The Serene Challenge

South Dakota. A place that most people do not really look to for an incredible adventure. Some might not even realize that it is the home of Mount Rushmore. But it is a place that can give you just that and more because it is the home of the Badlands. This is a place where thousands of years of water and wind have eroded this sedimentary rock into gorgeous canyons and steep ravines. I traveled there in May of 2014 after I graduated college. My girlfriend and I decided that we wanted to put of the "real world" for a little while, so we took a small trip around a portion of the U.S for about a month. Little did we know that the Badlands would leave an imprint on us that we would never be able to shake off.

Driving into the Badlands, we stopped immediately to try and take in the view. We saw more than a work of nature, but a work of art. Different shades of reds and browns signified the thousands of years of earth that is still visibly standing today. We decided to go on many of the hiking paths that are made available, each challenging in its own way. While climbing up a makeshift wooden ladder to continue on a ledge-path, a deep serenity fell over both of us. Not of the challenge that lay ahead, but the ones that we had already overcome to get where we were. It was one of the most peaceful places that I had ever been in my entire life.

Deep into the grassland portion is where the buffalo, bison and prairie dogs run free at their own will. We would stop to enjoy these beautiful creatures and take pictures that would constantly remind us that nature is always reminding us how gorgeous she is. Waking up when the sun came up, we would spend our time hiking and enjoying the sights and sounds of the day atop different hillsides.

The Badlands is a place that does not get enough credit or attention. Though a National Park, I believe that people take it for granted and don't think that it has much to offer. But maybe Mother Nature likes it that way, because it takes a special person to be able to appreciate the thousands of years of work that she has put in to make it become one of the most beautiful and serene places in America.