Running and Relaxing in the Black Hills

Over the long Labor Day weekend I traveled out to the Black Hills for a bit of running and relaxation. The Black Hills are only 12 hours away from my home in Duluth, MN and have great trail running, forests, lakes, and weather - all at 4,000 to 6,000 feet altitude! They are a great place to visit.

What $4 gets you for breakfast at Wall Drug

After driving through the night my trip of course started with breakfast at Wall Drug. It is amazing what a few bucks buys you to eat there. After that I drove into Badlands National Park for a morning run. The temps were still mild when I started, but as the sun came up and I was finishing my run the temps started to rise.

At Badlands National Park

I then finished driving to Rapid City and the Black Hills. I found a camp site at one of the National Forest campgrounds and then set out to find some geocaches. By the end of the trip I found about 20 caches in addition to all the miles I racked up on the area's trails. Dinner at camp that night was excellent - and topped off with Jiffy Pop! Can't beat that!!

On the way up Harney Peak on one of my assents

The next morning I set out from camp early and drove to the Harney Peak trail head at Silvan Lake in Custer State park. Harney Peak is the highest point in the USA east of the rocky mountains at 7,250 feet, and the trail to the top climbs about 3,000 feet. I had a long run to do today so I ran the trail to the top 4 1/2 times - which was about 50k and 12,000 feet of climbing - in 4:28:58. It was a great place to do a long run, and a nice challange too!

At the top of Harney Peak on the first asscent

Relaxing after the long run

After my long run I ate lunch and drove into Custer, SD to get some delicious and well deserved frozen yogurt. I then drove the wildlife loop and Iron Mt. road getting a few more geocaches, taking in the views, and of course feeding the mostly tame burros of Custer State Park. It was a great trip for both training and rest & relaxation.