Climbing Old Ladders in an Abandoned Mine to Reach a Lower Level (Part 1)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มิ.ย. 2024
- You know what's crazy? Climbing old ladders in an abandoned mine. It's not something I do very often. However, Nick from @Miner49er1 and I decided to descend an inclined ladder system we recently discovered in an abandoned silver mine. Here in Part 1, our perilous descent took us to a fairly extensive lower level in the mine where we found massive stopes both above and below us. Nick descended another shorter ladder system that we thought led to another level. Instead, that ladder led to a sudden, dangerous vertical shaft of unknown depth!
In Part 2, we climbed back up to the main level and explored its extensive drifts that led us to even more impressive stopes and forgotten infrastructure. If you want to jump ahead, Part 2 is here: • Climbing Old Ladders i...
Nick's channel is here: @Miner49er1 . He uploads awesome new mine exploration videos every Saturday, so be sure to stop by his channel and check out his videos if you haven't already.
***********
NOTE: This video was shot in stunning 4K resolution at 60 fps. If your viewing device can handle it, be sure to watch this video in 4K to experience cinematic supremacy!
***********
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#AbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#undergroundexploration
![[Live สด] การออกรางวัลสลากกินแบ่งรัฐบาล งวดวันที่ 16 มิถุนายน 2567](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P3WkqO9gKjo/mqdefault.jpg)
I can't believe your still making videos to this day, I used to watch your videos as early as 2014, it's awesome seeing how far you came man I hope your doing good my good sir ❤
Welcome back! Yes, I’m one of the original if not the first TH-camr to post videos of abandoned mines all the way back in 2008 or whenever that was. Hard to believe that was 16 years ago. And I’ll still be here posting videos these next 16 years, too - guaranteed! 😀 Thanks for dropping by, checking out the video, and taking the time to write a comment. I appreciate it!
Fun exploration! I live through your videos because no way I would be exploring in there.
Certainly glad to have you following along in all the underground adventures! Thanks for your support!
Been watching since 2015. Love the old west history. No other channel has better knowledge or cinematography than this one. Glad your still out there doing what you enjoy stay safe. 👍🏼
Wow, thanks! You’ve been a supporter for quite a long time - I appreciate it! And thank you for the kind compliments.
Can't believe the vertical drop at the end of the ladder! The walls had some very nice colouring effects
If you’re referring to the vertical drop that Nick found when he descended that short ladder, yes, that was pretty surprising for both of us. That’s why it’s a good idea never to take anything for granted in these abandoned mines. Glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment, too.
Been watching since 2016 and learned a lot about the old mining methods. Haven't seen Paul for a long time. Be safe Frank !
Thanks for watching since 2016! Sounds like you're getting something out of the videos. Lots of changes here since those days. I'm not sure what happened to Paul. Haven't heard from him in over a year.
I love that vintage wood at the portal. Probably worth good cash these days!!!
Yeah, that wood was in pretty good condition for as old as it is.
I miss exploring those mines. Thanks for taking us along, it's almost like being there!
Hey, John! Thank you for the great comment! Sounds like you’re enjoying my videos and getting something out of them. I appreciate the support.
Your videos are so awesome, thank you for taking us on these captivating mine adventures!
Glad you are enjoying them! Thanks for your support.
I love your videos, they're not just interesting but calming. I love the way you make them. Wish you all the best!
Thank you so much, Daniel! I appreciate your support.
Ive said it before but i must be hard going through theses places with such enormous balls. Long time fan.
Thanks for being a longtime fan! I appreciate it. It does take a certain amount chutzpah to venture into these mines in the first place. But this is the only way to get them documented on video before they are lost forever. The government still insists on trying to close up and destroy as many of these historic sites as they can- all in the name of safety, I guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Well I gotta say, love the background color in your opening and closing title scenes, lol! You have a lot of luck finding those classic "abandoned mine" timbered portals! What was that random garment placed on the timber? I'm glad you got to explore with Nick again! The 60 fps looks great!
Thanks for checking out the video, Justin! This is a fun mine and might be worth revisiting to climb up into some of those stopes. Also found a ladder system designated as an emergency exit which I would like to climb up and see where it comes out on the mountainside. Yes, it was nice getting together with Nick again. You asked about the random garment on the timber. I’m assuming you’re talking about the black jacket that was hanging on the timber next to the inclined shaft that Nick and I descended, right? That was just a discarded jacket that somebody before us left hanging there. I’ll tell you more about that jacket in an email or the next time I see you. Thanks for the feedback on the 60 FPS. Glad to hear you enjoy the background colors on my title cards. I try to switch up the colors to keep a nice variety going. LOL
Pure skill it is. No luck with Frank. O.G.!
@@AnthraciteHorrorStories LOL! I'll let Frank tell you some of the luck we've had out there (good and bad). Crazy stuff!
@@ABANDONED_UNDERGROUND hahaha that's awesome. Ya man, it's a lot of luck usually. Kind of mostly a nightmare here in Pennsylvania anymore tbh. Stay safe out West!
This is probably the strangest question you will ever get, but what does it smell like down there? You said it was dusty. Do you wear masks? I've been watching you for since 2014, and I have been on adventures with you that I will never go on myself. Thanks for the videos ❤
That’s a really good question! And believe it or not, it’s been asked before. These abandoned mines do have a characteristic smell sometimes. It’s hard to describe. If there’s a lot of timbering present, part of the smell will be the creosote. Added to that is a dry, dusty smell coming from the earth, if that makes any sense. Some of us do wear dust masks which is probably a good idea. However, we aren’t in these mines for more than a couple of hours, so I believe a one -time, brief exposure to any dust has minimal impact. I will tell you that when we used to explore the huge War Eagle Mine for three or four hours, most of us would come out of there and have a dry cough for a few days afterward! That mine was really dusty! Thanks for following along here since 2014. That’s a long time ago! Thanks for your support and interest.
@@AbandonedMines11 Thank you for answering my question and for your videos! You make them, I watch them!
It's like that with the coal mines too. Some give your upper respiratories! Frank is such a great TH-camr. Always answering questions. So professional! @@AbandonedMines11
bro doesn't know what dirt smells like smh
@@kh-ro5su I don't think they were mining "dirt" as you say. Do you mean pulverized rock?
The condition of those timbers and ladders are amazing. How old would you estimate them to be? Enjoyed the explore, stay safe guys.
That’s a good question! These mines date back to the late 1800s but, as far as I know, were heavily reworked in the 1970s or 1980s. We’ve been in mines that are over century old and have found pristine-looking timbers and ladders, so it’s hard to say if these date back to the early 1900s or if they were added or replaced in the 1970s. I would assume that they date back to the early 1900s. Thanks for watching and commenting! I appreciate it.
@@AbandonedMines11 a lot of the piping and fittings can tell you the age of stuff down there
Very true! Probably should’ve examined some of those pipe joints a little more closely for a manufacturers name or date or something like that. I remember another viewer told me a long time ago to look at the sides of the ore cart rails because there is often identifying information engraved there.
Loving your explorations frank feels like im there in VR form 😊 the mine at the beginning looked in good form and the ladders as well.
I agree that this was a well-preserved mine! Thank you for the feedback as always, and I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the videos.
Hi from the Netherlands! 🌷
Hello there! It’s nice hearing from a viewer all the way over in the Netherlands! I’m glad you’re here.
Excellent exploration as always. The room and pillar reminded me of the few coal mines I’ve been in.
I read in the comments where someone was asking about what does the mine smell like, in my area all of the iron mines smell like wet rock with almost metallic undertones if that makes any sense, they’re very damp almost year round.
Great video, Frank. Thanks for sharing, I’m looking forward to part two. Stay safe.
Thanks, Dan! Yes, that room-and-pillar method of mining was used in mines of all types. When a mine was getting ready to close permanently, sometimes the last things that were removed from the mine were all the pillars in the stopes in order to extract as much ore as possible. Of course, when the miners did that, they left behind those stopes with absolutely no support in them anymore. That makes it really dangerous for us explorers. However, I don’t ever recall being in a stope where it was obvious that the pillars had been removed. But it does happen! Yes, the wet mines do have a peculiar odor all to themselves. How you described it was pretty good.
thats a good mine Frank, i love that long ladder. looks like it was made last month.
Yeah, that shot looking back up the ladder towards Nick is a good one. Haven’t climbed a ladder in an abandoned mine since last October. I was overdue. LOL Thanks for watching and commenting!
good to see you back
Thank you! And thanks for checking out this latest video, too.
Early gang 🎉 The portal looks super sturdy and the timber seems in pretty good condition for being abandoned for so many years. What a great find!
Yeah, that entrance was pretty heavily timbered and still looked to be in superb condition. Usually don’t find entryways like that.
Cool to see a sump! We don't see those because the water has flooded hundreds of feet or more ABOVE the sumps because the pumps were turned off in the 1960s. Lol.😊
Well, it’s rare out here to see a sump that’s actually full of water let alone flooded. Desert is too dry! LOL
@@AbandonedMines11 you have it sooooo goooood!
Good to see a new new mine explore from you. How's that Corolla doing?
Thanks for the comment! The old Corolla is still rolling.
The ladders are in pretty good condition in this mine.
They definitely were! Thank you very much for watching and commenting.
Awesome video Frank , those ladders look to be in good condition for how old the mine is
They sure were in good condition. The desert climate does a good job of preserving things for the most part. Thanks for stopping by, checking out the video, and taking the time to comment - I appreciate it, as always.
I love the hat in the main entrance jeje, good video, Frank enjoy to much your content ❤️
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, the hat in the entrance is Nick’s fedora that he always wears. It certainly does look appropriate hanging there, doesn’t it? Sounds like you are enjoying my videos, so thank you very much for your support and interest. I appreciate it!
@@AbandonedMines11 all the thanks to you Frank keep going Wonder of videos!!
Id be looking for silver ore to melt down in there. Looks a lot newer than most of those abandoned mines
I would bet that there probably is still a lot of silver ore left in this mine. It seems that new technology is constantly being developed that allows surveyors and mining companies to detect large amounts of valuable ore that the old-time miners either missed or knew nothing about.
Very nice explore of a big.mine
Hey, Ronnie! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest video. You have been a longtime supporter here, so thank you for that. It’s nice hearing from you again!
Hi Frank, My wife said tell Frank to wear a mask when you go in these caves... I would listen to her if I were you... Lol
Thank you for the reminder! Yes, this mine was a little bit dusty on that lower level. Thank you both for checking out this latest video and for taking the time to comment. Nice having you along for all the underground adventures!
Many thanks as always!
No problem! Thanks for stopping by and checking out the video.
So Boxy is making new video's glad to see it. I've watched since 2010ish on the other channel's.
Nice timbers in that one!
Definitely! It was nice to climb some lengthy ladders again. Thanks for watching and commenting, Todd!
A very nice mine again, getting pissed because we in the Netherlands dont have these mines sigh just the dark black ones.
Thanks, Rolf! Glad you enjoyed the video. I think this mine deserves another visit so that we can climb up into some of those stopes and check those out.
Hi Frank, nice to see another explore from you and Nick, another interesting mine, thank you for sharing, much love. xx
Hi, Sue! Thanks for your comment. More videos coming soon!
@@AbandonedMines11 that's awesome to hear, I look forward to watching them. xx
wow, it's a trip to another world, and very risky, thanks for sharing
It sure is, Erick! Thanks for stopping by and checking out the video.
I am following you from Algeria, sir. Good luck ❤❤
Awesome! Thank you!
Great video btw i havent seem your channel for years but came back and made a banger again
Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate the support.
@@AbandonedMines11 No! thank you for the great content
Some nice timber work at the entrance.
That's a long ladder.
Yea a very dusty mine. No fresh air getting in?
Was not keen on that star transition in edit you used.
Great explore though.
Not a lot of airflow on that lower level we descended to which probably accounts for the dust. It seems that the risk of encountering “bad air“ of any kind increases the deeper one descends into a mine. Thanks for your comment and feedback!
Can't wait to see part 2!
Thanks, William! You’re going to enjoy Part 2.
That paint looks fairly recent, might be mining here again in the future..the markings like parentheses were ore thats been marked for removal and never finished.
I think you’re totally right about everything you said in your comment. It is hard to date the paint, but it certainly did look fresh. But fresh in these dry, never-changing, well-preserving mines is relative. As I mentioned in another comment, these mines were reworked in the 1970s or 1980s,so the paint may be from that era. Thank you for your comment!
@@AbandonedMines11 yes sir you're right, I rewatched that part and pretty sure those are some vintage looking spray cans.
I didn’t look at the spray paint cans up close when I was there, but glimpsing them in the video footage makes me think the same thing - that they are rather old.
Other than the horton mine what is the scariest place youve been to
The Black Mine where I almost got killed when a clogged ore chute let go and rocks started coming out at my head as I was crawling past it.
Do you ever bring a rope and grappling hook with you? Id imagine in an emergency you could grapple a ladder andclimb out of a drop like down that shaft
Both Nick and I do carry about 75 feet of rope each. It would come in handy in an emergency, but I hope that never happens! Sometimes having a rope makes it easier to get out of an inclined portal or shaft when there’s a lot of loose rubble that doesn’t offer a lot of traction or support. It’s easy descending something like that but getting back out is a whole different story! Getting back out can sometimes be next to impossible without a rope.
Esta en un buen estado la mina
It certainly was in good condition! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment!
hi from brazil
Hi! Thanks for checking in!
👍👆🤙👍
Thanks for checking out the latest video, Lincoln!
First! 🎉❤
Yes you are!
I have a question for you can you get lost in these mines?
Believe it or not, no. There have only been a couple of mines I’ve explored during the last 16 years that one could get seriously lost in if one did not keep track of their route. Those mines were extremely extensive with multiple levels - the one mine had 11 or 12 levels - with miles of tunneling. I think the biggest danger in a mine like the one in this video is descending some of these ladders to lower areas and then having the ladder break and be totally unusable so that you can’t get back out. However, in this mine there would be other ways to get back up to the main level by simply crawling up through the stopes.
@@AbandonedMines11 Have you seen a spider in a mine? Spiders are what get me and make me not want to go in these things.
A couple of dead tarantulas, but they were pretty far inside the mine. Probably died of starvation or thirst because they couldn’t find their way back out. At the entrance to one mine which was called the Laurie Mine, there was a black widow in a spiderweb right inside the entrance. Another more recent mine that I explored a few years ago had a very narrow entrance that was basically a belly crawl. When I got in there and looked up, there were three or four what looked like black widow spiders in a web above me. To see that video, just search on TH-cam using “black widow spiders” and “abandoned mine.”
@@AbandonedMines11 oh gosh! Heck no! That’s scary!
Are you from Nevada?
No.
Are these mines open to
anyone...? I noticed the sign at the beginning.
How old are you?
How old does a mine have to get before you start questioning the condition of wooden ladders?
Not very old! My general rule of thumb has always been to only climb ladders which I know others have already successfully climbed before me. Of course, that doesn’t eliminate too many of them! Seriously, though, these ladders were basically on a 45° incline which is very doable. Also, if for some unforeseen reason all the ladders would suddenly break and be unusable leaving us trapped at the bottom, there were other ways out of that level by going up through the extensive stopes that ran the entire length of the level. Thanks for dropping by, Drew!