THE TRAIL

HauntedTrail OfHorror

Times photo/Dan RobinsonChecking the readingsSandy Ayers (left) of Ghostec looks at the lights on a K-2 meter as landowner Wanda Conrad holds it. The flashing lights indicate an energy source present in the woods of the Haunted Trail of Terror. Ayers... believes the energy is coming from the spirit world. Haunted trail may have real spirit By DAN ROBINSON
Times staff writer Each fall, Wanda Conrad sets up scary displays and hires actors to transform the field and woods next to her home into The Haunted Trail of Horror. Halloween thrill-seekers travel about seven miles west of Kenton to be scared into the spirit of the season.
But the spirits may not all be actors.
Two years ago, Conrad took photos of some of the displays and found some unexpected subjects in the pictures.
"There was a mist form in one of the pictures,"said actor William Adams. "Then in the picture taken right after that, it was gone.”
Conrad said there were unexplained images in other pictures she took, but there was never any feeling of "haunting spirits.”
"I was picking up things in pictures,' said Conrad.
But Adams sent the unexplained images to Ghostec, a group of paranormal investigators. The pictures caught the attention of Sandy Ayers, one of ten members of the organization. She shared the images with her fellow investigators in Virginia and North Carolina.
By day, Ayers is a retailer, but for the past 30 years, her spare time is spent investigating the spirit world.
"About 95 percent of the time we don't get anything,"she said. "But this caught my eye and I thought this might be a good spot to do an investigation. About 95 percent of the time we don't get anything, she said. But this caught my eye and I thought this might be a good spot to do an investigation. She first came to Kenton from Lynchburg two years ago and was interested enough to return this weekend with equipment. Adams, Conrad and Ayers went into the woods where the pictures were taken armed with measuring devices. Ayers wanted to make sure Conrad didn't think she was manipulating the meter during the visit, so she asked her to hold it and press the activating button. Meanwhile, Ayers held an EVP, which measures sounds undetectable to the human ear. She will take recordings back to her home and run it through a computer to dermine if there are any commnications from the spirit world on them. Spirtis don't have voice boxes, explianed Ayers. They speak through electric energy. When they speak it will come out on the recorder. With Adams looking on, Ayers asked questions to the spirits in the woods and with each question said Conrad, the lights on the meter flashed across the controls indicating a connection of energy. A cemetery is located near the Haunted Trail Of Horror. Ayers asked the spirit if they were upset with the location of the attraction. Every time she would ask a question the meter really lit up said Adams. After talking about the investigation, the three returned to the location for a photgraph and again Ayers called out to the spirit world and as before, the lights on the meter came to life and flashed uncontrollably. This is chilling, said Conrad. During an earlier visit, said Ayers the invesitagion led the group into a shed used on the trail. While inside, the investigator felt someone tap on her head, but there was on one else in the shed, said Adams, and he nor Conrad touched Ayers. I've told Wanda I do believe she has a presence in her woods, said Ayers. Its nothing harmful, just a playful spirit that wants them to know it is there. It just wants to get our attention. Ayers said Ghost Tech will study her report and address the result in the scientific way. We are our own worst critics she said. There is no cost involved, only the love for what she does, said Ayers. I will have traveled 1,100 for this investigation she said. Most of the time we spend is waiting and most of the time, there is nothing, but when we do it's worthwhile. I was shocked siad Conrad, I wasn't expecting anything to show up. She said the thought of real spirit hanging around her haunting grounds doesn't bother her, but Ayers said often once the spirits are detected they become more aggressive. I've been doing this for 10 years said Conrad, they haven't hurt me yet. But if they are going to be seen more, maybe I should put them to work.