Theodore Roosevelt N.P.

We stopped in at the Painted Canyon visitor center in the South Unit of Teddy Roosevelt Nat’l Park to pick up a backcountry permit. The ranger at the desk discouraged us from going, saying the clay soil of the trails would be slick as could be, and we’d be picking up inches of soil on the soles of our shoes. And with COVID, they weren’t issuing permits at the desk, we’d have to do it online. Online turned out to be a phone number to call, but we persevered, and got the permit, minutes before closing time. We struck out on the Big Plateau trail from Peaceful Valley Ranch, just after 5:00pm. The going was indeed sticky and slippery in spots. We came to the river crossing. Little Missouri River–a brown flowing the color of an iced coffee. The water wasn’t too cold. At about 100′ across, not too bad to ford. I felt my first real sense of freedom as we crossed, leaving behind another family who’d hiked down to the river on the over side.

It was just us and the wilderness now. A solid 1/2 mile slog up a tough canyon brought us to a vast mesa known as the Big Plateau. Prairie dogs, as far as the eye could see. We hiked up a gentle sloping meadow, the prairie dogs sounding the rolling alarm announcing our presence to their neighbors as we went. We set up camp at the very top edge of the plateau, with a commanding view of the Little Missouri valley all around.

After supper we further explored the area. As the sun set, the big sky grew orange and pink hues in nearly every direction. Just before dusk, we spotted a brown, hulking figure slowing moving towards us from the bottom of the plateau. As it moved closer, we could see what it was coming towards us. A huge-headed bull bison.

He moved steadily towards us, occasionally pausing to consider what he was approaching. Now, a bison can outrun you (speeds upwards of 25 miles/hr), out jump you (I’ve seen one clear a four foot fence on Antelope Island in Utah like he was just clicking up his heels), and as most adult males weigh upwards of 1,000 lbs, outweighed the four of us together two-and-a-half fold).

A quarter mile away. 200 yards away. 100 yards away. 50 yards away. We put ourselves behind one of our tents, recognizing it offered scant protection. Luckily, after one last, long pause, he shrugged us off, and headed off up the trail. About 30 minutes later, another bison followed suit, and in the grey twilight we watched as he followed his counterpart.

Coyotes treated us to a chorus of their wild song off and on throughout the night, awakening me about 4:30am so I could poke my head out of the tent to see the NEOWISE comet still streaking towards the horizon. An even larger chorus of songbirds announced the approaching dawn. Mist shrouded valleys retreated with the sun’s warming rays, and we roused ourselves for a quick breakfast and to hit the trails.

We meandered up and down the North Dakota badlands, encountering further prairie dog towns. I kept reciting my own variations on the ee cummings poem… (apologies, ee!)

“Anyone lived in a prairie dog town

(with up so floating many bells down)…”

as we went.

We saw pronghorn, big horn sheep, another bison on the way out. A few rabbits, including this guy, who obliged and posed for a photo:

Overall, our first back-packing adventure was a real success–no one lost a shoe in the mud, no one got trampled by bison, and my big horror–mosquitoes, were in mercifully short supply. We’re really starting to hit our stride as travelers. North Dakota’s motto ‘liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable’ rings out as we’ll head east to the Capital, Bismarck, before heading north to the International Peace Garden along the longest unguarded border in the world–between the U.S. and Canada. Once we cross over, we’ll have officially earned our nickname: Larshopswithoutborders.