My Texas Canyon Hike

[JohnRich 4]

Okay, I've got to move fast to finish up my presentation here. On Friday I'm off for another adventure, spending nine days in Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas, which includes a 5-day wilderness canoe trip through the Rio Grande canyons. So, that gives me two days to finish up here.

Now we're at the private museum of artifacts collected in this area by four generations of the family that owns the land.

Photos #1 & 2: Arrowheads

Photo #3: Bone tools

Photo #4: Wood tools

[JohnRich 4]

Photos #1 & 2: More "painted pebbles". Photo taken through glass, so it's a bit scratchy and reflective. This is the largest collection of these that I have ever seen.

Photo #3: Note the striking similarities between these two painted pebbles. The one on the left was in the museum, and the one on the right was found during our hike, in Cave #3. Were they the work of the same person? Were they made by different people at different times to represent the same thing?

Photos #4 & 5: Sandals, made out of woven plant fibers. In photo 5, there is a small one in the bottom center, for a small child, made out of rabbit skin.

[JohnRich 4]

Photo #1: Some very fine weaving that would rival the finest lace in England. The fishing net in the top left is particularly stunning. In the bottom center is some kind of reed necklace or skirt.

Photo #2: More weaving, and other tools. Some of the nets were so tiny it was said that they would have been placed over the burrow holes of rodents, to catch small mice when they emerge. In the center are what may be two small bows. And at the bottom are three identical items consisting of two sticks with a cord between them. These are a mystery to me - does anyone have any guesses as to how ancient people would have used these contraptions? Most likely related to food gathering...

Photos #3 & 4: Yet more weaving and cordage items.

Photo #5: Remnants of woven baskets. It is said that they could weave a basket tight enough to hold water. Archaeologists have evidence that they boiled water for food and other purposes. But this culture didn't use any pottery. So how did they accomplish boiling water with only baskets made out of flammable plant fibers? Well, you take a hot rock from a fire, and drop it into the water-filled basket, and the water boils! I've seen the technique demonstrated with my own eyes.

[JohnRich 4]

I said I was going to save the best for last, and this will serve as a preview for that.

Photo #1: Here you see two skulls, from a woman and a child. Both met violent deaths, with clubbed skulls. So much for the peaceful nature of ancient Indians towards each other. The woman also had an arrow stuck in her pelvic bone, which can be seen in the photo. Between the two skulls are the dessicated remains of their brains (yuch!). To the right is a section of vertebrae and a lower arm and hand.

Photo #2: Close-up of pelvic bone with embedded arrow.

Photo #3: Close-up of lower arm and hand skeleton.

Tomorrow I'll finish up with the grand finale: the mummy!

[boinky 0]

Very nice posting and beautiful pics John. I wanna' go too!

But where's the scorpions for Boinky?

Nina

Are we called "DAWGs" because we stick our noses up people's butts? (RIP Buzz)
Yep, you're a postwhore-billyvance

[TAndrews 0]

When you leave the bend introduce yourself! I'll be they bald guy at the BP checkpoint.

[JohnRich 4]

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When you leave the bend introduce yourself! I'll be they bald guy at the BP checkpoint.

No kidding?! Are you at the checkpoint north of Persimmon Gap?

On my way in, I'm going across Hwy 90 to Alpine, and then down, to rent my canoe. So I'll be entering the park from Terlingua. We're putting into the Rio Grande at Boquillas Canyon, and paddling about 40 miles over five days to LaLinda for takeout. I'm not sure where that is - somewhere near Sanderson? There's some car-shuttling involved too in order to get everyone back. I'll see if I can't stop at some point and say "Hi".

One of my dream jobs would be as a Park Ranger in Big Bend, if they would let me be outdoors a lot. But there isn't any skydiving nearby, the starting pay stinks, and they like people with biology degrees...

[JohnRich 4]

Now for the grand finale: the Mummy!

Photo 1: The mummy, complete except for skin and soft tissue, intact and under glass.

Photo 2: Close-up of the head. This was a male. Notice the curly black hair, and the woven mats within which he was wrapped for burial by his people.

Photo 3: This photo was to higlight that black rope laying beside the mummy. This is a 150' long rope made out of human hair! It must have been a prized possession to have it buried with him. Imagine how long it took him to weave that. Was it made entirely with his own hair, or did the entire tribe contribute hair to the project? This would seem like a good DNA project, to identify how many different people he was in contact with for hair contributions.

And if you can zoom in on the photo, notice the beautiful, fine weave on that mat in which he was wrapped. It has different patterns to it, which show a great degree of skill and care.

Photo 4: A carved bone necklace buried with him.

Photo 5: Close-up of the belly area of the mummy, showing internal organs. This view brings up an interesting story about this Indian's demise. The organs are grossly enlarged compared to what they should be. Analysis has determined that this man was infected with a virus from a bite by a type of beetle, which causes bowel blockage. So basically, he just couldn't poop. It is said that a human can actually live for several months with this condition before dying from it, but I don't know how. Notice how there is a long strip of deerskin leather wound around his belly. This man's belly would have been distended like a woman who is 9-months pregnant, and it is theorized that he wound this leather strip around his belly to help support the belly's weight under his malady.

His belly contents included the intact vertebrae of a small snake. This means that he swallowed the snake whole, like a giant spaghetti noodle, and perhaps it was one of his last meals before his passing.

[JohnRich 4]

Postscript.

Miscellaneous photos from the area.

#1: There is some "open range" in many places in south-west Texas. The public roads run through private ranch land, and the only thing that keeps the cows from getting out is "cattle guards" on the roads. This consists of rows of pipe laid perpendicular across the road, with gaps between them, sort of like a bridge. Cars can drive over, but cows can't walk across with their hooves, without slipping between the pipes and getting stuck. When in open range country, you've got to watch out for wandering livestock.

#2: There is also wandering wildlife to watch out for. Deer are so numerous they can be quite a hazard, even in broad daylight, but especially at sunrise and sunset when they are moving around and feeding.

Bambi-lovers: stop reading now.

#3: The roadside is littered with dead deer which have been hit by vehicles while the deer were crossing the road. There are one or two per mile in many places.

This one was a sad story. I was driving by, and glanced over at the body, and just for a flicker of a second I thought I saw it move. I thought maybe I was just imagining it, but I turned around to go see. When I pulled up and walked towards it, it turned out the deer wasn't dead after all, but apparently had a broken back and could only move his front legs. His survival instinct was strong, and he tried to get up and run when I approached. Being able to move only his front legs, the best he could do was to spin himself in a circle by kicking his legs at the ground. You can see the pattern in the dirt where he spun himself in a circle while laying on his side.

This presented an ethical dilemma. I could drive away and do nothing, and this poor deer could survive for a week, and succumb to a slow, horrible death from thirst and starvation. Or the coyotes and vultures could show up and eat it alive. So I decided to finish the deer off. I admit this was an uncomfortable decision for me. It put the animal's death squarely on me, instead of allowing nature to do it. But while both options were lousy, it seemed the more merciful of the two. I retrieved my .45 handgun from the truck and delivered two shots to the head. And probably broke several laws by doing so.

4: Another roadkill deer, this time a buck.

5: More roadkill: what was a beautiful fox.

[wmw999 2,589]

You did the right thing.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[JohnRich 4]

Postscipt, continued.

Two more photos, then I'll shut up. Really!

I wouldn't want to end with dead animals, so how about a few live ones for a change.

#1: Elk in Texas? I thought they were all hunted out in the early 1900's? They were... These were on a game ranch, behind a very tall fence which they can't jump. Someone will pay a handsome price to shoot them at a later date. That's still not a very good ending for this thread... Oh well, it's all I've got.

#2: A magnificent bull elk. I've always been very impressed with elk. They are huge, and awesome animals.

When the elk noticed that I had pulled over and was watching them, they got nervous and scampered up the hillside to disappear over the crest. They made a great clatter from their massive hooves and great weight, clomping over loose rock.

Okay, I'm done now.

#3: No, wait, we can't end on a sad note about captive animals doomed to die. How about a happy photo of me, standing on a tongue of rock which projects out over a canyon several hundred feet deep, with a pure wilderness river down below. Yeah, that's a happy note. Base jumpers are probably eyeing this site with an expert eye...

I've got a lot more stuff like this from my travels. Anyone want to see more at a later date? I'm surprised that the view counts have stayed fairly high, with a several day lag. So a lot of people have been following along, despite the length, and effort of opening all the photos.

I'm signing off now for about 10 days, for my next adventure, in a canoe, in the bottom of 2,000-foot deep canyons!

[waltappel 1]

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You did the right thing.

Wendy W.

2nd that. You're a standup guy.

Walt

[JohnRich 4]

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You did the right thing.

2nd that. You're a standup guy.

Thank you both. As you stand there thinking about that decision, you soon realize that what you're really doing is trying to figure out what is going to make you feel the best. Then you have to put that aside, and do what is best for Bambi, regardless of what your personal feelings are going to be.

[murrays 0]

It was an act of kindness John.

I really enjoyed this thread. Thank-you very much for sharing this with us.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[JohnRich 4]

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I really enjoyed this thread. Thank-you very much for sharing this with us.

You are most welcome.

I just returned from another one-week trip to Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas, where the highlight was a four-day canoe expedition through the Rio Grande River canyons.

Anyone want me to start another thread on that trip?

Teaser photo attached: Hitting the water shortly after sunset, with deep shadows still in the canyon, and rays of light up ahead where the canyon bends in an east-west direction to allow entry of sunlight. This is the kind of photo that just makes me go; "Wow!"