Fri, Aug 28th MINNIE GULCH, CALEDONIA, KITTIMAC & ESMERELDA MINES

They say life is about choices. Today, we drove the Jeep up to the Kittimac Mine on the Minnie Gulch Trail. More about the trail later. Once at the Kittimac Mine, I chose to hike down a little bit. Jim drove ahead & stopped twice of see if I was ready to get in the Jeep. What we had was a lack of communication. I told him to go on, assuming he would stop at the Caledonia Mine buildings. We had talked about the abundance of berries on the shrubs in the forest areas and what good odds of spotting a bear when we were driving up. Upon arriving at the mine buildings, no red Jeep! At this point, I don't see I have a choice, I have to keep going down. At every switchback I would look below. No red Jeep! I continued down; no water, no walking sticks and no red Jeep. Finally, I am at the last switchback & I look down and see NO RED JEEP! I am thinking (insert all kinds of swear words here) where is he? Shouldn't he be worried about me and bears? What if I fell? Surely he did not go all the way to the main road which would be about five more rough miles. Wait, what do I hear? A Jeep coming from behind me. He had pulled off into the trees for a nature stop & thinking I couldn't be ahead of him was waiting for me close to the top. I have made the choice to not do this again without a radio.

There are actually three mines on this trail.  The Caledonia & Kittimac Mines are on the left fork of the trail.  Dr. James Beaton of NY made this claim in 1872. The Esmerelda Mine is straight ahead at the dead end of the trail. 

Before reaching the left fork, we pass the Caledonia Mill:  

 and Mill workers boardinghouse:

Superintendent's Lodging across the road:

Going up, there are many old tram towers that were part of the Kittimac tramway 

that carried ore for 2 miles/2000 feet. 

 About half-way is what is left of another boarding house & livery stable. 

(Where I thought I would meet up with Jim & the red Jeep!)

Looking up at the Kittimac Mine from about half-way:

This part of the trail ends at the Kittimac Mine & tram terminal.  

Some of the lower debris may have been another boarding house. 

Looking down from the Kittimac:

What's left of the Silverton Northern Railroad tracks:

Hard to believe there was an actual railroad up here (almost 12,000 feet)

While we were at the top, a helicopter circled; guess it was EPA muckety-wamps:

Getting really close to the trees:

Looking down at the switchbacks I will be hiking.

You can see the boarding house in the center of the picture

where I THOUGHT I would meet up with Jim:

  I'm headed down:

Early on in the hike, I'm stopping to "smell the roses,"

Later, I'm just trying to maneuver thru rocks.

Back in the Jeep and on the way to Esmerelda Mine which operated for many years in the early 1900s, and enjoyed high assays of silver & gold ore. 

This was a private cabin:

 Big wash-out near the main road:

Safely back home & enjoying a margarita!

Shaky legs.