Thursday, February 16, 2017

In Search of Pictographs and Petroglyphs

Pictograph: An ancient or prehistoric drawing or painting on a rock wall.
Petroglyph: Images created by removing (carving or scraping away) a rock surface by a prehistoric people.

There were a number of "firsts" on this hike. First time making this hike. First time I've been in search of secret spots containing petroglyphs and/or pictographs. And first time hiking with a fellow blogger and virtual friend whom I had never met (Pat Tillett). We agreed to meet in a parking lot in Joshua Tree National Park and spend the afternoon hiking. Turns out Pat is a great guy and a wealth of information about JTree! He served as my informal guide on this hike, and we found not one but THREE areas with petroglyphs and pictographs! Plus a whole lot more I will save for a future date.
Petroglyph area number one was a real surprise. I've walked right by this spot a number of times and didn't know it existed! It's really close to an area that a lot of tourists visit, yet none of them know about it. It's hidden behind bushes and the pictographs are faint, but they are there. Also interesting is the weird way the rocks have eroded over the eons. Not to mention the site was once used for storage (look closely and you can see the remains of a door and rock & cement work). Joshua Tree holds so many mysteries!!

My hiking partner, Pat Tillett
The next destination is called "high noon" pictograph boulder by one local expert. There is a sun pictograph on the ceiling at the high noon position, hence the name. Pat calls it "hollow boulder", which is a good name too. You have to squeeze through the little opening, but once inside, the entire boulder is hollow and there is a surprising amount of room. Very cool!
Pat inspecting the "crawl space" to get into "hollow boulder"

You can easily see the reddish-pigment pictographs once inside the hollowed-out rock. The quantity of pictographs isn't large, but they seem well preserved. It really makes you wonder about who made these pictographs, what was their life like, and what were they trying to communicate?

Our third and final destination on this hike is sometimes called "surprise rock" pictographs. Another good name, because from the trail or wash area that people follow when hiking this area, it appears to be just another big rock boulder. However, upon closer inspection, the rock is really crescent-shaped, and surprise!... on the back of the rock (inside the crescent) are a big bunch of petroglyphs (and some pictographs too) that almost everyone walks right by. Another great JTree mystery and surprise!

Pat (right) and some friends we met on the trail inspecting Surprise Rock pictographs and petroglyphs.

"Surprise Rock" pictographs and petroglyphs.
Pretty amazing, right? This photo doesn't do it justice, there are all kinds of forms and lines and symbols on this rock. I hope Pat posts his photos because he has a special program (DStretch) that really makes everything jump out and much more visible.

I couldn't resist including this shot of "Valentine Rock" (hope you had a good one!).

Icing on the cake... we had some great afternoon skies, perfect for Skywatch Friday



Photo credit Pat Tillett
Along the trail...


In summary, a wonderful hike, a great new hiking partner, and lots of Joshua Tree mysteries waiting to be solved (or at least photographed)! I took many more photos during this hike so stay tuned!

Linking with Skywatch Friday. Thanks for stopping by!!

38 comments:

  1. Oh how exciting for you and us now to see these petroglyphs and pictographs and an amazing sky ~ thanks so much ~

    Wishing you a Happy Weekend ahead ~ ^_^

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  2. Oh, wonderful! Loved this jaunt. Wish I'd been able to join you physically.

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  3. Another super post! The subject, your pictures... everything!

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  4. What a beautiful place. I also follow Pat Tillett's blog, he certainly knows a lot about that area.

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  5. Spectacular photos! I love searching for petroglyphs too....really makes you wonder about those ancient people and the lives they lived.

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  6. Great to read your post. Amazing place. Awesome pics.

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  7. Stunning desert photos! I'm especially enamored (pun intended) of Valentine Rock.

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  8. Fascinating post. Great pictures to tell the story.

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  9. This iis a amazing place to go on exploration.

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  10. It's been a while since I joined Skywatch again and I am just so happy I did because I get to see your blog again. I've always been a lover of desert photos because we don't have deserts here in the Philippines so these subjects are truly exotic to me. There's just so much life in your photos even on the most arid places in the US. I visited last 2015 and was about to go to Joshua Tree National Park but we rerouted our trip to San Diego but I still wish I can see it someday!

    Greetings from the Philippines!

    Steve

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  11. Stunning - and surprising. I'm glad these places are not well known, but are safe for the time being from those who would cause damage. It is interesting how many places like this there are in the desert.

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  12. Indeed facinating photo's. First one reminds me a bit on jf kennedy airport. But what a lot to see if you know where to look. Great post.

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  13. Truly nice photos. Colours and clarity are lovely. It must be wonderful to explore these places.

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  14. That was a very interesting walk, one I'd love to have been on. Thanks .For some great photos

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  15. Wow.. your captures and finds are incredible!
    Thanks for sharing!
    ... I kinda expected maybe seeing a dinosaur or two in these wilds.

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  16. What amazing shots! I love the Valentine rock...

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  17. Just the kind of hiking trip I would eagerly go on. Amazing sights and amazing photos.

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  18. Beauty, the outside world, I love it.

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  19. Hello, beautiful hike and wonderful series of photos. It was great you met up with Pat for the hike, I follow his blog too. The Valentine Rock is cool. It is an interesting place to explore. Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!

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  20. This was such an exciting post as you shared those awesome finds along the way on your hike!
    Being a romantic, I loved the heart in the rock!
    Great skies and great post!

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  21. I have followed Pat for many years, one day I hope to visit JTree and perhaps meet him. You photos are beautiful

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  22. What an interesting and wonderful hike that was and great that you met a fellow blogger to go along with you
    The pictures are fantastic. I love how the rocks are so smooth looking.

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  23. Patrick Tillet and I have blogged for a number of years - the commonality is because I used to live in Southern Calif. pretty close by. We never met in person, because if I would go to that area I would paint, not hike, lol! But the rock with the heart shape is amazing! Awesome you two met!

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  24. What an adventurous hike and photo opportunity. Nice that you had a fellow blogger along to show and share the spots with you. Sounds like a very exciting day. Thanks for sharing you awesome photos.

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  25. Beautiful photography! I really like that place. Amazing!

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  26. Ah, very interesting finding things "hidden in plain sight" As a kid in central Utah, we would go camping and my Forest Ranger dad would point to places high on a canyon wall where once you noticed you could see somebody a gazillion years ago had a place to live. On my local hiking spots, I've had more experienced people point out remains of old farmhouses and such that were faint but unmistakable. I forget that human kind has been crawling over every square inch of land for eons.

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  27. Hi! It looks like a breakthrough for your country. I hope you will find more details soon. Thanks for sharing.

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  28. Great photos and lovely post, really interesting, what great finds!

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  29. I've always enjoyed Patrick Tillett's desert adventures. He seems like such a nice guy. Glad to see and hear that you made a virtual connection with him. What fun you two must have had. Great photos!

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  30. lol, the two of you makes a great combination. Love everything in this post.
    I especially love the first image. After this post I wish I had the possibility to visit as well. :)

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  31. I'm always late to the party!
    First off, your photos are top rate Pete. They really reflect what a wild and gorgeous place we were in.
    It was great meeting you, and it was easy to see that you enjoy JT as much as I do. It was an awesome and interesting hike, that is for sure. I'm looking forward to doing it again!

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    1. Same here, Pat! Thanks again for showing me these incredible spots.

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  32. Fabulous stuff! I have been there years ago. My husband was a rock climber in his younger days and he loved it there. I feel inspired to go and takes some rock pictures again.

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  33. This is wonderful; a cross-over guest appearance by another of my favorite bloggers ... how great that you two were able to meet up. I love seeing parts of the desert that we missed when we were younger and would miss have to miss now by virtue of general age and decrepitude even if we were lucky enough to be in JT again. Thanks for the wonderful pictures.

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  34. Wow!nice find and interesting rock formation

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