Published: March 31, 2006 05:47 am      

Ghost Trackers look for paranormal

Even without the eerie blue light illuminating the room, the night would have been creepy as they waited for a sign from any of the ghosts believed to haunt this month’s hunt location.

A noise, shadow or unexplained breeze, while not constituting official evidence, all stand as clues to paranormal activity, according to the growing number of members of the Kokomo/Tipton chapter of the Indiana Ghost Trackers.

The monthly hunts are shrouded in secrecy. Members are entrusted to keep the hunt locations to themselves.

This particular one was centered in an old building steeped in history.

The building’s long history, as well as several storied tragic events, drew more than a dozen Ghost Trackers.

They come from all walks of life, but share one thing — a curiosity about the paranormal.

Pat Shuck, director of the local chapter, said even though he has yet to collect official evidence documenting spirit activity, personal experiences have taught him better.

Shuck said that several years back, while working at a grave site for a monument company, he was approached by a man.

When he turned to face the man, no one was there.

He said he knew he had not imagined it.

“I actually even saw him in the mirror in the flatbed truck I was in,” Shuck said.

Like Shuck, each member has a unique story.

Shuck says not all members of Ghost Trackers necessarily have the same beliefs, other than the existence of energy.

Some are “sensitive,” meaning they are able to sense the presence of spirits in some way.

Shuck says he is not particularly sensitive, but fellow Ghost Tracker Valerie Wilbur has honed her senses over the years.

Wilbur, a member of the Lafayette chapter and former regional director of Indiana Ghost Trackers, said she is able to sense some spirits by almost hearing them.

She even is receptive to the paranormal when in the restroom, and made sure to snap a digital photo after sensing the presence of a female spirit — just in case.

Although Wilbur said the spirit was a little confused at the presence of the group of men and women in the restroom, the explanation is quite simple.

“Spirits love bathrooms,” Wilbur said.

Many group members know how to draw in ghosts with a little small talk.

Wilbur said spirits are interested in conversation anyone would be drawn into.

“Sometimes telling jokes gets great response,” she said.

She noted some spirits don’t realize they are no longer living, so they steer clear of death-related questions.

“We’re very careful about what we tell them,” Wilbur said.

In addition to monthly ghost hunts, the group responds to serious inquiries to probe private homes and businesses for paranormal activity.

The investigations are serious business.

A small group of ghost trackers will work, typically in silence, to provide scientific evidence of the existence of energies.

Wilbur said those requesting investigations run the gamut from spiritual believers to those who are so embarrassed they feel they need to whisper.

“It’s like one of those dirty little secrets,” she said.

The group uses detection equipment, including voice recorders, to track electronic voice phenomena (EVP), electro-magnetic field sensors and digital and film cameras.

Feelings and intuition are used in investigations, but never used as evidence, Shuck said.

“We don’t use sensitives to prove or disprove anything,” he said.

Further, Wilbur said, most cases are taken whether or not individual members believe there may be a presence.

“We don’t turn down anything because we do or don’t feel anything,” she said.

Modern EVP equipment used during an investigation also is able to analyze voices from the recording against all members participating, to ensure quality of results.

It’s OK when an investigation yields no hard evidence, Wilbur says, because the real fun of being a ghost tracker is knowing the reason everyone just felt a cool breeze in the bathroom.