Last Updated
9/25/04

     This page is for some virtual backpacking trips that I have put together. I have included pictures and short descriptions. Pictures, I feel, tell about the trail much better than I can. Myself or Lynn have taken all of the that will be shown here. I hope that you will enjoy them. Now sit back, relax, and travel from the comfort of your computer chair!

     Before we begin our trips I would like to pass on some information that I have obtained from a booklet that is sent out by Canyonlands National Park.

The past belongs to the future...
But only the present can preserve it...
Anon.

• Walk Like Bobcat
• Ruin walls are fragile and ancient mortar crumbles easily. Walk around ruins carefully, staying off the walls. Look inside the ruins, but be careful not to lean on doorways or windows. Disturbing the deposits at the base of ruins can result in toppled walls.
• Camp at least 300 feet from any archeological site.
• Look With the Eye of Eagle
• Enjoy artifacts for their beauty and leave them in place for others to enjoy. Appreciate the mystery of prehistoric rock art, but PLEASE DON'T TOUCH. Skin oils hasten deterioration of pigments and rock surfaces.
• Think With the Caution of Coyote
• If you should see someone in the act vandalizing a site, removing artifacts, or any other suspicious activity, note critical information such as time, location, vandal's physical description, vandal's vehicle description and license number, and report to a ranger as soon as possible.
• Learn With the Wisdom of Owl
• Educational institutions, private research organizations and government agencies offer opportunities to participate in ongoing archeological excavations. Become a volunteer.

The best protection for our Cultural Heritage is a Caring Public

Our Heritage Threatened

     Archeology attempts to explain the mystery of past human activity by describing and then explaining the material remains of human culture. Once a site is disturbed, it becomes very difficult to tell a complete story of human activity. Without a thorough description of an artifact's context, it remains merely an abject and can not give us meaningful information regarding past human behavior. Illegal surface collection and excavation ("pot hunting"), unintentional site trampling, and malicious vandalism can all permanently destroy cultural resources, the non-renewable remains of our cultural heritage.

     Preservation of the past for future study is threatened daily by acts of vandalism. Twice the federal government has passed laws to protect our cultural resources. Both the Antiquities Act of 1906 and the Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 make it illegal to excavate, remove, damage, alter or deface the material remains of human life and activity over 100 years old. Stiff criminal and civil penalties are being upheld, especially for those who traffic illegally obtained artifacts. Rewards of up to $500 are provided for information leading to arrest and conviction of offenders.

We must protect these treasures for future generations

Click on one of the links below to start your adventure.

• Want to Wet Your Palette??
• Canyonlands National Park, Maze District
• Canyonlands National Park, Horseshoe Canyon, Detached Unit
• Canyonlands National Park, Needles District
• Capital Reef National Park
• New Hance/Grandview Trail, Grand Canyon National Park
• Grand Gulch Primitive Area
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area
• Nankoweep Trail, Grand Canyon National Park
• Hermit and Boucher Trails Loop, Grand Canyon National Park
• Mt. St. Helens National Monument
• Bryce Canyon National Park

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