What is Hell’s Gate? It is a simple metal gate on Kayford Mountain that separates Larry Gibson’s property from an active mountaintop removal site.
Once you pass Hell’s Gate it is like you are transported to an entirely different planet. Or, as the name would suggest, Hell on Earth.
The next photo shows the dragline which is basically a large piece of equipment responsible for allowing this type of mining. There is really nothing to compare it with in this photo but the dragline itself is in the neighborhood of 22 stories tall.
We were there in time to witness a small explosion. I say small but really it was a large detonation but small as compared to most other detonations. The second photo shows the dust drifting down the mountain towards Dorothy, WV which is located right at the bottom of the mountain.
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I was just there 2 days ago. They are really tearing it apart up there.
I think I’m going to do another post soon showing a now and then type photo display. The area has changed quite a bit since the last time I was there which was just a couple months ago. It doesn’t take them long to destroy a mountain.
So if you pass the gate…are you trespassing?
If you are, they don’t have signs indicating as such. But if you have a camera and since mountaintop removal is something the industry likes to keep hidden then you probably are trespassing in the mountains. Compared to the laws the coal industry is breaking – I consider it very minor.
Very powerful images, Denny.