Happy Trails Tails 

By Marie L. Tesch

One advantage of living in South Dakota is having Mother Nature just out your back door. This is particularly true of the Black Hills and especially in Autumn. Unlike the eastern part of the state where the first killing frost arrives in September with snow banks following close behind, the Black Hills has gorgeous halcyon days of color and warmth.

Natives emerge from summer tourist-trade jobs after Labor Day and take to the back roads. We are among that group. "We" being me, my husband and Max the Wonderdog. Now, I am what the natives call a flat-lander: a person from eastern South Dakota farm country who is used to gazing a mile in any direction. My idea of a view from high ground is looking out the haymow door. My husband, a native of the northern hills, withers noticeably as soon as the dark profile of the Black Hills fades from sight in the rear view mirror. I am always climbing a hill so I can "see". He knows that all I am going to see is more trees and hills. Max the Wonderdog is a dachshund/beagle cross who doesn't worry about what he sees, the smells alone thrill his nose and sends shivers right to the tip of his ever-wagging tail.

Now, when it comes to directions - stick with me. I deal with north, south, east and west - and occasionally - right and left. My husband gives incredibly vague directions like "turn up when you pass the burned-out spot from the '57 fire". Occasionally when we motor through the hills with guests, I drive and he keeps up a running patter of hills history. When we approach a fork in road that is decidedly UP to the right and DOWN to the left, I interrupt his dialogue by screaming, "Which way? Which way?". His less-than-helpful reply is usually, "Just keep going straight!".

Over the past 10 years, we've stumbled across some charming spots I'd like to share with you. Presuming that you can pick up a hiking trail map and have heard about the usual hikes, like climbing Harney Peak, I'd like to share some points about some lesser-known spots.

THE AFTER-SUPPER STROLL. This one is for weekend strollers and people whose idea of exercise is walking from the computer over to the coffee pot. You don't need any special gear, just wear good sensible shoes. This is a clearly marked trailhead in the Black Hills National Forest. If you are driving out from Rapid City, check your odometer (or push your go-meter) at the intersection of Jackson Boulevard and Sheridan Lake Road and drive out 15.4 miles on Sheridan Lake Road.

A gentle reminder to city-dwellers: 15 miles does not mean 15 minutes! After you get past the new housing developments and start climbing into the hills, there are plenty of curves and an array of wildflowers, deciduous trees and mighty evergreens. Take your time, drive carefully and enjoy the view. You may begin your deep breathing at this point, but soon you should be so relaxed that you don't have to think about relaxing.

Once you've passed the sign announcing entrance to the Black Hills National Forest, keep your eyes peeled for a brown and yellow sign on the right side of the road that says DAKOTA POINT. A few yards after that sign you will turn to the left and drive in another 3/10s of a mile. Here you'll find a parking area with a forest service map.

NOTE: There is a gate at the trailhead for a very good reason. Roads are for wheels, paths are for feet. Leave your vehicle in the designated parking place. I know it looks cool in the ads when four-wheel-drive monster trucks rip through mud, but it wrecks the forest! This is particularly true this year because we've had an unusually wet Spring and Summer. Leave your vehicles on the road or in designated parking areas because you WILL get stuck!

Anyway, this is a gentle path that takes you miles from your cares and troubles with just a few steps. We took this route in March, thinking it would be just a mundane walk. We were pleasantly surprised to find a charming bridge about a mile down that takes you over a narrow, but deep chasm. The bridge is about 50 to 60 feet above the creek bed, with the hillside rising steeply on either side. I felt as if I had been transported to the Great Smokey Mountains. A great photo opportunity - you'll just have to decide who has to be out of the picture to snap the camera.

The bridge alone is worth the walk. If you cross over and continue just a bit further, you'll come to the dam for Sheridan Lake, a marvelous example of stonework using native materials. It's fun to climb around the steps made so long ago and think about the hard work that went into this construction. You can stroll across the natural earth berm and catch a cool breeze from the lake. I advise you to stay up on the stonework and dam; if you go below the dam there is some fierce undergrowth that is tough to work through.

The stroll itself shouldn't take more than 45 minutes. If you add the drive out from Rapid City, the total tour time is about an hour and a half. If you are approaching from Sheridan Lake on Highway 385, DAKOTA POINT trailhead is 1.6 miles from the junction of Sheridan Lake Road and Highway 385. That juncture is 3 miles north of the junction of Highway 16 and Highway 385 (just outside of Hill City).

If you have a couple of free hours on a Saturday or Sunday, I recommend our NEMO WALK. Nemo is an old logging camp about 15 miles due west of Rapid City. Over the years old buildings have been taken over by campers, hunters and out-doorsy types. There are a number of ranchers in the area and in the last few years, "outsiders" who think nothing of an hour-long commute to work have built homes in the area. Nemo Road in the winter time is for people who really need four-wheel drive vehicles.

Once you get to Nemo via Highway 234 (better known as Nemo Road) , turn left and drive through town, past the 4 -T Guest Ranch store and restaurant. You'll cross a bridge just out back, then take the first right turn. Drive in about 1/4 of a mile to the Forest Service gate. Park your car here, be sure to take your water bottle along, and squeeze through the "people gate". This is an old logging road and you have some great choices for a walk. After about a 1/2 mile you'll intersect the Centennial Trail. If you turn to the right you'll run back into Nemo and Highway 234. If you turn to the left, you go up hill through groves of aspen trees and finally up into the pines.

We prefer to stay on the road. We have yet to find the end. Our best try has been about three miles in and then we've turned back due to wet conditions. This is a great trek for a family, because the kids can keep circling up into the side shrubbery while the old folks walk and talk along the path. Along the way you will see a swampy area that usually has a few ducks paddling about. Chipmunks abound, making this one of Max's favorite trips.

About a mile in there is a den of some underground creature. Perhaps it is a woodchuck, maybe it's just a gopher with a thyroid condition, we like to call him "the disturbed, hoary marmot". The den is just on the side of the road and this fellow can be seen sunning himself before he runs for cover. We usually spend some time here convincing Max that it is not necessary to follow him down the hole.

Shortly after this stop, the road begins a gradual incline. Do not be fooled by this, the morning after your walk your calves will remind you just how steep and steady this trek was. It's a great place to stop and watch eagles soaring, poke around the quartz outcroppings and breathe in the delicious scent of pine.

If you are in the Black Hills in late September or early October, a trip to Spearfish Canyon really is a must. The natives throng to this spot for the wonderful autumn colors. You can start out from Spearfish by simply taking Highway 14, which is Spearfish Canyon Highway. If you start out from Lead take Highway 85 through Icebox Canyon until you reach Cheyenne Crossing, then turn onto Highway 14A.

Whichever route you take, midway through the canyon you will find Savoy and the Spearfish Canyon Lodge. Turn here and follow the signs to Roughlock Falls. This is a splendid area, but I must confess we rarely stop there now because there are always too many people to suit us. If you can find a place to park your vehicle, do so. (SEE NEXT PARAGRAPH)

For the past two summers , there has been a peculiar problem up the road at the Tinton Camp Ground and surrounding area. Porcupines have been dining on rubber brake linings and other hoses on cars. THIS IS NO JOKE! Folks who have left vehicles parked up there overnight discovered their brakes don't work the next day. The Forest Service and local biologists are still scratching their heads over this one, but so far the porcupines are winning.

Once you safely leave your vehicle at Savoy or Roughlock Falls, walk up the gravel road for splendid views of chokecherry bushes, saw-sepal penstemmons, and dogwood on the floor of the canyon. Then gaze up into the golden color of aspen and oak, rich red of the maples, and finally the green of the pines on the sheer canyon walls.

We take an annual hike up here to our favorite rock. Ever since we sprung Max from the Big House, i.e. the animal shelter, we have had our picture taken on the same rock. It is just below the area where they filmed the Winter Camp scenes for the movie Dances with Wolves. Remember the scene where the fellow sits astride his horse, brandishing his lance and shouting: "I am Wind-in-His-Hair. I am your friend."? Well, look up and you will see the promontory. It's about a mile up from Roughlock Falls where the road curves sharply to the left and then just as sharply to the right. Yup, that's the spot.

All of the above have been pretty basic walks, if you choose to walk farther out and back that is your choice. For those who want a real workout I recommend the STEAMBOAT ROCK HIKE. You should be a regular weekly walker to undertake this trek. Max the Wonderdog and I step off 15 to 20 miles a week during our winter walks. (In the summer I am too busy gardening.) My husband is office bound, but he did participate in cross country athletics in school and is a natural athlete. We all enjoy this outing, but are tired the next day. It should take about four hours to complete.

Steamboat Rock is located due south of Nemo on Highway 234. There is a picnic area right along the road with plenty of parking. You should pack a water bottle and a piece of fresh fruit for this hike. An extra pair of socks and some bandaids are also a good idea, but keep your pack light because at the end of the trail you'll be busy enough just hiking your carcass up the rocks.

From the picnic ground there's a trailhead marked that crosses Boxelder Creek. We prefer to walk upstream about a quarter of a mile. Here we cross the creek using stepping stones; some years there has been a fallen log to tip-toe across (no small trick when you are carrying a wiggly 23-pound pooch).

Now I have to fall back on directions like "veer left" because in the six or eight times we have taken this hike, no two have been the same. After crossing the creek (you might need the extra pair of socks if you haven't been careful), start up the hill. This is pretty gentle forest floor (level one), but it can be slippery because of all the fallen pine needles.

After about 1/2 mile of going up you'll notice the terrain changes to more rocky outcroppings (level two). You should begin "veering to the left" or due north. There are pathways here so it isn't total wilderness. The paths continue to lead you upward. Finally, you reach an area of steep cliffs and begin the search for a long crack in the cliff wall that you can scale to reach the top. We have our egress marked with an old tree that was hit by lightening years ago. This towering black beauty has its roots on the second level and its top at the third level.

At this point you have to do some actual rock climbing. Usually my husband climbs up first with Max's leash in hand. I stand below and steady Max as far as I can reach. At some point, he is actually a free-floating dog as he is rappeled up the cliff. (Now, don't send the animal rights folks after me. Max wears a full halter and the pressure point is at the middle of his back, not around his neck!) It's only about 15 to 20 feet up the cliff with plenty of hand and footholds. If my little short legs (inseam 28") can do it, so can yours.

The final climb is worth the exertion because level three is glorious. The top of Steamboat Rock is flat. Most of the vegetation is Ponderosa Pine, with only short grasses. You can see the evidence of many lightening storms in charred remains of mighty evergreens. When you look out you can see for miles - a rolling landscape of hills black with vegetation. Looking down you gaze upon what is aptly named "Pleasant Valley". Lush green pastures and ranchland hug the banks of Boxelder Creek that winds through the valley like the ribbons on a hat dropped by a careless school girl.

Here's a place to be reminded of how small you are and how big the world is. The wind is strong; you'll need to be mindful of cliff edges. The simple pleasure of sitting down on the edge of the cliff, peeling an orange and letting the moist juices sooth your parched throat is a sensuous delight.

The trip down goes quickly. When you get back to levels two and one, you will find that you do a lot of sideways walking - that's when you start getting tired. As I mentioned before, the pine needles can be slippery. Just remember what they tell skiers, if you start to slide too quickly - SIT DOWN.

That's our list of favorite hikes. I hope directions are clear enough for visitors and natives. Just a few helpful tips:

1. Hiking shorts look great in the catalog. Wear long pants. If it is hot: wear old, thin long pants. It 's not just poison ivy that's a problem, there are lots of itchy weeds out there.

2. If you're really smart, you'll tuck pant bottoms into your socks. It may look dorky, but fashion falls before the bite of the dreaded tick. Ticks can hitch a ride on the hem of your pants and climb right up the seam to their favorite dark, hairy haunts.

3. Check for ticks before getting back in the car. A quick peek down your companion's shirt and a swipe around your sweaty waistband will usually uncover at least one. This is no time to be shy. When you get home, jump into the shower and do your own private inspection of the dark, hairy haunts.

4. Always carry water with you. We keep a plastic milk jug half-filled with water in the freezer. When we're ready to take a hike, we fill the jug to the top with cold water and keep it in the car to fill small water bottles that fit easily into a pocket or hang from a belt. 5. Walk out the way you walked in. If you are going somewhere for the first time, just walk in a ways, turn around and walk out the same way. It's a good idea to stop at significant points (like a burned out tree stump or a funny shaped rock) and discuss it with your walking partner so you can look for it on the way back out.

6. Pack out what you pack in. I don't expect you to pick up my litter, why should I pick up yours? Leave the forest as pristine and beautiful as you found it.

7. Wear bright colors. This is fall. In South Dakota. People hunt here. Wear bright red or screaming yellow, anything a deer wouldn't be caught dead in.

If you see a couple of short people in bright colors tearing after an even shorter dog with a tail that never stops....that's us.....Happy Tails Trails.