How 20 years of Southwest Backcountry Hiking Inspired a Mystery About a Grieving Archaeologist: Guest Post by Skye Griffith

My journey writing Bone Hash, developed from years of adventures on the Colorado Plateau. Ever since I visited Mesa Verde National Park, I’ve been captivated by the story of prehistoric Native Americans who once lived in this high desert landscape that covers some 130,000 square miles. It was once home to hundreds of villages populated by prehistoric Native Americans whom we now identify as Ancestral Puebloans. They lived in the area starting as far back as 30,000 years ago, according to recent archaeological discoveries, but some 900 years ago their villages were completely abandoned. It wasn’t until tree ring dating became popular that scientists knew why: A severe drought lasting as long as 50 years made the area uninhabitable. People were forced to leave their homes, and their villages were empty by 1300 CE. 

I found the unusual history of the area and its dramatic beauty fascinating to the point that my husband and I began hiking and camping in the Southwest on a regular basis. We visited national monuments like Canyon of the Ancients in southwestern Colorado and hiked primitive areas like Grand Gulch in Utah where it was possible to explore ruins of dwellings and granaries abandoned a thousand years ago. Often on our hikes we’d discover artifacts from long ago like pottery shards or an old, abandoned sandal, and we were aware of the importance of leaving such objects exactly where they were found. My experiences began to feel like the past was speaking to us, and along with the photos I took of the red rock vistas I began journaling about our adventures. Later I realized I wanted to write more about my high desert adventures—not just create records of our trips but imagine what life was like for the people who had lived in the area so long ago. Then a character named Aideen Connor introduced herself to me and became the protagonist in Bone Hash. I saw her as young and athletic, recently widowed, an archaeologist starting work in an isolated area hoping to find peace and heal her grief. 

Bone Hash introduces Aideen when she arrives at her remote Arizona dig. Shortly afterward her team uncovers a “bone hash,” human bones showing evidence of prehistoric cannibalism. Then a brutal murder shocks the residents of the nearby Hopi Reservation. Unsettling connections begin to emerge between her dig and the crime. Trust from the local community fractures, threats escalate, and Aideen’s world begins to unravel. Every clue leads her closer to danger and the secrets buried at her dig. Secrets that could cost her more than her career—they could cost her life. 

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Skye Griffith’s debut novel, Bone Hash, is the Women Writing the West 2026 WILLA Literary Award Winner in Mystery/Thriller and Best Mystery of 2026 winner as awarded by Colorado Authors League. Skye has hiked windswept canyons in the American Southwest, visited dozens of archaeological sites in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona and attended Native American dances and celebrations that gave her a deep respect for these First Americans and their ancient cultures. Previously Skye designed and produced over 10,000 special events, including Denver’s first world championship, the Stanley Cup Celebration, plus concerts and performances in venues of all sizes. Her articles have appeared in the National Endowment for the Arts newsletter, International Events Magazine, and other industry publications.  www.skyegriffith.com