Chaco Canyon

She stopped at the visitor center, and talked with the National Park Service Ranger.

“I’ve got four hours to spend. I am an avid hiker, but I don’t like to get hot or feel overheated.” Together they looked at the map. “In this heat, I wouldn’t go to those other backcountry sites beyond the end of the loop,” he advised. She nodded. “What is the travel time to Pueblo Alto?” “Estimated three to four hours.” “And the distance?” She verbalized her informed plan. “I’ll go to Pueblo Bonito, see Kin Kletso, hike to Pueblo Alto and overlook Pueblo Bonito and then stop at one more site at the side of the road on my way out.”

He affirmed, “The Pueblo Alto Trail is hard to miss. You can take the stairway right after Kin Kletso.”

He was right. It was hard to miss. It was hot and exhausting and very hard to have missed it.

She hiked far beyond Kin Kletso, in the heat, toward the backcountry, all the while keeping a sharp lookout for a stairway. Turns out the “stairway” was right behind Kin Kletso. Had she lingered, had she taken time to explore Kin Kletso thoroughly rather than doggedly hurrying onward, she would have found the trail sign. It was hard to miss.