The Rock Rovers . . .
The Rock Rovers?
Jon and Pat, like Powell's mythical Rock Rovers, scale red boulders the size of houses alongside the trail as red cliffs hundreds of feet high hold us captive in a 'slot'.
Rock Rovers? This term comes right from Powell's writings. As he talked to the Indians, some miles down river from where our Shaman lived centuries earlier, they told him of legends of the Rock-Rovers . . .
Major John W. Powell, September 12, 1869:
"Sitting in camp this evening, Chua'ruumpeak, the chief of the Kai'vavits, who is one of our party, tells us there is a tradition among the tribes of this country that many years ago a great light was seen somewhere in this region by the Paru'shapats, who lived to the southwest, and that they supposed it to be a signal kindled to warn them of the approach of the Navajos, who lived beyond the Colorado River to the east. Then other signal fires were kindled on the Pine Valley Mountains, Santa Clara Mountains, and Uinkaret Mountains, so that all the tribes of northern Arizona, southern Utah, southern Nevada, and southern California were warned of the approaching danger; but when the Paru'shapats came nearer, they discovered that it was a fire on one of the great temples; and then they knew that the fire was not kindled by men, for no human being could scale the rocks. The Tu'muurrugwait'sigaip, or Rock Rovers, had kindled a fire to deceive the people. So, in the Indian language this is called Tu'muurrugwait'ssigaip Twweap', or Rock Rover's Land."
We had our own stories and myths for this trip though. Midst raucous laughter and a whole lot of horseplay, we told stories. Stories of Great Grandpa, stories of Dad, stories of all of us when we were little. The memories of the day were stitched together with such stories, a wonderful thread, that binds the generations of yesterday to those of today. We made a memory that day and wove it into the fabric of our family alongside the memories of yesteryear. Such a fabric may last forever given care.
Next: The Cave . . .
