Puebloan Mysteries: Touring Canyon del Muerto

The next day, May 8th, our Off the Beaten Path group was in for a real treat. We would go on a four-wheel (4x4) driving tour of Canyon de Chelly, particularly Canyon del Muerto, which splits north from the main canyon. We had only viewed these features from above the day before. Joan and I were particularly eager after reading Lucy Moore's memoir, Into the Canyon: Seven Years in Navajo Country, as a prelude to this trip. Our Antelope House Tours driver/guide, Adam Teller, was a young boy during Lucy's time there, 1968-1975. (Lucy held various roles in the community, including insurance agent, Headstart teacher, justice of the peace, and mom -- she gave birth to two boys there.)

 

Antelope House Tours is 100% owned and operated by Navajo (Diné), while not all are. It's not a lodge or park service -- there were no intermediaries between us and the Diné.

We piled in and began our journey. The 4x4 would cross the river several times, crossing beaches and climbing banks. Hold onto your seat!

 

Soon, we were gazing at our first batch of petroglyphs, chiseled into the canyon walls over thousands of years. The older ones, subjected to more centuries of weathering, have lower contrast. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Nearby,

and a pond, a welcome seasonal oasis!

Continuing on, we arrived at this vertical face. There's something way, way up there...

Get out your binoculars:

Needless to say, we didn't climb up there. Over the next few hours there will be plenty to inspect.

Hunters and game?

Hmmm ... not fish bones anyway ...

I was intrigued by this one. Could the dots represent the monthly lunar cycle?

We reached the intersection with Canyon del Muerto, the "canyon of the dead." The canyon system's history is deep, involving transient hunters ca. 2500 BCE, Ancient Puebloans, the Hopi, the Navajo, the Spanish, the Mexicans, and most recently, the Americans. Here we encountered the Junction House.

Zooming in, we could see petroglyphs.

Nearby, more petroglyphs.

A few minutes further took us to First Ruin, so-called because it was the first ruin encountered by Col. James Stevenson when surveying the canyon in 1882.

Here's the zoom-in image:

Adjacent to First House is what I call a dramatic "shaven cliff."

Rolling on up the canyon, another fifteen minutes took us to this spot. You'll note that the river is now a mere creek, at least at this time of year -- the spring melt can generate a flood -- and a habitation nestles in the trees at far left. Click on the image to enlarge.

Noontime meant an extended visit at Antelope House, including lunch. (The fry bread was great!) We met several members of Adam's family, who were universally cheerful, and there was much to explore. This was the view across the valley.

Gazing further up the canyon.

The Antelope House site.

Here Bob Moore, Lucy's husband, and Ben Teller, our driver's father, built a cabin in 1972. As fans of Lucy's memoir, we had to check it out.

Joan approaches the cabin.

The front ...

Joan and I also scouted out some locations of the famous (hair-raising for the Anglos) Baby Trail (pages 82-84 in Lucy's book). Lucy and Bob were guided down from the top of the canyon by Ben Teller and a seven-year-old Adam. From our point of view, at the bottom, first were hand/footholds carved out of the sandstone.

Then, a log ladder in the lower reaches.

Various ledges ensue. Then, near the top, you'll see a pair of sticks just below the skyline, center, if you click on the image. Another ladder.

It's not a trail for Joan and me.

As a special treat, Adam sang songs while playing on a buffalo hide drum. He also discussed some of Navajo history vis-a-vis the Hopi, Spanish, and Anglos from the Navajo point of view.

Then, it was time to begin our return journey. We had a welcome rest stop near this grove of trees.

Half an hour down the road, we stopped to check out the White House site.

Here's looking at it from a vertical point of view. You can see how these locations were safe from enemies up at the canyon rim.

And then, after a thoroughly absorbing day outdoors, Adam drove us back to the Thunderbird Lodge for a cleanup and dinner.

Tomorrow, we'll visit wildly different historic sites on our way to Grants, New Mexico.