Just before the start of high school, the assistant manager, my boss, invited me to go with him and his friend on an adventure in the mountains outside of Las Vegas.
To be invited to hang out with two 18-year-old boys when you are getting ready to turn 15, I felt, would be an incredible time.
I quickly agreed with a response supported by my excitement. They smiled and said, “Right on!”
I was told to be ready at sunrise on Friday morning. My boss and I were not scheduled to work that day.
I was also told to dress for desert mountain temperatures and that we were going to a very special place that not too many people know about on Mount Potosi. I wondered what they meant by special place.
Friday morning came and they picked me up in a Jeep. I had seen Jeeps before, but I didn’t know much about them. I climbed into the Jeep with my desert hiking bag filled with provisions I thought I would need for the day.
I will say that it was cool riding in a Jeep except that the seats were not comfortable to sit in. And I was sitting in the back seat behind the passenger seat.
We started our journey to the mountain by getting on the same highway that I had taken when I ran away to California. We then got off the highway onto the road that would take us up into the mountains.
I have always been fascinated by how quickly the desert changes to a heavily treed forest with just a little bit of elevation.
Mount Charleston, where my boy scout camp was located, had heavily treed forests and would get deep snow cover every year. My friends and I would always make a special trip to Mount Charleston to play in the snow during the winter months.
The mountain we were going did not have a heavily treed forest. The trees were more scattered with some areas denser than others. The higher part of the mountain was denser than the lower part of the mountain.
As were driving up into the mountains we quickly slowed down and then pulled off the road to a clear spot next to a dry riverbed. I remember asking why we were stopping. I had thought we were going up into the mountains.
This is when I learned that our journey was about to become very interesting.
We got out of the Jeep, and they showed me how to change the Jeep from two-wheel drive into four-wheel drive. And this was done at the wheel hub.
This was my education on four-wheel drive and what it meant.
Once the Jeep was configured for four-wheel drive, the next leg of the journey could begin. And this leg started with driving between two mountains in the dry riverbed going over rocks and boulders.
Where I am sitting in the Jeep is not the best place for this ride.
I held on tightly, constantly being jostled back and forth, side to side, and I will not forget bouncing up hitting my head on a cross bar. Ouch!
While this leg of our journey was a little painful for me, it was also one of the most exciting experiences I had ever had.
And it was full of wow moments.
I will say that after about 30 minutes or so we arrived at a flat sandy river wash in this desert valley below the foot of the mountain. And I will swear that I don’t think anyone has been here for decades.
The next leg of our journey took us out of the riverbed onto a desert trail that ran alongside the foot of the mountain. We then slowed down and stopped. The engine was turned off, and I climbed out of this vehicle that had just beat the crap out of me.
I looked around and realized that we were in an incredible desert landscape that was very isolated. I looked up at the side of the mountain and saw mounds of rubble along the base of a cliff.
I asked if we were at the special place and the response was, “Almost.” I asked what the special place was and they pointed upwards to the side of the mountain where the rubble was and said, “An old abandoned mine up there.”
At this moment I realized that we had to climb up the side of the mountain to get to the mine that I was told had been abandoned about 50 years ago. I would later learn that the mine had been abandoned three times since it was first mined in the 1850’s.
So, for the next hour or so we worked our way up the side of the mountain to this flat area where there were some badly rusted steel tracks used by the mining operations. These were the tracks that the mining carts rolled on when they came out of the mine filled with minerals.
I was out of breath from this climb, and I am a long-distance track runner. They were also out of breath.
We followed the tracks to the mine entrance.
I will say that up until arriving at the mine entrance carved into the side of the mountain cliff, I was all in on exploring this mine. But standing at the mine entrance I began to feel a bit panicked.
The two older boys convinced me that I had nothing to worry about. They went into the mine and I followed. We had flashlights and extra batteries. The further we traveled into the mine, the darker it became even with the flashlights turned on.
We came upon an opening on the floor of the mine where there was a ladder that went down a vertical shaft. My boss’s friend decided he was going to take it down to the next level. As he stepped onto the ladder it gave way. We quickly grabbed him and pulled him out of the opening.
This scared the crap out of me. At this point I think I was ready to leave, but I did not want them to think that I was a chicken.
We looked at him and he said, “I guess we are not using that ladder.”
We continued our journey further into the mine and found another way down. And down we went.
We were now in the depths of an old, abandoned mine and no one knew we were there.
We came to this large chamber that was off the tunnel we were in and decided to go in to see what was in it. While we were standing in this chamber it was decided that we should turn our flashlights off.
WOW! I had never experienced total darkness like this at any time in my life. I was quickly overcome with a sensation that was the most ghostly feeling I had ever experienced.
I am still afraid of the dark, still sleeping with a light on. This feeling overpowered my senses. My body swelled with fear.
I quickly turned my flashlight back on. The others looked at me and saw the fear in my eyes.
I said with heavy emotion, “I need to get out of here.”
They agreed and we began our journey back out of the old mine.
As I saw the outside sunlight began to beam into the tunnel, I quickly made my way out of the mine leaving them behind, but not too far behind.
Once we were all outside, we sat down and joked about what we had just done.
Before leaving on our journey, I had packed a hiking bag with some food and Pepsi to drink. They also brought their lunch and some beers. No beer for me. I had a good reason to not drink beer with them.
After we ate, I stood up and looked out over the valley to the mountains beyond. It was breathtaking. I could not believe that I was in this place that was so beautiful in solitude.
I was glad I made this journey. Even though it was probably one of stupidest decisions I have made so far in my life.
We hiked back down the mountain to the Jeep. I climbed in and they followed. The engine started and we began our journey back up the dry riverbed. The drive back was just as bumpy until we got to the road.
The sun was now getting lower in the sky.
We made it back to the highway just before sunset.
When we made it back to Las Vegas, we decided to drive down the strip. I will say that Las Vegas at night is an incredible sight with all the neon lights projecting so many colors that make you feel as though it is still daytime in some areas.
When I got home, I told myself that I would never tell my mom about this journey. I knew that If I did, I would be grounded for life. So, this became one of my internal secrets that I would never share, maybe.
Today was a stupid incredible adventure. And I know that I will always shake my head in disbelief that I actually went into an old abandoned mine that could have made me an artifact to be found sometime in the future.
Really…
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