If there’s a hole in the side of the hill without a trespassing sign, I’m going in it. The Jack Black mine, known as the Kochberg Adit, is one of these holes. For those who are familiar with Mike and my adventures of mine exploration, this will be interesting. To others, it’s just a hole in the ground.

Located at the base of the Inyo mountains, the Jack Black mine is one of the more further extending mines we’ve explored. The air is still and the light is absent. Without a flash light, you can’t decide the status of your eyelids.

The entrance of the mine is full with drill samples. The miners here were looking for areas with high concentrations of precious metals to mine towards. We assume copper or gold.

Going in further, we noticed timber support structure, chain link fencing to hold loose rock, and bat guano. Where core drill samples once lived, the bats have taken over and created homes.

Jack Black Mine: Writings On The Wall

We are guessing that at the time of entrance, the Jack Black mine went in to the hillside for at 1000-yards. Markings on the wall seem to indicate how deep the mine went.

One of the more interesting writings on the wall read, “God so loved the world that he gave us the Kochberg Adit.” This makes you think a bit about how the miners viewed this mine. Along the way, we found remnants of old gloves, gear oil for mining equipment, and wire previously used to light the mine.

Another interesting writing was, “This is the Wailing Wall” with a directional indicator. The “Wailing Wall” has another name: the “Western Wall.” The term has ancient roots referring back to ancient Jerusalem’s holy temple, acting as a retaining wall.

There are certain parts of the mine that seem to have eroded with time. Other parts of the mine are deliberately closed off. Explore carefully and at your own risk!

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