Petroglyph Hill

After my nephew Sam had taken me on my personal tour of NOLS’s Wyss Wilderness Medicine Campus on Thursday he led me on a short hike up to “Petroglyph Hill”, a short distance from the main building and at the northwest edge of NOLS’s 242 acre property.

Here is a 3 shot panorama, left-to-right, of where we were headed. Sam tried to talk me into using the panorama feature of my new iPhone but I will need to experiment with it first before I put it to use.

And here is my trusty tour guide, Sam, who patiently waited for me when I was 30 minutes late arriving and then spent 2 1/2 hours on his partial day off to show me around. Thanks, Sam!!

That black canister on his belt is Bear Spray, which Sam calls “pepper spray on steroids”. I bought a can up in Riverton on Tuesday and it was on the outside of my backpack, though I will start using the belt holster to strap it on my belt, just like Sam. I am supposed to take it with me anywhere I go outside (in the wild, not downtown Lander!) as there are bears, mountain lions, coyotes, wolves and other critters lurking out there. There is a plastic “safety” clip to prevent accidental discharge and knowing JohnBoy as well as I do, if something can go wrong it will, so it will stay affixed until such time as I need to spray something! Who knows, perhaps another amusing JohnBoy story in the making….

I have seen petroglyphs in other parts of the country during my travels but I always find them interesting. I always wonder what was going through the person’s mind to want them make a lasting image. Some are drawings and others are actually carved into the rock. I’ve tried to eliminate the modern day entries which are nothing more than vandalism and graffiti (I know what was going through those people’s minds…). There is a place for creative expression (i.e. murals or art exhibits) but not on rock formations or other public places in our National Parks and elsewhere which takes away from their natural beauty.