The Myth & The Majesty

This past Sunday I managed to gather some pretty awesome people and climb Black Elk for the twelfth time this year. [Note: "Twelfth" is a weird word to spell.] It was possibly the last day of December that would be over 35 degrees and one of the few that I could manage a hike with others -- so plans were made and at 12:30, we met up at Sylvan Lake. Yes. 12:30 is a late start to a December hike around here. Sunset was officially at 4:15, so we didn't really waste time getting up there. That's right. I register. You only have to have one run-in with a ranger... As it happened, it was a perfectly clear day and not too cold. And a great day for some awkward tower selfies. Naturally, I started to think about stats on this particular hike. I've climbed the peak around 50 times total now over the course of about 22 years. 40% of those have been in the last five years. This year, I managed to get six of the monthly hikes done in the ...

Ten months down, two to go. Next month, maybe I need to find a new angle. Once again, a fabulous view. After yesterday's cold and fog, this was wonderful. Next month, maybe I can try not waiting till the second to last day, though...

Well, September is in the books. I managed to hit the top of Harney/Black Elk at possibly the most ideal time. I'd stalled all morning, not leaving my house until about the time I usually prefer to summit. Overcast skies had slowed me down considerably and on the drive to Sylvan I nearly turned around -- the whole of the summit was in a cloud. But hey. If the entire year passed with twelve climbs in nearly perfect weather, that would take some of the fun out of it, right? Onward! As it happened, the clouds cleared not long before I reached the tower ... and wouldn't you know it, I ended up with a pretty fantastic view after all. Nine months down, three to go. 

My eighth climb this year to the tallest peak in South Dakota was uneventful -- gorgeous weather, not a lot of foot traffic, and my second-best time for the year. However, five days before I climbed said peak, the US Board on Geographic Names officially announced that Harney Peak would now be known as Black Elk Peak. Won't stop me from taking the same picture each month... William Harney was a Civil War general and participant in the Plains Indian Wars. And he was ... Well, not the nicest guy. - In 1834, he was accused of whipping a female slave (Hannah) to death and he fled the county. As was generally the case for male slaveowners in Missouri at the time, he was eventually acquitted, but the record is there.  [I find that I had to use the phrase "as was generally the case" absolutely obnoxious. Seriously, how did it escape notice for so long that human ownership was not a good idea? I hope at some point someone looked around at the world and thought, "I ...

Managed Harney Peak yesterday at last! Seven months out of seven so far. It was a good reminder that (a) July is hot, and (b) foot traffic on Saturdays is insane. Definitely going to shoot for a Tuesday or something for August. A different vantage point! Sat on the edge of insanity this time... This month's hike wasn't as fast as last month's ... and it totally wiped me out. It was a little disconcerting, actually, how hard I slept last night. The effect of summer, I suppose.

I knew going into my Harney challenge that June and July would be the toughest months to get.  A good chunk of that is scheduling -- I just don't have the free time most of the summer. And some of it is admittedly weather because I like to enjoy my hikes. I do not enjoy 90-plus-degree hikes. Ew.  This morning, though, I found both the time and the right weather window. And as luck would have it ... it's June 30th. Just in time. Click for the full-sized version. I'm also happy to say I made it in 71 minutes -- one of my fastest so far. My hiking uniform: grey shirt, black skirt, shoes that are occasionally questionable. The trail was moderately crowded, but it turns out that if you hike in a tank top and look determined, most folks move off the trail to let you by. (The crowd was pretty friendly overall. I high-fived at least three Packers fans.) Good day.

May's hike is in the books! Just in time, too. Went up yesterday morning and the weather was absolutely perfect. Four hours later it started raining and it hasn't yet stopped. Goal for next month: get a different angle on the tower...

My March hike is in the books! This weekend has been one of absurdly good weather and surprisingly helpful circumstances. Over 70 degrees out -- and our guests are a small group that are mostly hanging out in the Hills away from camp. Yesterday, taking advantage of that, I made my usual trek to Sylvan Lake. First things first -- a stop by the Coffee Cabin outside Hill City on the way. (I love those guys. They give me energy.) There was a line this time ... and their sign with the day's special amused me. Onward! The trail was dry for most of the way -- a huge improvement over last month's snowpack -- although there were also a lot more downed trees, some of which blocked the trail. I suspect this one of falling the day I hiked last month. If so, it killed my snowman. Maybe that's why I have "Psycho Killer" by the Talking Heads stuck in my head.  Traffic was up, too. I chatted with a few other hikers, including our weekend guests and one...

I have written about hiking Harney Peak many times. Seriously. Maybe too often . Heck, I've even used it as an example for other things . So why am I doing it again? Maybe I should start sitting elsewhere, though... I have a goal for this year -- a trek up once a month at a minimum -- and that goal has been questioned more than once. Reasonably, I might add. Why would someone go over the same trail so many times? Why pick the same destination over and over when there are so many other options out there? ... It's not an easy goal to defend, as it turns out. I'm lucky enough to have sampled trails throughout the Hills, but this is one section I've done repeatedly. Over the course of two(ish) decades, I've been up something like 35 times. And over those trips -- from different trailheads with different routes -- I've gotten to the point of being friendly with the area, especially the main trail from Sylvan Lake. There's something strangely sa...