Well, actually they are technically not buffalo but bison. The Centennial Trail is a 125-mile-long trail that traverses the Black Hills and Prairies of South Dakota. It was established in 1989 to celebrate South Dakota’s 100-year anniversary of becoming a state and the trail is numbered “89” on the Carsonite trail signs. Songbird, Slipper and I had plans to hike the Centennial Trail back in 2021 but ended up hiking in Colorado instead. After several very pleasant days spent at the home of my friend, Mudsmeller near St Cloud MN we loaded up for the 9-hour drive to Rapid City SD to begin the hike. My friends Yappy and Songbird were intending to join us but sadly Songbird had to bail at the last minute, so only the three of us started. Both Mudsmeller and Yappy had separately hiked the trail last year so I knew it must be a good one if both were up for a repeat!
May 22 Early start to pick up Yappy at her hotel and then head over to Bear Butte State Park to leave our vehicle and shuttle with Bridget of Roam’n Around Outfitters to the start at Wind Cave National Park. It was a scenic 2 hour drive, the highlight being a National Geographic moment of witnessing a coyote grab a prairie dog and run across the road with it in its mouth shortly after entering the park. Not a good day for the prairie dog but such is the cycle of life in nature.
As we entered Custer State Park there was a herd of about 60 bison including many calves that delayed our entry into the fenced area. We had been warned to give them a wide birth especially if calves present.
Tough 15-mile day to get to French Creek Horse Camp the first place to legally camp. They have set aside a small area for CT hikers to camp free of charge and there were 8 of us camped. The following morning as I got out of my tent and stumbled to the bathrooms, I looked up and saw 3 huge bison grazing next to the horse stables.
May 23 About 6 miles to Legion Lake and a delicious breakfast at the Dockside Grill. The weather was looking ominous for the next few days with rain and cooler temps forecast for the Memorial Day weekend. Yesterday’s hike had been tough on Mudsmeller and I so we decided to stay in the adjacent campground and reevaluate the following morning. Yappy decided to keep going since had plans to meet an AZT friend near Samelius Peak. We bid farewell to Yappy hoping to catch up though she is definitely a much stronger hiker than us. Mudsmeller and I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon chatting with other campers, walked the mile long trail around scenic Legion Lake and enjoyed more food at the grill.
May 24 It had drizzled rain most of the night. I had condensation in my tent and the foot of my sleeping bag was damp. I hung it up to dry in the heated and very clean bath house. We took advantage of no rain to quickly take down our tents and retreat to the warm bathrooms to make coffee and wait for the grill to open. The weather forecast had not improved and Cindy, the campground host had offered to drive us the 7 miles into the town of Custer. We decided to take her up on her generous offer and reserved 2 nights at her suggestion of the retro Rocket Motel. Cindy was a lovely person and gave us a grand tour of the Sylvan Lake area and the Needles Hwy before dropping us off in town. Cindy is a very talented artist so she and Mudsmeller, a gifted potter had much to chat about their respective artistry. Great dinner and flight of beers at the Mount Rushmore Brewery across the street.
May 25-26 Well 2 nights turned into 3 but no regrets here! Excellent breakfast at Hjem A.M. Dare I say maybe best breakfast ever! We shared a deviled egg appetizer with sashimi tuna. I ordered the more traditional eggs benedict and Mudsmeller had an interesting dish of eggs and walleye fish served with a mint sauce. Although not particularly hiker funky yet we decided to launder our clothes, then spent the rainy day hunkered down in our room. Finished reading my book and started another. We heard from Yappy that she had met her friend and they had found accommodation in a cabin just off trail to get out of the rough weather. We wandered around Custer with its touristy shops but enjoying in particular the gallery where Cindy had some of her art displayed. Spent a great afternoon in the county museum with interesting and informative displays about the indigenous tribes and Custer’s expedition into the area. Enjoyed chicken pot pie and a slice of raspberry, rhubarb, jalapeno pie at the Purple Pie Place. Break in the rain and we discovered The Rocket had a hot tub, so of course we had to take advantage and enjoyed a good soak.
May 27 Finally returned to the trail! Pleasant weather and great trail today. Saw 2 mule deer. Hiked 12 miles from Legion Lake campground to Blackberry Trail that led up to Mt Rushmore. Hiked an additional 1.5 miles out and back to the impressive monument. Enjoyed a bison burger and beer from the grill. Not the most delicious burger I ever ate but the view was quite spectacular. We camped next to a scenic stream just outside the boundary of the National Monument.
May 28 Started out cloudy and foggy but eventually cleared and turned out to be pleasant hiking weather. Lots of other options for additional hiking in the Black Elk Wilderness, though we chose to stick to the CT. Wouldn’t mind returning to this beautiful area for further exploration. Crossed railroad tracks and gathered water in the adjacent stream just as the 1880 Train passed and of course had to wave to all of the passengers enjoying the trip. Little bit of rain but didn’t last long. We found a sort of level spot to dry camp at a trail junction. A little over 11 miles today!
May 29 Sort of wished we would have hiked a little further last night for an even more level spot with better views. Passed over the highest point on the CT which surprisingly is 5833 feet in elevation and provided more great views. Passed scenic Sheridan Lake and the trail took us over the dam. I walked for a while with Heidi, a local taking her daily stroll and enjoyed conversation about our respective adventures. I was feeling good today and Mudsmeller and I agreed that I would power ahead to go off trail for about a half mile or so to pick up some refreshment for camp that evening from the marina store. My favorite section of the day and perhaps the whole trail were the wide-open expanses shortly after a spring and cattle trough. The rolling grassy hills were breathtaking and reminded me somewhat of sections of the Colorado Trail though not as mountainous. We shot for Victoria Creek for water and camping. Unfortunately, the creek was dry as a bone and we actually ended up dining in the creek bed. Luckily, we each had a liter of water plus 2 tall boy craft beers purchased earlier. We noshed on chips and snacks and toasted our adventure, saving our water for breakfast. Level spot for camping though in tall grass. 12.5 miles today!
May 30 As expected, woke to lots of condensation and damp sleeping bags. Hiked past Pactola Reservoir, another scenic body of water. Mudsmeller skipped about a mile of what she described as a pointless up and down and walked the road. She had hiked the PUD last year, but it was new trail for me so naturally I hiked it. It was ok though not particularly scenic, and I understood her decision. We met back up just shy of mile 64. Not too much further to our destination. Mudsmeller had told me to look for a disco ball hanging from a tree, signaling the turn to Whispering Pines Campground! I missed it but managed to find another trail down to the campground. 11.4 miles today! Log cabin, showers, laundry, pizza and beer! Great hiker box too! Harley and Lisa were the friendly and accommodating owners.
May 31 Great stay in Dead Wood Cabin! We enjoyed chatting with Paula who warmed up some delicious Jimmy Dean breakfast meals and made a pot of good coffee for us. Interesting to hear about her nomadic lifestyle of living in her camper, splitting time between working at Whispering Pines and another campground in AZ during the winter. I think both Mudsmeller and I were a tad jealous! Finally, back on trail and before long in the dreaded ATV section that shared tread with the CT. Fortunately it had dried out after the previous rains that Yappy had told us had made the trail crappy when she hiked through a few days previous. Not too bad to begin but soon wore thin. It was rocky and rutted and not particularly pleasant. We did see numerous ATVers though not as many as I expected for a weekend. They all were friendly and seemed to be having a blast. Evidently a reroute is in the works to move the CT away from the ATV roads which will definitely improve the hike and probably make the ATV crowd happy too. Stopped at Boxelder Creek to soak our barking dogs and then pushed on past Nemo, collecting water at a road crossing and eventually finding a nice stealth site above an ATV road. We enjoyed dinner and beers we had packed out from Whispering Pines with an interesting centerpiece for our dining table stump. Thankfully ATVing is not a nighttime activity though several did rumble by after dark. Eventually everything quieted down and we began noticing some interesting birdsong before falling asleep. 13.6 miles today!
June 1 Finally out of the ATV section, Phew!!! Unfortunately trading that misery for a 24 mile stretch with no water and it was very hot!!! My tiny thermometer registered 88 degrees most of the day. Funny how when you need to conserve water you are incredibly thirsty! We were both getting weary from the heat and probably a little dehydration. Finally found a fairly level spot just off trail and settled in for the night. 12.5 miles!
June 2 Violent thunderstorm last night with epic lightning! Woke up to clear skies but much cooler. Temps did not get above 55 today! Such a difference from yesterday but made for great hiking. Last night’s storm brought several trees down across the trail that we had to negotiate around. Arrived at dry Elk Creek and refilled our water bottles thanks to a trail angel-maintained cache. Caught the first glimpse of magnificent Bear Butte, our destination and spotted more deer trailside. Started raining towards the end of the day as we had to negotiate a really muddy section but made it to Alkali Creek Campground for 16.3-mile day. The water was cut off at the campground for repairs but a fellow hiker who was heading to Wind Cave to start his hike the following day shared some of his with us. Set up in rain and cooked dinner in our tents. Nearby interstate was noisy.
June 3 Spaghetti for breakfast and 2 cups of coffee since today is the last on trail and no need to ration any longer. Everything pretty much dried out overnight. Blue skies with puffy clouds and gentle breezes. Passed through the outskirts of Fort Meade dating back to 1878 but now serving as a VA Medical Center and Veterans Cemetary. Sometimes necessary to get up close to id a plant and ahem, take advantage of a stumble! Loved the open prairie as we approached Bear Butte. Incredibly beautiful! Easy to imagine wagon trains crossing on their journeys west. Western Meadow Larks were plentiful and loved their beautiful song.
Hiked up Bear Butte alone and felt the power of this special place! The mountain is sacred to indigenous people. Prayer flags and tobacco pouches are hung from trees along the route to the summit. Passed a group of very polite indigenous Boy Scouts descending and had the summit to myself. I reflected on this fantastic hike and absorbed the spirituality of this sacred mountain. After descending, Mudsmeller told me that an Oglala Lakota man who volunteers at the Visitor Center had been monitoring my ascent and giving her updates on my progress. Fitting end to another great hike! 15.7 miles
Stopped in Sturgis for the requisite celebratory beer, hamburger and fries at a local brewery. Sad that Songbird was not able to join us, she would have loved this trail and sorry that we never caught up with Yappy but grateful for Mudsmeller’s excellent company! Life is exceptionally good when hiking and exploring this beautiful world with wonderful friends!
“Sky above, earth below, peace within”