Dream World

"Thrilling" is the word I choose for describing train tunnel adventures. The first time I encountered a tunnel was on the Broad Street Subway in Philadelphia. As a wide-eyed little boy, my dad took me into the front car and I watched in awe as the train lurched forward and plunged from my neighborhood into an underworld of mysterious traffic lights, branching tunnels, and the roaring clatter of wheels echoing off dark walls. I could watch as approaching stations would appear as white dots in the distance and grow ever-larger until at last I could see people waiting on the platform. These visual treats helped to hone my imagination and certainly added to my dreams.

So later, when a teen, it is not surprising that I took an opportunity while camping in the Pocono Mountains to explore the nearby Vosburg Tunnel. This was slightly before the time of "rails-to-trails", so this track was still active, with a daily freight train rumbling through the hole in the hillside. A friend and I decided to take on the adventure one misty morning to traverse the black passage and see what existed on the other side. I was SO excited... and I wasn't let down!

A Sleeping Dragon's Nostril

First of all, the mood was set as we approached the tunnel and saw that there was an amazing stream of mist pouring from the entrance. This fog drifted up from knee level, created by the cooler temperatures inside the stony passage. We made a pact to be safe. We would open our senses to the possibility of an approaching train, and be prepared to press against the walls when the engine passed. We noted the clearances on either side of the tracks and felt there would be room for both the trains and ourselves. But we really felt no trepidation, being too engrossed in the journey.

The Fading

Entering the mouth of a tunnel, the first noticable effect is the decrease in outdoor sounds, and this decrease is exponetial the further you go into the tunnel. The temperature and humidity lowers almost at the same rate versus distance. About a hundred yards into the tunnel, I looked back and noticed the light was getting dim faster than what I thought should be. My curiosity about this was appeased when I crouched to track level and saw clearly out of the tunnel! It was that knee-level mist obscuring the outside world. That mystery solved, we walked on, using either the track ties or the track gravel to the sides. As bird sounds faded, the silence became apparent. That silence is a remarkable thing, and might be a little disturbing if you didn't have someone to speak with. Both of us declared about the same time that the tunnel had to be curving, for even when we crouched low, no light was visible at the other end. The darkness is deeper than any other that can be experienced, not even in outer space. So deep that there is no detectable surface, not even your hand right in front of your eye. It is so silent that your heart is audible to you and others. Something made us not want to use flashlights. I think we realized that the darkness was a unique experience to be cherished while it was there. "Hey look over here!" my friend said. Glancing over, I was stunned by a supernova of light. He'd taken a photo of me. "Wow," I said. "you wouldn't believe how bright that was!" Replying, he said I made quite a hilarious image in the middle of the darkness. I grabbed a camera and returned the favor, photographing him casually lying on the tracks. For several minutes we traveled on with orange dots dancing in our vision.

Light

This is where "the light at the end of the tunnel" adage was born. Gradually two thin, curving lines appeared as threads in the distance and we could see that the tunnel ended in a curve to the left. The sensory effects listed above reversed themselves and soon we emerged, as new creatures, having experienced something special. And the greatest thing about this kind of hike? You have to do it all over again to get home!

Saftey First

As a disclaimer I must stress: DO NOT HIKE IN TRAIN TUNNELS THAT STILL HAVE TRAINS RUNNING THROUGH THEM!! Yes, I did it one time, and it probably broke some railroad ordinances. What I do recommend is utilizing tunnels that are on bike or hiking trails. These are abandoned paths wisely switched to recreational use by local communities all over the country. "Rails to Trails" is a fantastic resource and on some you will be able to take a SAFE, dark venture into a strange world.