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u/Such_Confusion_1034 7d ago
Damn, that's awesome stuff! I'd love to find a place like that. And the setting being near the Grand Canyon... Epic!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I've wanted to go to the Grand Canyon since I was a kid!
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u/toucansurfer 7d ago
Personally wouldn’t do this, super dangerous but cool pics. I barely trust working underground mines and I’m in the industry.
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u/Eagle4523 7d ago edited 6d ago
I stay out of most. This one is considered highly stable, regardless your advice is the standard “stay out stay alive” which is good general advice. that said it was a highlight of the 40mi / 4 day hiking trip - we touched no ceilings or walls (except window in pic I guess;) didn’t descend down any shafts, had masks, gloves, lights, hats etc, didn’t stay long, tried to not kick up dust etc - did pretty much all we could to minimize risk:)
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u/DayTrippin2112 7d ago
Fascinating OP! Be careful out there, Reddit has informed a lot of us about Nutty Putty cave.
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u/Eagle4523 7d ago edited 6d ago
Well ironically I’m very familiar with that one too - went in it a couple of times before it closed - I fully support the closure of course; I took the easy routes - there’s a lot of places I stayed out of but the biggest problem was how close it is to colleges (UVU, BYU, UofU) = too many unprepared folks there (including me the first time I went) and saw some there even worse off bringing dates in flip flops etc (at the times I was there it wasn’t even gated).
also FWIW mines are a different beast from natural caves like nutty putty - each has unique sets of potential dangers, both require experience, and it’s usually best to stay out regardless. (I’m a certified hypocrite I guess;)
Also fyi this mine hit pockets of living natural caves in some places (pic 7 shows an example - zoom in for detail - some of the formations were still wet (“living”/growing)
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u/woodhorse4 7d ago
Are these mines ancient or created by settlers?
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u/Eagle4523 7d ago
Relatively modern - WWII era I believe (but not uranium:)
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u/woodhorse4 7d ago
https://www.google.com/search?q=did+they+mine+the+grand+canyon&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari Thanks you sent me to a rabbit hole.
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u/Eagle4523 7d ago
Yep it’s a messy history … needed resources vs natural wonders and sacred tribal lands etc. hopefully not something we repeat in the future regardless though I know there are concerns from the havasupai tribe currently on the future. (Based on my conversations with some on the res while I was in the area earlier this month).
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u/Dazzling-Network5411 7d ago
I wanna live in that little hole in the first and second picture.