Day 9: Alkali Creek Trailhead to Bear Butte

The ninth day of our journey saw us leaving Katmandu Campground and making our way back down the road to Alkali Creek. The cloudy and cooler weather made for a perfect day to wrap up our adventure, and we quickly packed up and filled our water for the final day.

We took off back down the road and arrived at Alkali Creek, where the trail meandered gently up and down through fields and forests. The trails were soft and sandy, and the time went by quickly. Before we knew it, we were descending into Fort Meade.

## A Pleasant Surprise

Fort Meade Trailhead was a pleasant surprise. We found fairly new restrooms and a picnic table to make our lunch on. Neither were expected. As we cooked and ate our lunch, we watched bicyclists come and go from the nearby trails. We enjoyed our lunch and then left the trailhead in good spirits knowing we were more than halfway through our final day.

## Not So Fast

However, our progress was soon halted by a large herd of cattle on the trail. We tried to navigate around them, but they started to herd together and follow us. We were able to escape by going under a barbed wire fence, but not before adding an extra mile to our trek.

Luckily, the Garmin was still working for us, and we were able to pick up the trail easily. Our spirits were slightly dampened because of the extra mile and the added time, but we were still on track to finish our day nice and early.

## The Final Stretch

After we picked up the trail, it wasn't long before Bear Butte Lake came into view. We still had a ways to go, but at least we could see our goals now. We picked up the pace over the prairie and quickly arrived at what we thought would be a water source. The spigot didn't work, but it would be ok because there was water at the Bear Butte education center down the trail.

As we were having a snack and getting photos of our final stretch, a couple that was camped nearby with their horses offered us a few bottles of water each. We had started the trail with kindness, and now we were ending the trail with kindness.

## Reaching the Summit

From the lake, it was only 2.8 miles to the summit. The end was so close! We took one last photo and headed down the trail. It was easy hiking. When we got into the state park, I started to get nervous because Bear Butte State Park has a small herd of bison. We turned on the trail in between two fences and I was happy to see the bison locked in on one side.

On the other side was another herd of cattle flocking toward us. It wasn't as unsettling this time because the herd was smaller, but I was still glad to leave both herds behind us as we approached the summit trail.

The trail was steep and rocky and narrow, and it felt a little harrowing. At one point, I asked myself what the hell I was doing there. But then we kept going. And we made it. The view was spectacular, and I could not believe we were there. At the top. Nearly at the end.

We took it all in and took some photos and then turned right around and hiked back to the car. Going down was a little easier, mostly because I knew what to expect. It still took us an hour to descend the 1.6 miles to the parking lot. WE DID IT!

We took some more photos and then texted our family that we had made it. We quickly dumped our packs, kicked off our shoes and put on clean clothes. We had big plans for a yummy dinner and a Walmart run and then hitting the road to go home. It was much later than we had planned, but we still wanted to drive the 5 hours to sleep in our own bed.

| Feature | Expected | Actual | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Distance to summit | - | 2.8 miles | | Time to descend | - | 1 hour | | Distance to parking lot | - | 1.6 miles |

We took some more photos and then texted our family that we had made it. We quickly dumped our packs, kicked off our shoes and put on clean clothes. We had big plans for a yummy dinner and a Walmart run and then hitting the road to go home. It was much later than we had planned, but we still wanted to drive the 5 hours to sleep in our own bed.

| Feature | Expected | Actual | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Time to drive home | - | 5 hours |

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.