I spent 40 years traveling, hiking, and having adventures with my best friend/husband. We got old and he passed on without me, so now you are taking me on adventures to new sights in the only way I have left to travel.
I am 62, broke my tibula and fibula. My fine beast that dragged me to the point of breaking my leg is sitting here watching with me.maybe one day I can explore again. WE CAN EXPLORE AGAIN!!!!❤❤❤❤
for real i used to go on adventures like this as a kid. now it's just fun watching other people do so. also i was an incredibly reckless child and at my age realize i shouldn't be exploring some of the places i used to explore lol.
I’m 79 years old and live in Mississippi. If I didn’t watch you I would never see these canyons. You do a good job on your videos and I don’t have to yell at the screen telling you not to take the artifacts. You respect. Drone videos are excellent.
I know how you feel, I found Drew not too long ago when I was way down that hole I was in and he has the best at what he does. I love his videos, because I was supposed to end up in AZ!!!
You can’t believe we’re still watching you? It’s one of the better channels to watch. It’s educational, informative, full of beautiful images and you are a kind & gentle human. My question is, why aren’t more people watching? For whatever reason, too many are missing out. Blessings to you and your family in the new year. 🙏
I used to trek extensively. Age, wear and tear have stolen my wheels. Your chronicles are a great way to vicariously experience that which I can no longer do.
Plus, he can do this because of the love of his life, Evelyn, his wife. I see he spends a lot of time away and i think it's so awesome 🎉 thanks for sharing him with us hun so we can see all of the gorgeous pottery, petroglphs & corn (maize) shelters and so much more up close and personal Evelyn❤
I’m a 62 yr old Disabled Veteran. Without you Andrew I’m stuck watching brain cell death tv shows and cartoons. I get to live and enjoy through you and your experience. We who cannot, need people like you who can do, take us along with you. Luckily while we are riding on your shoulders (Via Camera) we are smiling, enjoying the adventure and your not being weight barred down with us lol. Your character, light, voice, and respect makes your videos uniquely different then the others. Your the secret sauce that makes the adventure grand. Thank you Andrew so much! Love and blessing and happy New Year from Sandy in far Northern California
Dear Dolphin child, Truly-- thank you so much for fighting for, and protecting us- your fellow Americans... Seriously, thank you for all your sacrifices, and selflessness, and American COURAGE.❤❤❤💪💪💪🇺🇸
@@bigdipper620 I love watching the "Why? Files" which has led me to questions about basic mysteries concerning God. My faith is firm and scriptural but one must be on-guard, because those who do not understand come up with some very wacky explanations. Good examples are Neil de Grasse and Bill Nye, who are self-convinced they have all the answers about science. Watch them as they present their comedy acts, because that is really what they do. In their minds, they believe they have all the answers. Neil thinks he's a legend. LOL!
Yours is my favorite TH-cam channel. At 72 years old, having lived a sedentary life and thoroughly enjoying my own cooking and the comforts of my own home, I realize I will probably never become an expert hiker let alone a backpack camper. The years when I did a little hiking are far in the past. So I watch you. You remind me of the smell of wild sagebrush, the beauty of blooming yucca, the feel of soft sand getting into my trail sandals, and the hypnotic soul renewal of a campfire. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Thank You so much for taking Us along- i am seventy and can no longer walk far; My body is shot but the desire to experience fresh encounters is strong . At times in my life i walked hikes a lot, and sailed long distances- both of which i miss. You are taking me farther into places i had not yet encountered, and I appreciate it that very much.
I too am in my 70's, ex-mountaineer, rockmonkey and mountain biker who no longer bounces when I fall off and now walks with a stick... I know whereof you speak.
A few years ago I hurt my knee. I can no longer hike like I used to do. Your videos remind me of a time when I trekked red rocks in dry climate. Just me and my dog. I mis those days. Thanks for taking us along on your adventures. Happy New Year!
Andrew. One unique way some of us value your videos is that we are now older and also can't do the drive down in the winter anymore. Miss those days. So we use you as our surrogate legs and we hike through you. Grateful
@@fasttrack9395 great way to put it. I no longer have the lungs or muscles to do it. For 20 plus years working delivering mail . Walking routes no driving routes at USPS I dreamed of myself and wife doing these things. COVID put me on O2 . But I am blessed and grateful to be alive. Andrew helps with his podcast.
You're definitely speaking for me! I live in WA so it'd require a long drive in addition to long hikes with lots of planning. I'm happy to "go along for the ride" with Desert Drifter! Vicarious travel!
You mention how surprised you are that I continue to watch, I assure you, I can't wait till the next drop. Love what you do and how you accomplish it! I appreciate you. Thank you for sharing. Happy New Year to you, your family and my fellow viewers.
I'm in my 80s and the only adventure and exploration of this type that I get is completely voyeuristic and secondhand. I if was much younger, I'd be doing something similar. Color me envious.
Agreed. Seeing the southwest through your eyes has been fascinating. I live in the west, am no stranger to desert, yet pictographs, and caves and all this stuff you breathe, I've never really taken too. You present it with a passion that draws me in and creates a great feeling of riding along on your journey. Keep Going. Keep collaborating with other explorers / scientists; I think your delivery makes all their information more engaging. Happy June.
I just realized that when I watch your videos, my nerves instantly calm. I'm not sure you realize how therapeutic your videos are in addition to being interesting/educational. Thank you for creating these.
Many people have said that. I feel that as soon as I step into these landscapes, so I'm very grateful it carries over into video format, and you are able to experience that as well
We are still watching you Andrew because your excitement over your discoveries is pleasantly infectious. It’s also clearly difficult to get to these beautiful places Thank you for the journey
I’m a 62 year-old who’s never seen the desert. Please don’t ever stop doing this. This is a a gift every time you download something. My phone tells me when you’ve downloaded something and I drop everything and find a quiet seat to watch. You have shown me parts of the United States that I never knew was there and the people that lived there. Amazing what they were able to do. This is a wonderful gift for the coming year. It was incredible how well those places were preserved. Kathy
I’ve seen these canyon lands in a satellite view on a geography channel. It looks so forbidding and has so little access other than by foot. I was wondering if you would venture into this maze of canyons. Good job!
I love seeing the old construction of the native structures. My great grandparents were pioneers from OK to what is now Old Mesilla New Mexico where they made adobe bricks and built their homestead. The construction of the roofs remind me of the native structures, as they are built in the same way. His home is 150 years old now, but still serving its purpose. It is so interesting to see what you find in the long forgotten places.
Amen to that. This is such a wholesome calming channel. Great content great narration. This awesome guy wonders why we keep watching." Hay guy you just keep being you and I think the rest will look after it self. " . Happy new year. 👍👍
As a former archaeology student (50 years ago!), I love your content, your knowledge and respect for native heritage. Happy New Year to you, your family and your extended Drifter family!
Great video! I have to be honest with you, these simple ones are my favorite kind of videos from you and you feel really authentic in these. You don't need big discoveries, teaming up with scientists, creators, etc. Just take us on a walk, slow paced, preferably with some rock art! Great stuff!
Yes we are still watching you. You are a wonderful narrator. Your knowledge and respect for the areas you discover is gratifying to see. I rarely see someone who is so respectful to areas they explore. Keep up the great work.
Andrew vicariously is the byword for a lot of your older viewers, I'm a 70 year old Eagle Scout (1973) and for 15 years was known as THE HIKING Scoutmaster of T92 (Philmont 1995 & 2000). Do WE miss it? YES, but you bring it ALL back for us who once did and could, and are THRILLED that WE are out and about again with your youthful exuberance taking us along!!! Believe it we’re watching you EVERY Step of the WAY!!!
Hey - don't give up hiking! I'm 70 and suffer from ME, but in my good periods I can still get out and enjoy the Lakeland Fells where I live. A lot of it is down to attitude - unless you have a serious disability, if you think you can do it you probably can.
Andrew if I hadn't found your channel I would still be oblivious to the beauty of the ancient scenery. This video is the best , most beautiful rock formations yet on your treks . Thank you for doing what you do for us .
isn't it nice to be the first to see something undisturbed before others come in and take or dig around? i like that you don't touch and are respectful. THANKS FOR THE JOURNEY!!!
So chuffed that YT reminded me to check out your adventures. I love the desert as did my darling husband. We spent many magical hours there. He said it was his spiritual home. Two years after he passed into another dimension, I feel I should take something to the American desert to honour him. I am thousands of miles away and still a wreck missing him but seeing you out there reminds me of a mission which feels like a distant dream right now. All the Best and please keep making your wondrous videos.
Andrew! Perfect example of how us humans, feel so insignificant, yet, every video I watch truly blows me away ❤️ Many of us dream of living this life. Your channel will come down in history! This is priceless work! *FASCINATING*
Hi, I’m disabled and live in the UK. I can’t get out much and certainly would never be able to visit the desert. Your videos are my way of exploring and learning. Keep em coming
A result of the dry climate. Incredible evidence still to be found, unlike other cultures in wetter climates who may be erased from history is far shorter time.
I grew up and live around this area. The locals know about these places but don't disturb them. Some people even kind of role play that they're back in that time and even use the old equipment if it can't be broken. Start fires with friction and filter their own water using charcoal. Of course there are plenty of Natural Springs if you know where to look. When I was younger we used to go out and do survival hikes with nothing but a knife a canteen and a Boy Scout pot.
One of the nice things about TH-cam and the Internet is we can live vicariously through your travels! A lot of us don't live near the mysterious southwest desert areas. Drones are great resources for saving time and locating points of interest faster, once you've used Google Earth to narrow down the area... Your videos are very interesting and I think a lot of people are interested in what happened 1000-2000 years ago, because of people like you, and your ability to describe what you're seeing. PLEASE continue making these wonderful videos and going on those amazing trips! Including your wife in things such as the ads is humorous and fun all at the same time! You two seem to be a good match! LOL!
Can you picture the daily family life? Tending children on a foot-wide ledge? Keeping body and clothing clean? Climbing the mountain carrying food, etc. supplies? All of lifelivedso high up, on such narrow ledges. I'd to love to hear anthropologist's discuss theories of these cliff dwellers daily/seasonal lives.
THANK YOU for allowing us to tag along, I'm not able to do things like you do any longer and you are a natural at presenting it, thanks for the ride! "KEEP ON KEEPIN ON"
You truly do get the most gorgeous drone footage I've yet seen! I adore your videos and the places maybe no one has even set foot on for thousands of years! Thank you for taking us on your adventures. Keep up the great work. ❤❤
I'm Welsh it's stunning here, but it's breathtaking there, and the fact you film this, is great thanks, I hope your filming actually gets used to document some of these amazing finds. Cheers Andrew
This is probably the most interesting channel on YT. I was nomadic a year or so ago, and haven't been able to shake the urge to go back out - I miss being in the middle of nowhere.
@ or how we went from self healing concrete brought to England by the Romans to living in hovels just a few hundred years later. Humans are a weird species.
I'm jealous. I'm a 66 yr old brit, and we haven't got these canyons. I'm lying in bed at 6 am on new years day watching this. Have a good 25. I look forward to more of your travels.
8:00 omg omg omg you found some great horned serpent petroglyphs! A lot of nations have different lore/stories/beliefs about them. My tribe (I'm a Shawnee) is originally from up north around Ohio and we have a lot of stories and beliefs about them and even have a huge mound called "Serpent Mound" for them. Most people view it as a snake, but it originally had horns as well, which you can see through lidar displays.
I think you should consider photographing some of your discoveries, like the hands, the mountain goats, a closeup of the area with all the fingerprints, that last neat granary you filmed and put the images on sweatshirts/tshirts with Desert Drifter logo. I for one would buy one. Just a picture of all the fingerprints would make an interesting lithograph to sell. Giving all of us the opportunity to share in the enthusiasm of your discoveries, the respect you show these ancient peoples and the beauty of the desert is why we come back. Thank YOU for taking the time to trek, film and share. All The Best in 2025!
I will continue to watch as long as you continue to produce content. Through your videos I have seen things that my eyes would never have seen otherwise. It strikes me that through all this time we still do many of these same things. We construct with rocks and mortar. We still decorate our homes with symbolism and art. Granted we now have machines that often carry the heavy loads but at the end of the day, are we that different?
This is so amazing. When I was younger I lived in the southwest. I never even thought to do something like this. I was into cowboy culture. I have always loved history, I should of bee exploring. But when I was younger I might of done something dumb. With age comes some wisdom. Thanks for teaching this old lady!
I never had enough time to get to your desert. My backpcking was extensive in the Sierras. Now I'm 85 and pretty much arthritic. I am happy to go with you and see what you discover and I thank you for providing these videos.
I watch from Scotland because I will never be able to visit the wonderful desert canyons you film so well and I'm interested in the geology and history of the areas you cover. Its awesome. Today I realised the smooth round topped rocks you were filming were formed under water about a billion years ago if I'm remembering ok. Please keep doing it.
I’m in wales mate 👍 I agree so cool to see unbelievable really never seizes to amaze me . Be so cool to walk in his foot steps . Well said 👍 Happy new year to you 👍
Makes my 82 yo body appreciate the climbing and water rationing glad you can do this exploring. 42 years ago had the privilege of exploring Yosemite upper canyon areas with high schoolers. Great times. Thanks for walking and filming. Happy New Year 2025!
We were re-watching last week's video, and when it was over, I checked notifications and you had just uploaded this one. That made our day. You said you were amazed that people would watch you hanging out in the desert. We watch for the cool discoveries and the sense of wonderment that you bring to each video.
When I was a young man I visited the outskirts of that area, but never had the opportunity to hike deeper in like you did. The cool thing for me is the lack of roads which likely plays a part in how intact so much of the area is. It's a place you have to WANT to go to, and you likely can never see it all. Thanks for taking all of us with you! I wish I could still hike and climb like this, but age has done caught up to me. Thanks for doing what you do - we appreciate it!
Yes, Andrew everyone is still glued to your adventures. When I was young, I spent most my free time hiking the Sierra's. Heck, we didn't have cell phones never mind drones! Please keep posting as you have managed to get so many hits on your vid's. Good luck on the first house purchase. Remember, location, location, location and you will always make money on the investment. Also, there are many houses out there but the two of you will make it HOME.
Yes, we’re still watching you. You take me places I’ve always wanted to go. At 71, traveling is limited. Thank you so much! Have a safe and happy new year!
Your videos draw me in and make me feel as if I were there myself, picking up those broke pieces of pottery, imagining who the people were that made, held, and used them, their finger marks in the mortar, the building of the granaries, their failures, triumphs, and the people they loved, laughed with, lived and grieved for. It is all so fascinating and a privilege to come along with you on your journeys. Thank you.
Yep! New Year Day - 2025! THANKS FOR THE SPECIAL VIDEO! ( water is so vital - now & then !) Your WORDS @ the end of this special video really touched me deeply. HAPPY NEW YEAR DAY!
I used to be a bush walking leader but now have such a bad heart that l spend most of my time in bed. Your walks keep me sane! Please continue to take me hiking through the canyons so l can remember the feelings. I’m so grateful. 🇦🇺💕
You post such beautifully filmed videos about such an interesting subject and yet you are amazed that people watch? I wait for each video to drop and view them ASAP. The things you visit personally, most of us would never see if it weren't for you sharing them with us. I won't be surprised when you hit one million subscribers. 16,000 views in the first hour alone!
“Desert Drifter” out of all the channels I follow there’s only a handful of channels I truly enjoy, when I see you’ve posted something, I stop what I’m doing to watch it immediately! ⛺️Love the way you say: 🌟 “Let’s” 🌟 look over here… this never gets old for me and for many others that watch your channel apparently~ Happy New Year, May 2025 be the best ever for all of us! ✨🇺🇸🌎✨
Finger prints!! Thats what gets me excited when I watch your incredible videos. I put myself in your shoes, and can almost feel what you must be feeling at that moment. I live in Northern AZ and in my modest hikings I sometimes find cool stuff from the past. Nothing along the caliber of your hikes (Im 72 years old!). But I know how a discovery of the long past, will capture the soul, expand your mind, and forever change your view of life. Well done sir. Keep up the GREAT work you are doing.
I lived in Cottonwood AZ, just outside Sedona, for a long time. I loved wandering the desert. You take me to places I never had a chance to see. I loved the High Desert. I'm now in WA and learning a new ecosystem. So many aces to see.
My wife and I love your videos. Literally we watch you as dedicated as we have our favorite TV shows! Stay safe, and keep up the good work. We love how respectful you are towards these sites.
Since everyone else is doing it: I'm 42 and live on Vancouver Island Canada! These videos really transport me and stimulate my mind. Wondering what the ancient people's lives were like? What was the experience of founding the little settlements and why they were eventually abandoned? This is some fantastic content!
MAN you could wander a lifetime and never find all the ruined wonders of those canyons !!!!! please dont stop but be careful such a wonderful learning experience you provide to ALL who come across your channel! stay safe and have fun
Just want to thank you for being such a great example for respecting and studying our ancestors. You are teaching most people how to appreciate our history left behind!😊
What is also amazing is the amount of content you have. I'm trying to imagine all the time it takes to embark on these adventures then return home to edit the footage then do more research. Thanks for all your effort. I'm 70 now and did what you're now doing when I was your age. Thanks for the memories.
Of course we are watching you. What you are finding is absolutely fascinating. I appreciate (and I am sure others feel this too) the fact that you are willing to go out there and walk all over that area looking for such interesting sights. Good luck on your house hunt this new year and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS.
In addition to your built discoveries, the scenery is fabulous and the drone shots give perspective and beauty not to be seen from the ground. Your video skills make top notch viewing, not to mention your editing. I could come back to your videos again and again for the vast scenery alone. Thank you for offering your talents for us to enjoy over and over.
I literally had knee surgery today. So yes I am living vicariously through you. Hopefully one day I can get back out there to follow in your footsteps. Thanks from us stuck on the couch.
I love that we get to see all the ancient sites that you bring us! I love seeing ruins but can’t travel much these days. The history about the areas are fascinating. We appreciate you and the effort you put out in order to share all of this!!!
Amazing finds! That place is so vast it must be near impossible to know where to look next...something around every corner. You can easily see how the land itself protected these people. And it looks like they took full advantage of it, building their structures in high places that have limited access points. If you could get to them, you were already at a disadvantage if you meant them harm. I wonder if they rode horses in that terrain. So many things come to the imagination. Thanks for sharing these treasures with us, and for respecting them as you do.
Happy New Year to you too. I'll watch your videos as long as you make them. I'm 73 and I will never be able to do this myself. You've given me hours of beauty. Thank you so much.
This canyon system is particularly beautiful, the little granary up in the niche was amazing. Love the large deposit of pottery shards, fascinating with the different designs. Happy new year to you!
Never tire of you adventures. You do what men have been doing for 1000s of years, living ,exploring, its what we where made for. So few of us do anything near what you do. I have had a blind spot in my understanding the desert s.w., u are filling in much of that blind spot, cheers!
When you were remarking on the craftsmanship of that recessed granary, I gained a new understanding of the ancients. We have our craftsmen and they had theirs. If I were one of them, I would have enjoyed your compliment via a heavenly TH-cam connection. These wonderful driftings of yours 😅make it possible for me to enjoy the southwest like I used to as a Scoutmaster. Thank you, Andrew. Your sharing blesses many.
I use your videos in my class when my students learn about the Indigenous Peoples of North America to show how vibrant and rich the cultures and communities were pre-contact. The finger impressions in clay and the corn cobs always amaze the students. Thanks!
Andrew you should believe it that your channel is the very best on this subject of desert exploring. Very thorough coverage. You ask all the right questions in your coverage. Keep it up we're in it till the end with you.
Happy New Year and many blessings in 2025. I have to chuckle over you wondering why people keep watching your videos. For me I see places that are so incredibly beautiful that I at 70 will never see. I learn about the stories and see the things left behind from those that dwelt in these places. The petroglyphs alone that have their own special messages. You do it all in such a calm voice. Thank you.
I wish I had MORE time to watch you Andrew! You have a unique personality, the way you engage people, you're easy to listen to also. You're the kind of guy that people look for in a good friend! I look forward to catching up on your adventures! I'm disabled and I love the outdoors, now I can't go do much of anything, and you take me places I'll never see any other way. So believe it brother, were still watching you!! Be safe!!
I would never miss an episode on your journey. I race to see the next video. I spent my childhood in the Southwest amoung ruins, Hogans, and indigenous culture. Your videos help me to make it through my cancer treatments. I hope they never stop coming! I pray you are able to continue your adventures many more years and uncover secrets of the past! Happy New Year to you and your wife and many Happy Trails! Grace and Peace
This channel is like a nature museum tour. The knowledge you add, the stories you show and tell are just great. You're out here finding old settlements long forgotten, pot graveyards, in previous videos you showed one of the harshest pinch points where a tribe very successfully killed many people coming into their lands, but also showed locations easily viewable of where they would hang out, hunt, push game to tight locations. Fantastic points of view and live reactions to things. Your respect for the remains are something to behold as well, you could have put together entire pots with some remains, taken all sorts of things just for yourself, but you leave it and exactly where it was found. Enjoy everything about this channel.
I grew up near this area (familiar with the formations in the background) and still facinated by how much is very much ancient cultures are preserved. Thanks for sharing!
You said you can’t believe we’re still watching you. 😂 we’re just living vicariously through your adventures.
I spent 40 years traveling, hiking, and having adventures with my best friend/husband. We got old and he passed on without me, so now you are taking me on adventures to new sights in the only way I have left to travel.
Curse of Oak Island is twelve seasons in now, so in comparison there's still a good while to go here before he needs to start finding some gold!
I am 62, broke my tibula and fibula. My fine beast that dragged me to the point of breaking my leg is sitting here watching with me.maybe one day I can explore again. WE CAN EXPLORE AGAIN!!!!❤❤❤❤
I totally agree! Professionally done video, excellent commentary, great scenery, grateful host. What's not to like?
for real i used to go on adventures like this as a kid. now it's just fun watching other people do so. also i was an incredibly reckless child and at my age realize i shouldn't be exploring some of the places i used to explore lol.
I’m 79 years old and live in Mississippi. If I didn’t watch you I would never see these canyons. You do a good job on your videos and I don’t have to yell at the screen telling you not to take the artifacts. You respect. Drone videos are excellent.
I know how you feel, I found Drew not too long ago when I was way down that hole I was in and he has the best at what he does. I love his videos, because I was supposed to end up in AZ!!!
Much respect and appreciation for your service and sacrifices!
Thank you for the hard work, another 76 yr old Mississippi man in awe of what I am seeing@
You can’t believe we’re still watching you? It’s one of the better channels to watch. It’s educational, informative, full of beautiful images and you are a kind & gentle human. My question is, why aren’t more people watching? For whatever reason, too many are missing out. Blessings to you and your family in the new year. 🙏
Fun, thrilling, enjoyable fascinating...
Great Comment! And question. I will comment myself above, with somethings I have read on here.
I used to trek extensively. Age, wear and tear have stolen my wheels. Your chronicles are a great way to vicariously experience that which I can no longer do.
Plus, he can do this because of the love of his life, Evelyn, his wife. I see he spends a lot of time away and i think it's so awesome 🎉 thanks for sharing him with us hun so we can see all of the gorgeous pottery, petroglphs & corn (maize) shelters and so much more up close and personal Evelyn❤
MORE people would watch if we SHARED!
I’m a 62 yr old Disabled Veteran. Without you Andrew I’m stuck watching brain cell death tv shows and cartoons. I get to live and enjoy through you and your experience. We who cannot, need people like you who can do, take us along with you. Luckily while we are riding on your shoulders (Via Camera) we are smiling, enjoying the adventure and your not being weight barred down with us lol. Your character, light, voice, and respect makes your videos uniquely different then the others. Your the secret sauce that makes the adventure grand. Thank you Andrew so much! Love and blessing and happy New Year from Sandy in far Northern California
Dear Dolphin child,
Truly-- thank you so much for fighting for, and protecting us- your fellow Americans...
Seriously, thank you for all your sacrifices, and selflessness, and American COURAGE.❤❤❤💪💪💪🇺🇸
Try Ted talks. I find them interesting at worst and some are eye opening.
@@bigdipper620 I love watching the "Why? Files" which has led me to questions about basic mysteries concerning God. My faith is firm and scriptural but one must be on-guard, because those who do not understand come up with some very wacky explanations. Good examples are Neil de Grasse and Bill Nye, who are self-convinced they have all the answers about science. Watch them as they present their comedy acts, because that is really what they do. In their minds, they believe they have all the answers. Neil thinks he's a legend. LOL!
Yours is my favorite TH-cam channel. At 72 years old, having lived a sedentary life and thoroughly enjoying my own cooking and the comforts of my own home, I realize I will probably never become an expert hiker let alone a backpack camper. The years when I did a little hiking are far in the past. So I watch you. You remind me of the smell of wild sagebrush, the beauty of blooming yucca, the feel of soft sand getting into my trail sandals, and the hypnotic soul renewal of a campfire. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Thank You so much for taking Us along- i am seventy and can no longer walk far; My body is shot but the desire to experience fresh encounters is strong . At times in my life i walked hikes a lot, and sailed long distances- both of which i miss. You are taking me farther into places i had not yet encountered, and I appreciate it that very much.
I too am in my 70's, ex-mountaineer, rockmonkey and mountain biker who no longer bounces when I fall off and now walks with a stick... I know whereof you speak.
Yea me to, I am 82, walks are very short now mostly within my home.
A few years ago I hurt my knee. I can no longer hike like I used to do. Your videos remind me of a time when I trekked red rocks in dry climate. Just me and my dog. I mis those days. Thanks for taking us along on your adventures. Happy New Year!
The desert videos help me keep my love for the desert alive.
Me too!
Andrew. One unique way some of us value your videos is that we are now older and also can't do the drive down in the winter anymore. Miss those days. So we use you as our surrogate legs
and we hike through you. Grateful
Amen to that...although I'm not quite there yet! I would love to go along with him, though.
@@fasttrack9395 great way to put it. I no longer have the lungs or muscles to do it. For 20 plus years working delivering mail . Walking routes no driving routes at USPS I dreamed of myself and wife doing these things. COVID put me on O2 . But I am blessed and grateful to be alive. Andrew helps with his podcast.
You're definitely speaking for me! I live in WA so it'd require a long drive in addition to long hikes with lots of planning. I'm happy to "go along for the ride" with Desert Drifter! Vicarious travel!
Seeing the remains of that roof at around the five minute mark is amazing. Another great adventure.
@@jeank8061 For me, too.
You mention how surprised you are that I continue to watch, I assure you, I can't wait till the next drop. Love what you do and how you accomplish it! I appreciate you. Thank you for sharing. Happy New Year to you, your family and my fellow viewers.
I'm in my 80s and the only adventure and exploration of this type that I get is completely voyeuristic and secondhand. I if was much younger, I'd be doing something similar. Color me envious.
Agreed. Seeing the southwest through your eyes has been fascinating. I live in the west, am no stranger to desert, yet pictographs, and caves and all this stuff you breathe, I've never really taken too. You present it with a passion that draws me in and creates a great feeling of riding along on your journey. Keep Going. Keep collaborating with other explorers / scientists; I think your delivery makes all their information more engaging.
Happy June.
Yes agree, happy new year . 😁👍
I just realized that when I watch your videos, my nerves instantly calm. I'm not sure you realize how therapeutic your videos are in addition to being interesting/educational. Thank you for creating these.
Same.
Many people have said that. I feel that as soon as I step into these landscapes, so I'm very grateful it carries over into video format, and you are able to experience that as well
This kind of content is what makes me watch YT instead of TV. I haven't watched TV in years and don't even own one. Keep this up please.
Me too!
Same. No TV since 2013. No regrets. And with quality videos like yours why would I go back to TV?
Me too! No tv since 2019. I love TH-cam because it’s ordinary people making videos of whatever they like! No celebrities, just cool people. 🙂
Thanks! I hope to take us to some spectacular places in 2025!
We are still watching you Andrew because your excitement over your discoveries is pleasantly infectious. It’s also clearly difficult to get to these beautiful places Thank you for the journey
I’m a 62 year-old who’s never seen the desert. Please don’t ever stop doing this. This is a a gift every time you download something. My phone tells me when you’ve downloaded something and I drop everything and find a quiet seat to watch.
You have shown me parts of the United States that I never knew was there and the people that lived there. Amazing what they were able to do.
This is a wonderful gift for the coming year.
It was incredible how well those places were preserved. Kathy
It's awesome for this ole Florida boy it's amazing
62 here as well and we hike all around ... maybe not as far as Andrew but so much to see XO, Kelly
I’ve seen these canyon lands in a satellite view on a geography channel. It looks so forbidding and has so little access other than by foot. I was wondering if you would venture into this maze of canyons. Good job!
Well Kathy-your account says youre a bot 🤖 so 😂😂😂😂😂
@@kateapple1I think you’re the Bot. I didn’t see anything in Kathy’s profile that indicates that channel is a Bot.
I appreciate taking me along.😊😍
Holy Crap!!!
The grinding stone still being present is amazing!!!
I love seeing the old construction of the native structures. My great grandparents were pioneers from OK to what is now Old Mesilla New Mexico where they made adobe bricks and built their homestead. The construction of the roofs remind me of the native structures, as they are built in the same way. His home is 150 years old now, but still serving its purpose. It is so interesting to see what you find in the long forgotten places.
A lot of history down there in Mesilla. I was down that way not too long ago. Much more I'd like to see...
That intact roof is amazing, and so fragile. Glad you captured it on camera because it can't possibly last much longer.
Don't stop using that drone. It is amazing makes one feel that I am walking alongside.
This episode you knocked out of the park. Thank you for taking us vicariously on so many fantastic journeys. Long live the Desert Drifter!!
Amen to that. This is such a wholesome calming channel. Great content great narration. This awesome guy wonders why we keep watching." Hay guy you just keep being you and I think the rest will look after it self. " . Happy new year. 👍👍
@@Ajax-t1qWell.well! I’m watching this 7:00pm, New Years Eve!
@@bernicezappala7958 well well an early happy new year to you lovely. 😊
Any time he finds a ruin with an intact roof or floor, it gives me goosebumps. Crazy to think such crude construction can last so long.
I watched New Year's Day.@@bernicezappala7958
As a former archaeology student (50 years ago!), I love your content, your knowledge and respect for native heritage. Happy New Year to you, your family and your extended Drifter family!
Great video! I have to be honest with you, these simple ones are my favorite kind of videos from you and you feel really authentic in these. You don't need big discoveries, teaming up with scientists, creators, etc. Just take us on a walk, slow paced, preferably with some rock art! Great stuff!
❤
Love this channel. Closing in a year with this channel and I do not miss an episode.
*_☃️HAPPY NEW YEAR ANDREW☃️_*
*_☃️HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY☃️_*
Happy New Year to you also❤ from Western Australia
Same to you!
u 2.
Happy New Year!🎉
Happy New Year from Portugal😊!
Thank you for showing us the US wild landscapes All the very best to you and Evelyn for the New Year
Yes we are still watching you. You are a wonderful narrator. Your knowledge and respect for the areas you discover is gratifying to see. I rarely see someone who is so respectful to areas they explore. Keep up the great work.
Andrew vicariously is the byword for a lot of your older viewers, I'm a 70 year old Eagle Scout (1973) and for 15 years was known as THE HIKING Scoutmaster of T92 (Philmont 1995 & 2000). Do WE miss it? YES, but you bring it ALL back for us who once did and could, and are THRILLED that WE are out and about again with your youthful exuberance taking us along!!! Believe it we’re watching you EVERY Step of the WAY!!!
Hey - don't give up hiking! I'm 70 and suffer from ME, but in my good periods I can still get out and enjoy the Lakeland Fells where I live. A lot of it is down to attitude - unless you have a serious disability, if you think you can do it you probably can.
Andrew if I hadn't found your channel I would still be oblivious to the beauty of the ancient scenery. This video is the best , most beautiful rock formations yet on your treks . Thank you for doing what you do for us .
Extraordinary doesn’t even describe this video. So very cool!
isn't it nice to be the first to see something undisturbed before others come in and take or dig around? i like that you don't touch and are respectful. THANKS FOR THE JOURNEY!!!
Well said 👍 I second that
Third. This is why I watch.
So chuffed that YT reminded me to check out your adventures. I love the desert as did my darling husband. We spent many magical hours there. He said it was his spiritual home. Two years after he passed into another dimension, I feel I should take something to the American desert to honour him. I am thousands of miles away and still a wreck missing him but seeing you out there reminds me of a mission which feels like a distant dream right now. All the Best and please keep making your wondrous videos.
Andrew! Perfect example of how us humans, feel so insignificant, yet, every video I watch truly blows me away ❤️ Many of us dream of living this life.
Your channel will come down in history! This is priceless work! *FASCINATING*
Hi, I’m disabled and live in the UK. I can’t get out much and certainly would never be able to visit the desert. Your videos are my way of exploring and learning. Keep em coming
Happy New Year to you!
It’s just incredible to think that the mono has been sitting there for centuries since the owner last used it…. Amazing
A result of the dry climate. Incredible evidence still to be found, unlike other cultures in wetter climates who may be erased from history is far shorter time.
I grew up and live around this area. The locals know about these places but don't disturb them. Some people even kind of role play that they're back in that time and even use the old equipment if it can't be broken. Start fires with friction and filter their own water using charcoal. Of course there are plenty of Natural Springs if you know where to look. When I was younger we used to go out and do survival hikes with nothing but a knife a canteen and a Boy Scout pot.
One of the nice things about TH-cam and the Internet is we can live vicariously through your travels! A lot of us don't live near the mysterious southwest desert areas. Drones are great resources for saving time and locating points of interest faster, once you've used Google Earth to narrow down the area... Your videos are very interesting and I think a lot of people are interested in what happened 1000-2000 years ago, because of people like you, and your ability to describe what you're seeing. PLEASE continue making these wonderful videos and going on those amazing trips! Including your wife in things such as the ads is humorous and fun all at the same time! You two seem to be a good match! LOL!
Nothing connects better than those finger prints. Really feels personal. Thanks for adventuring for us all!
Can you picture the daily family life? Tending children on a foot-wide ledge? Keeping body and clothing clean? Climbing the mountain carrying food, etc. supplies? All of lifelivedso high up, on such narrow ledges. I'd to love to hear anthropologist's discuss theories of these cliff dwellers daily/seasonal lives.
I love watching. I get to see what otherwise I'd never see. I also appreciate your speech. No slang, or filth!!😊
It's really good to know there's still plenty of undisturbed Earth
One can only imagine, just how much more is undiscovered in some knooks or caves. Thank You for Your hard work and dedication
"Knooks"?? That is not even a word. What the. Are you American?
THANK YOU for allowing us to tag along, I'm not able to do things like you do any longer and you are a natural at presenting it, thanks for the ride!
"KEEP ON KEEPIN ON"
Spirals, Snakes, Animals... fantastic to find all this about our history... to find and to view on your eyes... in place... AWESOME !!! Priceless...
You truly do get the most gorgeous drone footage I've yet seen! I adore your videos and the places maybe no one has even set foot on for thousands of years! Thank you for taking us on your adventures. Keep up the great work. ❤❤
It's because your're poetically in touch with what we love and miss... for whatever be our reasons, so you help us keep in touch! With amazing calm!
Happy New Year Andrew, and to everyone enjoying this video!
I'm Welsh it's stunning here, but it's breathtaking there, and the fact you film this, is great thanks, I hope your filming actually gets used to document some of these amazing finds. Cheers Andrew
This is probably the most interesting channel on YT. I was nomadic a year or so ago, and haven't been able to shake the urge to go back out - I miss being in the middle of nowhere.
As a history nut Brit living in Germany, I am absolutely fascinated by what you just keep turning up. This channel is awesome!
Do you ever wonder why they were living like this while your people were building castles?
@ or how we went from self healing concrete brought to England by the Romans to living in hovels just a few hundred years later.
Humans are a weird species.
I'm jealous. I'm a 66 yr old brit, and we haven't got these canyons. I'm lying in bed at 6 am on new years day watching this. Have a good 25. I look forward to more of your travels.
Well said,nothing like that here, sadly.
8:00 omg omg omg you found some great horned serpent petroglyphs! A lot of nations have different lore/stories/beliefs about them. My tribe (I'm a Shawnee) is originally from up north around Ohio and we have a lot of stories and beliefs about them and even have a huge mound called "Serpent Mound" for them. Most people view it as a snake, but it originally had horns as well, which you can see through lidar displays.
i was thinking sidewinder? they are the only horned rattlesnake i'm aware of in north america.
I think you should consider photographing some of your discoveries, like the hands, the mountain goats, a closeup of the area with all the fingerprints, that last neat granary you filmed and put the images on sweatshirts/tshirts with Desert Drifter logo. I for one would buy one. Just a picture of all the fingerprints would make an interesting lithograph to sell. Giving all of us the opportunity to share in the enthusiasm of your discoveries, the respect you show these ancient peoples and the beauty of the desert is why we come back. Thank YOU for taking the time to trek, film and share. All The Best in 2025!
I will continue to watch as long as you continue to produce content. Through your videos I have seen things that my eyes would never have seen otherwise. It strikes me that through all this time we still do many of these same things. We construct with rocks and mortar. We still decorate our homes with symbolism and art. Granted we now have machines that often carry the heavy loads but at the end of the day, are we that different?
This is so amazing. When I was younger I lived in the southwest. I never even thought to do something like this. I was into cowboy culture. I have always loved history, I should of bee exploring. But when I was younger I might of done something dumb. With age comes some wisdom. Thanks for teaching this old lady!
I never had enough time to get to your desert. My backpcking was extensive in the Sierras. Now I'm 85 and pretty much arthritic. I am happy to go with you and see what you discover and I thank you for providing these videos.
I'm right with you on that. I'm 70 with sciatica from hell I'd love to with him but.....
at least he's taking us along on video.
I watch from Scotland because I will never be able to visit the wonderful desert canyons you film so well and I'm interested in the geology and history of the areas you cover. Its awesome. Today I realised the smooth round topped rocks you were filming were formed under water about a billion years ago if I'm remembering ok. Please keep doing it.
I’m in wales mate 👍 I agree so cool to see unbelievable really never seizes to amaze me . Be so cool to walk in his foot steps . Well said 👍 Happy new year to you 👍
Don't say never just come on over
Give us material we can use at My Lunch Break. He's looking for millennium reign buildings.
The area he is probably in, bears ears or at least the 4 corners, is a cheap and lovely vaca, flights not included.
Makes my 82 yo body appreciate the climbing and water rationing glad you can do this exploring. 42 years ago had the privilege of exploring Yosemite upper canyon areas with high schoolers. Great times. Thanks for walking and filming. Happy New Year 2025!
'That last grainery: spectacular! Thanks for sharing your adventure Andrew!
We were re-watching last week's video, and when it was over, I checked notifications and you had just uploaded this one. That made our day. You said you were amazed that people would watch you hanging out in the desert. We watch for the cool discoveries and the sense of wonderment that you bring to each video.
I am just mesmerized by your videos. What incredible places you find to share with us. Grateful!!
This is a pretty incredible collection of surviving bits of architecture, really such an ephemeral kind of architecture.
Helps that the climate has been generally very dry for thousands of years.
When I was a young man I visited the outskirts of that area, but never had the opportunity to hike deeper in like you did. The cool thing for me is the lack of roads which likely plays a part in how intact so much of the area is. It's a place you have to WANT to go to, and you likely can never see it all. Thanks for taking all of us with you! I wish I could still hike and climb like this, but age has done caught up to me. Thanks for doing what you do - we appreciate it!
Yes, Andrew everyone is still glued to your adventures. When I was young, I spent most my free time hiking the Sierra's. Heck, we didn't have cell phones never mind drones! Please keep posting as you have managed to get so many hits on your vid's. Good luck on the first house purchase. Remember, location, location, location and you will always make money on the investment. Also, there are many houses out there but the two of you will make it HOME.
The eroded sandstone of the canyons made such beautiful natural art. Thank you. ❤
Yes, we’re still watching you. You take me places I’ve always wanted to go. At 71, traveling is limited. Thank you so much! Have a safe and happy new year!
Yes I agree it’s so cool to walk with him in his foot steps . Happy new year to you 💯👍
I can’t help but continue to watch the way you tell the story and the respect you show never gets old
Your videos draw me in and make me feel as if I were there myself, picking up those broke pieces of pottery, imagining who the people were that made, held, and used them, their finger marks in the mortar, the building of the granaries, their failures, triumphs, and the people they loved, laughed with, lived and grieved for. It is all so fascinating and a privilege to come along with you on your journeys. Thank you.
Yep! New Year Day - 2025! THANKS FOR THE SPECIAL VIDEO! ( water is so vital - now & then !) Your WORDS @ the end of this special video really touched me deeply.
HAPPY NEW YEAR DAY!
I used to be a bush walking leader but now have such a bad heart that l spend most of my time in bed. Your walks keep me sane! Please continue to take me hiking through the canyons so l can remember the feelings. I’m so grateful. 🇦🇺💕
You post such beautifully filmed videos about such an interesting subject and yet you are amazed that people watch? I wait for each video to drop and view them ASAP. The things you visit personally, most of us would never see if it weren't for you sharing them with us. I won't be surprised when you hit one million subscribers. 16,000 views in the first hour alone!
“Desert Drifter” out of all the channels I follow there’s only a handful of channels I truly enjoy, when I see you’ve posted something, I stop what I’m doing to watch it immediately! ⛺️Love the way you say: 🌟 “Let’s” 🌟 look over here… this never gets old for me and for many others that watch your channel apparently~ Happy New Year, May 2025 be the best ever for all of us! ✨🇺🇸🌎✨
Finger prints!! Thats what gets me excited when I watch your incredible videos. I put myself in your shoes, and can almost feel what you must be feeling at that moment. I live in Northern AZ and in my modest hikings I sometimes find cool stuff from the past. Nothing along the caliber of your hikes (Im 72 years old!). But I know how a discovery of the long past, will capture the soul, expand your mind, and forever change your view of life. Well done sir. Keep up the GREAT work you are doing.
I lived in Cottonwood AZ, just outside Sedona, for a long time. I loved wandering the desert. You take me to places I never had a chance to see. I loved the High Desert. I'm now in WA and learning a new ecosystem. So many aces to see.
My wife and I love your videos. Literally we watch you as dedicated as we have our favorite TV shows! Stay safe, and keep up the good work. We love how respectful you are towards these sites.
Can’t believe we are still watching? I can’t believe I’m not with you exploring. I wish I could do what you do.
Sixteen minutes since you posted and I’m almost 600 views late! People really do wait for these❤
The location is SO BEAUTIFUL!!!
Thanks for taking us on another adventure. I like hiking with you. I am unable to actually do it anymore. Fun times, keep hiking ❤
Since everyone else is doing it: I'm 42 and live on Vancouver Island Canada!
These videos really transport me and stimulate my mind. Wondering what the ancient people's lives were like? What was the experience of founding the little settlements and why they were eventually abandoned?
This is some fantastic content!
MAN you could wander a lifetime and never find all the ruined wonders of those canyons !!!!! please dont stop but be careful such a wonderful learning experience you provide to ALL who come across your channel! stay safe and have fun
Just want to thank you for being such a great example for respecting and studying our ancestors. You are teaching most people how to appreciate our history left behind!😊
What is also amazing is the amount of content you have. I'm trying to imagine all the time it takes to embark on these adventures then return home to edit the footage then do more research. Thanks for all your effort. I'm 70 now and did what you're now doing when I was your age. Thanks for the memories.
Of course we are watching you. What you are finding is absolutely fascinating. I appreciate (and I am sure others feel this too) the fact that you are willing to go out there and walk all over that area looking for such interesting sights. Good luck on your house hunt this new year and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS.
In addition to your built discoveries, the scenery is fabulous and the drone shots give perspective and beauty not to be seen from the ground. Your video skills make top notch viewing, not to mention your editing. I could come back to your videos again and again for the vast scenery alone. Thank you for offering your talents for us to enjoy over and over.
I literally had knee surgery today. So yes I am living vicariously through you. Hopefully one day I can get back out there to follow in your footsteps. Thanks from us stuck on the couch.
I'm also recovering from knee surgery. This is great therapy.
what better way to end the year than with you going through the desert. Thank you for this gift.
I second that mate 👍
Yes!!
Thank you. I'll third this. Of all the great end of year vids, as of 7:47 ET, this is by far the best.
When you choose your new home, make sure it’s as long lasting as the beautifully constructed homes you share with us. Happy New Year!
I love that we get to see all the ancient sites that you bring us! I love seeing ruins but can’t travel much these days.
The history about the areas are fascinating. We appreciate you and the effort you put out in order to share all of this!!!
Amazing finds! That place is so vast it must be near impossible to know where to look next...something around every corner. You can easily see how the land itself protected these people. And it looks like they took full advantage of it, building their structures in high places that have limited access points. If you could get to them, you were already at a disadvantage if you meant them harm. I wonder if they rode horses in that terrain. So many things come to the imagination. Thanks for sharing these treasures with us, and for respecting them as you do.
Happy New Year to you too. I'll watch your videos as long as you make them. I'm 73 and I will never be able to do this myself. You've given me hours of beauty. Thank you so much.
All the firewood gathered next to the kiva that never got used is interesting. Amazing it's still there after 800 years.
Firewood coulda been laid down there at any time from then to now.
This canyon system is particularly beautiful, the little granary up in the niche was amazing. Love the large deposit of pottery shards, fascinating with the different designs. Happy new year to you!
I second this comment! And I Always watch your videos, Andrew; you are the Best!!❤ Looking forward to more from you through the New Year! 🎉
Never tire of you adventures. You do what men have been doing for 1000s of years, living ,exploring, its what we where made for. So few of us do anything near what you do. I have had a blind spot in my understanding the desert s.w., u are filling in much of that blind spot, cheers!
When you were remarking on the craftsmanship of that recessed granary, I gained a new understanding of the ancients. We have our craftsmen and they had theirs. If I were one of them, I would have enjoyed your compliment via a heavenly TH-cam connection. These wonderful driftings of yours 😅make it possible for me to enjoy the southwest like I used to as a Scoutmaster. Thank you, Andrew. Your sharing blesses many.
I use your videos in my class when my students learn about the Indigenous Peoples of North America to show how vibrant and rich the cultures and communities were pre-contact. The finger impressions in clay and the corn cobs always amaze the students. Thanks!
Stunning geology. I'm 77 and am on every journey with you, vicariously. Most TH-cam content is no match for the product that you deliver. Keep going.
Andrew you should believe it that your channel is the very best on this subject of desert exploring. Very thorough coverage. You ask all the right questions in your coverage. Keep it up we're in it till the end with you.
Happy New Year and many blessings in 2025. I have to chuckle over you wondering why people keep watching your videos.
For me I see places that are so incredibly beautiful that I at 70 will never see. I learn about the stories and see the things left behind from those that dwelt in these places. The petroglyphs alone that have their own special messages.
You do it all in such a calm voice. Thank you.
I wish I had MORE time to watch you Andrew! You have a unique personality, the way you engage people, you're easy to listen to also. You're the kind of guy that people look for in a good friend! I look forward to catching up on your adventures! I'm disabled and I love the outdoors, now I can't go do much of anything, and you take me places I'll never see any other way. So believe it brother, were still watching you!! Be safe!!
It is your almost child like wonderment when you discover new things, there is something oh so pure about that. Never grow up and lose that purity.
So beautiful thank you for sharing. Stay safe out there, bro.👍🏻
I would never miss an episode on your journey. I race to see the next video. I spent my childhood in the Southwest amoung ruins, Hogans, and indigenous culture. Your videos help me to make it through my cancer treatments. I hope they never stop coming! I pray you are able to continue your adventures many more years and uncover secrets of the past! Happy New Year to you and your wife and many Happy Trails! Grace and Peace
This channel is like a nature museum tour. The knowledge you add, the stories you show and tell are just great. You're out here finding old settlements long forgotten, pot graveyards, in previous videos you showed one of the harshest pinch points where a tribe very successfully killed many people coming into their lands, but also showed locations easily viewable of where they would hang out, hunt, push game to tight locations. Fantastic points of view and live reactions to things. Your respect for the remains are something to behold as well, you could have put together entire pots with some remains, taken all sorts of things just for yourself, but you leave it and exactly where it was found. Enjoy everything about this channel.
I grew up near this area (familiar with the formations in the background) and still facinated by how much is very much ancient cultures are preserved. Thanks for sharing!
i think this is the densest ive ever seen shards, oh what id do to see that site in person.