Published: 6 Mar 2025
Chapter 52 – The Ute Mountain Reservation
When the alarm went off at 5:00 the next morning, we got dressed and met up with my parents. “Did you sleep well?” I asked as we headed out to get in the SUV.
“I slept like a dead man,” Dad answered.
“Only if dead men snore,” Mom quipped, “but other than listening to him saw wood, I slept very well too after I got the earplugs in.”
“I’m glad to hear that because Devin and I slept like babies.”
“You mean when you woke up you needed your diapers changed?” Dad joked. “And who gave you your two o’clock feeding?”
“Very funny,” I replied as we climbed into our seats. “Where are we going to eat?”
“I’m driving to Cortez, since it’s too early to find a place around here, but The Ute Coffee Shop in Cortez opens at 6:00. We’ll eat there, but we’ll have to eat fast if we’re going to get to the reservation by 7:00. As soon as we’re done eating, then I’ll drive the rest of the way to Towaoc.”
As soon as we got to Cortez and arrived at The Ute Coffee Shop, we all went inside, glanced at the menus quickly, and then we were ready to order our meals. The server hadn’t arrived yet to take our orders, though, when my phone rang. When I looked at the number, it was the same one from the night before.
“Hello, Trevor. Is something the matter?” I asked.
“Unfortunately, there is, because I’m having a family emergency this morning and won’t be able to take you out to the site. However, it doesn’t mean your day is ruined. You are not supposed to go out there without me, since self-guided tours aren’t allowed. However, in this case I’m making an exception.”
“Whew, you had me worried there. Are we still going to meet you at the Tribal Headquarters?”
“No, I can’t afford the time to drive there, but I’ll send you the link to my Cloud storage so you can download each item to your phone. The first item is a letter that I typed and signed on Tribal Council stationery that gives you permission to go out to the sites without me. Under normal circumstances you would need a tribal member to go out there with you. In this case, however, I wasn’t able to get one of our guides to go out there with you either, since they all have other plans, and that’s why no tours were scheduled for today either,”
“Thank you for doing this for us.”
“Tom said that you, your friend, and your parents are all remarkable people and very interested in the Ute culture and ancient Puebloans, so I’m happy to do this for you. Now, let’s get back to what I was saying earlier. The second item you can download is a map I’ve drawn with written directions below that explains how to get out to the sites. The third is a video that is used to train new guides for the cliff dwelling sites and it will give you all of the same information that I could have shared with you. This means you will be able to match what you’re looking at with what you’re seeing on the video. I just want to apologize that I’m not able to take you there personally.”
That’s ok and I hope whatever your family emergency is that it will work out the way you want and everything is fine.”
“Thank you. I’ve got to go now, so I wish you all the best of luck while you’re out there and please be careful.”
As soon as the call ended, Devin asked a question. “Are we still going to be able to go out there?”
“Yes, we can still go out there, but Trevor won’t be able to guide us. Instead, he said he sent me a link to download three items. One will give us permission to do this, in case someone else comes along and questions what we’re up to, since self-guided tours aren’t allowed and we don’t have a tribal member with us. The second item is a map he drew with written directions below it for how to get there from the Tribal Headquarters., and the third is a video that they use when training new guides. By using that we can match up what we’re seeing with the video and still have the same information that we’ll need about the cliff site.”
“Great! I was afraid we weren’t going to be able to go there.”
After we finished eating our meals, I was downloading the items Trevor sent me while Dad filled up the gas tank. As soon as I had the map and directions downloaded, I asked a question. “Do you want me to give you my phone with the map and directions for you to follow, or do you want me to verbally guide you there? Or I could drive.”
“You can just tell me where I need to go, because it shouldn’t be that difficult to get there.”
“Ok, I can do that.”
I pulled up a map showing how to get from Cortez to Towaoc on my phone and then I told Dad what he needed to do. It took about 25 minutes to drive there. Once we arrived, I read the directions that Trevor had made to get to the cliff dwelling sites. It turned out to be approximately a forty mile drive to get there, but this time Dad had to drive over bumpy dirt trails that kicked up a great deal of dust. As I glanced out the back window and saw all the dust he was kicking up, it reminded me of the old western movies that I’d seen when I was younger. Each time the cavalry saw a dust cloud in the distance they could always tell the size of the enemy force that they were going to be facing by how much dust the enemy’s horses kicked up.
After we arrived at the location, Devin and I put a few more water bottles in our backpacks before we started looking around. After we’d given the place a cursory examination, I began to play the video that Trevor had allowed me to download so we could all watch and listen to it.
“You are now on the Colorado Plateau” the narrator began, “just above the Mancos River in Lion Canyon. If you didn’t know this, Lion Canyon was named in honor of Edward S. Lyon, who became famous for building the first quarry in the area to harvest sandstone. Although Mr. Lyon’s surname is spelled with a ‘y’, the canyon’s name was spelled using an ‘i’ and it has remained this way ever since. As we hike over the three-mile (4.8 km) route, you will be able to explore four cliff dwelling sites, but just be careful, because some of these sites are very fragile and can be easily damaged.”
“We didn’t plan on touching the walls, because of the oils in our hands,” Devin stated, “so we won’t damage them unless we trip.”
“You will also spot various artifacts that were found at the various sites by the archeologists that have worked there, at one time or another. After the items had been recorded and photographed, they were left behind so visitors, such as yourselves, could examine them as well. You may also spot other pottery shards scattered about, but please do not try to remove any of the items from the sites and leave them where you found them, so they can also be appreciated by future visitors.”
“We didn’t plan on taking any souvenirs either,” I remarked without considering that I was talking to a video.
“The inhabitants of this area lived on top of the mesa at first, where they planted and cared for their crops. We don’t know why they moved down to the canyon below and began building new homes in the natural alcoves that had formed there when the water seeped through the soil and then the sandstone. They might have moved there for protection from their enemies, or it may have been due to environmental factors, such as an extended drought or to use more of the top of the mesa for growing crops.”
“I’m sure there were frequent droughts,” Dad added, “since this is such an arid location, and I’m sure some of the droughts lasted more than a year or two. I can also see why they wanted to use more land for farming.”
“Once they moved into the canyon,” the narrator continued, “the various sites were built in two distinct phases. The first phase took place between 1130 to 1160 of the Common Era, and this is when the stone dwellings and kivas were first constructed in the cliffs. A second phase occurred between 1205 and 1220, and this was when the old dwellings were partially or totally taken apart and rebuilt, or new structures were added.”
“Wow, both of those date are earlier than what they told us at Mesa Verde, because the first guide we had said that those cliff dwelling were built in the latter half of the 13th century, or the late 1200s.”
“Yeah, your right,” Devin agreed.
“The structures were built using hand-cut sandstone blocks that had been shaped by using harder stone, and they were bound together using an adobe mortar. The walls were sometimes also covered with an adobe plaster to provide them with a smooth, even surface. Both the mortar and the plaster consisted of a mixture of clay, sand, and water, although in different proportions. Applying the mortar and plaster was done by hand, and possibly the plaster was smoothed out using a flat rock. Occasionally, the plaster was decorated by painting designs on it.”
“I hope we can still see some of those wall decorations,” Devin said.
“Although you’re able to visit them now, these ancient Puebloan villages survived unknown to the rest of the world due to the overhangs and dry climate. That changed in the 1880s when Anglo settlers stumbled upon them, although some sources claim a member of the Ute tribe guided the first Anglo settlers to this location.”
“Wow, I’m learning more here than I did at Mesa Verde,” Mom admitted.
“Yes, this video is very informative,” Dad concurred.
“The clothing and sandals that the early cliff dwellers wore were made using yucca cord, agave leaves, bark, and cotton.” the video explained. “And the Puebloan pottery was made by hand using clay that was first formed into snake-like coils and then wrapped around into circles that were needed for the particular item they were making. These circular loops were then placed on top of one another until they had the shape and size they wanted. Once the rough shape had been completed, the surface was then smoothed by using a flat rock so no coils could be seen.
“Much of the pottery was decorated using a black-on-white technique. Before 1200 CE, the black paint was created by crushing rocks with an iron-rich content, like hematite. After 1200 it was more common for them to use black paint made by boiling certain plants, such as beeweed or tansy mustard. No matter how the black coloring was produced, it was applied using brushes made from yucca plant fibers.
“The white background was merely the color of the clay, once it had been fired, due to the low levels of impurities, such as iron and organic materials. After the pottery had been smoothed out and painted, the various items were placed in a fire pit that had been dug in the ground. The fire in the pit was fueled by burning either wood, dung, or coal, and this would harden the items into earthenware.”
“They explained the process perfectly,” Mom announced. “I took a pottery class in school and that sounds a lot like what we used to do, because we started out using the coil method before we were taught how to use a potter’s wheel. And we were supplied with glazes that we used to paint the designs onto the pottery and then those items were fired in a kiln, not a fire pit. Other than those small differences, it sounds the same as the way we were first taught.”
“I’m sure that’s still the case,” I agreed.”
“Each individual would paint their pots using different designs,’ the video continued, “and those designs would make them recognizable from the pots made by other members of the village. Some of the women would decorate their pots using unique patterns and designs, while others would draw the faces of family members or depict different animals instead.”
“Some of those people would have been good artists,” Mom stated, “if they could draw the faces of their loved ones on the pottery.”
“You will begin your tour,” the narrator continued, “by climbing down a sturdy ladder made from Ponderosa Pine. Just be careful as you make your way down the ladder, because we don’t want anyone to get injured while doing this.”
I was just about ready to make a suggestion to my parents when a car drove up, and we soon discovered it was the tribal police. “You’re not supposed to be here. No one is allowed on the reservation without a tribal member present, and self-guided tours of these sites is prohibited,” he announced in no uncertain terms. “I’m placing all of you under arrest and you’ll be turned over to the CSP (Colorado State Patrol) for trespassing on tribal lands.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I countered. “I have a signed letter from Trevor Turtle giving us permission to do this. He was going to give us a personal tour, but he had a family emergency, so he sent me a signed letter giving us permission to do this on our own.” I then showed him the letter.
Still not accepting my explanation or the proof that I showed him, he called Trevor to verify my story. “Ok, Trevor. I understand and I’ll make sure they’re not bothered again,” he said into his phone, and then he turned toward me. “As you said, Trevor explained that he was unable to be here with you and that he couldn’t find anyone else to take his place. In fact, he said that was the reason that no tours had been scheduled for today, because all of our guides were busy doing other things. I apologize for reacting so harshly.”
“We understand. You were just doing your job,” I replied.
“You can continue exploring the cliff dwellings at the various locations on your own, but please be careful. It’s not easy getting medical assistance out here to these remote sites in emergency situations, so if you do get seriously injured it may take hours before we can get anyone to assist you. That’s due to several factors. First of all, it might take a while before you can alert us to the situation, and then it will take even longer before we can get a helicopter to airlift you out of the canyon.”
“We understand and we’ll be very careful,” Dad assured him.
“I’ll also leave a notice on your vehicle so others will see it and know that you have permission to be out here, so they won’t disturb either you or your SUV.”
“Thank you, that will be much appreciated,” Dad responded.
As the officer was walking back to his vehicle to retrieve something he could use to write a message on, I addressed my parents. “Mom and Dad, before the officer showed up, I was just about to tell you to let either Devin or I to go down the ladder ahead of each of you, and then you can climb down above us. That way we’ll be there in case you need any help.”
Neither one complained about my suggestion, so I went first, and then Devin and Dad helped Mom into position on the ladder. We then made our way down the ladder so Devin and Dad could follow us. Mom was a little more than halfway down the ladder when it suddenly appeared that she’d lost her grip on one of the rungs, and as her arm came free it caused her body to lurch backward. This caused her to lose her balance, and I watched as she started to fall. Her legs struck me in the head and shoulder as her body passed overhead, but I retained my wits and was able reach out and grab ahold of one of her arms. I held onto the ladder with my left hand as I pulled her toward me, and then I managed to wedge her body between the ladder and myself.
After nearly a minute, Mom finally began to calm down, and as soon as her body started to relax, I urged her to grab ahold of the ladder again. Once I was certain that she wouldn’t do anything foolish, I spoke.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m just a little embarrassed and shaken from the scare. My shoulder’s a little sore as well, from getting a severe jerk when you stopped me from falling. I believe I’m ok, though, and nothing is seriously wrong or broken, and thank you for keeping me from falling all the way down to the ground.”
“I’m glad I saw what was happening and was able to react in time. What caused you to start falling like that?”
“I felt something touch my right hand shortly after I’d grabbed onto the next rung on the ladder.”
“What was it?”
“I’m not sure, but it wasn’t part of the ladder. It was alive and moved, and I panicked. I jerked my hand away from it, and that caused me to lose my balance, and I started to fall. I tried to hold on to the ladder with my other hand, but I didn’t have enough strength to do that. How in the world did you have the strength to catch me like that?”
“I guess it was just an adrenaline surge kicking in from thinking you might get injured that gave me the strength to do it.”
She didn’t say anything else, but I saw Devin looking down at us and he nodded. He’d obviously figured out something was wrong when he heard Mom scream as she was falling and wisely alerted Dad that they had to stop going any further. They then waited until we got moving again, and as soon as we were all on the ground, Dad asked a question.
“Cindy, why did you scream?”
“I fell off the ladder, but Mickey caught me by the arm and helped me get back on the ladder again. He’s a lot stronger than I thought he was.”
“It was just an adrenaline surge,” I commented when Dad looked at me, but Devin knew what I’d actually done when I saved her.
“Ok, since everyone is all right, let’s check out the first cliff dwelling. Does it have a name?”
“Let’s start the video again and find out,” I suggested.
“Now that we’ve all climbed down the ladder, we’ll head to our first site – the Tree House cliff dwelling. It’s not very far from here and is located in a heavily wooded area, and if you haven’t already noticed, the cliff dwellings were an ideal solution for the Puebloan people. They were built on the southern canyon face, beneath overhanging rock ledges, so the people were warmed by the low winter sun and shaded from the high summer sun. The Puebloans were also able to move here from villages on the mesa tops so those areas could be used to grow more crops.”
“Damn, I didn’t learn that at Mesa Verde either!” I announced very loudly.
We then made our way to the Tree House cliff dwelling, and we had to climb a ladder to get up there, as well as to walk over rock-strewn terrain as we got closer to the structures. The first thing that stood out was the three-story sone tower that had been constructed against the rocky cliff face.
“If you’ll focus on the stone tower, you will notice two things. The first is that the ground floor has no windows or doorways. That’s because that area was used only for storage, primarily for grains. The next thing you probably notice is that the second level has a T-shaped doorway. That merely means that the top half of the doorway is slightly wider than the bottom section. Theres even a ledge built into the ground level that the occupants could climb on to reach the T-shaped doorway, but they may have used a ladder as well. We don’t know the reason for the T-shape opening, although it may have had some sort of religious significance, but if you look through it you will see that the second story floor is still intact.”
“Maybe the top half of their bodies were fatter or broader and that’s why they build the doorways like that,” Devin suggested.
“Mike, in that case you would have fit right in here,” Mom retorted, which earned her a disapproving and spiteful glare from Dad.
“There are several buildings at this location and the second floor is still standing on many of them,” the narrator continued, “and a group of these structures are located within a dome-like alcove. And off to your left you’ll see a fairly large kiva, and if you examine the fireplace in the kiva you’ll find various pottery shards, some ancient corn cobs, and some very old bones. There are more pottery shards around the kiva, as well as a partially standing home.”
“Either they were very careless with their pottery, or they left those items behind and they got broken later,” Mom pointed out.
“The bones are probably from animals they hunted,” Dad observed, “and some of the smaller ones might be from the turkeys they raised.”
“Why would the turkeys stay there when they saw the people killing one of them from time-to-time?” Mom wondered.
“Probably because the Puebloans were feeding them corn meal and they didn’t want to leave their food supply,” I answered.
“And they obviously just tossed the corn cobs aside after they plucked the kernels off of them to grind into corn meal,” Mom added.
“And on a nearby boulder,” the narrator continued, “you’ll discover that two of the Witherill brothers carved their names on it, along with the dates 1888 and 1890. The Wetherills were the first non-indigenous people to explore these sites and it’s been suggested that they were led there by a member of the tribe..”
“Early graffiti,” Dad commented as he looked at the names scrawled on the boulder.
“But at least it let us know when they were here,” I pointed out.
“Richard Wetherill did his best to impress upon people how important the dwellings were in American History,” the narrator informed us. “Unfortunately, he was later shot and killed after a dispute with a Native American at the Wetherill Trading Post in Chaco Canyon, which is about 40 miles south of Mesa Verdi. Richard is buried in a small graveyard below the cliffs in Chaco Canyon.”
“No good deed goes unpunished,” Dad muttered. “He tried to impress upon other settlers why these dwellings were so important, both to the Utes and American History, and he ends up getting killed by a member of the tribe.”
“That’s sad,” Mom mused as she considered the irony of what happened.
We kept going, and about 40 yards (36.5 m) from that location was another area with a large white sign with black letters that read ‘Do Not Enter’. It was near a fairly large kiva, which had been constructed by digging down into the rock ledge that the other structures had been built on. It was basically a religious structure, although a family may have also lived there, and being built partially or totally below ground it was also a symbol of the Ute’s beliefs that their tribe had originally come out of a hole in the earth. I estimated that at most this entire area only housed 20 to 40 people.
And not far from that location, only about ten yards (9 m) farther, was a huge rocky surface that was covered with all sorts of petroglyphs. Each one had been carefully chiseled into the rocky surface either centuries or millennia ago.
“Man, look at this one,” Devin stated. “It looks like a giant spider, and some people claim this spiral design is supposed to represent the Milky Way Galaxy. And look at this image. It looks like a human, or what I assume is a human, but it has enormous wings.”
“And over here are some more images of human figures, along with the images of animals,” I added.
“It’s an early art museum,” my dad joked.
That’s when I turned on the video to see if it could explain what we were seeing. “This collection of petroglyphs tells the Ute story of creation. This symbol represents Spider Women, who is associated with a new beginning and the spiral represents the sun. This large winged figure represents the god of fire, or death, and the other symbols represent other deities. These figures are the ancestral Puebloan People and the Spirit of the Earth.”
“It looks like we were wrong trying to predict what those petroglyphs stood for,” I stated.
“Twice a year, at the summer and winter solstices, a shadow will stretch across these symbols. The shadow will bisect the sun and god of death, and at the winter solstice it symbolizes the renewal of life and the start of a new season as the days get longer. We know when we’ve reached the solstice, because it’s when the shadow reaches the crack in the wall. That large crack represents Sipapau, or the portal through which the ancient Puebloan People came into the world. All kivas have a Sipapau hole in the center of the kiva.”
“So, the Utes believe they came through a hole in the ground or a crack in the rock,” Devin stated.
“Christian and Jewish religions believe man was created from the dust of the earth, so the Utes’ beliefs are no stranger than that.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Devin relented.
“There are additional petroglyphs of people,” the narrator explained.
“Some that are very oddly shaped,” Devin added.
“As well as some animals,” the narrator continued, “including some sheep with very long legs, and symbols representing the mountains.”
“I found that information very interesting,” Mom confessed.
“And I did too,” Dad agreed.
We spent quite a bit more time there exploring the site before we decided to move on to the next location.
“The next site you will reach will be the Lion House cliff dwelling,” the narrator informed us when I started the video again. “As soon as you arrive at this location, you will be impressed by the huge dome-like alcove that is home to these structures. You will notice the standing walls of perhaps a multi-story building, perhaps three floors, and you will also be able to tell that it was constructed over two different time periods. That’s because the masonry of the lower and upper levels is quite different, but we don’t know whether the upper levels had been removed and then rebuilt, or if they were merely added at a later date.”
“Yeah, they told us at Mesa Verde that sometimes they took some of the houses and rebuilt them, possibly because they weren’t holding up,” Devin advised us. “Looking at the two different styles here, I think the upper levels were just added later to accommodate more people.”
“The Lion House was thought to have as many as 45 rooms,” the narrator continued, “and seven kivas, but this doesn’t mean 45 families lived here. Sometimes an older or unmarried individual might prefer to have his own small room, or a family might have used multiple rooms for storage or to house their animals.”
“A house just for animals,” Mom mused, “but I guess people have done the same thing for ages. They built barns to house cattle and horses, chicken coops, and pigsties.”
“It was probably to keep them safe from predators or other tribes,” Dad suggested, “or maybe just to keep the animals from wandering off.”
We had seen everything we wanted, so we were ready to move on to the next location.
“The next stop will be the Morris 5 cliff dwelling,” the narrator advised us. “This location was named for archeologist Earl H. Morris, who did the first professional work in Lion canyon in 1913 and 1915. There are a couple of things of interest at this location. First, is a fairly well-preserved kiva that has some of the beams that formed the roof in the same location they were originally, although the rest of the roof has collapsed. High up on a ledge you’ll see a long, low structure that might have been used for storage.”
“That’s an odd location for storage,” Mom observed. “It looks like it would have been very difficult to store things there or retrieve them when needed.”
“Maybe they were storing things there that they didn’t want others to get,” Dad replied, “so they put them where they would have needed a long ladder to reach them.”
Now that we’d seen three of the locations, I realized that Tom had been correct about this location. The dwellings weren’t nearly as well preserved as those at Mesa Verde, because in many of the buildings we could see the stone that had been used to construct them and there wasn’t any plaster covering them. Maybe the plaster had fallen off because they’d used the wrong mixture of clay, sand, and water.
I started the video again as we were walking and listened to what the narrator had to say. “Now that you’ve explored the first three areas, you should be able to see the Cliff House cliff dwellings that are in an alcove near the top of the mesa. The only way to reach there is by climbing up some rugged terrain to reach another ledge, and then you’ll have to climb a fairly long ladder to get up there.”
It wasn’t an easy climb as we navigated our way up the snaky trail to get to the ledge, and these were probably the same trails that the ancient Puebloans had traveled as well. When we reached the location, we had to climb a 32 foot (9.75 m) tall ladder to reach the ledge. That’s when I turned to Mom and made a comment.
“Please don’t panic this time if something touches your hand. It might be an insect, a spider, or a lizard, but whatever it is I’m sure it will do less harm to you than if you fall off the ladder. I’ll be right behind you as we’re climbing to the top, so just let me know if you need my help.”
“I’m tired from all the walking and climbing ladders, so I think I’ll sit this one out,” she responded. “The rest of you can explore this site if you want, and I’ll wait here.”
“And I’ll wait with her,” Dad offered. “I’m beat as well, so you and Devin and go up there and check out this site.”
”Ok, I understand,” I acknowledged, “and we’ll try not to stay up there too long.”
“Take all the time you need, we’ll be fine,” Mom responded.
“Just leave each of us a bottle of water first,” Dad added, so Devin and I each took a bottle of water out of our backpacks and handed them to them before we climbed the ladder.
When we reached the top, we had to navigate a 4 foot (1.2 m) wide ledge to get to the cliff dwellings, but it was worth it. The Eagle Nest cliff dwelling was the most exciting and best preserved of the sites in Lion’s canyon and it was located under a large natural arch in the cliff face. After climbing a 30 foot (9 m) ladder, we had to walk about 100 feet (30.5 m) along a 4 foot (1.2 m) wide ledge to reach the Eagle Nest cliff dwelling. It had a great view, though, and they definitely could have seen any trouble approaching.
“This site features a long row of connected buildings that are mostly intact,” the narrator explained, and the thick timbers that can support a balcony. There are 15 rooms and 1 kiva, and when Earl Morris visited this site in 1915, he reported the kiva was completely intact, including a roof, so he was able to see how the roofs were added. Unfortunately, he needed light to take photographs, so he had to remove the roof.
“Damn, I would have loved to see the kiva when it had a roof,” Devin said.
“Yes, I would have liked to see that as well,” I agreed.
“As you were climbing the ladder to get to this location,” the narrator continued, “you may have noticed the hand and footholds in the cliff wall. That is how the ancient Puebloans would have reached this lofty perch.”
After checking out the dwellings, I decided to look at the expansive view we had from here, and while we were scanning the surrounding canyon, I spotted something that made the hairs on my neck stand on end.
“Look over there!” I shouted to Devin as I pointed at something in the distance. “Do you see it?”
“Yes, I do.”
“This can’t be a coincidence, and it appears to be following us.”
“Yes, it sure seems that way.”
“I’m worried that it might try to attack us after we climb down from here.”
“Then maybe we should attack it first, or at least make a threatening move and see how it reacts,” Devin suggested.
“I just don’t know if we’ll be able to fight it off if it decides to attack, let alone defeat it. We got lucky the last time, because Pops knew what to do and drove his antlers into the other skinwalker until it was dead.”
“I know, but if you’re right and this thing is following us and planning to attack, then threatening it may make it leave or cause it to fight. I think it would be best if we make the first move, because that might confuse it and make it back down.”
“Then there’s only one way to find out,” I stated, and then we made our way back to the ladder and climbed down it as fast as we could. We didn’t know if it might attack my parents and we wanted to be there if it did.
Once we got down from the cliff, we walked up to my parents and I made a comment. “Wait here, and it would probably be best if you turned away and didn’t look, but there’s something Devin and I have to do.”
We then walked down the trail that we followed to get up here, and I kept my eye on the skinwalker to see what it might be up to. It appeared to be watching us as we closed to approximately 300 yards (91.5 m) between us. It had crouched down when it saw we were walking toward it, so it was more difficult to see, or possibly it was getting ready to attack.
“You go right, and I’ll go left!” I announced, and then we put our hastily devised plan into action.
The skinwalker stood up as we started running in its direction, and we moved faster than the fastest cheetah. We came to a stop as soon as we were even with it, but not too close, and we kept an eye on it the entire time. When we came to a stop, we kicked off our Skechers, slipped the backpacks from our shoulders, took off our shirts, and began to transition. Devin took the form of a Bigfoot again, while I transitioned into a polar bear. As soon as the process had completed, I reared up on my hind legs to make myself look as intimidating as possible as I towered over the skinwalker.
The evil skinwalker glanced between Devin and I for a few seconds, which gave me the impression that it hadn’t seen a “good” skinwalker before. And then suddenly, it raced away from us and disappeared in the distance.
We then turned our backs to my parents and began transitioning into our own bodies, and then hurriedly put on our shirts and dug through our backpacks for our underwear and the extra pair of shorts that we placed there previously. Once we were dressed again, we slipped our feet into our Skechers and headed back to rejoin my Mom and Dad. They were staring at us as we approached, and it was almost as if they were in a trance. Their eyes were bulging from their sockets and their mouths hanging open, but they weren’t making a sound.
After a few awkward seconds of strained silence, my mom finally spoke. “Are you even our son or did you do something to him and then take his place?”
“I’m still the same boy that you’ve raised since I was a baby. Do you remember when I told you I was going on a camping and canoeing trip after my freshman year at CSU? Well, that’s not exactly what I did. I went to a Navajo reservation in New Mexico and the shaman there made me a member of their tribe and then he performed a special ceremony on me to give me this ability. After that he trained me and taught me how to take on different forms, both human and animal, as I gradually became a “good” skinwalker. The thing that you just saw out there was an “evil” skinwalker, and we’re trying to keep them from harming others, and we’ll even try to kill them, if we can.”
“And Devin learned how to do this at the same time?” Dad followed.
“No, Devin’s great-grandfather went through the same ceremony and training that I did, but he did it many years ago. Then he, his son, his grandson. and great-grandson became skinwalkers through heredity. They were born a “good” skinwalker, but their ability didn’t become active until they reached puberty, and then they went through the training.”
“You mean Aaron can do that too?” Mom gasped.
“Yes, and so can Gramps and Pops,” Devin answered, since he knew I wasn’t sure if I should speak for them as well.
The expressions on my parents’ faces hadn’t changed during this entire time, except when they were asking questions or making comments, so I thought I should tell them more. “Let me explain how this works…” I started, but Dad cut me off.
“No, not now. We need time to deal with this information and what we just saw, so let’s head back to the SUV and I’ll drive us back to the motel. Then your mother and I will go to our room and take time to think about everything you just told us, along with what we saw.”
I merely glanced at Devin and shrugged my shoulders before we followed them back to the ladder we’d climbed down when we first arrived here. After climbing back to the plateau where we’d left the SUV, we all climbed into our seats for the 30 minute ride back to the motel.
Nothing was said during the entire ride there, or as my parents were walking back to their room, so Devin and I went to our room as well and contemplated on what was likely going to happen next.
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