Exploring abandoned places is always dangerous for one reason or another – but this partly collapsed wooden school looked like it could bury visitors at any moment…
Back in the days when I was exploring all by myself or on occasion with other guys with more time than responsibilities, I was a sunshine explorer and only went out there at certain times of the year and when the weather forecast was good – rain on Saturday? Let’s postpone by a day or a week… Unfortunately those days are long in the past. More recently I explore when I can while I can – previously I had the luxury to only plan trips of 3 days or more a month or two ahead of time, now this goes even for day trips. And when it rains, it rains. Shoga-fucking-nai.
Almost two years ago I arrived at the Deathtrap School with a couple of friends just when it started to drizzle. At first sight there was just another rundown wooden school, barely visible from the street as it was partly overgrown even in late spring. The ground was a weird mix of undergrowth and rocks, slippery thanks to the drizzle. By the time I finally got to the remaining building I was cold, wet (drizzle turned to rain… umbrellas were of no use due all the uncontrolled growth), and slightly annoyed by the overall situation. The Deathtrap School was a wooden 2-storey facility, mostly empty, the floors on the ground level either gone or severely damaged, the further end already partly collapsed. I did a counterclockwise tour, took some photos and was mainly busy not to get hurt. Outdoor shots were close to impossible thanks to the rain and the flourishing vegetation. Back at the entrance I had to make a decision: Call it quits or walk up the wooden, already partly collapsed staircase? After hesitating for a while I finally made my way towards the upper floor, staying away from the outside wall where the wood was definitely in worse condition. I almost made it to the final steps when I saw that the floor in front of me was missing for about a meter or so – and the wall to the right had seen better days, too. It looked like a giant cut through there with a sword several meters long. I took a few photos up there and went down again as I didn’t want to risk falling about three meters to my death… or the comminuted fracture of my legs. This school truly was a deathtrap and I am glad that we got out before it collapsed on us! (And since you probably wonder: If you visit the Deathtrap School now you’d probably name it Pancake School – not because you learn there how to make flapjacks, but because the school is flat like one; it didn’t stand a chance against the snow last winter…)
I think I’ll remember the Deathtrap School for two things – for being one of the most miserable explorations ever… and for taking some really cool photos there. Especially the end of the wooden staircase was a fantastic place to take photos, though unfortunately it was also the end of my progress there as I didn’t dare to climb through the window to the left or do something crazy like jumping across the gap in front of me. *I’ve been to dozens of abandoned schools in the past decade*, and while this exploration was far from enjoyable, it was also one of the most memorable ones…
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