Ohhh, I’m Tired
Sept. 13, 2012
The Adelman Mine is high up on Lucky Peak mountain east of
Boise and was one of the largest producing and longest running mines in the
area. People were still mining up there back in the 1970s. There is a mill on
site and the building still stands and is pretty interesting to visit.
Is the term ‘Lucky Peak Mountain’ redundant? Lucky Peak Peak would definitely be
redundant. All my life, Lucky Peak has been the reservoir for boating. I never thought of it as a Peak. So Lucky Peak Mountain is the mountain next to Lucky Peak reservoir. I’ll check in with the Department of Redundancy Department to find
out before posting this.
I remember a hunting trip with Bill in the Smoky Mountains
several years ago. We backpacked in about 4 miles and made camp. We ended up
shooting a large Bull elk as well as a four point buck. We made 3 trips in and
out of the mountains with our camping gear and loads of meat. We figure we
covered about 35 miles in 3 days with significant weight. As I was walking out
with the last load of meat, something kept bumping my heels as I walked. I was
worn out and just tried to keep walking and ignore it. Finally the bumping grew
worse and worse. I came out of my stupor, stopped and looked behind me to see
what kept banging into my heels, only to realize that it was my butt dragging
behind me.
End of Digressions.
Lindsey, her fiancé Nate, Ruby Doo and I drove up to Lucky
Peak to make the hike into the Adelman Mine. It’s about a two mile hike to get
to the mine, so around 4 miles round trip. Early on in the hike there is a
downgrade about a quarter of a mile long which takes you to the Black Hornet
mining area. This first mine is just tailings and some equipment but no
structures. There are also a couple tunnels back into the hill that have not yet
been closed off. Most mining tunnels and
shafts around Idaho have been caved in to keep people from going and getting
into trouble. The trail continues from
the Black Hornet area to the Adelman Mine, which is up over a saddle and into
the next canyon.
We made the hike in and wandered through the mill and other remaining
structures. The mill has three levels to it. The top is where the ore is dumped
in, the next level down is the crusher, and the final level has a large table
where the crushed ore is shaken and separated. There is still a fair amount of
equipment as well as Owl’s nests and signs of other animals living in the mill.
We took pictures and poked around for a while just enjoying the sights before
heading back to the truck. The hike back seemed longer than the hike in as it
was the middle of the afternoon with the sun beating down on us through the
smoke of the Trinity fire. When the three of us reached the beginning of the
quarter mile climb from Black Hornet to the ridge where the truck was parked,
Lindsey was tired of walking and had slowed down. Nate offered to give her a piggy back ride up
the hill for a ways. Lindsey accepted and climbed on. Nate and I headed up the
hill at a pretty good pace. Pretty soon we were sweating and breathing hard but
her getting close to the top. No one had said anything for a while.
Lindsey then let out a huge tired sigh signaling how tired
she was as we neared the end of hike.
She just broke the silence with an “Ohhhhh, I’m tired!”
I finally broke the awkward pause and said to her,
“Lindsey, what’s the matter? Are your arms tired from hanging on to Nate as you
ride up the steep part? Is making Nate carry you wearing you out?”
oh boy...
ReplyDeleteAt least she didn't pee on Nate. When we used to have to do chores, rather than say she was tired she would say she had to go to the bathroom, which meant she was tired of doing chores.
ReplyDelete