I Found The Heart of an Ancient World While Backpacking
Summary
TLDRIn this adventure, the explorer backpacks into a remote canyon in the American southwest, encountering challenging weather and terrain. The journey is rich with historical evidence of ancient inhabitants, including well-preserved structures and artifacts. The traveler navigates through the canyon's beauty and mystery, reflecting on the past and the importance of preserving these sites for future generations. Despite the looming threat of a storm, the experience is a memorable blend of discovery, solitude, and connection with nature.
Takeaways
- 🏞️ The narrator embarks on a 3-day backpacking trip into a remote canyon complex in the American southwest, encountering various challenges and rewards along the way.
- 🌧️ Despite adverse weather conditions and battling through tangled brush, the journey is worth it for the glimpses into the lives of the ancient inhabitants of the area.
- 🌲 The trip takes place during a transitional season, with spring on the horizon but not yet fully arrived, affecting the availability of resources like water.
- 💧 Desert hiking often involves sourcing water from potholes, which are eroded, shallow impressions in sandstone that collect rainwater.
- 🏚️ The explorer discovers ancient structures, including a grainery and habitation sites, with evidence of past inhabitants such as soot-covered walls and preserved wooden beams.
- 🧬 The age of the structures is highlighted by the presence of original fibers used to tie sticks together, possibly over 800 to 900 years old.
- 🌳 The environment plays a crucial role in the preservation of these ancient sites, with overhangs protecting them from sun, rain, and snow.
- 🌲 The narrator reflects on the sensory experiences of the trip, such as the smell of pinion pines and the challenges of balancing the desire to explore with the practicalities of carrying water.
- 🏕️ The discovery of an old cowboy camp with vintage items like a pack saddle, horseshoes, and a Lifesaver candy tin serves as a reminder of the historical continuum of people in the canyons.
- 🔍 The explorer's finds, including pottery shards and ancient corn cobs, provide insights into the agricultural practices and daily life of the ancestral Pueblo people.
- 🌌 The trip concludes with the narrator setting up camp, preparing a meal, and reflecting on the day's experiences, with plans to continue the exploration in a second part to be shared later.
Q & A
Where is the backpacker heading in the script?
-The backpacker is heading into a remote canyon complex in the American southwest for a 3-day adventure involving camping, hiking, and exploring.
What challenges does the backpacker face during the trip?
-The backpacker faces adverse weather conditions, battles through tangled brush, and is reminded that they might not be alone in the canyon.
What evidence of the ancient ones does the backpacker encounter?
-The backpacker encounters evidence such as ancient structures like granaries and habitations, with blackened ceilings and soot-covered interior walls, indicating past human activity.
How does the backpacker ensure their water supply during the hike?
-The backpacker ensures their water supply by filtering water from potholes, which are common in desert hiking, and carrying a standard amount of 3 liters, though they reduce this to 1 liter due to the abundance of water sources.
What historical find does the backpacker come across related to cowboys?
-The backpacker discovers an old cowboy camp with relics such as old cans, a pack saddle, horseshoes, and a vintage Lifesaver orange-flavor candy box and matches.
What does the backpacker feel about the loss of historical relics?
-The backpacker feels saddened and concerned about the loss of historical relics, fearing what these places will look like in the future if people do not learn to respect and preserve history.
What type of structures does the backpacker find in the canyon?
-The backpacker finds structures such as granaries, habitations with blackened ceilings, and large walls with portholes or peepholes, which might have been used for defense or observation.
How does the backpacker describe the pictographs and petroglyphs found in the canyon?
-The backpacker describes the pictographs and petroglyphs as colorful, with depictions of animals, atlatls, and human figures, some of which are very clear and others less so.
What is the backpacker's reaction to the ancient corn cobs found in the canyon?
-The backpacker is impressed by the ancient corn cobs, which indicate that the ancestral people were able to grow a significant amount of corn in the past.
What is the backpacker's strategy for balancing the desire to explore with the practicality of carrying a backpack?
-The backpacker acknowledges the challenge of wanting to explore every nook and cranny while also managing the weight of the backpack, and concludes that it's not possible to do everything, so they must choose between covering miles and exploring in detail.
What does the backpacker do to cope with the imperfections of the trip?
-The backpacker, a recovering perfectionist, learns to accept imperfections and enjoy the trip by finding little things to be grateful for, such as a small piece of corrugated pottery.
Outlines
🏞️ Backpacking into Ancient Canyons
The video begins with the protagonist backpacking into a remote canyon complex in the American southwest, where he plans to camp, hike, and explore for three days. He encounters adverse weather, tangled brush, and realizes he might not be alone in the canyon. Despite the challenges, he is rewarded with evidence of ancient inhabitants, making the trip memorable. He reflects on the beauty of the desert in spring, the abundance of water in potholes, and the importance of filtering water in desert hiking. He discovers an ancient granary and a larger structure, indicating past habitation, with blackened ceilings and walls covered in soot, suggesting the use of fire. The protagonist is in awe of the ancient construction and the preservation of history in the canyon.
💧 Abundance and Conundrum of Water
The protagonist faces a conundrum of water abundance during his trip. Despite initial concerns about water availability, he finds the desert to be filled with water, even deciding to carry less water due to its weight. He stumbles upon an old cowboy camp with relics such as cans, a pack saddle, horseshoes, and a vintage lifesaver, indicating the historical presence of people in the area. The discovery of these relics serves as a reminder of the continuous human activity through the centuries in the canyons. He expresses concern about the preservation of historical artifacts, fearing the loss of these relics in the future due to theft or lack of respect from visitors.
🍂 Exploring Historical Sites and Agriculture
The protagonist continues his exploration, finding more historical sites and evidence of ancient agriculture. He discovers a piece of corrugated pottery and ancient corn cobs, indicating the extent of farming in the past. He marvels at the pictographs and petroglyphs on large boulders, including depictions of animals and ancient weapons like the atlatl. He also finds a pottery piece with a drill hole, sparking curiosity about its use. The protagonist reflects on the challenges of farming in the desert and the ancient people's success in growing corn, beans, and squash, which were staples for survival.
🏠 Ancient Pueblo Sites and Structures
The protagonist encounters a large ancient pueblo site with numerous structures tucked under a cliff. He describes the portholes, which he believes were used as ancient 'doorbells', and the main doorway of the site. He also finds sealed-off rooms and original cordage used for construction. The site is filled with pottery shards and handprints, indicating a rich history. He continues to another overlook and plans to set up camp, despite the fading daylight and the need to find a suitable spot. He also discusses his camping gear and prepares for the night, planning for an early start the next day.
🌄 Morning Routine and Exploration
The protagonist wakes up at first light and begins his day with camp chores. He prepares a hearty breakfast with dehydrated eggs, pre-cooked bacon, vegetables, and corn tortillas. After breakfast, he continues his exploration, noting the potential for a storm in the mountains. He follows a trail with deer tracks and mountain lion tracks, adding an element of intrigue to his journey. The day is marked by continued exploration and appreciation for the natural and historical beauty of the canyon.
🏜️ Discovering Impressive Ancient Ruins
The protagonist comes across an impressive sandstone bench and decides to leave some camping gear there for a lighter exploration. He discovers a pictograph panel with vibrant colors and various figures, including a large bird and handprints. He encounters a significant structure built into the canyon wall, with solid construction and multiple levels, suggesting a defensive purpose. Inside the structure, he finds wooden support beams, corn cobs, and a matate for grinding corn, indicating the importance of agriculture to the ancient inhabitants. The protagonist reflects on the effort and care that went into constructing these structures and the preservation of history within the canyon.
🌅 Reflecting on the Journey and Future Exploration
The protagonist continues to explore the main building, marveling at the wooden beams and the construction of the two-story ruin. He finds a sandstone slab used for grinding corn and seeds, and handprints of various sizes, including a small one likely from a child. He contemplates the purpose of the structures and their potential defensive use. The video ends with the protagonist planning to continue his exploration in a second part, which he intends to post the following week. He invites viewers to join him in the next installment of his journey.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Backpacking
💡Ancient Structures
💡Desert Hiking
💡Petroglyphs and Pictographs
💡Camping
💡Historical Relics
💡Preservation
💡Ancestral Pueblo
💡Atlatle
💡Coyotes
Highlights
The narrator embarks on a 3-day backpacking trip into a remote canyon complex in the American southwest.
Despite facing adverse weather and battling through tangled brush, the narrator is reminded that they might not be alone in the canyon.
Evidence of ancient inhabitants who once lived in these areas is discovered, adding historical depth to the trip.
The narrator reflects on the beauty of the desert landscape, especially during the transitional period from winter to spring.
Desert hiking strategies are discussed, including the common practice of drinking from potholes and the importance of filtering water.
An ancient granary and a larger habitation structure with blackened soot on the walls are found, indicating past use of the space.
The narrator describes the construction and preservation of the ancient structures, some over 800 to 900 years old.
The protective nature of the canyon overhangs is highlighted, explaining the good condition of the ancient sites.
The narrator encounters a conundrum of having too much water, deciding to carry less to avoid the weight.
An old cowboy camp is discovered with remnants of old cans, a pack saddle, and horseshoes, providing a glimpse into more recent history.
The narrator finds a vintage Lifesaver orange-flavor candy box and an old matchbox, adding to the collection of historical artifacts.
The narrator reflects on the loss of historical relics due to visitors taking items from the sites, expressing concern for the future of these places.
Ancient corn cobs are found, showcasing the agricultural capabilities of the ancestral Pueblo people.
Pictographs and petroglyphs are seen on large boulders, depicting animals and ancient tools like the atlatl.
The narrator explores a large site with multiple structures, portholes, and pottery, indicating a complex and long-standing community.
The narrator sets up camp, reflecting on the day's findings and preparing for the next day's adventures.
A detailed exploration of a high wall with a large doorway and multiple structures built into the cliff edge is described.
The narrator finds handprints of varying sizes, including a small one likely from a child, and discusses the preservation of these ancient markings.
The trip concludes with the narrator's intention to continue the exploration in a second part, to be shared in the following week.
Transcripts
[Music]
on this episode I'm backpacking into a
remote Canyon complex in the American
southwest where I'll be camping hiking
and exploring for the next 3
days along the way I face adverse
weather conditions battle through
Tangled brush and I'm reminded I may not
be the only one in this
Canyon but I'm rewarded with seeing many
evidences of the ancient ones that used
to call these places
[Music]
home this is one trip I'll remember for
a very long
time oh man it's just just one of those
days I am grateful to be out here
full-on spring hasn't hit things aren't
greened up yet but the weather's really
starting to feel nice it's the time of
year when water really shouldn't be an
issue you and we just had a storm come
through about 5 days ago so it's good
sign seeing all these potholes already
full of water if you're not familiar
with desert hiking drinking out of
potholes is very common of course you
want to filter it like you always do but
a pothole is basically just an eroded
kind of shallow impression sometimes
they're deep um but just an impression
in the Sandstone that collects
water ah feels good to be in the
canyon wow that that was fast I
literally just dropped in sort of around
this Bend about 200 yds back and clearly
that is an ancient route to get into
this Canyon because we've got a little
Grainery
there and I just noticed bigger
structure right
there I'm realizing there's a lot on
this overhang but let's check this one
out first looks just like a standard
Grainery in here
okay so about 25 ft to the right is this
much
bigger structure or what remains of it
this was clearly a habitation because
you've got all the blackening up there
on the
ceiling wow yeah this whole interior
wall is just covered in
soot here's some more down
here
not really sure if that's original or
somebody more recent times stacked all
that Juniper wood like
that look at this there's still a little
bit of the original fibers that they
used to tie those sticks
together probably 8 900 plus years
old
here's the inside
construction these things are pretty
much always empty these days so and
imagine what was in here at one point in
time so the second one has a great
example of you know how these things
would have originally been sealed up
this is not sealed this is just sort of
propped propped up against that but it's
a good example of how when these things
were actually in use they would have
sealed this front little doorway with
like a Sandstone slab like that so many
fingerprints up here in this
mortar so you can just see how like
perfectly three fingers just sort of fit
right up in there and push that in there
and it's always fascinating to think you
know how old was that person what was
their life like you know how long did
they live for
so if you're wondering you know how can
these ancient structures that are 800 a
th000 plus years old uh be in such good
shape out here well you're really
looking at it right here this big
overhang protects them from pretty much
all sun and definitely all rain and snow
and so already it's a dry climate out
here but then you throw in something
like this and yeah these things have you
know withstood
centuries well that's a great start if
this is a sign of things to come I think
we're in for a special
trip now that the days are getting
warmer the sun's heating up all the sap
out of these pinion Pines and the smell
is just so good it's definitely one of
my favorite scents out
here what well we've got a little bit of
a
conundrum clearly water is not going to
be an issue this trip but maybe too much
water will be an issue I would prefer to
stay dry so I think I'm going to see if
there's any way I can walk around the
rim here and drop in lower
down okay well that wasn't too bad just
a little extra
work we'll see what's up
ahead starting to wonder if there's
going to be more deep potholes that I
can't
avoid looks like a huge chunk of this
cottonwood tree fell down probably this
winter I am just blown away by how much
water is in here it's good Southwest
needs all the water it can
get it's insane there's literally water
everywhere there so much water that I'm
actually going to just dump out a couple
extra bottles I had I started off with 3
l which is kind of my standard amount
but yeah I mean when the water is this
plentiful I'll just carry like one one
liter and just refill frequently water's
heavy every liter is about 2.2 lbs so
you know I just shed about 4 lbs
here all right this is pretty cool so I
was just walking down here in the wash
and as I walked by I spotted the corner
of this box and I was like what the
heck and so I walked up here and I
realized oh this is an old cowboy Camp
old
cans looks like an old pack saddle here
maybe I think this is an old pack
saddle huh
wonder what
vintage old
horseshoes
some pan of some
kind think it's seen better days this is
up on the
overhang can't really make it out I
don't know if it's just a a name or a
date looks sort of like it says you know
maybe
like June or January 12th 1914 but I
could be completely making that up it's
like a huge uh kind of storage
deal
huh whole
bucket what do we got
huh a very old vintage lifesaver
orange
flavor what book is this
from all my friends are honest
folk I have to look that up when I get
back
and old box of
matches true American
brand I wonder what era that's from
it's like a little time machine back in
here looks like that's it that was a
cool little find wasn't it just a
reminder people have been crisscrossing
through these Canyons for you know
centuries up until the modern day as I
continued on I had an odd feeling that I
had seen this site before but how when I
got home I did some searching and
realized I had come across unnamed
photos of that same Cowboy camp
I looked at the photos with new eyes one
of them was from 2016 and showed the
inside of that same metal bin first I
was surprised at what I saw in the
picture then saddened to realize that a
mere 8 years ago there were more than
twice as many historic relics in the
same
container some selfish hiker or
Backpacker with sticky fingers had
walked away with numerous relics of the
Cowboys past
robbing not only me but everyone who
comes after of experiencing history
firsthand I truly fear what these places
will look like in 10 20 or 50 years if
we can't learn how to tread lightly
respect others and leave artifacts in
[Music]
place but for the time being I hiked on
oblivious to this still Blissful because
of my
ignorance
I just dropped my pack and ran up to two
different promising looking sites and
nothing was there that's kind of always
the Crux in places like this is you know
there's so many possible areas of just
some really neat historical and
archaeological finds that you're just
you're torn between you know covering
miles with the backpack and exploring
every nook and cranny and you can't do
it
all and I'm definitely a recovering
perfectionist always want everything to
be you know just right and sometimes
that serves me well and other times I
got to come out in places like this and
remember
hey it ain't going to be perfect and
just enjoy it find the little things to
be grateful
for speaking of which literally as I
said that look down
here next to my
footprint it's time
tiny but that's just a little piece of
corrugated
Pottery just washed down here the bottom
of the Canyon
from some ancient life probably
somewhere up on these
Ledges where
exactly hard to
say nothing but coyotes ahead of
me trying to knock some miles out then
my eyes spy that up in the corner
there
wow didn't even make it up there
yet where they went somewhere right
around the
corner so just down here looks like
we've
got it's like the style I saw down in
the
creek
so there's like two entryways
here it's pretty
cool
wow look at this I think it might be a
packrats nest and he just took you know
whatever he could find around here but
there are literally I mean dozens if not
like a 100 plus ancient corn cobs in
there from The ancestral
peblo just goes to show how much corn
they were able to
grow in the past Century when
archeologists and Scholars have been
trying to you know kind of classify
people and and put different cultures
into different time periods uh one of
the major distinguishing factors that
they've used is the development of
Agriculture here in the southwest it's
always hard for us in the modern day to
to try to wrap our heads around how you
farmed so extensively out here um but
you know the ancient people eventually
figured out how to grow corn beans and
squash and those were kind of some of
their main Staples for survival out here
so I just came up down from the bottom
here walked up this little wash and
already I can tell this place is
impressive there's pictographs and
petroglyphs
everywhere look at the size of these
Boulders I mean they're like the size of
a small
house and some of them
have various petroglyphs on
them some animals maybe a snake turkey
[Music]
tracks so this panel I know is pretty
old and the large reason I say that is
this what looks almost like a the New
Year's Eve ball in Time Square um is
actually a depiction of an at latle
which was U like a predecessor of the
bow and
[Music]
arrow here's some pottery this one in
particular caught my eye it's got a
drill hole through it which
I've kind of heard different theories
about what people think that was used
[Music]
for here's the first structure tucked up
under the cliff and these
[Music]
handprints then here's a look down the
ledge where there's a lot
more
this a pretty big sight I mean I'd say
it's 40 to 50 ft
long one of the first things I notice
are these Port holes which if you've
watched other of my videos you know
you've seen
before so I climbed up right here but I
wouldn't be surprised if at one point in
time all of this was like sealed off
here where this wall starts I think it's
probably crumbled and then I'll walk you
over I suspect the main entry was right
here that's definitely a
doorway and this port hole is like an
ancient ring doorbell system like this
literally looks out and right there is
the door that I just showed you so if
you're curious that's what I just showed
you you here's the main
doorway and then this wall I'm sure has
fallen but it goes all the way
back into
there and along this whole
way there's Port
holes
everywhere oh wow that is really cool
there is a ton of pottery back
here
wow some big chunks
too look at
that
amazing it's a really fascinating site
for a lot of reasons but look at this
it's like an old doorway that's been
sealed
up so at one point in time the original
inhabitants obviously changed the use
and function of that room in there for
whatever reason they sealed it
up so back here on this door there's
still a little bit of the original
cordage that they use to tie
that
[Music]
oh
[Music]
never ceases to amaze me it's just so
cool let's keep moving we got to find a
campsite before it gets
dark
[Music]
so I came to another pourover probably
40 ft off the ground I'm confident
there's a way around it but I don't know
whether I go to the right or
left so with daylight fading and having
to do some troubleshooting I'm tempted
to go up on this ledge somewhere up in
here just find a flat spot and set up
camp there's a little pool of water
right back here that that'll do too so
well I think this is it got a little
patch of sand here mostly slick Rock but
that's fine it's flat um yeah I've had
better had worse campsites so I think
I'm going to drop the pack and go grab
some water get some dinner going get
tent set up all that kind of
[Music]
stuff sometimes I see comments and
people ask me what kind of gear I use
I've got some of it linked in in the
description um not all of it so if you
want to see more just I guess let me
know and I can add that this is just a
little oneman tent from
REI it is nice not to be freezing as
soon as the sun goes
down I think it's still supposed to get
down to about 32 tonight but you know
it's still probably in the mid-40s now
which feels pretty nice
nice nothing special for dinner tonight
I had a feeling it'd be probably a late
night to Camp so just freeze-dried meal
think I'm going to sit here eat that
watch the stars and then head to bed so
we can get an early start
tomorrow good morning everybody I'm up
at first light
I think we got a big day ahead so I'm
going to get started with some Camp
chores like grabbing water and um going
to make a big breakfast and we'll get
rolling if you're curious what's on the
menu this morning it's kind of like a
breakfast scramble of sorts the main
thing you got these dehydrated eggs that
actually tastes really good I can't
really tell the difference um some of
that pre-cooked bacon all you have to do
is warm it up
and then I throw in a little bit of