One of the many activities Karla and I looked forward to upon going full time was the ability to backpack any place in the US or Canada. Since we happened to be in Custer, South Dakota we planned an overnight trip in Wind Cave National Park, in the beautiful Black Hills region. Since we hadn’t backpacked in awhile we started small, opting for a 14 mile loop with a single night in the middle. We also found plenty of day hiking in the region.

The author prepares to head out on the overnight trip

Karla at the Centennial/ Norbeck Dam trailhead

We embarked from the Centennial trailhead around 11 am and enjoyed a leisurely lunch overlooking Beaver Creek where the Highland Creek trail takes off from the Centennial trail. Following Highland Creek trail steeply up a hill side we reached the beautiful expanse of the high prairie, with views of rolling hills in every direction. We continued on to the Sanctuary Trail and picked a nice spot to pitch our tent where the prairie meets a ponderosa pine forest.

Our route took us through lush grasslands

The trail meandered through forests

An elk skull with antlers still attached we spotted in the forest

An open meadow in Wind Cave National Park

After setting up our tent and enjoying a hot dinner of rehydrated chicken and noodles (actually quite good), we settled down into our Helinox chairs (our one luxury, and highly recommended for lightweight backpacking). We were basking in the last few rays of sunshine before retiring to the tent when Karla asked “did you hear a bison snort?”

Our campsite nestled at the edge of a meadow

Throughout the day we saw numerous lone male bison and small bachelor herds whom we gave a wide berth

We also hiked past numerous bison wallows

I admit I was not really paying attention, so I was surprised when Karla stood up, pointed behind us, and said “bison”! Now that got my attention. A 2000 pound wild animal is not to be underestimated, and bison are known to charge interlopers in their territory. The National Park Service warned us to stay at least 50 yards away and adjust our hiking route to veer away from these massive creatures. Well, this one was maybe 25 yards away and he didn’t seem to know the rules. He stopped upon noticing us and just stood there, staring us down. We retreated behind our tent, knowing full well the thin nylon offered no protection.

After a few minutes he decided to sit down and wait us out. So now we started talking about what to do. Do we go inside the tent and ignore him? I don’t know, he may come over and investigate and we can’t even see out. Do we pack up and move the tent to a new location? That will make quite a commotion and perhaps antagonize him. We’re not experts on bison behavior, we don’t know what the right call is. After a few more minutes he started rolling around on the ground and snorting, which we know is a sign of a pissed off buffalo. We soon found out why as a second male bison walked alongside him. So now we have two large beasts eyeing us down.

The bison were in the meadow above our tent, just below treeline

After a few minutes more, the second bison moved along and the first one calmed down and resumed his former role of doing nothing but looking at us. And then along came male bison #3 and #4! Now we have three male bison staring at us, and a fourth somewhere in the woods, and they clearly were not happy at our presence. Perhaps this was their favorite grazing spot? In any case, we made the decision to pack up and move on, as quickly and as quietly as possible. We hurriedly stuffed everything in our packs and pulled up the stakes to the tent. We then each grabbed a side of the tent and moved down over a rocky hillside and across an open meadow dotted with prairie dog residences.

After walking about 10 minutes we stopped and took stock of our situation. The sun had already set and it was moving well towards darkness at this point. We did a quick scan of the area for a suitable campsite (relatively flat and at least 100 yards from the trail). We found such an area and were walking towards it when guess what we saw? Another male bison coming towards us. We both quickly made the decision to pack up the tent using the remaining twilight and beat a retreat for the car, located at least 6 miles away.

Our theory was the following: we can’t carry this tent any appreciable distance without taking it down. And by the time we take it down and hike for who knows how long, find a suitable site, and then set up the tent again, all in the dark, are we going to get any sleep? Remember, it’s dark now and the light afforded by our meager headlamps doesn’t penetrate very far, meaning we could inadvertently set up camp near more bison.

So we hiked all the way back — down steep ravines, through narrow canyons, across creeks — all via headlamp. We heard numerous coyotes howling close by, a haunting sound in the dark. At one point on the trip back we saw eyeshine from 4-5 animals, less than 50 yards away, and they didn’t move. Deer and elk move for people, bison don’t. So we hurried down the trail. At another point I heard the unmistakable snort of a large animal close by. I didn’t see it, I didn’t want to see it. Again we hurried down the trail.

We finally arrived back at the Jeep at 11 PM, exactly 12 hours after setting out. I guess the good news is we found out can backpack 14 miles in a day. We were staying at the Broken Arrow Horse Camp and RV Park in Custer.

Wind Cave National Park provides an excellent overview of the Black Hills