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A Stroll through Time in Picket Wire Canyon

As promised in my February post about a trip to Comanche National Grasslands, I returned to the area again, this time to explore Picket Wire Canyon. I needed a break from the cold, wet spring happening in the Front Range and I also needed to experience wonder of the natural world: the largest dinosaur track site in North America (or the world depending on the source) would have to do.

Before making the journey, I did the usual reading up about the area and the more I researched, the more I was like, "why am I just now visiting this place for the first time?" True, the name Picket Wire is misleading: I mean, what on earth is a picket-wire?!? My imagination readily supplies a picture of a picket fence with lead paint peeling off and strung together with rusty barbed wire. The fence is in front of an abandoned homestead with boarded up windows, at the bottom of a hot, desolate canyon.

Above: cholla and junipers in short grass steppe along the Road Leading to the Withers Trailhead and Campground, which is the start of the Picket Wire Canyon hike.

Although I saw remains of old homesteads, I didn't see picket wire fences the entire time I was in Picket Wire Canyon. So what's behind the name? From an article in Colorado Arts and Science Magazine written by Jeff Mitton:

"It is a curious story how the Purgatoire River came to flow through Picketwire Canyon. A large band of conquistadors searching for gold was exploring the area and decided to split into two bands to more efficiently search separate canyons. The sole priest had the good fortune to be in the band that survived, while Native Americans wiped out the other band. Because the soldiers died without receiving last rites from the priest, their souls were lost for eternity in Purgatory."

The article continues: "The river was given a Spanish name meaning "souls lost in Purgatory." Later, French fur trappers translated the Spanish name to French and later they shortened it to Purgatoire. European settlers had difficulty pronouncing Purgatoire [it's pronounced peer-ga-twa], so they simplified it to Picketwire, which is now the most common name used by local residents. So today both the river and its canyon have two names: Purgatoire and Picketwire."

Above: The Purgatoire River in April 2019

Starting off with this tragic story about the Spanish conquistadors, I have not built a strong case for visiting Picket Wire Canyon. Nor is it compelling that in 2017 two people in separate parties died in the canyon due to dehydration and heat exhaustion.

I'll take this opportunity to say: With social media emphasizing the importance of the perfect selfie and downplaying the inherent dangers that sometimes accompany taking said selfie, it is good to remember that this canyon can be very inhospitable and even dangerous -- especially in the summer months when temperatures soar to over 110F. For this reason, I recommend visiting in April or May before it gets too hot (or in the fall) and to carry at least 1 gallon of water per person, plenty of high-calorie snacks, and to slather yourself with sunscreen. Did I mention there's also cactus with ominous spines and hidden glochids that you could fall on, venomous snakes, and that medical help is hours away? 'Nough said...

If you're still reading, Picket Wire Canyon is also known for archeological sites including homesteads of settlers, the Delores Mission cemetery, Native American rock art ranging from 350 to 4500 years old, birds and wildflowers, unique geology including Cretaceous and Permian sedimentary rock, and as I already mentioned, the largest tracksite of dinosaurs in North America (or the entire world, depending on the source).

We set out for Picket Wire Canyon on a Friday morning in order to beat the rain and to secure a campsite at the Withers Campground, which has approximately seven designated camping sites. After almost four hours of driving, the last of which was on bumpy gravel roads, we finally arrived ahead of a rainstorm.

FYI: Sources advise a high clearance vehicle to travel the last few miles to the trailhead. Our low-clearance Subaru had no problem on dry roads. If the roads had been any muddier on the way out, we might have gotten stuck as the soil is fairly clay-ey. I was surprised to see a SmartCar in the parking lot the second day we were there, but I have no idea how it was able get past one particularly muddy washout in the road on the way out. Perhaps it had to wait for the roads to dry out?

After arriving, we immediately set up camp, snacked, and then hiked Withers Canyon Trail, a short loop that wanders around the canyon rim.

The photo below was taken on the rim of Picket Wire Canyon, which is somewhere between the juniper trees and the rainbow.

We retired to our tent before dark, as I always appreciate a good night's sleep before a long hike. Sleep didn't happen. The wind whipped through the canyon, through the juniper woodland and into our rainfly, turning our tent into bellows. When it stopped for brief periods, I slept, but was always awoken again by the sound of the wind.

In the morning we had coffee and breakfast and hit the trail. The first part of the hike is a short, 250-feet descent in elevation to the canyon floor. Once we entered the canyon, here is the first view we saw.

A few miles into the hike we encountered willow shrubland indicating we were approaching water.

One of the first views of the Purgatoire River, which was the color of my morning coffee since I take mine with lots of creamer. You can filter the water, but apparently it is not palatable. I did read somewhere that if you feel the onslaught of heat exhaustion you should jump in the river to bring down your body temperature.

The first historical site we encountered: an old homestead

An old telephone pole with glass insulator: at some point, the canyon had electricity. Those days are long gone.

Another historical site: the Delores Mission Cemetery. I was saddened to compare my photo to those of others taken in years past. It seems as if a few artifacts have walked away.

Gravestone

Now for some geological scenes which make me wish I knew more about geology. I can confirm that the white flowers scattered in the foreground are Oenothera caespitosa (evening primrose).

More cool rocks

A closeup of some of the sedimentary rock.

The canyon also contains rock art and if you look hard enough, you will find it. I am sure there was a lot we didn't see, but I've heard that park rangers lead jeep tours on select Saturdays and will show participants hard-to-find rock petroglyphs.

More Rock Art

This rock art could be seen easily from the trail if you are not looking down at your feet.

A life-sized replica of a dinosaur bone.

First dinosaur tracks siting: Allosaurus, a meat eating dinosaur with three toes. Apparently these fossils suggest that this species hunted in pairs, not solitarily, as once was thought.

Another footprint

And another. There were lots!

In order to see the brontosaurus tracks, one must cross the Purgatoire River. I've heard that after a heavy rainfall or with lots of snowmelt, it can be a bit treacherous. Luckily, we didn't feel unsafe crossing the river. I was more worried about my precious camera getting wet. The best place to cross according to sources is above the short series of cascades, so that's where we crossed.

In any case, after hiking 5.5 miles you should really just woman up and cross the river because you can walk in 150 million year old dinosaur tracks.

Tracks leading to the river

Human footprints in a layer of mud presumably above more dinosaur tracks almost caused me to have an existential moment. What tracks will I leave? What tracks will human beings leave other than a layer of plastic in the sediment, climate change, and a mass extinction of species?

After spending awhile with the dinosaur tracks, we ate lunch and then began the long 5.5 mile walk back.

A few of the flowers we saw along the way

The wildflower in the last photo perplexed me and I didn't have access to the Internet or to Ackerfield's Flora of Colorado. When I returned home I did some research and found that it was Linaria canadensis var. texana (Nuttallanthus texanus). It seems to be a new record for Comanche National Grasslands and a new county record? I reported it to the folks at Comanche National Grasslands after I was back in Denver and was told that because of the deeply penetrating rains, they have seen flowers blooming they haven't seen for years. Here's an aerial view of the flowers:

A close up of the leaves in rosettes and alternate along the stems. The habitat was a sandy wash, dampened by vernal and monsoonal rains next to juniper, mountain mahogany, and grasses. I always get excited when I spot a weird plant that takes me awhile to ID.

The last evening at the Withers Campground was spent exploring the area behind the campsite and photographing plants and rocks. This was the calm before the storm:

A view of Picket Wire Canyon from below our campsite: the wind had picked up and was ushering dark clouds in

The skies became stormier.

But doesn't "bad weather" lend to some of the most dramatic photos?

Suddenly a bright flash followed by a loud clap of thunder. I debated whether I should try to capture a lightning bolt on camera, but in the end I decided to return to camp where Christi had dinner waiting.

All in all, a good time was had in Picket Wire Canyon. Next time I'll check out Carrizo Canyon and spend more time in Picture Canyon. Unfortunately I am running out of unbooked weekends.

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