Badlands, South Dakota

I made it to Badlands National Park in South Dakota early in the afternoon. After finding a campsite and getting the tent up, I checked out the visitor center and its short video on the area. I then ate dinner at the lodge next door before driving out to the Pinnacles viewpoint to watch the sun set over the ancient ocean that now comprises a large part of the national park. The views were impressive and reminded me of Valle de la Luna near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

I woke early the next morning in hopes of watching the sunrise at an area called “The Doors”. Unfortunately my phone battery died during the night and that was my alarm. Luckily my internal alarm got me up just a little after sunrise, around 5:40am. I quickly made my way to The Doors Trail where I hiked just over a half mile out on the precarious fin like protrusions that made up the surface of the mesa. It was worth my time as I was finally treated to soft sunlight illuminating a landscape filled with cliffs, ravines, valleys, and towers. I did a few more short hikes before returning to the lodge for a buffet breakfast (fantastic French toast). With belly full I returned to my campsite, packed up, and headed West through the park to explore a little more before jumping back on the highway to go to Wind Cave National Park in the southwest corner of the state.

Because of frequent picture opportunities along the way, I did not make it to Wind Cave until about 3:30 in the afternoon. After establishing a campsite I went to the Visitor Center where I signed up for the Wild Cave Tour that requires that I be willing (and able) to crawl through spaces no more than 10 inches wide. I guess its time to suck in the gut. Exhausted from driving and hiking, I relaxed the rest of the day in my campsite writing this and watching families of deer rummage through bags around my neighbors’ tents…maybe I should do something.