Old Gumlog Mine

Since our first visit the previous year, I had wanted to return for further exploration and to get better photos. After a couple of weather related postponements, we finally made it back on a day with perfect conditions.

Sheldon in the collapsed vertical shaft. At one time, this shaft was 60-70 feet deep. We saw the small hole in the floor that we'd seen last year, but it seemed to be blocked.

View up at the rim of the collapsed shaft. I was pretty sure that this shaft had originally connected with one of the two tunnels we had scouted out before.

Mouth of tunnel 1. This was the opening where, a year ago, I slid down part way, with Sheldon holding my legs, to take a few flash pics to verify whether it was a tunnel.

Today, I headed down into the tunnel. With the mouth of this tunnel slumped, the initial entry is a steep 9 feet until one hits the tunnel floor, so I decided it would be easiest to back down.

Inside tunnel 1, looking back up at the entrance hole. This photo doesn't reflect the steepness of this slumped opening. It is about 10 feet of loose soil, covered with leaves, heading up from the tunnel floor at about a 60 degree angle toward the opening. It was obvious from the lack of disturbance in leaves & ground that nobody had been in here in a LONG time.

This is a "messy" tunnel as far as commercial mine tunnels go. More like a cave than a finished tunnel, it had some old partially collapsed areas. Either that or the miners had left the excavated rubble inside rather than breaking it up and hauling it out. Most mine tunnels are between 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet high, and 3 to 4 feet wide; this tunnel was only about 4 1/2 feet high, but 12 feet wide in places.

I think the large rock at the middle slid down from the left side. There is a partial dirt collapse visible further back in this image.

Partial collapse / cave-in... A wide excavation like this would be more prone to collapses than a typical narrow tunnel.

I could have worked my way over this, but I could see that the chamber beyond didn't go much further, so I turned around.

Sheldon took this photo of me as I was emerging Upon exiting the tunnel, when you get up to the small opening, there is just enough room for one's hips to squeeze through, and your feet can't get any purchase in the loose soil. Sheldon basically had to haul me out the final few feet.

This is the cut leading up to what I hoped would be Tunnel 2. I had included a photo of it at the end of the album of our previous visit.

The entrance was almost completely slumped, except for a small six inch hole (circled area). We found a long stick and poked it down through the hole; it went in its full length, so we knew we had something here. But it was going to take some work to get in there...

I had brought a shovel along, so we took turns digging out the slumped opening. We could have used a mattock, a hoe, and a longer handled shovel, but made do with what we had. As we were working, I shined a light in, and we could see that there was a long tunnel being exposed for the first time in many years. It took us about 50 minutes until we had it opened up enough to slip through the hole. We were so anxious to see what was in there that I can't believe I forgot to take a pic of the "after" opening.

Sheldon in Tunnel 2 I entered first by sliding down backwards, as I did with the first tunnel. This entrance had a much gentler slope to reach the tunnel floor. Once I could see that this was a good sized, "clean" tunnel, Sheldon came down to join me. He waited by the entrance while I took off down the tunnel.

Sheldon took this photo on his cell phone as I headed down the tunnel. The tunnel wasn't tall enough for me to walk upright, and it actually got lower as it went back...

I decided to go all the way to the end of the tunnel before stopping and making any camera set-ups, so these photos are in reverse order, starting from the rear of the tunnel and then back to the entrance. Pictured above is the current end of the adit, about 200 feet in. At this point, the tunnel is close to being under the collapsed shaft. I thought this dirt cave-in might be from the shaft, but there is a small opening, about 8 inches, between the top of the cave-in and the tunnel ceiling, so the tunnel continues at least a little farther.

The walls and ceiling of the tunnel are covered with old pick marks. These mine tunnels were dug 100% by manual labor - pick and shovel.

Along the way back, a small caved area is seen ahead.

Quartz vein in the wall

Another area with a partial collapse / cave-in. Or perhaps they dug out a small side pocket there.

There were shallow side pockets dug in a few areas.

Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus)

Coming around a curve, the light at the tunnel entrance is visible.

Nubby protruding rock in tunnel wall.

Sheldon's silhouette as I approached the entrance. I don't know what mineral comprises the white layers that the tunnel pierces.

After I returned to the entrance, Sheldon went off down the tunnel for a ways. I took this photo as he returned.

Postscript: I'd mentioned regretting not taking a photo of the tunnel 2 entrance after we dug it out. Sheldon returned a week later to show the tunnel to his son, and took this pic. All the leaves are residue of branches and leaves that we'd placed over the opening to hide it.

Gumlog Mine Index	Towns-Union Mining Index
NW Towns - NE Union Index	N GA - NC - SC Index