Olla: "A large, widemouthed earthenware vessel used (as by Native Americans) for storage or as a container for water."
It had been at least a couple years since my last hike out to this remote desert location. Mitch was twisting my arm to go again, but he didn't have to twist too hard. Mitch's friend Doris joined us as well.
Let me start this post with a question: When is a fire ring not a fire ring? My answer is when it's an olla nest! What's the difference? Glad you asked! Let me illustrate with a couple photos:
Most people seeing a ring of rocks like this would assume someone has been camping here and built this rock ring for a camp fire. The truth is quite different, and much more interesting! This ring of rocks has sides that are higher and sturdier than your average fire ring. A big giveaway that this is an olla nest is the nest-like plant material at the bottom of the ring. Another giveaway is that there are no signs of soot, either on the rock ring or the adjacent rock wall.
Compare the olla nest to this very old fire ring I came across a number of years ago. Just a single layer of rocks in a circle, with a nearby pile of wood sticks and even a metal grill! Interestingly, when I was here a few weeks ago, the fire ring and wood pile had been destroyed and the grill was gone. My guess is the Park Service destroyed it since campfires are illegal.
Even though Mitch and I have visited the olla nest in the past, we still had a challenge trying to locate it on this trip. It's located in a multi-"room" cave or shelter made of boulders in an area with lots of boulders! You can (and we did) walk right by it without seeing it! Doris photographing the olla nest in the main part of the cave. The cave extends for quite a distance behind her.
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| Another view of the main room in the cave with olla nest.. |
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| A second "room" in the cave. |
1975 photo by Daniel McCarthy, who was the archeologist for what was then Joshua Tree National Monument. It looks nearly identical almost 50 years later! McCarthy mentioned the olla nest having a small "spirit stick" (on right) which Native Americans used for protection and good fortune. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a large, intact olla at this location, which was likely removed and is in the JTNP Cultural Museum. The museum has an extensive collection of ollas that have been found in the Park (see below). Perhaps one of these ollas came from the olla nest I'm sharing with you today! 
We counted four grinding slicks on these rocks outside of a small shelter, with a mano or grinding stone in the foreground. It's a rare thing to find a mano sitting on the grinding slick like this!
This memory will stay with me. The layer of fine dust beneath this mano tells me it hasn't been moved in many, many years. I had the distinct feeling I was touching something ancient! I replaced it exactly as I found it, and hoping the next person that discovers it will have the same appreciation.
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| Mule deer antler? (rarely seen in the Park) |
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| Trapdoor spider habitat. |
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| Mitch checking out some pictographs. |
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| Late afternoon light on Mojave Yucca and Ocotillo. |
I feel very fortunate indeed to be able to visit such an amazing site.
Thanks for stopping by and joining me!
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As you've probably heard, wildfires have been absolutely ravaging Southern California over the last couple days, driven by record-breaking dry winds. I'm safe and lucky to not be too close to the fires (most are in LA County), but my heart breaks as I see the photos of all the homes and structures destroyed and lives turned upside down. Scientists predicted years ago that our weather would get more and more extreme, and we are certainly seeing those predictions come true, and with devastating consequences.
