HOPPS Ghost Hunters

Did you ever go ghost hunting and get pictures with strange colored eyes way back in the darkest areas of your flash pictures? I have seen eyeshine (basically the colors reflected from the eye) in many pictures groups have taken --some thinking they might be ghostly eyes. I haven't seen the eyes of a ghost up close and personal (if they even have eyes), but I have seen many eyes in the dark that may be hard to identify if you don't know what colors different animal's eyes reflect. I put together this chart to help in that matter. I got this from many web sources and did some research only to find there is not an all inclusive list to be had anywhere. Keep in mind, these are observed and reported colors of "eyeshine", and there may be many more associated with these animals. This is basically just a crutch to help you identify possible sources of your "glowing eye" pictures. Notice, red eyes seem to be mostly rodents and predators. I hope ghosts aren't predators for all our sake.

Type of Animal/ Insect       Eyeshine Color

Alligator                                  Red, red-orange

Bear                                        Orange (amber)

Bullfrog                                   Green

Cats                                        Green

Cats with blue eyes             Red

Cows                                      Yellow

Coyote                                    Green or Blue

Dog                                         Blue (rare), Green, Yellow

Fish                                        white

Flying Squirrel                      Reddish-Orange

Fox                                          Bright  White, blue, green

Great Horned Owl/most other owls             Red

Horses                                  White, bluish

Opossum                              Dull Orange

Porcupine                              Deep Red

Rabbits                                  Red

Racoon                                  Bright Yellow, whiteish green

Rats (and most other rodents)      Orange or Red

Sheep                                    Orange

Skunk                                     Amber

Spiders                                  Silver or White

White-tailed deer                 Greenish-White, silver, white

Woodcock                             Glowing Red Dots

Seems like a long time since we got called to do anything.  The quiet has finally broken and the team will have at least two cases this month.  One, we already visited back in August, but activity has increased since the passing of the client's friend in Nov.  This is the home we got the little girls voice in saying "Mom, I love you", so it should be interesting to see how much more we can get on the return visit. 

The second case is in the Muncy area with some reports of people falling (possibly pushed) down some stairs.  It wouldn't be unusual except it's happened 4 times recently and one of the client's daughters does not feel comfortable in the home.  Apparently there is more to this story as we've already researched some of the history of the home and may have an idea who is haunting it and why.  The client's dogs seem to react to something unseen in the home as well, so we'll pay particular attention to that as an indicator of where to start. 

This past week Spectrum Magazine contacted the team for an interview, with us slated to have a group picture taken this weekend.  We were also contacted by a television show (I won't say which at this point) to see if we might have some footage or a case we can discuss with them to show on TV.  It would be wonderful to have exposure for the team, but as the producer and I discussed via email, our investigations come first and if what we have doesn't fit the bill, we may or may not be able to accomodate them.  Simply put, we're not putting on a show, what we do is real and for the right reasons.

Lastly, we may be taking another trip to Alvira soon.  Another group I keep in contact with has had some strange EVPs and pictures taken there the past few weeks.  We have a bit more equipment, so perhaps we can pick up a little more.  We also have Miranda, and she can research things as quickly as if she anticipated the request.  I'm still stunned at her thoroughness, and count her as one of our most valuable assets. Every team needs someone like her to do the footwork, and she knows exactly how to get the information.  Good work on the upcoming case Miranda!

That's the latest!  Check back after Feb 20th to see if we've found anything.  Thanks for looking!  And, let us know if anyone has any ideas of places for us to go  --we're always looking.

I'm sure you all check the website occasionally for any new postings, pictures, EVPs, etc and often leave the site feeling like we're not doing anything because there isn't anything new.  There are several reasons for this.  Number one is we haven't had any calls in a while.  I have some leads, but the Holidays are on people's minds, not ghosts.  Secondly, we simply don't find anything at most sites.  We get an occasional noise that we can't explain readily, but often if we check it out well it will turn out to be nothing we can't duplicate.  Simply put, it's not that common to catch things on video and audio.  It's even rarer to catch anything with still photography, given the nature of the digital camera filling in missing info with blank pixels (a lot of your "orbs").  So, if you leave disappointed it's because we're really doing our job by investigating and disproving much of the material we get which could have other explanations.  Hang in there, I'm sure we'll get more to share, it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and giving you something to really ponder --not all about hyping up our site just to get visitors and recognition.

                                                                     --John

If you don't believe you can be harmed while doing parnormal research, I'd like you to watch this video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsOIUKVhAKg .  This is supposed to be a real event, with actual footage.  I can't vouch for the veracity of the information, but it gives you something to think about.  NEVER ghost hunt alone!

We're planning to go to the town of Ricketts at Ricketts Glen State Park (Just off Rt 118 between Red Rock and Lopez, Pa. on Nov 7th (Sat.) around 8 pm.

This abandoned town has a history of tragedy, ranging from a logger who was killed by a falling branch while his brother was teaching him the business (nothing has grown around the tree for almost 100 years), to the 1880's tragedy of the little boy who fell through thin ice on the lake, only to have his parents both succomb to a like fate while trying to rescue him. Many stories were related to us by one of the park rangers in the spring, but at the time the area was too full of people for a proper investigation. Now we're going back and taking anyone who wants to join us and get the experience of ghost hunting first hand.

We'll bring 4 portable camcorders, a few voice recorders and some EMF meters to conduct the investigation and give you the opportunity to get some hands on experience with the equipment.

I would image it will get cold, so bundle up, or at least be prepared for some lower 30's temperatures. The actual area we will be in is about 1/2 mile from any roads that are accessible by vehicle, so make sure you wear appropriate footware and that it can withstand possible wet weather. If it's projected to rain that evening we won't be going until Novermber sometime. If it rains earlier in the day and clears up by noon or so, we'll be going. My concern is for the equipment as the cameras and detectors are not waterproof, as well as someone getting sick from being out in the weather.

If you're already feeling sick or just starting out with symptoms, please don't come...I promise we'll be going back again and my concern is for everyone's health.

Let's meet at the main office on Rt 487 around 7:30 -8:00. We'll drive about 3 miles from there to the actual site of the town where you can expect to see the remains of the foundations from the homes that existed there until the early 1900's. We know the location of the old company store, one of the larger sawmills, the exact location of the tree where the man lost his brother to an accident, the old cabin location of the family who drowned back in the 1880's, and some of the homes.

If you need directions from your location, take a look at this website.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateParks/parks/rickettsglen/rickettsglen_directions.pdf

There will probably be 20-30 people there, so bring whatever equipment you have, flashlights (small is good), cameras, recorders, etc. and we'll see what we can find. Don't bring food with you on the short hikes (leave it in your car), as there are wild animals in the area and we don't want to attract them to us.

There is limited cell phone service in the area, so don't expect to call if you get lost. Hopefully the map is easy enough to understand. If not, email me and I can probably give you some better directions.

See you there!

Regards,

John

HOPPS

I just checked the weather up there and it won't be good for tomorrow.  Possibly 2-4 inches of snow, slick roads and cold.  The roads up there are winding, with some long hills to climb and I don't want to risk anyone having an accident on the way, so we're cancelling.  We will try again on Nov 7th, weather permitting, and I will post here and email members about a week to 10 days out so we all know what's going on.

Sorry folks, I was looking forward to this since June.  Obviously there's either too much foliage, or bad weather working against since we were told about the happenings up there.  We'll get there sooner or later, but better safe than sorry.

John

Our group did an investigation of Allison's grave last night, with the permission of the landowner.  According to her, we are the first to ever ask permission and perhaps why she didn't let the Doberman out to chase us away during the investigation.  First of all, the graveyard is on private property.  Second, it's very small -perhaps 90x120 ft.  Third, it appears this "Allison" story may be in error.  The marker which everyone claims to be Allison's is actually a family plot marker for the last name Allison.  There is no full name, date of birth or date of death on the rather large stone (which also lends us to believe it is a family marker, not an individual one).  Also, in all the writings on the internet, there seems to be something missing that is very important to an investigation - First and last name.  If Allison was her last name, then where the heck is she and what was her first name?  The landowner has more problems with kids partying and vandalizing the place than anything else.  She never even heard of any hauntings in the graveyard according to our researcher (Carl) and his contact with the owner.  I'm still doing analysis, but can tell you this is a most peaceful cemetery if you're intelligent and look at everything for what it really is.  I even took my worst vehicle, the one with transmission problems, in hopes that the rumor of car problems would rear it's ugly head and the transmission would fail.  It didn't even slip once going up the hill to the owner's house, and worked perfectly on the trip home as well.  Well, so much for that rumor.  We heard one strange noise all night and of course we were all startled.  My belief and Chris' belief is it was probably a buck snorting in the woods nearby (afterall, it is the beginning of rutting season).  As far as anything in the cemetery itself, nothing to note so far, but keep posted as analysis should be done of the video, audio and pictures by this Friday.  Worst thing about the cemetery, it was damp and cold last night.  More to follow.........

Hi folks, I just wanted to give you an update on an offical function we've been invited to present at the Muncy Library on Oct 20th, at 7 pm. 

We will be giving the presentation at the invitation of the Muncy Public Library as part of their annual fall agenda.  We will explain much of what's already on the website, and show many of the same postings we've left here in addition to telling actual encounters we've experienced and how they came about.  Some photos we will show are not on the website but the story behind them is interesting.  After our brief talk we will conduct a question and answer session and allow some hands on experience with the various equipment we use in the field. 

They have limited seating (if it fills up we may ask them if we can come back a second time), and you need to pre-register to get in.  There is no fee to sign up, but please be sure you'll be attending so they can get those who want to be there into the event.

Their phone number is 570-546-5014, and they're located at 108 South Main St. in Muncy, Pa.  For more information please contact them directly as we have no say in the registration quota or order of preference.

Thanks for all the support!

John H.

We're planning to go to the town of Ricketts at Ricketts Glen State Park (Just off Rt 118 between Red Rock and Lopez, Pa. on Oct 17th (Sat.) around 8 pm.

This abandoned town has a history of tragedy, ranging from a logger who was killed by a falling branch while his brother was teaching him the business (nothing has grown around the tree for almost 100 years), to the 1880's tragedy of the little boy who fell through thin ice on the lake, only to have his parents both succomb to a like fate while trying to rescue him. Many stories were related to us by one of the park rangers in the spring, but at the time the area was too full of people for a proper investigation. Now we're going back and taking anyone who wants to join us and get the experience of ghost hunting first hand.

We'll bring 4 portable camcorders, a few voice recorders and some EMF meters to conduct the investigation and give you the opportunity to get some hands on experience with the equipment.

I would image it will get cold, so bundle up, or at least be prepared for some lower 30's temperatures. The actual area we will be in is about 1/2 mile from any roads that are accessible by vehicle, so make sure you wear appropriate footware and that it can withstand possible wet weather. If it's projected to rain that evening we won't be going until Novermber sometime. If it rains earlier in the day and clears up by noon or so, we'll be going. My concern is for the equipment as the cameras and detectors are not waterproof, as well as someone getting sick from being out in the weather.

If you're already feeling sick or just starting out with symptoms, please don't come...I promise we'll be going back again and my concern is for everyone's health.

Let's meet at the main office on Rt 487 around 7:30 -8:00. We'll drive about 3 miles from there to the actual site of the town where you can expect to see the remains of the foundations from the homes that existed there until the early 1900's. We know the location of the old company store, one of the larger sawmills, the exact location of the tree where the man lost his brother to an accident, the old cabin location of the family who drowned back in the 1880's, and some of the homes.

If you need directions from your location, take a look at this website.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateParks/parks/rickettsglen/rickettsglen_directions.pdf

There will probably be 10-20 people there, so bring whatever equipment you have, flashlights (small is good), cameras, recorders, etc. and we'll see what we can find. Don't bring food with you on the short hikes (leave it in your car), as there are wild animals in the area and we don't want to attract them to us.

There is limited cell phone service in the area, so don't expect to call if you get lost. Hopefully the map is easy enough to understand. If not, email me and I can probably give you some better directions.

See you there!

Regards,

John

HOPPS

I just saw my first episode of "Ghost Whisperer" on TV tonight, and no, we don't do that to the best of my knowledge.  This is exactly the reason I avoid television shows in the first place.  My TV time is limited to about 10 hrs a week, and only when I catch something do I watch it.  I don't have set shows that I have to see, and will never become subject to that type of scheduling.  It's TV for crying out loud.  I'm sure if you watched T.A.P.S Ghosthunters in real time and saw how much boredom is involved, most people wouldn't be interested.  I'm sure much of the bad stuff is edited out as well, because people just can't comprehend and cope with some of the things that can happen and are seen.  If it's a hobby to do this, then be mindful of the nightmares that can follow......and they do.  --My own opinion    --J. Herr