The Ultimate Campground (with Amenities!)

June 15. Centennial Trail Day 9.

After some negotiating to get out of bed, I finally let the air out of my mat, which is the best motivator, and packed up. I decided to make some hot coffee this morning, and since I’m using the stove to heat up water, I made enough for Renee to have her bone broth as well. We slowly made our way out of camp at 8:30, knowing we had a short day today to get to Alkali Creek Campground.

Should we send it?

The morning begins with a small climb and then a descent. We can tell we are getting closer to Sturgis and civilization, but the Centennial Trail has kept us in the trees. In the middle of the morning, while we’re going at an excellent pace, the nagging thought occurs to me that we should send it up to Bear Butte today. Let’s prove to ourselves that we can put in a big mileage day! I guess it’s because we haven’t done it on this trail yet, but we have nothing to show for it since we’ve both had days where we’ve hiked 20+ miles. I tell myself that if we reach Alkali before noon we should reach the finish line. It’s directed by Renee, who agrees. We could make it to the top of Bear Butte in time to see the sunset. We continue walking in earnest, even though I know we’ve been moving at full speed all morning. In fact, since I’ve had it in fifth grade, my knee is starting to bark a little.

I was so focused on getting to Bear Butte that I didn’t even take the time to sit on this perfectly maintained bench!

The trail desperately keeps us in the trees as long as it can before finally crossing a long tunnel under I-90. On the other side, we have less than a mile to reach the campsite, which is conveniently hidden in another patch of trees. The tree cover today is nice as the temperature has climbed back into the 80s.

We are slowly losing our tree cover.

The I-90 tunnel crossing

That’s not how we roll

When we arrive at Alkali, I have doubts. We agreed to have lunch and relax a little before making any decisions. This campsite is really beautiful. There are plenty of trees for shade, nice mowed areas for tents, a beautifully clean toilet that smells good, and a literal water bottle filling station. I’ve even heard reports that Sturgis can deliver pizza here.

At the risk of ruining my knee for the rest of the trip, we decided to end it here. I should listen to my body and this camp is fantastic. We arrive at 12:40, which means we have the rest of the day to relax in the shade. And besides, 14 more miles, much of it through open grasslands, and then having to climb Bear Butte at the end of a long, hot day? Doesn’t seem like a fun way to end this pleasure cruise.

Trail charcuterie? Yeah!

For lunch, Renee shared one of her Hikers Hummus packages with me, which was amazing! So today I made an even fancier country charcuterie, adding hummus and crackers, nuts, and dried orange slices from Trader Joe’s to my meat and olive bar. Best trail lunch!

Service at this campground is a little spotty for Verizon, mostly one bar, sometimes two, which seems strange considering we are so close to the Interstate and Sturgis. There is enough in one place to do my Wordle and call my husband. Another hiker we ran into on the last day is also staying here. We offered to camp near us, since we had already paid for our place. It costs $24 to camp in Alkali, which seems a little expensive, but of course, amenities!

I was in my tent for most of the afternoon, just resting, and even fell asleep for a hot minute. Finally, Renee, the other hiker, and I met at the picnic table for dinner. I had homemade pasta with parmesan and lemon pepper chicken. It was really delicious, it just needed a lot less water. Maybe 0.5 cup instead of a full cup. We have decided to try to leave early tomorrow to combat the heat and exposure on this last stretch.

My best length of the route. Of course, I had all afternoon to perfect it.

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