Selden Canyon- " Dancing Man Canyon"

The dancing man

Seamus and I got out and did this little hike on  MLK Day. Last year, when I hiked up Lytten Canyon I had intended to come down the canyon just to south,but since Lytten curves around significantly to the southeast, I overshot it by two canyons and ended up coming down the one I'm calling " Flying V." My plan this time was going up Flying V, find the faded road on top that would lead down to  the canyon just south of Lytten.

A "maybe" glyph in Mushroom Canyon

Well, it all worked out,  though not quite like  I planned. First, I ended up, after a big climb and descent in the one I call Mushroom Canyon that I'd been in last year. I realized it pretty quickly and had to correct the mistake with an even bigger climb and descent into the next canyon on the north. It was all beautiful, so I didn't mind. The high bouldery mesa, the north facing hillside gray with a good growth of bunch grass, the distant views of our desert mountains, the deep V shaped ravine where far below among the  rocks and formations a quiet, sandy path awaited my exploration, all played wonderfully in my mind like music.

 

Yes, since finding a fantastic panel (really a large individual petroglyph) in Flying V Canyon last year, I'd been hoping to make lightning strike twice and find some more rock art in my several explorations of the Selden Hills this year. I'd been unlucky so far but that changed on Monday.
 I was delighted as always to oh so casually come upon the first panel on a gray boulder, as if it was meant to happen.

 I had refrained from a lot of fruitless searching rocks on the hillsides, because as I looked back in my mind, the odds come down hard on the rock art being along, or in the arroyo itself. Now, this isn't true  in every instance, but it almost always has to be the place to start.
  I didn't find a lot of petroglyphs, but what I did find  struck me as odd, because of the seemingly wide disparity in styles. Someone out there with the experience and knowledge is welcome to explain.


 Seamus and I returned to our car going up several little ridges and plateaus, and down into their intervening arroyos, always on the look out for any signs of the people who went before, the ones who left behind the art on the rocks.
Note: I must, as I have before, tell everyone that this is NMSU property. Although, the area is not posted, enter with the knowledge that you may be considered a trespasser. Railroad property may be posted as well. It can be easier walking along( not on, please) the tracks,but I don't recommend it. Walk in the river bed  or up and down the brushy ridges like we did and cross where you need to. It's harder ,but more fun and less dangerous.