March 20, Lahontan petroglyphs
More desert hiking, which is not my expertise, but it's fun. Still more warm temperatures, though, which are unexpected. Ed took us to Lahontan to check out some petroglyphs he had heard about and had found another time. A quarter of a mile boat trip across the lake would get you to the site, but we took the long way around the lake by road, and then hiked a couple of miles over the Dead Camel Mountain. There hasn't been any vandalism, so I guess the site remains fairly unknown. I shouldn't say no vandalism at all. That side of the lake may have been on the Pony Express Trail, and there does seem to be one attempt to mimic a petroglyph that could have been done in the nineteenth century. What are the petroglyphs? Rock markings by the aboriginal people, possibly from four thousand years ago, predating the known Indian tribes of the area. There should be some digital photos on line within a week or two. Ed saw fit to mention that the most prominent of the petroglyphs seems to face in the direction of where the sun sets on the vernal equinox. It's fun to speculate that these folks had some comprehension of the first day of spring, but it's probably coincidence. Most of the speculation I've heard is that the petroglyphs are found in the hunting grounds. Hunters probably just passed the time while waiting for the herds by marking the rocks.