Long before there was digital photography, before there was film based photography, even before pen and paper were used to communicate ancient people carved or painted messages on rocks to communicate with each other. It is thought that humans have occupied the Zion region for the last seven thousand years. Past Inhabitants include Anasazi, Fremont and ancestors of the Southern Piaute. It is thought that any or all of these people may have contributed to the Petroglyphs of the Zion area, leaving messages for each other as they passed through. Years ago my uncle Don took me down a wash in Zion to see the ancient writings of these people. I remembered the petroglyphs and wanted to re-visit them with my digital camera. I found them in good shape with no vandalism (they are beginning to wear from thousands of years of weather) and photographed the messages carved into the walls…
I returned to the car and began driving down the canyon when not more than a bend or two in the road, I came across a small herd of Desert Bighorn Sheep. With thoughts of the ancient ones still in my mind I had to stop and make some images in digital to continue the communication and share with the world that there are still bighorn sheep in Zion.
As I drove away I wondered if these are ancestors of the ancient sheep of the petroglyphs…
Images captured with Nikon D3S, AF-S 70-200mm VR II, TC-20E III on Lexar Digital Media
