Theodore Roosevelt National Park

 Today we hiked the Petrified Forest Trail.  Dave said it was my trifecta - hiking boots, tilley hat and ranger led hike.  We met at the trailhead after a somewhat bumpy 7 mile drive on a dirt road.  We started on the south trail and got about a mile in or so and we were stopped due to a wild horse hanging out close to the trail where we couldn’t go by safely.  The Ranger showed us remains of a bison in the area, hoping the horse would move on.  This is the advantage of a Ranger hike, as they know where things are that you would never see.  The Ranger said the bison died of natural causes as they really have no predators.  Males will fight during mating season, but not to kill.  He said the skin on the head is leathery due to the exposure to the sun.  That made me think of many of the native american exhibits we have seen and how they used every single part of the bison.

Note that the horns are near the ground, so the head is upside down.

While we were waiting for the horse, someone also spotted a bison that was on the trail as well.  So after hanging around the area for about 15 minutes or so, the horse nor the bison had moved a muscle, so for safety reasons the Ranger said we would turn around.  As soon as we started heading back, the horse moved, but moved toward where we were, so it was a good call.  The Ranger said a safe distance is 2 school bus lengths.

When we got back to a certain part of the trail the ranger gave us a choice to continue on the north trail with him to see the petrified forest or go back to the car.   Dave and I and one other couple were more than happy to go, the rest of the group went back to their cars (approximately 10 people).  It was a worthy 2 mile hike of scenery, petrified wood and mother nature’s splendor.  Total hike was a little over 4 1/2 miles.  

This piece of petrified wood above is the base of the tree.  I asked if it was the base or laying on it’s side.  That was one massive tree.

The above petrified tree you can see even the roots turned to stone, yet there is just a little hollow area all the way through.  Each piece is unique

I can’t ever pass up a purple flower.

Some fun facts:  

There are 200 wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP).  When the fences were first put up to outline the park, any horses that had branding were taken to the respective farms, the rest were left to live in the park.  They “shoot” the horses with birth control to keep the number in check.  

There are 500 bison in the park.  They have a roundup every 2 years using a helicopter.  They count the head.  If there are over 500, the calves are taken to state parks, other national parks or Native American reservations.

Average weight of males is 2,200 lbs.  They did have one recently weigh in at 2,800 lbs. 

Interesting factoid, if bison feel threatened, one “method of attack” is they pee and roll in it.  They think the smell of their pee shows how much muscle they have.  

The petrified wood that we saw was 60 million years old.

Tomorrow is another trifecta day, as we are taking a Ranger hike to the Painted Canyon.