Our third rental in Albuquerque is within striking distance of the Petroglyph National Monument, so the plan was to get some desert hiking done and take in ancient graffiti during our stay. The problem? It’s been so freaking cold that we were afraid we’d wear ourselves out before we could make it to the closest trail head two miles away.
The high thirties aren’t really an issue, but the strong winds blowing snow flakes and cold off the Sandia Mountains? Yeeeeeeash. We picked the warmest day in the forecast, layered up, and hailed a Lyft to the start of the trail at Rinconada Canyon. I’m only a little bit ashamed of taking a taxi to a hike.
The wind was still blowing when we got there, but it was at our backs as we headed in search of rock scribbles.
The trail takes you around one side of the horseshoe — the side that’s covered with huge piles of volcanic rocks — and cuts back through the middle of the canyon. Things start off slowly, and you start to question what a “petroglyph” is and if that white stuff could be a scribble instead of a more recent bird deposit. The first half mile involved a lot of squinting up a relentless escarpment of potential and wondering if the National Park Service was actually playing an elaborate joke.
One of the signs along the trail mentioned that ancient Indian peoples believed that you could only see the petroglyphs that you were meant to see. If so, I’m not sure what the deer petroglyph was trying to tell me. Regardless, I wouldn’t have complained if there were a map of where to look, though I understand why there isn’t one — nogoodniks would ruin the fun for everyone.
The density got a little better as we moved further into the canyon. Towards the “U” there were both ancient and more recent markings dated from the 1920’s. Apparently they can distinguish fakes by how the markings are constructed and the “desert varnish” or patina that gives the petroglyphs their authenticity.
The Spanish came in the 1600’s and soon joined in the petroglyph game with cross markings and depictions of sheep. These weren’t nearly as cool as the lizards, birds, and masked men tucked among the rocks. The Spanish ruined everything, IMHO.
In all, there are about 300 petroglyphs along this trail. I think we may have seen about 10% of them, which isn’t bad though I wish we had a pair of binoculars to really check things out along the ridge. Next time.
We walked face-first into the gusting wind on the way back, so abandoned plans to hike a mile up to the visitor’s center or try another trail. Instead, we hailed another Lyft back to the warmth of blankets and hot cocoa. We’ll save those adventures for a warmer day.
Thanks for taking the hike that I would not have been able to take, despite my desire to see Birdman and Devil Children. But only if I was meant to.
No shame in getting a Lyft, hon. One does what one must.
Always happy to hike in the desert. On a horse. With no name. 😀