Ghost Trackers look for paranormal
By AMBER RIGGIN
Tribune staff writer
3/31/06

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.