Rain, rain and more rain was on the forecast today. Despite that, armchair enthusiasm was running high!
We headed up for Snoqualmie Pass, bolstered by rumor that there was enough snow to make it worth the effort to break the snowshoes from their long, long hibernation.
Well, there was snow, but it was a lot higher than any of us really cared to hike in this sorta November slop.
So instead Blewett!
If it’s rainy on the west side, it’s usually a little less so over there. The fact that the place is absolutely steeped in mining history is another selling point, at least so long as I’m concerned.
The Arrastra
We got to the old townsite and took a quick tour.
First we swung by the arrastra, a curious artifact sandwiched between the US 97 and Peshastin Creek just south of the Blewett historical marker.
The Crushenator
The second site we visited was the remains of the old stamp mill, which is in surprisingly good condition considering the proximity to the highway. Definitely a gem hidden in plain sight for the history minded road tripper.
Briefly we headed back down the highway thinking that a hike along Negro Creek would be fun, but with the high water, didn’t seem worth the treacherous crossing. So…back to Blewett.
We built this city on Rock n’ Roll
We followed the little footpath which passes the Keynote Tunnel and followed it to it’s end before beginning uphill.
Two thick metal cables were stretched down the hillside, inviting us upwards to find their source.
Gaining the ridge granted us some beautiful views of the surrounding hillsides partitioned by low, soggy looking clouds.
Nuclear Moss
Continuing up, we passed countless collapsed adits and cuts, sometimes marked by small piles of shattered, milky quartz left behind by those who still search these hills for precious metal.
One small cut even contained a pick axe and shovel. Modern no doubt, but waterlogged and weathered.
Old tram something probably
The ridge made a nice stopping point and allowed us ample views up and down the US97 corridor.
Leaving the ridge, we opted for a more direct path to the car.
CONSIDERATIONS
Blewett can be a fun place to visit, but be aware that there is a lot of privately claimed land in the area and many potential hazards in the form of open shafts and deteriorating tunnels.
Respect all private property postings, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because many sites are full of hazards, and… some people can get pretty weird when that funny yellow metal is involved. Just a friendly word of caution.
As always PACKITINPACKITOUT!, leave it better than you found it, take only pictures leave only feet prints, and especially in the Blewett area: STAY OUT, STAY ALIVE
It is in these hills that Juan Valdez and his trusty mule…
The Kitanning Mine is located not far from the tiny hamlet of Index, WA, and can be found just off the long washed out Index-Galena Road.
GETTING THERE
(Disclaimer: These directions are for novelty purposes only)
Winter walk
The washout makes for two different ways to reach the Kitanning; either from Beckler Road, just past Skykomish or by driving to the washout at the end of Index-Galena Road and hoofing it along a rough hewn path through trees, mud and some post-apocalyptic looking sections of washed out roadway.
“Road Closed”
In the wintertime hiking is sometimes the only way, and makes for a nice winter walk anyway.
Either way you go you’ll wanna end up at the east side of the wash-out.
♪♫Ooh, ooh, ooh looking out my back door♪♫
Maybe ½-1 mile or so east of the washout shore exists a curve in the road from which a faint trail leads off into the woods. Follow it and you’ll start gently gaining elevation.
At this point mine finding experience is a good thing to have. (A copy of Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines Vol.1 really helps too)
To the best of my recollection I followed the little trail until it disappeared beneath thigh deep Oregon Grape.
Lonely miners…
I found an ephemeral stream bed to my right and followed it up, staying left when an obstacles came and eventually began reaching small cliffs, working my way around the them.
When I first went some years ago the sight of the old cabin meant you were there. However I’ve heard in recent years the old Kitanning cabin has collapsed, possibly making the mine more difficult to find, and sealing the hodge-podge of relics and ancient pornography within.
The upper adit
THE TUNNELS
The first adit is right around the corner from the remains of the cabin, literally. It’s right there.
The tunnel is a couple hundred feet long and is blasted into what seems like pretty stable rock. Turquoise colored mineral staining can be seen inside, as well as a couple scattered artifacts.
The upper adit is approximately 500ft above you, amongst steep and sometimes cliffy terrain. An old miner’s trail fades in an out, occasionally leading the way.
This tunnel is a couple hundred feet longer than the lower one and boasts more impressive mineral deposits.
Tessbo Biped deep in the Kitanning
An interesting side note is that this adit does not have a corresponding tailings pile. Strange, no?
According to DWHM#1, the entire tailings pile was hauled off to the smelter by the Twentieth Century Alaska Copper company in the early years of the 1900s.
In the early days of Mt. Rainier National Park, mining and prospecting was still a legitimate pursuit within the park boundaries due to Section 5 of the Mt.Rainier Park Act which kept the park open to the Mining Law of 1872.
This however was in direct conflict with Section 2 of the act which sought to keep all mineral deposits in their original natural condition.
In short, it was a real $#!tshow.
Cast Iron debris
While there were many claims within the park during these early years many of them were simply charlatans and fly by night hucksters. Often a claim would be made with little or no minerals to be had, instead the claim being used as a cover for less than legal logging operations or poaching camps.
The Sundry Civil Appropriations Act of 1908 brought to a halt the influx of new prospectors, but didn’t eliminate existing claims within the park. However it did give park officials greater power to annul these existing claims when the claimants failed to do their yearly assessment work, or when a claim was improperly marked.
Trail shot
In addition to this, other changes to park regulations in 1908 severely limited claimants rights to construct buildings, cut timber, divert water flow or dig without the permission of the Secretary of the Interior.
One man’s junk…
The end was in sight for mining within Mount Rainier National Park, but some of these claims would continue for years to come, perhaps most notably the Mount Rainier Mining Company of Glacier Basin.
In 1902, Peter Storbo and B.P. Korssjoen staked forty-one claims in Glacier Basin and in 1905 formed the Mount Rainier Mining Company.
Wildflowers!
By 1908 much development had taken place including two tunnels, one at 73ft long the other 700ft in length. Two cabins, a blacksmith shop and a barn were also on site. Later development included a sawmill, powerhouse and a 13 room hotel that was said to house up to 35 miners and feed 120!
Looking up at the tailings
Some years later in 1913 the Mount Rainier Mining Company relinquished 32 of it’s 41 claims in exchange for an annually renewable permit for it’s existing structures and underground workings. In addition they gained the right to build a road along the White River to their claims in Glacier Basin.
Storbo and his uncle Ole P. Kulberg aggressively sold stock in the company, much of it to Scandinavian farmers in Minnesota and the Dakotas. So much so that Kulberg earned the moniker “Copper King”. They claimed that the ore from their mine was of the richest variety “Peacock Ore” otherwise known as bornite.
Lupine
However by the 1920’s the mine was producing much more waste rock than copper ore, and in 1927 Peter Storbo took the last load of ore from the mine. The last load was not to be however as that day the truck tipped over along the road and sank into the White River. Luck was on Storbo’s side though and he survived the crash.
Storbo’s aggressive marketing of his mine came back to haunt him in 1930,when he and a partner, Orton E. Goodwin were convicted of mail fraud for selling phony stock certificates. In one correspondence Storbo had claimed a fortune of more than 2 billion dollars worth of ore at the Glacier Basin claims.
Looking down the hogsbackOld timbers now flowered
Storbo served a little more than a year at McNeil Island federal prison for the crime, but later it came out that Goodwin and an ex-con named Chester Cresser had framed Storbo by forging his signature on the phony stock certificates.
Peter Storbo passed away in 1956 at the age of 82.
Esoteric junk
Nowadays not much remains of the Mount Rainier Mining Company, but there do exist some interesting things to see. The foundation for the old hotel is still there at the Glacier Basin Campground, as well as some pipes and large cast iron debris along the 3 mile trail to Glacier Basin.
If you hike above the Glacier Basin Campground, you will eventually see a large tailings pile. This presumably is the site of the aforementioned 700ft tunnel. The adit has long since been buried by years of slide debris, but the view from the tailings pile is much more remarkable than some old hole in the ground.
Glacier Basin itself is the real attraction here, impossibly steep walls, high snowy glaciers, all the while Mt.Rainier looming above like a silent deity. If you catch it during the right time of year the wildflower display puts the finest gardens to shame.
Hiking up the hogsbackBeauty and the beast
I’ve heard that there exist other workings in the basin, however I neither saw them nor sought them on my last trip up there.
Of note is an interesting rock near the trail through the lower meadows of the basin. It bears an inscription which reads: “Mt. ↑ R.M.Co 1 P”
Looking down from the tailings
I believe this indicates other claims amongst the timber in the direction indicated, however I did not investigate this time around. I find the carving personally interesting as it bears a distinct impression of the individual that carved it. In a way it feels like a very direct connection to the mine and the men that worked it.
A trip to Glacier Basin is unlikely to disappoint anyone, in fact if it disappoints you, I suggest you get counseling. The scenery is world class, almost unearthly. I highly suggest this hike to anyone.
For those of us who for whatever reason feel drawn to history, and especially mining history, Glacier Basin offers that much more. While so far as I know there no longer exist any underground workings to explore, you should still put Glacier Basin and the Mt.Rainier Mining Company right at the top of your list.
Along the way up the McClellan Butte trail you might stumble upon the remains of the mill site and adit of the Alice Claim… that is, you would have along the old trail.
Nowadays you’d probably only find it if you were looking for it.
The aditThe adit from the trail
At one time in the not so distant past, the trail up the butte passed right beside the claim, but now that trail has been abandoned in favor of another, and is slowly being reclaimed by nature.
Rusted “thing”
Interestingly enough, hikers still pass right by the site, albeit on a different path, though I imagine only a few oddballs ever notice.
The abandoned trail and mill site are found along Alice Creek, which as a matter of interest was named Revington Creek during the time the Alice Claim was in operation.
Abandoned trail
The adit itself is collapsed and flooded in addition to being dug into steadily decaying overburden. Which is to say, even if this thing were open, it would be exceedingly dangerous to enter.
STAY OUT, STAY ALIVE!
Ore crusher detail
According to Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines Vol.#1, there once existed three tunnels totaling 500ft of underground workings. However, during my visit I only located the one.
El Crush-o
A Seattle Times article from July 1900 stated that construction of a surface tram had begun at the claim, linking one of the adits to the mill site. At that time, the mine working machinery was already in operation and the milling equipment was on order. The capacity of this mill was said to handle 10 to 15 tons of ore per day.
Old wood pile
Nowadays not much remains, though what does is impressive enough.
The first major artifact seems to be some sort of furna.. You know, honestly I have no idea what in the hell it was exactly, maybe a furnace/boiler something. It looks as though it handled high temperatures at one time, judging by the decaying wrap on the pipes and a mixture of ash and brick underneath it.
Moss toupee
Feel free to school me on this one!
The second, and in my opinion, most impressive artifact is what I’m very certain is an ore crusher. It consists of three large metal pestles set in a large cylinder with an ore chute on one side. I imagine this thing was as loud as hell when it was running.
Other artifacts include what appears to be a smashed wood stove and a pile of cut wood in addition to the miscellaneous corroding pipes, bars and various chunks of rusted metal that litter the site.
The Alice Claim is worth a visit for those of you interested in such things and luckily the star artifacts are too heavy to be carried off, so they will likely be there awhile. Though some jackass tagged one of them… yeah.
Anyway, as always, don’t be that jackass, leave it the way you found it.
Happy Trails, Harry Biped
Inside the Ore Crusher
References:
Woodhouse, Phil; Jacobson, Daryl; Petersen, Bill; Cady,Greg; Pisoni, Victor, Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines Vol.1: The West Central Cascade Mountains. Oso Publishing Company, 1997
The Damon & Pythias, one of the very first mines I ever visited and usually the first I bring folks to visit when they are just becoming interested in mines.
Before I ever even knew of the Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines series or really much of anything about mines, I stumbled upon a trip report to The D&P on 2drx.com , a great site with lots of trip reports and photos (unfortunately as of this writing the site is down, but hopefully it’ll be up again soon)
View from the adit
I remember being captivated by their pictures of the relics deep inside the mines depths and glued to every word I read as I imagined exploring the abandoned abyss.
Intrepid explorer
They included a hand drawn map as well, which I printed out and carried along with me on that first trip.
Well, it’s been a long time since then, and I’ve visited the Damon & Pythias dozens of time since, and I keep coming back.
Simply put, it’s a combination of ease of access, mine complexity and abundant relics that keeps the D&P at the top of my list.
Ye olde ladder
At a time in the not too distant past it was possible to drive all the way to the D&P (albeit with a high clearance vehicle) but the final 100yrds of the road have now been blocked, with future blockages coming in the future.
Deep in the Priestly Vein
One of the first things you’ll notice when you arrive at the site is a very large culvert pipe kinda just sitting there. As you approach further, the tailings pile and large rusted ore hopper will appear to your left.
Climbing up the tailings pile you’ll see another culvert piece, this one covering the adit a la Quonset hut.
Cool effect man…
Also on the top of the tailings pile is the charred remains of what used to be a sort of covering over the tracks leading to the end of the tailings pile.
The miners here were seeking gold and silver as well as lead found in the ores arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, and galena. Samples of these ores can still be found in the mine and tailings pile today.
Disclaimer: Mines are extremely dangerous, stay out, stay alive.
Ahem, upon entering, a dilapidated gate halfway blocks the door. I’m sure at one time it kept people out, but it’s purpose is much more passive these days.
Twisting tunnels
Walking along the cart rails, paralleling the drainage channel and old ventilation pipe you’ll probably begin to think “How deep is this thing”?
Eventually you’ll come to the first drift.
It’s not very long in either direction, the floor is pretty muddy, there are no artifacts and the rock looks…questionable. Typically I explore this one with a flashlight beam.
Interesting switch tracks
Continuing along the main tunnel you are again in store for a decent walk before coming to the next drift. This is known as the Damon Vein. You’ll immediately see a large rusted air compressor tank. It’s rivets speak of it’s age.
The ore chute
There some other debris of note in the area, but none more interesting than the huge wooden structure to your right.
As you approach the moldy wooden giant, you might notice that it sits directly below a very high raise. Shine your light into the darkness to try and see the top.
The compressor tank
Also of note is the bucket from an ore chute, at one time this would be supplied with ore dropped from the raise above, once the bucket was filled, the handle pulled would have dumped the ore into a waiting mine cart. Good lesson to learn here, let gravity do the work.
The rest of this drift is mostly barren, but worth the walk.
Heading back down the other direction of the drift, one follows cart rails down a sometimes twisting tunnel, past a couple old ladders (broken in recent years, thanks geniuses) to an uneventful end.
rails and rails
Back at the intersection with the compressor tank you may have noticed a creepy door further down the main tunnel. Enter if you dare, but be warned, some say Dracsquatch (Dracula and Sasquatch’s unholy progeny) dwells beyond this point…. but I’ve never seen him, in fact I just made that up.
The tunnel continues on, and eventually the cart tracks give up the ghost, but not before passing a pile of rusted cable (Which is the last artifact of note from here on out)
The Drac-Squatch door
You’ll eventually end up at another large intersection. This is known as the Priestly Vein. The drifts here are slightly shorter than in the Damon Vein and largely uneventful.
The adit from the old rusty cables
Heading back to the intersection, turn off your light and look toward the adit, this tunnel is so straight, you will be able to see the tiny pin prick of light over a quarter mile away.
Well thats the Damon and Pythias, and I’d like to keep it that way so as always, leave everything just as you found it, take only pictures and leave only footprints.
Phew! Made it out alive
Happy Trails- Harry Biped
References:
Woodhouse, Phil; Jacobson, Daryl; Petersen, Bill; Cady,Greg; Pisoni, Victor, Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines Vol.1: The West Central Cascade Mountains. Oso Publishing Company, 1997
A few of us decided to head up to the Clipper Mine the other day out past Carbonado. This area is widely known for it’s coal mining past and there are many relics and ruins of that past hidden in the woods if you know where to look.
Ye olde pipe
The Clipper is something of anomaly in this regard as it was predominately a copper mine with gold and silver being found in smaller quantities.
The tailings pile
Coal mines are extremely dangerous for many reasons, more often than not they are cut into very unstable terrain and due to the organic nature of coal, they often are filled with toxic, asphyxiating and explosive gases.
Some areas of former coal mining are full of unstable ground and forgotten shafts. I know of one thats something like 1500ft deep! (Luckily it’s not forgotton, and it’s capped, I’ll present that one in a future blog) It’s best just to enjoy coal mines from a history book.
The icy adit…
The Clipper however was not a coal mine, what the miners here were chasing was chalcopyrite, a very important copper ore and sometimes containing economically viable amounts of gold and silver.
Your first view of the Clipper mine will be the very large tailings pile spilling down the hillside, and if you look close you can sometimes find some interesting samples of this ore.
Getting to the Clipper was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Often mines are way the hell off in the middle of nowhere, and while I guess it is kind of way the hell off in the middle of nowhere, there is a road, albeit it a very rocky one, that passes within throwing distance.
If you are so inclined to find the Clipper, it’s not too difficult to do the bookwork online. There are some mentions and some maps, it’s a good little introduction to becoming an amateur mine detective. The hint I’ll give is the key is to watch for a waterfall coming down the hillside as you head up the road, it’s not a raging one, but it’s also not a rivulet.
Clipper falls, above the one you pass along the road
The road is pretty rocky and as we were driving up we passed a group that appeared to have broken an axle on their truck. They had assistance though, so we just gave a wave. My ancient powder blue Subaru cracked a smirk as it puttered by in all it’s 4 wheel drive glory, the proud clacking of the valves and roaring exhaust leak resounding across the land.
Hello? Monsters?
We finally creaked and cracked and sputtered past the little waterfall, parked, and began our search on foot. It really didn’t take more than a few minutes to find.
The tailings pile is quite large and loose. It may be a daunting climb for some. There is a well worn tread up the one side, but on an already loose surface, this just means slightly less unstable.
Reaching the adit I was surprised that there was a sign right out front “Clipper Mine”. You don’t see that very much, or ever really, so that was interesting. Least we knew we were there and not at some cheap knock off mine.
I took in the adit area as we took a breather and donned our lights. Slightly to the east there was some old rebar punched into the rock, I’m not sure what it’s original purpose was though. Digging around at our feet revealed ore samples, beer cans and even an old drill bit used in mining at that time.
Ye olde Drille bitMystery mine fungus along the walls
The adit is wet, as is the mine as a whole, not flooded, just not tennis shoe appropriate. (Not that this sort of thing ever is or should be)
The first thing one might notice is two thick lengths of wood, evenly spaced along the mine floor, occasionally topped with a thin sheet of rusted metal. This was known as strap railing and was a primitive form of rail. It was cheap and worked well enough for smaller operations, but hell, even early locomotives ran on strap rail, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! (Actually it was broke, so they did fix it)
Strap rail de-strapping
The tunnel is often paralleled by a rather thick rusted pipe, and some smaller rusted pipes. I’m pretty sure these were used to carry compressed air to the drills. Also much deeper in the mine the strap railing gives way to more conventional rails. Interesting.
The mine is fairly straight forward, but amazingly deep, almost a full 1/4 mile into the mountain! As I’ve said before, it is an absolute necessity to bring redundant light sources, just try turning off a flashlight a quarter mile inside a mountain and finding your way out… actually don’t, it’s scary as hell and you’re likely to get hurt, plus there might be monsters, or Dracula, I dunno.
Note fallen rock, no mine is ever safe!
There are some minor drifts along the essentially straight tunnel, but they are short.
One has unintelligible graffiti inside, way to go *Qmid &% 6t20″, way to give absolutely nothing of value to the ages.
Water gushing forth!
Further along we heard quite a bit of water coming from somewhere, like an underground waterfall, turns out it was a sort of low pressure spring issuing forth from the wall, I’ve seen this another time in a mine called the Buckeye. Kinda gives you the impression of being in a U-boot, it’s hull being compromised at extreme depth.
“Ach! Auftauchen! Wir sind alle verurteilt!”
Along the way you will sometimes notice turquoise blue staining, this is from the copper in the ore, kind of like a gooey looking, nuclear patina. As you walk along pay attention to the ceiling, this is where the vein is mostly visible, and you can sometimes see chunks of chalcopyrite crystals in their natural state. There are also a few areas of limited stopes. (Areas where the miners started chasing the vein up, remember wearing a helmet is a GREAT idea!)
We’re sinking!
The tunnel pinches out at a fairly uneventful end, but that deep, you can get some pretty cool harmonics and echos. oooh, creepy!
Some shoring
I found the Clipper to be a pretty interesting mine, especially for the comparatively low difficulty in finding it. I get the impression that this one gets a lot of visitors as far as mines go, but despite that there is still a lot to see and if nothing else, it’s depth is a sort of stand alone selling point as a place to visit for the so inclined.
As always if you do decided to visit, leave things as you found them, well except for the beer cans, maybe you could bring a garbage bag for those. Should you decided to venture underground, you do so at your own risk. Three sources of light, water proof boots and coat, a helmet and a friend at the very least. However the rule is always:
This story starts off in a book, a great book in a series of great books that are full of history and adventure for anyone who opens up a copy. I am talking about the Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines series by Northwest Underground Explorations, in this case volume #1. (henceforth DWHM#1)
The great tome itself.
Whether you are the swashbuckling adventure type or just the type who likes to swashbuckle and adventure via the pages of a good book, relaxed in a cozy armchair, this series will serve you well and is worth every penny. The pages are loaded with historic photos and are an unbelievable wealth of information about Washington’s mines, state history and even some local lore. If I haven’t made myself clear, if you are reading this blog, you are the type who needs these books.
Rusty rails…
Ahem,
Having spent a great deal of time in the Miller River area, finding the Bergeson Prospect within the pages of this tome of the abandoned, I was immediately interested in locating the site.
and rusty cowling, all kinds of rusty stuff!
The book gives very good directions for both driving and footwork, that being said, unless you’ve spent a lot of time wandering the woods beyond the well worn trail, you probably wanna take someone who has. I should add also that if you should ever decide to enter a mine, not that I suggest you do, you should really never go alone. The potential for serious injury or death is there, and I don’t know about you but drowning in icy cold mine water, shattering my body by falling down a shaft or being crushed by unstable rock and spending my final moments on earth in the pitch black, Stygian depths of an abandoned mine is not exactly how I want to go.
The boulder blocking the grade
Moving right along…
Gathering all the essential gear including three sources of light, I picked up a friend of mine and we were off towards Money Creek Road, a rough little dirt road off the Hwy 2 often in need of repairs. Following the directions to a tee, we parked and headed up into the woods.
Lady J emerging from the darkness
One of the first orders of business was to locate an old road. The first time you go out looking for an old road in the woods, you’ll have no idea what to expect, every flat spot you see you’ll be asking, “Is that the road”? This is normal, over time you will develop an ability to pick out even the most ancient mining or logging road, and suddenly the Cascades will never quite look the same. It really is interesting just how many old road grades there are out there, and kind of a curse because if you are anything like me, you’ll wanna find out when they were built, why they were built and where they all go.
The Bergeson adit
There are a couple landmarks on the way up, the first is a very large boulder, hogging up half the old road bed. It’s impossible to miss if you are on the right track, and I feel pretty confident in saying, this baby isn’t going anywhere for a very long time.
Honey, we’re gonna need to call the HVAC guy…
The second real landmark is a little trickier to notice even though it is huge. It is the tailings pile from the mine, but it is mostly overgrown and doesn’t really look much like a tailings pile until closer examination. Really it looks like any old berm built up from an avalanche gully.
Being that this is the tailings, or waste rock from the mine, you know you are right below it. A short climb up the pile takes you to the quite picturesque site of the Bergeson Prospect. There are a few pieces of interesting debris outside the adit (mine entrance) and if you are more interested in just locating the site and taking it in, this would make a good place for a woodland picnic on a nice day. There are many massive old growth trees in the area, and it really is a pleasant feeling woods.
Looking back toward the adit
My friend and I however were going to enter the mine….
The adit was flooded, and likely still is, to a depth of mid-shin height or better. One of the first things you’ll notice in this mine is the tremendous amount of rust coating the walls and covering the floor.
Such a stillness, it’s eerie
There are also a lot of relics left inside, the old mine cart rails, the ventilation pipes and various bits of wooden debris.
The mine is pretty deep in comparison to a lot of the other small claims in western Washington, around 1200′ deep I believe. Fortunately in this mine, there are no winzes (shafts) and it’s pretty straight forward.
There is however a great deal of water coming from the ceiling in this mine, and the constant dripping on the pipes, on the floor compounded with the echo can really play some tricks on your ears. Standing still and just listening, I could swear you could hear voices. On one occasion as we were going down a long straight section of tunnel, we saw what appeared to be a face at the end of our lights reach, stopping, we could hear the garbled voices. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I figured maybe someone else was exploring, or maybe A GHOST!
Into the depths of the Bergeson
Turns out it was just a ventilation pipe half hanging from the ceiling with a steady rivulet of water falling upon it. Gotta say though, better scare than a haunted house.
The mine was pretty interesting, and not too difficult to find. If you are so possessed I’d suggest getting a copy of DWHM#1 and locating it yourself. I do not suggest entering a mine, and certainly not alone or with less than three separate light sources. Also, take only pictures and leave only footprints, there are many sites that are completely lost to us, the people of this age, because others decided to loot and plunder and for what? So they can have some shitty old piece of rusted metal sitting in their garage? We’re lucky to still have some of these outdoor museums in the state they were left, so lets keep it that way.
Good luck, and happy trails, Harry Biped
Ye olde boxe
References:
Woodhouse, Phil; Jacobson, Daryl; Petersen, Bill; Cady,Greg; Pisoni, Victor, Discovering Washington’s Historic Mines Vol.1: The West Central Cascade Mountains. Oso Publishing Company, 1997
harrybiped 