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Our last message was a bit terse, since we mostly just wanted to let those who cared know that we <BR>are still alive and well - more or less. Jim's ribs are better but his foot is now giving him trouble. He <BR>may have rebroken the toe he broke on the PCT. Hiking is slow and painful - but he's too stubborn <BR>to stop. <BR> <BR>Today we've got a bit of time since we're taking a day off in town and most of the chores are done <BR>(laundry, hardware store, grocery and pharmacy). We even got the latest photos downloaded and <BR>more or less organized. (We've taken about 9000 photos so far this year, so keeping them organized <BR>takes some work!) So I thought I'd try to describe the hiking and exploring we've been doing lately. <BR><BR>After sending our last message, I realized that a lot of people have no idea about the richness of the <BR>region in southeastern Utah known as Cedar Mesa. It is a beautiful high desert area, with red, orange, <BR>yellow and white sandstone cliffs, green riparian areas along the streams and rivers, colorful desert <BR>flowers, sage, pinyon and juniper. That description matches a lot of the southwest. What makes <BR>Cedar Mesa unique and wonderful is that 1000 years ago this land was heavily populated with people <BR>who built stone houses and granaries high in the cliffs and painted and carved art on cliff walls and in <BR>caverns. Because of the lack of rain and the sparse population in subsequent years, a lot of the art, <BR>ancient houses, kivas and granaries are still in place. Cedar Mesa is an area about 30 miles by 30 miles <BR>by 30 miles. Remains of the past surround us. To the east is the area in southwestern Colorado that <BR>includes Mesa Verde and Canyon of the Ancients (more Anasazi ruins), to the south is the Kayenta <BR>Anasazi region of Canyon de Chelly and Navajo NM, to the west the Escalante with its beauty and <BR>historical remnants, and to the north the rock art of the ancient Fremont people. For those of us <BR>who are interested in discovering the archaeology and art of the past, they are all terrific areas to <BR>explore. But none is quite as intense an experience as Cedar Mesa. Almost every canyon here has <BR>some sort of remnant of the people who once lived here - the basketmakers of 2000 years ago, the <BR>ancient Puebloans who lived here from 700-1300 or so, and the more modern Ute and Navajo people. <BR>All left signs of their passage through this land. It is mostly BLM land, sparsely settled, and open to <BR>hikers who are willing to make the effort to walk into the backcountry to see what is hidden there. <BR>Some hikes can take you to cliff dwellings in a mile or less. Others require a few days. The hiking is a <BR>mixture of good hiking on cairned sandy trails, slickrock routes and rough bushwhacking along streams <BR>and up and down steep cliffs. <BR><BR>Our guidebook has maps and brief descriptions of about 16 canyons in Cedar Mesa, each of which has <BR>multiple ruins or rock art sites. And then there are the ones that aren't described. They are all over. <BR>If a canyon has water, it probably has some sort of Anasazi site. We have gotten very spoiled in our <BR>hiking here. One canyon had four ruins in four miles. We spent two days driving down a dirt road on <BR>the east side of Comb Ridge exploring the short canyons that cut into the ridge. Each one we visited <BR>had ruins and/or rock art. On an overnight hike we saw at least six ruins and five rock art sites in 12 <BR>miles. We have seen intact underground kivas and many granaries that look almost new, with stone <BR>doors still attached, a lunar calendar on the wall of a ruin, paintings of birds 50 feet above the ground, <BR>pottery sherds, 800 year old corn cobs and worked stone chips scattered on the ground. Hikers can <BR>wander freely, exploring the ancient sites. Surprisingly we have seen little vandalism in the backcountry <BR>sites, though they do get damaged just by people climbing where they shouldn't. Last year we spent <BR>some time in Grand Gulch - the queen of the canyons. I think we saw 22 ruins in three days, and I don't <BR>know how many rock art sites. We hope to spend more time there this year, exploring the southern end <BR>of the canyon. Using the guidebook has been a mixed blessing, since we get frustrated when we can't <BR>find sites that are supposed to be there (granaries are small and can be very hard to find sometimes) <BR>but then there's the feeling of accomplishment when we find places that aren't noted in the books (yeah, <BR>there are panels that aren't in the books!)<BR> <BR>This area is very popular, especially with folks from Colorado who are waiting for the snow in the Rockies <BR>to melt. I've been surprised at how many people we have met out here who are doing the same type <BR>of explorations we are doing. At the same time, when we've gotten in the real backcountry, we've been <BR>able to enjoy total solitude. One very nice thing is that because the towns are few and far apart, the <BR>BLM allows free camping anywhere on top of the mesa. We've had some beautiful campsites. Camping <BR>in the canyons is restricted to keep the numbers down - but usually permits aren't that difficult to get. <BR>This is a BIG area. Most of the hiking we've done has been dayhiking, though almost every canyon <BR>we've dayhiked can also be backpacked. Wildlife has been sparse. We see deer and bighorn tracks, <BR>but haven't seen either. Mostly we see lizards, dozens every day, scattering in front of us with every <BR>step. And the beautiful song of the canyon wrens accompany us as we wander. <BR> <BR>Anyhow - We just wanted to share some of the wonder we feel at this amazing country. It is beautiful. <BR>It is wild. And the constant reminders of the past are an incredible gift to those of us who care.<BR> <BR>Ginny & Jim<BR> <BR></body>
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