One of many water crossings in the French Creek Natural Area

Located in the heart of Custer State Park, the French Creek Natural Area offers almost a backcountry hiking experience. I say “almost” because there is no marked trail through the natural area and only primitive forms of travelling are allowed, such as walking and horseback riding; however, it’s not so remote as to actually be backcountry.

The natural area is 2,200 acres and follows the stream; this affords great wildlife viewing opportunities and many different types of vegetation, including poison ivy. Of course, your wildlife viewing may come in the form of figuring out how to circumvent the park’s buffalo herd crossing the stream where you also intended to cross, so use caution.

Since it is the French Creek Natural Area, expect to cross the stream many times. I highly recommend water-resistant shoes as the creek is higher this year than in some previous years – many stepping stones are submerged. Furthermore, I find hiking poles are helpful in keeping my balance while negotiating water crossings.

Primitive camping is allowed in the natural area, but campfires are prohibited, so if you want hot food, pack a stove. The stream offers fresh water, but remember that a fair amount of wildlife as well as horseback riders frequent the area, so you’ll need some type of water purification system unless you pack in all your own water. Lastly, if you intend to camp you must register at the trailhead.

This is a 12-mile route in its entirety, but of course you don’t have to hike the whole length. If you do plan to hike through but not camp, start early in the day to avoid being on the trail after dark. Remember that the trail is not marked and there are many water crossings; hiking in the dark would be dangerous. In fact, the day before I hiked there this summer, two hikers had been lost because they started hiking at 4:30 p.m., intending to hike the whole thing and only wearing tennis shoes and shorts. Brrr!

You can start from the east end trailhead located four miles south of the State Game Lodge on the Wildlife Loop Road or the west end trailhead located three miles from Blue Bell Lodge on CSP Road #4 at the French Creek Horse Camp. Note that this this a Centennail Trail trailhead as well; once you’ve hiked north on the Centennial Trail about half a mile, you’ll come to a fork, take the right fork which heads east. There’s a sign that reads Trail #1, this is for horseback riders, turn there. Otherwise you’ll keep heading north on the Centennial Trail.

Yes, there are still 20 official days of winter left, and actual winter can last weeks longer than “official” winter, but still, it’s undeniable that spring is coming. The past few days, we plunged deeply back into winter, but today’s temperatures in the 40s had me disappearing outside for hours, hiking around in the sun, hearing the mud squish under my boots.

 

In preparation for spring’s arrival, I have taken care to keep my birdfeeders full as birds begin their northward migration. The mountain bluebirds should be arriving soon, so I cleaned out their houses a couple of weeks ago. I’ve also completed my seed orders so that I can sow some seeds indoors this month.

 

The turkeys have begun gobbling, letting us know that nature’s calendar is changing. And today my daughter came rushing into the house and excitedly drug me onto the front porch to listen to geese nearby. We couldn’t see them, but they were fairly close. Now, for some of you, you’ll have geese all year, but to us, the arrival of the honkers is always a landmark event.

 

Sure, we’re for a few storms and bouts of cold weather yet, but there is light at end of the tunnel called winter.

I’ll admit this entry has been a long time coming, but I’ve been hesitant because it’s such a loaded subject in the Black Hills. However people may feel about lions isn’t always the point; the fact is that lions are here, and so are we. The endless, circular debate about proper lion management is not my topic today. So how do we go about living with lions? Knowing how to react around a lion is perhaps the single-most important thing that everyone can do. There is a line in Tolkien’s book, The Hobbit, “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations if you live near him.” Same goes for lions.

 

Before I go on, I want to clarify that I do not aim to cause any type of hysteria. I don’t believe that lions are so thick that you’ll see one each time you venture into the woods. In fact, my experience has been very much the opposite of that.

 

I live in the Custer area and spend a fair amount of time outdoors hiking, running, and so forth. Last summer, over two years after moving to the area, I saw my first wild lion while hiking on the edge of the Black Elk Wilderness near the Iron Mountain Road. My daughter and I were about 300 yards from the car when we spotted a lion trotting down the trail toward us, totally unaware of our presence since we were slightly uphill as well as downwind. We stopped dead still for an instant, looking at each other briefly before my daughter stepped behind me. Then the lion saw us; he (or she) was about 30 yards ahead of us, and we raised our arms in the air, waved them around and started yelling like we were heckling the visiting team in a playoff game. In short, we did what all the articles tell you to do: Look big and be noisy — be scarier than the lion. Well, it worked and the cat shot away in an instant. Of course, we still had to get to the car, and didn’t want to take any chances that lion would hang around, so we continued walking tall and raising cane until we arrived back at the car.

 

All in all, it was a positive encounter. No one was harmed, either us or the lion. The techniques worked. As much as we hear about mountain lions, we don’t always hear enough about how to react, and our kids may not get that information at all. That’s why it’s important we parents familiarize ourselves with the skills and take the time to instill them into our kids. Even though my daughter knew what the proper procedures were, when we met that lion on the trail, she was scared. The “fight-or-flight” impulse is very strong, and when we’re scared, everything we think we know can just evaporate from our brains. So go over (and over) the techniques with your kids – and it doesn’t hurt to refresh yourself.

 

v     Above all else: stay calm. Panic will not help.

v     Do not run! Lions are hardwired to chase prey that runs.

v     Do not turn your back toward the lion.

v     Do not approach the lion – you don’t want it to think it needs to fight you rather than running away.

v     Do not approach the lion – you don’t want it to think it needs to fight you rather than running away.

v     Hold small children; make sure older children are very close to you, preferably behind you.

v     Raise your arms in the air to make yourself look taller and more menacing. You can also pull up your jacket to make yourself look bulkier. Tell the kids to do the same.

v     Wave your arms around, if you happen to have a walking stick, wave that around too.

v     Smile by showing your teeth; again this helps you to appear menacing.

v     Yell; make a lot of noise but not screaming. High-pitched screams may sound like something the lion would like to eat, so guttural sounds are better.

v     If the lion isn’t too close, and you can reach a branch or stick easily without bending too close the ground, you can use a stick to brandish about and/or hit tree trunks to make more noise. Do not do this if you have to bend all the way down or the lion is too close because you’ll look vulnerable.

v     Continue to walk calmly to your car/house, etc. – even after the lion has gone, do not run.

v     And because it bears repeating, stay calm.

First of all, I have to say that I am not the family member hunting with my daughter. Her dad taught her how to hunt and takes her hunting. Though I have gone out with them once or twice, hunting is definitely their time of dad-daughter bonding. Actually, it’s more grandpa-dad-daughter bonding since my dad also hunts with them.

 

This fall was the second time she’s hunted, and she was successful again in bagging her two deer. I have to say that rather than just being proud of her for filling her tags, we’re also happy to see that she is growing up with the ethics of hunting, such as fair chase, staying off other people’s property, and not to expect “the big one” every year. She’s also learning patience and how to be still, both important life skills. Since we use the meat, she also feels a sense of pride when venison is on the menu.

 

Even though I don’t hunt, I’m happy to see my husband and daughter enjoy this time together. This is one more link to keep her enjoying the outdoors throughout her lifetime.

Labor Day usually marks the end of summer for most people, though the equinox isn’t until Sept. 22. If the last few days are any indication, fall is here. While the songbirds have left, or are in the process of flying south, it may seem quieter outdoors; however, if you listen, you’ll be able to hear the sounds of autumn.

 

As waterfowl gather, they seem to “talk” to each other more. The ducks and geese at the pond by my house have been quacking and honking quite a bit lately. As these birds begin to congregate before heading south later this fall, you’ll be able to hear them a great deal. My favorite fall bird sound is that of migrating Sandhill Cranes. Their guttural crowing is unmistakable once you’ve learned to identify it; when you hear it look up – way up – because they fly very high.

 

I’ve also noticed an increase in the coyotes’ howling lately. The pups are growing up and learning to be “big coyotes” and spend more time talking amongst themselves. Whereas they were pretty quiet all summer, recent nights and early mornings have been filled with yipping. If you happen to hear coyotes, stop what you’re doing and listen because they’ll howl for a few minutes and then abruptly quit.

 

Lastly, the rarest sound of fall for most people, but tremendously exciting, is the bugle of the bull elk. With a mind-boggling range of sounds, rutting bulls break into song every fall to attract cow elk. I’ve been listening lately and haven’t heard them yet, but with the advent of cooler weather, the rut is right around the corner. Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park are probably your best bets for hearing elk bugle, but there are elk throughout the Black Hills. Early evening and early morning are the best times to listen. Be sure not to go too close to the elk – just listen, don’t interfere.