Saturday, September 9 (Full Day Trek)
Saturday, December 2 (Full Day Trek)

Morning, HQ Portion of Trek
Difficulty: Easy
Hiking distance: none

Afternoon, Seminole Canyon State Park & Historic Site Portion of Trek
Difficulty: Easy
Hiking distance: 0.1 mile

Trek Description:

Panther Cave is one of the most requested sites to visit and is an iconic Pecos River style rock art site, but visiting the site is currently not possible due to accessibility and logistical concerns. Join us for a virtual trek of Panther Cave through Shumla’s digital archive! Throughout Shumla’s Alexandria and Hearthstone Projects, we have taken thousands of photos and made 3D models and panoramic photos of the site, giving us the next-best-thing to being there in person.

In the morning, a Shumla archaeologist will guide you through a virtual tour of Panther Cave and give you a close-up view of the figures that fill this 80-meter-long panel. You’ll get an in depth look at the region’s rock art through our digital preservation methods in this behind-the-scenes tour of what it’s like to work at Shumla. You will also see our one-of-a-kind plasma oxidation lab and get a glimpse of what processing samples for radiocarbon dating looks like.

After lunch, you have the option to go to Seminole Canyon State Park & Historic Site and participate in one of their Van-tastic Tours that will allow us a glimpse of Panther Cave from across the canyon. Binoculars are recommended for optimal viewing, as the canyon is almost 1000 feet wide.

You must register for the Rio Grande Roundabout Van-Tastic Tour separately on their website: https://texasstateparks.reserveamerica.com/tourDetails.do?contractCode=TX&tourId=275915

The van tour is free, but it requires a reservation as spots are limited. Registration for the van tour will open 30 days prior to the tour (August 10 or November 2). Bring your state park annual pass if you have one.

Trek Itinerary:
8:30am – Meet at Shumla’s HQ, 28 Langtry St, Comstock, TX; Coffee, tea, and pastries
8:45am– Virtual tour of Panther Cave and learn about Shumla’s research methods
11:15am—Lunch at Comstock’s J&P Bar & Grill
12:45pm – For those with reservations on the state park’s Van-Tastic Tour, arrive at Seminole Canyon State Park & Historic Site; the park tour will take visitors in a van on a road closer to Panther Cave. After a short hike along the uplands, bring your binoculars to see Panther Cave from across the canyon.
3:00pm – Return to Shumla HQ for an in-depth tour of our plasma oxidation lab
4:00pm – Day concludes

Considerations:

This virtual trek will take place at Shumla’s HQ in Comstock; streaming online from home is NOT available. We will NOT be hiking into Panther Cave.

This is a great option for any rock art enthusiast– especially for those who are interested in Shumla’s digital preservation methods and for those who would like to see rock art but for whom hiking into the canyons is not possible.

From the park website, about the Van-tastic Tour: “Participants must be able to get in and out of a Ford Transit Van. A short walk on uneven, rocky ground is required to view the overlook. This is not a rock art tour, and this tour does not go into the canyon. Bring binoculars to help you get a better view at the overlook.”

Your registration cost includes breakfast pastries and coffee/tea at the office, lunch at J&P and entry to the state park; Shumla will not purchase or provide any alcoholic beverages. Participants must reserve their own spots on the state park’s Van-Tastic Tour, if desired (see link above).

Minors age 8 and up are welcome on this Trek provided they are supervised by a parent or guardian.

If you would like more information prior to registration, please email us at treks@shumla.org. We would love to hear from you!

Saturday, November 18 (Full Day Trek)

Difficulty: Easy
Hiking Miles: <0.5 miles

Trek Description:
Meyers Springs is an impressive rock art site with images relating to the Historic period, including horses, warriors on horseback, missions, crosses, figures wearing ecclesiastical garments, a horse-drawn wagon, teepees, shields, bows and arrows, and bison. Part of the late-nineteenth and twentieth century history of the region also appears in the form of graffiti: initials, names, dates, the names of U.S. Army units, and the names or initials of ranchers ortravelers. Fragments of Pecos River style rock art can be seen scattered throughout the panel as well. The spring that gives the site its name still flows at the site. No doubt that this place was important even before historic times.

After visiting the rock shelter, participants will have the chance to see the site of the nearby historic Camp Meyers Springs (also Camp Mayers Springs). This camp was a United States Army sub-post for Fort Clark in Brackettville from 1880-1884. Most of the structures for the camp were tents and left little to not trace on the landscape, but one stone structure still stands. Walk through the camp and imagine the lives of the Army soldiers and Black Seminole scouts who were stationed here over a century ago.

Trek Itinerary:
10:00am – Meet in Dryden, TX in the store parking lot near the intersection of TX-349 and US-HWY 90. Caravan to Meyers Springs Ranch.
10:45am – Arrive at bunkhouse for a bathroom break
11:15am – Arrive at Meyers Springs rock art panel
12:45pm – Lunch (Bring a sack lunch and pack out all trash)
2:00pm – Visit Camp Meyers historic military ruins
3:00pm– Depart for Comstock.
5:00pm – Arrive at Shumla HQ for a tour of our research and laboratory facilities.

Considerations:
– Tours to this private ranch require visitors to be with a Shumla representative at all times.
– High clearance vehicles are required to travel across rough, unpaved roads.
– Participants must be in good health and physical conditioning to hike over uneven terrain. In case of an emergency, medical response times to this remote area can take hours.
– Hiking sticks, long sleeve shirts, long pants, hats, and gloves are strongly encouraged to hike through the brush.
– Restrooms are located within the bunkhouse on the property and at Shumla HQ; when passing through Langtry, visitors could stop at the Judge Roy Bean Travel Center to use the restroom as well. Participants must be prepared to go to the bathroom outdoors, if needed, and pack out all trash.
– Minors age 8 and up are welcome on this Trek, provided they are supervised by a parent or guardian.

If you would like more information prior to registration, please email us at treks@shumla.org. We would love to hear from you!

Saturday, October 28 (Full Day Trek)

Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous
Hiking distance: 1.25 miles

Trek description:
Los Vientos and Sunburst Shelters are located within the Devils River State Natural Area (DRSNA), located 45 miles north of Del Rio. Hiking to these sites, you will not only see Pecos River style rock art but also stunning views of the Devils River. The pristine Devils River is one of the last wild rivers in Texas and is a haven for adventurers from all walks of life. Access to this spring fed river is extremely limited and is one of the reasons why this river has remained one of Texas’s most protected treasures. These state-protected lands are home to a diverse range of plants and animals and also designated as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.

Trek Itinerary:
8:30am – Meet at DRSNA Gate (location will be shared upon registration)
9:30am – Hike to and visit Sunburst Shelter
11:30am – Lunch at DRSNA bunkhouse
12:30pm – Hike to and visit Los Vientos
1:30pm – Begin drive to Shumla HQ, Comstock
3:00pm – Arrive at Shumla HQ for tour of our research facility and lab
4:00pm – Trek concludes

Considerations:
– Tours to Devils River State Natural Area require visitors to be with a Shumla representative at all times.
– High clearance vehicles are required to travel across rough, unpaved roads. The DRSNA website recommends “High-clearance vehicles with 8-ply rating minimum (to minimize flats and blowouts).” A high clearance vehicle is defined as a SUV or truck type vehicle that has at least 8 inches or more of clearance from the lowest point of the undercarriage to the ground.
– Participants must be in good health and physical conditioning to hike over uneven terrain. In case of an emergency, medical response times to this remote area can take hours.
– Hiking sticks, long sleeve shirts, long pants, hats, and gloves are strongly encouraged to hike through the brush.
– Participants must be prepared to go to the bathroom outdoors, if needed, and pack out all trash.
– Minors age 8 and up are welcome on this Trek provided they are supervised by a parent or guardian.

If you would like more information prior to registration, please email us at treks@shumla.org. We would love to hear from you!

Sunday, November 19 (Full Day Trek) – Registration Closed

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous
Hiking distance: 1.5 miles

Trek description:
Fate Bell Annex, Fate Bell Shelter and Running Horse Shelter are all situated in Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site. Seminole Canyon is a major tributary of the Rio Grande River. Fate Bell is one of the most famous and largest Pecos River style rock art sites in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands Archeological District — A National Historic Landmark. Not only is the rock art breath-taking, but the archaeological deposits within the shelter are also extremely well-preserved. You’ll hear about the incredible rock art, the lifeways of the people who painted it and our most recent research.

Then, we will hike together across the uplands to Running Horse Shelter which offers, in addition to beautiful remnant Pecos River Style rock art, intriguing Historic Period art and even a historic stone wall. Together, we’ll see 4000 years of history in this single shelter.

Trek Itinerary:
8:00am – Meet at Seminole Canyon State Park parking lot
8:30am – Hike to and visit Fate Bell Annex and Fate Bell Shelter
10:30am – Hike out of canyon and return to Visitor Center
11:30am – Lunch
12:15pm – Hike to and visit Running Horse
2:00pm – Return to Shumla HQ for tour of our research facility and laboratory

Considerations:
– Tours within the state park require visitors to be with a Shumla representative at all times.
– Participants must be in good health and physical conditioning to hike over uneven terrain. In case of an emergency, medical response times to this remote area can take hours.
– Hiking sticks, long sleeve shirts, long pants, hats, and gloves are strongly encouraged to hike through the brush.
– Participants must be prepared to go to the bathroom outdoors, if needed, and pack out all trash. Restrooms are located within the state park visitor center and Shumla HQ.
– Minors age 8 and up are welcome on this Trek provided they are supervised by a parent or guardian.

If you would like more information prior to registration, please email us at treks@shumla.org. We would love to hear from you!

Sunday, September 24 (Full Day Trek)

Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking miles: 1.0

Trek Description:
Painted Shelter is located in an unnamed tributary canyon of the Rio Grande on private property. A spring-fed stream runs in front of the rock art panel and creates several long pools through the site. Major flash flood events have washed out most of the archaeological deposits, but there is a remnant burned rock midden and lithic scatter on the bedrock benches in front of the shelter. Painted Shelter is home to the best-preserved example of the Red Monochrome style rock art, as well as remnant Pecos River style murals.

Vaquero Shelter is located within Presa Canyon in Seminole Canyon State Park. The shelter gets its name from the Historic period rock art depicting two riders mounted on horseback with a Longhorn cow and calf, adjacent to a structure resembling a Spanish mission and a man in a Spanish uniform. The shelter also contains a dense body of Pecos River style art, as well as Red Monochrome style figures.

Trek itinerary:
8:00am – Meet at Shumla HQ; drive to the start of the Painted Shelter hike
9:00am – Hike to and visit Painted Shelter
11:00am – Return to vehicles; Drive to start of Vaquero Shelter hike
12:00pm – Hike to and visit Vaquero Shelter (Bring a sack lunch and pack out all trash)
2:00pm– Return to Shumla HQ for tour of our research facility and laboratory.

Considerations:
– Tours to this private ranch and the state park require visitors to be with a Shumla representative at all times.
– High clearance vehicles are required to travel across rough, unpaved roads.
– Participants must be in good health and physical conditioning to hike over uneven terrain. In case of an emergency, medical response times to this remote area can take hours.
– Hiking sticks, long sleeve shirts, long pants, hats, and gloves are strongly encouraged to hike through the brush.
– Participants must be prepared to go to the bathroom outdoors, if needed, and pack out all trash.
– Minors age 8 and up are welcome on this Trek provided they are supervised by a parent or guardian.
– Hiking to Vaquero Shelter will require climbing an a-frame ladder over a fence-line.

If you would like more information prior to registration, please email us at treks@shumla.org. We would love to hear from you!