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It was the Spring of 2015 when my friend Emma dragged me out on one of her so called, “Urbex Adventures.” If you don't know, Urbex is short for urban exploration. “So, are you ready to just go?” I nodded and we started walking. We climbed a fence choosing to purposely ignore the “No Trespassing” sign. We trudged through a crazy amount of tall grass and a few moments later came upon an old municipal factory.
At first, to be honest I was nervous because I hadn't ever broken the law prior to this moment. My strides were a blur and I don’t think my feet could move any faster than they were. Emma ran just a few feet ahead; I focused on her footfalls and basically her every move. A few hundred feet into the dark building, without flashlights being the only beam of light available Emma lead us through the building and back into the sunlight. We came upon a huge round-shaped wall full of graffiti. It was absolutely beautiful. It was art.
One of my favorite adventures with Emma was when she called me one summer morning asking if I was ready to explore. I agreed and with backpacks full of gear, headlamps, and flashlights we drove into the city and arrived at our "mission" for the day. Before heading out on an adventure we would both do lots of research on people who have attempted the building in the past and how they have succeeded or haven’t. We walked for what seemed like miles and came upon the building. We searched for an opening and eventually found an open window. Emma being tall had no issue getting in but since I am short we had to stack a few things before I was able to climb through.
Once through the window, we climbed what felt like over 100 metal stairs that could have fallen from below our feet at any moment because they were so old and rusty. Some of them even swayed as you stepped on them. It was terrifying but the adrenaline that it created was unreal. It felt amazing. I think that is the best part of it all. When you are exploring these places you are able to be free in your mind, that is the embodiment of being a human being. After about 20 stairs we would come upon a new platform and each was covered with graffiti. Absolutely covered. It was so colorful and beautiful. In the middle of the floor was a gigantic square hole that went all the way down to the first story so that got pretty terrifying when you were at the top of the 12 or so stories. This place had the most incredible views of the city that I have ever seen. It is truly indescribable. When we reached the top I remember turning to Emma and saying, “I love this. I could stay here forever.”
After taking many pictures and videos we headed back down the stairs and climbed out the window getting multiple cuts from the glass still stuck on the window frames but we didn’t care. It was worth it. “That was awesome,” Emma said, walking ahead of me. “We have to come—“ her voice cut out and she froze in place.
“I see somebody down there.” She pointed to the left of us a far way ahead. “It’s construction workers. Let’s leave. Now.” We both turned and ran like hell on the gravel dirt road while our hearts were beating out of our chests.
After finally reaching the pedestrian walkway, solid cement felt luxurious under my feet. My heart started to calm down and Emma started laughing.
“Oh my gosh, that was so close. That was awesome!”
I stared at her like she was crazy. How was that awesome? However, then I instantly realized why. There was just something about going somewhere with no limits. The feeling that it created was indescribable. It was something that I had never felt before and had no idea was capable of feeling. It brought out a side in me that I didn't know existed. I was happy and I felt free and I never wanted it to stop.
Emma and I continued our adventures throughout the spring and summer of 2015 and then took a break for a while. We started back up this past summer once we realized that our so-called “puzzle” wasn’t finished yet. We decided to go on a spontaneous weekend trip to Chicago. Of course, we planned to go on some Urbex adventures while we were there! We spent a lot of time in the city climbing rooftops and getting some sick pictures of the city and eventually made our way to an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. While we were there we got stopped by cops and this was out conversation with them:
Cop: "Whatcha guys doing?"
Us: "Just out exploring. We are just grunge photographers from Minnesota."
Cop: "Welcome to Chicago." *Drives away*
Exploring this place was super cool and was a great reminder of how our adventures began. It ended up being the final piece of our puzzle before we both took our separate ways and headed off to college. Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to start a new puzzle.
Overall, after my many explorations with Emma, my whole view on the world became a brand new experience. I would stand near windows and find myself studying tunnels below the cities and all of these new places that could be explored in the future. I would find myself looking for doors and photogenic junctions. My eyes began to automatically race up to fire escapes, checking for roof access. Emma’s reasons for spending so much time breaking the law by exploring what is behind the “No Trespassing” signs finally made sense. I realized that this is what Urban Exploration does to you. It pulls you in and shows you the places with no limits. It reveals the city around you as something full of endless possibilities. It gets you addicted to the feeling that it creates.
I created a Go-Pro video of an "Urbex Adventure" to go along with this article. You can find it on my Odyssey page! Go check it out.
