A Preponderance of Posteriors

This is not actually a post about behinds as the title suggests, although it’s true that a few are featured. As I just shared photos of Colorado’s Mesa Verde, I thought I’d follow up with shots of the many tight spots, steep ladders and narrow stairways one must navigate to explore these ancient cliff dwellings. It is definitely not a place for those with claustrophobia or a fear of heights!

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Our Park Ranger had an amusing tale from the previous week about a woman freezing in panic halfway up this ladder, too afraid to go higher or to climb back down. As it is a sheer cliff with no easy access, heavy equipment had to be brought onto the mesa top to lower her to the ground far below.

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Needless to say, visitors are more carefully screened than ever to avoid such incidents!

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While stairways were carved into the rock for tourists in the 1930s,

the Anasazi scampered up and down the cliff face with ease, winter or summer. 

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At left are the original handholds carved out by the ancient people to aid in their climb.

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Often, access to the dwellings was gained only through a single narrow opening, a clever idea that lent ease to guarding the fortress against enemy infiltraton. It does, however, make a tight fit for today's overfed tourists!

The photo above shows a typical entrance to the cozy kivas. Once inside with a warm fire, family groups could comfortably settle in to weather the cold, dark winter months, bolstered by the knowledge that their store rooms were well stocked with grain.
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To walk in the footsteps of the ancients is worth any effort to get there.  

To stand where they stood...to look out on the world they saw is a rare and extraordinary chance to experience history on a uniquely personal level...