Once we were afraid - we were petrified! OK, not really afraid, but there was petrification. Ancient trees that are now WAY heavier. Strewn all over the landscape and protected in a National Park.
And there's an orienteering event that runs through there every October! If you've ever wanted an opportunity to do a race in a National Park, here's your chance.
The Phoenix orienteering club puts on a 2-day meet in Petrified Forest National Park, and we've been lucky to make it the past two years. Last year (excuse me, 2022) was rather exciting and rainy, while 2023 had the normal gorgeous weather we've gotten accustomed to in Arizona. When it lined up perfectly with the Canyon de Chelly race the day before, how could we NOT go?
Our friend Andrew drove over from Flagstaff for the Saturday edition. It was great to see him, and he had an excellent first solo run. Well done, Andrew! I only regret we didn't get a group photo to share.
The most exciting part of the weekend was actually not related to orienteering. We got to experience a partial eclipse, just as the Saturday event began. Ron handed out eclipse glasses to everyone (thanks Ron!) and we watched the sun get partially obscured by the moon. Super cool! We weren't in a location where we could see the "ring of fire" but close enough to get a dimming/cooling effect.
And John managed somehow to get a picture using his camera and the glasses!
OK, time to "go!" and we were off and running. I took off down the paved road, which gave me a couple more chances to pause and watch the shape of the sun through the eclipse glasses. Then I really needed to turn my attention to navigation.
I remember having a lot of fun, seeing new (to us) areas of the park, doing some decent nav, and running hard to get to the finish on time.
John, on the other hand, was recovering from his big race the day before. He obviously had zero interest in running. He was happy to wander around, not too far from the start/finish, and take some photos. So this is mostly the story of what he found.
The first of many petrified pictures:
You have to wonder how many of these are still buried, to be exposed and eventually visible to passers-by:
A teeny tiny hoodoo! Nice shot, John.
The erosion continues:
John's map and pack for scale, I guess? And some pretty colors:
Wood in the wash:
Once a giant tree, now a natural phenomenon:
I just love the petrified wood chips scattered everywhere:
But I honestly have no idea what this is:
The park is sublimely pretty, and we're so lucky to get to wander around and see these things:
On Sunday John ranged further afield, collecting a decent number of controls while still finding time for a couple pictures.
Is potato?
Aw, I love you too!
I had another fine day of running, working hard to cover as much ground as I could. What a fun place to run!
Thank you to the Phoenix club for another unique and wonderful event! Highly recommend.
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