Hickison Petroglyphs and Orionid Meteor Shower (Lander County, Nevada)

I had been planning to camp near Hinkey Summit in the Santa Rosa Range this weekend, but when my buddy, Nick, contacted me and asked if I would be interested in camping and doing some astro-photography with him, we had to change the location of our plans due to expected cloud cover at that location. Nick suggested the Hickison Petroglyph Site just a few miles east of Austin, NV along US-50. I've visited the site once before, but it was a quick visit during a cold December a few years ago. Another trip to get shots of the ancient Native American petroglyphs at the site in addition to seeing the Orionid Meteor Shower in such a dark location seemed like a great idea.

Driving the three or so hours to the site, we arrived in the late afternoon and began to set up camp. It's forecast to get pretty cold overnight and so, we were sure to brought plenty of warm weather gear. We quickly prepared some dinner over the camp stove and then set out to explore the petroglyph trail.

The site includes about eight campsites complete with picnic tables and fire rings. The petroglyph trail starts just a few dozen yards west of the campground. The first panel we encounter is tucked away under a sandstone overhang. The glyphs are carved more deeply than most other examples I have seen and unfortunately have been imitated by modern visitors carving their initials and other modern symbols into the sandstone. This always an irritating thing to see as it not only disrespects the original artists, but also all those that may wish to enrich themselves in the historical culture of the rock art. It's a shame and I hope future visitors will take this into consideration and not damage the site any further.

Moving a slight distance further, I notice the next panel. This one is tucked away in a tight crevasse, which has likely offered some protection from the centuries of erosion. This panel seems to be intact. The examples on both panels are similar in style to many of the others I have seen over the years at other sites around the western US. The curvy lines and geometric shapes obviously had some meaning to the artist, but it may be lost to us.

Following the trail to an overlook, we arrive just in time to see the sun going down over the mountain. We follow a couple of side trails a short distance, but they don't appear to go anywhere interesting and so we head back towards our campsite. On the way, we stop at one last panel, which is the most densely populated in terms of glyphs. The panel is on a large sandstone rock surrounded by wooden barriers to discourage anyone from defacing it.

Returning to our campsite, I begin starting a fire while Nick gets his camera gear ready. Unfortunately, he didn't bring his tripod mount and has to resort to sitting his cameras on flat rocks. As we enjoy the fire, we catch up on our adventures over the last couple of years. Nick has only recently returned to the Reno area after about three years. 

The sky begins to darken and as the stars start peaking through, we see the first of many meteors shooting through the desert sky. Last night and tonight are predicted to be the peak of the annual Orionid Meteor Shower, and with the moon setting at just an hour or so after sunset, the night should be great for viewing. Soon, we extinguish the fire and the sky becomes nearly pitch black with the Milky Way coming into plain view. We decide to get a few hours sleep and get back up around in a few hours when the meteors should peak.

At 2:00 AM, it's cold outside and I'm reluctant to leave the warm environment of my sleeping bag and tent, but the meteors await. I throw on my jacket and head out to meet Nick at his cameras. We stay out and observe the shooting stars for thirty minutes or so before returning to our respective tents to finish out the night.

*Photo courtesy of Nick Parrillo

We rise early, break camp, and head back to Reno. It was a quick camping trip during a fairly cold night, but the shooting stars, petroglyphs, and company made it more than worthwhile. I look forward to our next adventure.