Operation Skinny: Week 10

I gained .2 pounds this week. Even though I ate an average of 1,394 calories per day this week.

I traveled 20.5 miles this week. Which means that I've walked just over 200 miles. It also means that I just walked though the Petrified Forest National Park. Here's my map.

From Wiki:
Petrified wood (from the Greek root "petro" meaning "rock" or "stone", literally "wood turned into stone") is a type of fossil: it consists of fossil wood where all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (most often a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the wood. The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen. Mineral-rich water flowing through the sediment deposits minerals in the plant's cells and as the plant's lignin and cellulose decay away, a stone mould forms in its place. It probably takes less than 100 years for wood to petrify.

The park is the largest concentration of petrified wood in the country; possibly in the world. Apparently, there was a forest with a large river in these parts. Which is hard to imagine when you are walking through the desert. The minerals in the water were perfect for petrifying wood. Some researchers offer a “log jam” theory accounting for the concentration.

Petrified wood is very hard. Only topaz, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds are harder.

Totals:
Distance Traveled: 200.5 miles
Weight loss: 5.2 pounds