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The Hitchhiker

posted in Rock Art

The Hitchhiker

‘The Hitchhiker’ is a surprisingly well preserved Barrier Canyon Style anthropomorph hidden in a remote canyon of southern Utah. It’s part of a larger pictograph panel known as The Perfect Panel because of it’s amazing state of preservation. It’s obvious where the nickname ‘hitchhiker’ comes from while looking at this figure, but if you look closely at the ‘extended’ thumb you will notice that the finger is shorter than the other fingers. There is actually a small zoomprph figure right below the thumb that makes it look longer if you don’t pay close attention to the details. This anthropomorph also has a highly stylized ‘attending dog’ type figure on it’s shoulder.

The Perfect Panel is probably the most elaborate and best preserved pictograph panel I have had the pleasure of visiting so far. I will definitely be posting more photos from this panel in the future!

>> From the Maze to the Mesa

Big Crane

posted in Rock Art

Big Crane

A beautifully executed Basketmaker petroglyph of what appears to be a large crane, hidden in one of the many canyons of Comb Ridge. With this photo I tried to convey the perception of the crane in flight by using the natural striations in the sandstone. The small curved step in the sandstone below the large bird gave me a nice lower frame for the scene, as well. Comb Ridge holds many secrets for those willing to explore it, and this large crane petroglyph is surely one of the numerous exceptional ones!

>> Lower Butler Wash and More…

A Great Hunting Scene

posted in Rock Art

A Great Hunting Scene

This is probably one of the most famous petroglyph panels around. The Great Hunt Panel in Cottonwood Canyon, a side canyon of Nine Mile Canyon, is an incredible display of Fremont petroglyphs. One theory about this panel is that the horned anthropomorphic figure near the middle and top of the panel may represent a hunt shaman with a herd of bighorn sheep during a migration and that the lines connecting all of the figures may represent consanguinity. Whatever the possible meaning behind this panel, the fact remains that it is a must-see site for any rock art enthusiast!

>> Nine Mile Canyon

Sunlit Tracks

posted in Rock Art

Sunlit Tracks

I visited this petroglyph site along the Colorado River near Moab just before sunset after a long day of exploring ruins and rock art. The low angle of the sun seemed to strike this panel perfectly giving off a nice orange glow. The most prominent part of this panel that stands out the most to me is the vertical line of tracks that seem to travel down the smooth sandstone surface. There are also your typical bighorn sheep petroglyphs and some snake-like figures on the lower left.

>> Veterans Day on the Island in the Sky

Snake Dance

posted in Rock Art

Snake Dance

This is just a small portion of the well-known Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel located in the San Rafael Swell. Because of the panel’s close proximity to the Old Spanish Trail and currently next to a wall-traveled road, there has been a steady stream of potential vandals passing by this spot for over two centuries……and vandalize it they did. Thankfully, as part of the 1996 Centennial Celebration, citizens of Emery County initiated the restoration of the Buckhorn Wash Panel.

While I rarely try to figure out the meaning behind the rock art sites I visit (I prefer just to enjoy them for what they are), I did read an interesting theory about this panel in a book called ‘On the Trail of Spider Woman’ by Carol-Patterson-Rudolph. While this site is usually categorized as Barrier Canyon Style, LaVan Martineau has presented an interpretation that associates these pictographs with the Hopi Snake Dance Ceremony and dates them from AD 1000 to 1300. It’s an interesting theory and I enjoyed reading about it, but in the end, who really knows? The theory did help me come up with a name for this photo, though.

>> Swell Rock Art & Arches

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