Going With The Flow —  Spring 2022 Rock Art Trip (Part 3)

Prologue…

For quite some time I have entertained the notion that someday I would take a raft trip down the San Juan River and see some of the rock art and archaeology along that corridor, including sites south of the river on Navajo Reservation land.  Although I had been to the Bluff Area many times, I just never got around to looking into a raft trip.  That changed in early 2022 when I started poking around on the internet trying to figure out the best outfit to take an archaeology based trip with on the San Juan River.  As I recall, I googled San Juan River Raft Trip and petroglyphs and up popped the website of Tsé Kooh Outfitters, and the specifics on their “Water and Rocks” trip scheduled for late April of 2022.  When I read “Join Tsé Kooh Outfitters and recognized archeologist, rock art specialist and author Carol Patterson…” it looked to me like this is just the trip that I had been looking for.  Of course, I knew Carol Patterson by reputation and had read some of her work, so I was certainly excited about the possibility of going on this trip.  I contacted Cody Little, owner of Tsé Kooh and in short order signed up for the trip.  Cody indicated that in addition to Carol Patterson there would be other archaeologists on the trip and that some of them were going to be doing some research into the acoustical characteristics and anomalies of some of the sites that we would be visiting.  He also stated that he had permits to hike up Chinle Wash on the Navajo Reservation and I found that prospect quite intriguing. 

With the Tsé Kooh rafting trip set as the crown jewel of the trip, I began to fill in the details of the time I would be spending on the way up and back to the Four Corners/Bluff area.  There were a number of sites that I wanted to visit along the way so I began planning in earnest.  In short order, I had the trip pretty much planned and reservations and arrangements in place.  What follows is my account of this trip.  I have divided my blog into four parts, as follows:  1. Getting There; 2) A Few Days in Bluff; 3) Water and Rocks Rafting Trip; and 4) The Trip Home.  I hope you get a sense of the many wonderful people and places I experienced on this trip through my words and photographs.  So, without further fanfare, here is “Part 3– Rafting The San Juan River”!

Part 3 — Rafting The San Juan River

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2022 —  BUTLER WASH, DESECRETION, BIG KACHINA, & RIVER HOUSE

I met up with Cody Little of Tsé Kooh Outfitters on the evening of Monday, April 25, 2022 at his building in Bluff, which happens to be located right next to the Bears Ears Information Center run by Friends of Cedar Mesa.   Cody gave me my large dry sack (bearing number 12) and a smaller dry bag for use during the day while we were on the river.  He also answered all my dumb questions.  Those of you that know me, know that I am a worrier, and that obsessing and worrying about the smallest details of an endeavor are my greatest joys in life.  Cody seemed to know the answers to my questions even before I got them out of my mouth —  I took a liking to this young man almost immediately.  Yes, I would entrust my life to him on a raging river for the next four days!

Bright and early the next morning the Tsé Kooh bus picked me up at the Recapture Lodge, and, after picking up the gaggle of archaeologists at Carol Patterson’s house, we headed to the boat launch at the Sand Island Recreation Area outside of Bluff.   There we found the four rafts that would transport us for the next four days, along with the Tsé Kooh crew members who were busy making the final preparations for our adventure. 

Just before we departed, Cody gave us a little talk about safety procedures and miscellaneous matters relating to the “Leave No Trace” principles that we would be following on our trip.  Kim Whitley also demonstrated the proper way to board and depart a raft and discussed communication in emergency situations.  A couple of river rafting communication tips from Kim:  Tapping your head means “I am ok”, while crossing your arms means “I am in trouble!”.  We were now ready to raft the San Juan River!

As we began to make our way toward our first stop, we enjoyed a beautiful landscape, which included some archaeology along with the scenic views.

Our first stop of the day was at the Butler Wash petroglyph panels.  It is a little confusing, because the Big Kachina Site (our second stop, further down river) is technically called and signed “The Butler Wash Panel”, while the petroglyph panels at this location are generically called the Butler Wash Panels.  Regardless of what you call them, there are a number of very interesting and artistic panels at this location along the river. 

One final photo from the Butler Wash Panels along the San Juan River.  For a more complete gallery of photos from this site, look here.

After spending a couple of hours at the Butler Wash panels, we headed a short distance upstream to The Big Kachina Site.  A couple of our rafts docked across the river so Steve and Cody could do few acoustic activities from that vantage point before docking with the rest of us in front of the Big Kachina Site. 

We did not have the Big Kachina Site all to ourselves, as their were some other rafts docked there as well as some hiking groups visiting the site.  The site was very impressive.  The main panel is magnificent, and there are additional interesting panels as you walk upstream from the main panel.

As I mentioned above, the site names in this area are a bit confusing.  Most people refer to this site as “The Big Kachina” while the BLM informational sign (shown above) identifies it as “The Butler Wash Panel”.  As you can see, the sign is badly weathered, and not easy to read.  Here is the text of the sign:

“As you can see, this is a special place, sacred to both ancient and modern Native Americans.  The myriad of chiseled figures are typical of Native American rock art found all along the San Juan River.  Rock carvers have recorded their presence, thoughts, and dreams from archaic times to historic Navajo times.  What is not typical is the defacement of the panel by vandals.  Please respect both the ancient artists and the experience of other visitors by not adding to the wall’s desecration.  We welcome you to enjoy this site.  Take pictures, make sketches, have lunch.  Please remember that oil from your fingers speeds the erosion process, so avoid touching the petroglyphs.  Overnight camping is not allowed here.  This policy allows everyone a chance to appreciate the spectacular panel.”

The petroglyphs at The Big Kachina site are indeed spectacular.  Below are a few of the photos I took that day and hopefully they will give you some sense of how beautiful and iconic this special place is.  To see a more complete gallery of the photos I took at this site, look here.  

After some of the other large groups left the Big Kachina Site, Steve continued with his acoustical investigations.  Our next destination was the Desecration Panel, which is not far downriver from the Big Kachina Site, but located on the Navajo side of the river.  Since Steve wanted to see if sounds could be heard between Big Kachina and Desecration, Carol (equipped with a walkie-talkie and an empty five gallon plastic container), Connie, and I had Jef take us down to Desecration before the rest of the group.  After we climbed up to Desecration, we attempted to make sounds that could be heard at Big Kachina and vice versa.  Thus, we had plenty of time to explore the Desecrataion Site.  At this interesting site, a number of petroglyph figures (mostly anthropomorphs) have been desecrated and defaced by a hatchet-like implement.  Some of the figures are completely obliterated, while others are dismembered with strikes to the neck and joints.  According to local legend, a Navajo family was experiencing misfortune that indicated witchcraft of some sort, and a shaman told them that some of the petroglyphs were related to the witchcraft and that they needed to be defaced to restore balance and stop the misfortune.  It is thought that most of the defacements occurred in the 1950s.  It is a very interesting site, and I am grateful that I got to experience it.  Following are a few of the photos I took at the Desecration Site.  For a more complete gallery of the photos I took there, look here.  

We hiked down to the river from the Desecration Site and enjoyed a relaxing lunch.  We soon discovered that the food provided by Cody and the crew was first class indeed!

After our lunch at the Desecration Site docking area, we once again headed downstream.  By this time it was mid afternoon on our first day on the river.  As we headed toward our final destination of the day, each new stretch of the San Juan River offered us beautiful landscapes and amazing views.

After arriving at our campsite near the River House Ruin, we each picked out a site to pitch our tent before hitting the short trail to the ruins.  In my mind I had assumed the River House Ruins were right on the river, but they are a surprising distance from the water.  According to Google Earth, it was about .32 miles from our campsite to the ruins.  The area along the river is heavily wooded and quite dense, but as you walk toward the cliff where River House Ruin is located, the trees and brush thin out considerably and you can see the ruins from quite a distance away.  The River House site was magnificent, with beautiful structures stretched along the cliff, and plenty of pictographs and petroglyphs to be found and enjoyed.  I was so grateful to finally get to experience this special place!  Here are a few of my pictures from River House.  If you want to see a more complete gallery of pictures from this site, look here. 

Up river, and to the east of River House, there are a number of interesting petroglyph panels.  If you go far enough (a little over 1.2 miles) you will find yourself at the Big Kachina Site.  We explored just a short distance from River House, but it is my understanding that you find rock art all along the cliff-sides between the two sites.  I would love to come back to this area some day and do some more exploring!

During our visit to River House, Steve, Carol, and Janet continued gathering information to use on their acoustics project.  Here is a short video I made of Steve and Carol in front of one of the small petroglyph panels near River House.

After exploring the area around the River House Ruin, we returned to our campsite at the river’s edge.  As the guests set up their tents, the crew set up our bathroom, known as a “Groover”, and prepared a wonderful dinner, which was enjoyed by all.  I was pleasantly exhausted by the time I hit the sack in my cozy little tent!

Here is a map that shows the stops we made on our first day on the river and our first night campsite at River House.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022 —  HIKING CHINLE WASH AND A VISIT WITH BASEBALL MAN

We had a leisurely breakfast on Wednesday morning, April 27, 2022, our second day on the river.  Our next destination and camping site was Chinle Wash, which was not far down river from our campsite on night one.  So before packing up and pushing off, we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise, hot coffee, and amiable companionship.  

Our short trip down river to our campsite location at Chinle Wash on the Navajo Reservation was uneventful.  Once again we each picked out a campsite before hiking into Chinle Wash. 

In short order we found ourselves on the trail, hiking into Chinle Wash. 

As the trail dropped down to the creek in Chinle Wash, we began to see petroglyph panels.  The first panels we saw appeared to be very old, but were interesting none-the-less. 

As we continued to hike along the creek, we eventually came to a magnificent panel, which Cody called the “Duck Panel”.  This was a graffiti free and well executed panel, that was obviously telling a story.  At least that was the impression that the panel gave me.  But, in all honesty, my culturally biased perceptions of this wonderful work of rock art are probably way off base.  For example, I automatically assumed the elements were placed left to right.  How presumptuous of me!  But I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing this sacred place.  For complete gallery of the photos I took at the Duck Panel, look here. 

After spending quite a bit of time at the Duck Panel, we crossed back over the creek and continued hiking up Chinle Wash.  In short order we saw some ruins, high up on the cliff to our right.  

Just past the ruins on the high ledge, we came to the pictograph panels collectively known as “Baseball Man”.  While the element known as the Baseball Man is definitely the star of this show, there are other panels nearby that are interesting in their own right.  We spent a considerable amount of time here, enjoying the beautiful pictographs.  Here are a few of the photos I took at the site.  If you would like to see the complete gallery of photos from the Baseball Man Site, look here. 

I also shot a few D-Stretch photos while we were at the Baseball Man site.  Below you will see a good example of how D-Stretch can really enhance pictographs.  

I thought you might enjoy a few more of the D-Stretch photos I took at Baseball Man–  here they are.

We finished up at Baseball Man and began (what seemed like) a long hike back to our campsite by the river.   We set up our respective tents and enjoyed relaxing before dinner.  A good finish to a good day! 

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 —  A DAY FOCUSED ON PUTTING IN TIME ON THE RIVER

We left our campsite at Chinle Wash, knowing that today was a day where we needed to put in some miles on the river.  We enjoyed some swift water, beautiful landscapes, and the wildlife found along the river as we made our way to the Fossil Campsite, where we would spend our last night of the trip.  The Chinle campsite was at mile 8 on the river and our destination (Fossil Camp) was at mile 20, so we had over twelve miles to cover on this day. We had a slight delay and a bit of mild drama when we realized that somehow Steve did not make it on a raft when we left the Chinle Wash Campsite that morning.  We stopped and waited, and were reunited in short order as Steve was able to catch a ride on another raft and caught up to us.  Late afternoon we made it to Fossil Camp with plenty of time to set up camp take a little hike to enjoy some of the fossils that are the namesake for the campsite.  

Here is a short video I made as our merry band negotiated a stretch of swift water on the San Juan River.  The San Juan River is also notably the fastest flowing river per mile in the United States.  It is also one of the muddiest, carrying tons of silt down its narrow channels.  The area where I shot this video is a Class 2 named rapid  (Eight Foot Rapids) that provided a small dose of excitement and potential danger.  

Once we realized Steve was not with us, we pulled over at a sandbar where we waited and had lunch.   A young family stopped and told us that Steve had been picked up and was quite a way behind them.  Eventually the good Samaritans who gave him a ride deposited him at our beach.   Once reunited, we continued down river to the Fossil Camp. 

We arrived safely at Fossil Camp late that afternoon.  We set up camp, explored for fossils, and enjoyed a tasty dinner.  A number of Big Horn Sheep cavorted across the river and provided the evening’s entertainment.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2022–  SAYING GOODBYE TO NEW FRIENDS AND TO OLD MAN RIVER

We were in no hurry Friday morning.  We only had 8 miles to raft in swift current, with no stops.  So we had breakfast, got packed up, and hit the river around 9:30 a.m.  We were at Mexican Hat just before noon, and two hours later, after loading up the rafts and gear onto a trailer, we headed for Bluff.  It was a typical final day of a trip– one part of you is ready for it to end, while another part of you wants to stay on that river forever!  Here are some photos from our fourth and final day on the San Juan River. 

FINAL THOUGHTS…

I am bad about having unrealistic expectations for people, places, and activities that I am about to meet and/or undertake.  This trip far exceeded my expectations.  Cody Little and his Tsé Kooh crew were dependable, professional, energetic, knowledgeable, good natured, and kind.  I can’t say enough about this group of young folks.  The other members of our party were such a pleasure to be around.  I enjoyed being with each and every one of them.  There was no discord or conflict of any kind, which, in my experience, is unusual for a group of strangers this large.  And, last but not least, the Upper San Juan River provided us with swift waters, good weather, and magnificent landscapes.  I would heartily recommend Cody and Tsé Kooh to facilitate an adventure on the San Juan!