The Temmy To Emmy

I've had this post lined up for a while and I've been far too busy doing other things to actually upload it because it was initially a photo essay. I'm still trying to figure out how to upload them so if this looks like shit you'll know why. 

However, if you're feeling smart you can try to link the images to these on Flickr; but be warned that there are some that aren't on Flickr because they weren't exceptionally exciting on their own.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/root_1/

Hello again, I've been dormant for a while because of recent events in my life. Seeing family off to new parts of the world and having your bike in the shop really stops your exploring activity in its tracks. That's okay, as long as I'm patient I can get back in the game in no time. As the work year comes back into swing, my friends and I decided that a trip into the great beyond would be a great way to round off the summer so we gathered our flashlights, cameras, and collective cajones and headed to one of our all time favorite spots: The Temmy.

The Temmy is a five mile long tunnel that moves from one city to another. One of the original places that inspired us to begin exploring hidden urban locations, it has held untold amounts of wonder for us over the years and that wonder has not waned as my friends and I find it continually reveals new and exciting adventures.

Anyhow, the light levels were not great during this trip but for the better equipped members of our group it yielded better photographs. I however am armed with a Sony DSC-150 Cybershot hand-held point and shoot, the capabilities of which I have pushed to extremes. It still falls short but I will attempt to narrate our journey using only what I was able to see through my own lens.

A half hours’ bike ride and the same time on public transportation brought us to our starting point. For reasons of secrecy, I never take photos of our starts, but we dropped in and I began snapping away immediately. Oh, this tunnel is also the former home of a beloved shopping cart.

Right past the main entrance to the Temmy, we’ve stopped to check our belongings and get out our cameras and flashlights for the road. It’s going to be a long trip into the underground city.

For the first ten minutes, the going was humdrum and routine. After all, we have known this stretch since the beginning of our journeys underground. It’s like seeing an old friend, and in a world of exploration a little familiarity is a rare comfort. Anyways, we passed it quickly.

Then we hit this weird round tributary that got really deep in spots. We never noticed it before and it went for a while until we got a certain spot:

Looks impassable, eh? Well, it was. Way too slippery and steep for anyone without climbing gear to get up. We’ll be back, and you better believe we’ll have something to get up there.

Later on, we came to a one of a series of skylights. These are a refreshing reprieve from the darkness of the tunnels and were a great place to stop and rest for a moment. We journeyed onwards, because the water was far too deep for anyone’s comfort at this point.

This is a closer look at the graffiti on the right side of this particular skylight’s wall. It says “cesil”. As you can see, the water used to be much higher. This is thanks to a dry summer, I guess.

Photos between the skylights didn’t much make sense, especially to a photographer with a camera like mine. The sensor and programming just can’t handle low light, unfortunately.

Did I mention that people walk up there? It gave us the biggest fright when we heard them talking. I guess it must have been worse for them, because we heard a baby start to cry. Was that a baby? I guess when you’re speed wading away from the scene things get confusing.

Anyhow, the repetition can get a bit boring, as we bid one skylight farewell and said hello to another. The only thing breaking the present monotony was the soggy state of our shoes and the increased speed and depth of the water. Oh, and the graffiti is sparse this far down.

I guess only the most dedicated guys come this far. Her head is blocking a ‘Freska’ tag.

The style is changing. No longer round manhole covers, so we must be by a city street now.

He’s going up for a quick look at the city street to get our bearings. We knew pretty well where we were after that. It was a brave move. Those openings are filled with cobwebs and god knows what else but he made it back down alive. Hence, cajones were had on this trip.

Some subterranean bugs. More on underground wildlife later.

This is a little patch of light. I think we’re over two thirds of the way to the end by now.

Here, my friend ‘catches the rays’. My photo-nut friend got a better shot of this, but I’ll use what I have. It was epic, and if I get the money for a better camera someday I am going back.

I’m catching the rays with my camera in this shot. Epic, epic action was had here. I guess I live for these moments: seeing this was enough to justify a 10 minute stop amidst rushing water up to our shins. I guess this was the calm before the storm.

Correction: we have a ways to go before anything horrible starts happening. I guess I’m exaggerating the situation but it gets pretty bad. Life is still good.

Oh wait! Another skylight! This was second to last, and our last chance for a breather.

Chance gladly accepted by all. Off on the last leg of a five mile journey. (Distance estimated)

A chute sloping downwards with fast running water and a passageway in the middle catches our attention! The water was pretty fast, and the floor was slippery. Whoof!

I made it! My friends are already trying to get up there and get our bearings. Many laughs were had, and upper body strength compared. Good fun all around.

The grate revealing a street and the creepiest face known to man appear in the same shot.

You can see the downward slant of the main passage in this picture. The pic turned out surprisingly well but the tunnels to the right and left are too small. I suspect they’re for things a little less sanitary than usual (cough cough) so we decided to leave them be for the time being.

 

Yet another square grate. We’re getting into serious city territory here.

Look familiar? This is the last grate of the trip. As you can see, the shape changes at the end.

HOLY SHIT ANOTHER PERSON. This time we were prepared. Loud screams and insane laughs do the trick… or so we think. This guy however, isn’t too easily spooked. Minutes later, he’s still there. He shifts position to get a better look. Then we got spooked and booked it.

Goodbye Mister Creepy! Thanks for the laughs and mild discomfort. Let’s move on to the last and most harrowing part of this journey. This is where the photography really starts to disintegrate. I think it had something to do with the rising water level. First, a little more underground biology:

That there is a crayfish! It was alive at time of photography. I’d seen a couple others down here too. This guy looks strangely pink. Dr. Manhattan crayfish? I’d like to think so. Anyhow, it’s better than a dead raccoon. Oh yeah, I’ve seen one of those down here before too.

Did I mention someone was wearing Teva’s? That turned out to be a good idea and a bad idea. Anyways, the thought of it took some real bravery because this water isn’t the cleanest in the world and whatever lies buried in the “mud” may be pointy and sharp. So kudos to the only lady on the trip, you are balls-out badass. I felt really bad for you at the end though…

The first of these was taken with water at calf height. It was a reflection of light on rippling on water over a longer exposure time. It looks okay, but only to me. The second was a light being shone into the water because there were little fish (they were kinda cute, okay?) in it and I thought I could get a shot. The water was now up to thigh level and logic was declining quickly. Anyhow, it looks okay really, really small. The water was nearing unbearable level.

The last picture was when water was waist height. What is it even of? At this point I put my camera in my backpack and decided the only thing worth doing was getting out of the freezing cold water. Storm runoff, whatever, I was just past caring at that point. All of a sudden, the water started getting shallower and a faint glow emanated from the end of the tunnel. We made it.

I guess that trip just made us that much closer. This is a journey to be remembered. All those thoughts crossed my head until I realized it smelled awfully like poop. My feet were sinking into the ground. I put my camera away and squelched my way to my friends. We’re all crazy. This smell, on the other hand, wasn’t just enough to make you crazy. It was almost enough to make you pass out. I guess methane has a habit of killing at four parts per million.

Then… we were out. Well, the exit was a little bit more complicated than I anticipated but it was nothing compared to the end of the tunnel. Anyways, it wasn’t so bad and pretty soon we were strolling the streets hungry, exhausted and soaked to the waist. The public fountain was conveniently off in the middle of a hot day so we just hit up someone’s garden hose and left a dollar or two in spare change for the water and the wet drive way. All in all, this was an epic trip.

God damn it public fountain! Why can’t you be on for us? We just ended up using someone's hose and leaving a few dollars and a thank you note.

Next time, we’re bringing an inflatable raft and climbing equipment and I’m bringing a better camera. This ain’t the end of things, ladies and gentlemen. We’re just getting started.


Last note: sorry for the image positioning. It was a bitch to even wrangle into a semblance of order.