THE HAUNTING OF MOUNT WASHINGTON 
Huge and haunted, with hallways and corridors that sprawl on and on, the Mount Washington hotel (which is actually a resort) is nestled quietly among great white-capped mountains in New Hampshire; the landscape is poetry for the eyes. Arriving after a long road trip and lots of audio books, Kevin and I took a few hours to settle in and 'drink in' the majesty of the giant old hotel.
I knew the Mount Washington hotel was haunted, but I didn't realize it was mega-haunted. And since I'm not afraid of ghosts, this was my cuppa tea. In fact, the more ghost interaction I can find, the happier I am; conversing with, hearing, feeling or seeing persons or other beings from overlapping/alternate dimensions is magnificent in my books. But, more about this soon.
The TAPS team investigated Mount Washington in 2008, the first paranormal investigative team for Mount Washington. They'd captured some clear and compelling EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) of the ghost of Princess Carolyn Stickney. You can check out their EVP captured, as well as learn a little about the hotel itself through this Youtube video.
The hotel is very off-the-beaten-track with very little around regarding cafes and shops, but Kevin and I discovered a little vegetarian cafe about 15 minutes from the hotel that offered wraps, soups -- complete yumminess. So we took daily trips there whenever it was time to find sustenance. (Certainly no offense to the lovely hotel itself, but 6.50 for a half a grapefruit!? You get the picture.)
It was fun meeting up with people; seeing Grant and Jason again, Grant's wife Reanna, the very funny Mike Brody, Amy Bruni and her beau Grasso, Scotty Roberts, Michael and Marti Parry, Britt Griffith, Kristyn Gartland, Loren Coleman (who is one of the world's leading Cryptozoologists) and many more dear paranormal peeps.
We were there for the first weekend with a vendors table (and that went very well I might add, even for the few people that were there for this first weekend event) where I had my tarot decks, prints, etc for sale.
One of the things I began to notice was that that whenever I laughed at one of Mike Brody's jokes, I seriously thought I was going to faint. Seemed I just couldn't get enough oxygen at first when at Mount Washington, where the elevation is 6,288 feet. This matches the highest elevation found in Tennessee, but Chattanooga is in a valley and the elevation is 685 feet. Mount Washington took a little bit of climatizing, and I felt like I needed an oxygen mask for the first day, almost feeling like I was going to pass out several times on Saturday, but I finally recovered.
 Saturday night: investigation (which means *all* night investigation): The Cave is a bar/speakeasy in the basement of the hotel. This was when things were really starting to happen. Of course, all areas being investigated were blocked off to the general public, so the bar was empty besides those of us who were silently hunting the paranormal -- in the dark, in the night -- on the lookout for things that go bump. In the dark. In the night.
We invesigated with Jason and Grant at this point (in The Cave) using a device called the K2 meter. This is a type of Electromagnetic Field (EMF) detector. An EMF detector locates and tracks energy sources, picking up fluctuations in surrounding electromagnetic fields. Since spirits are made of energy, it's thought that when an entity is present, it disrupts this electromagnetic field, causing the lights of the K2 device to 'set off'. Grant Wilson explains it best as follows: "The K2 meter measures magnetic fields, and it's been specially calibrated for paranormal investigations. The theory behind the K2 meter is that if there's a spirit in the area, the K2 meter will pick up its magnetic field. You can then train the spirits, supposedly, to intensify its magnetic field, therefore lighting up the lights on the meter."
A few people brought their K2 meters and had them set out on the tables or the floor. Each one of us, though relatively few of us, were as quiet as a mouse, waiting patiently... patiently... for contact at the midnight hour. By the time Kevin and I arrived at The Cave, Jason, Grant and the gang had already established contact with a ghost who was setting off one K2 meter on cue to questions being asked. The lights activated meaning yes, and lights unactivated meaning no.
"Are you a female?" No answer. "Are you a male?" The lights activate for yes.
They ask the question again, and result with the same answer: to verify.
We continue onward, asking yes or no questions only. "Is it the 1950? Is it the 1960s? Is it the 1970s?... and onward, with no lights being activated, signifying a no answer. "Is it 2009?" someone asked. The lights were activated immediately, signifying a solid yes. We established that the ghost is aware of the passing of time. They asked the same questions again to verify, and got the same results, which reinforces that there is indeed intelligent contact and interaction. The yes/no questions continued until it was established that we were in contact with a single 19-year old man from New Hampshire, who died in 1958.
Grant asked the ghost if he could touch the hand of a female in the room in order to 'prove' he is there. A minute or two after this request, a woman sitting near same K2 meter began to feel a very strong sensation of prickles on her hand, and a heaviness in her chest which affected her breathing, accompanied by lightheadedness. She explained it as though someone was 'using her energy.' It was apparent that she was startled by this, and I later found out after having talked to her that she'd never experienced such a thing before. She seemed to be growing a bit frightened by the episode as it happened. After the feeling left her, Grant proceeded to ask the ghost to touch the hand of another female in the room. And who might you guess this gentleman ghost chose? Two or three minutes passed, and I felt warm prickles in my right hand, running up my arm, until my entire arm was charged with an electrical current. I may have been an easy target for the ghost since I wasn't far from the K2 meter either, and I was standing. I felt this electrical pusle a little on my right leg, too. A very warm electrical current. It felt like the ghost was standing right next to me, holding my arm, standing right up against me. Astounded, I told everyone what was happening as it happened.
"Squeeze her hand harder, let her know you're there," asked Grant. After he requested this, I felt a stronger 'squeeze' on my hand, and an even more noticeable but painless needles/prickles pulse. A surge of a tingle. It really did feel like someone was squeezing my hand, but instead of flesh and bone, I felt a strong pressure of tiny electrical spikes. Standing there, amused and fascinated, I suddenly felt that my arm was being gently directed; pulled.
"I think he wants to guide me to the right," I said.
"Let him guide you," urged Grant.
It was a magnetic pull -- impossible to ignore -- and I was being slowly lead toward the right, toward the stairs that brought me to a set of doors. I tell you I'm not afriad of ghosts, but I was startled by this consistency and obviousness of ghostly presence, and I began to feel lightheaded -- yet not anything like the climatizing I was going through earlier with the high elevation. Perhaps it was similar to how the other woman felt awhile before. The ghost 'held' tight, and with the tingly and gentle electric hand in mine, I was lead up to the doors. I opened the door and stepped in just a little; into what looked like a cold storage room. A bit confused as to why the ghost wanted to go into a storage room, I lifted my arm and it felt like the warm electrical current and smooth magnetic pressure slipped off my arm like a glove on the most part. I let the door close, but didn't go in.
After I sat down, Kevin wrapped his arms around my shoulders to relax me, and Grant and Jason attempted contact with the ghost again. Nothing was happening. They joked that he just wanted to be let out. But I had a feeling he'd be back. He was probably out there in the storage room walking around wondering, "Hey, where'd she go?" He probably just decided to go somewhere else for awhile.
After about 5 minutes or more of waiting for something else to happen, (it was apparent we lost contact with the ghost after I 'let him out') the K2 meter lights started activiating again. Because of the way the lights were going on, we figured it wasn't the same ghost. Instead of responding to questions, there seemed to be a ghost who was 'playing' with the meter lights, setting off the lights in a sequence of 7-3-3-13 over and over again. This happened at least 10 times until Grant figured out that it *may* be Mary Had a Little Lamb.
I couldn't sleep all night. Not from any sort of fright; quite the contrary. My arm still felt charged from the ghostly contact. Seems some of the ghost's energy remained with me, and I felt that energy -- like an electric current -- for 3 days afterwards. It kept me wired! Maybe like being on a constant coffee kick. Make that espresso. Triple espresso. I may bot feel the electrical charge as I write this, but I won't forget it.
Sunday night investigation: back to The Cave. "Is anyone there?" asks Jason. Suddenly, the door behind us makes an abrupt and loud 'banging' sound. Yet it hadn't been opened or closed. A few people investigate the area and find no reason for the sounding of the door. I heard it very clearly since we were right at the back, not terribly far from the door, and no one was behind us. I began to sense the presence of something sitting in the dark behind us.
We soon established contact again with the same ghost who guided me through the door the night before. I was glad to see he was back. I was also glad to see they got a name the night before, sometime after Kevin and I had left the last session: Shaun. You can do this with the K2 meter by going through the alphabet, and allowing a response when you hit the 'right' letter, in this case S. Names can be guessd until the entity answers 'yes' to the correct name. And again, this can be verified by asking the same question over again, inserting random questions inbetween. If the entity answers the same question as they have, there's evidence of contact right there.
The ghost, Shaun, was interactive and friendly. "Does it bother you that we're here?" someone asks. No answer, signifying no.
"Do you like that we're here?" Lights activate for yes. Questions are continued to be asked patiently, one at a time, allowing ample time for Shaun to respond.
I'd brought my K2 this time, and had it sitting on our table. There were about 5 or 6 K2s in the room this night, and a guests's K2 was being set off by Shaun this time; a different K2 than the one previously set off the night before. We could tell 'something' was perhaps walking around our K2 because it would set off now and again randomly. The ghosts would use whichever K2 they felt like using, and they did move around to the other K2s now and then. Before Kevin and I got the The Cave that night, it had been established that Shaun fancied a 17 year old girl sitting in the room. Grant asked ghostly Shaun to touch her hand, but he didn't.
A few minutes later someone asks, "Are you still here, Shaun?" The K2 goes off in a yes response.
"What you you doing by the K2, Shaun? You're supposed to be over by the girl so you can touch her hand," said Jason. "She doesn't mind. Tell him it's okay."
"It's fine, come on over and hold my hand," said the girl, shy and nervous.
No response.
Someone steps forward and asks Shaun if it makes him sad that he cannot be with a girl who is living. The K2 meter lights activate strongly to answer yes, for a long moment. This really seemed to strike a chord with Shaun. Happy to be understood, I'm sure.
"Do you get lonely?" someone asks. Lights activate for yes.
"Why do you stay here; is it because you like it here?" Lights turn on for yes. I will add that it was previously communicated that Shaun didn't actually die at the hotel; he died in a winter roofing accident somewhere in New Hampshire, but returned to the hotel because he used to work there and liked the place very much. Also keep in mind; all response are on cue, as with any conversation. After all, ghosts are people. Perhaps lacking the physical qualities we're used to, but all the same, they love conversation, too.
Kevin asked Shaun if he sees us in colour (referring to our human bodies or auras). There's a slightly delayed yes response, which we felt may mean 'sort of.' Kevin then asks, "do you see in colour?" And this question receives an immediate and strong yes answer. We would have loved to extend this topic of conversation with Shaun, but additional questions were being asked, and we lost contact with Shaun sooner than hoped.
Several more interesting question pertaining to the other ghosts in the hotel were asked of Shaun before he disappeared again, who as usual responded with friendly enthusiasm. Shaun seemed excited to be asked about the other hotel ghosts, who appeared to be in need of assistance because they're confused. It's possible he went to the other ghosts, wherever in the hotel they were at the time. Perhaps in the attic towers, where we investigated earlier. We lost contact with Shaun. I heard me may have returned later that night, into the wee hours of the morning. I wasn't there to witness that.
It was also established that there were 5 ghosts present in The Cave. 3 different personalities were witnessed using the K2 meter over the course of the two nights, another being a 7 year old who was responsible for the Mary Had a Little Lamb K2 meter light show. The same child ghost played with the K2 meter in the same fashion on this night, dislaying a sequence of lights to mimic another song, but we couldn't figure which song it could have been this time. It was similar to Mary Had a Little Lamb, though.
I still feel remnants of Shaun's positive energy. Keeping me wired. Curious. Inspired. Awake in the magic. It's important to also add (as Shaun himself answered with the usual yes and no) he's not 'trapped' on earth; it is by his will alone that he's here. I sense he's here mainly to attempt to help the other ghosts who are trapped by confusion and fear, but in the meantime he appreciates the attention and does get lonely, understandably so. Shaun has the freedom to move around where he chooses and is not earthbound. He's aware of the year, of those of us trying to contact him, of his physical death, and the fact he died such a long time ago; and he's a most pleasant being to be around.
Would I return to Mount Washington to investigate? In a heartbeat. Do I hope to make contact with Shaun yet again? Absolutely. Believe me, it's worth the no-sleep-for-4-days. Cheers to Shaun and all the other ghosts whose names we may not have gotten... yet.
* * *
 New piece: 'Maison de Thé'. I worked on it partly while at Mount Washington. And yes, Virginia, the original is available.
I'm working on a couple of new Alice in Wonderland inspired pieces, and other 'goodies'. :oD
Purrs,
- Paulina
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ulaluma's journal
SNEAK-PEEK: A long-way yet to go on this, but here's a rare teaser of a few completed cards from my second tarot deck in-the-works, 
