Mount Rushmore & Winter Hiking in Custer State Park
Two weeks ago, one of my best friends and I had a very cold first-time visit to South Dakota and took a few days to explore the Badlands, Black Hills National Forest, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave National Park. If you haven't read my first post about spending Spring Break in South Dakota, go here to read about our trip to Badlands National Park.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
"On this towering wall of Rushmore, in the heart of the Black Hills, is to be inscribed a memorial which will represent some of the outstanding features of four of our Presidents, laid on by the hand of a great artist in sculpture," said President Calvin Coolidge in his Mount Rushmore Dedication Speech in 1927. At the age of 57, sculptor Gutzon Borglum began the project of carving into the Black Hills. The monumental project would be finished after his death in 1941, the finishing touches overseen by his son, Lincoln. In the end, the delicate sculpture became an icon of American history, four presidents—Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt—forever wrought in stone.
Coolidge remarked, "It is but natural that such a design should begin with George Washington, for with him begins that which is truly characteristic of America. . .He stands as the foremost disciple of ordered liberty, a statesman with an inspired vision who is not outranked by any mortal greatness.
"Next to him will come Thomas Jefferson, whose wisdom insured that the Government which Washington had formed should be entrusted to the administration of the people. . .
"After our country had been established, enlarged from sea to sea, and was dedicated to popular government, the next great task was to demonstrate the permanency of our Union and to extend the principle of freedom to all inhabitants of our land. The master of this supreme accomplishment was Abraham Lincoln. Above all other national figures, he holds the love of his fellow countrymen. The work which Washington and Jefferson began, he extended to its logical conclusion.
"That the principles for which these three men stood might be still more firmly established destiny raised up Theodore Roosevelt. To political freedom he strove to add economic freedom. . .Here in the heart of the continent, on the side of a mountain which probably no white man had ever beheld in the days of Washington, in territory which was acquired by the action of Jefferson, which remained an unbroken wilderness beyond the days of Lincoln, which was especially beloved by Roosevelt, the people of the future will see history and art combined to portray the spirit of patriotism."
The infamous monument to American nationalism is situated on the edge of the Black Hills National Forest, a twisty 30-minute drive from Rapid City, through dense coniferous forest and a kitschy, tourist-trap town (or ghost town, as nearly everything except for gas stations was closed the second week of March). After paying the whopping $11 for parking, Mary and I found ourselves, not for the last time that week, in a nearly deserted place that was clearly created to be teeming with people. The multi-leveled parking structure held only a few cars, and the massive colonnade leading up to the memorial was completely empty. My mind could transplant the thick, claustrophobic crowds from my summer travels to similar tourist hotspots into the shadow of the monument, and, despite the cold wind numbing my face, I was never so glad to be visiting in early March.
Unfortunately, that cold spell had been a little too cold the past few days, leading to ice accumulation on the hiking trails that lead to the base of the monument. As a result, they were closed. However, we did enjoy walking through the exhibits inside, full of well-preserved documents and explanatory panels about the history of the monument and its creation. There is also a short video to watch that does a great job detailing Borglum's vision and execution of the project. While the trip to Mount Rushmore certainly didn't take all day (especially with the closed hiking trails), it was worth seeing. I left feeling that swell of American pride that Borglum intended (though, I will note, a pride jaded by the deafening silence of a Native American perspective in any of the exhibits).
Black Elk Peak & Little Devil's Tower, Black Hills National Forest
After some (probably bad, all things considered) advice from the park ranger at Mount Rushmore, we decided to spend the rest of that day hiking in Custer State Park in the Black Hills. The ranger told us since the Needles Highway was closed (for icy conditions), we should check out Black Elk Peak to see the infamous granite "needles" of the Black Hills. Black Elk Peak is named for a noted Lakota Sioux medicine man, and it is the highest summit in the US east of the Rocky Mountains at 7,242 feet. Keep in mind that this ranger recommended that we summit this peak in 20-degree weather on a wind advisory day when we are not hardcore, uber-experienced hikers. Thanks, man.
Most of the 6-mile out-and-back hike up to Black Elk Peak wouldn't have been difficult on a normal day. But I suspect the reason we were literally the only people on that trail was because, due to the snowfall, wind, and low temps that week, almost all of the trails were made of ice or hard-packed snow. We spent most of the hike trying not to slip on ice or get blown off the mountains by ridiculously powerful wind gusts. And every time I went off-trail to scramble up a hillside for a view or to scout the trail ahead, I ended up knee-deep in half-frozen snow. By lunchtime, the wind had whipped our faces raw, and we tried to take shelter behind a boulder to eat our sandwiches, but the wind changed direction to continue battering us. Luckily, I brought hand-warmers, which gave us enough resolve to keep trekking, but when we got to the fork in the road for Little Devil's Tower (a shorter, marginally less steep hike) or Black Elk Peak, we decided to cut our losses and go to Little Devil's Tower instead.
This trail was marked as strenuous for good reason. We squeezed through clefts in the granite spires, scrambling for handholds and footholds in the ice and snow. Hiking turned into glorified rock climbing. I had to keep my body pinned to the rock for fear that the wind would unbalance me or straight up sweep me off the summit. But all in all, the views of the granite needles of Cathedral Spires and swathes of ponderosa pine of Black Elk Wilderness were breathtaking.
Nature Loop Drive, Custer State Park
Our last day in South Dakota, we returned to Custer State Park for a scenic drive through the park. The Needles Highway was still closed, so we took the Nature Loop drive around dusk, hoping to spot many of the animals that populate the park. We ticked off prairie dogs, coyotes, wild turkeys, pronghorn antelope, white-tailed deer, and many, many bison herds. But we hope to see elk, bears, or wildcats the next time we visit!
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to hit the "like" button if you enjoyed this post! Next week will be the final installment of our South Dakota adventure with a visit to Wind Cave National Park!