We started a journey before dawn one spring morning, driving far into the desert so we could go walk through history. As we rolled up the miles on tarmac, effortlessly covering distances that spans days of travel on foot, I thought about how humans always seek the path of least resistance. For modern people that means sedentary lives and easy driving on blacktop. In the past, it meant finding the places where the land was gentler and yielded more easily to those seeking a living from it.

Our destination for the day was one such place. It offered water, food, and an easy corridor of travel. Our own easy travel ran out a ways short of our target, so we found a spot to park off of the two-track we’ve been bumping along, gathered up our packs, cameras, water and snacks, donned our sun hats, and set out across the desert, walking the way people have always walked in this land.