“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 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you very much, Gly… Given the conditions, we fully expected to encounter bad air and significant collapses. The lack of bad air is still a bit of a mystery to me, but the lack of major collapses - despite the bad ground - is a real testament to the craftsmanship of the old timers that so perfectly fit all of those timbers together. So, yes, a real rarity indeed. Unfortunately, the government is going to destroy it in a few months. Haha, the drive in definitely went over the edge of my comfort level!
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 12:35 is AMAZING! What a photograph! Very much enjoyed this exploration!
Thank you very much. The secure rock is the normal rock that is in that area. The sporty section with all of the colors is the actual vein that the miners were working. Often, the ore that the miners are after is the weakest section in a mine.
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.
Thank you! Haha, the whole time I was in there I was thinking about what I had ahead of me on that drive out. Definitely stressful! I think it was actually harder on the drive out because I was on the side away from the drop off on the way out. So, I didn't have as good of a sense of how far out over the empty space the tires were. I had to go VERY slowly with my friends constantly monitoring the tire location to tell me how many more inches we had before plunging to our deaths.
_"...the other half was flirting with the void."_ I swear, I'm not sure what I look forward to more - the mine or the narrative. You are a gifted writer. Ever thought of making a career out of it? 😉
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.
Thank you very much. Yes, this was a really interesting one. Kind of tragic to think that despite being more than a century old, it is going to be gone forever in a few months...
20:25 - the mycelium on those timbers and the fruiting bodies, are fascinating! Thanks for taking the time to show them!! 😊 Another awesome, slightly scary vid! Glad you didn't go down the sludge tunnel as those timbers might well have given way with a quick outrush of sediment.
I'd had my eye out for a good example for a while, so I'm glad I spotted the little garden on that support timber... We just weren't feeling the sludge tunnel. Maybe if it had been the very first mine of the season and we were hyper-motivated, but, nah, we weren't feeling it all. Your scenario is quite plausible.
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 👍
A friend once served me a soda with ice - that came from their well water with sulfur in it. Blech! Another great episode. Those timbers were magnificent. The manway and air shaft really went up quite a ways. Would've been interesting to see the upper levels (although probably well beyond unsafe). Thanks for capturing these gems before they are gone forever.
Thank you. The sulfur soda is probably not a flavor one would forget anytime soon! I have no idea how one could even have accessed those upper levels at this point... There likely were just stopes up there rather than additional haulage levels, but it is impossible to say for sure now. Either way, I wish we could have gotten up there as well.
Hi Justin, whoa those timber sets were so cool to see but also scary too. You don't see them go on for that long usually away from the portal either so that must have been some real crappy ground they hit on. What made the area so black around that flooded winze ??. Wow, wow, what a stunning shot looking up at 21:32. A very interesting mine as there was a lot going on, so many different colours too. Thank you for taking us along, please stay safe, much love. xx💖🤘🤘
Microbial/fungal activity, deposition of dark minerals or some type of chemical reaction are the only things I can think of for that. As far as wood is concerned, in the presence of water and iron, a reaction with phenolic chemicals (tannins) in the wood can take place, causing metallic discoloration or Iron Stain.
The ground all along the vein was quite bad. Given the amount of work it would have taken to get those timbers to the mine and to put them in, the miners must have been very concerned. Yes, DaveG is correct... The wet support timbers are often pitch black!
Thanks for all your videos. You’ve inspired me and my friends when we explore mines here in N. Georgia. Although our mines are smaller in size, it’s still a blast finding mines and all the equipment and tools that are left behind. Thanks again from Georgia.
Thank you for coming along! And, yes, this one did indeed end up being far more special than I expected... It's a shame that it is going to be lost forever in just a few months.
Wow!! Looking at All the forest down in that mine I was expecting ya'lls O2 alarm to be Screaming but as you were pointing out all the mineralization mud and levels of mostly prepetual wetness, it did start to make sense that the wood was either sealed or drowned to the point that the rot levels were mostly nonexistent or greatly diminished.
10:35 i do believe that is thee most water flowing out of the wall of a mine i have ever seen in any of your mines journey. the blue on the walls though interesting.
We hit an amazing underground waterfall in the Walker Mine video, but that was coming down from above. So, I have to agree that I can' think of any other mine that had that much water pouring out the side... It was great for washing some of that mud off of our waders!
Timbering was amazing. The colors...the deep blacks were unlike anything I have ever seen. Sketchy as heck back in there. That explanation and footage you had of the level of the mud really drove home the depth of that stuff.
Even more interesting than the fungus is the mycelium web crawling all over the timbers. Just so you know, I do believe that is _Fibroporia vaillantii,_ otherwise known as... wait for it... mine fungus! LOL
I always find old mine and cave explores fascinating to watch. Great video and narration, buddy. Such a shame the Government are going to destroy it. 👍🤙
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed this one... Yes, I think it is tragic how all of these historical sites are being rapidly destroyed. The best I can do is to document them so people understand what is being lost and can see what a particular site used to look like.
With all that wet timber, I'm surprised the air quality wasn't setting off the monitor. Your trip up to the portal sounds quite harrowing. Thanks for another amazing exploration Justin, you never disappoint! 💚
Thanks for watching and for the comment... Yes, it blew my mind how much timbering was in there. However, they must have been pretty concerned about that ground in there because the miners would not have put the energy, time and money into doing that if they didn't think it was absolutely necessary.
@@TVRExploring I was thinking it must have been really rich ground to justify all that extra time and energy to keep it workable and continue that way.
Colorful water, just don't drink it. Looks like silver and some gold was mined there. Where ever this is it is a wet one. Keep up the great work. Another timbering nightmare and explore. Thanks Justin.
Hi Justin, Julie here. I enjoyed your sloppy explore with the cool timbering. It sounds like it was a really tough road to get up there. I would have liked to have seen a couple shots of the road, but I don't think you generally show that. Why do you think the government would want to close a mine that is so hard to get to and that few people probably go to? Anyway, thanks for the tour and I'm glad you are not still stuck in the mud up there!
Thank you, Julie. Yes, we're glad to not be still stuck in the mud up there as well! No, I don't normally show location information... In this case, I was so focused on the driving that it didn't even occur to me to film it. Haha, it definitely would have made for good video. The motivation for closing the mines has evolved to be about money rather than safety (although, of course, you will still be told it is about safety). There are a large number of government employees and contractors that make a good living from destroying these sites. If they were to stop finding "dangerous" abandoned mines that we needed to be "protected" from, they'd all be out of a job. So, guess what? Somehow they just keep finding more and more dangers that need to be made safe... The statistics about abandoned mines reveal the big lie. The majority of deaths connected to abandoned mines are drownings (people swimming in rock quarries) and vehicle accidents (racing an ATV or dirt bike around an old mine site and crashing). Do you see what a stretch it is to use those incidents as justification for the bulldozing of historic buildings and the sealing of mines on a massive scale? However, all of the easy pickings have already been rendered "safe" for us. So, now they must increasingly select remote sites that require helicopters to ferry the equipment in.
@@TVRExploring Helicopter..I was wondering how they were going to access the mine to close it. I suppose you wouldn't want to be driving on that road and shooting video at the same time so I'll have to use my imagination. Thanks for the detailed response.
Gotta say while I'm no fan of bureaucrats shuttering cool historic mines, this one really checks all the boxes for demolition. That's way too much sulphide leaching out. Beautiful timbering though. Glad you got a video of it. I'd love to see some old photos.
You should maybe nickname this mine "Camp EnKrustyed"! That ore must have been rich for the massive timbering and lagging they had to do throughout! Great explore!👍
The beginning started with you inside. What was the weather? That waterflow was something else. Must be a decent size river or pooling above there. Wierd that that pocket that faced out behind it had no water at all. Seeing as high as the waterline was in the beginning. Wonder If it flowed in or came from within. Especially since at the waterfall there was no water stains on the walls. Lots of sediment in there starting at the 16:30 mark. Makes one wonee about all the empty cavities it came from. That water kills covid. That chute/vent/chimney was lined all the way up. Amazingly. Makes you wonder did they doing going up or coming down? Might want to check and see if it comes out up above. Very cool video. They're all cool. Thanks for doing these.
Thank you. The weather was mostly sunny, although it is way up in the mountains and so afternoon showers are a pretty regular event even in the summer (this was shot in August). It gets a ton of snow in the winter and so there must be a lot of water percolating down after the snow melts. In my experience, the high water lines come from snow damming up the entrance to a mine and then also having the snow drain into the mine as it melts. Haha, yes, I'd say that water would take care of Covid real quickly. This was up in an alpine area and so we could see clearly all of the way to the top of the ridge. We didn't see where anything ran to the surface.
It was a great explore ... always wondering just how far away the water is as it pours into a mine. This was also a MESS to get through. Wettest mine you've ever explored? Thanks for trudging on for us!
Thank you. In most cases, the water is just percolating through the earth from rain and snow. There is rarely a specific source of water like a stream. As far as the wettest mine I've explored, this is the one that came to mind as soon as you said that: ua-cam.com/video/rabL3BakoFE/v-deo.html
Yes, the level of craftsmanship in this mine tells you that they were not employing a low budget crew of miners. And, as you indicated, the cost of the materials inside would have cost a fortune as well. I couldn't locate a history on this mine, but I hope it made someone rich!
It's crazy, huh? Some of the mines out in the middle of nowhere in the desert are absolutely stuffed with timbers. So, you know that some forest in the next state over got stripped.
At 21:23 I've seen this many times before, and with all the timbering I see this is usually when they raise up thru the vein and had pick the ore out leaving the low grade behind kinda building a floor as they go up. They then stack boards like this in a square as they go up and up and use these passages for air and pulling up supplies. The boards are just stacked and held in by the back filled ore. Climbing these is really difficult to impossible. Not sure if that's was done here but looks that way, and usually heavily timbered when this is done to hold up all the waste rock above.
They must have cut an entire forest to timber that mine. That yellow sludge reminded me of a few years back when the EPA released the sludge out of a couple mines and polluted the rivers, and the Native Americans protested for months.
Yes, I was not expecting THAT much timbering inside of there! This mine is in an alpine area and so they must have had some very unhappy mules bringing all of those logs in. Yes, that "mine mud" or sludge is not nice stuff...
I actually looked into that recently because frank at EAM was letting some water out of a mine. turns out the EPA had cemented the addit 100% sealed, it filled up with water, and the drain pipe clogged. when they didn't see water in the drain, they did something with a backhoe, and the whole dam plug came out. the resulting torrent of water drained all the mud and everything out of the mine. moral of the story is the EPA did that 100% to itself.
@@seldoon_nemar Not quite. The Gold King was originally intended to cut the vein at depth, and possibly to exploit other veins in the Sunnyside region. It was at higher elevation and was dry for much of the 20th century with only meteoric water noted in the workings. The American Tunnel was driven from Gladstone to do exploit the Sunnyside and this became the primary haulage for Sunnyside Gold. This was the site of the 1978 Blowout that destroyed Lake Emma and polluted the Animas River and the San Juan River drainages. That was caused when a stope driven under lake Emma was thought to have 150 feet of rock between the back and the lake, but there was a large ice plug in Lake Emma covered by tailings from older surface plants; and not much rock holding it up. It blew out on a Sunday so nobody was killed. Lake Emma was stoped to surface, and all that remains are the contoured remains of the stopes and old foundations of the original Sunnyside surface plant. The American Tunnel drained all the water from the geology in this area. When Sunnyside Gold closed in 1991 they had a sort of treatment plant at Gladstone, consisting of 3 or 4 ponds as I remember. Eventually around 1996 they installed several plugs; initially to channel water to treatment then to seal a fracture zone between the first plug and the portal. This was done to prevent EPA Superfund designation. Once they stopped flow, they then dismantled the water treatment plant. These actions started the water table to rise. Water rose and by about 2002 began to flow from the Gold King, Red and Bonita, and Grand Mogul lower tunnel. When owners were asked to treat it they asserted that the water problem was actually Sunnyside's issue. The owner of the Mogul sealed his adit in 2003, increasing flow from the Gold King. Most of the owners had never worked the mines and simply owned the claims. Colorado Gold Fields had an option on these claims and the Pride of the West mill, but aside from unauthorized road work (failed to get proper clearances for the project), some new paint on buildings, not much was done. The portals were plugged by backfill of waste rock by the state of Colorado in 2009. Some pipes were put in to prevent pooling of water but no maintenance was performed. In 2014 the State of Colorado asked the EPA to open the portal so that work on the drainage could be performed. At this point water in the 2000 foot long haulage way to a minimum depth of 6 feet was present. Work was postponed until 2015 when a small pond to treat the pooled water was built. When excavating to install pipes to drain this assumed level of water, the subcontractor did not realize (or had performed the proper procedure to determine) that the works were full of pressurized water. When enough mass was removed, physics took over and within minutes the blowout the work was intended to prevent happened. Unlike 1978 this time word got downstream before the water ended up in the irrigation ditches and water intakes for the towns and cities. Inlets and ditches were turned off until the plume had passed. Now the area is a superfund site. Rather a futile exercise all in all.
Not sure if you keep up with earthquakes, but I'd be a bit more picky about which sketchy mines to visit, there seems to be a bit of seismic unrest going on that might concern your underground adventures, but awesome video's as always, keep it up!
Looks like they used a whole forest to make that one safe! It's done well to hold up too, given how acidic and wet those working are! That shaft at the end was awesome, a work of art!
Yes, I think it is a real testament to the craftsmanship of the miners that everything has held up so well considering the conditions... A work of art is a great way to describe that shaft at the end! It was incredible.
I've only run into timbering that intense in two mines, both in the Magdalena district of New Mexico. Both bone dry, one of them got sketchy enough that I turned around and the other one completely imploded. That disappointed me; the latter one connected into otherwise-inaccessible portions of an adjoining mine. Those workings were considered old before WW2 and driven in sedimentary rock...small wonder they were in that condition.
The only mine that I can think of that was more heavily timbered than this was one where even the floor was timbered. All four sides were surrounded by wood and so you felt like you were walking down a hallway in a home rather than in a mine. It was pretty wild. That is too bad that you couldn't get deeper into those mines, but, obviously the old timers were correct in their assessment of the need for the timber supports!
Justin - What county and state is this mine located in? Also, is the elevation extreme? Somehow, it feels like a high-elevation mine. It must have been one hell of a producer. It had to have cost a fortune to put in those huge timbers, even in the 1800's.
Yes, the elevation on this one is extreme. It is up in an alpine zone... So, your instincts are spot on! And, yes, it would have been tremendously costly to haul those timbers all of the way out there and to put them all in. So, the miners must have thought they were absolutely necessary. Shoot me a private message for the location info.
I agree that is some of the most phenomenal timbering I have seen in a mine. I can only imagine the man power it must have taken to do that. I imagine they drug most of the timber up that sketchy trail using mules. And that ventilation shaft going up to the top...how did they do that? That waterfall was amazing you can understand high water marks on the ribs and the more than abundant mud silt you struggled to wade thru. I'm glad you didn't go any further if one of those belly high mud dams would have burst you would be a mudsicle with little hope of getting out.
I was definitely not expecting THAT much timbering inside! Yes, this mine is in an alpine area and so the trees would have needed to come in from elsewhere. And, yes, I imagine they had some very unhappy mules hauling all of those logs in along that steep, sporty trail. With something like that ventilation shaft (I assume that is what that was, but I don't know for sure), the level of craftsmanship involved in building that is unbelievable. I am still curious what might have been deeper back in the mine, but there's also a good chance it was just a wall of mud. The waste rock pile outside wasn't huge, so we did not miss a lot.
What resources do you use to know which mines the government is closing/sealing? Is it just inside information or are your using an online resource? Thanks!
Sometimes the information is online (Utah puts it online). In this case, it was inside information. I have several contacts now that work in the agencies responsible for destroying the mines... Obviously, we can't visit them all, but if something is particularly noteworthy, we try to get out to it to document it before it is gone forever.
@@TVRExploring Very Awesome, thanks for getting back to me. I'm a live in Northern California and if the mine has not already been filled with foam, backfilled or on private property, the government has destroyed it, even down to burning the structures many places as I'm sure you know.... Plus as you know our area is not very good ground for preserving mines due to the moisture among other things. I love your VIP access to the really amazing places. Thanks for showing a real gem here!
@@TVRExploring wow thats just amazing there is a underground river just running through the mountain. Wonder if it was there before the mine or if it broke through after the mine was made. Thats alot of water I bet it tastes great too. lol maybe they should pipe it out to the entrance before the destory it.
Well i guess you will have to take one for the team then, drive back and capture it all on video. Jokes aside I understand your first priority wasn't filming sounds like it was as pretty sketchy drive, thanks for the great content and stay safe!
Think about how much time was spent installing all that timber when they could have been mining. There must have been a lot of good pay in the rock. Great video.
The timbers in there were some of the best I've seen. It would have been a huge amount amount of work getting them in place inside of the mine, but also a huge amount of work just to get them to the mine. So, the miners must have thought they were absolutely necessary.
an Amazons worth of timber in that mine and wow Justin that mud looked like fun to wade through lol not, great thigh workout I guess, cool mine though , glad you went in before the government agents shut the thing down, thanks for sharing that one dude.
Haha, it is definitely an excellent workout for the legs and abs! We pushed ourselves to get to this one, but felt it was important to document it since we know that despite lasting for more than a century, it only has a few months left.
WOW, Ive never seen that much timber to a mine entrance in my life! Just stunning Cant understand why your government would destroy old mines they are your history! . ❤😊
Have you ever been in a mine, hear or see something that caused you to make a hasty exit? All of that pushed out lumber makes the hair on my arms stand up.
In one of the Russia (?) videos, he captures what sounds like a woman screaming... ...and then says something like "well, that was interesting" and continues onward... :O
@@TVRExploring That's really a shame. I know that many old mines can pose quite a hazard for inexperienced explorers, but even the most worked-out mine could one day be productive again with new technology, and every one of them is a piece of history. If they have to do something to a mine I'd rather see them erect a serious barrier (not just barbed-wire fencing) across the entrance to keep people out without destroying a potential future resource.
I'd like to show more of that stuff, but I have learned to be very careful with location information since various federal agencies responsible for closing mines watch this channel closely now.
Those caps aren't notched. The post can fall inward, away from the rib, at any time. The posts are notched to keep the cap from rolling off, but nothing keeping the posts upright by gravity and friction
Yes, I would think the water flowing out of the solid rock would be perfectly fine to drink. It has been filtered through many tons of earth and rock. I'd be a little more hesitant with picking up some heavy metals if one were to consider drinking water closer to the vein.
Super cool albeit dangerous mine☺️ Love all the colors and the timbering! I hate that the government is being allowed to destroy our mining history! Started under Obama and is still ongoing!
Yes, "floor" seems to be pretty commonly accepted. Haha, the miners on here haven't corrected me on using that term and they normally don't hesitate for a second to correct me on something if I make a mistake (which, to be clear, I am grateful for as a free education).
“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 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you very much, Gly… Given the conditions, we fully expected to encounter bad air and significant collapses. The lack of bad air is still a bit of a mystery to me, but the lack of major collapses - despite the bad ground - is a real testament to the craftsmanship of the old timers that so perfectly fit all of those timbers together. So, yes, a real rarity indeed. Unfortunately, the government is going to destroy it in a few months.
Haha, the drive in definitely went over the edge of my comfort level!
Always a good sign when, less than 4 minutes in, you hear Justin say, "Wow!"
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 12:35 is AMAZING! What a photograph!
Very much enjoyed this exploration!
Thank you very much. The secure rock is the normal rock that is in that area. The sporty section with all of the colors is the actual vein that the miners were working. Often, the ore that the miners are after is the weakest section in a mine.
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.
Thank you! Haha, the whole time I was in there I was thinking about what I had ahead of me on that drive out. Definitely stressful! I think it was actually harder on the drive out because I was on the side away from the drop off on the way out. So, I didn't have as good of a sense of how far out over the empty space the tires were. I had to go VERY slowly with my friends constantly monitoring the tire location to tell me how many more inches we had before plunging to our deaths.
_"...the other half was flirting with the void."_
I swear, I'm not sure what I look forward to more - the mine or the narrative. You are a gifted writer. Ever thought of making a career out of it? 😉
I've toyed with the idea a couple of times :) Haha, I wish I had been filming that section, but I was VERY focused on the driving!
@@TVRExploring Write a book and I'll buy it!
The reason I always head straight for the description before watching Justin's videos, even if watching is required to understand some of it.
@@TVRExploring Glad you didnt video the drive. No way. nope.
@@_tyrannus Ah! You *_get_* me. 😁👍
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.
Thank you very much. Yes, this was a really interesting one. Kind of tragic to think that despite being more than a century old, it is going to be gone forever in a few months...
20:25 - the mycelium on those timbers and the fruiting bodies, are fascinating! Thanks for taking the time to show them!! 😊 Another awesome, slightly scary vid! Glad you didn't go down the sludge tunnel as those timbers might well have given way with a quick outrush of sediment.
I'd had my eye out for a good example for a while, so I'm glad I spotted the little garden on that support timber... We just weren't feeling the sludge tunnel. Maybe if it had been the very first mine of the season and we were hyper-motivated, but, nah, we weren't feeling it all. Your scenario is quite plausible.
Looks like Ganoderma species or a relative, they grow on trees.
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 👍
The things you do for us to watch very grateful for you and the crews that document these amazing worlds
The timber contractor surely made his retirement on this lumber sale.
Probably several generations of his family!
Selling out our future to make someone rich.
@@wf6951 trees grow.
I didn't even realize it first... yeah that's a lot of timber 🤣🤣🤣
@@HitLeftistsWithHammers ...slowly
A friend once served me a soda with ice - that came from their well water with sulfur in it. Blech!
Another great episode. Those timbers were magnificent. The manway and air shaft really went up quite a ways. Would've been interesting to see the upper levels (although probably well beyond unsafe). Thanks for capturing these gems before they are gone forever.
Thank you. The sulfur soda is probably not a flavor one would forget anytime soon! I have no idea how one could even have accessed those upper levels at this point... There likely were just stopes up there rather than additional haulage levels, but it is impossible to say for sure now. Either way, I wish we could have gotten up there as well.
Hi Justin, whoa those timber sets were so cool to see but also scary too. You don't see them go on for that long usually away from the portal either so that must have been some real crappy ground they hit on. What made the area so black around that flooded winze ??.
Wow, wow, what a stunning shot looking up at 21:32. A very interesting mine as there was a lot going on, so many different colours too.
Thank you for taking us along, please stay safe, much love. xx💖🤘🤘
Microbial/fungal activity, deposition of dark minerals or some type of chemical reaction are the only things I can think of for that. As far as wood is concerned, in the presence of water and iron, a reaction with phenolic chemicals (tannins) in the wood can take place, causing metallic discoloration or Iron Stain.
@@daveg2104 That's awesome, thank you for the in depth info. x
The ground all along the vein was quite bad. Given the amount of work it would have taken to get those timbers to the mine and to put them in, the miners must have been very concerned. Yes, DaveG is correct... The wet support timbers are often pitch black!
@@TVRExploring Thanks Justin. x
Thanks for all your videos. You’ve inspired me and my friends when we explore mines here in N. Georgia. Although our mines are smaller in size, it’s still a blast finding mines and all the equipment and tools that are left behind. Thanks again from Georgia.
Not many people know about Georgia's mining history. It's great that you're out documenting it.
Absolutely stunning timber work. Thank you for sharing my friend. YEEYEE
That was truly something special. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Thank you for coming along! And, yes, this one did indeed end up being far more special than I expected... It's a shame that it is going to be lost forever in just a few months.
Wow!!
Looking at All the forest down in that mine I was expecting ya'lls O2 alarm to be Screaming but as you were pointing out all the mineralization mud and levels of mostly prepetual wetness, it did start to make sense that the wood was either sealed or drowned to the point that the rot levels were mostly nonexistent or greatly diminished.
You're right. We were definitely expecting air issues in there!
If there is flowing water then there should be also some airflow, right?
10:35 i do believe that is thee most water flowing out of the wall of a mine i have ever seen in any of your mines journey. the blue on the walls though interesting.
We hit an amazing underground waterfall in the Walker Mine video, but that was coming down from above. So, I have to agree that I can' think of any other mine that had that much water pouring out the side... It was great for washing some of that mud off of our waders!
Timbering was amazing. The colors...the deep blacks were unlike anything I have ever seen. Sketchy as heck back in there. That explanation and footage you had of the level of the mud really drove home the depth of that stuff.
The colors along that vein were pretty wild, huh? Not much fun in that sludgy mud!
Beautiful mine! Thanks for slogging thru it!
Even more interesting than the fungus is the mycelium web crawling all over the timbers.
Just so you know, I do believe that is _Fibroporia vaillantii,_ otherwise known as... wait for it... mine fungus! LOL
One definitely sees some interesting stuff underground! Amazing coincidence that it is known as mine fungus, isn't it?
It can be your fungus. I don’t want it.
@@alohathaxted LOL! I see what you did there. 😏
Incredible old historic mine, Excellent video (again).....!
Thank you (again)! I appreciate your interest...
Oh man that’s brown trousers time !!! As always sir epic epic exploration. ....., thanks for bringing us with you 🙏👍☺️
Haha, yes, that drive in and out was the worst I've ever done anywhere!
Awesome video Justin 🎉🎉❤
I always find old mine and cave explores fascinating to watch. Great video and narration, buddy. Such a shame the Government are going to destroy it. 👍🤙
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed this one... Yes, I think it is tragic how all of these historical sites are being rapidly destroyed. The best I can do is to document them so people understand what is being lost and can see what a particular site used to look like.
With all that wet timber, I'm surprised the air quality wasn't setting off the monitor. Your trip up to the portal sounds quite harrowing. Thanks for another amazing exploration Justin, you never disappoint! 💚
There was half a forest worth of timbering just to keep that mine stable ... was really amazing ... as always Thanks for sharing Bro 👍😁
Thanks for watching and for the comment... Yes, it blew my mind how much timbering was in there. However, they must have been pretty concerned about that ground in there because the miners would not have put the energy, time and money into doing that if they didn't think it was absolutely necessary.
@@TVRExploring I was thinking it must have been really rich ground to justify all that extra time and energy to keep it workable and continue that way.
looks like they were in some soft sulfides .....bet that tasted good ......... and Yeah ...your gonna get wet . hahhaha
Haha, it tasted very earthy! I would love to see an assay from that vein...
Love your vids! Keep up the good work! Mine exploring is on my bucket list!
Thank you very much.
Excellent video🙏 thanks for sharing this
Some of the most impressive timbering I've seen... too bad it's gonna get destroyed. Very interesting to watch as always :)
Thank you. Yes, I am sorry it is being destroyed...
4:28 even though the wooden supports are soaking wet, they still look really solid. No cracking at all.
Well I'm glad you sulfured through it for us!
Astonishing timber work in this mine...........huge effort required on part of miners and foresters. Wow!
Yes, it is pretty incredible... Even just getting the timbers to the mine would have been incredible.
Colorful water, just don't drink it. Looks like silver and some gold was mined there. Where ever this is it is a wet one. Keep up the great work. Another timbering nightmare and explore. Thanks Justin.
Hi Justin, Julie here. I enjoyed your sloppy explore with the cool timbering. It sounds like it was a really tough road to get up there. I would have liked to have seen a couple shots of the road, but I don't think you generally show that. Why do you think the government would want to close a mine that is so hard to get to and that few people probably go to? Anyway, thanks for the tour and I'm glad you are not still stuck in the mud up there!
Thank you, Julie. Yes, we're glad to not be still stuck in the mud up there as well! No, I don't normally show location information... In this case, I was so focused on the driving that it didn't even occur to me to film it. Haha, it definitely would have made for good video.
The motivation for closing the mines has evolved to be about money rather than safety (although, of course, you will still be told it is about safety). There are a large number of government employees and contractors that make a good living from destroying these sites. If they were to stop finding "dangerous" abandoned mines that we needed to be "protected" from, they'd all be out of a job. So, guess what? Somehow they just keep finding more and more dangers that need to be made safe... The statistics about abandoned mines reveal the big lie. The majority of deaths connected to abandoned mines are drownings (people swimming in rock quarries) and vehicle accidents (racing an ATV or dirt bike around an old mine site and crashing). Do you see what a stretch it is to use those incidents as justification for the bulldozing of historic buildings and the sealing of mines on a massive scale? However, all of the easy pickings have already been rendered "safe" for us. So, now they must increasingly select remote sites that require helicopters to ferry the equipment in.
@@TVRExploring Helicopter..I was wondering how they were going to access the mine to close it. I suppose you wouldn't want to be driving on that road and shooting video at the same time so I'll have to use my imagination. Thanks for the detailed response.
Gotta say while I'm no fan of bureaucrats shuttering cool historic mines, this one really checks all the boxes for demolition. That's way too much sulphide leaching out. Beautiful timbering though. Glad you got a video of it. I'd love to see some old photos.
You should maybe nickname this mine "Camp EnKrustyed"! That ore must have been rich for the massive timbering and lagging they had to do throughout! Great explore!👍
I like it!
The beginning started with you inside. What was the weather? That waterflow was something else. Must be a decent size river or pooling above there. Wierd that that pocket that faced out behind it had no water at all. Seeing as high as the waterline was in the beginning. Wonder If it flowed in or came from within. Especially since at the waterfall there was no water stains on the walls. Lots of sediment in there starting at the 16:30 mark. Makes one wonee about all the empty cavities it came from. That water kills covid. That chute/vent/chimney was lined all the way up. Amazingly. Makes you wonder did they doing going up or coming down? Might want to check and see if it comes out up above. Very cool video. They're all cool. Thanks for doing these.
Thank you. The weather was mostly sunny, although it is way up in the mountains and so afternoon showers are a pretty regular event even in the summer (this was shot in August). It gets a ton of snow in the winter and so there must be a lot of water percolating down after the snow melts. In my experience, the high water lines come from snow damming up the entrance to a mine and then also having the snow drain into the mine as it melts. Haha, yes, I'd say that water would take care of Covid real quickly. This was up in an alpine area and so we could see clearly all of the way to the top of the ridge. We didn't see where anything ran to the surface.
TVR Exploring . Interesting. So that framed out rise went ???? Up.
It was a great explore ... always wondering just how far away the water is as it pours into a mine. This was also a MESS to get through. Wettest mine you've ever explored? Thanks for trudging on for us!
Thank you. In most cases, the water is just percolating through the earth from rain and snow. There is rarely a specific source of water like a stream. As far as the wettest mine I've explored, this is the one that came to mind as soon as you said that:
ua-cam.com/video/rabL3BakoFE/v-deo.html
All the timbering! That shift going up you found on the way out. Someone spent a ton of money on this mine! Hopefully it was worth it.
Yes, the level of craftsmanship in this mine tells you that they were not employing a low budget crew of miners. And, as you indicated, the cost of the materials inside would have cost a fortune as well. I couldn't locate a history on this mine, but I hope it made someone rich!
You got your daily Sulphur in take for the year. The timbering reminds me timbering the coal mine I worked in.
Haha, yes, no concerns about being sulphur deficient on my end! You must have some good stories from your coal mining days!
Looks like straight out of an Indiana Jones film :0
Am super impressed.
Watching all the mine exploring videos, I know where all the old growth forests were used for.
It's crazy, huh? Some of the mines out in the middle of nowhere in the desert are absolutely stuffed with timbers. So, you know that some forest in the next state over got stripped.
At 21:23 I've seen this many times before, and with all the timbering I see this is usually when they raise up thru the vein and had pick the ore out leaving the low grade behind kinda building a floor as they go up. They then stack boards like this in a square as they go up and up and use these passages for air and pulling up supplies. The boards are just stacked and held in by the back filled ore. Climbing these is really difficult to impossible. Not sure if that's was done here but looks that way, and usually heavily timbered when this is done to hold up all the waste rock above.
I believe you're referring to the "cut and fill" method? Yes, given the number of ore chutes, that is definitely possible...
They must have cut an entire forest to timber that mine. That yellow sludge reminded me of a few years back when the EPA released the sludge out of a couple mines and polluted the rivers, and the Native Americans protested for months.
Yes, I was not expecting THAT much timbering inside of there! This mine is in an alpine area and so they must have had some very unhappy mules bringing all of those logs in. Yes, that "mine mud" or sludge is not nice stuff...
I actually looked into that recently because frank at EAM was letting some water out of a mine.
turns out the EPA had cemented the addit 100% sealed, it filled up with water, and the drain pipe clogged. when they didn't see water in the drain, they did something with a backhoe, and the whole dam plug came out. the resulting torrent of water drained all the mud and everything out of the mine.
moral of the story is the EPA did that 100% to itself.
@@seldoon_nemar Not quite. The Gold King was originally intended to cut the vein at depth, and possibly to exploit other veins in the Sunnyside region. It was at higher elevation and was dry for much of the 20th century with only meteoric water noted in the workings.
The American Tunnel was driven from Gladstone to do exploit the Sunnyside and this became the primary haulage for Sunnyside Gold. This was the site of the 1978 Blowout that destroyed Lake Emma and polluted the Animas River and the San Juan River drainages. That was caused when a stope driven under lake Emma was thought to have 150 feet of rock between the back and the lake, but there was a large ice plug in Lake Emma covered by tailings from older surface plants; and not much rock holding it up. It blew out on a Sunday so nobody was killed. Lake Emma was stoped to surface, and all that remains are the contoured remains of the stopes and old foundations of the original Sunnyside surface plant. The American Tunnel drained all the water from the geology in this area.
When Sunnyside Gold closed in 1991 they had a sort of treatment plant at Gladstone, consisting of 3 or 4 ponds as I remember. Eventually around 1996 they installed several plugs; initially to channel water to treatment then to seal a fracture zone between the first plug and the portal. This was done to prevent EPA Superfund designation. Once they stopped flow, they then dismantled the water treatment plant. These actions started the water table to rise. Water rose and by about 2002 began to flow from the Gold King, Red and Bonita, and Grand Mogul lower tunnel. When owners were asked to treat it they asserted that the water problem was actually Sunnyside's issue. The owner of the Mogul sealed his adit in 2003, increasing flow from the Gold King. Most of the owners had never worked the mines and simply owned the claims. Colorado Gold Fields had an option on these claims and the Pride of the West mill, but aside from unauthorized road work (failed to get proper clearances for the project), some new paint on buildings, not much was done.
The portals were plugged by backfill of waste rock by the state of Colorado in 2009. Some pipes were put in to prevent pooling of water but no maintenance was performed. In 2014 the State of Colorado asked the EPA to open the portal so that work on the drainage could be performed. At this point water in the 2000 foot long haulage way to a minimum depth of 6 feet was present. Work was postponed until 2015 when a small pond to treat the pooled water was built. When excavating to install pipes to drain this assumed level of water, the subcontractor did not realize (or had performed the proper procedure to determine) that the works were full of pressurized water. When enough mass was removed, physics took over and within minutes the blowout the work was intended to prevent happened. Unlike 1978 this time word got downstream before the water ended up in the irrigation ditches and water intakes for the towns and cities. Inlets and ditches were turned off until the plume had passed.
Now the area is a superfund site. Rather a futile exercise all in all.
Not sure if you keep up with earthquakes, but I'd be a bit more picky about which sketchy mines to visit, there seems to be a bit of seismic unrest going on that might concern your underground adventures, but awesome video's as always, keep it up!
Underground mines actually ride out earthquakes pretty well. Stuff on the surface usually has a much worse go of it...
Not that I'd want to experience that.
Looks like they used a whole forest to make that one safe! It's done well to hold up too, given how acidic and wet those working are! That shaft at the end was awesome, a work of art!
Yes, I think it is a real testament to the craftsmanship of the miners that everything has held up so well considering the conditions... A work of art is a great way to describe that shaft at the end! It was incredible.
I've only run into timbering that intense in two mines, both in the Magdalena district of New Mexico. Both bone dry, one of them got sketchy enough that I turned around and the other one completely imploded. That disappointed me; the latter one connected into otherwise-inaccessible portions of an adjoining mine. Those workings were considered old before WW2 and driven in sedimentary rock...small wonder they were in that condition.
The only mine that I can think of that was more heavily timbered than this was one where even the floor was timbered. All four sides were surrounded by wood and so you felt like you were walking down a hallway in a home rather than in a mine. It was pretty wild.
That is too bad that you couldn't get deeper into those mines, but, obviously the old timers were correct in their assessment of the need for the timber supports!
If only we could have seen this one in 3D! That must have looked fantastic in there!
Justin - What county and state is this mine located in? Also, is the elevation extreme? Somehow, it feels like a high-elevation mine. It must have been one hell of a producer. It had to have cost a fortune to put in those huge timbers, even in the 1800's.
Yes, the elevation on this one is extreme. It is up in an alpine zone... So, your instincts are spot on! And, yes, it would have been tremendously costly to haul those timbers all of the way out there and to put them all in. So, the miners must have thought they were absolutely necessary.
Shoot me a private message for the location info.
What a fantastic place. But I don't think I would dare to enter it... So, thank you for sharing!
I agree that is some of the most phenomenal timbering I have seen in a mine. I can only imagine the man power it must have taken to do that. I imagine they drug most of the timber up that sketchy trail using mules. And that ventilation shaft going up to the top...how did they do that? That waterfall was amazing you can understand high water marks on the ribs and the more than abundant mud silt you struggled to wade thru. I'm glad you didn't go any further if one of those belly high mud dams would have burst you would be a mudsicle with little hope of getting out.
I was definitely not expecting THAT much timbering inside! Yes, this mine is in an alpine area and so the trees would have needed to come in from elsewhere. And, yes, I imagine they had some very unhappy mules hauling all of those logs in along that steep, sporty trail. With something like that ventilation shaft (I assume that is what that was, but I don't know for sure), the level of craftsmanship involved in building that is unbelievable. I am still curious what might have been deeper back in the mine, but there's also a good chance it was just a wall of mud. The waste rock pile outside wasn't huge, so we did not miss a lot.
What resources do you use to know which mines the government is closing/sealing? Is it just inside information or are your using an online resource? Thanks!
Sometimes the information is online (Utah puts it online). In this case, it was inside information. I have several contacts now that work in the agencies responsible for destroying the mines... Obviously, we can't visit them all, but if something is particularly noteworthy, we try to get out to it to document it before it is gone forever.
@@TVRExploring Very Awesome, thanks for getting back to me. I'm a live in Northern California and if the mine has not already been filled with foam, backfilled or on private property, the government has destroyed it, even down to burning the structures many places as I'm sure you know.... Plus as you know our area is not very good ground for preserving mines due to the moisture among other things. I love your VIP access to the really amazing places. Thanks for showing a real gem here!
@@brannancloward You're obviously very familiar with the area! Yes, that is a sadly accurate description of the situation in our area...
The mineralization on the walls and ceiling is just incredible.
I am always waiting to hear the word sporty in your videos. Stay safe.
Haha, did I use it this time? I don't remember. The drive in was definitely sporty!
Now that’s a underground Forrest! Thanks for the adventure!
Looks like this mine could be in the PNW, given how wet it is. Great video!
4:00 yes, a classic timbered adit. Beautiful, just beautiful.
Wonder if you could find where the waterfall is coming from up top.
Alpine mountaintop... Nothing mine-related visible and we could see clearly all of the way to the top.
@@TVRExploring wow thats just amazing there is a underground river just running through the mountain. Wonder if it was there before the mine or if it broke through after the mine was made. Thats alot of water I bet it tastes great too. lol maybe they should pipe it out to the entrance before the destory it.
That is just freaking amazing. Built to last I'd say.
And it did! Those timbers may have been under strain, but they did not fail...
man that drive up sounds as 'interesting' as the mine, would be good to see some footage of your trips up trails like that!
Would have been cool to see your drive up there :)
Yes, I wish I had filmed it, but I was so focused on not going over the edge that I didn't even think about it at the time.
Well i guess you will have to take one for the team then, drive back and capture it all on video. Jokes aside I understand your first priority wasn't filming sounds like it was as pretty sketchy drive, thanks for the great content and stay safe!
That waterfall is truly something spectacular
Wow! Sketchy. You have guts man.
With the mold and everything growing down in the mine is it safe to breathe?
I always love your videos!
Think about how much time was spent installing all that timber when they could have been mining. There must have been a lot of good pay in the rock. Great video.
Yes, they must have been getting really good ore out of there for that much timbering to be worth it!
what makes that mud deep burnt yellow? cadmium? sulfur ?
Thanks Justin, hard going good stuff.👍😁
Also they are some awesome timbers going on in there, lot of work gone into all that, must have made some good money from it.
The timbers in there were some of the best I've seen. It would have been a huge amount amount of work getting them in place inside of the mine, but also a huge amount of work just to get them to the mine. So, the miners must have thought they were absolutely necessary.
an Amazons worth of timber in that mine and wow Justin that mud looked like fun to wade through lol not, great thigh workout I guess, cool mine though , glad you went in before the government agents shut the thing down, thanks for sharing that one dude.
Haha, it is definitely an excellent workout for the legs and abs! We pushed ourselves to get to this one, but felt it was important to document it since we know that despite lasting for more than a century, it only has a few months left.
Sure had some big logs. Nice waterfall it's very wet in this one shame they can't use the water pumped to a town 😕 colors in here are so outstanding 👌
That was wild in that timbered column!!
Pretty cool, huh?
WOW, Ive never seen that much timber to a mine entrance in my life! Just stunning Cant understand why your government would destroy old mines they are your history! . ❤😊
your a brave soul, i definitely would go any further past those broken props
What do they do ? Blast the entrance or set charges all through the mine?
It depends on the contractor that they hire. Sometimes they blast it shut, but other times they bulldoze it over or plug it up with expanding foam...
This by chance near Groveland ?
Yosemite Area
Fascinating videos! But you couldn't force me into an old mine with a double barreled shotgun.
Glad you made it there and back safe and sound (?)....
Me too!
Have you ever been in a mine, hear or see something that caused you to make a hasty exit? All of that pushed out lumber makes the hair on my arms stand up.
In one of the Russia (?) videos, he captures what sounds like a woman screaming... ...and then says something like "well, that was interesting" and continues onward... :O
@@ChurchOfTheHolyMho "let's find out where that scream came from." Proceeds to explore further...
@@ChurchOfTheHolyMho Yeah, I saw that one. He certainly has some steady nerves..
I haven't made any exits yet based on something I saw or heard, but the one with the scream in it certainly got my attention.
@@TVRExploring I'll bet it did.
I am SO disappointed you did not go into that winze!
I'm joking, of course, great video. Keep it up!
Haha, thank you.
Just out of curiosity, it the government about to destroy the mine directly or because of some other project that will affect it?
They are destroying it directly - as they are slowly, but surely, doing with all of the abandoned mines out there...
@@TVRExploring That's really a shame. I know that many old mines can pose quite a hazard for inexperienced explorers, but even the most worked-out mine could one day be productive again with new technology, and every one of them is a piece of history. If they have to do something to a mine I'd rather see them erect a serious barrier (not just barbed-wire fencing) across the entrance to keep people out without destroying a potential future resource.
Great video but I want to see some of the hiking and camping part! 😄
I'd like to show more of that stuff, but I have learned to be very careful with location information since various federal agencies responsible for closing mines watch this channel closely now.
Those caps aren't notched. The post can fall inward, away from the rib, at any time. The posts are notched to keep the cap from rolling off, but nothing keeping the posts upright by gravity and friction
You should have tried one of those scrumptious mushrooms!
I was wondering if the water was drinkable that mine was very interesting thanks for taking us with you
Your videos are just like frosted flakes they're great
Is the water safe to drink. The one flowing out of the rock
It doesn't matter anymore. The mine is destroyed.
Yes, I would think the water flowing out of the solid rock would be perfectly fine to drink. It has been filtered through many tons of earth and rock. I'd be a little more hesitant with picking up some heavy metals if one were to consider drinking water closer to the vein.
I'd like to know what type of ore came out of it...but not enough to go in there...you are courageous
It was primarily silver. I normally talk about that sort of thing in the description below the video.
Oh, and the DRIVE in and out... holy crap! 😳🤯
I think I have PTSD from that drive! LOL. It was brutal...
@@TVRExploring No doubt!
Super cool albeit dangerous mine☺️ Love all the colors and the timbering! I hate that the government is being allowed to destroy our mining history! Started under Obama and is still ongoing!
Yes, I hate to see so much being destroyed as well... It is a source of great frustration to me.
It's surprising that in such a wet mine there is so little water dripping down in that long vertical shaft.
Yes, you'd expect a fair amount of water to be running down there.
IMO thigh high mud is always a no go. That mine would be a good setting for a horror movie. Thanks for this one.
That's a good policy. I hadn't thought about the horror angle, but, yes, it would be!
Amazing colors there. 😛
Don't know if I would go in there, but very cool
It must be ice cold int those water fall spaces. Where does all that water come from in a mine like that?
Yes, mine water is very cold. It's not something you want to have soaking you... The water percolates down from rainfall and melting snow.
That soggy wet timbered area looked like the lower levels at the 16to1 after being dewatered.
That must have been a hell of a job rehabbing that!
After watching.. wow, waterfall and all.
Pretty cool, huh?
if the roof is the back,what is the floor,sides are ribs and the forward wall is the face?
Floor seems to be a commonly used name. Checking some mining glossaries - bottom and bench have also been used.
Yes, "floor" seems to be pretty commonly accepted. Haha, the miners on here haven't corrected me on using that term and they normally don't hesitate for a second to correct me on something if I make a mistake (which, to be clear, I am grateful for as a free education).
Thank you.
Wow that's some disgusting mud.
Walking through that mud difficult.
Because of suction. Your feet down.
Making hard walk through
Good ol' mine mud... Yeah, that stuff is awful! It's like a terrible orange glue that gets all over everything.