2. Now you see why travelers stopped here. There is no spring; the pool is fed largely by rain falling in July, August, and September, and by melting snows. When full it is about 12 feet deep and holds about 200,000 gallons of water. DO NOT THROW ANYTHING INTO THE POOL! If you look closely around the walls at about eye level, even on the far side, you can see names carved into the rock. Most of these date from 1850 to 1900, and were the work of emigrants and soldiers. How did they get over there? In the early days, there was probably a sandbank around the edge, and people could ride or walk around the pool. In 1942, a heavy rock fall filled the waterhole. When the sand and rubble were removed, the old dam was reinforced and lined with concrete. Do not write or carve on the cliff, and please don’t touch. Touching the inscriptions causes them to wear away more rapidly. The mud formations on the face of the rock above the pool are the nests of cliff swallows. These birds come to El Morro each year to nest and raise their young. [Illustration: _The waterhole_] 3. Along the base of the mesa are examples of the predominant types of trees found in the Southwest. From left to right these are: (1) One-seed juniper (_Juniperus monosperma_), which can be used for fenceposts and fuel. (2) Pinyon pine (_Pinus edulis_), noted for its edible nuts which are harvested in the fall. (3) Ponderosa pine (_Pinus ponderosa_), which provides excellent wood for construction and building purposes. Watch for black sage (_Artemisia tridentata_) along the right side of the trail. This is the purple sage of western fiction and is recognized by the silvery down on the leaves and the purplish color of the shaggy bark. The strong aromatic odor of sagebrush is especially noticeable after a rain. 4. In the desert varnish, the darker colored rock, note particularly a sequence showing hand prints, foot prints and a zig-zag trail going to a hole in the cliff. This could mean, “Follow the hand and foot trail to the pool of water.” The signature of Mr. Long is the most impressive one on the rock. It appears to have been carved between 1850 and 1862, probably with a knife after being sketched. Just to your right around the corner, note “Mr. Engle” in block print and “Mr. Bryn” in script. Engle was Beale’s second-in-command and Long and Bryn were members of Beale’s company. 5. There is a good account of Mr. P. (Peachy) Gilmer Breckinridge from the Virginia Historical Society. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute, and as a young man rode across the continent to California. In 1857 Lt. Edward Beale was in charge of an expedition testing camels for use in the American deserts. Breckinridge was in charge of the 25 camels used by Beale when they passed El Morro.