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UER Forum > Canada: Other > MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex (Viewed 7206 times)
tbeckerson 


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MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< on 8/5/2014 3:59 AM >
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I'm happy to report back on MARMU-2014, the first (annual?) MARitime MeetUp.

This weekend was a great success, and I want to thank everyone who gave their input to shape the event.

The event was based around a two day, overnight extended explore of the Halifax Defence Complex (see thread here).
Day One was a great explore on the Halifax Mainland, with a visit to two of our classic locations, and to a location very few people have been to.
The first evening was spent on McNab's Island, a key part of the defence of Halifax for the last 200 years. Visit the Friends of McNab's Island website for an overview of the military presence on the Island.
Day two was an explore of McNab's Island and it's collection of military ruins.


There were six explorers:

Left to Right:
AndyTrew95
TriBeachPunk
Symph
tbeckerson (me)
Nootz
c260t


Day One
Despite a slightly late start, AndyTrew95, c260t, Nootz, Symph, and myself traveled York Redoubt:




After a quick explore, we headed over to Chebucto Head.




At this point, we were joined by TriBeachPunk, who stayed for the rest of the trip. We finished off Chebutco Head with a visit to one of it's underground bunkers, which included a drop-in from the property owner who was totally cool about the whole thing.

We then headed to our mystery location, shown in the group picture at the beginning of the thread. (sorry, but this is a public thread and the location is serious trespassing). With very little doubt, we were the first people to be in that location for about 70 years.

At this point, we were ready to head to McNab's. Unfortunately, c260t couldn't join us for this part of the trip, but it was great to have him come out for the first day!




After a quick trip across the water, we set down on the island and backpacked about 2km to our camp in Strawberry Battery (1940-1956, two guns & four searchlights):




The rest of the evening was a relaxing camp-out in front of a fire-pit that TriBeachPunk helped set up six years ago, which was still in the same spot and condition.
Highlights include:

  • sore feet
  • makeshift furniture
  • an unbelievably bright yellow-green tent
  • bison burritos
  • beans cooked in a can, hobo style
  • comparing our sucky jobs, past & present
  • fireworks we couldn't see
  • drunks wandering about in the dark (not us)


We went to bed a little after midnight, ending a long, tiring, but fun and interesting day.


(Day Two will be covered in my next post)



[last edit 8/5/2014 8:55 AM by tbeckerson - edited 1 times]

tbeckerson 


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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 1 on 8/5/2014 6:14 PM >
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MARMU-2014: MARitime MeetUp

DAY TWO


It rained periodically through the evening. About 5mm, according to the puddle under my tent.

While drinking some horrid instant coffee, we struggled with a fire. The wet wood resisted all our attempts to make it burn, even when we covered it with fuel from my camp stove.

Lucky for us, Symph is excellent at starting fires, and before long we had a full fire blazing.
We were even able to appease the Rain Gods with a sacrifice.




AndyTrew95 is also excellent at starting fires, and taught us a valuable lesson about starting an indoor fire near a window.




After packing up and hiding our gear away, we set out to explore the rest of McNab's Island with wet feet but un-dampened spirits. Our first stop was Fort Hugonin (1900-1940, four guns).



Hugonin Battery has four gun emplacements, and each has an underground magazine. Unfortunately, the entrances have been sealed tight, and the main building has every window and door covered with thick sheet metal. No entry whatsoever.

However, all was not lost. Nearby was a small derelict cabin, which was quite interesting. You step in the door and look around....

GAAHH! WHAT THE FRIG!?!?




Out in the yard was this thing. Does anyone know what it was for?








We traveled onward to Fort Ives (1865-1943, changing gun count, barracks, submarine net), located at the northern end of the Island. This Fort is old and had seen many changes and upgrades through it's 80 year life span.

Of particular note are two 10-inch RML (Rifled Muzzle Loading) guns from the 1860s, still in their original locations and casements.

Here they are in the top part of the picture, above the blocked-off magazines.




BUT WAIT! What's happening down in the bottom right? Let's look closer:



It appears that some hoodlums have broken into the magazine! Although WE DO NOT APPROVE of such behaviour, we wasted no time in examining the opening.




(Note: I'm hoping the others will have pictures that will describe this area better than I can)


Inside was a standard magazine. A one level, flat, empty room with a curved roof to keep the weight of the earth from collapsing it.
However, in the far right corner was an opening, about a meter high by a half-meter wide. We looked in...




There is a long hallway with head-high openings looking into a series of rooms. At the far end was another small opening, an empty room and a blocked exit. Some sort of ventilation system, maybe?


We hauled ourselves through an opening (small, cramped) into the connected rooms. These were joined by a central passage running parallel to where we entered:




This area had several small rooms, a blocked exit, and a half-meter square shaft which went straight up to another passage that we couldn't access. A mystery for another day!




Further down Fort Ives: Another entry point! This was certainly our lucky day!



Most of this area was walled with fire-retardant bricks, and had floor mountings which suggest some sort of fuel storage or power supply. Maybe generators for the searchlights?

After a quick look around, it was time to go. We were running out of time, and we were all tired worn down after a long day of walking.




On our way back to our gear, we passed two unused houses, once inhabited by notable Island residents A.J Davis and William Lynch.




After that was a straight march back to the beach, and a quick boat ride to the mainland!




This was a great trip. I was happy to be part of it, and I hope everyone enjoyed hearing about it.


Big thanks to symph, TriBeachPunk, AndyTrew95, Nootz, and c260t for coming out! I hope all of you can fill in any gaps I left.


I encourage everyone to visit the MARMU-2014 forum thread, which contains the discussion that led to this trip, and give your input on what we should do for MARMU-2015!

Next year: Bigger and Better!



[last edit 8/6/2014 12:54 AM by tbeckerson - edited 1 times]

Axle 


Location: Milton, ON
Gender: Male
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Sieg oder Tod

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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 2 on 8/5/2014 8:57 PM >
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Looks like an awesome time, I'll have to make an attempt to make it out for 2015!




Celer at Audax
Para la Victoria Siempre Alemanes!
tribeachpunk 


Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 3 on 8/5/2014 9:30 PM >
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Posted by tbeckerson
MARMU-2014: MARitime MeetUp

DAY TWO

Out in the yard was this thing. Does anyone know what it was for?

http://i.imgur.com/JKztNsr.jpg



It's a forge blower.




Halifax UrbEx (Blog) ||| Atlantic Canada Urban Exploration Facebook Group
tbeckerson 


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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 4 on 8/5/2014 10:06 PM >
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Posted by tribeachpunk


It's a forge blower.


That's great work. +1 to you.




tribeachpunk 


Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 5 on 8/6/2014 12:42 AM >
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Posted by tbeckerson


That's great work. +1 to you.


Credit actually belongs to someone in AvChat last night. Tomtortoise, iirc.




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tbeckerson 


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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 6 on 8/6/2014 12:52 AM >
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Posted by tribeachpunk


Credit actually belongs to someone in AvChat last night. Tomtortoise, iirc.


Well, I can't unlike your comment, so I guess it doesn't matter.




tribeachpunk 


Location: Halifax, NS
Gender: Male
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 7 on 8/6/2014 6:50 PM >
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Day One

I was late for the party. I missed out on York Redoubt and Chebucto Head's RDF Station. I caught up with the group at the bottom of the hill, just in time for the reminder that we were trespassing. He was a nice guy though, and we weren't chased.

Once we finished chatting and headed inside, I immediately began looking for some of my favorite graffiti (which I don't condone)...

Hello, again, Metal Heads!

(1a)

(1b)

We left Duncan's Cove, and headed toward the mystery location. It's terrain was remarkably similar.

(2)

Some bushwhacking was involved but it was a nice hike. It was worth it.

(3)

It was obvious that very few people had set foot where we were, for a very long time. This was the type of litter we found.

(4)

This was the wild life we found. I don't have any more pictures from this location because we burned it to the ground.

(5)

(6)

Just kidding. It was already literally 'to the ground' when we found it, and we left it that way.

From the mystery location, we headed back to Halifax where some of us fed our pets, while others struggled to carry their overnight bag (they'd be required to pack across an island) to the trunk of their car.

Because I was carrying what is believed to be about my body weight on my back, I have nothing to show you from my garage to our campsite.

We got on the ferry, landed on McNabs Island, and set off down the beach for Wambolt Trail. That trail skips Fort McNab, and takes you Garrison Road. From there, we hiked around McNabs Pond, to the beach, and then up to Strawberry Battery where we set up for the night.

(7)

Once we were unpacked, with our tents (some visible from outer space) up, I ate some beef jerky and took some pictures of the light emplacements below us.

(8)

(9)

It eventually got dark, and we made our supper. Some had bison, some left their food in their truck parked at the wharf, and some roughed it a little more than others.

This was my dinner. It was delicious.

(10)

Shortly after dinner and discussion we packed it in for the night, ending day one.



[last edit 8/6/2014 10:47 PM by tribeachpunk - edited 1 times]

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darbycrashin 

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Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 8 on 8/6/2014 9:54 PM >
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Ten bucks says it was Mr. Forgetful Nootz who forgot his food in the truck.




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tribeachpunk 


Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 9 on 8/6/2014 10:33 PM >
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Posted by darbycrashin
Ten bucks says it was Mr. Forgetful Nootz who forgot his food in the truck.


bingo!




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tbeckerson 


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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 10 on 8/7/2014 7:02 PM >
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Excellent report, thanks for adding your experiences!




symph 


Location: Halifax NS
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Audentes fortuna iuvat

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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 11 on 8/7/2014 7:31 PM >
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Woo!

I'm so glad MarMU came together in the end despite some hitches in the planning stages.

I had a fantastic time, and I do hope we can make this an annual event, so we can give a chance to those who were not able to make it this year, and those from out of province to attend MarMU II and whatever crazy stuff we plan for it.

I hope to get my photos and short story of experience up rather soon.

Awesome storys and photos guys! +1!




"By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination."

- Christopher Columbus
tribeachpunk 


Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 12 on 8/7/2014 8:51 PM >
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Posted by tbeckerson
Excellent report, thanks for adding your experiences!


I'll be back with highlights from day two soon enough




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tribeachpunk 


Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 13 on 8/10/2014 12:45 AM >
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Day Two

Day two began a fair amount of rain that didn't bother us because we were asleep. We drank some horrible instant coffee, packed our bags and tore down the tents. Some tidying occurred, leaving Strawberry cleaner than when we arrived.

(11)

We packed out. Someone (me?) thought it would be a good idea to lead everyone out the front gate, into the tallest, wettest grass. There were no wood ticks, they'd obviously drown. Soaked, I changed when we hit the main road. We hid and camouflaged our packs and headed toward north toward Hugonin Battery.

Hugonin Battery was good for me. I'd never seen the gun emplacements first hand. Among them, we found a deer carcass. It had no smell whatsoever, even hovering over it with a camera and tripod. Mint plants, go figure. It was all we could smell.

(12)

From Hugonin, we were off to Fort Ives.. Making several stops along the way to poke around creepy, ransacked cabins.

(13a)

(13b)

(14a)

(14b)

We weren't at Ives very long before we found some very interesting spots to look at. It was imperative everyone hurry in and take a look.

(15)

(16)

There were places we could not go.

(17)

That didn't really stop us.

(18)

No definitive answer as to what's up there though. Next time, perhaps.

(19)

That's a magazine elevator. It doesn't elevate anything these days though. Thoroughly seized. We explored the rooms and passageways as much as possible and headed back outside to finish walking Fort Ives.

(20)

After crawling into some awfully small holes, we were again in interesting spots we'd never been before. Not as exciting as the previously mentioned interesting spot though.

(21)

Time was getting tight. We left Ives, and passed by the island's old houses on the way back to the beach. Next time, we'll play the tides right and depart when high. The hike down the beach to the ferry was miserable. Taylor met us half way, it could have been worse.

Landed back at Fisherman's Cove and said our good-byes, all agreeing we'd need to do it again next year!

Posted by tbeckerson
The rest of the evening was a relaxing camp-out in front of a fire-pit that TriBeachPunk helped set up six years ago, which was still in the same spot and condition.




[last edit 8/10/2014 12:46 AM by tribeachpunk - edited 1 times]

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nootz 


Location: Lake Echo, NS
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Many will always go where only one is needed

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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 14 on 8/11/2014 3:14 AM >
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Although I won't be posting all of my photos, I do however have a good set edited already. They are as follow:
1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


11.


12.


13.


14.


15.


16.


17.


18.

The unofficial "Day 3" of MARMU-2014:

1.


2.







Have faith only in those who you trust. And hold who you trust close to you for you have no idea when you will need them most.
http://nootz101.blogspot.com
tribeachpunk 


Location: Halifax, NS
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 15 on 8/11/2014 8:52 PM >
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Good stuff!




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tbeckerson 


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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 16 on 8/13/2014 12:34 PM >
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Nice




reduxzero 


Location: Edmonton, AB
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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 17 on 8/15/2014 4:43 AM >
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Read with interest. The mineral/ calcium streaks are nifty, combined with the curving brickwork some of those photos look like old sewers. Looks like a good weekend.




reduxzero - DrainsofmyCity
nootz 


Location: Lake Echo, NS
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Many will always go where only one is needed

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Re: MARMU-2014 : Halifax Defence Complex
< Reply # 18 on 8/17/2014 11:54 AM >
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None of those tunnels were sewers. They're all magazines underneath gun emplacements and forts.




Have faith only in those who you trust. And hold who you trust close to you for you have no idea when you will need them most.
http://nootz101.blogspot.com
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