Mount Minsi-Tott's Gap Mine
Nov 4, 2019 15:17:16 GMT -5
Post by hoosier on Nov 4, 2019 15:17:16 GMT -5
Saturday November 2, 2019
Mount Minsi –Tott’s Gap Pa Hike
This past Saturday I made a return to Mount Minsi. Located at the Delaware Water Gap near Stroudsburg Pa. The objective of the days hike was to search out an old abandoned mine located just off the Appalachian Trail at Tott’s Gap.
Started off from the AT parking area at the end of Lake Road. Followed the white blazed trail up Mount Minsi on this chilly day. Temperature was 38 degrees when I started my hike at 8:00 am. After soaking in the views of Mount Tammany across the Delaware River I continued South on the wide woods road that the Appalachian Trail consist of just prior to Tott’s Gap
Once I arrived at Tott’s Gap and the woods road that crosses the AT. I headed downhill on the rocky, washed out woods road till I encountered the Mine entrance off to my right. Spent some time exploring the mine. It’s not all that far into the hillside. At the entrance the mine makes a hard left, and then extends fifty or so feet back into the rock. Plenty of evidence of drilling still remains. Spotted a few different types of Cave Crickets, Spiders and what appeared to be some type of Spider Egg Sacks. Overall was an interesting thing to explore. Can only imagine how many hikers pass so close by on the AT and never realize a mine is so close nearby.
Hiked the AT back North to the Mount Minsi viewpoint, and then took the Mount Minsi Fire road as an alternate to the trail on the way out, followed by some un-blazed woods roads, and trails that lead to a faint side trail past a nice falls on Caledonia Creek located in a Rhododendron Thicket. And then along the top of cliffs through a very beautiful Cedar Forest over a mossy bedrock footpath, to a view out over Lake Lenape from atop a cliff. Eventually the un-blazed trail crosses the west end of Lake Lenape and then back to the AT parking lot where I started in the morning.
A few photos of Tott's Gap Mine from the hike:
Tott's Gap Mine Entrance
Looking out from just inside the mines entrance
Inside Tott's Gap mine
Drill marks on the back wall of the mine
Cave (mine) Crickets
Cave (mine) spiders
A shy cave cricket - different kind than the others
Spider egg sacs
Mount Minsi –Tott’s Gap Pa Hike
This past Saturday I made a return to Mount Minsi. Located at the Delaware Water Gap near Stroudsburg Pa. The objective of the days hike was to search out an old abandoned mine located just off the Appalachian Trail at Tott’s Gap.
Started off from the AT parking area at the end of Lake Road. Followed the white blazed trail up Mount Minsi on this chilly day. Temperature was 38 degrees when I started my hike at 8:00 am. After soaking in the views of Mount Tammany across the Delaware River I continued South on the wide woods road that the Appalachian Trail consist of just prior to Tott’s Gap
Once I arrived at Tott’s Gap and the woods road that crosses the AT. I headed downhill on the rocky, washed out woods road till I encountered the Mine entrance off to my right. Spent some time exploring the mine. It’s not all that far into the hillside. At the entrance the mine makes a hard left, and then extends fifty or so feet back into the rock. Plenty of evidence of drilling still remains. Spotted a few different types of Cave Crickets, Spiders and what appeared to be some type of Spider Egg Sacks. Overall was an interesting thing to explore. Can only imagine how many hikers pass so close by on the AT and never realize a mine is so close nearby.
Hiked the AT back North to the Mount Minsi viewpoint, and then took the Mount Minsi Fire road as an alternate to the trail on the way out, followed by some un-blazed woods roads, and trails that lead to a faint side trail past a nice falls on Caledonia Creek located in a Rhododendron Thicket. And then along the top of cliffs through a very beautiful Cedar Forest over a mossy bedrock footpath, to a view out over Lake Lenape from atop a cliff. Eventually the un-blazed trail crosses the west end of Lake Lenape and then back to the AT parking lot where I started in the morning.
A few photos of Tott's Gap Mine from the hike:
Tott's Gap Mine Entrance
Looking out from just inside the mines entrance
Inside Tott's Gap mine
Drill marks on the back wall of the mine
Cave (mine) Crickets
Cave (mine) spiders
A shy cave cricket - different kind than the others
Spider egg sacs
