Minneapolis. Badlands. Black Hills. Big Horn. Grand Tetons. Yellowstone. Glacier.

Right now it’s 10:24pm and we just left Helena, Montana headed north on I-15 for either a cheap motel off the highway or a comfy parking spot at a visitor center inside the park. Chances are this wi be the second time I roll into Glacier after midnight. We started the day driving through Yellowstone, seeing all the geysers and all the hot springs and all the thousands of tourists poised to capture the perfect shot of old faithful. It’s been a long day. I can’t complain. Yesterday, we hiked 25 miles round trip up to hurricane pass in the Tetons. It gave us a backside view of the three Teton peaks (Grand Teton, Middle Teton, and South Teton) a lot of people never see. It took a few of Dan Ouellette’s “Hey Bear” war cries to get us there but it was well worth the switchbacks and snow hazards once we arrived. Yellowstone’s features are cool. No doubt about it, it’s some of the most unique and beautiful stuff that I’ve ever seen. But it’s all connected by massive parking lots, paved sidewalks, and boardwalks like those found on popular beaches. Even the most uncommon and dramatic scenery doesn’t seem as mystifying if you are plopped right in the middle of it with no effort. Plus, they charge 3 dollars for a can of Pringles.

Before we made it to the Tetons, we drove through the black hills of South Dakota and saw Mount Rushmore (another tourist trap for sure, but all the same it would have been un-American not to stop and see George Washington externalized in a granite cliff). We stopped at a brewery on our way out of the hills and got a flight of some decent brews. There wasn’t anything too special about them, but maybe our judgement was hindered by the brews of Minneapolis, exposed by my good friends Jeff and Taylor. Minneapolis was an awesome place, but seeing any city without good hosts would never do it justice, so for that and Jeff’s uncanny ability to make everything an unforgettable experience, I’m real thankful.

After Minny, we set out for the Badlands of South Dakota on some back roads. 

There was a shit load of corn.

 Like, only corn. 

No grass.

We got to the badlands just as the sun began its trek below the horizon, and just after we could sneak through the gates without paying the fee (don’t worry Barry O, we bought the annual pass). A couple bison greeted us on the dark ride to our campsite, crossing the road with little care and nothing but a few tail wags in my huge 2 door Honda Civic’s direction.

The badlands liked to play tricks on the eyes, the red and beige layers of the rock formations blending with the same ones in front and behind. The coolest part was the “hike wherever you want” rule. For time’s sake, we kept to the trails.

After the badlands and the drive through the black hills, we spent a couple nights in the Big Horn mountains of Wyoming. Our camp neighbor was a local and he gave us some tips on our hike to the twin lakes the next day. He also charcoal grilled our burgers and gave us the last couple pulls of whiskey he had to boot. He tried to explain a route through the Tetons and Yellowstone but his bottle was pretty much empty before we got there. 

Been working on a few ideas, one in particular seems to be taking a pretty good form.

We’ll be in Seattle in a few days, but Glacier National Park for the Fourth.

Happy Independence Day everyone!

-slif