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Peñasco Blanco
By Rachel Harmony
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Peñasco Blanco
By Rachel Harmony
Imagine walking 9 miles in 90 degree weather with a minimal amount of water, and no clouds in the sky in the sky to protect you from the sun’s rays. That’s how it was for us when we went to Peñasco Blanco. After an hour and a half of hiking, we finally arrived at the top of the canyon. Out of breath and out of water, we admired the spectacular scenery. This pueblo has not been restored much. I saw pieces of pottery on a stone and grasshoppers mating on the path. I couldn’t understand why anyone would live up there. It was so windy and hot, and in the winter it would be windy and cold. It had a great view, but there was nothing up there – no water source, no nothing. The only thing I can think of is that the Anasazi would have lived up there to star gaze or study the sun’s position in the sky so they knew when to plant crops. The man who runs Chaco’s observatory says the Navajo now say the only people who would stay up all night are shamans or witches. The people also say that ghosts are still up there. It was eerie. We started walking back ,and when we got back to the van we all laid on the ground and pretended we were dead. We got a picture of it. Then we went back to the trailer, drank water and relaxed!