We’re traveling from abandoned mines in the desert heat to snowy peaks in this one… However, it will most likely not shock you, dear viewers, to hear that our mine exploring in the highest reaches of the Sierra Nevadas and the Rockies is now over for the season. Does this stop us from exploring? Not at all. However, it does require a recalibration of the abandoned mines and historical sites that we choose to visit and explore. As you know, the places that we prefer to visit are the obscure, difficult-to-reach, lost, etc. where one typically cannot just roll up to a mine portal in a Jeep and step inside. No, we prefer those that require an exhausting hike in that leaves our feet blistered and our backs aching from the packs of heavy mine exploring gear. Such places do not have maintained roads (or roads at all). So, when the snow accumulates, we must accept the power of Mother Nature and retreat.
“Just go to the desert!” some have thundered at us… Well, it is not so simple. Even the deserts are not a sure thing as many parts of the high desert are inaccessible in the winter due to snow, mud and washed out roads in the winter. And, bear in mind, even a light dusting of snow can be enough to cover artifacts or openings that we would easily spot in the summer. This is why our visits to the warmer climes of Arizona and southern Nevada have mostly taken place in the winter. These are long journeys for us though.
There’s a new (new to us) area at lower elevations that we started working on last year and have resumed this year. It is closer to our U.S. base of operations and so we’re able to visit more frequently and to put in more time. Also, this area is really only viable for the winter season as, in the summer, the terrain is saturated with illegal grow ops, thick brush and poison oak, terrible heat and way too many mosquitoes and yellowjackets. In the winter, the growers tend to migrate to places like Mexico or, at least, to lower their guard since they are not growing anything then. The brush and poison oak have lost their leaves and are at a low ebb. The cooler winter temperatures make the hiking far more comfortable and greatly reduce our water consumption. And, of course, the cold weather keeps the mosquitoes, yellowjackets and other unpleasant flying insects in check. I’ll start posting videos of this new area soon, although it might not stand out that it is a new area unless one studies the vegetation carefully. We didn’t finish any of the sites last year (steep canyons, thick brush and barely or non-existent roads = they take a lot of time and energy to properly survey and cover) and had to push into this year to finish them.
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You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: bit.ly/2wqcBDD and here: bit.ly/2p6Jip6
Several kind viewers have asked about donating to help cover some of the many expenses associated with exploring these abandoned mines. Inspired by their generosity, I set up a Patreon account. So, if anyone would care to chip in, I’m under TVR Exploring on Patreon.
Thanks for watching!
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Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them - nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever.
I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
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