We drove from Glacier National Park in Montana to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It was a marathon drive. We got to the Park in the wee hours and set up camp as quietly as we could and passed out from sheer exhaustion.
After resting up for a few, and suffering the effects of severe sleep deprivation, we loaded up and headed out. We ate at the famous Walls Drug Store and then backtracked to Mt. Rushmore to get our pictures made with the presidents
We did a little tourist stuff and headed back to our campsite. I was so exhausted I was swimmy headed. The temperature at the Badlands was in the 90’s and it was dry. I noticed mom’s cough she had been struggling with in the cold damp of Glacier faded over the 3 days we spent in South Dakota. We were excited that there was a shower house next to the campsite until we got in it and discovered it was cold water only. Talk about quick showers we set records.
The Badlands is traversed by a nice road with many scenic stops and overlooks. We had numerous wildlife encounters. I found a Spaghetti Western Recording on my Apple Music app and played it as we drove around the park checking out the varied geological formations from prairie to Mesa to canyons. It was fascinating. We stopped and watched the prairie dogs pop up and down from their holes like little Jack in the Boxes. We saw buffalo in the wild and encountered a huge Rattlesnake just a little ways past a beware of rattlesnakes sign.
We did the short Fossil Trail and read the exhibits. Badlands is a fossil rich environment. We listened as a Park Ranger did one of their educational talks. We ventured off the boardwalk to see out into the Badlands. We also did the Door trail and the Window trail both easily accessible by boardwalks. Mom walked these short ventures with us. When she had had enough we took her back to camp so she could rest and we did the slightly longer and more strenuous Notch trail. We climbed a ladder and hiked to a notch in the wall from which you could see White River Valley then we did the Cliff Shelf a .5 mile nature walk. Being out on these trails  experiencing the environment, allows a body to appreciate the land. There is beauty in apparent desolation. I read that the Badlands got their name from French Fur traders who spoke of the harsh unforgiving terrain telling others that there was some bad lands to cross. Hiking the defined trails, looking around, feeling the heat from an unrelenting sun, it is easy to imagine what it must have been like to be alone in this place with nothing but skill and wits and experience to guide one through.
Sleeping in a tent one is closer to the natural conditions early adventurers faced. The temperature which hit high 90’s during the day fell into the 50’s overnight. I usually set up my one man backpacking tent like a little nest. I crawl into it and snuggle down for the night. The wind blew constantly and the sides of my little tent rustled and flapped. Preparing mentally for the long drive home, I relished the experiences of this momentous trip. Until next time!
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 