A Terrible Mine To Get Into, But A Rewarding One
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 09. 2020
- This is a cool abandoned mine. I am quite glad that we got in to see it (especially as it is slated for destruction next year by our public servants, selflessly and nobly seeking to protect us). The timbering inside is phenomenal. Really, some of the best I have seen. The geology on display along the mineral-rich vein was quite noteworthy as well. And, obviously, this was an historic mine… However - no exaggeration - driving to this mine is the most freaked out I have ever been while driving and I have driven in more than fifty countries now, including places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Eritrea. I’m talking unescorted, too. A lot of people assume that I am embedded with NATO troops on visits to such places. Occasionally, I am, but usually I am not. Previously, I would have ranked driving in Naples, Sicily or parts of Sardinia in Italy as the most stressful driving on the planet. To be sure, they are not easy, but the drive to this mine outranks all of them.
This mine is way, WAY up in the mountains and the final stretch involves driving along an old shelf trail that was cut into the side of a sheer cliff. There is a drop of hundreds of feet on one side and rough, unforgiving cliff on the other. It was a narrow trail built for men and mules, not Jeeps. I had to keep one wheel grinding along the edge of the cliff, while the other wheel was only half on the trail because the other half was flirting with the void!
The worst part was that over time, dirt and rock has eroded off of the cliff and filled in the road. Naturally, the side closest to the cliff had the greatest accumulation of dirt and rock. Well, think about that… That meant that the road had a very steep angle to it and that, of course, it tilted toward the drop of hundreds of feet. The lean on the Jeep was so extreme that I was afraid it was going to tip over. Seriously. I grew up out in the woods and I have a lot of off-road experience. So, I’m not some rookie that got freaked out over a little cliff and potential rollover action. I absolutely would have hiked in to this mine if I had known what I was getting into, but I had no idea. Once I started driving down that trail, I was 100% committed. There is absolutely no way I could have turned around. And I am eternally grateful that we did not encounter a rock slide or something that blocked us from driving to the mine. If we had, the Jeep would still be there up in the mountains…
Haha, the whole time we were in the mine, I was dreading making the drive out.
And speaking of the mine… That was pretty terrible to get into as well! There’s just nothing like mine mud. Those that have experienced it will know what I mean. It has a consistency and stickiness that is unlike normal mud. “Sucking mud” is an apt description as it really does suck you down into it. At least in my experience, mines filled with mine mud almost always have issues with bad air as well.
In case you didn’t pick up on it in the video, the section with all of the timbering and ore chutes is the vein the miners were working and pulling out the silver (and some gold) from. The drift off to the right with the secure rock - and lack of mine mud - was an effort by the miners to locate additional veins. It is not uncommon for the ore that is the target of the miners to be the worst section of the mines in terms of ground stability.
Hope you enjoy this one… It is probably the last that will ever be seen of this historic abandoned mine.
*****
All of these videos are uploaded in HD, so I’d encourage you to adjust your settings to the highest quality if it is not done automatically.
You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: bit.ly/2wqcBDD
As well as a small gear update here: bit.ly/2p6Jip6
You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
Thanks for watching!
*****
Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them - nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever.
So, yes, in short, we are adit addicts… I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#AbandonedMines
#UndergroundMineExploring
“Gly”: That was awesome Justin, simply AWESOME! I could tell the experience was right on the very edge of your comfort level but you documented something that very few people have ever seen including myself. Places like that with that level of timbering still intact and not fully collapsed are very hard to find. That was truly a gem of an episode man... five stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Always a good sign when, less than 4 minutes in, you hear Justin say, "Wow!"
The timber contractor surely made his retirement on this lumber sale.
looks like they were in some soft sulfides .....bet that tasted good ......... and Yeah ...your gonna get wet . hahhaha
"...the other half was flirting with the void."
Amazing video and description as always! I can't imagine the stress of driving up there, glad you made it and back in one piece. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
The things you do for us to watch very grateful for you and the crews that document these amazing worlds
Even more interesting than the fungus is the mycelium web crawling all over the timbers.
Beyond brave, way beyond! Yes, the timbering is incredible. And you sir are also incredible. Glad to see your film of this great mine. Just amazing! Thanks sooooo much.
What a cool mine!! Interesting how it was solid-ish rock at the beginning, then so timbery. And the colors!! Gorgeous. Very All Hallow's Eve-ish. The vertical vent at
Beautiful mine! Thanks for slogging thru it!
That was truly something special. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Well I'm glad you sulfured through it for us!
Watching all the mine exploring videos, I know where all the old growth forests were used for.
I cannot believe the level of craftsmanship on display in that timbering, the fact that it’s so wet in there and so much of it was still standing is absurd! This was a great video, thank you 👍
Absolutely stunning timber work. Thank you for sharing my friend. YEEYEE
A friend once served me a soda with ice - that came from their well water with sulfur in it. Blech!
Incredible old historic mine, Excellent video (again).....!
20:25
Excellent video🙏 thanks for sharing this