Ghost hunt preparations

Before the investigation, I also check to make certain that we won't be trespassing or otherwise breaking the law during our ghost hunt.

In some communities, there are vague laws suggesting that public parks (including cemeteries) are closed from dusk to dawn. If the site is not specifically posted, I usually begin the research well before dusk, and all participants agree that we'll leave cheerfully and promptly if asked, when it's well past dusk.

In other areas, cranky neighbors or law enforcement officials may use loitering statutes to get ghost hunters to leave a site. Frankly, there isn't much you can do about this. You'll have the fewest problems with ghost hunts during daytime hours, in most settings.

This leads to the issue of when is the "best" time to encounter ghosts.

When to ghost hunt

The overwhelming opinion in fictional accounts is that ghosts appear after dark, usually around midnight, and particularly on Halloween or anniversaries of the death of the ghost(s). Because belief often triggers events, and not vice versa, this may be the "most haunted" time of day.

However, the hour immediately before dusk and after dawn are when a large number of paranormal events occur.

Some ghost hunters insist that they have the best results between 9 p.m. and midnight, but just as many stories are even more credible because they take place at mid-day and in sunlight.

I have encountered ghosts at noon on sunny days, but most often as the light fades at or immediately after dusk.

This is why I schedule ghost hunts starting one hour before sunset. We'll have plenty of research time before dusk, if local laws prohibit us from working later.

Next article

In the next article, I'll describe what happens during an average ghost hunt.

(Articles in this series are published every two weeks, on alternating Tuesdays.)

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