Located in the northwest of New Mexico, the mysterious Shiprock is the result of a volcanic eruption that occurred about 30-40 million years ago. Its main part has a height of 600 m, a diameter of 500 m, and is 2300 m above sea level. This place owes its name to the resemblance to the clipper nose. Shiprok is also known as Tse Bitai ("winged stone"), a name given to him by the Navajo Indians. Many indigenous tribes of the region consider this mysterious rock sacred.
For the first time this height was conquered in 1939 by members of the Californian "Sierra Club". The ascent was extremely negatively received by the Navajo people, and climbing is currently prohibited here. An Indian legend tells that once the tribe was attacked by enemies and had nothing left but prayer. The gods heard the people, wings appeared at the ground under their feet, and she soared into the air, carrying everyone who stood on her to a safe place. The “winged stone” has remained in the desert ever since. The rescued Navajos began to live on it, going down only to get water and to plant crops. One day, when the men were working in the field, lightning split Tse Bitai, leaving only an impregnable rock in its place. Men could not return, and women and children were not able to go downstairs and died of hunger. It is believedthat their remains still rest on the summit, and the Navajo do not want to be disturbed by the ashes of their ancestors.
Unfortunately, many climbers disregard the feelings and beliefs of the Indians and strive to climb the mystical rock. Many of them died, and a memorial plaque erected on the way to Shiprok warns of the danger of their possible followers.
You can get here by highway number 666, which is often called "devilish" in association with the "number of the beast". His other "nicknames" are "Satan's speedway" or "the way of the devil." The area around the most mysterious Shiprok is also shrouded in frightening mystery: UFOs are often seen here.
Highway number 666.