I unexpectedly ran into some old friends yesterday who have been out camping in the Black Hills for the past few days.
At this point, I need to digress and elaborate a bit on what I mean by “some old friends.” This is a family from Aberdeen (the town in eastern South Dakota, not the UK). The parents used to live in Rapid City several years ago, when I knew them, but they headed east shortly after their first child was born. Now, 18 years later, the family has evolved into its own clan. There are five children now, I think (with all the running around, it was a bit tough to count them at the time), which makes me wonder how quiet Aberdeen must be when they skip town.
So the whole brigade trooped out into the wilderness of Custer State Park this weekend to do a bit of camping. I understand from their report that the park is pretty sparse this time of year, and they had plenty of room to themselves. As seasoned Black Hills travelers, they chalk up the lack of crowds to a sort of post-Roundup lull. That’s fine by them, because the weather was great, the wildlife was out in force and the leaves are still in full color.
But as warm as the days were, it did get a bit chilly on Saturday and Sunday nights - they guessed somewhere down around freezing. Having camped out here dozens of times before, they were well-prepared (camping in an RV and turning on the heater, for instance) and they had a blast. But talking to them yesterday did remind me that many would-be autumn campers in the Black Hills might not have the benefit of experience. In that case, be prepared for excellent weather during the day - and a bit of a chill at night. Blankets and heaters will be your best friends.
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