I Found an Intact, Ancient World In This Desert Canyon 

You could make a 3 hour movie and I’d get the popcorn and settle in for a perfect night 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I'm a retired guy from England with mobilty issues. I can not tell you how much joy your channel gives me in my old age. Thank you for sharing this wonderful world in such a peaceful way. Bless you.

Greetings youngman, Brings Otter from the Great Sioux Nation in South Dakota. I am retired and home with a health issue, just me my black labs and videos.. I was reading some comments and see how much pleasure you bring to elders like myself all over. I look forward to every video of yours because you do it right young one and thats good to see. You take care and be careful out there. Ohan Mitakuyaoyasin ( we are all related)

Simple guitar music. Slow drone. Ancient structure. You got it man!

I just want to say that you are a great guy for not just not picking up artifacts, but reminding everyone to leave them, too.

I like the longer format, I never want them to end.

Better than anything on TV. 10min., 20 min., 3 hours. Its all so wonderful. Thats a lot of hard work you put in to your channel. Much appreciated.

I'm a trucker the drive to the desert Southwest regularly. When I shut down at night I watch your videos and it's neat seeing the places I've driven nearby. The long video format is great

The pages you found came from the book The Black Tolts [later renamed Pistol Pardners] by William MacLeod Raine, first published in 1932. "My Friends Are Honest Folk" is chapter 11.

You're like the Bob Ross of exploration. So wholesome, pure and genuine. Amazing stuff!

@Desert.Drifter I used to explore the same country pre-social media era. We used maps and compasses to navigate, word of mouth, and we explored with respect, walked from sun up to sun down and sometimes past dark to get out of a canyon, and had simple yet grand adventures in this vast sandstone country. Always respectful and fascinated by the fingerprints of those who came before us, the artifacts we would find, never taking anything and we enjoyed the night skies with more stars than sky, just as the people before us must have done (including the cowboys). Our eyes became trained to see. I never felt "alone" out there, the presence of these people was a felt sense and surrounded you, and at times eerie. I loved imagining and still do, what their lives were like, how did they celebrate, what jokes did they tell, what did they fear, how did they mourn, how did they spend their days and nights, their hours, what stories did they tell around their fires as they were tucked into their dwellings... Then the internet, social media and a little thing called Google Earth came a long and changed things so much, and we began to see more and more people way out there, we began to see trash, and artifacts began to disappear from remote sites we'd visited over the years, safe for many hundreds of years. We are not very good at self governing as a species unfortunately. Times have changed as they do, but its still deeply magical and beautiful country with many hidden secrets as it should be. Thank you for your videos, the effort it takes to make them and for your respectful wonder and nature towards these areas and for protecting these places by not sharing the details of where you visit. Mahalo!

These places feel so sacred. I get goosebumps.

That small hole in the pottery you found is a seed hole. The Indigenous People made pottery with a small hole on top, through this hole they would put seeds into the pot to preserve hem and keep dry for the next Spring. The seeds were kept it in these ‘Seed pots’ to prevent rodents or birds from getting in there. When it was time to plant the seeds, they would smash the pot to get the seeds out.

The handprint reminds us that it wasn't just adults scaling ladders or steep paths and living on the brink of cliffs. It was people of all ages, from babies to elderly. That must have presented some challenges. Love the wide format. It really fills the screen on my phone when sideways.

Little did I know: how extensive the population was then, how preserved all these sights are, how speculative you can be in interpretation of clues to their existence, how much they wanted to record their lives with art. Fantastic video! Thanks for taking this 76 year old with a mangled carcass along to expand my understanding.

Huge thanks, appreciation and respect from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Every episode is so interesting and I cannot get enough of your hiking and wonderful discoveries. Sometimes I am actually brought to tears, thinking about the people who lived in these places. Andrew, thank you. 🕊️💕

"Ultra Long" was not long enough... I don't think I took a breath nor close my eyes or mouth the entire time. This was truly remarkable. Thank you for making this journey possible for all of us and respecting nature and history the way you do 👍👍👍

Thank you for creating these videos. I'm a teacher and I'll be using a few of your clips in my middle school history class pretty soon. These videos help make history feel more real and relatable. The kids love that.

I will second that comment. I'm still able to get around but hobbled with arthritis and injuries to both my feet back when I was youmg and bullet proof. Every doctor told me that these injuries will effect you later in life. I lasted longer than both doctors but the pain has entrenched itself. I long for the outdoors. Epic solo trips most people would never attempt. Friends and family thought I was crazy for the places I explored. Never have I hiked the southwest and it looks amazing! Thank you and keep posting and be yourself. You are a natural and I have a feeling a very competent outdoor guide. I'm sure you have more than few stories you could share about those adventures.

Love the longer format. Gives time for more footage of good, lingering views of the artifacts and ruins. Love your quiet style. No need to was poetic - that pales in comparison with the history you show us. Loved your reverent narration and the music on this one. Just the right amount of info on your equipment, practicalities, decision making of your trek. Thank you! Breathtaking in the history, meaning, and lives on evidence.

Man this is better than national geographic. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for being so respectful and considerate. I truly find you are a humble human that the ancients would admire and feel grateful about the way you treat their lands

Not only are the vids and content great, but the more subtle elements - the music, the ambience, the silence for which you allow space, even the gravel under your boots, all great elements.

Coffee table book! All your adventures. Please! Best trips I've ever been on! Thanks for taking me.

I hike in the chuska mountains in Arizona and New Mexico and camp out. I find similar artifacts and dwellings that you do. I have noticed over the years that the artifacts have been disappearing slowly. Thanks for sharing. Brings back memories.

Being half Indigenous... You go where I, as an old lady, only go in my heart... Thank you for sharing Our Past and Our Ancestor's Path with us!! Travel Safe!

I’m absolutely hooked on this channel. This is an equivalent to a Bob Ross nature show.

I am 82 years old and I look forward to your stuff. I am in good health and Ride my E Bike 4 or five days a week. I can still walk 3 miles anytime, but to hike the canyons no way. I have lived in the southwest all my life and have seen the place like you travel too, but I look forward to each thing you post. The four corners area is so wonderful. When I worked I lived in some remote places. Now I live in Arizona, in the city, because my wife wanted to live where thing were easy to get too. So please keep posting.

Andrew, you are my eyes, legs and lungs to continue exploring like I used to. I really really appreciate Desert Drifter. It makes me feel less like an invalid. Keep up the fantastic posts.

I love what you found. People can be so destructive. Do not give the location away. You have a calm and peaceful voice for narration. It makes me relax.

I am 70 and just finished my nightly quota of your episodes. They were awesome as usual. I always feel sadness and shed a tear whenever i see the structures, as I hope that the ancients weren't overcome with struggles too often.

Man I loved this. So many wonders to see. The petroglyphs and especially the pictographs were amazing. The construction of the dwellings. The beautiful scenery.

I'm a 63 year old man brought to tears by this moving video of exploring nature! Brilliant Sir, thank you for sharing!

Beautiful. I love how you can see the human touches - remains of bindings, fingerprints in the clay, babies’ handprints. I think this is my favorite video of yours so far. 💜

I'm sure I've told you this before Andrew, but I enjoy your videos so much! In fact I enjoy you so much! I'm sure I'm old enough to be your grandmother, but you are such a good-looking, wise thoughtful, considerate, knowledgeable young man. And I love going on these trips with you. You are enabling me to see things I won't see in this life. And I just want to thank you. Oh I've been quite the traveler and I was quite the hiker and quite the rock climber when I was younger. Lived in the Alaska for 10 -12 years two different times. Did a whole lot of mountain climbing and hiking!!! Tomboys praying for your safety too. God bless you.

Beautiful country with a fascinating history. Thanks for the video.

The handprints are amazing. Reminding us that they were humans just like us. Not some mysterious creatures of the land before we came.

Appreciate that you don't disclose the location so others don't go and destroy what has been left behind. Keep the goat trail in line

Exploring ancient secrets with respect and awe, you're a true trailblazer. 🌄🔍 Love how you bring history to life!

You're like the Mr. Rogers of hiking with your calm, soothing voice telling us how to act properly for the benefit of others.

The neat corners and curves on the ruins speaks to just how talented these people were in their architectural skills and use of resources available.

Love the longer video - fascinated by how extensive these buildings are throughout the southwest. You do great work with editing, drones, music & your speaking voice is very relaxing - really enjoy following along.

It seems those hand prints are the "signatures"of the ancient Individuals and family members. Their way of taking a "photograph". Incredible!

Love you taking us along, last spring my wife and I took a trip out and we got just a very small sampling of what you do and see. Neither of us are of the age or, even though in relativity good shape, up to an adventure as this. Great how you leave things as they are, and show us so much. One of the things that impress me, as I've been in construction my whole life, is that how the ancients built to last, now we build to be tore down. Thanks again for what you do. Al

I really liked your comment when it "...came time to wax poetic...I got nothing." Often times, being humble is the best poetry. Thank you for the gifts you give us.

I just discovered your channel last night (for once, the algorithm was doing its job!) and your videos resonate deep within my soul in a way I can't describe, there's a mix of awe and wonder and connection and beauty. Thank you so much for bringing us along on your journeys. Also, I have noticed in comments that a lot of your viewers are disabled or have mobility issues, and I'm among them! You are giving such a gift to those of us who are physically unable to do what you do. I feel so much peace when I watch your videos. It's also incredible to think about the artists pressing their hands to those walls, how they had no idea that people across the world would one day see the handprints they left behind and feel a brief moment of humbling connection with them, hundreds of years in the future. Something about the beauty of that makes my throat ache. That desire to leave a mark and press colour to a canvas is such a lovely human trait. ❤

I'm enjoying the long format, thank you for your ability to connect with the SW for the rest of us,

You randomly popped up on my feed a week ago and I can't stop watching your channel. It's absolutely fascinating and different landscape to anything I've seen. Hi from Australia.

Absolutely love the extra long video version especially with the content you share with us. Thax! Just so amazing!!! 👍❤️

Amazing those structures are still there and not trashed.

I picked up a couple pairs of those sportivas back in 2015 and they're still perfect and I've only ever had to replace laces. best shoes ever

I'm 70 now and don't go hiking and fishing anymore. I taught my son's though and they've shared Beautiful photos with me and their stories. You, however, climb mountains! That's a whole nother level! When I need to relax, I watch your videos. Thank you for taking me so many different places❤. I've loved each one.

Really like the format. Thanks for sharing our National treasures.

Dude! You’re a literal wandering poet. How can I be melancholy for something I’ve never experienced? Oh yeah, because of you. Never stop exploring!

Just Epic work. Thank you all the way from Denmark 🇩🇰.

I can cope with long videos but I can’t watch them as they come out. I watch them when the time is right. Thanks a lot for this and it makes me happy that you respect this fragile souvenir of the past.❤

Thank you so very much for taking us along. Being paralyzed physically but not mentally you've helped to quench my desire to explore these far out places.

Half hour episodes is a good format. Andrew your editing and production skills are improving. Looks great ! Your videos will preserve the artifacts you find for the future whatever becomes of them over time. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

Simply amazing. Both the calm and respecfulness but also absolutely stunning that all these ancient sites are still there and so well preserved. Greetings from Sweden.

In my late 50's and really enjoy these intriguing walks in a terrain which is completely unfamiliar to me. Never imagined I would like these desert expeditions. Unlike a lot of RU-vidrs, you set a well considered and gentle pace, spending the right amount of time investigating features - be they petroglyphs, wild plants and animals, rocks, ancient dwellings, the pottery fragments, or petrified trees (didn't expect that at all. Amazing). It just goes together right, and I'm pleased to see so many people who are older and now less physically active also enjoying 'joining' you on these treks too. Yes, I wouldn't mind seeing some longer videos (save them for a rainy day when I can do no gardening or walking).

I’m in my 70s and pretty much shut in. You make it easier with your adventures, I really enjoy your voice. It’s very soothing.

Very captivating, brother! Longer video was a pleasant change without feeling "long." Very nice!

I did just want to thank you for being incredibly mindful and respectful of the land and educating others to do the same. Not giving away location details, leave what you find where you found it, not physically touching any structures, etc. The only thing I'd really majorly recommend changing is to stop using the term "ancient" or "ruins" and instead use either "Ancestral" or "cliff dwellings".

I just found and binged your channel. I love your vibe and your content. It’s both fascinating and also relaxing watching you “traipse” around the desert. I’m in the Pacific Northwest and love hiking and exploring here, but it doesn’t preserve the past the way the desert has. Definitely feeling inspired to visit the American Southwest. I’m excited to see more and I hope your channel takes right off! Happy exploring!

As an avid gardener I'd love to find seeds for the crops they grew back then. Thanks for sharing the history of these ancient people's lives.

" I got nuth'n"...with an Ancient Peoples hand print behind ya....Freak'n Outstanding !

im a desert drifter myself......thank you so much for being so respectful of the ancient ones.

Just found your video when I returned from a Cedar Mesa trip. It kept the joy of my trip going. Can't wait to watch more of your videos.

I’m so glad so many of us oldies found your site….i’m 80 and absolutely delighted …I miss the wilds…for me; it was finding ancient fossils, Dino prints etc in the north in Canada

Wonderful walkabout , love the way you follow the country code ...... Take nothing but pictures , leave nothing but footprints , leave it as you find it, blessings from Scotland , 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I'm home from work sick and missing living in Northern AZ. Perfect videos for me to watch from bed this week!

Thank You for getting out there and showing us this amazing lovely history 💜

Growing up in N Ireland , the western US is a dream to visit. The colors. the setting , the ancients living there and time has stopped . Thanks so much !

A soft spoken man with a pleasant smile sure makes these hikes more enjoyable to me and my family.💯 Thank you for taking us along!😁👍 You Rock!

I’m so glad you’re documenting your journeys. I love seeing this stuff.

I love your videos. They are so relaxing. I normally don’t like long videos, but I don’t want your videos to end. Yo share with us, and bring us a long and what you share is beautiful, breath taking and education. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything with your videos. Thank you beautiful. I’m looking for part 2 right now.

Love your videos. Recently turned my 87 yr old father onto them. He is to love the California wilderness and was too old when he moved to AZ to explore, he was fixated. Thank you, giving him life in his eyes again. He can't do much these days except sit in his recliner..I know he hates it. So thank you. Blessings! Stay safe! Many look to you to help bring joy to their lives.

Hey Andrew - the longer video formatting is awesome and much appreciated. Longer content makes for a more intense submersion into these beautiful and amazing natural treasures that we are so lucky to have in our nation. You are really starting to find your niche with your editing, drone use and relaxed and humble narration. The music is cool too and not overdone. Thanks for what you do.

Andrew, being disabled though at 66 it’s shut me down I vicariously live through your ventures into the southwest, Big thanks be safe, Brent, Oceanside, CA

As a fellow taller thinner person - a quick mention of any gear that fits properly is always appreciated

You are walking in ancient footsteps. I find that amazing.

You are blowing up man!!! I'm so happy I'm rooting for you. You deserve it, you put in the hard work. The editing, music , scenes etc are a world class production!!! Love it!!

Dude…you’re so going viral. Do everyone a solid a keep these places hard to find! Gonna be exploring New Mexico for the first time this Fall. Beyond excited.

Thanks so much for doing this and sharing with us. I'm 71 years old and part American Indian. I'll never physically be able to go there, but I can and did with you through these clips. It brings tears to my eyes as I'm writing this. Your respect and love for these places, it's like Holy places. God Bless you

Growing up and visiting the ruins across the 4 corner states with my dad are some of my favorite memories ever. Had no idea there was so much more out there. Love the long form videos. Makes me want to take my kids out there and show them these wonders. And those pictographs were mind blowing. How fortunate to be able to find those.

I just recently found your channel and all I have say is this, Andrew you easily have some of the best content I’ve ever found on RU-vid! The combination of hiking, climbing, and history is a fantastic concept, not to mention your genuine friendly demeanor and presentation style. I will now be binge watching all your videos! Also, I think long form videos are perfect for this type of content. Thank you very much for the time and effort to share these hikes with us. Cheers

I really like this longer format combined with the lovely guitar music. Clearly you are not trying to solve anything directly but to convey the feeling of calm tranquility. Bravo!

I’m older now and my knees no longer allow me to hike. Thank you for these adventures. The time pasted too quickly and left me longing to see what’s just around the bend. Well done.

Excellent video. I've been all over that canyon 30 years ago, and it is great to see that little has changed.

Your channel is so much better than anything on TV! Thank you for taking us along!

33:18 Just beautiful. The intro to "Stairway to Heaven" comes to my mind for some reason. I'm thankful you're willing to take the time and trouble to film and share. And that you're doing this while you can. I appreciate your integrity and self-discipline that serves altruism. You're a rare breed.

This is just amazing! Thank you for going to the trouble to share this. I appreciate that you leave lots of mystery rather than blather on with old historical commentary. Loved the pictographs. They simply must have been spiritual to live like that.

Loved, “I’ve got nothin’.” We needed that and the music to take in what is incomprehensibly beautiful, touching. A masterpiece of their lives and your exploration. Thank you for your humility. Without that I couldn’t watch such sacred footage. You take us step by step through the canyons of our mind and heart. We’re definitely on this journey with you. May you be inspired each and every step of the way.

From one Andrew to another this was so inspiring to see. As a young 80 yr old this make me look at life with awe. How those ancients lived and progressed, had children co existed with each other. Truely inspiring for me. Life always goes on, we can only touch it for a nano second. Live long Andrew.

I’ll watch no matter the length of the video every single time you post one! Thanks for sharing your hikes with us Andrew.

I just discovered this channel yesterday, and may I say that the quality of your videos and narration is amazing.

Longer videos = elevated happiness

So glad I found your channel. I've been interested in rock art for more than 30 years now and some of those you showed were really fascinating. The handprints above that one dwelling were really cool. It is a rare thing on RU-vid to find quality content . To me that is minimal music, no crazy dialog and stupid jokes - just beautiful locations and perfect, descriptive dialog delivered in a calm manner. I'm really glad you don't broadcast where these sites are - you can tell it is a highly respected location by the lack of vandalism.

Hey, this is just so captivating... I'm in New Zealand and just stunned at the ruins you are exploring and how after hundreds of years they are still standing. Wow, the corn cobs! Really? Thank you for sharing your journey. I am grateful for your care and respect of those ancient monuments, the people and ancestors of that sacred land 🙏✨🌿

You are amazing I have spent 50 + years doing this stuff and it never gets old at 75 I've had to slow down but you keep my mind engaged thank you Mac