Near the top of the pass, I discovered I was near an abandoned military fort. Should I go in?
It was June and the main entrance was blocked with snow. A huge draft blowing around it. The curiosity got too much.
I took the snow shovel from my van, put on my wellies, helmet and caving suit and dug out enough snow to squeeze into the dark underground complex. I could hear water dripping.
Once I got past the snow, I could stand up. Passages darted off to each side, offering dark possibilities. Turning one corner I discovered a hole in the floor where a manhole used to be.
I trod carefully, and kept an eye on the ceiling.
In one room I found an old bed and another pile of snow that had blown in, in another room, an old heat exchanger.
Venturing deeper I discovered the old generator – now a rusting ruin in ankle deep water surrounded by water. I found a bathroom, complete with French squat toilets.
The passages seemed incredibly long in places and the scale and intricacy of the complex put me on edge.
There’s no Google maps that’ll help down here, there’s just me.
Or was there? How could I know for sure I was alone down here?
I came to one of the old bunkrooms (pictured). Three stories of ten bunks. It was like the men had left yesterday.
At the end of one passage, I found a ladder. Should I go up?
As I stepped up each rung of the ladder hoping that the 60yro metal supports hadn’t rusted, I listened to a metallic scraping and banging noise.
For twenty metres, the snow shovel on my backpack scraped and banged a metal vent behind me. Telling everyone I was there… On the new level I found some ammunition magazines and storerooms, and another shorter ladder, with light and fresh air?! At the top of the ladder, I realised I was in a artillery turret. Observation letterboxes let in light, but there was no way out. I descended.
Crestfallen, feeling like I was so close to finding another way out, I descended the big ladder. Clunk. Scrape. Clunk. Scratch.
I wondered what it’d be like if I stepped off the bottom rung onto something soft… I stopped that thought.
I was here to explore… (Watch the full story in my IG highlights by clicking “urbex”)
Originally posted on this post on Instagram
