HOPPS Ghost Hunters

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