Episode 04: SHHHPELUNKING
There are several things that make my asshole pucker: scorpions, spiders, mines, confined spaces, and deep water that I can’t see the bottom of. In this adventure, I faced at least three of these fears.
Gabe, my adventure guru, has done several cave/mine explorations in his ripe 26 years on this earth. He’s been bugging me lately to go explore some of these mines, which I promised him I would do at some point even though they terrify me. Last Saturday, I kept that promise as we went to an abandoned mine which had a natural spring at the bottom. This was a mine that he’s already had experience exploring, so I felt comfortable tagging along. I brought my friends Jen and Mike along, because if I’m going to die I wanted witnesses to tell my epic tale.
A statement right off the bat: I will NOT tell you where this mine is, nor will I take you to it myself. The MineEx community is very secretive about these hidden gems because of their safety and the preservation of these sites (and legal concerns). This goes without saying, but abandoned mines are incredibly dangerous. Failing to respect their danger can result in injury or death. These hazards include (but are not limited to):
Slips, trips, and falls.
Exposure to hazardous materials (dust/particulates, gases, etc.).
Crush injuries.
Unexploded ordinance.
Bumps, scrapes, and entanglement hazards.
Animal encounters (alive or dead).
You should NOT venture into mines without being certain of the path, the hazardous materials inside, potential falls, the structural integrity of the mine itself, and the ability to monitor the air quality. You should also never go alone or without proper equipment. For us, we had means to monitor the air, perform self-rescue, had a buddy system, and notified people when we entered and egressed out of the mine. Additionally, all of us were physically capable of exploring the mine as it requires a degree of physical fitness and ability. I have experience and training in rescue (confined spaces, high angle, and low angle), therefore my posture on risk is a little different that the average person.
This mine in particular had several adits (horizontal paths) and shafts (vertical paths). As you enter, there is a 100ft shaft that is unmarked, in which a woman fell 100ft and died. I repeat: A WOMAN DIED IN THIS PARTICULAR MINE, which reinforces my stance that I won’t tell anyone where it is.
I found about 7 dead rabbits on the first level alone, of which we think they got lost and simply died as their remains were intact. As we went along through the mine, we thought through our path and checked the integrity of the timber. The first descent down the 45 degree slope was terrifying at first, but once you realize you’ll most likely slide on your ass if you lost footing, it wasn’t so bad. The hardest part was the last descent to get to the natural spring. This required that we let ourselves down to the top of a 45 degree ladder system, lower ourselves via rope to an opening, then head down an 8 ft. vertical ladder onto a platform below. One wrong step off that platform and you fell 10 feet into water below. That part had Jen, Mike, and myself check our pulses. The ladders integrity in this area isn’t as great as the previous long descent; people had made repairs but it will take some securing into the mine wall itself to make it more sound.
You duck through two openings and you find the natural spring. Gabe estimates that it could be around 70ft deep, and that it connects to several other adits and shafts that are submerged. His friend had explored some of it with scuba gear before.
I was absolutely terrified to go into the water for two fold: I couldn’t see the bottom and I was afraid I would sink. Fortunately, people left pool noodles for me to hold onto and two ropes led into the water for egress. The water was surprisingly not bad, temperature wise. If you kept still you’d get cold, but after becoming a giant sweat ball climbing down ladders it was refreshing.
As I tread water I mentally reminded myself that I had means to egress and that there wasn’t a Kraken secretly waiting down below to eat me alive. The pool noodles were a welcomed site. This place was one pile of scorpions and a spear pit away from being an Indiana Jones movie. As I climbed up the rope to get out of the pool, I felt like a very unsexy Lara Croft, except my treasure was a pile of old glow sticks and two pool noodles.
Afterwards, Gabe and I made a side quest to the old Dutch-Cleanser Mine, of which we didn’t go down into since we were gassed from the previous mine. This mine, which is a popular destination spot for off-roaders, is white and powdery…. like I imaged moon dust would look like. Unlike the previous mine we were in, there was no graffiti in the Dutch-Cleanser, save for people carving their names into the soft walls. The whole mine reminded me of a cathedral, with it’s tall ceilings and white walls; a stark contrast to what we just crawled out of; it was like Heaven and Hell.
With each thing that I do which absolutely terrifies me, I feel freer and freer each day. I am so much stronger than I realize, and I find myself learning more about who I am as a person with each obstacle I face.
