It’s the end of June and time to head back out west. We’ve spent the last month in Minnesota visiting family and friends and working on a few projects. Now we make our way towards one of our favorite places to visit, the Black Hills in South Dakota. The heat of the summer and humidity from MN push us west.
When we arrive everything is green and lush, wild roses are blooming everywhere!
Time is not wasted and we return to the coarse granite and quartz crystalled rock as soon as we arrive. The rock spires and formations are truly one of a kind and are a source of constant wonder.
Same place, new adventures
At the encouragement of our friend Wes, we ventured out to Custer State Park one afternoon and found our way to the base of a few spires. Two spires out of the hundreds in the park were our objectives; one named ‘Tent Peg’ and the other ‘Tricouni Nail’.
Kyle blasted up into the vertical on Tent Peg, slowly corkscrewing his way up to the top of the spire. Before I know it, I hear, “Kelly, off-belay”. I take Kyle off belay and put my climbing shoes on, I’m already tied in on the other end of the rope. Then I hear, “Kelly, on belay” to which I respond, “Climbing!”
Up I go, following the line Kyle climbed before me. As I gain height, the rock formation I’m climbing gets slimmer and slimmer; out of my perihperals the ground drops away from me. I’m not a fan of this. I start to hyperventilate (irrationally). I’m completely safe. I can’t get my breathing under control. I start to cry. Now I can’t see with tears welling up. Kyle is helpless belaying me from the top of the climb. He tries to offer positive encouragement but none if it registers in m mind.
Only one way to go but up
Finally, I breathe a little slower, wipe the tears from my eyes and inch by inch clamber my way up the rest of the climb. I reach Kyle and breathe a sigh of relief. PHEW! I clip into the bolted anchor and we rig the rope to rappel.
With Tent Peg under our belts, Tricouni Nail is next on the list. Kyle asked if I was up for it. I made him review the logisitics of a Needles Style Rappel (simul-rappel). With that knowledge I told him to start climbing. The route was originally climbed by Royal and Liz Robbins back in the 1940s, the original pitons were still intact and safe enough to use as protection.
Kyle danced his way to the top and put me on belay. “Here we go again” I said to myself. Of course this was another granite spire and exposure was waiting to taunt my fears. I pulled onto the rock anyhow and fought my way to Kyle. I had another panic attack halfway up when I felt the ground drop away…not as bad as on Tent Peg (progress). Once I reached Kyle I clipped into the sling which was slung around one of the three horns at the top of Tricouni.
Now to go down…
Finally I was well established on the one side of the rock formation and Kyle generously offered to move to the other side in order to be the counterbalance on the rappel. Then, we both set up to rappel and checked the system prior to launching off. Everything checked out okay, we were cleared to lower. Now it was time to return to the ground; down down we went, trying to go at the same speed and we both paused a foot or so above ground to confirm the other was at the same point prior to unweighting the rope. It went seamlessly. The rappel was less scary than the climb for me (and to think I was more worried for the rappel at first)! Luckily some tourists were driving by and snagged a photo of us whilst rappelling so we can share the experience:
We’ve been to the Black Hills numerous times. Often times we climb the same routes and hike the same hikes. It’s amazing to me how much one place can offer, over and over again. This is truly a special place which has introduced us to many special people as well. I cannot wait to return and find out what new experiences await.
Check out the video from our climbs this day:
Check out our gallery of South Dakota for more pictures from this area:Rock Climbing in South Dakota.