As Jarrick scanned the cut out rock on either side of him the scarring of the pickaxe’s were evident. The thought that this tunnel had been dug by hand amazed him. With that also came the realization that he must have fallen into an old abandoned mine. This was not on any of the maps that he had studied before this hike. It would be hard to tell how old it was for sure. Up ahead he could see a curve to the left. As he rounded the corner he observed that it was an incline shaft. This was great news because up and out was where he wanted to go! After walking for longer than he had hoped, Jarrick noticed the cracking packed dirt under his feet. At some point there had been water here. This was definitely a drift mine with the entrance on the side of the hill and above the water level. Hopes were high this meant that he was getting close to the surface and an exit. It had to be rain water coming in that caused the hard broken crust covering the floor. Inside his boot he could feel his ankle swelling even more, tightening and increasing the tenderness. Shrugging off his pack he slid down the cool rock wall with his bad ankle held out in front of him. Once he was on his butt he unzipped his pack and grabbed a small bag of mixed nuts and unclipped his water bottle. Zipping his pack back up he scooted it under his ankle to elevate it some. He decided to turn off his light to conserve batteries. The sudden jolt to darkness was eerie. Nothing was visible, not the tunnel, not even his hand in front of his face as he stuffed in some cashews. A few sips of water and he was ready to get moving again.
The tunnel again curved to the left slightly, this time around the corner he could see small pins of light. As he got close he noticed a massive boulder and several other large rocks surrounding it letting in small spots of sunlight. His heart sank, there was no way he could remove the rubble that blocked the exit. The air flow was hot, he knew it was still above 100 degrees on the surface. His only choice was to backtrack to the hollow where he had fallen in and try the other tunnel. He turned quickly and his boot kick something hard. It was an old rusty horse shoe. Examining it as he picked it up, he discerned that it was pretty old, but nothing remarkable. Still he thought that he would shove it in his pack as a souvenir for his spontaneous mine exploration.
The walk back revealed nothing to him about what had been mined here. At the entrance to the other tunnel he again observed the fractured rock in the way. Raising his light to the top of the tunnel he could see that there was probably just enough space at the top left where he could squeeze through. The climb was painful for him and he had to go head first and drop down on the other side on his hands as he pulled his feet through. This tunnel was low causing him to hunch down as he shuffled forward. Forty feet in it opened up and he could feel the stiffness in his side and back as he stood up tall. The coloration of the rock from bottom to top had a gradient to it and he could tell now they had followed a copper vein through here. Large timbers held up the overhead, with arrows painted on them. Just past the first timber frame was a wooden chute going up to the stopes, marked with the number three. The ladder beside it was well worn with dips in the middle of each of the rungs. Some of the rungs near the top were broken in half. The mine had still not revealed any dynamite blast marks, leaving Jarrick astounded.
The shaft opened to his right but the tunnel curved fairly quickly so he could not see too far. Deciding that he didn’t want to have to back track to this one if the path he was on dead ended he made his way around the corner. It seemed cooler on this path and sadly it was a decline shaft, going down further. He didn’t believe that this was going to lead him to freedom, but was compelled to follow it anyway. On the timber frames he saw the familiar yellow painted arrow directing him forward. At the base of the timber leg was white, bubbled mold following for a foot or so along the base of the tunnel wall. Up ahead another wooden chute label with the number five was visible. He stopped and directed his light up the chute. The cross ties for the ore cart tracks were visible, but the chute was blocked with earth. Another 50 feet and he was in a larger room with a vertical shaft. Staring up into the void he knew that there was no way to climb out here. As he scanned across the ceiling he could see several bats hanging in deep sleep. He didn’t want to wake them, but they were definitely a comfort. Even though this room was a dead end there had to be a way out or the bats would not be there in there sweet slumber.
Turning back and finding the original path he pushed forward despite the increasing discomfort in his side and the stress on his ankle. The long shaft was uneven and exhausting and Jarrick had to have another break with a granola bar. He felt serious pangs of hunger and reasoned that he had been walking for hours and that it must be getting dark. When he looked at his watch the crystal was shattered and the hands were bent underneath. Sighing, he finished his granola bar and took another sip of his water. Traversing forward Jarrick was getting really tired and his injuries were catching up to him. He began to stumble more and was limping more noticeably. To his left was an, at least, thirty foot pit. Stepping slightly closer into the alcove he looked down. There was the side remnants of a ladder but all the rungs seemed to have fallen and piled up at the bottom. He stepped back onto the path and continued on.
After another hour the shaft opened up dramatically. Square set timber framework climbed the walls at least a hundred feet up. Examining the room he was flabbergasted by the sight. The room was fully framed with a timber cathedral ceiling. He just stood at the entrance in awe, wondering how and why this would be down here. His light followed the rounded rock walls and started to get nervous when he was not finding any other shafts and no way out. Lowering his head and arm with the flashlight in a feeling of defeat, he froze at the sight of footprints in the dirt in front of him, not his.
To be continued!
Getting really good! Can’t wait for todays!