Roughly 15 years ago or so, I had the good fortune to be able to drive the right of way to the East portal; this was before it was blocked from vehicular traffic (but that is a good thing, for preservation's sake) At the time, it was possible to enter a small crawlspace in the east portal and sit on the dirt pile from the east-end cave-in just below the tunnel roof. It was quite a thrill to be able to examine, up close, the arches made of California redwood, still holding their form quite well. My mind kept thinking of the history of the place, that just on the other side of this cave-in was where "Dad" Martinez and the rest of his crew were killed during the opening re-attempts way back in 1910 (I believe that was when they tried to siphon the water from the back of the blockade, and nearly all were suffocated). As I drove back down the right of way in my 4X4 Toyota P/U, I thought of the snowplow trials that took place along the very stretch of ties over which I was now bumping along. When I got back to Hancock and looked back, I felt that I had been singularly fortunate to have been able to venture into a place steeped in railroad history, a place unlike very many others where so much of Narrow Gauge lore was born. I highly recommend to anyone that if you ever get the chance, then make every effort to visit the East, as well as the West side of Altman Pass, and you can really begin to appreciate just what it took to drive that little bore through such a remote and hauntingly beautiful location.