After eating Liz's amazing lemon zest, beer, and blueberry pancakes, we headed out to look for pellets. We strategically camped right next to Gatecliff Cave, so we didn't have far to go. We had some difficulty finding raptor pellets, but lagomorph pellets were everywhere. Despite our inability to collect raptor pellets around the rock outcroppings at Gatecliff, we were able to see some amazing pictographs inside the cave areas. We went back to our camp for a leftover posole lunch and decided to relax for a while, nearly everyone took a nap in the shade around our camp. Later in the afternoon we hiked up towards an aspen grove we saw earlier in the day. There ended up being a natural spring in the stand of aspen, making for a pleasant change in scenery. We returned back to make a stir fry dinner. After dinner we enjoyed a Dutch oven cake with peaches on the bottom made by Tony. It was a bittersweet evening, though. Since it was our last night in the field, we went around the campfire sharing the highlights and low points of the trip ("high-low"). The highlights greatly outweighed any problems we had on the trip and we were all sad to be leaving.
The view from where we camped at Gatecliff.
Our campsite with the Gatecliff in the background.
Inside the cave, largely filled in by amberat or crystalized rat urine (dark brown areas).
Native American pictographs.
Close up of the pictographs.
Liz's hand next to a Native American's handprint from thousands of years ago.
Hiking back to camp, collecting lagomorph pellets on the way.
Fossilized coral found near Gatecliff.
Gatecliff.
Gypsy taking part in our after lunch siesta.
Inside the aspen grove, christened "Anne's Aspen Grove" for Anne's love of aspens.
Anne among the aspens.
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