Hiking to Black Elk Peak

We had perfect weather on Saturday morning for our planned hike to Black Elk Peak in Custer State Park.

Julie, Laszlo, Sasha, Jay, JoJo and I appreciated that the temperture stayed very moderate, topping out at what felt like the high 70's Fahrenheit, for our hike up the highest peak between our Rocky Mountains and France's Pyrenees Mountains.

Emma decided she didn't want to venture far from the great amenities at the hotel, including free table top video games in the lobby and giant versions of games like Connect Four --- a game at which Emma dominated everyone like an adult trouncing a pre-schooler at Tic Tac Toe --- and Jenga.  Gina stayed with her to enjoy the hotel fun and likely slipped in some online public health work.  Gina and Emma hiked into town for lunch, so they had some exercise, too.

Every morning of our stay at the Bavarian Inn began by walking to the Feel Good Cafe on the hotel grounds.  I would arrive to find Gina hard at work on her computer, sipping a cup of coffee.  

I would have a bowl of oatmeal, which for $4 included sliced bananas, blueberries and granola covering a huge helping of my favorite porridge.  I finally took a photo on the last day, but I have to say it wasn't the artistic and culinary masterpiece I enjoyed every other day, when apparently the front-line chef was on duty.  In any case, it was still quite filling.

Despite our car was still packed full of bins, we took our car and Jay's Range Rover over to Custer State Park, which abuts the town of Custer.  On the way out, we stopped at Lynn's Dakotamart to pick up snacks geared to our individual tastes.  Our trail mix with nuts, raisins and M&Ms proved both delicious and satisfying when we stopped around noon for lunch and a couple of other breaks.

I'm not sure who selected the exact trails, but taking Trail #9 up and #4 down turned out to reveal lots of beautiful territory, though I can't understand how it was all uphill in both directions, or at least it felt that way as we dragged our way up and down through the gorgeous scenery on #4.

JoJo was happy to be unleashed at a certain point when the sign said it would be permissable, and she managed to not kill any chipmonks or be attacked by any dogs or larger animals.

She did eat a few bugs as she darted from side to side, trying to take it all in, occasionally running straight up a cliffside or down a gully but never getting outside of voice command.

Julie and I may not be the fastest dogs in the pack these days, but we managed to keep up for the most part, although at one point Sasha said the rest of us as a whole were slowing down her pace.

Surprisingly, we had phone service most of the way up, so Jay was able to conduct business while hiking, which was one reason we were able to keep up.

The highest point was always "just a little bit further" according to everyone we passed.  After two or three hours, we finally made it to the tower building that rose even higher to provide panoramic views out the windows in every direction.

I must say that as long as it took to get to the peak, it felt like getting back to the car might take forever, once we were exhausted and the up and down trail kept winding along through the otherworldly setting.

As we approached the parking lot...which turned out to be a half mile from our actual parking lot...we came upon mountain goats perched precariously, as mountain goats tend to be.

I could understand why they just stood there.  They were probably worn out by the time they made it there.

As usual, my photos don't do it justice, but Julie's new iPhone delivered some nice resolution that hopefully comes through.

After we reached the car, Jay followed the road signs to the Needles Eye Tunnel.  It's a tight fit for a small SUV, so his Range Rover looked like it was barely squeezing through.

All of the hikers enjoyed this wonderful day in Custer State Park, but the day wasn't over. 

We went out for dinner at Mt. Rushmore Brewing and Pounding Fathers Restaurant, where JoJo could com along while we enjoyed the fresh air of an outdoor balcony.  Jay's flight of craft beers brewed on site seemed to be a cumulative hit.  I went with a pint of Rail Splitter Nitro, a solid choice.

Emma loved her Roasted Cauliflower.  In our usual style, Julie and I split a Pounding Fathers Burger, which with carmelized onions proved to be delicious.

The unquestionable culinary hit was the Tatanka Tenderloin, a thick buffalo steak cooked in local berries, native American-style.  I had a bite of Jay's steak, and it was truly outstanding.  It looked and tasted like Filet Mignon.  Sasha ordered premium side dishes along with Jay's steak rather than a separate entree, and she also seemed happy with her meal.

Besides great food and drink, we were pleasantly surprised to have live music, a lady folksinger accompainied by her own guitar, wafting up from below.

Jay and Sasha generously picked up the tab for this tasty meal.

By the way, if you wonder why there are so many photos of Wes near the end, all of the photos following the shot of Jay and Laszlo were taken by Julie.  The first ones below the text were taken with my phone.  Mixed in with the text are photos from both of our phones.