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..
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...
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