Bircham Springs Petroglyphs

We

At the parking area for the Bircham Springs campsite. (67kb)

Our group unpacks and plans our afternoon exploration. (76kb)

At over 5,000 ft we had beautiful skies and a fantastic view of the Panamints in the distance. (88kb)

An inscription on the fire ring. (117kb)

A look over our shoulder at the Panamints as we begin to hike up the wash toward old Bircham Spring. (95kb)

Our group on the move. (87kb)

As Joel leads us up the wash we see numerous flakes of obsidian. (85kb)

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Just beyond this dry waterfall we encounter a stone retaining wall built by early miners. (113kb)

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This rock shelter showed evidence of habitation with its soot stained ceiling and obsidian chips on the floor. (119kb)

Joel looks for petroglyphs on the ceiling. (119kb)

Near the spring we found the remains of an old stone cabin and the wooden debris of another structure. (114kb)

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Part of the can dump near the stone cabin. (156kb)

A view across the canyon to the ridgeline we would be exploring for petroglyphs. (81kb)

Part of a mano that would have been used to grind seeds and nuts. (69kb)

As we climb toward the petroglyphs we look back toward Bircham Spring. (88kb)

The petroglyphs are scattered among the boulders along the ridgeline. (157kb)

Some of the few wildflowers that we encountered on the way up to the plateau. (120kb)

If you look closely you can see some petroglyphs to the right of Danny, who is standing in the center of the picture. (94kb)

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