I was literally surfing down a mountain; with one foot forward, wet leaves and brush slid underneath my boots while I tried to keep my balance by grabbing onto trees as they passed by. I hoped there weren't any open shafts under the slick debris on the forest floor. I couldn't see where we were headed exactly as the vegetation was summer-thick, and we only guesstimated where we should turn off the trail to get to the mine. I stopped short when I saw the ground drop off 20 feet into someone's backyard (which held a rather nasty looking dog barking at us), and continued to traverse alongside the steep grade until we reached our destination.

I always thought mines were holes in the ground with some wood shacks, like in the vintage photos of the gold rush in California... so I was completely blown away when I saw a beautiful castle rising out of the woods. Even the newer concrete winding tower looked like a post-apocalyptic alien structure, adding to the surreal landscape. This location is a prime example of a beautiful degradation from man's machines back to nature.