I've wanted to hike this trail with my family for quite some time. The trail itself is typically flat enough that it's easy if you want it to be, but the impressive granite outcroppings provide a unique challenge for even amateur rock climbers. Of course, the icing on the cake is the beautiful lake, perfect for water recreation. On this particular occasion, we didn't take advantage of the lake, but we did enjoy the other two options.
My family knew even before this weekend what I had planned. My father confessed that on their way out to Rapid City Friday, he told my mother sarcastically, "That's just what I want to do on my day off...climb a mountain!" If you know my father, you can perfectly envision him saying this. Ironically, once we started climbing, guess who was usually the first one to say, "Oh yeah, we can go higher." He scrambled up those rocks like a mustached teenager.
I've always had a very healthy fear of heights. Through a number of obligatory situations, that fear has diminished, but I'm still no daredevil. Nonetheless, I kept up with the others. To keep us connected even when we couldn't see each other, we used a loud "caw, caw" call. (This is used in a movie, but we can't remember which. Anyone who can think of it and post a video link will be my new best friend.) Some people might be embarrassed to shout like a bird in a crowded public place, but we let our voices echo through the area without hesitation. In fact, we later heard another group copying our idea and using a very similar "coo, coo" call. I never thought my family would be trendsetters. I know there are multiple valid reasons a person may opt not to be a rock climber, but if Sylvan Lake is great from the trail, it's absolutely spectacular from the peaks! Being that high with the breeze blowing in your face makes you feel like you can achieve anything.
Even though I've now hiked this trail at least two times, I can't wait to go back again. Next time, I hope Pamela and my other sisters can join us. I know we could spend hours there climbing and exploring many other points. I also know I'm not the only one eager to go back. I noticed my dad looking longingly at the distant spires as we hiked back to the parking lot.
(Since Pamela was not with us to track our hike on her phone, I have no stats.)
It takes balance to cross to the bridge overlooking the spillway. After getting there, Mom called it "stupid." It was pretty unimpressive.
Danielle's boyfriend, Brady, wanted to cool off.
Some passages were quite narrow. In most cases, there was more than one reasonable route.
Dad can't get over how big some of the rocks are here. It's much different than back home.
This was taken from the highest point we reached.
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