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DAILY ITINERARY
Please Note: Times and/or order of activities may be subject
to slight changes depending on the opportunities provided by the natural
world and/unforeseen circumstances.
Day 1: Arrive at the Farmington, NM airport by 1 p.m. and depart promptly in the FCS vans for Chaco Canyon (1.5 hours). We will arrive at the Camp Area which will be set up for us, and our guides will prepare a hearty dinner. After dinner, our staff will give you a short introduction to camp life and itinerary details.
Day 2: We will start out our day by stopping at the park visitorís center and walking to Una Vida, a great example of an un-excavated site. We will then visit the "great house" ruins: Chetro Ketlwith an estimated 500 rooms and 16 kivas, and Pueblo Bonito, the largest great house, considered the center of the Chacoan world. For our evening program, following dinner, we will attend the ranger program by National Park Service staff.
Day 3: After a hearty breakfast we will hike up an ancient stone stairway and visit Pueblo Alto (4.8 miles round trip) and other mesa top sites where we will be able to get a sense of the Chacoan road system that spans out like the spokes of a giant wheel. We will also be able to get panoramic views of the San Juan Basin, and get an introduction to the scope of the Chaco world. In the afternoon, we will discuss some of the primitive living skill ancient cultures used in their everyday lives. After dinner we will visit some of the rock art surrounding our camp.
Day 4: Today, we will visit the Super Nova petroglyph site and the Penasco Blanco ruin (3 miles round trip). This site differs from the others as it was built all at one time instead of with a series of additons. This is evident in the exceptional symmetry of the building plan, and the uniformity of the masonry. At camp we will enjoy some welcomed down time before dinner. For our evening program, we will visit the night sky ranger program by National Park Service staff, and learn the wonders of Archaeoastronomy as it relates to Chaco Culture by our expert staff.
Day 5: In the morning we will hike the Wijiji trail (3 miles round trip). In the afternoon we will view a movie in the visitor center theater and return to camp for our final farewell dinner.
Day 6: After breakfast we will pack up our personal items, and depart for Farmington airport. Flights out should be scheduled for after 11:00am.