Antietam Battlefield, I was invited to join Hunting Haunts, and soon became the case manager for our group.

www.huntinghaunts.com

This is where my blog, and my journey, begins!