I had booked a shuttle for bright and early the first morning in Edgewood, Monday August 26th. September is among the busiest season for the Mickelson, but there are plenty of other events in late August leading to few bookings available, although shuttling is common and services plentiful. Luckily I was connected with Vince at Black Hills Shuttle and it turned out he had one seat available for a shuttle to the northernmost trailhead at Deadwood in order to ride back to mile 0 in Edgemont, with camping one night near the midpoint of the 108 mile trail. That was the plan at least as I set out on a partly cloudy Monday morning.

According to the resources about the trail, the preferred routing is north to south, because of the net altitude loss in that direction. However, starting from Deadwood I found presents it's own challenges with a solid climb in the first 10 miles as the trail climbs to its highest point, just over 6,100 feet. That got my legs (and lungs) warmed up pretty quickly after three days in the Subaru and rooftop tent!

Some of the best attributes of the trail become immediately apparent. The trail surface is impeccable, almost like pavement though we had a good rain the night before so it was particularly firm. I am sure that in drier conditions it gets a little kitty litter-like on top, but that said the trail is wide and the surface quite rideable. I was the only soul at the trailhead, and after an obligatory photo or two, set out on my ride departing Deadwood.

As the trail approaches Lead, there is a split at the Kirk Trailhead. The two options eventually return to the main trail, but I had been forewarned by a group of gents from Wisconsin I met in Edgemont the night before that the eastern option that bypasses the Sugarloaf Trailhead was a bit more challenging. My shuttle driver agreed that it was more challenging but more scenic, so I took that option. It did not disappoint, with some rather steep grades approaching 17% but I do think it was worth it! I had the trail to myself and despite the gathering clouds, really enjoyed the ride past the highest elevation and on to a nice lunch at the Moonshine Gulch Saloon in Rochford, just a few blocks from the trailhead.

By the time I got back on the trail after lunch, the rain was imminent and the distinct rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. A bit of soul searching had started at lunch as to whether I really wanted to camp that night at the Oreville campsite near Custer as planned. Not only did it look a bit wet, but a lingering cold I departed Phoenix with had worsened a bit with the exertion and altitude, and my already sore throat was now throbbing. Before I returned to the trail, I had secured a hotel room in Hill City for the night with the prospect of a dry bed and finding a store for some cold relief meds. That was the plan as I set out to race the rain to Hill City!

As is often the case, the race against the elements was in vain as the skies continued to darken and the thunder got closer. Luckily for me though, I ran into a pair of riders stopped at the Mystic Trailhead shelter waiting for a friend to pick them up by car that told me there was a tunnel only a mile or two down the trail as the very first drops began to appear. I put the hammer down up the hill and just as I entered the tunnel, the real precip of the storm began and I was out of it and into the cool darkness of the tunnel! A group of guys from St George UT were right behind me and we sheltered in the tunnel for about an hour waiting for the thunderstorm to pass. That interlude provided a golden opportunity for me to do a short pitch on swisstrailbell as the storm went on, and small slides of rocks came off the bank above the tunnel, falling across the opening.

The sky cleared immediately behind the advancing storm, leaving a particularly clean and crisp feel to the air as I started out for the final 12 mile run into Hill City. I was not surprised to see the thunderstorm had left a little frozen precipitation in the form of grapple, frozen ice pellets along the trail side. It was a rather uneventful ride into town and conclusion of day one on the Mickelson, but I was happy to find my hotel, a bite to eat and some much needed relief for my symptoms. I felt a bit disappointed that I did not camp, the night I believe was without any more rain but the promise of a good night's sleep, a hot breakfast and feeling a bit better after some cold medicine in town, not too disappointed. I still had 60 miles plus to ride after all, and I was dragging around a lot of camping gear which in the end I didn't need.

Day 2 dawned with clear skies and somewhat cooler temperatures. Generally the trail is very well marked and easily found throughout its course. That is not necessarily the case in Hill City I found as I meandered about what was marked as the trailhead, looking for the familiar gravel path. Some assistance from a very friendly police officer, who shared that “where's the damn trail,” is a common question in those parts, got me back on track and I started the slow climb the last significant climb of the trail, a bit over 10 miles to the Mountain Trailhead which is in close proximity to the Crazy Horse Memorial, and just short of 5800’ altitude. Although I was feeling a bit better after the night's bedrest and meds, I was using this initial climb as a gauge of sorts in determining if I had the remaining 60 in my legs. I was surprised in the first few miles to catch the esteemed group from St George that overnighted in Hill City as well on the climb. They had started a good bit earlier, so that gave me a bit of confidence that I was good to go to make the rest of the trip back to my car in Edgemont, especially with the knowledge that it was the last significant climb remaining.

I stopped for lunch at about the halfway point in Pringle, near the bicycle sculpture at another saloon called the Hitchrail. Although the scenery changes a bit on the trail at that point with significantly less trees with the lower altitudes, I still found it interesting and engaging all the way into Edgemont.

So despite a few challenges and change of plan, I very much enjoyed my time in the Black Hills and on the George S. Mickelson trail. It definitely lives up to the reputation it has gained as one of the preeminent Rail Trails in the US. The countryside is very beautiful, trail conditions and infrastructure exceptional, and one can improvise a bit with the towns along the trail. I thought 2 days was sufficient for most riders, although I could easily see 3 days on the trail if one wanted to take in a bit more of the sights and scenes along the route, potentially adding the spur out to see Mt Rushmore and spending a bit of time at the Crazy Horse Memorial. I am truly glad I made the excursion to South Dakota and included the Mickelson Trail in this adventure!