Day 2: Badlands and Rushmore

The next morning we were greeted by a windy sunrise. More excited to drive through Badlands National Park than we were to cook breakfast in such breezy conditions, we packed up camp and drove right over to the Pinnacles entrance station. After snapping a few selfies overlooking the rocks, we wound our way through the park, stopping to appreciate the many animals who make their home there: we saw bighorn sheep, goats, cows, prairie dogs, and a bunch of birds (including a few larger birds of prey). There were even some strange deer/antelope creatures we were unfamiliar with, and at least one jackrabbit (but no jackalopes).

We pushed on to a pit-stop in Rapid City for coffee at a cat cafe, then set up at a climber campground around the corner from Mount Rushmore. Climbing in the Black Hills can be pretty challenging, since the pegmatite granite is super different from what we're used to in the midwest (and the protection can be somewhat sparse due to old-school bolting ethics). We climbed up a classic arête and a short slab route nearby, then Glenn led a trad line that turned out to be a bit more adventurous than we'd planned - but everything went smoothly enough! Then we made a delicious caprese salad for dinner and enjoyed some peaceful downtime (and the delightful smell of pine trees!).