Leach and Fiesta’s clothes were dry and the group of four prepared to venture forth, deeper into the mountain forests. At least two of them were anyway. Leach and Fiesta decided to head back to town and let A.J. and Aleu continue their hike.

“Alright guys! See you back in town!” Said A.J.; waving at his crew as they headed back towards the Right-Of-Way. Then the pair climbed up the rocky cliff face next to the waterfall. Once at the top they proceeded to follow the river.

“You know, I’ve always been curious as to how Gunpowder Falls got its name.” Aleu said. A.J. turned around and smiled.

“Well, back during the late 1870’s there were a lot of local mining operations. But at one of the mines, the “Dumb Luck” mine, there was an accident. You see a common practice, one still used in these parts today, was to have the explosives magazines half buried in the ground or hillside. Well, so it’s been said, drunken Miner was wandering about with a lit cigarette in his hand. And he came across one of the older Magazines. He went to lean on the door but it was half rotten and he fell through! He knocked over a powder keg and a box of fuses. By chance his cigarette happened to light one of the fuses and the other end went into and new pile of black powder!” A.J. said. Aleu looked at him in wonder.

“Really! That must have been a bad way to go.” Aleu stated.

“Well, according to the story, he lived! Apparently the Miner was drunk, but not drunk enough to not know when to run for cover! Well the fuse gave him enough time to find cover. The magazine blew in a spectacular fashion! Powder Kegs flew through the air like rockets and landing on other magazines! It set off a whole chain reaction! Almost the entire mining district here was wiped out! Now some of the kegs and dynamite were just propelled and some were broken but ignited. They say that so much gunpowder ended up in the river that the water turned into a black slurry with a few powder kegs floating on the surface. It all eventually got to the waterfall we were just at. Some one gave it the name “Gunpowder Falls” and well, the name stuck. Later on the river was called the Gunpowder River.” Finished A.J. as he traversed a boulder, half submerged in the river.

“I find that whole story a bit hard to believe.” Said Aleu as she stretched out her hand towards A.J. The tiger took hold and helped her onto the boulder. Then together they leaped down the other side.

“I did to, at first.” A.J. replied. Aleu turned her head to look at A.J.

“Well what made you change you mind?” The Wolf asked. A.J. then walked ahead of her. A large bush was in front of them and A.J. forced some of the foliage out of the way to make a path. Aleu stepped threw and again was awestruck to see what was on the other side.

“This.” A.J. said as he followed close behind. They were surrounded by a tall pine forest. The foliage acted like a canopy with streams of light coming down through the open spots. The river was nestled in a shallow but narrow valley. The river moved into a slight and gentle “S” curve, but on either bank were the remains of many small abandoned mines. Along with a few mid sized ones scattered about. Then A.J. pointed to the hillside on their right. On it was a large but weathered crater.

“That is where the first magazine went.” The tiger said. Aleu scanner around and found yet more craters. Some still had their stone foundations partly in place. The explosions sent some of the stone wall blocks in all directions.

“Back then safety was last on the Mine Owner’s list. Some of the Magazines had wooden roofs, which wasn’t necessarily a bad idea. The blast would have been directed upwards instead of out. But the stone block construction used pore quality and weak mortar to hold it all together. I’m amazed that no one died!” Said A.J. Aleu looked around at the remains. Many of the structures looked intact but seriously in need of repair.

“So were all these mines ‘Played Out’?” Aleu asked.

“No, they were abandoned only because of the magazine explosions. After an investigation, the safety of the mines’ operations was so bad that the owners decided to leave them. Thinking it was a waste of money to “Protect” their employees.”

“Are your serious!” Shouted Aleu!

“Afraid so, there’s still a wealth of Silver and Gold in these hills. You’d think better safety would be worth it, ya’ know?” A.J. said. Aleu began to make her way up their side of the river bank and explore what was left of the district. They pair walked and wandered about. Looking at the wreckage and what ever was left of the district. The time was roughly around 3 in the after noon. But then something caught Aleu’s eye. It was a familiar topographical alteration known to railroaders; it looked like a Cut in a distant hill side. She shouted to A.J. and together they headed towards it. But they came across something more interesting first, a Depot! It was small, run down and decrepit looking. But there it sat, along with a line of track heavily covered in moss and grass.

“Hey! Do you see this?” Aleu asked excitedly.

“Yeah! I heard that there was an abandoned rail line up here. But I never got to look for it! It’s definitely Narrow Gauge though.” Said A.J.

“Who do you thin it belongs to?” Asked Aleu.

“I think it was part of the old Wolf Creek & Flagstone Railroad. That was the line I worked on before it was taken over by the GFRR.” A.J. finished.

“Well let’s see where it goes!” Shouted Aleu; a big smile was on her face.

“I don’t think so. We’re already a good 7 or 8 miles from town and its getting late.” A.J. said reluctantly.

“Aww, C’mon! Another mile or two won’t hurt.” Aleu said; putting on the cutest face she could muster.

“Sorry, that won’t work on me. Maybe next time.” The Tiger said as he turned around and headed back towards the river.

“But maybe the tracks are a shortcut back to town!” Shouted Aleu!

“And maybe they’ll lead us to the middle of no where!” A.J. shouted back. Aleu slunk down and began to put. She stuck her paws into her pockets and kicked an old tin can as she followed A.J. back to the river.