It’s not an easy climb, but once you make it to the top of Enchanted Rock, the breathtaking views are worth every step.
That's why park superintendent Doug Cochran felt like he had the wind knocked out of him when he saw graffiti.
“It hurts me. It hurts everybody because everybody loves this place," Cochran said. "They love state parks and when something like this happens, it takes a bit away from that."
The discovery was made Sunday afternoon. A park-goer snapped a photo of two people in front of the graffiti and that photo has now gone viral, leaving many upset.
“It’s really disrespectful, especially to such a scenery out over here,” visitor Robby Smith said.
“Have respect for nature out here," Karina Ramirez said. "Have a good time, don’t do something stupid like that."
The search is on for the people in the photo. They’re being considered persons of interest. The graffiti is still there because it’s going to take a special technique to remove the paint without damaging the natural surface of the rock.
“This multi-colored stuff is called lichens. They grow very, very slow. It takes 100 years to grow 1 square inch,” Cochran noted. “Were going to have to try and find something very delicate to remove it. It's going to be expensive and we have a very limited budget.”
It could cost $5,000 to $10,000 to clean and might have to come from donations. And while KENS 5 was there, our crew discovered even more gold spray paint in a spot the staff had yet to see. It's likely the spot the suspects used to test the paint.
“Just reaffirms my disbelief that someone would do this, to this wonderful area that people love so much,” Cochran said.
