I Found Terrifying Ancient Art Hidden in the Desert

[00:00:00]Today I'm in the northern region of the Colorado Plateau, a desert labyrinth filled with ancient secrets. I'm on foot hiking down a sandy, untrailed desert canyon I've wanted to explore for some time. Along the way, I'll be exploring secret al coes.

[00:00:17]>> That's a pretty one.

[00:00:18]>> Finding lithic flakes, discovering hidden ancient art.

[00:00:24]>> He's looking right at you guys.

[00:00:25]>> Tracking wildlife. This look like more paw prints.

[00:00:30]What is that? Do you hear that? And coming face to face with some of the most bizarre and terrifying ancient images that I've ever seen.

[00:00:41]It's going to be a quiet offtra backcount desert exploration today and I'm bringing you with me.

[00:00:49]Good morning. Aaron here from Lost Varnish. Thanks for being with me here once again. I'm here in one of my favorite places, eastern Utah. It's a beautiful morning. And the sun's just barely coming out. Just about 8:00 a.m.

[00:01:01]Going to be hiking a canyon that I've never explored before. I've driven past it many times. And I've always wanted to give it a a good look. I'm going to be really taking my time today. Got pretty much all the time I want. Can really kind of just take it in. So, it should be a pretty exciting adventure. And uh thanks again for being here with me.

[00:01:18]Just going to send it down a flat wash canyon.

[00:01:21]Should be about a 7mi round trip. Skies are absolutely clear. It's going to be a warm one. So, if you haven't already, make sure to like and subscribe to the channel so you don't miss any of the adventures ahead. Let's get going.

[00:01:33]Wonder what kind of wildlife we'll run into first today. I just pray that it's not snakes.

[00:01:39]Oh, I see some already. Got some deer tracks.

[00:01:54]There's some big horn sheep over here.

[00:01:56]some barrier canyon style anthros.

[00:02:00]And then we have some seventoed feet right here.

[00:02:06]And then some more waves and an anthro with a big circular head.

[00:02:21]I feel like you see a lot of rock art at the mouth of canyons, right? Where they kind of intersect with other ones at the confluence of two canyons like this.

[00:02:42]Gosh, there's just like little anthros all over the place.

[00:02:49]Little peck marks and designs. There's one right there. Some sort of something.

[00:02:57]There's even more down there. Circles.

[00:03:06]Looks like we got a little bit of a jump right here.

[00:03:14]Wonder if we'll find anything in the sandy wash. Washes are a pretty common place to find liithics or artifacts cuz the water just runs it off the side and then pulls it all into the same spot.

[00:03:34]I really love backcountry hiking where there's not really a designated trail.

[00:03:39]You're just kind of out there roaming around. It really heightens the sense of adventure.

[00:03:52]I wonder what's up here in these poroffs and all these al coes.

[00:03:57]Pretty common place where natives would hang out. It's also a pretty common place where you'll find rock imagery.

[00:04:25]The sand is super loose.

[00:04:28]So, as I hike through it, your feet kind of cave in just a little bit. My calves and legs are definitely going to be feeling the burn today. There's this really big pour off right here that creates this big al cove. And I can see there's like this almost cave like indention back there. Those are usually prime spots to go and explore. So, we'll go take a look. Really being careful today for snakes. Every now and again you'll hear a bush kind of rustle up.

[00:04:59]Most of the time it's a lizard. Those are harmless. But I don't want to spook a snake. That's uh last thing you want to do out here.

[00:05:18]I see there's a big panel over here.

[00:05:50]Wow, look at that. See that?

[00:06:02]Look, these guys have like figures in their hands.

[00:06:07]There's something in their hand and tons of dots. This anther right here is nuts. Look at that. Look at its eyes.

[00:06:22]The longer I looked at this panel, the more my imagination took over. It almost felt like I was looking at a scene of people confronting some sort of mythical creature. These guys are all holding on to something. They're like sticks.

[00:06:39]I've heard stories of giants being in several indigenous traditions of the Southwest, and images like this make it easy to wonder what exactly inspired those stories. This panel forced me to wonder, are these humans locked in some sort of great battle against these giants?

[00:06:58]Are they kneeling in some sort of ancient ceremony to a greater power?

[00:07:04]Or are we looking at something else?

[00:07:12]All right, we're going to drop in right here. Go take a look. See what's back here.

[00:07:34]I'm sure this spot used to be frequented often by many, but now it's just a quiet spot in the remote desert. A completely empty al cove. No rock art, no lithic flakes, or no structures of any kind.

[00:07:53]Let's keep moving.

[00:07:55]Some pretty heavy crypto out here.

[00:08:02]Beautiful day out today. I love exploring these empty canyons. They're just full of things hiding in all these al coes and caves. In an earlier video, I asked you guys to tell me exactly where you're watching from. And it was amazing how global these videos actually are. I saw people commenting from Australia, parts of Europe, Canada, the eastern US, over here on the western side. Pretty fascinating to me that uh so many different people from all parts of the world find these videos. If you haven't already, you should comment below and let me know exactly where you're watching in from. I'd love to know.

[00:08:39]huge mounds of crypto.

[00:08:43]If you don't already know, don't bust the crust.

[00:08:53]The super soft sand definitely kills the speed of the hike.

[00:09:00]Maybe that's a good thing. There's so many little al coes and little pouroffs back here. Wish I had time to explore every single one of them. Right at the mouth of the canyon, there was a humongous pour off that was really flat.

[00:09:15]We'll definitely take a look at that on the way out.

[00:09:23]You know, I've never actually found like a whole complete point arrow head. I would really love to find one. I've seen pottery and flakes and tools, but I've never actually found a complete point with notches. My day will come.

[00:10:13]paw prints. Oh yeah, some pretty big paw prints back here. Let's hope that's all we see.

[00:10:34]pretty big al cove. Let's go check it out. Whenever you see stuff like this, definitely mean people have been here.

[00:10:41]I'd assume people have been in every nook and cranny of these canyons for thousands of years. Oh, there's some pictographs up there. Look at those. I actually have a notice right here. These are always really cool to see.

[00:11:07]So to summarize what this is saying is um it's actually against the federal law to deface or ruin Native American culture such as rock art or even artifacts. You're not legally allowed to pick them up and and take them. This is basically saying that it's a quarter million dollar fine and up to six years in prison and or both if you uh get caught doing such. So, I really appreciate these signs. They're basically reminding everyone uh that places like this, even though they're out here in the wild, they are indeed protected by law.

[00:11:44]So, that's good.

[00:12:02]Look at this one up here.

[00:12:34]An interesting detail that caught my attention is this unusual figure on the left almost seemed to have half of its body exposed as if you were looking inside of the figure itself.

[00:12:47]Whether that was intentional or just simply the way it was painted, it's impossible to say. Very cool. We're getting lucky today.

[00:13:03]The more I wandered through this al cove, the more the ground beneath me began to feel intentional.

[00:13:09]The scattered stones and subtle formations almost gave the impression that this place was once shaped by human hands.

[00:13:18]Sometimes you find holes back here in places like this where people have dug uh which is also illegal to dig for artifacts. You can see there's bits of charcoal right here.

[00:13:36]It even stains my hands.

[00:13:39]That's from fires.

[00:13:42]They'd have fires back here.

[00:13:47]There's charcoal all over the place.

[00:13:57]This looks like this might be some sort of a tool.

[00:14:00]It looks like it possibly was worked right here.

[00:14:04]It could be a scraper of some sort.

[00:14:08]Tell by these worked edges.

[00:14:16]just sitting right there.

[00:14:23]That al cove was amazing. It's crazy how many countless places there are like that here in the west. I would assume that any sort of al cove that provided that amount of protection and shade and vantage point to the earth below had to have been occupied.

[00:14:42]Pretty sure I just found a lithic flake here in the wash.

[00:14:50]That's a pretty one. It's kind of translucent just a little bit. You can like kind of see through it.

[00:14:58]Wonder what material this is.

[00:15:01]But this is 100% the sure sign of tool making. You can see that little cut right there on the side. They had a rock and they would smack it and then a flake like this would come off.

[00:15:22]Oh, there's another one right here.

[00:15:26]Yeah, same thing right here. You can see they call it lithic flakes cuz this is just a byproduct of something else that they were making and this would get chipped off the side.

[00:15:36]It's very cool to see.

[00:15:43]Even though it's just a flake, you put it back. I know they're just flakes, but regardless, uh it's always so cool to find those. Somebody literally was making a tool or something and that was right in their hands at one point in time by some human probably thousands of years ago. It's pretty interesting. I'm not too familiar with all the different types of materials, but it's pretty easy to see that When you have rocks that are all just this tan and brown color and then you see that deep red stands out. Hey little buddy.

[00:16:20]Oh, he's not afraid of me. Hi little guy.

[00:16:25]What are you doing?

[00:16:29]Hey, he's looking right at you guys.

[00:16:32]All right, we'll see you later.

[00:16:44]Some sort of raven just squawkked.

[00:16:48]I think it's a raven. What is that?

[00:16:53]Do you hear that? It stopped.

[00:16:58]If you're enjoying these videos and you like coming along with me on these journeys, do me a favor and like this video and consider subscribing to my channel. I'm fairly new here to YouTube.

[00:17:08]I try to get these videos out as much as I can. Another thing, too, I'm never going to fabricate any of the things that I find. Not going to ever falsify the context of what I'm actually looking at for the sake of views or clicks. And I also don't use AI in any way, not even in my thumbnails or anything like that.

[00:17:30]Some of the main reasons here is I want these videos to be authentic and honest.

[00:17:36]And most of all, I want to be respectful, not only to you guys as a viewer, but to the Native American cultures that actually lived out here. I don't necessarily agree with using AI images to uh influence a click or a view out of the sake of disrespecting those cultures and also you guys as viewers. So, I hope you guys can uh see that and appreciate that. I keep these videos honest and I'll always keep it that way, too. I always think it's safe to have open speculation on the meaning behind certain things and of course to ask yourself why. I think if anything, that's one of the main reasons why I I like coming out here and exploring and seeing these landscapes is it really puts uh some weight to the human existence. But again, I'm not going to go out of my way to falsify context just for the sake of a click and a view or a sub. So, I hope you guys can appreciate that. Again, if you do enjoy being here with me, consider uh subscribing to this channel and and liking this video and leaving a comment below on what you guys find the most interesting out here. I really appreciate it.

[00:19:10]Look at that. That's so random.

[00:19:17]Again, if you look at all these rocks right here, then you come here and you see something like this just sitting here.

[00:19:24]That is definitely not sitting here naturally.

[00:19:33]Somebody definitely put that there.

[00:19:38]Look like there's a big cable right here running right through the wash with a sign.

[00:19:48]Let's go see what it says. It's basically saying hikers only.

[00:19:54]No motorbikes, bicycles, ATVs, or jeeps.

[00:19:59]So it looks like uh only us are allowed back here. Feet only.

[00:20:13]There's a humongous barrier canyon style pictograph up here.

[00:20:19]I'm going to climb these rocks and get nice and close.

[00:20:37]There we go.

[00:20:45]Look at this canyon. It's massive.

[00:20:55]Incredible.

[00:21:03]Barrier Canyon style pictoraphs date back to more than 4,000 years ago.

[00:21:09]While archaeologists have purposed many interpretations, they're often thought to represent spiritual beings or to reflect ceremonial or religious beliefs.

[00:21:19]But like so much of the ancient past, their true meaning has been lost in time.

[00:21:26]I wonder what that looked like when it was first put here however long ago. And I wonder what uh mineral they used to paint that on.

[00:21:35]The uh really large barrier canyon style pictoraphs. They're always just so mysterious to me, especially the ones that are life-sized like that. I can't help but feel like they look so ghoulish, almost ghostly. I think we're about four miles into this canyon-ish.

[00:21:54]There's a couple spots on the way in that I wanted to check out. So, we'll kind of pull over those and uh see what else is in this canyon.

[00:22:08]The prickly pear. One of the most iconic plants in the American Southwest. Its sharp spines can easily pierce right through the soles of your shoes. Out here, it's remarkable that anything can survive the harsh environment. The desert is an unforgiving place. Yet, this cactus thrives.

[00:22:38]This look like more paw prints.

[00:22:44]Even though the air temperature was about 101°, hiking through the middle of this canyon with scorching hot sand and relentless sun, it felt more like 110 to 115. Sun's really coming down now. It's right above us. It's basically no shadows right now.

[00:23:02]Nothing but hot sand underneath me.

[00:23:04]Beautiful in this canyon, though. On the way in, I saw there was a humongous pour off and it had a lot of slick rock. So, we'll go ahead and check that out. It's definitely midday. I just looked at the step counter. I think from the moment I started filming to now has been about 12,000 steps. There's the big pour off that I was talking about up here. I'm going to find my way in somehow.

[00:24:12]Oh, we got up here.

[00:24:17]We did it.

[00:24:30]It's been a day today. My legs are so scraped up and poked. I got a few cuts from branches and trees scraping my legs. Oh, wow.

[00:24:43]Look right there.

[00:24:51]He look like he's eating someone.

[00:24:54]There's something in his mouth.

[00:24:58]This guy almost looks like he has like a snake head.

[00:25:06]There's a petetroglyph right here.

[00:25:11]Many indigenous traditions of the Southwest tell of powerful giant beings from a distant age. These stories differ from culture to culture, with some describing giants that fed on human flesh and others telling of beings that disrupted the natural or cosmic order.

[00:25:30]Standing before an image like this, it's hard not to wonder if this is a representation of one of those legendary beings, or are we looking at something else entirely?

[00:26:04]the top of this canyon over here.

[00:26:07]There's an al cove. Had somebody tell me once to come and check this spot out if I was ever close to it. Never hiked up in here and took a look. So, let's go see. Look down at the ground and there's a lithic flake just sitting right there.

[00:26:23]Look at that.

[00:26:26]It's amazing. Just sitting right here in the dirt.

[00:26:33]It's fascinating. It's so glassy. That's razor sharp.

[00:26:39]I don't know what uh type of material this is.

[00:27:06]Oh, wow.

[00:27:20]Most of this panel seemed to have been missing from what looked like erosion from the cliff side chipping away.

[00:27:28]I bet this panel at one point in time was magnificent.

[00:27:32]I really wish I could have seen it in its earlier years. These anthros have the same lines that were going down their body just like the other one in the al cove that we saw earlier.

[00:27:42]It's a reminder that someday these images will be completely wiped from the earth. And it's extraordinary to me that we live in a time where we can experience them firsthand.

[00:27:52]>> If these even are anthropomorphic figures. That one definitely is.

[00:28:10]really do appreciate you guys coming on these adventures with me. Commenting below, let me know your thoughts. It's very much appreciated. It's always a gift being out here, being able to explore these areas. If you guys haven't already, please consider liking this video and subscribing to the channel.

[00:28:28]That support really does mean a lot.

[00:28:30]Otherwise, as always, be safe, take care of one another, and I'll see you guys all in the next adventure.

[00:28:38]I often wonder how many secrets still live within these canyons, and how many may never be found.