ryner12 / Julia

Hiking in the Black Hills is an unforgettable experience. From the Sylvan Lake trailhead we hiked trail #9 to Harney Peak. The hike itself is simply glorious, and we realized upon reaching the top that it was a perfect day for it—clear, sunny and no wind at all. We chose trail #4 for our return route and took a scrambling detour near the Cathedral Spires in search of a geocache.

By the time we reached the turn-off for Little Devil’s Tower, we had already been on the trail nearly 5 hours and weren’t confident about our flagging stamina. Harney was a piece of cake compared to the steep climb to LDT, but I’m so glad we pushed ourselves! If possible, Little Devil’s Tower was an even more fun experience than Harney Peak itself! We found the geocache on the summit, and because we arrived so late in the day we got some stunning photos in the afternoon sun.

Harney is an unforgettable experience. From the Sylvan Lake trailhead we hiked trail #9 to Harney. The hike itself is simply glorious, and we realized upon reaching the top that it was a perfect day for it—clear, sunny and no wind at all. We chose trail #4 for our return route and took a scrambling detour near the Cathedral Spires in search of a geocache.

By the time we reached the turn-off for Little Devil’s Tower, we had already been on the trail nearly 5 hours and weren’t confident about our flagging stamina. Harney was a piece of cake compared to the steep climb to LDT, but I’m so glad we pushed ourselves! If possible, Little Devil’s Tower was an even more fun experience than Harney Peak itself! We found the geocache on the summit, and because we arrived so late in the day we got some stunning photos in the afternoon sun. 7 hours after setting out we finally returned to our car, triumphant but exhausted.

A friend of mine is having a destination wedding, 50s-style, at the Del Marcos Hotel next spring. I’m also looking forward to doing some geocaching while in the area.