Thank you Bryan! I had no idea. I've been in the hills so many times but I guess I just never took the time. I'm retired now and it's on the list for 2021. Once again, excellent video!
Glad you enjoyed the video! It's a very pretty area, but water can be scarce and fires are not allowed. I don't like to carry water, so I chose Black Elk Wilderness because Grizzly Bear Creek runs through wilderness.
Loved the video, had never heard of Black Elk Wilderness nor thought about backpacking out there, but obviously a nice place and a relief from the smoke further west.
I've been planning a trip to the Black hills for years. Amazing hike! I really appreciate you heading out to the Dakotas. Great western history out there.
Nice video, Bryan. Had no idea South Dakota had such hiking treasures. Looks like a really nice place. Thanks for shedding some light on that state and one of its places to backpack.
Thanks Tom! I'm only a few nights behind where I was at this time last year. But I added two new states this year, Oklahoma and Nebraska, although I did not film those trips. And I passed 12,000 miles of backpacking in the last 30 years, so it's been a great year considering everything going on.
Thanks for another nice video Bryan! I backpacked just about this exact route in late May this year--including Sunday Gulch and Lost Cabin trails with Horse Thief. Your nice video work brought back some pleasant memories. I appreciate the nice background music...in the background! :)
Glad to see you out and hiking. Your video will make my Nordic Track workout much more interesting this afternoon. Thanks for sharing your adventure and best wishes for the rest of the year.
@@BryanDeLay Thanks Bryan, at 55 minutes they can't get too much longer on my end. Funny, I 've been researching Black Hills Corp. (BHK) as an equity investment for a few weeks and when I saw your video I took it as one more plus. As an aside, a further one, when I took my five year old son to see Mt. Rushmore, he came away with the impression, unbeknown to me, that the men carved in the stone were actually images of God; when asked by his first grade teacher at the Carmel Mission school if anyone had ever seen God, he assured her that he had and she could too by going to Mt. Rushmore.
Inspiring! Thanks for the great video. Might make it out there this summer. Don't think I'll put on so many miles but would be happy doing half of that!
Most of this hike looks very reminiscent of hikes in Yellowstone . The pines , standing dead trees, and stony/gravel paths . Would be a nice alternative when a Yellowstone backcountry permit get denied. Thanks for sharing! Good job 👍
Such a shame you weren’t able to make it to the top of Black Elk Peak. It’s a climb I’ve made many times. The top is a real treat with the decommissioned fire watch tower.
Thanks Leon! I'm sure the view from the top would've been nice, but nothing I could do. Someone before me tried to go around the tape and a ranger called them out.
Thanks Bryan for introducing me to my first backpacking trip in SD. Always like to see where you take us and thanks for your narration along the way. Just wondering if you saw any wildlife along the trek other than the two legged ones? Greetings from KY.
Jon, doing gear videos is not really my thing. Although in November 2017 I did 5 videos showing my gear. Since then I've changed a few items, but basically it's the same.
Hey Prof, nice video. Quality is excellent. The Black Hills are really cool for sure...Have you read about the wilderness namesake? Black Elk had some wild visions that may peak your interest. As a matter of fact, I think I will order Black Elk Speaks. I may have read it years ago but i have a bad memory. Brian
Great video as always. You sure don't see too many people hiking in the Black Hills. I appreciate seeing your footage and the terrain is certainly interesting. Was there an actual lake along that Horsethief Lake trail or was the name just fooling us?
@@BryanDeLay - I've had one since release, but was really frustrated with the firmware. Lots of glitches. But I used it for a hike last weekend (after a firmware update!) and it worked really well. The horizon leveling works remarkably well!
What a pleasant surprise since I've always considered South Dakota (apologies to my SD friends!) fly over country. This video gave me a whole 'nother impression, aside from Mt. Rushmore. Did you ever learn the reason for the trail closure?
Hey Bryan, I keep up with your videos almost as quickly as you post them but this one slipped my radar somehow, until now! Would you go back to Black Elk, or is once enough? I only ask because Yellowstone looks so crowded this season, which by extension in my book probably means the Winds are too, so I'm looking for somewhere that's as fun a place to hike as Yellowstone, well, give or take.
DR Hayden, it's nice but water can be an issue and it was really hot. Not sure I would consider the Black Hills as a replacement for Yellowstone or the Winds.
Are there any Garmin GPS files out there of this hike? I'm going in a few weeks, and I am not 100% the maps that I have are accurate (still taking my USGS topo map and compass)....not that GPS is any more accurate, but going off trail to find a campsite (knowing me) could spell trouble, haha.
Don't know know if there are any Garmin GPS files for this area, but I would certainly think so. I used Trails Illustrated Map #238 (Black Hills South) and it was accurate for the trails that I hiked.
