Thenaturalmedic Adventures
Hello there, and thanks so much for joining us here! You are probably wondering what this podcast is all about? In this podcast, we will talk about all sorts of outdoor adventures, but primarily, for now, we will focus on hiking and backpacking. No other outdoor adventure is so accessible to so many people! So please join us as we talk about how to hike/backpack and learn how to hike any length trail from your local neighborhood parks to those long trails such as the Appalachian and others worldwide! Remember... "in every walk with nature; one receives far more than he seeks... - John Muir " See you on the trail!
Thenaturalmedic Adventures
The Gila's Secrets: A Hiker Discovers New Mexico's Hidden Past
Note: Audio Only, please see YouTube for Video Version
The weathered footings of a washed-away bridge stand as silent sentinels on either side of the Tularosa River in New Mexico's Gila National Forest. Most hikers would turn back at this obstacle, but those who wade across discover something extraordinary—centuries-old petroglyphs etched into stone walls whisper stories from a distant past.
My journey along the Walking the Past Trail began with an easy-to-miss trailhead northeast of Reserve, NM. The three-mile round-trip hike presents two remarkable historical treasures. First, an authentic forest ranger cabin built in 1905 for just $50 stands as the last remnant of the original Tularosa Ranger Station. Walking through its modest doorway, I couldn't help but marvel at the lives of those early rangers who earned only $60 monthly while supplying their horses and equipment. These pioneers of conservation built trails, fought fires, and established the foundations of modern forest management.
Beyond the cabin lies the prize that draws most visitors—extensive petroglyph panels that require a river crossing to access. These aren't simple graffiti but complex symbols pecked into stone using primitive tools. Birds, anthropomorphic figures, animals, and geometric patterns cover the rock faces in a protected alcove. Unlike some more accessible sites, these remain remarkably free from modern vandalism, creating an intimate connection with those ancient artists who left their mark here centuries ago.
The petroglyphs raise fascinating questions: Were they purely artistic expression or practical communication? Did they record essential events, spiritual beliefs, or daily observations? While interpretive panels offer some insights, much remains mysterious, inviting visitors to form their connections with these enduring messages from the past.
Have you explored the hidden historical treasures of the Southwest? Please share your discoveries of ancient sites or historical landmarks in the comments below, and subscribe to join me on future adventures through America's remarkable landscapes and cultural heritage. Could you send us an email?
Okay, I'm at the Walking the Pass trailhead in the Gila, just a little to the northeast of Reserve, new Mexico. You can see me parking behind. I drove past this initially, but it is the way because here's the trailhead sign. It's a three mile round trip hike. There is a note here that says the trail bridge over the river has washed down the stream so I have to wade the river if I want to get to the petroglyph panels, which is kind of what I'm here for in the first place. That was a couple of years ago, so I guess it's not been replaced. Still there's the old ranger cabin right there. Let's go check out the Walk in the Past Trail here in the Gila National Forest. Hope you'll follow me. I've got to the top of the ridge line here. I can see this ridge across from me. The river must be down below. There's a really cool little bench here. You can see the forest behind me, the Gila, and in front of me. Let's go down the hill and see what we can see. First glimpse at the old Tularosa Ranger Station. Looks like a log cabin that was built at this time in a lot of other places in the United States. Interesting, very interesting. Let's get a closer look. It only took me about 30 minutes. I feel like there's some panels on the other side of the cabin, so let's take a look and see what they say. Then we'll continue to the Petroglyphs.
Speaker 1:Since we're on a walk into the past, let's talk about this ranger station cabin. This is the last remaining building of the Tularosa Ranger Station called the Datil National Forest in the early 20th century. It cost $50 to build this in 1905 for the first forest rangers. This is where they lived. They were stationed here on the Tularosa Ranger District. We got Supervisor John Kerr, raymond Trujillo, forest Rangers William Mundy, allen S Peck shortly after this cabin was built. The picture, but they divided this original name of the National Forest of Adel.
Speaker 1:Some places say we're in southwestern New Mexico. I think we're in west central myself. It was transferred to Apache National Forest 1923 and Gila 1931. Take a gander at this, guys. In the past, $60 a month is what were paid these early forest rangers. They supplied their own horses, built fences, strung telephone lines, fought forest fires, monitored logging activities, administered grazing permits on the natural forest system lands Life in this remote area was a challenge.
Speaker 1:System lands Life in this remote area was a challenge. Just an example. Let's look at some photographs that show different work that they did Surveying. They were building trails, building fences, managing the resource. This is an archaeological site they have restored this. Talks about this on the next panel. So don't take anything you find if you come down here. There is a gate that you can go in over there, which I think protects this area from grazing. This area is grazed by cows. There's natural range land for elk and deer and other range type animals.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about the restoration. In the 90s they were trying to not lose this cabin because it was degrading, falling down, it was about to collapse. So they restored it, excavated, documented the site as an archaeological site At that point it was almost a hundred years old and discovered artifacts that shed light on life at the Ranger Station during the early 20th century Quite a bit different than nowadays. Using traditional materials and techniques, as shown in the photographs at the right, they were able to preserve it in traditional methods to get it back. Some things they found here in the picture old bottles, prince Albert window, glass, ceramic shards, wooden knife handle, horse tack nails Very cool. Remember this is a historical site and it's protected by law. Do not take anything that you find. Leave it where you found it.
Speaker 1:So I'm standing inside the ranger cabin. This is pretty neat, y'all Pretty neat. I'm not sure if they had windows made from glass, they may have had some other ways to cover up their windows. But what do you think about life In this place? What an interesting thing to visit. You can see it doesn't have a foundation. It's up on some rocks at intervals here, very cool and the doorways are not super tall, but they're not super short either. Imagine the things they experienced out here in the early 19th. That was a long time ago and they didn't have much to entertain themselves. So they probably worked a lot and then came home, ate a meal and went to bed.
Speaker 1:So right here in front of me you have the remnants of the bridge. The bridge is still intact, but it came loose. From these footings, similar to what I saw at the catwalk yesterday. You have lots of deals where it came loose. This is the Tularosa River, which right now looks more like a creek, but this is how you cross over to get to the petroglyphs. There's a little walking path right here. Plus, I have my hiking poles. Today I did not yesterday when I went to the catwalk, so I should be able to film and not fall in the water. I hope. Yep, I did it. We've got the footings.
Speaker 1:Like I say right here, let's go check out these petroglyphs. Look, there's a well-worn path leading us there. It is very windy today. Hopefully you can hear me. Let's take a look at these petroglyphs. They're super cool.
Speaker 1:So you have petroglyphs all over the rocks here, bunches of different shapes. According to the panel, they're not art. In my mind, I can imagine artistic expression in a way, because they have a style, a way of being done, but with that in mind, these were pecked into the rock using other rocks or animal bones or what have you, and because of that, they're fragile and irreplaceable. So don't harm them in any way, don't touch them, don't make a rubbing. The oils in our skin can cause them to erode prematurely or be damaged, so let's not do that.
Speaker 1:On this particular rock, you can see several different things. You have a figure that looks like a bird, up higher on the rock. You have other animals, very cool. Another angle of the same rock face. Zoom out, got bird figures. You have looks almost like an ant head, but I think it's something else, maybe a little figure. Then you have some creatures up the top, a spiral up there. You've got some other things on top of that rock. So, yes, there's definitely a style that individual contributors did to make all of these.
Speaker 1:But is it solely art? No, I guess not. I would say it's more along the lines of ancient writing. A lot of the native languages, as far as I understand, are not written, so they used symbols in the past to denote different things they saw in their world. I believe the circle stands for a journey.
Speaker 1:You have different figures up here. You have figures standing together over here. There's all kinds of stuff that you can see in this little alcove here, some way back up there in the corner. So cool. These have no fence, no barriers, so we need to be extra careful when you're visiting these to make sure that you don't harm them and they're around for future generations. Of course.
Speaker 1:Where I come from in East Texas, there were native groups there before Spanish and Europeans other Europeans moved into the area, but there was no rock strata for people to leave their mark on. This is one of the most fascinating things about living in the West now, really enjoy. There's just so many here I don't know if I can photograph all of them in my short time here, but this gives you an idea of what I'm seeing. Go further down the rock face you have several anthropomorphic type figures. You have some animal looking figures here Wow. And then some over here Very close, very close. And then some over here on this rock Wow. And then some over here very close, very close. And then some over here on this rock Wow Super cool. Over time they have weathered, but considering I think they're standing up pretty well, so I'm gonna eat a little snack and head back.
Speaker 1:Not sure if the recording is better or worse with the lapel mic, so let's try something. This is with the lapel mic, this is without the lapel mic. Can you tell a difference? Let me know I'm departing the petroglyph area. I guess this was known about, but they are rather remote. I was rather surprised, and pleasantly so, that none of the glyphs here were like I've seen at Chaco and El Morro and other places where the glyphs actually had graffiti intermixed with them had graffiti intermixed with them. So I'm glad that was not the case here.
Speaker 1:It is a pretty good trail to get down here. It's about a mile and a half in and you can't really drive here. There is a road by the cabin area that I'm sure is for grazing access. There's somebody's house over there too, but this turned out to be a pretty good day. It is rather windy, though, so I think I'm going to skip camping tonight. I was going to camp out in the Cosmic Campground, but I'll save that for another time when the weather is a little more favorable Not quite as cold at night and not as windy during the day. It is super windy out there.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's go back to the truck. I'm about there at 2.67 miles. Take a look at 2.67 miles. Take a look at this view. Wow, isn't that great. Here's the National Forest in front of us to the north. So pretty cool. Interesting little gate there. It's got a big weight on it. I guess they have livestock that comes through here. That was toward the beginning of the hike, so I know I'm getting back close to the vehicle. Okay, I'm back at the truck. It was windy out there, but what a great hike.
Speaker 1:I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know your favorite thing about the hike. Did you like seeing the scenery and the terrain? Did you like the about the hike? Did you like seeing the scenery and the terrain? Did you like the cabin, or did you like the petroglyphs, or did you like all of it or a combination thereof? Make sure you give a thumbs up so it gets out to other people if you feel like this could benefit you from seeing more videos. I definitely appreciate that and share this with your friends. Until next time, bye, bye. Take a look at one of these videos over here. Okay, bye.
