When getting back to Wrightwood after a long day of working with the USFS, I heard many in town say that they heard what they thought was thunder around 3:00 pm.
I was at Grassy Hollow preping the facility for winter and working on the well that provides the area with water, along with REC 34 and Enginering 34 when we heard what seemed like a double sonic boom, or more. There was no Shuttle landing and we are not in the "hot" corridor and sonic booms aren't allowed. It was a series of explosions that sent dirt and debris hundreds of feet into the air in the Baden Powell area. By the time I could back to the rig and get my camera, the plume has seriously subsided.
From the location of the Plume, we knew it came from the area of the Big Horn Mine. Had someone found something and tinkered with something they shouldn't have?
As we know, the mine is not currently being mined and the owners are in negotiations, hoping to sell it to the USFS.
We notified "Angeles" and went to check it out. On our way to Vincent Gap from Grassy Hollow a couple of Hunters flagged us down and reported what they percieved was a fire after seeing the tremendous plume of dirt in the air.
Ariving at Vincent Gap we were notified from dispatch that the blast was indeed scheduled. We decided to continue our hike to the mine and talk to the individuals responsible for the tremendous blasts.
While the Big Horn Mine is still privately owned, they are doing what they can to meet the specifications that are required to sell the property to the USFS. Obviously the USFS wants to preserve the Mine because of it's historical value, but would like the area to be "off limits" to the public because of the potential danger it offers.
Access to the mine is being blocked by making the area inaccessable via expolsives. These guys are very skilled and it was interesting to hear about the details of the blasts.
FYI, the Big Horn Mine is private property at this time. Trespassers will be cited.
