Today's adventure is not a hike or a run, but a search (mostly in the jeep) for a remote petroglyph panel in the Sierra Nevada range "near" Soda Springs, CA. I learned of the Wabena Petroglyph panel from an archaeological survey book I acquired a couple of years ago. When I mentioned the trip to my friend, Nick, who shares my interest in Native American rock art, he enthusiastically wanted to join.
In my jeep, we departed Reno a little after 7:00 AM with electronic maps and some location descriptions in hand. We knew it was going to take some time to get to the site though. The panel is reported to lay on top of Wabena Point, which is on the far side of the Royal Gorge of the American River. After a 45-minute drive to the Soda Springs exit and leaving the pavement, we traveled on rough forest service roads for about 15-miles. The route takes us down the northern side of the deep valley via a number of long switchbacks. The way is rough and I don't think a car would make this trip, but it doesn't pose much of a challenge for my Rubicon, even with the current need for new tires.
As we drop down to the bottom of the gorge, we pass by something listed as Onion Creek Campground, we're a little baffled to identify anything resembling a campground (even a primitive one) in this thick forest. Continuing on we pass over Onion Creek and then into a remote forest community, which I believe is actually called Soda Springs. We note with some sarcasm the huge number of "No Trespassing" signs we have seen along the way, specifically the areas on either side of the road. Neither of us is sure what could be so valuable here as to warrant all of these signs. A few structures and even what appear to be homes make up the small community, but I can't imagine this being a year-round home for anyone. The winter snows at this elevation would like make it impossible to escape for supplies during much of the year.
Finally reaching the bottom of the valley and crossing over the North Fork of the American River, we begin the climb up the far side of the Royal Gorge. A criss-cross of jeep trails make it a bit confusing, but we planned our route out pretty well and have no real issues. We are caught quite off-guard when we drive past a paved basketball court in very good condition (new nets, no overgrowth, no cracking in the pavement) deep in the forest. Who in the world would have put this here? And who would drive this far on such rough roads to play? The answers will have to remain a mystery as we are focused on another destination further up the ridge.
Reaching a spot in the jeep trail that is near Wabena Point, we continue on foot. This are juts out of the mountain like a peninsula into a sea of vastness. The Royal Gorge opens up before us and stretches for perhaps a hundred miles beyond. Far below (like a couple of thousand feet), the river cuts ever deeper into the mountain. Though it is far distant, we can see a couple of nice waterfalls below the ridge where we currently stand.
The loose scree up here doesn't look like the type of stone that would make for good rock art, but we begin looking around nonetheless. After twenty minutes or so, we are starting to get a little frustrated. The descriptions I found were pretty clear, but for whatever reason, we are just not finding the panel. We decide to return the short distance to the jeep, where surprisingly, we had very good mobile reception. After reviewing some other notes and pictures of the site, we walk back out the quarter mile or so to the point and begin our search again.
After only a short time, Nick spots the panel. How we missed it before is a mystery, but there it is in all its glory. This long panel is very near the edge of the cliff and is approximately fifteen feet long by four feet wide. It lays nearly flat on the ground and has some amazing images pecked into it. The stone itself has begun to crumble around some of the edges and someone has attempted to cement them back together. I appreciate the person's attempt to preserve the rock art, but I'm left not knowing how to feel about this unnatural intrusion. Regardless, the individual had good intentions and I hold them or their work no ill will. The rock art itself includes images of the sun, of bear claws, and even what is possibly a medicine shield. The panel is very reminiscent of the one above Donner Lake, which makes sense as we are only twenty miles or so from there.
Nick and I snap a few more photos and then decide to head out. This has been one of the most remote and difficult panels that either of us has ever visited, but the beauty of the rock art and the cultural treasure it represents makes it all worth while.
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