The Ancient Rock Art Field Companion

The Ancient Rock Art Field Companion: Corridors, Iconography, and Contemplative Trails of Moab and Old La Sal.

A 12-page printable and mobile-ready field manual for exploring the ancient petroglyph panels of southeastern Utah with tactical readiness, archaeological insight, and contemplative stillness.

WHAT IS INSIDE THE MANUAL:

• The Canyon-to-Benchland Split: Managing the 25-degree temperature swing and elevation shift between Moab canyon floors and the cool basin of Old La Sal.

• Biochemistry of Desert Varnish: How extremophile bacteria, manganese oxides, and percussive flaking preserve ancient records across millennia.

• Iconography Diagnostic Matrix: Identifying Archaic, Fremont, Ancestral Puebloan, and Historic Ute or Paiute motifs and tool marks.

• Archaeoastronomy and Navigation: Decoding solstice light daggers, safe cliff ascent markers, and bighorn sheep migration corridors.

• 3 Complete Corridor Trail Guides: Detailed trailheads, route execution, and panel locations for Hidden Valley Pass, Kane Creek / Birthing Rock, and Mill Creek Oasis (including water crossing notes).

• The 4 Non-Negotiable Stewardship Rules: Understanding skin-oil degradation, no-chalk and no-water rules, and biological soil crust preservation.

• Attention Restoration at the Panel: The Five-Minute Rule, soft fascination, and recovering from Directed Attention Fatigue (DAF).

• Printable Dawn and Dusk Journals: Contemplative reflection prompts on intentional choice, endurance, and lasting legacy.

• Emergency Directory and Resource Index: Dispatch numbers for Grand and San Juan counties, hospital info, and archaeological reporting contacts.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Format: Instant Digital PDF Download

• Layout: 12 Full Pages (Standard US Letter with 1-inch margins)

• Compatibility: Mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, and home printing

• Author: Justin Shannon, Ph.D. | deercreeklasal.com