Collins Prospect August, 2004

For the last couple years, I have been planning to go investigate the Collins Prospect, following a tip given to me by the prolific local peak bagger of the same name. I possessed the general location of the adit, in an area of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie headwaters, one that I could not find any record of mining in the past. I set a date to make the trip. Since I could not find any takers that wanted to join me in my quest, I packed up for a quick solo trip intent on finding the location of the mysterious adit.

Camp was quickly established at Pedro Camp around noon

The drive up the Middle Fork road this year was better. Just past Ken's Truck Town (old name) it took almost exactly the full Who's Tommy CD to reach the end. I started up the trail just after 9:00 AM, taking a quick rest where the trail comes close to the first waterfall on the river. Here I watched two river otters play below in a deep pool below the falls.

I had thought to bring a couple old ski poles to hike with on the way in. They worked great, helping me push up the river valley without too many rest stops. In the first large meadow section, I talked with a couple that was hiking back. They reported sighting a bear in the area above Pedro Camp. Great. This was exactly the spot I would be leaving the trail and hiking cross-country. I clacked my ski poles together periodically for the remainder of the hike up to Pedro Camp.

Part of the off-trail route ascended a steep wooded section

I reached deserted Pedro Camp at about noon, and quickly set up my camp in the heat. I felt pretty good after the hike in, so I decided to proceed with the hunt for the Collins Prospect that afternoon. I packed a daypack with essentials and continued up the trail. At my predetermined spot, I left the trail and continued hiking with the use of altimeter, map, and compass.

The bushwhacking was not too bad. At a river crossing, a branch knocked my hat off and I watched it float down the river. The trip - now in jeopardy, was saved when the hat stuck on some rocks a short distance downsteam. I clambered down and was able to retrieve it. The soaking wet hat felt good up the next section of steep woods. After about an hour, I plopped out and down into the mysterious valley that held the mine.

A large pool in the stream that flows out the valley

I made my way along a beautiful stream that flowed from the valley. After hiking in the subalpine trees and meadows, I broke out into the valley proper, and clambered over some large boulders until I was just inside the giant U-shaped valley. The lower part of the valley looked like it had been the home of a glacier not too long ago. The valley floor was now made up of millions of riverbed rocks. The travel over these rocks was not difficult, and I trudged up them in the increasing heat.

This was my first view of the valley that holds the mine

Soon, the location of the mine became obvious. I could see a shoulder of very reddish mineralized rock and soil about halfway up the valley, showing an adit on a ledge. I still had a long way to go however, and I made sure each footstep on the rocks was a solid one; a twisted ankle this far off the beaten track while alone wouldn't be a great thing to have happen.

As I got closer, I could see the how wild the upper part of the valley looked. There were still a couple of pocket glaciers that were melting in the heat, the source of the valley stream. Finally, I saw that the easiest way to the adit would not be directly up the dump material, but along a natural sweeping depression in the talus that ended near the adit. I climbed along these rocks upward.

Finally reaching the Collins Prospect and looking in...

...to a small prospect that extended only 20 feet into the hillside

A small drift tunnel was dug about 10 feet to the right

Getting closer, I could see that there was not much dump material from the mine. I finally clambered up to the adit at 5040', and saw why. It really was just a small prospect, extending back about 20 feet, with another short drift off to the right about 10 feet. I could see no evidence of interesting minerals, and this is probably why the miners had not continued the effort.

This pool in the river was a refreshing, but quick bath

Oh well. The goal was met, and I finally found out what the extent of the mining effort was here. I would never have to wonder again - the thought of wondering forever reminding me of an old C.S. Lewis story where the characters thought they would go crazy if they didn't find out something. I sat down on the ledge in front of the adit and ate some cookies and rested. The view from the mine of the Cascade crest peaks was spectacular, and after taking a few pictures I packed up and carefully made my way down the smooth rock in front of the adit, probably the most dangerous part of my adventure yet.

The way back down the valley was hot and uneventful. Luckily there was plenty of water in the afternoon heat, and upon reaching the river crossing down valley, I crossed at a point near a large pool. In a flash, my clothes were gone and I carefully waded into the pool and submerged for about 1 second, bursting out screaming from the cold glacial water. It did the trick though, and I felt great as I strolled back to Pedro Camp in the early evening. I rested by the bridge rehydrating for quite a while, a took in the sights around the lagoon at sunset. After a short hike the next day up by the old cabin sites near the Williams Lake cutoff, I packed up camp and headed back down the trail. I never did see a bear.

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