Centennial Trail (SD) Day 7: Miles 102-122

On the Seventh Day

Started off the day going downhill! We had a pretty quick 8 mile hike (3 hours, 600ft elevation) down to Alkali Creek Campground. It wasn’t busy at all, so the first come, first serve scenario worked out great! There were faucets but they were getting treated so we weren’t supposed to use them. There was a super cute stream right behind the campsite though! We set up the tent, packed water, snacks, and the maps, and headed out. The 6 miles through Fort Meade really should have felt easier considering we were way lighter. We were going fast (3.1 mph), but 1k ft elevation gain and the heat of the day racked up. This was our first section with a lack of shade via tree cover, and it was tough. We found a large tree at the end and snacked up. 

Flat but Hot

The final 5 miles to Bear Butte was brutal. It was so flat, and there were so many cows, but it was so hot. We drank all 4 Liters of water we brought before we finished this section. We stopped taking photos because it kind of turned into survival mode, (we knew we’d live but it wasn’t comfortable.) The heavy smoke also made it unappealing visually, and didn’t feel great on the lungs. We debated jumping in to Bear Butte Lake but decided it was too far out of the way and pushed through. 

After making it to the education center and taking quite a long water break, we were at the car! We immediately drove to a saloon in Sturgis and fulfilled our vow of demolishing a cow. The burgers at the Knuckle were incredible! Picked up some local brews and twisted teas and blasted tunes on the way back to the campsite to end the night. 

Flat stuff on the horizon (and smoke)

A comically large bench (and even bigger finger in the frame)

Cool Rocks

Flat stuff!

Epic view from the campsite