Backcountry

Last weekend a few of us returned to the wilderness area in Badlands National Park for a more extended backpacking excursion (last time we were "backpacking" about a quarter mile off the road, and drove up to Wall to eat dinner at a restaurant). Our plans originally included crossing the twenty-miles of wilderness from point-to-point, somehow navigating our way to car that would be left at the other side. But I think we all woke up and realized we were pretty big novices. We also recruited Ryan, a former park ranger, who gave us some helpful pointers.

We headed out in the early afternoon into the rolling hillside. While we were hoping to camp in the actual Badlands, in the backcountry the park is more prairie wilderness and less Bad. But still beautiful. After about two and a half miles, we found a suitable camp site and pitched the tent. Then, releaved of our packs, we were able to wander a little freer.

Free of packs.

Matt in what, judging by the matted-down grass, must have been a pretty quick moving stream bed a few days earlier.

After wandering for a bit, we headed back to the campsite for a little dinner and to watch the sunset.

The campsite. We were on the very edge of a hill that overlooked Sage Creek, and in the other direction you could see the Badlands on the horizon. It was basically the best campsite, ever.

View of the Creek from the campsite, and, in the distance, the Badlands. This one looks a lot better when you blow it up.

Relaxing before dinner (PB&Js and beef jerky--no fires allowed).

Down it goes. During this whole time, a small herd of bison began to collect to drink from the creek just to the left of these photos, getting closer and closer to us (but still too far away to make a good photo, unfortunately). The young ones were running around and rolling in the dirt.

Before the sun set, I headed down the hill to check out Sage Creek and the valley below us.

Looking up the hill.

The creek. You can still see the campsite on top of the hill.

More views of the creek. You can see some pretty clear bison trails on the left.

One of the challenges in our quest to backpack clear across the wilderness is the fact that there is no potable water in the park. This picture shows how much silt is in the creek.

Bison bones.

Back on top of the hill, an airplane flies across the sky just after the sun is gone. Even being a three miles walk from a dirt road in the park, twenty miles from anything that would be considered a town by South Dakota standards (and seventy miles from anything that would be considered a town by my old standards--i.e. Rapid City), I still didn't feel isolated. The landscape is just so open that being out here didn't feel that different from being in my own backyard.