Southern Wanderer

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Southern Wanderer I enjoy wandering around and finding interesting things to explore. Who knows where I'll end up next?

We didn't find much today, but we did find tramway rail!
09/27/2026

We didn't find much today, but we did find tramway rail!

It's too pretty outside to sit around the house editing video. Alice and I had to get out to hunt down some old mines!
09/26/2026

It's too pretty outside to sit around the house editing video. Alice and I had to get out to hunt down some old mines!

Some trips push you to your absolute physical limit, but nights like last night are why we do this. Pushing deep into ne...
09/14/2026

Some trips push you to your absolute physical limit, but nights like last night are why we do this. Pushing deep into newly drained headers revealed an untouched industrial time capsule:
• 4 self-acting gravity tipples
• 2 Cameron steam pumps (one completely intact)
• Multiple subterranean moonshine operations
• 1880s hand pick-and-shovel workings frozen in time
A massive backlog of survey footage and field notes to process. Full breakdown coming soon.

I grew up right up the road from this spot and drove past it for years without ever knowing it was here.Hidden just a fe...
08/20/2026

I grew up right up the road from this spot and drove past it for years without ever knowing it was here.

Hidden just a few yards inside the tree line off Hwy 31 in Fultondale sit the massive concrete foundation chutes of the old Lewisburg coal washer. Decades ago, this hillside was a roaring industrial hub, processing high-grade coking coal from the Mary Lee seam to feed the blast furnaces down at Sloss.

When the Lewisburg #2 underground operations permanently shut down in 1951, the heavy wooden tipple structures were dismantled, leaving behind only the concrete skeleton. Today, the forest has completely reclaimed the site, turning an industrial powerhouse into quiet ruins hiding in plain sight.

Does anyone (or anyone’s parents/grandparents) have memories of Lewisburg back when the tipple and washer were still standing?

At Red Mountain Park, most folks see a pretty walking trail with some tree cover.I see 100-year-old room-and-pillar work...
08/16/2026

At Red Mountain Park, most folks see a pretty walking trail with some tree cover.

I see 100-year-old room-and-pillar workings plunging directly under their feet on a 25-degree dip.

Heading out for some surface scouting around Songo this afternoon... catching the 56° portal breeze is practically required in this heat.

Perched right in the shadow of modern backyards, but tucked a century into the past.Red Mountain is riddled with stories...
08/14/2026

Perched right in the shadow of modern backyards, but tucked a century into the past.

Red Mountain is riddled with stories most people drive right over every day without ever knowing it. This is a collapsing entry to an old iron mine. A piece of the Birmingham Mineral District that nature and time are slowly reclaiming.

Ground like this is fragile, unstable, and unforgiving.

Would you go?

08/12/2026

A bad line choice, a deep Alabama clay trap, and a camera that magically decided to stop recording right before the best splash of the day.

Huge thanks to everyone in the local groups who chimed in with advice, offered recovery assistance, and checked in to make sure we made it off the ridge! The off-road community always comes through when things get sticky.

Alice officially gives the mud hole a 10/10 rating for nap quality, but my floorboards are definitely going to need a minute to recover.

Catch the full recovery, Alice living her best life, and a whole lot of red clay soup in the clip! 🚜💨

The hike to this SCCI cave was a brutal mile hike that just kept getting steeper, but well worth it in the end. We rappe...
08/05/2026

The hike to this SCCI cave was a brutal mile hike that just kept getting steeper, but well worth it in the end. We rappelled down 135 feet, explored a good bit of passage, then made it back out just before a monsoon hit. What a great day with great friends.

Want to explore caves safely and responsibly?
Please remember that vertical pits and wild caves require specialized training, proper safety gear, and official access permits. If you're interested in getting involved, find a local NSS Grotto (National Speleological Society chapter) near you to learn proper single rope technique and conservation ethics. For permit details and access info on protected preserve sites, visit the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. (SCCI) at scci.org. Preserve, protect, and stay safe out there!

I went to see some men about a city last weekend. Rain kept me from making the full round. I made the round, the photos ...
08/05/2026

I went to see some men about a city last weekend. Rain kept me from making the full round. I made the round, the photos just weren't pretty...

06/22/2026

Exploring a 1900's iron ore haulage way that connected several slopes together. We found a beautiful stacked stone wall, as well as pipes and rail left behind.

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Birmingham, AL

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