Today we hiked the Black Elk Peak (SD). At 7,242 feet- Black Elk Peak, is the highest peak in South Dakota, the highest point in the Black hills. While hiking, Dr. G pointed out the “sleeping vulture”- which was how the rock was shaped as if it were a sleeping vulture, which I thought was interesting. the hike was tough but totally worth it. I remember Dr. G kept saying, “almost there” (one could only imagine trying to keep up with him). at about midway on the hike, we heard the chickadee bird which pretty much kept our mind off how exhausted we were. The last mile of the hike was the most strenuous, but the views from the top are more than worth it. It took us about 2 hours, and finally we arrived at the summit. My god! The view was mind blowing. Once at the tower, we snapped photos and rehydrated while waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive to the summit.
(Black Elk Peak history):
- Formerly known as the Harney Peak, in 2016 the name was changed to Black Elk Peak to honor a Lakota Sioux medicine man. The Lakota Sioux tribe treat the peak as a sacred ground because Black Elk received his great vision form the mountain at age nine. This reminds me of Aldo Leopold’s “Thinking like a Mountain”. Aldo Leopold came up with this term after watching a wolf die off. “To think like a mountain means to have a complete appreciation for the profound interconnectedness of the elements in the ecosystem.”
After spending about 30-40 minutes observing the view from the summit, Ann and I decided we were ready to make our decent. On our way down, I spotted the Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa). The species name fistulosa means “tubular” in reference to the shape of the flowers. The bright pink tubular petals caught my attention and there I was, snapping pictures of my favorite plant of the day. The bee balm is very attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. At the time, I did not notice animal and/or insect interaction. The Dakota people called it “hehaka ta pezhuta” (elk medicine). This plant was used for medicinal purposes. Also because of the fragrant herbs; bee balm is used to make perfumes, when extracted.
Journal entry by Nosheen Majeed
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