Welcome to Lizzie and Jane’s first local adventure. The beginning of spring, Lizzie convinced me, dear sweet unsuspecting Jane, that the weather was nice enough to go on our first hiking trip of the year. I, perhaps foolishly, thought her to mean a nice stroll in the local park, perhaps even stopping at a local café and getting some tea or coffee to enjoy while we strolled through the park and enjoyed the budding flowers. My idyllic musings were rudely interrupted when Lizzie suggested a four-mile hike through part of the Badlands. While not quite what I had envisioned, I apprehensively agreed thinking perhaps the weather would turn disagreeable. On the day of the hike, nary was a dark cloud in sight. As if to mock me, the sun was framed with soft, white clouds that danced across the sky, and a soft breeze caused waves through the prairie grass and rustled the leaves of the treetops. It was midmorning when Lizzie and I got to the Badlands and the somewhat dreaded trailhead.
Alas, to Lizzie’s chagrin, this trail was not meant to be the first hike of the season after all. The drive to the Badlands was overly long, and there was no powder room at the trailhead that Lizzie had chosen. After a quick discussion, we hopped back into the car and found one of the three powder rooms located in the Park.
After perusing the map, we decided to try the Notch Trail which is somewhat famous for the wooden ladder that is a part of the trail. Arriving at the trailhead, we took our time and explored being ever mindful of the potential for rattlesnakes. When we got the wooden ladder, Lizzie turned (most likely to offer to turn back); however, I approached the obstacle with determination and had great fun climbing it! At the top, we wandered around the craigs and cliff sides daring the narrow paths with steep drops till it turned scorching (remember that we started our hike much later than intended and the sun was approaching its zenith). Proceeding back to the ladder, we encountered a slight ladder-jam; parties wanted to ascend, and parties wanted to descend. Thankfully, everyone was cordial, and the wait was not overly long,
After our hike, and only slightly sun-kissed, we drove to the Wall Drug Store (which, if you don't know, is famous for its $0.05 coffee, free ice water, and Western stores). Lizzie and I split a meal and a fresh donut for a fun after-hike treat. Lizzie then indulged me, and we wandered around the shops and explored all the different and interesting items and displays throughout the block-sized store.
After exploring and refueling both us and the vehicle, Lizzie and I had a lovely, easy drive back home (of course, we stopped to wash the car before headed home as bugs had completely covered the windshield). We made sure to drink plenty throughout the rest of the day to ensure we stayed hydrated and did not some light stretching to recover from the first hiking adventure of 2023. Quite a pleasant little trip.
The backpacks that both Lizzie and I used: https://amzn.to/3sSQkyl
The shoe brand that both Lizzie and I wore: https://amzn.to/3PkRR7V
See you on the next adventures Dearies!
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