# 2nd Annual Halloween Haunted Trail!! (2009)



## drail14me (Oct 12, 2008)

It's getting to be that time of year again. Our trail last year was so successful that we decided to make it an annual event. Work is now underway on the 2009 trail. It's located in about 160 acres of woods in N. Mississippi.

Last years trail was just over 4/10ths of a mile. It wasn't long enough for us so we stretched it out a bit. This year, it's a total of 1.3 miles. It will start with last years trail. At 3/10ths of a mile, visitors will have a choice to either chicken out or hike the rest of the trail. This will give those with young children an escape as we plan for the first bit of the trial to be fairly tame. If they make the choice to continue, they'll be in for some real haunts.

Here's a few photos of what's been done so far:

Below is a shot of what things looked like before we started blazing the trail.










Next a shot of the cleared trail:










Here is a shot of a pond about halfway through the trail. I hope to have some kind of scene across the water to get people attention. Then, I hope to have something pop out of the water right in front of them.










A little further down the trail is an actual old abandoned home. This house is at least 100 years old and no one in the area knows it's history.










Just behind the house is the old well. My grandfather filled it in YEARS ago. Over time, the dirt settled leaving about a three foot deep "Well". This looks like a good spot for "The Ring" girl to pop out of.










I'll post more photos as we make progress. For now, it's mainly clean up work to make the trail safe.

Have fun with your haunts!!!!

Dennis


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## steveshauntedyard (Nov 16, 2008)

Wow I know it will be good. Looks like a lot of work has been done already. Good luck with the trail. That old house is freaking awesome. It would be cool to light up the water and have a swampy looking fog over it.


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## sparky (Dec 7, 2006)

That is going to be awesome drail14me!!! A nice long walk in the woods to scare the [email protected]#& out of everyone... The old house will be a great spot for some good actors to really let them have it...:eekin:


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Really nice. How great to have an abandoned old house to help out with ambiance and scares!


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## drail14me (Oct 12, 2008)

Thanks. It's a neat old house. I got some of the wood and brick out of it a few years ago and used it in building my home and some furniture. I need to brace it up some so it will last for a few more years. 

Trying to decide exactly how to use it on the trail. It's about 1/2 mile from my house so getting power to it will be hard. I could get a generator but that would be noisy. I was trying to think of a scene that I could incorporate the generator into.

I'm thinking instead that I'll put some kind of static scene in the middle of the "den" and have it lit by some dim battery powered lights. Visitors will be able to see it through the cracks and open windows and it'll grab their attention. I was thinking that I'd have a live actor inside that would pop up in the window and visitors got close for a look inside.

I'm open to other suggestions though.

I'm also trying to think of a way to do a pop up Jason or something that will pop up out of the water in that pond. Again, no power. I thought of some kind of spring operated pop-up but it would have to be re-cocked after each scare. Ideas?

Thanks,

Dennis


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

Any prop that needs to go into water is difficult.

Do you have to have an animated prop in the water? Could you do something more static like Charon (ferryman of Hades) and his boat? You could add motion sensor lighting and bright red LED eyes.


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## drail14me (Oct 12, 2008)

I may end up going with a static scene on the pond but I REALLY want something to pop up. To me, there's nothing more frightening that something leaping from the dark water and lurching towards you with water spray all around and the rushing, splashing sound of the water. Think giant gator attack!!!!

I've got a good concept idea of how to make it work but need to test it and refine. The pond is only a couple feet deep where I want to put the pop up. I want to take a piece of 1/4" plate steel that's 18" wide and 6' long. This will be the base and be quite heavy.

I'll weld some 2' rebar to the bottom of it like table legs. These will actually be stakes that I'll drive into the bottom of the pond so that the plate lies flat on the bottom. But, before I sink it, I'll attach some baling springs off some of our hay equipment onto the plate at the "shore" end. on the other end, I'll have a small spring with a latch. Next to the latch will be a pully. 

To the springs, I'll attach a 7' cross made of 2X4. I'll then dress the cross like Jason. At the top of the cross on the back will be an eye bolt. I'll have a rope tied to the eye bolt, run it down through the pully then off to a hide spot across the pond. An operator would pull the rope which would pull the cross down to the plate on the bottom of the pond. That latch would engage holding it down. When someone get's close, the operator pulls the latch and up pops jason. 

I'll have some kind of stop in place so he doesn't go too far forward. After the visitor has $hat their pants and run off screaming, the operator would just pull the rope and re-cock the prop for the next victim. At least in theory!!!!


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## charlie (Jul 9, 2007)

Be sure to kill the poison ivy in your well before the ring girl crawls into it


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## drail14me (Oct 12, 2008)

*Ivy*



charlie said:


> Be sure to kill the poison ivy in your well before the ring girl crawls into it


Nah! That'll just give her something to itch about!!! LOL


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## drail14me (Oct 12, 2008)

*Flooded Out!!!!*

Well, our grand trail plans have been washed out by over 20 inches of rain and counting over the past 60 days. Our trail has turned into a mud bog. The rain dampened our spirits but it could drowned out the haunt.

We backed up and punted and moved everything into an old dairy barn and hay barn on the farm. It's no where near what we wanted to do on the trail but at least it gives us some Halloween evening fun.

Now, if only the weather would clear today so we could finish up last minute stuff but so far, no break. We were working on it a little over an hour ago when we went under a tornado warning!!!!! That blew over but more bad weather on the way here in Mississippi!!

I hope to get some photos or video tomorrow and will post as soon as I get time. Time...lord, I bet we all want more of that right now!!!


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