by Chad Alan

 

"Camp Fear"

 

Camp Rutledge- Rutledge, Georgia

 

Yes, TAPS co-founder Grant Wilson is gone, but the rest of the team have bills to pay and we all love ghosts, so everybody wins as season 8 continues where it left off last May.  First stop is Camp Rutledge, where many different types of paranormal activity have been reported over the years.  A ghost who looks like he drowned is seen roaming the grounds of the camp.  It just so happens that many campers have drowned in the past.  Wet footsteps have been seen on the wooden floors of cabins where no one had been walking.  Shadow figures, ghost children playing with a ball, an apparition of a young boy, and red eyes that seem to come out of the darkness, are common reports among those running the camp and from those who have stayed at the camp.  Melissa Trotter is a mother who is terrified to have her daughter spend the summer at the camp and she is hoping that TAPS can ease her fears.   

 

The camp seems dead, no birds or animals seem to be around.  If Camp Rutledge has a negative vibe, animals would be the first to know it as they simply have that ability.  The camp itself is out in the middle of nowhere and very plane with basic log cabins and plenty of surrounding darkness. The team believes that "Elemental Spirits" could be one reason for the paranormal activity.  Another term for "Elemental Spirits" would be "Nature Spirits" and maybe best described as spirits or energy that feed off a particular area or piece of land.  TAPS co-founder Jason Hawes did experience seeing some eyes in the darkness and they were able to catch it on tape.  There were more than a few times where lights came out of the darkness and caught the attention of their cameras.  They did catch an interesting EVP that seemed to say "Trust Me" right around the area where some of the strange lights were caught.  There were plenty of scary moments caused by bugs but not much else.  The team concluded that although there was some paranormal activity at the camp, they did not believe it meant any harm to the campers.

 

Leverette Home - Marion, North Carolina

 

A mother has been witnessing many terrifying moments, all surrounding her young daughter named Sophie.  The Leverette's live in a freshly built modern cabin like structure and did not start experiencing any paranormal activity until about a year after Sophie was born.  Children seem to have the ability to see and communicate with spirits when they become old enough to understand what is going on.  Who the spirit actually is usually determines their comfort level.  The spirit that Sophie was dealing with was not another playmate but what seemed to be an older man who would pick her off of her bed and sometimes drag her under the bed.  Mrs. Leverette witnessed her baby being levitated from her crib on more than one occasion and, once her daughter was old enough, she would run from her room and point to a spot in her room where the "man" was standing.  What Mrs. Leverette did mention was that a lot of this activity occurred after she had brought an antique dresser into her daughters' room.  This dresser belonged to her step dad who had passed away.  It has been said that objects do seem to retain the spirits that once owned them and if you bring some type of old antique item into your home, you may also be bringing in a spirit.  Hey, I didn't make up these rules, I'm just reporting them. Avoid garage sales; just go to Target, okay? 

 

Jason and Amy Bruni had a long EVP session in the house and did seem to be getting responses to their questions, by knocks or whispers, followed by footsteps.  As Amy sat in Sophie's room, a man's voice and footsteps kept her attention.  Later, Jason believed he saw somebody in one of the bedrooms on their video camera.  Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango both checked the room to find nobody.  The team caught the footsteps on their audio recorder, as well as, some mumbling voices that were heard multiple times during the night and also reported by the home owners.  One excellent EVP that they caught was a man's voice saying "I don't mean to scare Sophie." Jason had actually heard this voice during the investigation and Mrs. Leverette did seem to believe it sounded like her deceased step dad.  TAPS seemed to believe it was the step dad of Mrs. Leverette and was only trying to communicate and meant no harm to the family. 

 

While away from covering Ghost Hunters, I took the time to read a couple of very interesting books about ghosts.  One is called "Ghosts Among Us" by James Van Praagh and another called "When Ghosts Speak" by Mary Ann Winkowski.  Maybe I'll do a book report later on but here is my quick review.  If either James Van Praagh or Mary Ann Winkowski sounds familiar to you then you might be a big fan of the show Ghost Whisperer with Jennifer Love Hewitt.  This show is based on people like James and Mary Ann who truly believe that they can see and communicate with spirits of people who have passed on.  Mary Ann is able to help these lost souls into the light so they can finally detach themselves from the physical earth.  If you have questions about the afterlife, read these two books, and decide for yourself.  What I wonder is, "Why doesn't the Ghost Hunters show add a medium to the team?"  I'm guessing it doesn't provide enough entertainment.  Maybe they think people like Mary Ann and James are crazy.  I can tell you that Mary Ann and James don't think much of these "ghost hunting" shows.  It's minor league baseball to them.  Ghost Hunters has always been about TAPS trying to help people either figure out why their being haunted or get rid of the ghost all together.  K2 meters are cool and who doesn't love a message from some white noise, but these items can't help their clients with their problems.

 

Ghost Hunters airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Syfy. 

 

Check out the archive of past show recaps here!

 

(Image courtesy of Syfy)

 

Contact Chad Alan at [email protected]