Renewal in the Wild

I spent all of Saturday and Sunday morning engaged in a bit of an adventure! I decided I wanted to take a bit of a backpacking trip into the black hills to help clear my mind and to experience the wild in a very tangible way. So I packed things up and headed out on Saturday morning! I ended up taking a rather roundabout path that led me to the top of Harney Peak, which just so happens to be the highest peak East of the Rocky Mountains and West of the Pyrenees in Europe. It was very exciting! I hiked a total of about 18 miles, most on Saturday and then a little bit more Sunday morning.

I can think of no better setting to spend a Sunday morning worshiping our creator. It was beautiful! And it was very much a cathartic time of renewal in the wild that I enjoyed very much. I am so glad I got to go! I just camped in the middle of the forest in a completely random spot, completely alone, out in the wilderness. There is something about that which connects to that primal nature, that call of the wild, that was very significant. And It gave me some wonderful exercise and views as well!

I got back to Wind Cave just in time to take a shower, get cleaned up, and go to work. I had the campfire program for the first time Sunday night. That went amazingly well! It was so much fun! In my mind that is the quintessential park ranger activity and what I always think of when I think of rangers. And I got to be that ranger! I talked about the discovery of the frontier and the way we are preserving it now, which allowed me to tell stories about mountain men and have all sorts of fun pictures! so it was a great time and I am so very glad I got to do it! I am doing it again this next Sunday, one more time before the programs stop for the summer. Yay!

Definitely a great time of renewal and rest!