Posted by Archer If you've never explored a mine before, I would suggest reaching out to someone on the site who has. They're among the most dangerous places we can explore, so having someone relay some experience to you can make a huge difference. To drive the point home... I've been exploring for a good decade now, and been into a number of abandoned mines. Myself and several others still almost ended up caught in a partial collapse in an adit when some of the rock shifted around us last year.
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This is an excellent point.
You also never know what's lying ahead underground, some of us went into a horizontal shaft that apparently had a huge vertical drop not far from where we turned around. Air quality is another issue.
You also may come across unmarked collapses/shafts in the forest unexpectedly (hell, even in some towns) around mining country and can't necessarily judge the depth or where they are. Cell service can also be spotty at best around Northern Ontario so you can't count on being able to call for help, or GPS your way back if you end up lost. I'm talking 1-3h+ outside of cell service not far from city centres.
There's also been a lot of mines being reopened and reprocessed in the last few years, and mining companies don't always have a sense of humour about trespassers. I know for a fact some of the mines marked abandoned in the databases have been reactivated in the last five or so years.
All that being said - some of my favourite locations I've ever explored are abandoned mines. They can be really rewarding places to explore, but given the nature of mines and their geographic location, extra precautions are a must.