High hopes and expectations for this trek, and it didn't disappoint. In fact it was spectacular, in a landscape that defies easy description for a flatlander such as myself. Hiked out the 8.5 miles in a little under 4 hours, with a few breaks interspersed. Walking up the creek bed was an experience what with all the crossing back and forth. By the time the ranger hogan was reached at the end of the trail, I had more dirt than I can ever remember inside my shoes and socks. After an hour or so at the ruins, headed back down the creek bed, hiking the first couple of miles. Then and only then did I start with the running, which was like being in a videogame set inside a geology textbook. As I was looking for the bottle I had cached at the 4.5 mile mark of the trail, I realized I was looking at horses who were looking back at me. Five of them in fact. I proceeded to follow them back upstream for a while so as to herd them toward my traveling companion. Alas, the batteries in the camera were out by this point, my only regret. After this bit of wrangling was done, turned back down the trail until reaching the spot where the keet seel canyon met two other canyons, a pre-appointed meeting spot. Wandered in the stream barefoot for a while, and continued with the barefoot routine for some more walking down the stream. When it came time to leave the stream bed for the steep climb back up to Tsegi Point, shoes back on and I ran the rest of the way which was 30 minutes of mostly climbing. Some of that was on sand so steep I couldn't believe it wasn't past the angle of repose. Overall maybe 90 minutes or so of running total. Mind blown at the end of the whole thing.
On to the pictures, of which there were many at least until the batteries ran out. Tsegi Point up high first, then the creek bed, and the ruins:
gate into Navajo land, permit required
picture doesn't do justice to how steep this is
arrow pointing the way
hero pose at the falls
almost there
note the steps cut into the rock face near the bottom
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