« Posts tagged san rafael swell

The Ekker Giant

The Ekker Giant

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.

>> Rock Art Along the San Rafael Reef

Barnes Rainbow

Barnes Rainbow

While out hiking in the San Rafael Swell yesterday we visited an interesting Barrier Canyon Style pictograph panel known as the Barnes Panel. Unfortunately, this panel has not held up to time and the elements very well and is very hard to see (especially in a photo). The above photo was enhanced using a program called DStretch. I have known about this program and it’s use to enhance faint rock art for a while but never took the time to play around with it. This is one of my first attempts with DStretch and it appears to have brought out quite a bit of the very faint detail in this panel. After the enhancement I converted the photo to black and white since DStretch changes the colors in the photo dramatically. In the enhanced image you can admire all of the fine details in this panel that are barely visible to the naked eye. Below is the image I ran through DStretch and pretty accurately represents what you can see in person.

Faint Barnes Rainbow

>> Rock Art Along the San Rafael Reef

High Alcove Anthropomorph

High Alcove Anthropomorph

Yesterday I met up with my friend Kevin so we could visit a few pictograph panels in the San Rafael Swell. I had searched for these same panels last month and not found them, but this time I found each site I was looking for, and more! The main site we both wanted to visit was the High Alcove Site which contains this very unique red-painted anthropomorph with scratched designs down it’s torso. This figure is located high on the canyon wall underneath a small arched alcove, which frames the site nicely.

>> Rock Art Along the San Rafael Reef

Ripples in Time

Ripples in Time

I’ve visited the Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel many times over the years (including a stop there last Saturday), yet it never seems to get old. With this photo I tried to accentuate the ripples in the sandstone that lead up to the figures that are known as ‘Rain Angels’ according to the interpretative sign below them.

>> Buckhorn Flat & Wash Rock Art

Dancing for Rain

Dancing for Rain

Here’s a closer look at the middle portion of the Unexpected Panel that Philippe and I stumbled across last month. There is a lot going on in this spectacular panel! At the bottom sits what appears to be a large rain cloud. Above that there are some figures that seem to be in a supplicant position. There is also an interesting vertical squiggly line with a circle on each side. That design is also repeated above the white rainbow. Above the supplicant figures is a row of circles, followed by a row of very small and fine lines and then a white rainbow outlined by thin ochre lines above it all. Then to top it all off, there are two larger anthropomorphic figures that seem to be floating above. This is a very detailed pictograph panel and I could just sit and stare at it all day 🙂

>> An Unexpected Surprise in the Swell