Saturday, November 8, 2003- We had signed up for the early run to Defense Mine, so it was revile at 0540... Yuck!  Put your stuff away, brush your teeth,  drink some water, check everything and take off to Chef Andy's for breakfast.  Chef Andy's has to be the highlight of this trip:  Where else could you get eggs, hash browns and two patties of sausage or ham in the desert for three bucks?  No dishes, no hassle, and great food!

Left:  Panamint Valley Days 2003 base camp in the foreground as towering Telescope Peak, at 11,804 ft, dominates the center background.  Right:  We're lining up for the Defense mine run.  The time is 0600 on November 8, 2003 with the temperature about 40 degrees, farenheit.

We lined up on the dirt road, outside of base camp.  Our trail boss, John Hively of the 4WD club, West Coast Four Wheelers, with his ever-present cigar, started the obligatory drivers' meeting at 0645, for the first run of the Defense Mine trail .  Note: There was a second run that followed our run, that left at 0900, headed by Marlin "Crawler", but that didn't apply to us, as we were the "early birds."

After the driver's meeting, it was off to  the trail, but in order to get to the trail, you got to suffocate through a couple of miles of dust. We were lucky, as we were near the front of the line.

Shortly after turning off the pavement, onto the Minetta Mine Road, we stopped for a few minutes to air down the tires.  Jonathan and I had already done that, from our run a couple of days ago at the Big Four Mine, so it was an excellent opportunity to take a 10-100.

Photos:  After you turn off the Class-1 Minetta Mine Road and on to the trail, the going gets rough.  Really rough. The photos don't show it, but this is Class-4 trail all the way.  To see how I rate trails, click on this link.

We'd been to this place before, however we were surprised when our leader, John, turned north (right) about a half a mile off the Class 1 dirt road and descended intro a dirt wash.  Hey, what a difference!  You go from Class 1 dirt road to a Class 3  trail in a heartbeat.  Isn't this what four wheelin' is all about?

As we drove into the wash, the typical Class 1 dirt road immediately changed into a gut-bustin'-jeepin'- four-wheelin' Class 3 trail.  Jonathan had previously disconnected the anti-sway bars on his jeep, on our run to the Big Four Mine a couple of days ago.  All traction was needed in this canyon and that's a fact.   The canyon is rough, narrow and has lots of rocks to negotiate, with a few off-camber spots added to spark the adrenalin.   After negotiating the first canyon, our trail boss called a halt to let everyone catch up.  Our group was sort of forced to keep a fast pace so we could keep ahead of Marlin Crawler's group.  The canyons are narrow and don't afford a lot of room for passing.

We though the first canyon was a challenge, but our trail leader told us it was only a warm-up for the second one.  Yeah, right!  No kidding, but the second canyon was much more "technical" than the first canyon, but a lot more fun.  If you want to rate it, its all Class 3, with a few Class 4 spots thrown in and I wouldn't want to be driving a stock vehicle up this wash!  We made it ok, thanks to Jonathan's excellent driving, his excellent built-up vehicle, his extensive 4-wheeling experience, and my right-hand spotting.  Paul, of course, kept us entertained with his comments on just about everything.  Jonathan and I have 'wheeled together many times, and we know and trust one another, so in situations like this, we work as a team.

At the head of the second canyon, we took a break.  This is where the trail joins the trail that heads to Lookout City.  You can see it if you look up to the left; it zig-zags up the hillside.  But, we went straight, towards the infamous "Waterfall 0" from the Stone Canyon days, now closed by the green team.  The rest of the trail is Class 4 trail all of the way; stock vehicles need not apply.  For a discussion on how I rate trails, check out my Trail Ratings page.

Since we were somewhat pressed for time, or trail boss told us not play at the waterfall; however one jeep did and held things up for the group.  One thing I'd like to say is that when you're with a group of this size, you need to obey to the trail boss.  It makes it so much easier for everybody when you follow the leader and it makes the run go so much smoother.  You have to, when you have 20-something jeeps in a narrow, rock-strewn canyon.

So, it was up the canyon, toward the mine.  The trail  had changed, from a rocky wash, to a steep, rocky, narrow canyon, with lots of off-camber spots.  About one-half mile from the Defense Mine, at the end of the trail, there is a really steep hill that allows only one "line."  The jeep ahead of us had trouble climbing up the rocky hill and eventually had to be winched over the obstacle..  It  was not a case of bad  driving or an inadequate vehicle; it was a matter of bad luck.

Left:  The red Jeep managed to get stuck at a particularly nasty part of the trail, but a little winching took care of the problem.  Right:  The Defense Mine.

When we reached the end of the trail, at the Defense Mine, it was time for a lunch break.  Then, our trail boss, John, announced to the group that everyone who wanted to, could participate in a mine tour.  This mine "tour " was not a "sanctioned" event by the CA4WDC, nor insured; it was an individual effort.  Our trail boss informed us that, in fact, you were on your own if you decided to tour the mine.  However, most of the group decided to take the tour.

Unlike most mines in the Panamint Valley area, the Defense Mine is safe.  The mine is famous for mining tungsten, which was used during the World War 2 conflict in the manufacture of torpedo warheads, hence the name Defense Mine. Now, tungsten is mainly used in light bulbs. Anyway, the mine tunnels are carved in solid rock, and are quite safe to enter. All of the ladders are safe, as the steps are mitered into the supporting wood. All of the timber in the mine is in 'like-new" condition, thanks to the non-existent humidity.

We followed our leader, John, hiked up the canyon for a hundred yards or so, climbed up the hill that led to the mine entrance and descended into the "hole" of the Defense mine.

Wow!  After a few yards, it becomes total darkness.  We were glad that we brought good flashlights and lots of batteries!  You have to be careful in the mine, as there are still railroad tracks in the center and other assorted obstacles that are easy to trip over.  You need to watch your head, as every now and then, you'll come to a low clearance spot.  Keep you eyes open for bats; we saw many of them sleeping on the rocks.  As we are respectful of "Mother Nature" and are true believers in the TREAD LIGHTLY philosophy, we did not disturb any of them. However, they were interesting to observe.  Look, but don't touch.

Probably a hundred yards or so into the mine, you come to a junction.  You need to go to the right to see the whole thing.  After another few yards, you come to an almost vertical ladder.  What do you do?  Climb! Climb, and climb some more. So you climb up the a series of ladders, switching ladders every now and then and finally reach a platform.  Then, it's through another passage and, finally, you're in daylight again. However, you're around three hundred feet higher than you were when you entered the mine.  

To get back to the jeep, we had to climb down the side of the mountain.  It was somewhat difficult and scary for me, as I wore smooth-soled cowboy boots that provided almost no traction.  But, by putting myself into "four wheel drive"  I made it down safely.  

The trip down the canyon was much easier than the trip up.  About a mile or so east of the mine, the group stopped to play on the infamous "Cummins Cutoff."  This is an optional obstacle, to bypass it all you have to do is stay on the trail.  If you plan to try the Cummins Cutoff, it requires a lot of lift, front and rear lockers, and a lot of guts. Our trail boss, John, directed vehicles up this rocky thing.  We we surprised at the number of vehicles that attempted this steep rock garden. This is about 150 yards of Class 5 vehicle hell, only to be attempted by the brave, rich or foolish.  However, as our discretion was a better part of valor, we elected to observe, not participate.

Photos:  John Hively, with his ever-present cigar in hand, guides a Jeep at the start of the Cummins Cutoff.  If your Jeep can conquer the first 30 yards of the trail, you can go the distance.

We took the easy route back to camp, staying on the Lookout City trail which bypasses the canyons that we'd driven earlier in day and drove past the ruins and foundations of the Minetta Mine.  Then, it was a simple matter of following the Minetta Mine Road to the paved road, and driving back to camp.

It was nice to arrive back at camp, after being on the bone-jarring trail for the last eight hours.  Jonathan, Paul and I wanted to watch Chef Andy open the pit, where he'd been cooking the beef for the evening's barbecue. and remove the beef that he'd been cooking for the last 14 or so hours. So we wandered over to the registration area and just sort of hung out, talking to people that we knew.