North Head makes the news! Conspiracy theory? Just a rumor? As Carl Sagan said, "Precisely because of human fallibility, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

It has been some time since I took these shots of North Head. I have not used these particular pictures before. They are not my favorites. They are of the more 'public' parts of the tunnel system. Some of these parts, as you will notice, have lighting intalled and almost everyone sees them when they visit.

Still, I had them put away and intended to use them sometime, and that time is now. The reason is that I heard a news story about North Head on tv today. It had the feeling though, of a filler piece that the broadcaster had been saving for a while. (just like me and my photos) 

Some people apparently claim that there is enough ammunition buried in secret tunnels at North Head, that have been sealed off for decades, to blow the entire place to smithereens, and take a good piece of the surrounding neighborhoods with it. The news babe reading the story hastened to add that this is not a conspiracy theory. That it is just a very interesting rumor. One person was reported to have claimed that there is even a 30's style airplane down there somewhere.  

A beach visible from the carpark at the main entrance to the North Head complex. Are these swimmers aware of the danger that lurks above them?

The 'backdoor' of the most visited portion of the tunnel system. Today we will explore from the back to the front.

Heading down the steps at the 'backdoor.'

Here, I've turned around and am looking at the steps leading to the 'backdoor.'

When I heard the news story, I thought immediately of these pictures I had stashed away. Notice that there is a steel trap door in the picture above. Could this be one of the entrances to the mysterious arms stash? 

A passage leading to the 'echo chamber'  And look, another trap door. This CAN'T just be a coincidence!

As in other parts of the system, narrow passage abound. I hope that's not an open flame she's carrying...

Hey, has anyone seen a really big pile of explosives?

According to the Military Spokesman the investigative reporter interviewed, ground penetrating radar was employed years ago to search the site for any evidence of unknown tunnels or caverns that could contain the plane and explosives. No such structures were found. Or at least, none that they're admitting to. I ask you, how long did Michigan's DNR deny that cougars were in our woods? How long has Area 51 been denied? )

At one time, there was an enormously heavy gun positioned above this room. Hence, the need to reinforce the ceiling. The boys call this large room the 'echo chamber,' because of it's excellent acoustics.  I don't know who's idea it was to put in lights of  pastel colors, maybe it was during the disco craze. Me, I would gone with black lights and strobes.

Light at the other end of the tunnel.  In this picture, we are approaching the corner which leads to the font entrance of North Head.

Here is another very well-viewed part of the complex. This portion goes into the hill some distance on either side but is not connected to the tunnels presented above. Hmmm, at least it is not NOW connected...were they in the past?  

This room is not too far from the entrance that is shown above. Close enough that some dim light filters in from the outside.

But what about this photographic evidence that one of my team discovered? Behind this section of broken wall is a second wall. Is that hidden wall simply an interesting rumor? Or is it really much, much more?  (This perplexing photograph was not mentioned in the information presented on the news.) 

One thing is for sure. The only way to get to the bottom of this mystery is to continue to investigate. My crack team of spelunkers is ready to boldly descend again into the depths of this labyrinth-like maze of danger. We're ready to unearth extraordinary evidence. We'll keep you posted.   -djf