Day Ten- The Gros Ventre Slide and Civilization

Because of my former deep post, I was not able to keep you up to date with our current location. We are in the GRAND TETON National Park!! I need to express that we are camping out in the wilderness this entire trip, minus our three hotel stays. The campsite at the Badlands were for (pardon my French) Badasses. The Badass Badlands. Our next campsite was LUXURY, as I described earlier. Our campsite here at the Gros Ventre (pronounced gro vont) campground in the Tetons is a different experience from both previously mentioned. 

Geographically, the campground is located in a slightly wooded area at the beginning of a sagebrush prarie. The sagebrush prarie then continues all the way up to the mountains. A large grazing buffalo was the first thing to greet us as we pulled into the campground. We were warned that there were multiple black bear and wait for it... GRIZZLY bear sightings in the area. Oh but have no fear, bear spray was available for purchase. It would confuse the bear for a solid 7 seconds. That would probably be enough time for to lose all control of my limbs... and bowels. Since our campsite is for large groups only, it is seperated from the rest of the camp. Also, the bathroom is a good 200 meters away, and there is no shower. I can't outrun a bear in 200 meters!! While we were cooking dinner, the largest bison I had ever seen started roaming through our secluded camp area. It got as close as 100 feet away before continuing on towards the sagebrush prarie. Pheebs and I threw down our dish towels and hugged eachother with fear as though we were the stars of a bad Animal Planet show. 

Despite my over active imagination when it comes to darkness, wildlife, and the combination of the two, the campground is absolutely amazing. Through the crystal mountain air we have an unobstructed view of the mighty Tetons. I felt like I was immediately transfered back to the Baldlands and was again looking at a green screen. The beauty of this place is almost too rich for my mind to process. I have finally found my picturesque nature valley commercial!! 

The next morning we woke up to travel to the Gros Ventre slide. Brace yourself because this landslide is one of the largest movements in the world. On June 23, 1925, the ladslide fell from an altitude of 9000 feet. The movement lasted on three minutes, but in that time 50 million cubic yards of rock one mile long, 2000 feet wide, and several hundred feet deep moved down the mountain at 50 mph. The slide dammed a river at it's base. Two years later, the dam of the river broke, and a giant wall of water washed over a local town downstream called Kelly. The town was completey wiped out and 6 people drowned.  

After we viewed this monstrosity, we decided to take hike that was supposed to be at a distance of about one mile. The hike was mainly up hill with few areas of flat ground. Since all of my running has been pent up, I thought I could walk the flats and run up the hills. BAD IDEA. After my second hill sprint I was dead and trying to find an inhaler. There is not much air at that altitude, and the flat areas quickly dissapeared to reveal only steep uphill climbs. Our group moves at different paces. The majority of the group gets to the destination rather quickly; however, our three fearless leaders are always in the back. This is not because they are tired, they have more energy than me. Drs Ranson and Garihan are either looking at rocks or nature, while Dr. Suresh being the Nat Geo photographer he was probably born to be, is always taking pictures. Pheebs and I were then awkwardly in the middle as we contemplate nature slower than the rest of the group, but faster than the professors.

Finally, the two of us arrived at the peak of our mini mountain. The view was worth the climb in every way. As we breached the top, a new world unfolded with each step. The view from atop this steep slope was uniquely beautiful in that one was able to view three drastically different landscapes. On one direction, the mighty Tetons could be seen, casting their shadows over the sagebrush prarie. The other direction showed gave us a full view of the aftermath of the Gros Ventre slide. Lastly, the third view represented uncharted territory, golden foothills that extended so far into the horizon, they seemed to melt into the sky. 

I stood, looking at the majesty of our country, and thought that maybe the most beautiful secrets in nature are hidden I the hardest places, and maybe they are not always the most popular sites. They are hidden within a valley or atop a slope, away from the mass public. That way, they can be truly appreciated by those who are willing to find them. Or maybe the most beautiful places in this world, are the places we chose to make beautiful, or the places that mean the most to us. I will probably never see that view again, but I will always remember what it means to me. I have found that it is not about just reaching the peak and taking social media worthy pictures. It is not about seeing, rather, the views I have seen are more memorable in how they made me feel, and how they changed me for the better. To truly understand nature, I believe it is important to out down cameras and phones, and to just sit and listen. It is important to understand what it all means and how you are a part of it. 

Ok so anywaysss after this adventure we went the touristy route (heck yes) and traveled over the the Moose Visitor Center (the parks visitor center). Ironically, we saw a moose swimming in the Snake River which was the cutest thing I have ever seem (thus begins my obsession with moose). After viewing the history of the park, we all bought souvenirs. I bought multiple things along with a book called Wise Women about Native American women trailblazers. The purchasing of this book shows my obsession with trying to be the Disney version of Pocahontas. 

We were going to go on another hike, but after seeing our tiredness, the professors decided that we could make a trip into Jackson! CIVILIZATION. 

We arrived in the over touristy part of Jackson. Even though it looked to be straight out of a picturesque mountan hallmark card, I could not help but appreciate the cuteness of Jackson. It started to lightly rain but we didn't even care. We jumped out and immediately started frolicking around the city like we never had human contact. Let me tell you all something important. I am on a quest to find Native American jewlrey and I will stop at nothing to obtain what I want. I went into several stores, but it turns out that price does stop me, so I had to scurry out clutching my wallet. Finally, I saw a store that was calling my name (probably because of the strong Indian presence). I went in and met a woman about the same age as my grandmother who was also from the same place as my grandmother, Hamburg, Germany. This was a sign form the universe. I ended up buying a kokopelli necklace, which symbolizes the god of fertility..... 

But hey I just rolled with it. It might be handy one day!

Our professors were agian super awesome as they said we could eat in Jackson, which meant we would not have to go back to the campsite and cook in the dark rain where I just know a bear was lurking. Overall it was a great day as we got to experience the beautiful solitude of nature, and the bustle of a tourist based city. Oh and I got a sweet fertility necklace hollaaaaa.  

Candid friendship photo with Pheebs

Climbing on up!!

SPIRIT ANIMAL

We are the same.

Day Nine- Remembering my Grandfathers Two Years Later

Two years ago today my grandfather Aziz passed away. About a month before this, my other grandfather James passed away. It is so strange to think that it has been two years. I look back and reflect about when both of these tragedies happened to me my junior year of high school. The pain will always be there, fresh and cutting. It has taken me a long time to stop remembering the bad and start remembering the good. I was with one of my grandfathers when he passed away, and now that I am two years older I debated whether that was a good thing. Even as soon as last semester, I would be doing something simple, like laundry, and I would get flashes of things that maybe I should not have seen at 17. That was hard to deal with. However, as time passes and memories become blurred, I am thankful to have been there for my grandfathers, as they were always there for me.

I am so fortunate to be on this trip with with such unique and amazing individuals that comprise our Granola Group. Each member from a different family, a family that helped shape their being. A family that defines their background- their culture, and will even influence their future. Each person has their own different story, the first chapters influenced by their family, but the last chapters they can begin to write on their own- independently. 

Looking at all of them, and thinking about how they will change the world, both professors and students alike, makes me think about myself. You are probably wondering where this post is going, but this all relates to my grandfathers. Because I think about them, and how they started out like me and built a wonderful and strong family and I think about how their actions shaped whether I would be sitting here today, and I am so grateful for that. They wrote a story, and although they are no longer tangibly here, the story continues. How will my actions shape my own story? My grandfather Aziz was a world traveler. He came to this country from Iran, and no border could limit his imagination and passion to explore life. My grandfather James was a southern man, who had a heart so gentle that every sunny day envelopes me and reminds me of his warmth. I think about these men and the families they created. They found themselves by viewing life as the most precious gift. I am overwhelmed to think about what I can create in my lifetime. I think about the good I can do for this world and the family I can create so the good continues. We all must pay it forward. I want to explore as they did so I can find myself. Because if I am not sure of myself, then I do not think my potential can ever be reached. On this day, I think about what I have done since that junior year of high school. I am an Alabama girl with a passionate Persian heratige sitting here at the base of the mountains in Wyoming. The sun is shining on my face and with it, I have the strength to explore. I know that throughout my life I will be far from my family, but I can always feel them with me- just like I can hear James's laugh faintly in the wind, or catch a glimpse of Aziz's intense eyes watching over me when the stars come out. I look at my classmates and can't help but think we are all connected in this life, to each other and everything around us.

To me, geology is more about focusing on the things we can't see than that of what we can. I can no longer see my grandfathers, but I can also not see where my future might go. I do know, however, that it will be beautiful. It will be this way because life, with all its good and all its bad, is beautiful. My grandfathers have taught me that. I hope one day, I can teach at least one person that as well. 

Day Eight- DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN

Today we were allowed to sleep in!! Our sleep in time was set at 8 o clock, but the professors got up early and started cooking. Because of the noise, I really only slept till 7 ish. I don't know how professors have so much energy, but they have way more than me. I'm only 19!! What does this say about the rest of my life!?!

Anyways, we ate a great breakfast of bagels, turkey bacon, eggs, and potatoes, and then packed up our picturesque camp at Deer Park (not the water bottle company). The gas stations out in the west have very interesting names, and every time we stop at one of these some members of the Granola Group buy a souvenir. Yesterday we stopped at the Big D station. Today we were luckly enough to stop at the Kum & Go. After a quick load up at the Kum & Go, we were off to travel through the Big Horn mountains and deeper into Wyoming. 

We made various stops in the Big Horn mountains to discuss unique geological features, but my favorite stop is why the title of this post is from Frozen. We were at an elevation of about 9000 feet when we pulled the van over to explore the half- snowed mountainside. Channeling my inner Elsa/ Pocahontas, I ran through the crisp air to the peak of our mountainside. Once I climbed over the hill, the wintered beauty of the mountains stunned my senses. For once, a girl from Alabama could frolick in snow that was thick enough to not mix with the earth. SO FROLICK I DID. With Let it Go playing on full blast in my head, I ran through the snow, smiling, spinning, skipping, and POOF sinking. It turns out the snow is over 4 feet deep at some points. My fellow Granola Groupers, who even though similar in age are vastly more mature, looked on and probably pondered leaving me there. That is when the snow balls began to fly. In my mind, my fellow class mates turned into Deatheaters (Harry Potter reference get with it people) and I turned viscous. A few of us engaged in this snowy war, while the rest climb a gaint rock and practiced their best Spider-Man pose. Ok so maybe we are not that mature, but I believe that a childlike sense of wonder when it comes to certain things is a great trait to have throughout life. We stayed on the snowy tundra for quite a while. At one point, the professors began to throw snowballs as well, but for this battle, we all just stood back and watched as their competitiveness grew somewhat dangerously. After getting enough snow out of my boots to make my own ski resort, we loaded up in the Geologic Van of Discovery and started heading out of the mountains. We stopped on the side of the road at various other places to discuss unique geologic features. Apparently the highway department is a geologist best friend because when they cut holes through a mountain to make way for a road, a geologist can get an actual look at the soil horizons. I would attempt to describe to you what we learned, but I know I am going to screw it up and probably make you not want to read this blog anymore. So instead Ill switch to another topic- HOT SPRINGS.

I'm feelin hot hot hot (springs)

In the town of Thermopolis as in Mia, we stopped to float around in a hot spring!! I was very excited about this partly because I was hoping the water would contain magical powers that would make my hair very long and thick. It was more like a giant cloudy hotub, but still pretty cool. I forgot to take off my sliver peace sign ring, and the composition of the water tarnishes silver jewlrey, so now it is bronze!! Oh and my hair is the exact same. After the springs, we headed into the town of Riverton. YES CIVILIZATION.

We dined at a local resteraunt and spent the night watch watching tv and catching up on laundry. It's the simple things. Sorry this day has been pretty anticlimactic. Tomorrow we will mainly be driving over the the Grand Tetons and the mothership of all parks- Yellowstone. I'm so excited its hard to breathe, someone grab me my inhaler. 

One of my favorite pics from the trip. Elly and Pheebs engaged in discussion

SNOWWWWWW

Dr. Garihan and I being iconic

Lolz who needs oil!?

Can you spy big foot in the background?

Day Seven- Devils Tower and Eagle Butte Coal Mine

DEVILS TOWER DAYYYYYY

For this trip, each of the explorers in the Granola Group had to write a research paper on an assigned topic. For example, future roomie Pheobe Ferguson Furman Former Freshman From Florida wrote her paper on the stratigraphy of the Badlands. I wrote my mine on Devils Tower.

Bittersweetly, going to Devils Tower means that we had to break camp and leave the land of gold for the land of cowboys- Wyoming. We woke up at our usual 6 am and packed our gear. The sadness of leaving the promise land and all of its nice modern day amenities was slightly softened by the storm we had slept in the night before and in now in the early morning. With small rain drops hitting the windows of the Geologic Van of Discovery, we departed from Custer State Park, and the Black Hills region. 

On the way to Devils Tower National Park, most of our group slept. Despite the early morning wakeup, I was wide awake and eager to see the United States first monument that I had researched ever so thoroughly.  

I do not know how to relay this in a proper manner so I'm just going to say it- Devils Tower is freakin awesome. I haven't gotten this excited for a geologic feature this whole trip, which is evidenced by how much I spent in the gift shop. Because this way my topic, I had to present to the group. The Tower has a contested origin amoungst geologists, but it is no surprise there that geologists are disagreeing! The 867 ft tall tower is composed of the igneous rock phonolite and various sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, shale, gypsum, and limestone. The defining unique feature of the rock are its columnar joints, or vertical fractures. These columns encase the entire tower. Oh and back to the origin! The most popular theory states that the tower is the neck of an ancient volcano. It represents the erosional remains that emerged to the surface through several hundred feet of sediments and rock debris. Despite such scientific evidence, I prefer the Native American's  orgin of the tower. After all, they were the ones who had lived around the tower fort thousands of years before General Custer invaded the Blackhills. According to legend, a group of children were playing away from the village when they stumbled upon a large bear that chased the children. When all hope seemed to be lost, the children stopped on a large flat rock and began praying to the gods. Then, the rock lifted towards the sky our of reach of the bear. The bear kept trying to climb the tower and reach the children, but it would always fall back down. The claw marks are what made the unique vertical fractures. 

When I was hiking around the Tower, I felt like it did have a strong sprititual presence. I'm not trying to sound like some weirdo taping into the spirits here, it was just very beautiful. Despite being called "Devils" Tower (which was a misinterpretation) to me the formation was pleasant and teeming with life. In the gift shop, Pheebs and bought matching hats which guarantees our coolness. 

We traveled further into Wyoming to visit the Eagle Butte Coal Mine. There, geologist Dave Olsen gave us a tour and history. It was a great experience because Dave took us around the site in a Suburban, which allowed us to get a miners perspective of an active coal mine. Of course, I called shotgun. Since it was just Dave and I sitting up in the front and I have had 2 semesters of sustainability to give me confidence, I had to ask him about the environmental impacts of our nation being so dependent on coal. Dave told me that he believes Global Warming is a farce. That the outlook for coal was grim mainly because of a switch to more reliance on natural gas. I told him that I was not sure of the full extent of the impacts of fracking. He said that fracking is not new however horizontal fracking is not as reliant as the coal system. I did not feel like arguing because he was just stating his opinion and that calls for respect. Besides, he was a super cool guy and did a great job at answering all of our weird questions. 

We have now arrived in the city of buffalo where the professors have decided to treat us and cook dinner tonight. (We always do it because we have cooking groups). TOMORROW WE SLEEP IN A HOTEL. I am holding out. Everyone send me good vibes. 

Devils Tower!! 

Look at the small white van at the bottom!!

The tires on a coal truck dwarf the van. 

That is me emulating Dave 

 

Day 6- The Mile High City with a Heart of Gold

Today we woke up near our usual time of 630 and headed over to Lead (pronounced as in you lead the way) South Dakota to visit the Homestake Gold Mine. This mine was the largest producer of gold in the state. It was started in 1875 and ran all the way until it's closing in 2002. The gold business was a difficult one in one early 2000s, and the Homestake Mine sold itself to the global Mining monopoly Barak. Gold is now a profitable business again, and there is still plenty to be found at Homestake. However, Barak donated Homestake to South Dakota with a stipulation that it would never open as a mine again. Now, interested tourists can get a surface tour of the mine- but only surface. Mysterious right?? Deep deep underground of the abandoned mine were even Rod would probably not roam, is a giant laboratory uncovering the secrets of the universe. There, scientists now study neutrinos and dark matter. The depths of the mine are perfect for this laboratory becuase neutrinos are easier to study away from surface cosmic radiation. After our tour, Geologist Todd Duex (pronounced Dicks) gave us a closer look at the geology and history of the mine. 

Our tour guide this time was named Donnie. He was a really young guy, maybe just out of college? Anyways, I think that we all freaked him out becuase he was pretty cute and we had not have not had very much contact with anyone outside of our group for a while. It is a dangerous thing when you pin up a bunch of girls like that- we start getting creepy. 

On the drive home we took the scenic route and entered what is called the Needles Eye of the Balck Hills. The formations here were very tall and needle like in shape. We explored around and tried our best at rock climbing. Unlike my future roomie Pheebs, I am not a mountain goat and I continually sturggle with any form of balance on rocks. Most of my time was spent taking pictures of Kelly attempting and humorously failing at parkour. 

Strugglin

Day Five- Wind Cave and the Mammoth Site- The Day of Rod

Before going to sleep last night, my fill in mother for the trip and fellow sister Kelly said she heard a large animal sniffing around her tent the night before. Since my tent is located near the dumpster bin, I knew that I would probably be the next target. Despite my fear in how well I could defend myself carrying only a retainer, I slept very well. 

Today we decided to ascend into the Earth as we went to Wind Cave National Park. I would like to take this time to describe our guide into all things cave. His name is Rod. Rod is a physical scientist for the National Park Service. He LOVES CAVES and has worked for Wind Cave for about 15 years. If you have seen frozen, Rod is very similar to the giant man that says "youhoo big summer blowout." The first part of our tour consisted of us staying in the light of day (or just above ground) to learn the history of Wind Cave. This cave is the 5th longest in the world. The 2nd longest in Jewel Cave, located about 17 miles away. Prepare yourself because I am about to relay almost everything I know about Wind Cave:

Although the cave was "officially" first discovered by Jesse Bingham around 1881, the Native Americans living near the cave had known about this mysterious place since the beginning of their culture. The natural entrance to the cave is really just a small hole in the ground a few feet wide. The Native Americans believed that their ancestors first emerged from this hole. The cave was very spiritual for them, and they told a story of a woman who would come out of the cave and provide plentiful buffalo. Because of its high spiritual presence, I do not think that any if the Native Americans had entered the cave at that time. 

In 1881, Jesse Bingham (not sure how it is spelled) and his brother were out hunting. Jesse followed an injured deer into the brush and noticed that despite the calm day with no wind, the tall grasses next to him were being blown. He found the hole (entrance to the cave), and when he looked in, his hat flew off. He did this trick for other people, however, one day instead of flying off, his hat was sucked in. Wind Cave derives it's name becuase of the air that either blows out or in at the natural entrance. The cave resonds to barometric pressures. With low pressure, it breaths out, and with high pressure, it breaths in. In this way, it is a good way to indicate weather change. In the early 2000s, scientist were able to use the wind flow to estimate the length Wind Cave. Today, the estimation is that as little as 10% of the cave has actually been explored, with 146 miles having already been explored! Along with this, the cave has five distinct layers, and each cavern has like 8 different routes that can be taken to other parts of the cave. 

There is a belief that Wind Cave is connected to Jewel Cave; however, there are no known entrances that can fit humans. Kelly believes that maybe all caves are connected and there is really a secret underground world beneath us. I would have to second her theory and also add that I think Frodo is down there somewhere as well.

Rod finally took us into the cave!! We spent about 3 hours underground with him leading us to different passages not on the tour route, and relaying to us all of his crazy stories. He has actually discovered many miles of the cave- rock on Rod. 

In the 1890s, the McDonald family bought the cave as they saw its great potential despite its lack of any jewels. Their 16 year old son, Alvin, was immediately enamored with the cave. He explored the majority of it using only a candle, and left his initials on the walls. While we were walking, Rod would point out Alvin's initials scratched next to one of the highest passages. Unfortunately, only four years later at age 20, Alvin died of Thyphoid Fever after trying to promote the cave at the Worlds Fair in Chicago. 

Rod led us back into the light and departed in the most iconic way with his catch phrase "it's always a pleasure when you are working for the best cave in the world!" At this time, we all heard faint theme music playing.

I know this post is dragging out so I will try to be brief. Our next adventure for the day was visiting the Mammoth Site. This site is one of the largest insitu sites (the paleontologist leave the bones on site) in the world. Millions of years ago, a sink hole, believed to be 180 feet wide and 87 feet in height, formed and trap any animals that tried to drink from it. So far, scientists have found 58 Columbian and 3 Wholly Mammoths. Our amazing guide on this journey was a rockin lady named Siri. We had some cool tour guides today. 

Or ride home was an even further adventure as we had to stop in the middle of the road to let a herd of buffalo by, and the pulled over to take pictures of an amazing sunset. 

Mammoth Site

ELLY AND ROD

Day Four- Alvis the Amazing and Mt. Rushmore

I felt completely recharged from the harsh Badlands after my good nights sleep! Today we loaded up to go and visit the South Dakota School of Mines. I have to admit, I greatly underestimated the College. I was excepting maybe just one building with only a few students learning how to mine. Instead, what I found was a fairly large campus nestled in the Black Hills with modern buildings. It is mainly an undergraduate college much similar to Furman with about 2600 students. We came to the school to meet Alvis the Amazing, a very well known geologist, and professors and the school. Do not confuse him with Albus as in Dumbledore, although he does contain many of the same qualities. He awaited our arrival in the parking lot most majestically- styling his big western belt buckle, a very tasteful red flannel, and of course an Indiana Jones type exploration hat. He gave us a history of the Black Hills along with their stratigraphy. Once when the continents were more closely conjoined, the Blacks Hills South Dakota region was warm tropical ocean located very close to the equator. The layers of the Hills were originally flat, but through changes plates, they became an uplift. A giant circular valley called the Racetrack completely encircles the Hills. The rocks that compose this valley are reddish in color. According to Sioux Lakota legend, there was once a great race between the two legeds and the four legeds. The two legeds were racing on these rocks to hard, that their shoes tore and their feet began to bleed. This is why the entire valley contains a reddish tint. 

Geology is very interesting in that I feel like most of geologic history is a very well educated guess. When we look at formations, we not only think about their outside appearance, but more importantly how they became and what is happening beneath the surface of the earth. Alvis, looking iconic in his getup with rock hammer in hand, led us on a hike to visually see geography of the Black Hills after he had taught it to us in the classroom. 

I am in awe at how my professors can tell me so much about what is happening underground. It is like they have soil horizon x-ray vision. Learning about Geology reminds me that the Earth contains so much more than what we can see with our naked eye. It's secrets underground are what have formed the terrain that we are able to live on today. If we are not able to live on it, than we are inspired by its beauty. 

Eventually, we stopped on a large smooth rock by the river. We learned that this rock is actually a Gneiss Rock that is the oldest rock in the Black Hills, dating to 2.5 billion years old. That is amazing that I am touching something half as old as the Earth. Alvis, using his rock hammer like the Elders Wand, was able to break off a sample for closer look. The rock appears to be just a regular grey. However,when Iooked through the handlens at 10x magnification, the colors burst out the form of vibrant little crystals. 

After the hike, we journeyed back into civilization to gather supplies. The grocery store we stopped at gleamed in my eyes when I saw it had a STARBUCKS. Animal instinct took over and then next thing I knew, I was white girlin it up with a Gradne White Chocolate Mocha Frapaccino. Sometimes we just have to indulge, and when I am only able to take a shower every three days, I have no guilt. 

To conclude the day, we visited a monument that had me so excited- partly because it is an amazing piece of history, and partly I want to scout out a good location for my face in the future. That's right, I am talking about Mt. Rushmore. In person, the true grandness of Mt.Rushmore really comes out. I cannot fathom how man was able to make this monstrosity so accurate while dangling off a mountain. The only part I did not like about it, was the ampetheathetre they had built at the base of the monument, I thought it slightly took away from the regalness. Nevertheless, it still reached all of my expectations.

Today was a great day in not only soaking up some sun, but also some great history.  

The professors looking iconic

Don't judge we had to

#candid

Trying to look prestigious 

Day Three- Badlands/Custer State Park

Day 2 in the Badlands!! It was probably the worst I had ever slept- but no worries. From the generosity of a fellow Granola Grouper Melissa, I have managed to get another sleeping bag. Tonight, I will be doubling up! This was our last day in the Badlands, and we spent it exploring the vastness of the park. It seems almost impossible to explore the entire park- all 240,000 acres. South Dakota is so flat that you can see until the horizon, after that the line between where land meets sky is blurred. I want to reiterate this because if you stand on top of one of the rock formations, you can see Badlands National Park stretch all the way to the horizon. It is impossible to explore it all in just two days! We started the day by packing up our gear. The climate in the Badlands is more bipolar than that of Alabama's this past winter. The nights and mornings are very cold and the afternoons are extremely hot. This means the majority of my morning was spent at becoming a quick change pro in the bathroom. When we first arrived at the campsite, cute foreign boys had taken our reserved spot. Much to my dismay, our professors kicked em out. This, along with no sleep and rapidly changing temperatures, made the morning very distracting for me. 

We ended up going on a two mile hike that took close to two hours because our professors let us frolick around while they discuss the geology of the formations. I was trying my best to rock my Nat Geo Explorer getup on this hike so I will definitely upload some pictures. After a nice sandwich lunch alongside about 30 bikers (as in leather jacket motorcyclists) we headed to our last location of the Badlands- the Yellow Mounds. At the Yellow Mounds, the most vibrant colors of the Badlands are exposed in their truest forms. The brownish rock now contains not only layers of red, but also a goldish yellow. 

It was so beautiful that it didn't even look real. I really feel like the whole park might just be a large green screen. Sometimes it is difficult to climb up the formations because the rock is actually very crumbly. Nothing is solid. The formations are composed of a highly absorbent clay that easily dries out and cracks in the scorching sun. When there is only 17 inches of rainfall a year, it is no surprise that the mountains seem to be disintegrating rapidly. Standing on top of the Yellow Mounds and looking over the vast prarie reminds me how small I am. Yet, when I pick up the dried and cracked pieces of clay that make these magnificent formations, I can't help but feel so large in comparison to them. The clay is just millions of pieces that are binding together to make something amazing. I think that is a really inspiring metaphor that we could all emulate throughout life. 

Our final quest upon leaving the Badlands was to find the elusive prarie dog. While driving in our Geological Van of Discovery (the van we rented), we has some sightings. Eventually the sightings got more frequent until we came to a halting brake at a prarie dog town. We all immediately picked up our various cameras and started clicking away like we were filming Meerkat Manor for Animal Planet. I made my way out of the van and creeped onto the prarie with GoPro in hand. THIS IS WHEN I BECAME THE PRARIE DOG WHISPERER. One brave pdog started crawling towards me. I think it is because of my strong inner animal voice. The rest of the group thinks it is because they are used to being fed. Either way, I fooled the bundle of cuddles into thinking I had food by holding up some grass. I threw some grass in its direction and the prarie dog leaped towards me. You can imagine my moment of pure terror as this vicious foot long furball leaped in my direction. I might have screamed, but the amazing pictures were worth it. After our Badlands quest was complete, we journied towards our new campsite.

We passed back through Rapid City and drove into land completely opposite from the Badlands. We arrived in Custer State Park aka the Promise Land!!! Custer is characterized by tree covered mountains and roaming buffalo. We are camping on our own private site on Stockade Lake. Also, unlike in the freezing Badlands, we are allowed to have a fire. During my first afternoon in the Promise Land, I perched on a rock by the lake overlooking a crystal sunset with my future roomie Pheebs. That night, with my double sleeping bag, I slept like royalty. I'm finally taping into my inner Sacajawea. 

The crumbly clay that makes up the formations 

Sun hat and Columbia shirt

Prarie dog!!

Yellow Mounds

Custer State Park

Day Two- Badlands

Yesterday began with an early wake up. The Granola Group was packed and ready to proceed with our quest by 830. But what would a quest be without a challenge? Our first challenge loomed in the distance waiting for us to arrive. It's evil beckoned us to come and we had no choice as it was vital to our survival. That's right people- I'm talking about Walmart. We arrived in the Walmart parking lot to purchase food for the next few days. By parking lot I really mean tornado. Rapid City is like an alien planet. The land is extremely flat and contains basically no trees. In this way, all buildings contain a bit of harshness to them as they are exposed to the elements. There is nothing to buffer the powerful wind. The walk from our van to the inside of Walmart was treacherous. I thought the smallest amongst us would be blown away. I don't see how the citizens of Rapid City manage to do their hair- or take prom pictures. We gathered enough food to last us a few days, and enough of various other substances to get into that Mountain Moonshine culture. ;) 

Thus began our official trip into the Badlands. The temperature changed drastically. The combination of low temperature, high wind, and cloudy skies were a cruel awakening for me as I stepped out of the van at the entrance of the Badlands National Park. After we all put another layer on, we ventured through the Upper Prarie of the Badlands. The view is almost indescribable, but I'll do my best. The rock formations that comprise the Badlands almost look like that of a mini Grand Caynon. The formations are grey with parallel red stripes that run along every formation horizontally. This red coloration represents an oxidized soil horizon. 

After much exploring, we loaded up and found our campsite. My two tent mates and I set up our new home in the grassland. At this point, the Badlands seemed very eerie to me, and to be honest, I was not sure if I liked them.  Although they were certainly magnificent in formation, I did not find them very beautiful. However, after we set up our campsite, the sun came out, the cloudy skies and cold temperatures dissapeared, and the rocks began to glow. It was here that I found the Badlands to be amazing in their own unique way. They are harshly beautiful- if that makes sense. With the sun out, the temptation to further explore was easy. We loaded up again and proceeded to see formations that were so beautiful they emulated pride rock from the Lion King. Despite their large size and vastness, the Badlands are anything but solid. In fact, they are slowly disappearing. The formations are made up of highly eroded sediment. They are so eroded that an inch a year disappears from the formations. Come take it all in while you can! There was one moment when I was sitting by myself looking out over the mixture of grassland and formation, and it was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen- and so quiet. It is impossible to find anywhere that quite back home. There is always the distant murmur of cars or lawn mowers. The rest of our exploration included finding hidden caves, and the occasional Lord of the Rings reenactment (basically just done by me and myself). That night we dined on spaghetti, salad, and bread. The environment is very harsh in the Badlands. When the sun is out it is extremely hot, but as soon as it goes behind a cloud, it gets chilly. Last night was cold cold cold. My sleeping bag is supposed to survive 20 degree temperatures but I was cold all night! I did not sleep very well. That is still one area of camping I have not mastered. Besides that, I'd say our adventures so far have been amazing.

COLD but warm with pheebs ;) 

Kelly!!

Tentmates!!

The rooms doin her thing

Day One- Rockin it in the Rockys

The day before we (the Granola Group) left represented a small emersion into the nature state of mind. My mom and I traveled through the great state of Alabama (roll tide), the gauntlet of Atlanta, and alas into the Land Of Fountains that is good ole FU. That afternoon mainly consisted of us getting our gear together. I am very happy with the gear that I purchased- imagine Mountain High meets Pocohantas meets Katniss Everdeen and you'll basically have an idea of how National Geographic I feel. That night, most of our cohort went back to their dorms/apartments to relish in one of the last nights they will actually have a bed (ie comfort). Myself and three others decided to test out our new snazzy gear and camp out in Furman's science building basement. I DID NOT SLEEP IT WAS AWFUL I WAS SO UNCOMFORTABLE. However, I keep telling myself that it is just because I was in a building somehow a tent will be better... somehow. But I am not discouraged! Instead I am just going to view myself as Frodo on a quest to Mordor (South Dakota) or maybe Harry Potter because Harry Potter trumps everything.

Anyways, this morning we were up and leaving FU by about 645. We traveled from Greenville to Detroit to Minnieapolis-St. Paul, and finally we set foot in Rapid City South Dakota. THREE PLANES PEOPLE. This is an accomplishment for me. I stayed reasonably calm considering the fact that I am not good at being responsible for myself. However, in Greenville I thought TSA might give me a strip search for having a germx bottle. Overall the flights were great and South Dakota is beautiful. It's funny because I know this is a Rocky Mountain trip but so far the landscape is very flat. I can see mountains off in the distance just teasing us. Our van driver told us that the land gets so flat at one point "you can see your dog run away for 10 days." The Fairfield Inn of Rapid City is now our temporary palace. We only have fleeting hours left to enjoy its royal amenities (this includes a giant indoor waterpark that attracts many locals) before we are thrust into the Badlands. Our trip now includes a surprise guest appearance from our latest Grannola Group inductee Anna Ranson (current Rhodes College graduate but honorary Furman member). I am so fortunate to be on this trip with an amazing group of people and professors. Below I have attached some pictures. Warning: I am still trying to figure out the GoPro. 

Quote of the day: "packing that duffel in the trunk is like reverse birthing!"