I read a piece yesterday about drunken elephants t
hat rampage in an all-too-human way, and several of them that pushed over an electric pole and sizzled to death. So crazy and also so sad. Then I read a piece today about camels in Australia going crazy from thirst, of all things. Animals have it bad with us in charge. 
I have still not gotten out to my cabino -- that will be next wednesday -- but today I went on my first long solo backcountry hike of this stay, out to another remote canyon in the park, Alamo canyon.
I hiked up out of Beans canyon, above the Long House, that series of raised dwellings, and then up over the mesa. An
other hiker took my picture, but nicely cut my head off.
Alamo canyon is more abrupt and deeper than Beans; you come upon it sudden
ly and it is breathtaking. But what I want to show you is this. I was sitting on a rocky promontory, a finger sticking out. I looked back, and in the late afternoon sun, even small things picked up shadow and depth. Otherwise, I would never have seen the carvings on the face of the cliff about 15 feet down. They were absolutely incredib
le. A series of lizards, the onmipresent snake which has been described as a creation myth character, and many suns. Also a figure I have not seen before, a 
little like a troll head with buckwheat hair. I am sure these petroglyghs have been seen before, even tho they are off the beaten path, but I am positive that they are not seen often. After I scrambled down and was right in front of them, they were invisible. It was only in the low side-light that they picked up contrast and stood out. It was suc
h lucky happenstance.
Then to top it off, I re-named a geologic cluster on the far wall of the canyon "The Noses", for obvious reasons. And then I went home.
hat rampage in an all-too-human way, and several of them that pushed over an electric pole and sizzled to death. So crazy and also so sad. Then I read a piece today about camels in Australia going crazy from thirst, of all things. Animals have it bad with us in charge. 
I have still not gotten out to my cabino -- that will be next wednesday -- but today I went on my first long solo backcountry hike of this stay, out to another remote canyon in the park, Alamo canyon.
I hiked up out of Beans canyon, above the Long House, that series of raised dwellings, and then up over the mesa. An
other hiker took my picture, but nicely cut my head off.Alamo canyon is more abrupt and deeper than Beans; you come upon it sudden
ly and it is breathtaking. But what I want to show you is this. I was sitting on a rocky promontory, a finger sticking out. I looked back, and in the late afternoon sun, even small things picked up shadow and depth. Otherwise, I would never have seen the carvings on the face of the cliff about 15 feet down. They were absolutely incredib
le. A series of lizards, the onmipresent snake which has been described as a creation myth character, and many suns. Also a figure I have not seen before, a 
little like a troll head with buckwheat hair. I am sure these petroglyghs have been seen before, even tho they are off the beaten path, but I am positive that they are not seen often. After I scrambled down and was right in front of them, they were invisible. It was only in the low side-light that they picked up contrast and stood out. It was suc
h lucky happenstance.Then to top it off, I re-named a geologic cluster on the far wall of the canyon "The Noses", for obvious reasons. And then I went home.
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