Rappelling 900 Feet To Uncover Lost History! 

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for checking out the video. If you want to see the start of the 3D model I took at the end of the video, you can see that here: poly.cam/capture/444A4136-784B-49A6-8691-F7CB7C129E22 I'll be adding to it and hopefully allow everyone to experience all the different levels of the mine in time.

Hey mate, I'm an industrial abseiler, I actually abseil off skyscrapers like you were talking about for a job. A good tip for doing big descents like this is to have your rope in a bag, attached to your harness, that way you don't have excessive tail weight so your descender will work better. Also eliminates your rope snagging on things when you lower it down, as it just feeds out of the bag as you descend.

I dont think enough is said about the physical effort this all takes. Not just the mine exploration, but living in cerro gordo and working to restore the town. It really makes me more aware of the men who worked these mines 150 years ago and how amazing their work and lives were.

Aside from the significant hazards encompassing factors like structural instability, toxic gases, oxygen depletion, floods, unstable ground, wildlife encounters, contaminated water, hazardous materials, and the lack of escape routes, I believe that these mines might be suitable for novice exploration.

Hey Brent, Im also Brent. First and foremost, you've got it going on! Im more than a little jealous. As i mentioned in a previous comment, ropes access is my life. This actually stemmed from getting talked into joining a mine rescue team in 09 (team Edgar). I too owned a couple claims myself above Leadville Co. I finally got the opportunity the descend down into one of them after a makeshift plug gave way opening the hoist shaft. Terrifying, but incredibly awesome at the same time. I too was solo (VERY dangerous, especially without a 4 gas meter to test for H2S or even just low O2) Anyways, if you were at all interested, id love to assist you in any capacity needed, even just stand by rescue, at no cost obviously. I would also at the very least like to discuss the type of kern mantle ropes you're useing both in safety and your efficiency (900 ft = 90ft of rope stretch on static rope, i noticed you also had dynamic rope in use). In a nutshell, if you're interested in chatting, let me know. In the mean time, keep up your hard work, enthusiasm, and passion. Makes my heart race watching your vids (something im usually hearing, rather than saying)

Be careful down there, Trent. You are getting comfortable with this and this is when it becomes dangerous.

I would be very cautious about shoveling away those collapses, and especially about the blaster. The collapses occurred in the first place because of instability and poor competence in the rock, and the collapses themselves might be the only thing holding up additional parts of the tunnel, meaning that clearing the collapse might cause more collapses to occur. I would suggest you not just “clear” collapses, but buttress them with structural braces as you clear them out.

I literally remember when it all started with "i bought a ghost town" episode. Then it appeared like a just great but unknown adventure. It's unbelievable that its all gone this far. 3 Years gone like just one little day and there's still much much much more to discover. I would love to get there someday, stop worrying bout my job and just do adventure things.

Make sure you always file a flight plan. What I mean by that is before you set off alone down the mine, let others know what you’re doing, where you’re going, when to expect you to contact them again. That way if you get stuck, rescue starts sooner. Before you’re a Skelton. :)

I think the key to further success in consistently exploring the lower levels is retrofitting the main lift/hoist. We don't know the costs associated with doing that. However, it makes the most sense in lowering equipment and people to those levels in probably the safest manner. The other option would be to round up some local retired volunteers. Train them to work the winch in its existing configuration. Lots of retired guys are always looking for something to keep themselves busy and to have places to socialize and get away from their wives. lol.

As a retired, Union construction worker of 28yrs, climbing a ladder that was nailed together a hundred yrs ago is insane!

Brent, I've watched so many episodes of your explorations over the last couple years, always thought how amazing it would be to 3D map it and now you actually did! Was so cool exploring the model, thanks for sharing, gives such a different perspective and experience to your videos. Really quite innovative, well done.

Hey Brent, are you monitoring the atmosphere in terms of O2, CO2, and H2S at the lowest levels of the mine? Probably a good thing to do if you aren't. Also, from a professional vertical rescue perspective I would attach your rope to two seperate anchors even though I'm sure you think your primary rope anchor is secure. Prevention is better than cure.

As a tree climber who spent many days on rope my hat is off this guy, takes some real conditioning to go up and down repeatedly like that, no way I'm going in those tight spaces either, mad props!

If it took you 3 hours to descend. I CANNOT imagine how long it took you to ascend back up. I’m glad you made it back up safely 💯

Brent, don’t let this obsession led by passion be the death of you. Damn, that was scary just to observe

Brent my husband and I are in our 80’s and we love watching your adventures at Cerro Gordo. We grew up in California but moved to Idaho 35 years ago. Just know we appreciate you and pray for you as you do dangerous things!

Hey Brett, the thing that you keep bringing up as an issue is communications. The priority idea would be to run some telephone cables down that shaft you've got your rope and lights in, splitting them off at each of the levels you've explored. The amount of danger you're in without some form of reliable connection to the surface is gut wrenching and I think that beam incident highlights it. If you had dislocated your shoulder, it would have been difficult to ascend back up, and it might well have been a time critical injury. I'd also suggest getting some MREs, spare batteries and cans of acidified water that can stay down there long term in case something happens to the rope while you're down there and you end up trapped for the few days it'd take to get to you.

Can Dave Sparks get you a modern winch for the cage so you dont need the crew? He's probably got a crane or something he could adapt, just his kind of thing

As a tower climber with 10 years of experience, having a ton of knowledge regarding getting a either a whole lot of items, or very big items, or both, up 1000-2000ft towers using nothing but ropes, and having tons of descent/ascent experience using ropes, this right here is a task that I would absolutely love to participate in. Looks like a ton of work but a TON of fun and extremely rewarding. I can pretty much feel that feeling you have of it eating away at you what's down there. The unknown treasures, memories, and history. Wow.

Suggestion....Set up ropes at each of the known levels. Then they could be used to descend one level per rope at a time. Might eliminate the rope weight problem. Use the hoist to transport large supplies down to the 900 level as well as setting up some rest areas with caches of supplies at other levels. Then you can use the ropes for ascending and descending when hoist is not available. Hard line communications & electricity would be a good idea as well. Maybe you could find a small-ish winch system for using ropes to get supplies down as well as lifting Waste and other items out without using the main Hoist. Once all set up you could be more free to explore with less ascending and descending.

It so awesome to see Brent back in the mines again. It really seems like that's his happy place.

I'm really excited for the exploration of the deeper levels but make sure when digging the collapses you are putting timbers in to secure the ceiling from further collapses. We want you alive and well as much as the exploration Brent.

be careful man, things dont randomly cave in , there must be structural issues with those areas of the mine, even if you clear them, the structural issue likely still remains.

Is the air quality something that should be taken into consideration when going down into these mines? Stay safe!

I think it would be a massive benefit to have some sort of RC that could fit past collapses to determine the viability of digging it out as well as do the full polycam mapping.

Thinking about the fact that those ladders where considered to be climbed without rope is insane

The woodsmanship & carpentry around the 18/19th century was insane! I adore my 19th century tableware cupboard for the fact how it's still holding up after more than 100 years and who knows how many moves it made. But those ladders are something else! I don't think you could make 'em better even today :O

Praying for you during this very strong and powerful storm. Hopefully the rain doesn’t wash out your roads

It blows my mind that men were able to get 900 feet down and work… especially during that time period. Some SUPER tough men back in the day. Also, I’ve been through many old mines myself, but the whole claustrophobic nature of crawling would make me tap out.

You might talk to Gly of "exploring abandoned mines and forgotten places". about winching out of shafts and his experience with his hoist. It would be good to have several exit strategies including at least 2 hoist systems and a couple manual climb outs. Food, supplies including rescue gear at your base camp is a good idea. The more supplies you have the better you will feel. It helps to be skinny to get through tight places and climb out. Hope you fine lots of nice things and maybe find one of the exits from the lowest levels.

I fix fighter jets for work, right now I work in tank bay (diving in the fuel tanks to repair whatever is wrong). Claustrophobia is no joke but you can learn to over it come it and find a way to get "comfortable" while feeling squished, That being said I would love a chance to go on an adventure like this. Thanks for letting us join you on all your adventures!

I have to keep reminding myself when watching this that you must have made it back. Amazing footage and great video as always.

Brent its absolutely insane to see how far you have come from the start of this channel.

Your strength and pure willpower to climb so much in one evolution is wild! I couldn't climb down 900ft let alone climb back up!

It seems like an endoscopic borescope with a decent length of relatively stiff cable (the kind used for inspection inside walls, pipes, etc) would be extremely useful when trying to look at and determine what's past some of those cave ins. Would definitely help determine their length and how to address them. I'm also surprised he hasn't left a stash of hand tools on each level of the mine that he would have easy access too already , considering they are relatively inexpensive. It's great to see he's developing plans to get power and hard communication lines down there. Get some power down there, drop a 1000ft spool of Cat5e down the shaft, and then put repeater switches on each level that he can either set up a wireless connection on, or run more hardlines deeper into the mine tunnels. Before we know it, he'll be livestreaming from the mine lol. Also.. Once he get's the 3d mapping of of the mines done, it would make a killer map for a video game.

Brent...I hope you realise what an absolute legend of a man you are! A true modern day Cerro Gordo miner, reviving the intense effort those men of steel made all those years ago...its an absolute nervewracking treat watching you unveil the history of that place, all the while taking a serious risk doing it....thank you!! And also to your friend Robert who carried out so much research! Your channel is fascinating...so much history and adventure! Do you have the real concern of collapse whilst you're down there?? Its amazing what you're doing...

Brent, Couple of ideas, 1, put a trap door in the bottom of the lift, that way you no longer need to climb thru such small space and you can lower larger equipment down and yourself.. 2. install a CAPSTAN WINCH-HOIST LIFT that a one man on top can operate to pull you out of the shaft or any equipment.

Where's the bottom of this mine? No one knows! But Brent is sure to find out, or get as close as possible.

Very nice to have the map overlays when you do these mine explorations! Gives us some idea of where you are in that massive maze. Would be great to see that part of the video developed even more (e.g. add routes/issues etc visually for a moment?) especially with this big mine project ahead! And as many folks have commented, please remember your own safety!

I would either fix the winch to be faster and add more guide rails down to the 900, or remove it's man basket altogether and use a separate winch setup which is fast, and can be used to haul materials down that shaft by rope. Only one choke point on the ladder....saw it out and add replacement out of the way. Next, spend a day repairing that ladder . Replace rungs, add new rails as needed. Much faster and easier to be climbing a ladder than climbing a rope for 900 feet. You should have a dozen military shovels down there and a few buckets to move that clay out of the way. Also, I would stockpile every level possible. The 500, the 700, should have anything and everything you may want at the 900+ levels. Permanent,200 foot ropes need anchored going down the ladder chute to ease rope weight defending. Love the vids, can't wait for the next.

I know there may be an aversion to this given the history, but I think it would be wisest to work to restore the hoist system and rebuild the ladders and passage down to make it safer for generations to come. It might be time to investigate hiring a hoist team sometime in the future as well. We all want you to be safe and for this place to come back to life in a safe way.

I think one of the most important things I think you should be installing in this mine is a communication system, and I think that a wireless system for the elevator/hoist unit that can connect with intermittent modules wired into the main system and then have hard wired com boxes at each of the main levels you visit regularly so that you can keep people appraised of your condition and situation and increase the amount of information you can relay if you need to alter your preplanned expeditions into the mine. the fact that you have LED rope down the shaft is fantastic and this shows how easy a hard wired com system is to put in to the mine. the bonus to this is that you can use old phones and phone box systems that are now obsolete but are perfectly fine for you to use inside of the mine and they are relatively simple to use and install, all you need is the proper lengths of wire. and of course the best part of this kind of system is that it is still quite common to find old items that would comprise the entire system and because it is obsolete and no longer in demand, the price for it all would be quite low to purchase the needed materials. all then that would need to be done is to install it. As always, thankyou for sharing with us the adventures you have in this incredible historical site. I love the location and the impressive amount of history that Cerro Gordo has. To call it RICH in history is merely adequate and there is a distinct lack of a more appropriate word that isn't' cliché and over used by today's young crowd. Until next time, thanks and stay safe and keep hammering away at your goals for your mine!

Brent, you should really get in touch with some miners from some other parts of the nation and educate yourself and get some assistance on this project. I appreciate your passion in a way i don't think you can really know. I know it can be very hard to trust others with your life, i would highly recommend you build those relationships and build that community. Use this community you have worked to build. An entrenching tool and supplies (as well as by your rock blaster) should be standard equipment for these expeditions. Would highly encourage you to build that infrastructure to allow safe exploration with bastions. (fiber optic with strain relief anchors for communication. conduit with strain relief for power). build the infrastructure you need to do what you plan. you sir are a passionate obsessives i admire and identify with to no end. be safe and keep doing what you are doing. it is worthwhile and amazing. Keep doing what you are doing and be safe.

I love it! Thanks for droppin in mate!

Not sure if the economics makes sense, but upgrading your main hoist to a safe and reliable 1 man opp would give you a lot more resources. You still have your rope for backup. Thank for the vid Brent.

Brent you were born for that place! Every ghost town needs a historian and story teller. Brother I could listen to your stories all day long. I'm always totally captivated in your adventures. I wish you all the luck in the world

Prayers for Brent and Cerro Gordo as flooding is forecast from tropical storm Hillary 🙏

Brent! I think we need a “proof of life” video! You make us all nervous around those collapses!

I hope that I can go through the 3D model of the mine in VR one day.

Wow! One of Brent's superpowers is persistence. This is one of the best videos to be produced by this channel. The exploration of the mine fascinates me. I love, love, love the LIDAR map! I can't wait until we can explore the mine virtually. Keep it up and stay safe!

So much better than watching tv. I can’t wait for the next episode

So claustrophobic down there….I just couldn’t do it ….so fair play to you Brent…man of steel !!!

I love the use of technology and that you have off-site historians putting in countless hours researching for you. Correcting the existing mapping, and creating maps for the future, is a gem in its own right.

Hopefully Brent is successful in finding & exploring the deeper levels. I suggest using the hoist to haul down equipment, supplies and people to the 900 while working to clearing AND stabilizing the collapses

Please get The Diesel Brothers back. Not only are they extremely resourceful but they are also dedicated to hard work and a crazy adventure. Also them coming to help your problem with the foundation of the hotel was the coolest series I have seen them do! @HeavyDSparks . Amazing video's and progress Brent you're doing an awesome job.

That’s honestly the most subtle but badass ad I’ve ever seen

Wow. An actual base camp down in the mine? That is awesome. I remember you spending Christmas or sometime during the holidays camping down at one of the levels. It was spooky because you kept seeing a light in the distance and you were the only one down there. I can't wait for your next video. Until then, take care, Brent! Thank you for yet another exploration video in the mines.

Need a ropetek wraptor for ascending back up the shaft, tree guys use them for ascending up tall trees, they have battery powered ones as well. That would take a lot of effort out of getting back to the surface. Use another rope for a motorized ascender and keep your mechanical one for a safety as you go up and you always have a back up.

This is so exciting

I like your way of thinking about the 900ft level. Bringing supplies to dig out the collapses and possibly set up a direct communication line. That'd be huge. Thinking *years* ahead now.

I'm getting claustrophobic just watching you climb over those collapses! What an effort.

Looking forward. 😊

Stay safe Brent!

Your next project should be to get a group of people to modernize that manway. Lighting, electric, communications, fixing the entire ladder system and adding a way to bring items up and down. Especially if you plan on spending more time truly exploring all of the various points of access. As if you do not have enough projects.... ❤👊

Hey, just a few quick tips for potentially making your life easier in regards to the ropes: - You could look into the Petzl Stop, Simple or Rack descenders as they may by easier to handle if the rope weight is high. - To make the ascend easier you could have a look at the Petzl Asap, which is a device that runs along the rope and locks in case of a fall. You could put this on the rope and climb up, without much additional hassle. - Setting up Bolts may make the process of fixing the ropes easier, but it would require access to strong rock, which i think is covered by wood in the chute, so probably not feasible.

Thanks for sharing it. ✌️

glad to see you found the time to do another good mine video

I'd be scared shitless going down there on my own.

Brent. PLEASE remember the town is dependent upon you to be ALIVE and HEALTHY. All your plans are for naught if you get into trouble in those mines. I seriously advise you to at least have one other person with you when you go down there - especially with EXPLOSIVES, man!! Love the videos and love the work and the care and the community that has rallied around you. And not to sound like the dad (or maybe mother hen) I am but for crying out loud don't climb without someone else with you. Dude I'm begging you. Imo you've already rolled the dice and gotten lucky a few too many times. Love the videos and love the cave exploration and am also dying to find out what's down below the 900. Just don't die to find out.

Thanks!

Your resilience and ambition is insanely inspiring.

When you’ll camp down there, definitely bring a CO2/ CO gage with you

I visited a slate mine in Wales that had been opened about 300 years ago. Miners had to pay for their own equipment and candles. Peeling 1,000 pound slabs from the ceiling was how they did it. Absolutely terrifying and very low pay.

Great to see you back under ground!

climbing 900 ft up ladders is no small task! i work underground at a gold mine and i climb 2-400 ft regularly up and down escape raises and it really is a workout great work man keep it up love the videos

Brent is at the top of the world at the bottom of his awesome mine!

Great news!

This is amazing , some of us are living our dreams through you Thank You for all you do sir

I'm so impressed that you have used 'double rope' techniques. Having redundancy can be a life saver.

I've been subscribed and kept up with this channel pretty much since the very beginning, every single video has blown me away since. It's amazing how many new things there STILL are to discover about Cerro Gordo. I wish I could be one of the people who was able to help fund this amazing project, or even put my hands to work to help rebuild it, but just know that I am part of a HUGE community who is watching intently and with great interest in this whole project. Keep it up, Brent! I am absolutely enthralled in everything you do here

Wow!! That is amazing to me. Be safe Brent.

Gosh that PolyCam thing is sooo cool. Imagine showing that to the OG miners! Brent you’re amazing. Please don’t stop, unless it’s ridiculously unsafe. If it’s just regular unsafe, you have to keep it up now.

I get so emotional watching this channel. I never wanted someone to succeed so much. Brent is a special person doing amazing things. Distance dictates I'll never see CG, but man i want it to rise again. Awesome ❤

Rad video Brent! Thank you!

I love all the pieces of history you find in the mine ❤

With all due respect to Brent’s enthusiasm for going down into the mine without using the hoist, I really wish he’d train additional people to operate the hoist. Someone gets injured down there you’re not getting them back up on rope.

Your transparency of your videos conveys the personal struggle you have taken on. I admire your tenacity. It is inspiring!

Thanks for taking us on your adventure. Doing all that without a selfy stick is a challenge and you did it all with one.

Looking forward to see more. Good video

After finding the cigar tin and the 900 level sign, it makes me really curious what other cool findings might be under possible collapses or under Timbers. Great job as always Brent can’t wait to see what is in the future!

Astounding... all of it. The men who dug and blasted through creating these tunnels, the beam structures. Then you, Brett, taking us with you... A nail biter.. Looking forward to the coming tunnel clearing.

Nice to see you again ‘🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Excited to see whats possibly down there!

Everytime he uploads a new video I thank god because he is alive. I worry about you Brent but knowing someone is there watching/waiting for you gives me some relief 😊

I have enjoyed the journey very much. Thank you for everything you share. Please be safe .

You are truly an amazing human!

In my town back in the day, they had a 4612ft shaft in the Goldfields. (1908, the Victoria Quartz Co Mine had the world's deepest shaft at 1,365 metres. By 1910 the shaft had reached a depth of 1,406 metres)

Get yourself a figure 8 ab device and some cord for a prusik, you could descend that length on a figure 8 easily. Never use one without the prusik though, thats your backup in case you slip or let go. You should get in touch with Frank from the Exploring abandoned mines channel, I'm sure he would love to come explore and do some mining with you. He has so much knowledge he's like a walking museum. Edit: I think you've already spoke to him if I remember right.

what a awesome channel and life-style man! keep on keeping on! keep on living the dream brother!