During the murky days of January, some people have reported seeing a ghost wandering Des Moines' Beach Park.

And that formidable castle on the hill, Landmark on the Sound in Des Moines, formerly known as the Masonic Home, can look downright spooky in the right winter light.

The change of season does not bring about any paranormal change according to ghost hunter Stephanie Davisson, but the Puget Sound Ghost Hunters (PSGH) do get more calls in the winter.

"People are inside more so they notice strange things in their houses." Davisson said. "Plus it's darker, we're not nocturnal animals; our senses get heightened in the dark."

PSGH is a volunteer paranormal investigation and research organization. Their primary goal is to assist clients in identifying and understanding the paranormal activity they may be experiencing.

The group is based in the Burien/Des Moines area and they hold meetings from time to time at the Des Moines Library.

Davisson grew up in a haunted house and has been ghost hunting for several years. According to her, most hauntings are not physical in anyway; most hauntings are just really quiet.

"It's hearing footsteps, its smelling cigar smoke when there shouldn't be any, It's seeing a shadow out of the corner of your eye, it's misplacing your glasses and knowing you had them right there and you turn around and now they're gone," Davisson said. "It's really subtle stuff that most people experience. It's not a lot of violent activity; most haunting is not what you see on TV."

Popular portrayals of haunting can at times show people beings hurt by ghosts or spirits, but in all her years as a ghost hunter Davisson has never come across a case where people were actually hurt by the ghost.

"More often they get afraid and they fall down the stairs, trip over something in the dark..."

"When you break it down to what people experience, it's frightening when it happens, but it's not really that odd," Davisson said.

"People hear things that are unusual, people smell things that shouldn't be there. It's all our perception, our senses."

PSGH adheres to strict procedures and policies to promote successful investigations.

"All our investigators are fully trained in our protocols and procedures," Davisson noted. "These procedures are in place to ensure that PSGH provide state of the art investigation techniques to their clients.

"A reliance on the basics allows us to document paranormal activity. PSGH conducts regular investigations for clients at private and public locations.

The identity of all clients is held in the strictest of confidence, according to Davisson. PSGH does not publish any investigation, location or client, according to its Web site.

Right now PSGH is holding a membership drive and taking volunteers.

"They can expect a pretty good adventure," said Davisson. "We don't wait for clients to call us; we go out and look for places.

"We're not requiring that people already have training in paranormal investigation; we'll provide that. You don't have to have your own equipment, the group will provide equipment," Davisson said.

The group is investigating Fort Casey on Whidbey Island this month, but they are busy just about every weekend.

The group uses the scientific approach when they start an investigation, Davisson said.

"We have EMF detectors, temperature probes, video, audio...all that kind of equipment," she noted.

Before they start an investigation, they always interview their client over the phone first and answer questions, according to Davisson.

"They just want someone to believe they're not crazy," she said. "If they want someone to come look at their house, we set up a site visit.
PSGH does not charge a fee for their services.

For more information, contact Davisson at 206-719-0546 or check out www.psghosthunters.com.