On The Road Friday ~ Black Hills, South Dakota

 We are on the road today.

I am taking you back to our trip to South Dakota in late September.

We did a lot of hiking on this trip. Hiking is one of our families favorite activities.

Grab your hiking stick, canteen and .... here we go.

We hiked in the Black Elk Wilderness which lies in the heart of the Black Hills.

Named for Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota holy man, the area is characterized by massive granite outcroppings, pungent pine, and scenic vistas across the hills.

 Looking up at the outcroppings. 

 The weather was perfect. The blue sky was so beautiful. It was such an amazing color of blue.

 The Aspen were just starting to turn color. We hiked into a beautiful valley of Aspen trees.

 This area is rich in history for gold.

We did not find any gold nuggets, but we did stumble on the following treasures.

Hidden waterfalls, the best treasures indeed!

Four hikers make it back out of the Black Hills. When we got home from our week long trip to South Dakota, I asked what was each ones favorite. Three out of four said "Hiking in the Black Hills" ... so when the South Dakota tourism advertisement states ...

Nearly everyone has a special place somewhere in the outdoors. Many have found it in the central Black Hills .... they are right!

Have a great weekend.

Thank you for joining me for a hike in the Black Hills, South Dakota.

"Keep close to Nature's heart, yourself; and break clear away once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

John Muir