Return to the Lida Mountain Mine
0This was my second exploration of the Lida Mountain Mine in Nevada. My initial visit was last December where I explored the lower levels. I knew that there were upper levels in this mine, so I made it a point to return this past week. The upper adit that was marked on my topographic map turned out to be a small, 6-foot deep prospect tunnel. The vertical shafts marked on my topo map turned out to be filled in with boulders, etc.. I began to hike across the mountain looking for other entrances that weren't on my topo map. Sure enough, I spied a large tailings pile down the mountain. I made my way down there and found an adit into the upper workings! This adit, by the way, was also NOT marked on my topo maps. Very often the topo maps are not totally accurate. It pays to do some bushwhacking and scouting around on one's own to find access points for a mine that's as large as this one is. Inside the upper levels, I found an open stope leading to the outside (an unmapped open stope that I had found earlier in the day while hiking on the mountain) as well as winzes leading to lower levels.
At the end of this video, there is a demonstration of my personal SPOT beacon. The beacon is a definite must-have when in remote areas with no cell phone signal.