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Hell Hollow Road
On the west side of Route 49 (Ekonk Hill Road) within the
Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown can be found a place known as Hell Hollow Road. The road is a typical winding, gravel
road, leading into the heart of the forest. There are many walking trails on either side of the roadway and several
ponds, as well as a larger body of water with a pumping station. The area is desolate and quiet and, at night, is pitch
dark. There are no cell tower or water tower lights in the area to which most of us are accustomed; merely the beauty
and bounty of nature . . . and perhaps a little something you may not have expected.
The History
It is reported that Hell Hollow Road obtained its name because
in the 1600s, a little girl named Maude was killed by English soldiers. It is said that one could, and reportedly still
can, hear the screams of Maude being murdered throughout the woods. Because of this act, people of the day believed
the forest to be haunted and that it was host to witchcraft and satanic rituals, thus houses were never built in this area.
The land was taken over by the state and is now a vast area for hiking, biking, nature walking and the paranormal.
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| The group explores Hell Hollow Road's many paths |
The Trip
On a clear, brisk November night, several novices to paranormal research
were traveling west on Hell Hollow Road, stopping just over the second hill at a "parking spot" of sorts. Not sure of
what we would see, or even what to look for, we went to an area where we hoped we would see something or get a picture of
an apparition. Our expectations low, but hopes high, we were exhililarted to be taking part on our very first investigation.
Piling out of the van, we dressed for the weather (donning gloves, hats, etc.) and geared up with our lights, head lamps,
cameras and camelbaks (you never know when you may just end up lost). The cell phones, without a prayer of service in
this area, were still brought in the hopes of seeing one lone bar on the display (we've all seen too many movies end tragically
due to cell phone problems). We began our trek, north of Hell Hollow Road.
Novices to this intriguing new hobby, we had heard a few tales of Hell
Hollow Road, but most of them revolved around Maude's Grave, also located within Pachaug State Forest. We knew about
the history of the road, but little about occurrences in the area. We walked slowly and methodically upon the well-carved
path, the woods open to us on our sides. We could all see pretty clearly as the moon was in its third quarter.
Six men in total, I took the last position as we walked, keeping short distances between each other and never out of eyesight
of the leader or the last man. I was armed with a Canon Power Shot digital camera. Being in the woods, there was
not much to see, so I kept the camera off to preserve the battery life. About twenty minutes into the walk, I thought
that one of our group had fallen out of line and had snuck up behind me as I kept feeling that someone was walking just behind
me. When I looked over my shoulder, I could not see anyone. I turned completely around thinking I would see one
of my group walking parallel to the path, mirroring me, but again, nothing. The feeling was that of being followed and
watched at a close distance and not merely staring, but the perception of glaring. I asked the group to stop
and we took a head count: all present. Being our first investigation, I mentioned nothing to the group and this
was chalked up to paranoia.
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| The pitch blackness of Hell Hollow . . . but what are those orange lights? |
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| Are these the reflections of the equipment or something else? |
I had read hundreds of articles prior to going on our first investigation
and have read numerous times about the feeling of being watched, followed, etc., but never thought it could or would happen
to me. I really didn't think I would recognize it even if it did occur, so I turned the camera on and asked everyone
to continue on our hike. I began taking photos of the group and the area around us, both with the flash on and off.
We walked approximately two miles into the woods and came to an area of pine trees with the usual lack of underbrush associated
with pine groves. We remained in the clearing for a short time, noticing several trails branching off in all directions.
We were not equipped with a GPS or map/compass and it was advised that we return on the path we had just taken as it would
be very easy to get confused and lost without the proper navigation equipment (and we've all seen how that movie ends as well).
We began walking in the exact opposite order as we had entered, traveling
back the way we had come. I was now in the lead position. I began to fall back and talk with the others when I
found myself with the last two members of the group. The person who was now in the rear position, Matt, is one of strong
will and little nerves. He is the most adventuresome of the group and we were discussing what our next move would be,
when I noticed Matt was turning around a lot, especially behind him. At one point, he stopped the group as he was scanning
the wood line feverishly with his flashlight, apparently searching for something. I asked what he was looking for and
he said that "someone was following us". I asked if he had seen or heard anyone and he indicated that he had not, but
said that he "knew" that someone was watching us. This was at about the same place that I had experienced an identical
feeling. Still, I refrained from mentioning my experience to see if he would stick to his convictions while questioned
by the others once we emerged at our entry point. We continued on, although our spacing was a lot closer now, as this
was the first time the rest of the group had heard anything about "watching" or "following". Matt continued checking
over his shoulder for about three hundred yards or so, and then said that the feeling had dissipated.
We arrived back at the van and capped off our experiences, as well
as talked about our upcoming plans. Just as the group began to convene, an old pick-up truck that seemingly appeared
out of nowhere drove by our "parking spot" at an extremely high rate of speed. There was no sound to announce its approach, nor
did anyone see lights cresting the hill, as is customary when a vehicle approaches from over a hill. It seemed almost
like a ghost truck, appearing out of nowhere, until one of the members of the group listed off a license plate number, setting
our minds to ease that this was an actual truck. We piled back into the van and began discussing Matt's feelings of
being followed and watched. When I told him that I had felt the same thing, he was almost speechless. He looked
at me in disbelief for a moment until I assured him that I was not joking. We compared our experiences and he added
that he felt as though we were not welcome. It was as if someone were ushering us out of the area.
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| The group heads back again |
Conclusions
I downloaded the pictures when I returned home and immediately noticed
a series of orange lights ahead of, and well above, the group in a few of the photographs. The path was fairly flat,
but the lights appeared to be well out of our reach. Again, there is no one living in the area, and no manmade towers
are present. These lights were not seen by anyone while we were at the site. When I showed the pictures to the
group, we tried to figure out the origin of the lights, but no one had any answers to justify them. There were no insects
in the area due to the temperature and there was nothing around us except for the vegetation.
Our follow-up will be to return to the area in the near future, both
during the day and at night, to visit this site, as well as Maude's Grave. We are going to bring the same lights and
camera and will try to take the pictures in the same general area, as well as new locations.
GOOSEBUMP FACTOR: 65*
*Due to the lights in the photos and the uneasy feelings of being followed
and unwelcome, we have decided on this rating.
Respectfully Submitted by Mike Garofola
November 20, 2006
NOTE: Mike is part of a novice paranormal research group out
of Rhode Island. He and his group members are all police officers.
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