When we first tell people about our hiking project, many immediately ask, "Have you hiked Harney Peak?" Now we can say we have. Given its significance as the highest point in South Dakota, I understand its popularity, but as far as hikes go, it's not the best we've completed.
For our climb of Harney, we used trail #9 which begins at Sylvan Lake. This appears to be the most commonly-used route, but frankly, I don't know why. I assume it's because Sylvan is so lovely. The trail, on the other hand, is lack-luster. The rocks are by far the dominant features. And while I don't mean to suggest the sight of 100-foot granite columns isn't impressive, they didn't provide the same experience as some of the other areas we've hiked.
For me personally, I think the lack of diversity in plant life is a major drawback. I find the Hills most appealing when there's a striking but balanced contrast of stone and vegetation. Here, rather than enhancing each other's differences, the two seemed to just co-mingle. The color of the Ponderosas - dark green, brown, and gray - and their prevalence throughout the landscape muted any focal points.
Two other factors are also at play here. One is the traffic. I hiked Harney relatively early Sunday morning with my sister and her boyfriend. At that time, there were not many others on the trail. Compare that to today when it was as busy as many tourist attractions in the area. It's not that I don't like people, but I'll explain below why this is an issue. The other consideration is the difficulty of the hike. It should come as no surprise that climbing to over 7,000 feet is no casual stroll. We certainly we're expecting it to be, but it was more of a challenge than we prefer.
I suppose it comes down to what you want from a hike. If you want a workout, Harney is a great place to get it. Yes, Pamela and I appreciate the health benefits associated with our excursions, but that isn't our primary motivation. If it were, we'd be the ones jogging back down. We're pursuing mental and emotional health. Life is as good as it's even been for Pamela and me, but we still need time to escape. That doesn't mean spending an evening watching TV or even a weekend with family. These hikes - most of them, at least - provide a peace of mind, connection to each other, and closeness to God I don't believe we've ever experienced anywhere else. For these purposes, Harney Peak is a miss.
Total Distance: 8.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,948 feet
Max. Elevation: 7,187 feet
Total Time: 3 hours, 57 minutes
Moving Time: 2 hours, 53 minutes
Average Moving Speed: 3.0 mph
Pamela was not encouraged when we first sighted the lookout tower from this distance.
I love these cute little spruce trees.
The first of many stone stairs.
The beginning of the end.
More stairs...
...and more stairs...
...and MORE stairs...
...are you freakin' kidding me!?!
Finally, we reach the tower. Actually, from this vantage point we had to climb still more stairs to reach the tower.
We weren't feeling energetic enough to explore the rocks, but you can pretend that's us way out there.
If you look really closely, you can just barely make out the Golden Gate Bridge. Ha, ha!
The wind was stronger and colder on Sunday. It was really quite pleasant today.
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