Day 6: Whining and Gold Mining

Today was a rough day emotionally. As an introvert, I need time by myself to recharge and refresh myself. Now imagine having been in close quarters with 13 people in tents and a 15 passenger van all day for the past 6 days. Needless to say, I reached a pointof being withdrawn and in a generally grumpy mood due to my lack of solitary time. Even being constanly surrounded by people, I found myself feeling really lonely today as well. You see, everybody else on the trip has some kind of cellular connection which allows them to readily stay in touch with their friends and families. I on the other hand have absolutely no cell service, and I will not have it the entirety of the trip. The most interaction I can get with my loved ones back home comes from me stealing WiFi from whatever grocery store or gas station we stop at, just so I cwn quickly update my blog and maybe post something to facebook just to let everyone know I'm doing okay. I feel that my generation as a whole now takes for granted the ability to be able to talk to whoever you want, whenever you want. We forget what it is like to feel detached from our loved ones, until you are in a situation such as I am in, where the cell service has run out and there is hope hope of coming across any for the next 2 weeks. So to all my friends and family back home, this is my update on my life for you, and know that I miss and love you all.

Open cut of the Homestake Gold Mine

Now let us digress and I will tell you about what we actually did today. Today we visited the Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, SD. While the mining operations ceased in 2002, the mine is still the most profitable gold mine in the US to date, having harvested over 40 million ounces of gold. In 2002 the mine was sold to the state of South Dakota, by the Berrick company, with the stipulation that it never be used for mining again. The mine is now being used for scientific research about neutrinos and dark matter, as well as a tourist and education center for the history of the mine and mining on general in South Dakota. After a trolley tour and a talk concerning the geology of the mine with the geologist who is helping with the closing of the mine, we had a lunch of pasties ( think handheld meat and veggie pies) which were the traditional lunch for the miners and headed back towards Stockade Lake for our final night of camping there via the Needles highway.

View point of cathedrals and spires off of Needles Highway

Needles highway is a scenic route through the Black Hills, which showcases the impressive pegmatites in the region. Pegmatites are rock formations bearing very large crystal structures. In the Black Hills, the pegmatites include feldspars, quartz, micas, and occasionally tourmaline. The verticle faulting creates magnificent spires and "catherdral" structures which attract avid rock climbers from all over the world. In fact, while we were at an overlook a couple climbed up and repelled down the famous "Eye of the Needle" that is right off of the highway. It was awe-inspiring to watch, and I feared for their safety until they were back safe on the ground. That is definately one sport that I don't think I could ever get into.

We eventually made our way back to the campsite, where my cooking group made taco salads for dinner. After dinner we spent sometime around the campfire, eating smores and talking about life. I retired to bed early for some much needed alone time, just to read and be with my thoughts, and now as our last day at Custer State Park comes to a close, I will fall asleep listening to the steady, drip drip drip, of rain beginning to fall on the tent fly.

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