Company on the Trail

Well, the hiking guidebook I borrowed did say it was a popular trail!

Catching a breath

Resting up before heading back down, double-time

Summit Views

Well worth the hike

Summit

Hiking cohort – made it!

Views Near Summit

Almost there…

Quartz Latite Slopes

Definition (Britannica online): intrusive igneous rock (solidified from a liquid state) that contains plagioclase feldspar, orthoclase feldspar, and quartz.

Crows Peak Trail

One of many switchbacks along the side of Crows Peak.

Road to Trailhead

The hike started a little early when the road to the trailhead came to an abrupt end.

Weekend Highlight: Crows Peak Trail

This seven-mile hike alone was worth the trip to the Black Hills. It was a scorching day though and progress was initially quite slow until a refreshing creek provided some relief. The last 1.5 miles to the summit felt longer somehow – perhaps it was the still air, which thankfully flowed freely at the summit. We were even treated to an acrobatic show by a half dozen turkey vultures, on a trail of their own for an apparently scrumptious supper.

Sign of Civilization in the Black Hills

A not unwelcomed notice in the Black Hills

Sign (Curse?) of Civilization

An unwelcomed reminder of civilization in the Badlands

Black Hills Landscape

Lush, green, mountainous Black Hills

Badlands Landscapes

Lunar landscapes of the Badlands

Black Hills Blooms

Fields of color in the Black Hills

Badlands Blooms

An occasional splash of color in the Badlands

Black Hills Trails

Trailing on the sides of mountains in the Black Hills

Badlands Trails

Trailing to the horizon in the Badlands

Roughlock Canyon and Meadow

Black Hills from the canyon floor near Roughlock Falls

Medicine-Castle Loop

Badlands from below on the Castle-Medicine Loop

Old Baldy Trail

Black Hills from above at a clearing along Old Baldy Trail

Saddle Pass

Badlands from above at Saddle Pass

Paha Sapa

Paha sapa is the Lakota name for the Black Hills, so named for the lush dark green foliage of pine trees that look darkly black in the distance

Gumbo

Badlands’ soil is known as ‘gumbo’ – a mix of clay, silt, sand

Walking the Land

Hiking can provide a particularly intimate sense of place, and in this southwest corner of South Dakota, a wealth of trails abound. On my first break, I camped with friends at Spearfish Canyon in the northern Black Hills, venturing on some memorable hikes, and relishing the stark contrast in landscapes.

Hiking the Badlands & the Black Hills is Night + Day … and still, just two hours between them.

Juvenile PD

Even juvies are processed so we can track their progress into adulthood.

Ear Tagging

Tagging each ear for future identification.

Taking Measurements

Re-dosing with makeshift mask while processing continues.