Scouting trip, summer 2004.
Explorers: Freak and (chainsaw guy).
This trip was a scouting mission to investigate
the extreme south end of the AJ mine. This end was originally the access
tunnel to the Gastineau mine, which had it’s main ore-producing tunnels
near the original AJ property. The two were later combined into a single
massive tunnel network with multiple entrances miles apart. During the
80’s this was the site of the Echo Bay company’s re-opening attempt, and
the idea of this trip was to locate the tunnel, see what Echo Bay had left,
and see how hard it would be to access the main body of the mine from here.
We started out from the base of a public trail, after getting a cab
out from town (not really necessary since it was closer than we had thought).
The trail began next to a nice paved road heading in the same direction,
which we thought led to the mine. However, we left the road alone as it
was gated and equipped with cameras, an intercom, and electronic card reader
security pedestal (for controlling access to a power substation).
We headed up the trail, which quickly got steep
and uncomfortable. We didn’t see much in the way of mine ruins until we
got near the crest of the first ridge, where we encountered some toppled
steel towers that could have been part of an aerial tram system. Just past
these we came upon a cleared area and a dirt road, along with some touristy-looking
stuff like refurbished ore trains and interpretive
signs. A woman in a pickup informed us that this was part of the Gastineau
mill tour company, and we were welcome to look around but were technically
not supposed to be there. We thanked her and took some photos, then headed
back up the trail. We realized that the actual mine road we were looking
for continued from the tourist operation instead of from the power substation,
so after leaving the tour area we switched from the terrible trail to the
nicely smooth road (there were a few no-trespassing signs trying to prevent
people from doing this, but since the road and trail are so close (both
following the old railroad grade up the valley),
it was pretty much inevitable. We did see a few more tram towers, and a
derailed ore train along the way, but few other artifacts until we neared
the mine camp. The first sign was a shed holding an old rusty ford
(model T?), and some more towers, then the road led to a collection of
newer buildings farther on.
We came up on the new buildings cautiously,
they looked like the work camp for the Echo Bay redevelopment project and
still appeared to have power and utility service.
Several trucks were parked beside the larger building,
and some trailers were nearby with fun signs like “safety office” and “contractor
storage”. We spotted the entrance to the mine right away, and after doing
a quick walk by of the buildings to see if anyone noticed us, we went over
to see the tunnel.
After entering (details remain top secret,
ha!), we found that the first few hundred feet of the tunnel were plated
steel, filled with a very fine mist or dust. We donned headlamps and cameras
and proceeded deeper towards a loud mechanical sound. The visibility got
worse and worse as we neared the noise, it sounded like a broken fan at
first, but when we got close enough we realized it was a small waterfall
coming down onto sheets of tin roofing material
on the floor of the tunnel. The whole tunnel for a few hundred feet before
and after this cascade were full of mist and fog, as well as occasional
“rain” from the wet ceiling. We dashed through, trying to protect my camera,
but enjoying the cool water after a hot hike.
Once past the wet foggy part, and with better
visibility to warn of any holes in the floor, we were able to walk faster.
We came to a side tunnel bearing a “keep out”
warning and caution tape strung across the mouth, but chose to follow the
main tunnel. A side passage was marked as a former dynamite storage area,
but was empty. As we went deeper we began hearing a strange, rhythmic growling
or rumbling noise, which was pretty eerie. It got louder as we came up
to a small flooded side room with a catwalk over
the water, so we assumed it must be a pump of some kind and kept walking.
Shortly after the water room we met up with the rest of the side tunnel
we’d skipped before, it was a short loop and now contained train rails
which led off farther up the main passage. Farther
back into the side tunnel the ceiling had collapsed, and more tape and
signs warned us out. A small platform next to the rails looked like a station
or train boarding platform, but the powered mine trains I was hoping to
find were not there. Farther up the main tunnel
there was a lot of loose fallen rock pushed off the rails to one side,
and a few rocks that had obviously fallen onto the tracks since the last
train went through. We’re not really sure how the transportation system
is set up currently, originally the trains used overhead trolley cable,
but it was gone. I believe the redevelopers used battery-operated trains,
as I’ve heard from some people who rode them during tours. Tracks in the
mud suggest that later use involved electric or gas trucks or ATVs of some
kind (the wind blowing steadily out of the mountain towards the entrance
would have vented any vehicle fumes). I don’t know where the refurbished
locomotives and rail cars are stored, unless it’s further down the tunnel
somewhere.
We weren’t really equipped for further exploration,
and I knew that this tunnel continued for about 2 miles before meeting
the main body of the mine, so we headed back. After carefully exiting we
snuck around to check on the offices and buildings, but when we got there
we found that all our caution had been pointless! All the vehicles
parked there had flat tires, and the buildings had obviously been unused
for some time. Most were unlocked, although the safety office and main
shop were secure (we peeked in and saw tools, a dune-buggy, and some boats.
Who stores their boats way up in the mountains?).
The weirdest find was inside one of the trailers. I peeked in the window
and saw a coffin! After checking for alarms and
finding the door unlocked we went in to investigate. It turned out to be
empty, but we still can’t figure out why there was a brand new, obviously
expensive coffin sitting in an empty trailer at an abandoned mine (much
less why the coffin came with a glass top). I guess having a nice view
of the dirt is important if you suddenly reanimate. The same trailer had
some lockers with boots and company jumpsuits
left behind, and some hardhats and other miscellaneous junk. Other trailers
held more abandoned equipment and facilities.
Finally we decided we’d seen mostly everything,
and set off back down the road. We decided to follow the road all the way
rather than get back on the bad trail, and we passed back through the tour
area and an old mill that was on the same tour
without incident (I’d read of a tunnel connecting that mill with one farther
down the mountain, so one reason to follow the road was to find this tunnel).
The view and occasional ruins were nice, but partway down my foot started
cramping from too much hiking in rubber boots, and made the walk less enjoyable.
Eventually we came upon the main tour
property, after forgoing the tunnel entrance due to some cars parked
nearby. As we came out onto the property we were greeted by a bunch of
hillbilly-looking types sitting on the front porch of a cabin, about all
that was missing were the straw hats and shotguns. I inquired if the main
road was ahead, and after giving us the run-around and a lot of “you boys
know ye’r tresspassin?” they finally admitted that it was. They asked if
we’d been up to the mine at the top, and said that “security” (the woman
in the truck) had reported us. I let them know that their signs all pointed
in the wrong direction, anyone going up the road would see the no trespassing
signs but people coming down passed all of them from behind. The owner
glared at me for a bit and then said he’d better put up some more. We wandered
out back to the road, where my foot promptly cramped up completely and
prevented further exploration of a nearby building and necessitated hitchhiking
back to town.
The road up to the site, and some of the touristy stuff at the Gastineau
mine tour next to the trail (no signs or fences at this point, but a woman
in a truck told us we probably shouldn't be there). The small steam engine
used to be in the middle of downtown Juneau, but somehow these guys have
acquired it and hidden it away where only the people who pay them for the
tour (or wander off the trail) get to see it. I'm kind of dissapointed
in the city for selling it to them.
The Echo Bay surface facility, at the site of the original Gastineau
mine portal camp. Almost all original buildings are gone, replaced with
a big shop (still powered), and some mostly empty trailers. The only artifacts
we saw on the surface were a few old tram towers, some derailed ore cars,
and a garage with an old car in it. We're not sure why there's a
new coffin in one of the trailers, or why there's a shirtless redneck running
around with a chainsaw, but it can't be good!
The Sheep Creek Adit, scenic backdoor to the AJ mine.
A lot of water was pouring through the ceiling where the metal plated
tunnel met the original rock tunnel, we figured there was a stream diverted
above this point. The mist and fog made visibility almost 0, and the sound
of water hitting tin and random metal stuff in the tunnel was really loud.
Deeper inside, we found a flooded side room with a pipe making strange
rythmic growling noises, some wierd shrooms, a collapsed side loop, and
the main tunnel leading off into the distance. We didn't go too far since
it's something like 2 miles to the heart of the mine, and we weren't equipped
for more than casual spelunking.
Back down the hill at the touristified mine, these guys really don't
appreciate trespassers, but they don't have the road marked too well either.
We're not really sure if they own the portal camp and tunnel, or just the
mill and part of the road.