We started at 6 o'clock and made it to the hobo hut and Oliver Justice's cabin ruins before 9. From the river, we already had a pretty good view of the trail (or what was left of it).
We started up the direct route for the Stanley-Miller mine and then cut across to the trail when we were high enough. Finally, we were on the Wetwater Trail!
The views (and the exposure) were incredible.
This super exposed section is still all there, hacked out of the sheer cliff by Ben Miller, Stanley's partner in the mining operation. It is generally 2-3 feet wide, with some narrower points. A fall here means falling 300+ feet to the river below. The trail wasn't much wider when it was made than it is now, yet somehow the miners were able to haul up tons of machinery on this trail. There are two points where water flows over the trail, making the rock slippery and giving the trail its name.
The mine is surprisingly large, with several branching passages that loop around. There is even a significant second level that isn't too hard to climb up into.
There's the famous ore cart, which is in very good condition.
The mine seemed fairly stable in general, but the end of one passage had a significant cave-in. It looked like the passage continued beyond it, but we didn't attempt it.
In 1953, the mill's supports burned in a forest fire, sending the mill and much of its equipment crashing down to the bottom of the canyon 1000 feet below. The mountainside is still littered with parts of the mill.
After taking a quick look at the significant remains of the mill foundation and its equipment, we headed north to the cabin. On the way, we saw some stone walls, either shoring or foundations. We also found the large stove, now covered in spring flowers. Soon we were at the cabin and we took some photos and had a break before heading down. There was still a significant amount of metal artifacts, pots, and pans, but not as many as I'd seen in older posts about the mine and cabin.
From the cabin, we descended following a cable part of the way and shooting for the hobo hut. The descent is very steep, descending over 1000 feet in about a third of a mile.
On the way back in the while about to cross the river in the narrows, we had a scare. A big rock shot out from the cliff above our heads and exploded on the opposite wall of the canyon, sounding like a gunshot. We ducked for cover as more rocks came down into the river around us. Just another reminder of how dangerous canyons like that can be. From there, it was just six miles of river crossings and trekking back to the trailhead.
Overall, I would say the trip was a great success. The Wetwater trail is no shortcut though. I would be interested to see if the trail continues at all past the place where it hit a dead end in the sea of vegetation. We just headed straight up the mountain after we lost the trail, but we did see some potential signs further away of a trail continuing further on. We never rejoined any sort of trail until we found the pipe above mine and mill. It also seems like there's no good route to the mine unless a 2-3 hour bushwhack/1000 foot climb is your thing. It has also been said that Oliver Justice was buried 'on a hill behind his cabin.' Would that mean that he could be buried somewhere along the trail? In any case, his 90-year peace hasn't been disturbed yet.
