Hidden in a desolate side canyon on a steep mountainside above Death Valley, the remains of an aerial tramway trace a path across ridges on their way to a small mine above. Those who make this hike will find something else unexpected: not the remnants of a Bullfrog-era bonanza, but a monument to one family's struggle against this unforgiving land.
The remains of the mine cling to the mountainside in a place that seems almost impossible to work. At 3,000 feet long with 1,100 feet of vertical drop, the tramway is an impressive piece of engineering. Some of the double rope tram remains, including cables and towers, but the power cable is missing. We saw pieces of buried cable in the canyon bottom.
