Things Nobody Tells You About Investigating MASSIVE Haunted Locations
There are several iconic haunted places in the United States that seasoned paranormal investigators and novice enthusiasts both have idealized and ultimately visited. Sometimes the largest haunted places are surprising for a number of different reasons than one would initially imagine.
Take for example the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, formerly named the Weston State Hospital until it was bought for paranormal tourism, in Weston, West Virginia. The sheer size of the building is impressive in writing, but seeing it in person and spending time overnight are another thing altogether. The 242,000 square foot building is just one of many on the 26 acre campus, and that's nearly more ground than one can cover in a single investigation. Similarly, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky boasts a whopping 180,000 square feet of space that even at just over half of what Trans Allegheny has, is still a daunting amount of room to roam. Larger hospitals or prison complexes that are available for investigators to have access to every room and floor translates to thousands of square feet to cover in only several hours. Speaking from experience, there's a few important things nobody tells you before braving the dark in these behemoth haunts.
Footwear
The larger the haunt, the longer you're spending walking to and from everywhere you want to investigate in the building. You're going to want to forego the Killstar platforms, as cute as they are they're not conducive to anyone spending hours of time on their feet, and spending time going up and down potentially uneven stairs in the dark. Base camp can end up being quite a hike each time you need return for a battery, so it's worth the comfort and recovery from long hours standing to treat your feet right while hiking through these haunts. Trust me, I've tried shoes with no support in Waverly, I was so sore the next day. ðŸ˜
Temperature Anomalies
There are massive buildings to investigate, which is awesome, but with these spaces tends to come long hallways and attic eaves that are spacious and open, along with enclosed corridors that remain at stable temperatures for hours. Waverly Hills in particular has a portion of nearly every floor open to the elements, making wind and distant sounds echo throughout. Even on the most still of evenings and the calmest weather, the way air moves and stays in different portions of these large buildings can be surprising but completely natural, so truly anomalous temperature changes can be more difficult to discern. A ceramic tiled stairwell can be 10 degrees cooler than the floors above and below it all night (hi again, Trans Allegheny), so it helps investigators to be aware of how these large structures can create pockets of varying temperatures.
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