I woke up from a very restful night of sleep to find out that it was snowing! Although I knew it was coming it was still a bit of a shock to see snow coming down in May. It wasn't supposed to be too bad, so I dug through the trunk of my car to find all the layers I owned and set out on my bad lands adventure.
After just a few miles of entering into the park I saw 3 bighorn casually grazing on the side of the road. Unfortunately there was no space to pull over and take a picture which I was a little bit bummed about.
First thing first: I headed straight to the trail because I knew the weather was just going to progress throughout the day. My first plan of action was check out the door trail which has a well known scenic overlook. This trail wasn't much of a trail, just a short walk on a well planned out boardwalk.
Right next to the door trail was the trail head to the Notch Trail, which is about a mile and a half round trip and the park considers "moderate to strenuous" hike. This hike was absolutely awesome! (Not to mention much needed for my well being). It provided stunning views of the rock formations and wasn't too difficult of a climb at all. At one point there is a log ladder that you have to climb up to continue hiking up on the rock's ledge. I thought it would be much more intense, but not scary at all. Eventually the hike ends with a pretty nice view over the entire valley. Unfortunately my camera wasn't working properly (I think because it was so cold) So I only have cell phone pictures to capture the views.
After the Notch Trail I hopped into my car to make my way to the visitor's center to get a recommendation of what other trails I could do while in the park. The ranger first recommended the Castle Trail (10 miles round trip) along with the Medicine Root Loop (4 miles round trip). I decided to stick with the Medicine Root Loop because the weather was starting to pick up. Also, the Medicine Root Loop takes you through the prairie so I thought it would be cool to get a different view point of the park sense I just hiked through the rocks.
That hike... oh my. What a mixture of emotions it was. First off, you have to understand that the wind at the Bad Lands is like no other, and it is a constant, non-stop thing. Secondly, the snow was starting to pick up rapidly at that point of the day. I actually got lost finding the trail head because the signs were completely covered with snow. Eventually I found them and started out on the hike. The first 45 minutes was absolutely wonderful! I was slipping around a lot because it was very muddy, but I was having a ton of fun and really enjoying the scenery. Then about 45 minutes in I had to turn to start completing the Medicine Loop. Well... it was at that point that I realized my back had been facing the wind the entire time. It was dead flat and I had a face full of snow and wind flying into my face. I could barely open my eyes! Then the trail started to get a bit treacherous. Basically there were giant puddles and pools of water that I had no choice but to go straight through. It wouldn't be too big of a deal, but I was chilled to the bone and wet feet weren't helping. There was one stretch of water I had to stomp through that was about 10 feet across and the water was halfway to my knees. I am not going to lie, at that moment I was absolutely miserable. I was starting to talk to myself to keep motivated, I think I was loosing my mind. If I'm honest I was actually on the verge of tears and I couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe it was the cold, maybe it was the fact that I was alone, or maybe it was the fact that it was hitting me that PA is no longer my home. Whatever it was, I was feeling beaten down.
But actually it was strange, there was this one really serene/surreal moment where I swear to god I was hallucinating. I got to the top of a small hill, just after walking through the pools of water, and saw a deer not too far in the distance. It was running, and then suddenly stopped and was just staring at me. I was surprised that there was even any signs of life at this point (did I mention how cold it was?!)
So I kind of just stared back at the deer in awe. I stood there for about 30 seconds and we were both just standing still staring at one another. Then I decided to break the stares and keep on going. I was trying to draw some meaning from the experience, like it was supposed to rejuvenate my spirit or something. But, only 5 minutes later I was feeling rather miserable again. So, who really knows what it means. I guess I will have to do some further reflection.
Let me tell you, I have never felt so incredibly happy to see my car! I sprinted to it and starting blasting the heat on to my feet. Although I didn't love every minute of that hike, I am really glad I did it. The whole time I was thinking about this quote about the Bad Lands that I saw in the visitors center. It was something about giving into nature and leaning into the wind. I tried, but I honestly think the conditions were too harsh for me to "give in". However, there was something strangely powerful about being the only one out on the trail in such a desolate place. I guess at the end of the day I did feel some sense of accomplishment.
After that hike I decided that I was going to to the bad lands auto loop to see if I could spot any wildlife or find and other overlooks. I spent a good hour driving around and then jumping out of my car to take pictures. Around 5:30 pm I was feeling really tired so I thought it would be best to leave the park and find my home for the night. Luckily, just as I was leaving the park I saw a small herd of mountain goats on the side of the road! This time I didn't care about finding a place to park so I jumped out of my car and attempted some pictures with my phone. They aren't perfect, but they are something. How awesome is it that I was welcomed by wildlife and then again parted with one last visit.
It was also a good thing I didn't stay any longer because the roads started to become really bad. The highway wasn't plowed and there was barely any visibility. I was driving a good 40 mph in a 80 mph zone. Not all of the cars behind me were happy about this.
Unfortunately, that snow continued all throughout the night and is still going strong even into next day. This has left my cooped up in my motel for the entire day. Yes, I am not happy about this but I don't have much of a choice. Winter storm Venus has done me in. Tomorrow it is supposed to clear up so I am hoping to see Mt. Rushmore and do a few small hikes in the Black Hills. Then it will be off to Wyoming!
What are the bad lands?
It is acres and acres of land within South Dakota that is made up of beautiful rock spires with a lot of prairies surrounding it. It was named the bad lands because the terrain and weather is very harsh, not allowing much vegetation to grow in the area.  |
| Overlook at Door Trail |
First thing first: I headed straight to the trail because I knew the weather was just going to progress throughout the day. My first plan of action was check out the door trail which has a well known scenic overlook. This trail wasn't much of a trail, just a short walk on a well planned out boardwalk.
Right next to the door trail was the trail head to the Notch Trail, which is about a mile and a half round trip and the park considers "moderate to strenuous" hike. This hike was absolutely awesome! (Not to mention much needed for my well being). It provided stunning views of the rock formations and wasn't too difficult of a climb at all. At one point there is a log ladder that you have to climb up to continue hiking up on the rock's ledge. I thought it would be much more intense, but not scary at all. Eventually the hike ends with a pretty nice view over the entire valley. Unfortunately my camera wasn't working properly (I think because it was so cold) So I only have cell phone pictures to capture the views.
 |
| Notch Trail, to the left you can see the wooden ladder I climbed |
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| Medicine Root Trail Marker |
That hike... oh my. What a mixture of emotions it was. First off, you have to understand that the wind at the Bad Lands is like no other, and it is a constant, non-stop thing. Secondly, the snow was starting to pick up rapidly at that point of the day. I actually got lost finding the trail head because the signs were completely covered with snow. Eventually I found them and started out on the hike. The first 45 minutes was absolutely wonderful! I was slipping around a lot because it was very muddy, but I was having a ton of fun and really enjoying the scenery. Then about 45 minutes in I had to turn to start completing the Medicine Loop. Well... it was at that point that I realized my back had been facing the wind the entire time. It was dead flat and I had a face full of snow and wind flying into my face. I could barely open my eyes! Then the trail started to get a bit treacherous. Basically there were giant puddles and pools of water that I had no choice but to go straight through. It wouldn't be too big of a deal, but I was chilled to the bone and wet feet weren't helping. There was one stretch of water I had to stomp through that was about 10 feet across and the water was halfway to my knees. I am not going to lie, at that moment I was absolutely miserable. I was starting to talk to myself to keep motivated, I think I was loosing my mind. If I'm honest I was actually on the verge of tears and I couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe it was the cold, maybe it was the fact that I was alone, or maybe it was the fact that it was hitting me that PA is no longer my home. Whatever it was, I was feeling beaten down. |
| Medicine Root Loop: Looking for the markers |
So I kind of just stared back at the deer in awe. I stood there for about 30 seconds and we were both just standing still staring at one another. Then I decided to break the stares and keep on going. I was trying to draw some meaning from the experience, like it was supposed to rejuvenate my spirit or something. But, only 5 minutes later I was feeling rather miserable again. So, who really knows what it means. I guess I will have to do some further reflection.
Let me tell you, I have never felt so incredibly happy to see my car! I sprinted to it and starting blasting the heat on to my feet. Although I didn't love every minute of that hike, I am really glad I did it. The whole time I was thinking about this quote about the Bad Lands that I saw in the visitors center. It was something about giving into nature and leaning into the wind. I tried, but I honestly think the conditions were too harsh for me to "give in". However, there was something strangely powerful about being the only one out on the trail in such a desolate place. I guess at the end of the day I did feel some sense of accomplishment.
 |
| Mountain Goat |
It was also a good thing I didn't stay any longer because the roads started to become really bad. The highway wasn't plowed and there was barely any visibility. I was driving a good 40 mph in a 80 mph zone. Not all of the cars behind me were happy about this.
Unfortunately, that snow continued all throughout the night and is still going strong even into next day. This has left my cooped up in my motel for the entire day. Yes, I am not happy about this but I don't have much of a choice. Winter storm Venus has done me in. Tomorrow it is supposed to clear up so I am hoping to see Mt. Rushmore and do a few small hikes in the Black Hills. Then it will be off to Wyoming!
xoxo
Bad Lands Becca
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