100 Places You Never Heard of that you Should Visit

Well I'm not sure how anyone could not have heard of Devils Tower, but the folks from TV Land asked us to help them get a crew into position for a shoot at Devils Tower. They were all great to work with and we hope they learned a little about rock climbing and got some super footage. We all learned 2 things.... #1 Devils Tower is tall. #2 TV gear, even the super cool light weight gear, is heavy. So we may not have gotten everything we wanted, but there should be a cool segment on Devils Tower coming out soon.

Primal Quest

OK, I've done some crazy things in my day, but this whole Adventure Racing thing is beyond my reach. Even if I liked running, the thought of starting off a race with a marathon, then several hundred miles of Mountain Biking, Kayaking, and swimming, with some caving and climbing mixed in, all with out a marked course....yeah, no thanks. I did get a chance to hang out with Jan and Herb Conn and watch the action on the Tyrolean traverse that was set up in the Cathedral Spires. They seemed to think that was kinda cool, but also, preferred to watch it from afar with a spotting scope.

Congrats to all the teams, esp. the South Dakota team who was the first hometown crew to enter and finish in the history of Primal Quest. Thanks to all the volunteers who make this race happen and thanks to Jay and Dave for putting up such a cool jungle gym in our backyard known as the Needles.

Latest from Mount Rushmore

I cannot believe its July 4th weekend. We had all our guides out working this morning, and hopefully the drizzle cleared enough to allow our crews scheduled to summit Devils Tower enough time to dash to the top.

I just received an update from the folks at Mount Rushmore about the latest conditions there and plans for the evening.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2009

Independence Day Celebration Update



MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. –Festivities continue at Mount
Rushmore National Memorial as light rain and patches of fog move in an out
of the park. National Weather Service predictions call for low clouds and
fog to continue into the night with isolated thunderstorms possible. At
this point the fireworks are still scheduled to launch at 9:20 pm. Park
officials will continue to monitor conditions. If conditions are outside
acceptable limits, such as thick fog or winds greater than 15 mph, the
fireworks display could be delayed up to 10:20 pm Friday evening or
cancelled for the year.

Parking within memorial grounds reached capacity late morning. To the
east, cars are parked all the way to Keystone; to the west, cars are parked
all the way to Horsethief Lake. The nearest parking is at least three
miles away with over an 800-foot elevation gain. Visitors continue to
stream into the memorial to take in the full range of Independence Day
programs including military flyovers, children’s programs, and cultural
performers.

For updated information, please call the memorial at (605) 574-2523.




- NPS -
www.nps.gov/moru

Free National Park Entrance

I already Twittered about it, but this is your chance - Get in Free to the National Park System this weekend - get off the couch! More info

Food for thought

" To reach beyond what you are, you must ignore the rules and fashions of the day. Or perhaps better yet, cast them way out in your peripheral vision where you can still see them but only as a vague reference point. This doesn't mean that all the rules are gone. It might mean that you adopt a far tighter code of conduct to ensure the necessary level of intensity and adventure. "
-Peter Croft

Mushroom time of year.

It's that time of year again. I've already had to hear stories of great mushroom finding success from my friends and family in Illinois, but now its my turn to tell everyone else about the delicate and beautiful morel mushrooms that my lovely wife brought home.

Of course I cannot disclose the location that they were found in, but I can gloat about what a perfect carrier for butter, flavor, and all things that are good the mushroom is. The highly coveted morel is such a wonderful thing.

If you were ever looking for a reason get off the couch and to head out to the woods...the morel mushroom should be more then enough to get you going. If you are lucky enough to find a handful or better yet, a bag full, you will be treated to a meal fit for royalty. With all the forest fires here in the Black Hills, it seems that our fungus hunting has improved over the past few years...or maybe we are just lucky.

A little hike, a little butter and salt in a cast iron skillet....drop in a handful of mushrooms, yeah! That's the good life.

Someone threw the switch.

It finally feels like summer and its as though someone opened the gate to let people in. You can defiantly see more visitors on the roads. I've noticed some out of state climbers around the area. The phone is ringing like crazy and the calendar is filing up.

If anyone follows my twitter, you might recall my comment about the infectious nature of the optimism of youth. With a few of the younger staff around again, and the town full of summer workers, it helps this sometimes grumpy guy see things through a different lens. Parents are most likely used to this, but the plastic house plants I care for rarely share such insight and magical moments. While I have no desire to return to those unstable days when just about everything was a new adventure (new job, new place, new living arrangement...sometimes a new relationship...) its fun to sit back and watch it all happen to someone else...and note how we all think during that time of our life...that its perhaps the first time someone has ever felt that way or done such a thing. If I recall, one of the members of the Rolling Stones said something to the effect the 'to be truly creative, you need to take yourself out of your comfort zone'. That is what I see all these people doing, and what I see missing in so many peoples lives. Its so easy to get bogged down with the daily grind, and that is a perfect way to loose your 'young at heart' status.

So take note a cue from the experts in challenging the 'norm'...learn from the youth.....get out there and try something new in the Black Hills. Run a trail instead of walk it, climb a rock, paddle a river farther then you ever have before, swim in a lake, peddle the hills, learn a flowers name. The opportunities are all out there, all we have to do is make the time.

If it happens to be raining tonight, and you can't get out to do something new, get yourself a copy of a book called, "The Other Way to Listen" by Byrd Baylor
(Author), Peter Parnall (Illustrator)....they team up to tell the story of a youth who is inspired by an old man....the when the sun returns, get outdoors and enjoy the Black Hills. Go alone, go with a friend, go with your mom, or best of all take a young person, and watch mother nature work her magic.