Nice write up Ze. Another wild hike, that's for sure. I have a new appreciation for what SAR does because we only searched maybe a square mile of extreme rugged, extremely steep terrain filled with nearly every obstacle you can imagine and we were totally beat. GPS can only do so much and the rest of the way you have to depend on visual clues like landmarks and contour lines. We definitely learned a few things on this trip.
If we had that site plan, there's no doubt we would have found the mine. We were on the 4200 ft contour several times but we kept circling the target. Then again, if we had that map we probably would not have ascended the way we did and had the adventure that we had. That ascent was rather dangerous but it was definitely memorable. Since no one got hurt (too bad), I think the mission was successful!
However, having a large group in terrain like this does present some challenges. Rock fall is one of them (I got my first 10 pounder right to my left hand), but it's also easy to get separated and depending on just voice communications might not always work. Fortunately, yelling worked for us on this day but I kept worrying that we were going to lose a man. Maybe I just worry too much.
Stop worrying about it and keep worrying! It's good for your health.
You guys are extremely dedicated to your goals (a.k.a. insane!). I'm beginning to think there is nothing in the San Gabriel's that can't be done as a day hike. Once you've day hiked everything, then you'll have to do it all over again in the winter!!!
No Tim I don't think that would be worrying too much. I was concerned too. As I went up the north side on the crappy rock "scouting out" I thought I could cut across then head down a bit and signal for you guys to head into the brush. However the brush slowed me down so I had to climb back north to shout out since you guys were already ascending the same shitty area I had! _________________ http://socalhikes.com/
Perched precariously on the cliffs above the East Fork Narrows was the Stanley-Miller, discovered by Gordon Stanley and Ben Miller in 1915, worked until 1939. Heavy cast-iron parts for a ball mill were somehow laboriously dragged up the precipitous mountainside and fastened by steel cables to the cliff outside the mine. The airy Wetwater Trail, terror of pack mules with its dripping water, was hacked out of the cliffs above the Narrows to gain access. The Stanley-Miller met a fierce "Gotterdammerung" in 1953, when a forest conflagration burned away the mill supports and heavy equipment came crashing down the mountainside to the bottom of the Narrows, made more dramatic by the loud din of bursting blasting caps.
went up there last sunday up the iron fork. I never knew all the cool mines and left overs there are. Also water slides...
it was amazing how people just disappear a 1/2 mile from bridge to nowhere.
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