McBee Mica Mine
Mitchell County, North Carolina

Last Updated: February 27th, 2012

Read this page carefully before participating in the tour!
Check out the two day camping/mine tour option at the bottom of the page!
  The tour begins by visiting Bud Phillips' Marble Mine.  The land is leased for hunting to Frank Burleson but Bud has retained access rights and has given Bo's Mine Tours permission to use his Marble Mine as a trailhead for the tour and for camping for the two day camping/mine tour option. I have talked with Frank Burleson and hunting season does not begin until September and we will coordinate with him for any tours during hunting season. The tour requires a 4WD/AWD vehicle to  traverse the Marble Mine Road to the Marble Mine parking area.  Non 4WD/AWD vehicles must be left at the Marble Mine gate.  Bo's Mine Tours will provide a 4WD truck to transport tour participants and their supplies. The Abernathy Mica Mine shaft is located above the McBee Mine.
The tailings contains material from both the Abernathy and McBee Mica Mines

Gate to Bud's Marble Mine
Marble Mine Cliff Face

The Marble is a fine white which polishes beautifully
The Marble Mine has a nice grassy area near the N.Toe River.
It provides a great spot for resting or camping.


Bo Smith and Chris Wyatt of Bo's Mine Tours
Bo's Mine Tours has two vehicles which are used to conduct the tour. The driver of the truck, Chris Wyatt, will provide 4WD transportation.
Before leaving the Marble Mine, I will conduct a brief discussion of the history of the McBee and Abernathy Mica Mines and will discuss the  minerals which can be found in the collection area.  It is about an .8 mile hike from the Marble Mine along active train tracks to the McBee Mine entrance, collecting area, and swimming spot at the McBee rapids.  Loaded coal trains from West Virginia pass north to south through the area about every hour and empty trains (100 cars+) also pass south to north. The trains continue to run throughout the night for you who decide to take the overnight camping option.  The tracks run along the east side of the beautiful North Toe River.  As I am a slow hiker due to arthritic hips, Chris will lead the hike down the tracks to the collection and swimming area
Chris grew up in this area and is familiar with points of interest along the way.

There is plenty of room next to the tracks to wait for the train to pass.
This is Loooking Glass rock downstream (north) of the Marble Mine.  Bud's property runs from Roses Branch Road about .5 mile north (downstream) of his Marble MIne to south(upstream) past the McBee Mica Mine.

Access from Marble Mine Road to Tracks
North Toe River Rapids next to the track to McBee Mine

Family on recent tour swimming above the McBee rapids
Rafters, Kayakers, and tubers can pass through the McBee rapids

Unfortunately, this is the current status of the mine. A large rock is now blocking the entrance to the mine. We consider the entrance to be unstable so we have closed it until we can make adjustments to make the entrance safe.

This is the collecting area located on the river side of the tracks.
 It consists of tailings from the McBee and Abernathy Mines .The tailings extend all the way down to the river to the swimming area.
We will have to remove the large rock and other smaller rocks and soil that have fallen from above  and evaluate the stability of the very large rock in the upper left of the picture before reopening the tunnel entrance in 2012.
Returning to the Marble Mine Trailhead

Remember that you will have to carry whatever you collect at the mine. It can be a strenuous hike at the end of a busy day!
Minerals which can be found in the tailings at the Abernathy/McBee Mica Mines
The collecting material is classic Spruce Pine Pegmatite with very nice muscovite in the quartz and feldspar matrix. Garnet is commonly found in the mix. Tourmaline and apatite are found quite often.  Aquamarine has been found but is less common.


This is a fine specimen of a green tourmaline crystal in a large garnet crystal which was found at the Abernathy/McBee collecting area.


Muscovite mica and garnet in pegmatite matrix
Garnet and Muscovite in pegmatite matrix


Muscovite mica in pegmatite matrix

Rates and Tour Procedures (Single Day Tour)

This tour is available weekdays on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday and on weekends on Saturday and Sunday.

  Rates: $150 for a tour group of up to eight people for a 5 hour tour. This is the minimum time required to meet the tour group at an agreed location (starts the clock), get to the Marble Mine gate, load your gear in the truck (we do not allow any tour group vehicles on the Marble Mine road), transport your gear to the trailhead (while you hike the .3 mile or so to the trailhead), walk the mile to the mine, collect at the tailings and explore the tunnel (swim if you wish), walk the mile back, rest at the trailhead and reload your gear and samples in the truck, and unload the tuck at the Marble Mine entrance. Ther is a $30 charge for each hour after the 5 hour basic tour.        
                                
Owner's fee: None at this time

Tour Procedure: Call (904-708-9186) or email (bo_smith@bellsouth.net) to arrange a tour date.  Meet Bo's Mine Tours' silver Isuzu Rodeo and our 4WD truck at a predetermined location to complete "release of liability forms" and payment (Cash or Check). All persons on the tour must sign a Bo's Mine Tours liability release form. Parents must sign for children/young adults aged 18 and younger. Follow Bo's Tours' vehicles to the Marble Mine gate. The tour group will either drive (4WD/AWD vehicle) or be transported in by the Bo's Mine Tours 4WD truck. All tour group vehicles including my Isuzu Rodeo will be left at the Marble Mine gate during the tour.. This tour is not recommended for children under the age of 10.
                                                          
Tour length:  Minimum 5 hours 

Dress and Safety: Recommend old tennis shoes and sock and long pants/jeans. Shorts are not recommended as this is Copperhead snake country! Eye protection and work gloves are recommended but are not provided by Bo's Mine Tours. I will bring basic first aid supplies including Benedryl. If anyone in the tour party is particularly allergic to insect stings or poinson ivy/oak requiring an epi-pen, please bring one with you!


The McBee Mine Entrance Tunnel Work During the Summer 2011


Mine entrance after completion of the recent work on July 22nd.
There is a cool breeze (57 deg. F) blowing from the tunnel.
 

Four of my "grandsons" removed several large and small rocks (mine muck) and about 200 5gal buckets of soil from the tunnel entrance. Thanks guys!

This picture shows about 12" to 18" of cold water which existed  at the front of the tunnel before the mine work of July 22nd. The tunnel becomes dry about 30 feet inside the tunnel. The air inside the tunnel is 57 degrees F (measured on August 3rd). The wood timber on the right is part of an old gate which was used to restrict access during the period when the mine was in operation.
This picture of the water level at the front of the tunnel was taken on August 3rd from the mine entrance. You can see the old water and current water level.  About a foot of water has drained from the tunnel as a result of our work on July 21st and 22nd. The water at the front of the tunnel is now about 8" to 10".

After about 30 feet or so. there is a tunnel which goes to the right. The tunnel gives off a silvery glow when illuminated with a head lamp. We do not know the source of the glow at this point. We suspect that this tunnel conncts to a vertical shaft that is about .1 mile upstram from the mine entrance

Shaft entrance about .1 mile upstream of the mine entrance.

Black stalactites in the main tunnel just after the tunnel becomes dry. We suspect these are calcium carbonate coated with Limonite. There is Pyrite or possibly Marcasite in the rocks which has weathered to Limonite throughout the tunnel.
There are Garnet crystals embedded in the mica in the roof of the tunnel.  We supect that the flexibilty of the mica preserved the crystals. Most of the Garnet in the tailings is fractures from the explosived used in making the tunnel. We do not allow collecting in the tunnel at this time. Maybe next year when we hope to have lighting in the tunnel.
We have explored the tunnel past the pictures above.  There is a large room which contains a shaft and the remains of a hoist system which was used to raise material from a tunnel system below.  There is a drop of about 20 feet or so before there is water in the tunnels below.  Bud Phillips estimates that there is about 300,000,000 gallons of water in the lower tunnel system.  There is a pile of debris beyond the hoist room which partially blocks another large room.
Note: Tunnel photography is best accomplished using non flash settings with light provided by flashlight. The camera flash results in very blurred images due to the reflection of the flash by water droplets in the high humidity environment in the tunnel.

Two Day Tour with Camping Option

The tour is available on Tuesday/Wednesday, Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday
Email: bo_smith@bellsouth.net
Cell: (904) 708-9186
Rates: $300 ($150 per day) for a tour group of up to eight people
The rates are based on 6 hour days for Bo and Chris.  It is my intention to remain with the tour group overnight to do the cooking (or assist if requested) and  participate in the evening campfire. Chris will depart mid to late afternoon on the first day and return at 10:00 the second day.

Dress and Safety: Recommend old athletic shoes and long pants/jeans. Hilking boots are not required for the walk on the track or on the tailings slope. Shorts are not recommended as this is Copperhead snake country. Note: We found and killed a 16" copper head in the woodpile at dusk during our most recent overnight camping trip. As a result, the night campfire must be set in the daylight! Sandals with socks worked well in the main camping area (including the latrine and latrine path) while your athletic shoes are drying out before the next day's aactivities.  The trains continue to run during the night but most people sleep well after a strenuous day.  Eye protection and work gloves are recommended but are not provided by Bo's Mine Tours.

I will bring basic first aid supplies including Benedryl. If anyone in the tour party is particularly allergic to insect stings or poinson ivy/oak requiring an epi-pen, please bring one with you!

Equipment: Bo's Mine Tours will provide buckets and rock hammers required for mining. Bo's Mine Tours will provide camp chairs and all cooking equipment including plates, cups, and eating utensils four the tour group. The tour group is responsible for providing their tenting and sleeping supplies. The tour will include two meals; First Day dinner and Second Day breakfast. Bo's Mine Tours will provide a cooler which will contain the food for the meals and drinks for Bo and Chris. The tour group should provide snacks and a cooler with the drinks desired by the tour group members.

Note: Although tubing in the river is not part of the tour (yet), but if you have one, bring it along.

Tour Procedure: Day One: Meet Bo's Mine Tours' silver Isuzu Rodeo and our 4WD truck at a predetermined location at 9:30 a.m. to complete "release of liability forms" and payment (Cash or Check). All persons on the tour must sign a Bo's Mine Tours liability release form. Parents must sign for children/young adults aged 18 and younger. Follow Bo's Tours' vehicles to the Marble Mine gate. All equipment will be loaded in the Bo's Mine Tours 4WD truck and transported to the Marble Mine camping area.  The group tour group will hike the beautiful Marble Mine road to the camping area. (The tour group has the option to drive their 4WD/AWD vehicle or be transported in by the Bo's Mine Tours 4WD truck on a second run).  Non 4WD/AWD vehicles including my Isuzu Rodeo will be left at the Marble Mine gate during the tour. We are working on improving the grassy area at the Marble Mine to accommodate camping. So far, we have increased the size of the clearing and have added at fire pit and cookin fire location.  We are planning a trip this week to further increase the sise of the camping area (large enough for three tents) and to add a camping latrine.  We also intend to provide an access to an area of the river that has a nice set of rapids for swimming and fishing.

There is room for 4 tents in the camping area (my tourguide tent, a large 4 to 6 person tent, and two 2 person tents. (eight people plus the tourguide)
We have added a small fire pit (right front) and an area for food preparation (left rear).


Food preparation area. We use charcoal for cooking.
Latrine privacy tarp

Latrine
Road from Marble Mine camping area to river tracks


Bo's Mine Tours will purchase the food for two meals on a reimbursement basis; First Day dinner and  Second Day breakfast. The tour group should bring their own cooler and drinks and snacks/sandwiches for the second day at the mine.  Bo's Mine Tours will provide a cooler which will contain the food for the two cooked meals and 10 gallons of drinking water for camp meals, dish cleaning etc. Bo's Mine Tous will provide all cooking equipment, dishes, cups etc.  The tour group need only to bring their tents and sleeping bags.

Day One Schedule:
10:00-12:00: Arrive and set-up camp
12:00-5:00: Activities
5:30-7:00: Dinner- prepare, cook, and eat dinner (Menu- sausages/hotdogs ,baked potato, caesar salad). Bo's Mine tours will provide extended metal forks for cooking marshmellows or cooking hotdogs/sausages if desired. Otherwise Bo will cook the sausages on the cooking fire, we'll do the potatos in the campfire, and a tour member will mix the salad.
8:00-10:00: Prepare campfire, brew coffee/tea, roast marshmallos (Bo's MIne Tours will provide the marshmallows; mom's may do s'mores if they wish)

Day Two Schedule:
8:00-9:30: Breakfast- (Menu-juice (select orange, grapefruit, or apple), hashbrowns, sausage, country scrambled eggs, 1% milk, brewed coffee)
10:00-4:00: Activities (Lunch, snacks, and drinks provided by tour group)
4:00-5:00: Break camp and move to the top of the hill

Note: I can will lead the group on a stop at Kona to see the Silver family historic cemetery and a Silver ancestral home built by Jacob Silver between 1805 and 1809 if desired by the tour group (see Silver Historic Tour on Bo's Mine Tours main webpage).

Activities: There are four activities currently available in addition to hiking along the railroad tracks.

Swimming:  Swimming and playing in the rapids at the McBee rapids at the mine area can provide a nice start or a pleasant break during mining activities

Mineral Collecting: The mine dump for the Abernathy and McBee Mica Mines is located adjacent to the McBee Mine between the train tracks and the river.

Exploring the McBee Mica Mine Tunnel:  See the Mine Tunnel section above for details about the current status of the mine entrance and tunnel.
The tunnel is CLOSED Until Further Notice!!




<>
<>Photography and website by Robert S. "Bo" Smith