Tag: South Dakota

Badlands Scouting Mission

  

  

Now my husband is as much of a trail dreamer as I am, probably more so since he is the one that lit that fire in me in the first place by pushing me outside of my campground comfort zone and onto the trails and as far off trail as I am willing to venture (not far). So it wasn’t very surprising to me when he sent me a link for the Sage Creek Wilderness area in the Badlands. One of the harder adjustments to our South Dakota lifestyle has been finding ways to incorporate wilderness when it isn’t very close by. We have plenty of vast space just not so much with the types of features and land usage that makes for happy hiking.

  

  

  
He was pumped up and ready to grab gear and hit the road to escape into a little weekend away backcountry adventure; however there are some logistical realities we have yet to overcome to make this little weekend getaway a reality. First off, we need babysitting and dog sitting. While all of the grandparents still lived an airplane ride away it’s a bit of a hard sale to as them to come just so we can sneak away for a long weekend. Especially since they always say yes for all of our bigger outings. Fair enough, we have an awesome babysitter who could totally hold the fort down for a quick weekend, she even loves the dogs- a total double score! But truth be told, the loop is 22 miles and it is a 6 hour drive there and back just to hit the trail, with my husband still grumbling from the last time I pushed him above 6 miles of hiking per day, this trip will total a bit more than a weekend away. So, maybe we pack up the kids with all the gear and just family hike it? That would work outside of the second major logistical quirk to this trail- no water. Now I am not shy about packing in some weight, but I figure even if the kids only packed their water needs- their pack would outweigh any sane amount, and if the adults try to pack all those gallons of water it would just be a trudge which might find more whining actually coming from the big kids than the littles. So this one is still in our back pocket for that time when all the stars align and we can sneak away for three days.

  In the mean time I convinced the hubby that it would be good practice to make a family road trip out to see Mt. Rushmore by way of the Badlands. We could assess the lay of the land, the kids could explore their own back yard a bit more, and I could finally stop saying I had traveled quite a bit but never managed to make it to “The Hills” since moving to SD. So awesome babysitter agreed to pamper the pooches, we loaded the car with excessive amounts of snacks and electronics and away we went.  

Things I learned along the long waste of expanse that is the drive from Brookings out to the Badlands. I now better appreciate the talk of ‘east river’ versus ‘west river’ that I’ve heard talk of from those that come from these parts. I can see how the landscape shifts substantially enough that it could shape a whole variation of thought and culture. Fair enough. I discovered the significant role sorghum plays in the agriculture of South Dakota at a helpful road side rest that included a billboard that was surprisingly informative on the agricultural history of the region. It was a bit funny that I had half formed a bunch of questions as I watch out the car window and that the billboard actually addressed them. I was grateful for my foresight in packing sandwiches because there aren’t many food stop options along the way, indeed there is pretty much nothing along the way. One long stretch of no choice but getting yourself from here to there. Which brings me to the last thing I learned along the way; this is not a bit of highway I would want to hazard getting stuck on in a winter blizzard. Props to the friends I have made that make that drive throughout the winter for skiing or visiting relatives over the holidays. 

  
The Badlands

Off of I-90 we took the Hwy 240 loop. We were itching to get out of the car and pulled over as soon as possible which happened to be a section of cliffs and we were joined by a whole host of other visitors scrambling around and exploring. There were little paths that led up and around and into dead ends. If you climbed enough you could look out and start getting a feel for the vistas of hardscape. It was really just a tease making you want to see more and have deeper trails to explore. So we loaded back up and headed down the road; we must have pulled over a dozen times. We were so hungry we opted to have our picnic right there at the ranger station which was fine, but we could have had a much cooler view had we waiting a few miles more down the road but again we just wandered and took it all in. We did want to make the hotel in Rapid City by nightfall so we decided that when we headed home in a few days to take the same route back to get another shot at poking around in the Badlands.

  
Rapid City

For two days we had a great time checking out all the typical touristy things in the Rapid City area that we could cram into such a short time. The kids really appreciated Mt. Rushmore and we took the little trail walk along its boardwalk lined route. Then we wanted to find a real trail since we had some mountain to play with.

   
There are tons of day-hike options in and around Rushmore alone. I wouldn’t mind getting a cabin for a week and just gorging on taking the kids on all the little 4-6 mile options, but I had heard good things about Harney Peek and we wanted to give that a-go. That was until we realized the good old SD wind was ripping like crazy that afternoon and I didn’t much want to spend the entire outing worrying about kids on a peek in the wind. So we hunted out a trail with a bit more shelter. After consulting the guide book and trying to match the road map and the actually road signs we eventually made it onto the Palmer Creek Trail. We anticipated going for a few miles and looping back; however, the trail was so encumbered with deadfall and downed trees that it quickly became more like a jungle gym trying to climb over around and through and handing kids across logs. This impacted our pace so much that we finally had our lunch, enjoyed the sounds of the forest and pretty soon headed back down the same trail; especially since the sun was fading earlier with it now being fall and we were on the shady side of the mountain. I would have to say for any hike in the generally area it would be a good idea to plan a bit more time if all of the forest is so heavily impacted by the pine beetle. Next time I will be sure to grab a headlamp in addition to the first aid kit and copious amounts of water for taking the kids on the trail. There is nothing they like better than stopping for a sip of water; about every 200 yards. But good on them for being sports with all of the climbing, and for grinning and teasing their daddy as he made up wild tales of what creatures we might find around the next bend.  

  
As for Rapid City, it made a great impression and there is no doubt we will head back that way regularly to get better acquainted with the trails and the various local food establishments. I do have to throw out there some major praise for Stonewalls Kitchen for serving up the best cinnamon rolls I have ever experienced. In fact, every plate on our table was covered in deliciousness and the Black Hills coffee was a happy reprieve from the hotel variation we had tried to start the day with. The only downside was that they only serve breakfast on Saturday and Sunday so we had to find something not nearly as satisfying on Monday morning before we headed out of town. I not-so-jokingly told my husband he would have to drive me out to Rapid just for the cinnamon rolls. Yes, please. 

  
Back Through the Badlands

On our second go through the Badlands we had a bit more time and were able to at least find a trail to skirt along for a little while. The landscape is such that a trail is never going to look like much more than a game trail with some obvious trail marking spikes hammered into the ground at various intervals. Good to know. There won’t be much in the way of shelter so when we go we will need to have a good eye on the weather. I am not sure how fun it would be to try to hold down a tent during the violent thunderstorms that roll through this region in the summer. Any hike in the Badlands will immediately make you ponder the craziness that drove explorers and settlers to try to manage settling down in the region; one overlook tells of an entire area that was homesteaded where there is now just one lone tree standing as a reminder of the lives that didn’t take. It a beautiful unforgiving landscape that I will approach hiking with great respect, forethought and planning. I welcome the challenge.

  
 Backpacker Magazine Article- Sage Creek Wilderness Area

Badlands National Park

Stonewall Kitchen
  

How to Not Run a Half Marathon

What I did wrong on Saturday and how I plan to fix it.

 

 

I confess, I didn’t train for the Brooking half marathon on Saturday. Every marathon/half I have run has left my stomach in nervous knots the morning of, this was the first one that the nerves were from under training. As with all things in life, I learned a bunch by undertraining and hitting the road anyway. When I signed up for the half I had good intentions of making my training calendar and sticking to it. I let the cold of winter and the business of spring act as excuses for not getting my miles in. I never wrote down how many miles per each date and so just ate up whatever miles felt good on any given day. 

I want to share what I did wrong and throw down a challenge to myself to do it right between now and the Sioux Falls half in the fall and see how the results change.

 

Error: No running calendar.

Fix: Program the proper distances in my ipad calendar where I will get a daily reminder.

Error: Anticipated walking/hiking counted as cross-training. 

 

Fix: Add in better complimentary cross-training.

 

Error: Pizza and beer the night before the race.

 

Fix: Think and eat smart. The indigestion combined with nerves also meant that I was awake from 2am on the morning of the race.

 

Error: Got out of bed too late for proper food/drink.

 

Fix: Sleep!

 

Error: No stretching the day of the race.

 

Fix: Stretch out before and after. Still have sore muscles days later. 

 

Error: Only coffee for food/drink all morning and throughout the race.

 

Fix: Experiment with foods that you can keep down in the morning in training. (Banana?)

 

Error: No plan for pace, timing or expectation for completion time.

 

Fix: Train to a pace and set an end goal. Set my own pace (ignore other’s footfalls!) and experiment with music as a tool to up the tempo. 

 

Error: First run in my brand new shoes. 

 

Fix: Plan ahead for mile wear to my shoes and order/break in before the old ones are dead.

 

The list could expand but the important thing is the plan for change. I will change my mental game and think of myself as in training. I will make a graduated plan that I will adhere to, and the funny thing is that when I consider myself in training I begin to take better self-care. I eat better, sleep better- even wash my hair more. So I guess at the end, I will make a plan to care for myself better so that it doesn’t feel like I am pounding myself into the ground with every foot fall. Yes, guts and courage (sisu!) will get you through 13.1 miles but next time I hope to do it in a more gentle loving manner. 

 

Brookings half time: 2.12

 

Sioux Falls goal: under 2

 

Finish line, Brookings, SD.


The Start of Taming the Mile Monster

I currently live in South Dakota where I am trying to balance a family of five, two large lab/shepherd mixes, an editing career and an active lifestyle which includes as much travel as possible and as much physical fitness as I can squeeze in. My husband and spent countless weekends pre-kiddos hiking and exploring the parks of Northern California (under grad) and Central Kentucky (grad school). Now that the kids are old enough to be mobile, I am determined to get as much hiking done as possible both in short trips with the whole fam and longer outing solo with the babysitting mightiest of the grandparents at work. My hope is to record many fine adventures out on the trail hiking.

 

Big Flatts, Lost Coast, CA


Running became my favorite activity after becoming a mom. It satisfies many of my needs simultaneously, I get a fit, I get out of the house and into the fresh sunshiny air, and I get an hour inside my own head without any external demands. I only came to running/walking/hiking as an adult and struggled at first with getting miles under my belt. They do add up if you take the time to put one foot forward at a time. Much of it is a mental game. The body is physically built to move and with a gradual building of time and distance, can accomplish any distance you challenge it to. My mental game is simple, I set a mileage goal and then tell myself that I won’t stop until I get to the end. I might slow way down, but I don’t stop. And it works. I remind myself that my body was designed to move, and once I can walk a distance it is only kicking it into the next gear to jog and then run. 

 

Running the Dakota Nature Park, Brookings, SD


Going into our first long hike in years, my husband prepared by working like a madman to ensure he could take the time off, and I completed my first full marathon. You can imagine the fitness disparity. Not having been an integral part of trip planning before, I approached the trails lengths in relationship to the miles I knew I was capable of from running. If I could run 12 miles in a few hours in the morning to start the day then I reasoned we could do that in the course of an entire day weighted down by packs. Also, it felt like a real challenge and we could see so much more from say 30 miles rather than 20. Things I underestimated: terrain, switchbacks and mountains don’t eat the miles up like a city paved park; my husbands need to pack for every known contingency, leading to him carrying way more weight than he should have; blisters on his feet; the need to stop and soak it all in. We made 10-12 miles a day, but it took from early morning to dark each day, and the pace was not enjoyable for half of our team. This thought led to the my title. I am both driven by the mile monster in me who thrives on the challenge of seeing how many miles I can eat up, and understand the need to tame the monster, relax and enjoy the journey. Here’s to balance. 

 

Husband taking a well earned rest, Lost Coast, CA