Home » Adventures » Black Hills » Centennial Trail » To Alkali Creek
Route I hiked this day
Starting from past the Dalton Lake Trailhead, I noticed the trail was more overgrown than normal. Nevertheless the still well defined trail had an occasional weathered “89” marker. These signs were less frequent than before though, and I had only seen a couple since beginning. I thought I might be off course when I stumbled onto a forest road heading northwest that should intersect the CT shortly. This road unexpectedly split though, and I pulled out my detailed map to determine my exact location. I was on the CT indicated on the Trails Illustrated map, but the forest service map showed the CT ran west of my location. The former showed an old CT route that had just enough aged markers to confuse me. I had not been using the forest service map, since it was oriented towards navigating the maze of forest roads rather than hiking.
The shortest way to the correct route was to follow my forest road until it looped around and intersected the CT. Along that road I saw the turnoff to the old CT route, but did not even consider trying to navigate that one. I found the new route without a problem, although I lost about an hour through the ordeal.
Gorge along the trail
The trail climbed slightly before following a ridgeline whose rock outcroppings provided nice views of the valley below. The trial once again did its classic long descent through endless switchbacks, before it tracked the edge of a large gorge with great views.
Berries were ample along the trail. I did not know what kind, but they were mostly blue or red. Having no details about them other than the color, I did not sample any though.
One of the hillside reentrants had a large trunk spanning it. Rather than take the short trail around, I foolishly balanced beamed across. Had I slipped, assistance would have taken a long time to reach me, and someone even knowing I needed help would take even longer since that section of trail was not heavily used. I made it across without falling though.
The trail followed this gorge before crossing Elk Creek a couple times. The stream was running low, but still high enough to get my feet wet. Following the fords it climbed to Elk Creek Trailhead. I did not arrive there until around 2:30, which seemed late for as far as I needed to go.
The trail then continued climbing past the trailhead, albeit at an abated pace. It finally topped out in an area where most of the timber had been cleared away. This clear cut was the most dramatic I had seen in the Black Hills. The deforestation may have had to do with fighting beetles as well as a fire line.
After the climb the trail of course descended though lush forest. I crossed the last marked forest road, and a final climb provided a great view of Bear Butte, the end of the CT. Although less than ten miles away, the butte was a completely different geological formation than the Black Hills.
My feet were sore, but I was still in high spirits and thought I would reach the real campground at Alkali Creek soon. The Black Hills National Forest was not eager to let me escape though, and what appeared to be a short stretch on the map dragged on forever through the hills. My mood became exponentially worse as these unexpected miles piled on. I had been mentally prepared to leave the forest quickly, and the extra time was excruciating. In this stretch my feet also started to hurt very badly. What looked to be about two miles on map took over an hour to cover even though the trail was smooth. Had I known this section would take that long, it would have been manageable. But my false hope of a quick exit really bit me when it proved false.
After what seemed like ages I emerged into the clearing, but my legs were shot. I could not even walk the extra mile to an established campground and instead setup camp in a field before reaching BLM land, which did not allow at large camping.
One of the many markers along the trail
It drizzled as I desperately erected my tent. I improved how to do this job while keeping the inside dry. My final product was a textbook example of how not to erect my tent — facing wrong way on slope, sagging, and almost falling down. The rain stopped before I was even done, and I completely redid my setup to correct my mistakes. I would have been better off waiting out the precipitation.
Although not in bear county, I had hung my food to keep in good practice and to not tempt any other forest animals that might be around. I did not bother this night though since I was so decimated. I even broke the cardinal rule of eating in my tent. The constant hum of the nearby interstate droned overnight, but I did not care. I could not backpack another step.
Although the day ended poorly, the hike was enjoyable until last hour and a half through the never ending forest. My footwear needed improvement too. Although I wore good socks, I needed to change them during the day. By the end of the day my feet were always wrinkly and sore from friction. Gortex boots breathe, but not as well as regular shoes. The sweat from my feet was not being whisked away. Plus, my footwear still might not be dry from my stupid escapade through the water.
