A photo of the Perfect Panel is a great way to start off the week. This astonishing pictograph panel is probably one of my very favorites that I have visited so far. Not only is this panel in impeccable condition (hence the name ‘Perfect Panel’), it’s also in a very impressive location that is just a little bit tricky to locate and to visit. This photo shows the full panel in all it’s glory including the well-known ‘hitchhiker’ anthropomorph on the very left.
Here’s a view of the Breech Birth Panel located just a little up-canyon from Grand Gulch in Sheiks Canyon. There are many exceptional pictographs and a few ruins located in the same alcove as this panel, and it was a great place to spend some time exploring and photographing. The name of the panel derives from the large figure second from the right which some people believe represents a breech birth scene. This is an amazing site that I am looking forward to revisiting again in the future.
This small petroglyph that looks like a spaceman (well, to me at least) along the Parade of Rock Art Trail in Fremont Indian State Park has been identified as being carved there by Paiutes, most likely in the late 1880s.
The Big Buffalo Panel near the confluence of Cottonwood Canyon and Nine Mile Canyon. I visited this one shortly before the sun dropped down below the rim of the canyon walls above. The bottom portion of this large panel is fading away with time, but the Big Buffalo and other figures higher off the ground remain and are still in good condition. There are many other unique and interesting panels in the area, including the well-known Great Hunt Panel.
After hiking with my friend Kevin last Saturday to visit a couple of Barrier Canyon Style pictograph sites. We managed to find two of the sites we were looking for, but did not find the Ekker Site before Kevin had to go. Once he left to meet some other friends I hiked back up into the canyon in search of the Ekker Site. On my search, I managed to find another small site that I wasn’t aware of which was pretty cool. After photographing that small site I started hiking back to my Jeep, but taking a different way back. That turned out to be a good decision since I ended up hiking right by the Ekker Panel on the way. The imposing anthropomorph in the photo above was the largest figure at the site. I’m not sure how tall it was, but I know it was taller than I am! My best guess would probably say it’s about 8 feet? There were many other pictographs and petroglyphs at this impressive site, and I’m sure I’ll post more from here in the future.
After leaving the site I realized that Kevin and I had hiked to within about a tenth of a mile from here before turning back. If we had hiked just a little further, we probably would have found it. Had I known where to look when we turned around, I probably could have even spotted this large figure from there! On my way back to the Jeep I got rattled at by a rattlesnake; the first one I have ever encountered in the San Rafael Swell.
