Mount Nemo
February 12, 2006
The conservation area known as Mount Nemo is fairly well travelled, guaging by the amount of trampled snow in the environs. You have to pay at the entrance, but it is well worth the $5.00 to witness the majesty of this location. Haunted or not, I am beginning to believe that the sport of Urban (and rural!) exploration is fun in its own right!
We left the parking area and headed up the trail, which was clearly marked as being a part of the locally famous Bruce Trail. Almost immediately, blocks of stone are visible off to the sides of the path, almost hidden by snow and trees. However, with a little patience and energy, Mount Nemo has more hidden interests to be discovered!
Just ahead on the path is a lookout, where one can clearly see Mount Kelso, and take in the breathtaking view of the country side. Before you get there, though, is what we were looking for. A hill just to the right of the path seemed to spring out of nowhere, with stones riding up the embankments on either side of what looked like a cement precipice. As we circled this mound, its purpose became apparent. With Steve Genier of SOPS serving as guide once again, we learned that having cut through the underbrush, we were now facing what was once the cement mixing area of the quarry.
Although there were no feelings here of hauntings, it was definately interesting to see. There is no better place to get lost in history, in another world entirely, then to stand among the stones of some long forgotten place. Just because the old cement mixer wasn't haunted, did not mean there was nothing paranormal here...
As previously mentioned in the Deforrest Cemetery investigation, which is also located in this area, there is the definate feeling that something here is not quite right. Not quite as it seems. For me, this time, it was very.... extraterrestrial. I could swear that this place has not only been "visited", but a destination for these "guests", for some reason!
As we left the ruins and walked toward the quarry, we struck up a conversation about ley lines, and wondered if perhaps Mts. Nemo and Kelso are on one. If perhaps Deforrest is at a crossroads between two... The conversation continued into the quarry, where stone walls make a person feel like an insect... just amazing...
Again, there is no apparent haunting here at the quarry, though we did place suppositions of accidental deaths, given the fact that there is no barrier around the top of the quarry at all. Stumbling hikers do so at your own risk! At the bottom of the pit there is only complete and total silence...
...and the feeling of smallness...
The climb out of the quarry took its toll on all of us, especially in the loose snow covering the ramp. After some huffing and puffing, we reached the top and headed for the lookout. On the way, I noticed more stones hidden up on a hill behind the bare trees. We thrashed our way through much thicker brush to check it out. The formation was made up of three large stone blocks. Our best guess was that they were all that was left of a pulley system. Again, although interesting to discover, not overly haunted!
With the lookout just ahead of us, we dragged our now tired bodies toward it to reap our reward. The day was overcast, but the view was still beautiful:
Mount Nemo is truly worth the hike... and who knows what you will find there... IPA and SOPS will continue to investigate the area and try to find a link between ley lines, or whatever other causes there may be for the sense of paranormal activity that surrounds it.
Be careful, and happy haunting!
| DeForrest Cemetery, Milton ON |
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Sunday February 11, 2007 Members in attendance: Kate Kingston, Anna Pavlacic, Marce Anderson Guided by: Steve Genier, SOPS
We donned our thermals (in layers) and met at a Tim Hortons in Burlington. Steve led the way through winding country roads, a path he's travelled regularly to visit our destination. Just past Derry Rd we turned around and parked at the side of the road. To the unknowing eye, we were in the middle of nowhere! Forest climbed steep hills to either side of us, and in country darkness we'd never have found Deforrest without Steve's help. We followed him, watching our footing as we climbed a no-so-well-worn path up one of those steep hills through brush and rock. With the light at the Derry Rd intersection, we were able to see clearly enough, although a sense of "something not quite right" hit us all as we neared the top of the hill. We've all been investigating long enough to know better than to give in to these feelings... they are often borne of our spookily-minded imaginations! At the top of the hill, no stones are visible. The only way you'd know you were in a cemetery was because of a bizarre plot at the "entrance", which extends approximately 15 feet to the left of the path, and is about 4 feet wide. The plot is entirely fenced in with wrought iron, only a foot or so tall, and wobbling. There is supposed to be a stone within lying flush with the ground, but it was covered in snow when we visited. Upon closer inspection, a large marker is located at the far end of this plot, almost touching the iron fence. Its placement made no sense to us at all, but there was no particular energy associated with it. We all admitted that it is difficult to "sense" things when we are shivering. However, once we had a chance to walk the entire length of the cemetery we were certain of one thing. That feeling we'd had previously that something was not quite right here was even stronger once inside the boundaries of Deforrest. We were told later what had been sensed here before, but our impressions meshed with one another's opinions, and we stand behind them.
Although many stones were not available to view above the snowline, one in particular caught our attention. It was toward the end of the investigation (read: when our toes hurt too much to continue) that Anna and I saw a circular depression around this stone. Not only was the snow in an odd formation, the animal tracks that abounded in the rest of the yard seemed to avoid this circle as well! While Marce and Steve discussed another set of stones at the east end of the cemetery, Anna and I focussed our energy on this one. What we felt was unforgettable. To us, there was some sort of warding spell on the burial... to keep whomever was there INSIDE. Neither of us was able to walk within the circle. When Marce approached, we told her of our reservations but she bravely volunteered to enter. We told her only that we could not approach the stone, not why. She walked around the circle (which we had not pointed out) clockwise, and stopped at the face of the stone. When she stepped a foot inside the circle, she jerked back, claiming that something was pulling her away! To our surprise, the burial was for a small child of only 2 years. We all felt that witchcraft was involved, that witchcraft was in fact prevelent in the area and was the cause of the "off" feeling that we were sharing here. We obviously have nothing against practitioners of the white craft, perhaps even grey! And it was nothing malevolent that was suggested here. But the energy of women past was very ready and available to reach out to us. The child, the focal point of this warding, seemed to us to have exhibited something evil... Anna said that her feeling was that the child was not supposed to have been born... I said that he was powerful in a way that the old witches hadn't understood... Marce agreed with Anna... We were intrigued with ALL of the stones, but this one was a definate centrifugal force. When standing outside of the circle, we were dizzy. When standing on its borders, we were calm... It was decided that we should try again when the weather was warmer, or at least in daylight with the heat of the sun! It was a brief investigation with our new friend from SOPS, but definately not the last! With bids of farewell and safe driving, we parted, until next time!! Steve and his group Southern Ontario Paranormal Society, have investigated the site many times. To read more details, please visit their website http://www.southernontarioparanormal.com |
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After a long day of readings at the Hamilton British Show 2007 (Hamilton Convention Centre) with Steph and Dan of Haunted Hamilton, we weren't entirely sure we had the energy to visit a new location. However, the stories provided by SOPS own Steve Genier were too intriguing to pass up the opportunity. 