I got very lucky today. In fact, this may be the luckiest day of my life.
Strap in, because
this is a long one. This location is very important to me and today's exploration came with unexpected twists and turns.
Every day in the summer of 2022 I would take a 30 minute walk to this school. I had no idea that one day I would feel the urge to climb inside it.
Tuttle Elementary School was built in 1910, and closed in 2007 with a few STEM classes taking place in 2010-11.
School History
https://sites.goog...aces/tuttle-school The reason for this walk was that this school had a rare artifact in the midwest. A bodyweight fitness park. Not a playground with a few pullup bars. A specific area for calisthenics. Being a fitness enthusiast who dislikes the gym, I came here everyday to get those gains in.
Now, I had no interest in urbex at this point and never considered the idea of entering the building. I was told by a friend that it had been empty for years, and thought nothing of it. Here, I spent hours each day and found my biggest passion. But all good things must come to an end.
I moved out of the city and all but forgot about this park. It was only a few months ago that I learned the park had been
destroyed by the city. At that moment, the flood of memories came back to me. I returned to the location to check it out and mourned the loss.
Flash forward to August, I got hit by the urbex bug. It has come to provide my life with some of the most amazing experiences in just the few weeks I've been after it. It has taken over a part of me entirely. And as September rolled around, I was ready to make my return to the school.
On September 1st, 2023 I climbed on to an abandoned roof for the first time in my life. Equipped with nothing more than a phone and a headlamp, I didn't expect to get very far. And I was correct with that assumption. There were 3 busted open hatches on the roof, all leading directly into insulation hell. With no respirator and wearing shorts, I skipped it and geared up instead.
So here we are today. All of the past few nights had been consumed with the idea of getting in here at all costs. I expected many things, and almost all of them came true.
I was going to get in no matter what. It was this mindset that led me astray, and was my fatal mistake.
While driving there, I had a thought that there might be construction workers just feet away from my POE. And as I drove past the site, this was true. Frustrated, I parked a few blocks away and waited a minute. Maybe I should have turned back home right then.
I thought about roaming around the building and getting some outside photos, but decided I would take them after leaving instead. So I thought I might as well make a break for it.
I felt an impulse to go, and fast. I walked straight to my POE. As my impulse was correct, the construction workers were nowhere to be found. I swiftly got on the roof and moved towards the next access point. At least I thought that's what it was.
After reviewing the floor plans of the school, I believed that I was on the right path. I entered the building with anticipation that I would be inside in just a few minutes.
Floor Plans:
https://www.commer...-9619-1841F9C8ED98 
I was met with the wall of insulation. The pure amount of likely asbestos should have turned me back immediately. Curse my indomitable human spirit! I took the path towards what I believed was the "4th Floor" area of the school, an extension of the top floor. Looking back, I could have taken one look at the location on the roof and realized I was sorely wrong. But, no matter.
Hallelujah! I escaped the maze of insulation and beams to find a new problem: Ventilation. Still believing that this would bring me to the promised land, I followed it in every possible direction.
It was incredibly hot in there, and I almost turned back to get some fresh air, but believed I was truly going to reach the point of entry, and fast. Armed with adrenaline, I pushed further. It was here that my excitement was finally alive! I found a ladder
going downwards. This was it. This had to be it.
Suffering. The only certainty in life. Okay, that's pretty dark. It wasn't that bad. But, I was incredibly discouraged and on the verge of giving up entirely. I was met with a small door that could not be opened. It was locked by a plastic barrier on the other side. This was the end of the road. I had reached the only place possible to go down. There was no other possibility in this ventilation maze. All other directions led to straight drops or blocked off airways.
This broke me. I made my way back to the surface and considered my options. This was only one of three open hatches. Maybe they're worth a shot. I was highly doubtful, as I still believed the floor plan showed the only high enough access point. I took a breather. Recovered my stamina and mentality. I don't know about you, but to me the taste of failure is much better than the taste of regret.
So I pushed on. I took to the second entry point, moving quickly to find any possible solution to this problem. I shimmied through small areas between the vents and the insulation, praying that it was worth the rip in my pants. Time and time again, I was met with dead ends. This was no use, I thought. Well, at least I tried.
The third hatch was about as far away from my imagined entry as possible. With doubt plaguing my thoughts, I somberly made my way in. I found the same frustration for several minutes. Nothing but dead ends and a sweaty forehead.
Until...
It appeared. If this didn't get me in, it was over. I squeezed myself in between some pipes and a small window, crouch-walking on an actual plank to get through. It was once again an area that went
downward. I could see the light from inside the building. My heart was racing and anticipation building as I came to a small, flimsy vent cover. It opened with ease, revealing the interior. My satisfaction was immeasurable. It was time to
finally make this happen.
I sat in awe for a few minutes, catching my breath and letting my heart and brain slow down so I could start the real exploration. It occurred to me that the floors were quite clean and I made a mess of insulation upon entry. I figured it had been at least a few months since anyone had entered, and likely had only been the realtors a few years back. There seemed to be no sign of vandalism beyond the busted hatches. Teamwork baby!
Anyways, I made my way to the hallways first to see how open and empty this place really was.
It was exactly what I was looking for. Perfectly claustrophobic halls with repeating patterns and empty lockers with names still etched inside. However, I was puzzled by the fact that nearly every classroom door had a strange black locking mechanism on it. Now, I have no idea what these are called so if anyone can help me out, please do. This should have been another red flag to turn around immediately and head back.
But hey, I was already inside. What's the point in turning back now?
I traversed further. It seemed that the green and gold hues of the last school to be attended here had remained a fixture of the decorations. I'm not complaining, I'm a huge Packers fan!
After several rounds on the top floor being sure I checked everywhere, I went down to the 2nd floor, which is where I came across my favorite room in the whole building.
A science lab with a staircase! This was one of the very few lit rooms in the school. I can imagine it would have been rather dreary in this interior room without the lights on. This unique room would lead upwards, and
somehow upwards again. This was the ultimate facepalm moment. I found the top of the building, the pseudo "4th Floor" I had imagined as my entryway. There was nothing to been seen except a countertop, a sink, and a hand dryer. Looking upwards, The skylight showed me how much of an idiot I was.
But looking downwards, I found the room to be more interesting.
So, I'd realized my mistakes, learned from them, and continued onward with little fear. I came across a beautiful auditorium that could clearly house hundreds of screaming kindergarteners.
This was one of several large areas in the building which were surprisingly completely open. Although nearly all of the smaller classrooms were locked off, I kept finding ways into the larger rooms, which are
cooler anyway.
I was confused by the blue tape, but thought nothing of it.
I continued on my journey downwards. In a stairwell to the ground floor I was saddened by the fact that their "fallout shelter" could only house 70 people. It sure is a good thing that war was cold!
On the ground floor, I reached the main entrance of the building, greeted by an amazing mural. It would have been more cheerful had I not been alone in a dark empty building, but the animals were somewhat comforting.
Just hold on, this is where it gets interesting.
As I made my way around the ground floor, I came upon another set of stairs leading downward. I knew the basement would be epic, but what was down there was truly unpredictable.
My heart dropped as I heard a faint beep from down the stairs.
This place was still armed. I scrambled towards the noise and came upon the alarm, only to read that I had triggered not one, not two, but SIX alarms. It was too late. Who knows how long that had been going for? I assumed at least an hour, since that was when I came down from floor 3 to floor 2.
Now, I bet some of you expert explorers saw this one coming. And even as an absolute beginner I did too. I spent hours last night looking into alarms and what to do in the case of it going off. I figured that even if I never heard one go off, something was probably already triggered.
I should have sprinted upstairs and got back on the roof ASAP. But, I felt an urge to check the basement as quickly as possible. Was it worth it? I don't know, you tell me.
The gymnasium was epic. There was even a somewhat-flat basketball still in the room. I was hoping to find those little square scooters from back in the day, but no luck.
With the back of my mind racing as I prepared for the worst, I checked another room. I decided on the weight room instead of the boiler room.
I never got to check out the boiler room. 
After a few minutes in the weight room, the alarms stopped.
Oh fuck. Then, the voices started.
In my 2am thoughts of last night, I predicted this exact scenario. Deep in the school, screwed beyond belief. I was ready to face the light of the flashlight.
As the footsteps drew nearer I showed myself with hands up. Then I was shot 17 times in the back.
No, actually the complete opposite. These cops were the definition of Minnesota nice. The man questioned me, asking for my details and explaining that he doesn't want to bring me to jail. I complied entirely, admitting to trespassing but explaining what brought me there. The woman looked on at me like a disappointed mother. A third party, the building owner, looked on with a slight grin.
Realizing I was not a threat, I was returned my bag and camera, and the conversation became casual. I was told that this location receives alerts almost every week. The owner admitted that he was just ready for the place to be out of his ownership. And that was coming soon.
The owner revealed that the blue tape was markings of a future apartment layout. Hmm. I hadn't done enough research. Well, it doesn't look like there's any information about that online, so I guess I couldn't have known. He told me that he had seen me trip the alarms and watched me for awhile before deciding to get the police involved. He said he probably wouldn't have done anything if I didn't enter the basement, because that's where a lot of the valuable stuff actually is.
Meanwhile, we roamed the building casually, and I entertained the cops' questions about the building, how I entered, etc. I told them some brief history of the building and regrettably showed them my entry point. They basically laughed at me and called me crazy with incredulous faces. Honestly, they seemed impressed that I had pulled this off.
As we exited the building, I expected to receive a citation or something marking the incident. All the cops said was "You're going to your car, right?". Not sure if that means I'm off scot-free, I expect a fine in the mail. But, I walked to my car feeling shocked at the days events, yet feeling as if I had manifested every moment of it.
I don't know how to conclude this adventure. I think I clearly have to plan a lot more, and be sure of what I'm getting into. I should do much deeper research into types of buildings and what to expect. I learned many lessons today.
The title of this post reflects the mindset I am currently in. To give up is to admit that you're not ready for the unexpected. To continue is to embrace the consequences of your actions. If you give up every time, you'll never discover what you're truly capable of. You'll never break the barriers in your own mind.
Now, if I had a chance to relive this day knowing everything about what actually played out, would I still repeat the same actions?
Absolutely. But, sometimes you should give up.
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