Cliffhanger Ruins

These ruins are somewhat unique as they are not in a sheltered alcove under a massive sandstone cliff, but are located in a rubbly eroded cliff exposed to the elements. One of the ruins appears to be a small living unit as it is situated within a small pocket in the cliff.

Because of their location, I am denoting these ruins as the “Cliffhanger” ruins. We visited these in 2001. One of the things that amazes me is how most of these appear to be inaccessible.

Note photo takers are given in the titles under the thumbnails:

Kickass Trekkers on this trip were: Bill Mooseker, Nick McMahan, Tracy McMahan, Jon Younger, Fred Stong, Mike Stong, Will Stong, Nancy Stong, Allan Hoseth

"Owl Eyes" Ruin

Fish-Owl Canyon Loop

We were all taking a break, when Nick came up and said he had been exploring and thought he might have found something. He had caught a glimpse of two large Spiral pictographs and was going to go back to see what was there. What he found was what I am calling the “Owl Eyes” ruin.

From his photos, you can see that this was an amazing find. Not visible from down in the wash, it was a serendipitous find on his part. Although Nick is an excellent climber, he was not able to access the ruin itself but his telephoto images makes it seem as if he did.

Note photo takers are given in the titles under the thumbnails:

Kickass Trekkers on this trip were: Bill Mooseker, Nick McMahan, Tracy McMahan, Jon Younger, Fred Stong, Mike Stong, Will Stong, Nancy Stong, Allan Hoseth

"Samurai Flag" Ruins

Fish & Owl Canyon Loop

We spied the Samurai Flag ruins while hiking on our trip in 2001 – Shelby Stong, Roger Shively, Austin Peckinpaugh, and I attempted to climb up to them. I made it up to a prominent ledge about 2/3 of the way up but a chest high step stopped me from going further. Shelby, Roger, and Austin kept on going. After a while, Roger and Austin came back down – they felt that the way up got way too “hairy” for them. Shelby, well he's just Shelby, kept on going and made it up (I've included a few of his photos in this album). On this trip, Nick, a competent climber, made it up to the ruins as well, saying that there were some dicey spots on the way up.

I'm calling these the “Samurai Flag” ruins because of the large distinctive pictograph that appears to hang over the complex. It reminds me of all the banners in the 1985 movie Ran. You can see the similarity to this PHOTO.

This complex is a really an interesting one and I hope that you enjoy Nick and Shelby's photos. One thing I know, is that if I had been one of the residents way back then, I sure wouldn't have wanted the job of fetching water every day!

Note photo takers are given in the titles under the thumbnails:

Kickass Trekkers on this trip were: Bill Mooseker, Nick McMahan, Tracy McMahan, Jon Younger, Fred Stong, Mike Stong, Will Stong, Nancy Stong, Allan Hoseth

Ledge Ruins

Fish & Owl Canyons Loop

We found these ruins on our first Fish & Owl loop in 2001, and revisited them in 2007. They are fairly ordinary but do provide an interesting addition to the loop, which has very few easily visible or accessible ruins and pictograph/petroglyph panels.

Note photo takers are given in the titles under the thumbnails: (2007 photos by Bill M., Roger Shively, & Joel Fuller)

Kickass Trekkers on this trip were: Bill Mooseker, Nick McMahan, Tracy McMahan, Jon Younger, Fred Stong, Mike Stong, Will Stong, Nancy Stong, Allan Hoseth

Nick's Canyon Rambles

Fish & Owl Canyons Loop

Nick's been hiking with us since he was a wet behind the ears pre-tenderfoot scout in 1998. I remember his first scout hike when we crossed a raging snow fed mountain creek in our bare feet on a cold June day. Back then we adults carried the 50-60 lb packs. Now it's reversed.

One of the good things for a young guy hiking with a bunch of senior citizens is that he can take off and explore anything for as long as he wants and know that he'll be able to catch up with us without much effort. He'll even be able to get into camp drop his pack and come back and get the “Old Man's”.

The following album is a collection of photos of Nick's rambles during our daily hikes. As you can see sometimes he will even get up near the canyon rim and back while we're trudging along below. The photos include a majestic arch (3 trips and I've never seen it), secret sandstone caves, monster cracks, and climbs up into the hoodoos.

Separate albums have been made for Nick's exploration of the ruins along the route.

Note photo takers are given in the titles under the thumbnails:

Kickass Trekkers on this trip were: Bill Mooseker, Nick McMahan, Tracy McMahan, Jon Younger, Fred Stong, Mike Stong, Will Stong, Nancy Stong, Allan Hoseth