Tapado Canyon or, Say Yes to Adventure

Say yes to adventure.

Time and time again my good friend Tim Gibbs–Park Archeologist at Big Bend Ranch State Park, and all around solid dude–and I have talked about my joining him when he has archeological resources to explore. Yet, despite all the best intentions, excuses and opportunities, we seldom make it happen.

Monday morning Timmy invited me to check out a site in Topado Canyon with him on Thursday. I hastily cancelled plans, re-arranged others and confirmed I was in. Say yes to adventure! (tapado means “covered or closed, referring to the narrow canyons.”)

Starting out at 9:25am, it was a mellow three’ish miles upstream in the creek-bed. We looked at rocks, commented on the abundance of water and pointed at things authoritatively. Then the canyon quickly narrowed to widths of just 10-20′. Water flowed in small, steady streams; pools of perfectly clear water of various sizes kept appearing. The vegetation changed, was green with life and supported a myriad birds and insects. The tracks of various dogs and hoofed animals littered the sand. There were a few pools and pour-offs that required some focused and intentional manoeuvres, but the consequence was never much more than getting wet.

Listening to the sound of running water, we turned a corner and were presented with the most sublime desert oasis I have ever encountered. Tall, steep, narrow walls of basalt, water trickling down their length, moss and algae a vivid green. Pools of water fed by streams of life emanating right from the rock itself. Ferns, plants, trees and cacti adding to the beauty of this place. I was dumbfounded, awestruck, stupefied and at a loss for superlatives. I wanted to stay there forever. Alas, we had a mission to complete.

Just a little ways further we were in search of “Site #132.” Tim had no information about what was there, it was simply a circle on a map. Delicately smashing our way through dense, thorny brush, Tim found it.

A huge boulder the size of a small house with sufficient overhang to provide excellent cover from bad weather greeted us. There was a narrow chamber you could crawl into to get out of the bad stuff and plenty of evidence that folks had sheltered there often. Burned rock midden, camp-fire stains on the ‘ceiling’, tool/weapon-making debitage and the remains of a possible rock wall all confirmed the legitimacy of the site. Tim took measurements, made notes and took photographs, looking awfully official handling a measuring tape in his “pickle suit.”

His mission complete, Tim suggested we scamper up the canyon wall to explore the old pasture-land above us that contains a site known as Rancho Tapado. Say yes to adventure!

After a short climb that involved lots of exposure and terrible consequences for error, Tim quickly led us to an old shelter comprised of dry-stacked rock walls between several large boulders. This was a known, recorded site that Tim had visited on a previous trip. His information, however, indicated the possibility that the Rancho Tapado site contained more infrastructure than he was familiar with. We agreed to explore beyond a drainage towards a point on the cliff wall. There, we would take in the view and eat lunch. Turns out, I would also lose my pocked knife down a fault-line as I sat to eat.

Not finding anything further, we started back. Then he saw it. On the other side of the drainage, concealed within the bizarrely shaped eroded boulders, were two very distinct stacked rock walls.

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As we got close to the site, we found much midden deposits. Timmy quickly found a “mano”; the palm-sized rock used to grind seeds and grains within one of the many nearby metates. As Tim took measurements and photos of the first, smaller shelter, I sniffed around. finding more debitage and midden. Looking down from atop one of the boulders, I could make out the remains of the rock walls that would have created a small pen or large trough.

Approaching the larger structure, Tim declared “I’ve rarely seen anything like this down here.” Using the peculiarly shaped eroded boulders as a foundation and a large piece of cottonwood trunk, a substantial dry-stacked rock wall had been erected to close-in the structure. There was a hole in the ceiling to act as a chimney, while the rest of the ceiling had very clear evidence of fires. It was clear this was built to last…and that folks had been using it recently.

About 100 years old, the structure would have been built by local pastores as they brought their herds of goats to graze in the pasture that once existed there. As times changed, the folks who used this shelter have changed also.

Stepping upon the higher land that provided the base for this structure, we suddenly realized we had very nearly been standing on top of it earlier in the day!

Fully satisfied with our accomplishments, Timmy congratulating me on my amateur archeological sleuthing, we scrambled back down into the lush canyon and made for home.

This hike was so very rewarding. I saw a part of the Park I’ve never seen, as is often the case when I go hiking. Tim taught me much about local pre-history and history, as well as helping me to hone my skill in recognizing the oftentimes subtle evidence of human habitation in the desert. We found water, plants….an oasis in the desert. I also got to spend the day hanging out with one of my good friends as he did his thing.

Opportunities come and go, we just have to decide which ones are worth investing in. If yesterday’s hike proved anything to me, it’s that if the opportunity involves adventure and exploration, just say yes!