Return to the Unexpected

IntrepidXJ

ADVENTR
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
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Saturday, February 7, 2015

Yes, I am aware that the title of this trip report doesn't make much sense, but that's OK since I liked the sound of it. Way back in June of 2011 I was hiking with my friend Philippe at the edge of the San Rafael Swell when we discovered a new Barrier Canyon Style pictograph panel that no one seemed to have seen before. When I wrote up the trip report for that day I decided to call it the Unexpected Panel since we were looking for something else and the find was very unexpected. That name seems to have stuck a bit, but I have also seen it referred to as the New Panel. Whatever you want to call it, I have wanted to get back and visit this amazing pictograph panel again, but sadly had not been back since our initial discovery. Diane has also been interested in seeing this panel after seeing my photos of it and I had promised a while ago to take my friend Marty here sometime, so a trip was in the planning for sometime this spring. With the warm temperatures we've been having lately I decided to move the trip up and visit it this weekend. We couldn't have had better weather for this hike. The temperature was in the mid-sixties and there were some nice clouds moving through the sky all day. It sure felt more like March or April than the beginning of February.

Shortly after the sun came up we drove past this tall skinny hoodoo.


Tall Hoodoo
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Just out for a nice morning drive past Temple Mountain.


Morning Drive
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Marty follows in his Liberty.


Marty
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We reached a pretty good washout in the road with a steep drop-off. I might have been able to get past it (it was worse than it looks in the photo) but we were close to our trailhead so we decided just to park here and start hiking.


Washout
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A view of the surrounding badlands as we started hiking down the road.


Badlands
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Morning light on a nearby sandstone butte.


Butte
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After following an old mining road that's been closed for a long time we reached the end where we found these old core samples.


Core Samples
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Hiking down the wash.


Wash
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Diane follows.


Wash Hiking
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Eventually we reached the Unexpected Panel. It was just as amazing as I remembered!


Unexpected Panel
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This is probably my favorite pictograph of all time.


My Favorite Guy
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Such a unique portion of the panel.


Supplication
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The lower part of the panel is more washed out than the rest, but still very cool.


Lower Pictographs
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The upper left-hand part of the panel is being covered with streaks on the sandstone.


Streaks
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Diane explores more of the area to see if we can find anything else.


Exploring
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

On our way back we found another old tobacco case. This one appears to have some old rolling papers still inside.


Case
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Nice spotlighting on Temple Mountain as we drove over to North Temple Wash.


Spotlight
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The drive through North Temple Wash is always nice where it cuts through the San Rafael Reef.


Canyon Wall
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Down the Wash
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Into the narrows.


Narrows
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Canyon Driving
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Leaving North Temple Wash
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Exiting the slot.


Slot Exit
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Before leaving the area we made sure to stop by the damaged pictographs in South Temple Wash since Diane had never seen them before.


Temple Wash Pictographs
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We still had some time before sunset on our drive back to Green River, so we made a detour into Black Dragon Canyon to visit the pictographs found there.


Praying Dog
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Chalked
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Since I had never visited the cave near the pictographs before, Diane and I climbed up to check it out. We should have brought our headlamps since we couldn't see much, but we could tell it was deep!


Cave Entrance
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We were treated to a colorful sunset as we drove back home. It was a great way to end the day.


The Last Shot
by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

>> Return to the Unexpected Photo Gallery
>> The Original Trip Report on ADVENTR.CO

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slide.jpg
 
Fantastic TR as always Randy. How many panels do you think you've been the first one to discover them in the past 50 years?
 
That is awesome. There is something fundamentally exciting and satisfying about being the first one to see something. It doesn't happen much these days.
 
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