First Hike of 2023

 I'll be honest with you... hiking with Papa is probably not my granddaughter's first choice of activities. But when I told her I had a hike planned for new year's day in Joshua Tree to search for Native American rock art, she seemed pretty good with the idea.

Lilly's only 10, but now I'm the one trying to keep up with her on the trail!

 

We set the alarm for 6:15AM, 1.1.23. I couldn't imagine a better way to kick off the new year! I wanted to get an early start because this was winter break, kids out of school, and likely big crowds with limited parking. When Lilly and I got to the Barker Dam parking area, it was empty! Heck, we could have slept in, but it was really nice having the place to ourselves.

 

One of the first things we came across was this mortar (grinding hole) at the base of a rocky cliff. A fun find because Lilly is studying California history at school. She told me she was the only kid in her class who knew what this kind of hole in the rock was when the teacher asked! By the way, that's a neck warmer she has pulled up over her mouth. It was a very chilly morning!

 

I walked right past this bedrock mortar, which was partially hidden by bushes, but Lilly spotted it. As you can see, it rained the night before, filling up the mortar with water. 
 
We found some rock art in the area, but I'm suspicious about its authenticity. Here's one I call the football petroglyph. It looks a little too new and perfect, but who knows, maybe it's the real deal.

 
The Disney Pictograph Site: It's Complicated!

If you follow the Barker Dam loop trail, you will eventially come across this site. The boulder formation is beautiful, and it immediately draws you in. Even from a distance, you can spot the bold, colorful pictographs. But there's an interesting and disturbing story behind this site. The story goes that a Disney film crew painted over the original pictographs and petroglyphs in order to make them "pop" while filming at this location for the 1961 movie Chico the Misunderstood Coyote. This would be unthinkable today, but back in 1961, perhaps not. Whether or not they actually had permission from the Park Service to paint over the original rock art is a point of contention.

A beautiful site, wouldn't you agree? The first thing I wanted to do is climb up on that ledge with Lilly and take a closer look, but there is a sign saying that's a no no.

 

A closer look at the Disney Pictograph Site. Notice the round opening in the boulder?

 

Closer still. The thing that interests me most is what exactly was here before Disney came along? Which pictographs and petroglyphs are authentic? And did Disney simply draw over existing rock art, or did they create new? Look closely and you will definitely be able to see what looks like a large number of faded petroglyphs. Even with this dubious background, it's a fascinating site, and Lilly really enjoyed seeing it. Now we need to see if we can find Chico the Misunderstood Coyote on Disney+!
 

Disney pictographs can be seen over Lilly's head!

 
As we proceeded on the loop trail, I was surprised that Barker Dam didn't have much water. This big puddle was all the water there was. You can barely make out Barker Dam (center left in the photo below), and there is no water behind the dam. A couple more rains should fix that!

 

Lilly & I climbed up on a boulder formation to get this view. I'll call it my first Skywatch photo of 2013, and it's classic Joshua Tree National Park, with interesting boulders and rock formations, and Joshua trees in the foreground, all under a pretty sky. Who could ask for more?

 

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2023!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.