somehiker
Silver Member
- May 1, 2007
- 4,365
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- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Ultimately, I believe that the Dons are going to be recognized by acidemia as keepers of lost history. I understand the eccentricity, their promotion of tourism and local ledgends, but to dismiss the Dons and those that follow their traditions outright is shortsighted.
Let me offer one example (a detail) of legend explained. It doesn’t belong in this thread and some of you will dismiss the importance of what I am sharing, but for those who are out there looking, this and paying attention to the ground beneath your feet might prove helpful.
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The person who shared this with me isn’t interested in being identified, is closer culturally to those mentioned in this paragraph than most of us and is dedicated to the preservation of history.
Natural caliche cement isn’t impervious to weather and the extreme temperatures of the Superstitions. So, if this paragraph is true, some of this material would, over time, loosen, crack, chip, erode and eventually reveal the “stout logs” that it covered. Unless a bonding agent was added.
As it turns out, this bonding agent described to me as being similar to Elmer’s Glue, is made from fermented cactus. First thorns are removed and then the cactus gathered. It is chopped and placed into a container of water. That container is placed in direct sunlight for several days and the mixture left to ferment. It may also be boiled to speed up the process.
The chopped cactus and excess water is removed leaving behind “cactus juice”. It’s a thick, gooey material that once added to caliche makes it (the caliche) incredibly strong and resistant to the elements. How much cactus juice to caliche mix is determined by practice.
The recipe was apparently rediscovered by historians and published.
So what? Well, hopefully the next time you are in the field, searching, and you think that you are in a promising location, look at the area carefully. The layer of dirt and rock that was used to cover the caliche should have thinned or been washed away exposing this caliche cap. Look again, notice any rocks protruding from the material they rest on. It should look unnatural, like rocks stuck into and partially covered by cement.
Just how Storm gathered this information is another mystery, but I suspect that it came from a trusting native who inherited the story. It’s only an opinion but I think that this paragraph is the single most import clue available to those looking.
Something like this Hal ?
Looks like some kind of covered-up area with a few logs exposed in a couple of spots.
Second shot is from another place up above, on a bluff down at the end of the canyon.
The yellow x marks about where those logs are.....above and behind that weird rock formation and pit.
Sorry they aren't sharper....I would have had to climb down and cross a couple of hundred yards or more of very rough ground to get close enough to even see this stuff.
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