What is legend tripping? There's a good chance you've already done it. Remember sneaking off into that cemetery at night as a kid to see if there were any ghosts? What about hearing there was a monster lurking in that old abandoned building and wanting to check it out? Or reading about a UFO landing site and wanting to plan your next vacation in the area so you could stand where the craft was said to have left its mark? That's legend tripping. But it's also so much more. Any television program you've ever seen that explores haunted places, ancient mysteries, UFO sightings, or strange creatures is legend tripping. First there was a a legend that was born and grew because people had unexplained experiences and shared what they saw, heard, and felt. In Picture Yourself Legend Your Complete Guide to Finding UFOs, Monsters, Ghosts, and Urban Legends in Your Own Backyard, you'll learn how to find, explore, and document these amazing, and often paranormal, occurrences. And you don't need expensive equipment or training, because this book will show you how to have an incredible adventure in your own backyard this weekend. Bring your open mind and your sense of wonder. Get ready for legend tripping!
Lee Prosser, author of Missouri Hauntings, interviews Jeff Belanger about his new book, Picture Yourself Legend Tripping. Lee
Jeff, it is a pleasure to interview you about the topic of legend tripping! You have certainly written an intriguing book. The research involved must have taken some time... Did you find the research more involved than for your previous books? Jeff
Picture Yourself Legend Tripping has been many years in the making. This is not a new idea, of course. The concept goes back for thousands of years. The idea is to actively pursue legends. Folklorists have been using the term "legend tripping" for many years. It originally meant ostension--to sneak out, break the rules, and try to tempt something paranormal. I'm redefining the meaning. This time we do have permission, we're not breaking rules, but we are still having a bold adventure. The concept of legend tripping is the evolution of my views on the paranormal, having studied this field for 15 years now. I was getting frustrated with the drama and problems I saw becoming so prevalent in the paranormal community. Legend tripping is my own return to all of the elements I love most about this the story, the legends, talking to others about their brush with the unexplained, and my own experience once I'm inside the legend. What inspired you to create this special, highly readable "guide"? I want legend tripping to be a movement. Something that resonates with a lot of people, that spurs them to get out and dive into the legends that are lurking everywhere. Every movement needs a starting point, so the book is that. Plus I launched a new Web site<!-- , www.legendtripping.com, --> to support the movement. The response so far has been incredible. My hope is that other authors will write books about legend tripping, that television shows will form around the concept, and people will be proud to identify themselves as legend trippers. I can't make a movement on my own. The book is just the first step in an endless journey. Were there some parts that sparked your interest from past investigations? Sure. All of my past investigations helped shape who I am and what I believe. I thought a lot about my first time exploring the Catacombs of Paris, France. How I went in alone. No ghost hunting gear, just me, the history, the sights, the sounds, smells, and the human experience. And I actually saw something. I want most of my legend trips to be like that... and there's no reason they can't be. I get excited by looking for this stuff. You have a knack for coming across all things macabre and curious. Were you born with this talent, or did it develop along the way? I've always had a love for the weird. But I'm especially interested in the human experience--my own and that of the eyewitness. After doing this for a bunch of years, I've developed an eye and ear for these kinds of stories. Plus people know I'm out there doing this and so I've become a magnet for strange stories. I think I have the coolest job in the world. You would say, then, that everybody can become a legend tripper, if they wish? If people are reading this far, my guess is they already are legend trippers. But yes, anyone can be a legend tripper. Just look into a mirror and repeat after "I'm a legend tripper." There you go, now you're in the club. Anyone who has ever even watched a paranormal television show is legend tripping, albeit the most passive form of the pursuit. To discuss a legend or to study its origins is still legend tripping. But for the full experience, you need to get out there and walk where Bigfoot was said to walk, you need to crawl through that creepy haunted building, and you need to talk to the witnesses. Finally you need to breathe in the legend for yourself and see wha...
Picture Yourself Legend Tripping: Your Complete Guide to Finding UFOs, Monsters, Ghosts, and Urban Legends in Your Own Backyard
