GOING TO THE HIGHEST POINT IN SOUTH DAKOTA - Black Elk Peak, SD

In this video, we go to our 29th US State highpoint, Black Elk Peak in South Dakota. This video was filmed on December 22, 2018
US State Highpoints Playlist: highpoints.grtshw.com
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[@Hikari24186]

This video inspired me to go to Black Elk Peak and it was absolutely amazing

[@kathleenweigel5936]

I hiked this Jan 1st 2021. It was kinda windy and only in the 20s😂 I’ve considered going back since my internship in the black hills is almost done but the weather keeps getting colder and my Texas butt was cold enough the first time 😂

[@grtshw]

It's a really interesting hike in the winter! I think more people should do it this time of year, its definitely cold but it's an experience haha

[@davidkleen2494]

Great job! Getting some “snow climbing” experience before heading West? Nice. I like how all your videos have the same wallpaper shot of you facing away from the camera with a red outline of the state and red font. Makes it easy to find specific states’ videos or even easier to pick your videos out from a general high point KZbin search. Have you seen the D.I.Y. video for windscreens using a bandaid over the microphones to reduce wind noise? Might be helpful and an easy fix? Some videos recommend a piece of sponge secured to your 🎤 to block the wind? Seems to work, although I have no experience with this...YET. 😉 Also, are you wearing a chest mount (with a GoPro) during your hikes? I like the time lapse video during that shows the route and length of time it takes to get there. I remember something similar during the Black Mesa highpoint video. (Sorry. Just realized you’ve been doing that all along with your longer hikes...just haven’t been that many longer hikes for you recently. #driveuphighpoints) I’m going to get a DJI OSMO Mobile 2 Gimbal to hold my iPhone for when I start high pointing this spring. You might check into that. Very light weight and smooth for your selfie commentary. Take care and keep up the good work! ⛰🚶 Thanks for continuing to make these videos and taking us on your journeys. 😀 -David

[@grtshw]

Exactly! This was pretty easy compared to the real western peaks, but the X factor of worrying about slipping and falling on steep, muddy ice was an interesting and welcomed challenge. I'm glad you like the thumbnail style, I figure it's good to stay organized, haha. As far as wind protection, the camera I filmed that with actually did have a wind sock to protect it, but it was still reduced to the quality you heard in the video. I think the winds were at least 50 mph, maybe closer to 70. Definitely the windiest place I've been in my life. Yes, all of that is recorded with a chest mount! I actually use a GoPro Hero 6 with a Karma Grip Gimbal to get a stable shot from my chest. If it wasn't stable, the sped up video would be totally unintelligible. I think its a good addition to the videos and helps show what it's really like, glad you think so too! The OSMO is supposed to be great! If you do end up going that route, I'm sure that will work really well! As far as me, I tend to just use the iPhone for shots of myself on hikes where lugging the 6lb camera doesn't make sense, and keep the gopro rolling as chest cam consistently to make one long timelapse with a couple of speaking portions. It's just easier than getting everything out and putting it away again over and over. Thanks, same to you! Good luck!

[@McDoggg]

These videos are awesome! I’m just getting into mountain climbing now and it’s become a real hobby of mine. Just P.S., please stop calling Oklahoma the Midwest 😂 We do not appreciate it.

[@grtshw]

Thanks so much! Glad to hear it. And fair enough lol can't blame you for that. The reason I do that is because we did it with all the midwest states and the highpoint is all the way at the western tip of the state which (hate to say it) kinda is the midwest. As a Texan, I understand how it feels to be a misunderstood state haha.

[@therealgamerv8970]

Oklahoma is the south

[@Alaskanative371]

Great video!

[@grtshw]

Thank you!

[@boblarson42]

Isn't their a road that goes up to Black Elk Peak? I drove up to Mt. Coolidge lookout yesterday. 6003 ft. How damn many miles is it you had to hike? Their must be a road, huh?

[@grtshw]

Nope, no road to the top. There are a few different routes available, but they are all hiking routes, and the one we took is the shortest (~7 miles round trip & ~3000ft of vertical gain)

[@boblarson42]

@@grtshw Thank's for the answer back! I'm no hiker or ever will be, stay in shape and take care.

[@radbcc]

Excellent....

[@grtshw]

Thank you ^^

[@andyjay729]

Is Texas's Guadalupe Peak technically part of the Rockies, or is it something else?

[@grtshw]

Technically I don't think the rockies and the Guadalupe mountains are the same range (though the peak is rather close to the great divide). That said, Guadalupe peak is almost directly south of the eastern wall of the rockies in Denver, so it's not technically "east of the rockies"

[@andyjay729]

@@grtshw en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Elk_Peak Black Elk's Wiki article says there are some higher peaks in Texas's Chisos Mountains just east of Black Elk, but the Chisos are technically part of the North American Cordillera along with the Rockies, so tough call.

[@grtshw]

Ah, interesting. Good find. I just figured that, since the highest point in Texas is in the Guadalupe mountains, that no point in the Chisos would even come close, and as such Black Elk would be higher. Seems like that was a bad assumption. In any case, I knew there was some debatability about that statistic, I guess it depends how you want to look at it. Thanks for the thoughtful response!

[@IanNafziger]

@@grtshw The tallest point in the Chisos Mountains would be Emory Peak, which is a pretty dominant 7832 ft. (2387 m). It's located in Big Bend National Park, just south of Guadalupe, and it's actually a more difficult climb than Guadalupe. And Guadalupe is TOUGH. Both trails are out-and-back. The Guadalupe Peak Trail is 4 miles for 2050 ft. in total elevation gain. Emory is 4.5 miles at 2401 ft. in total gain. So while Guadalupe is taller, Emory is more prominent and harder to get to. In addition, the last couple hundred feet of Emory are marked by a steep rock scramble that actually provides a little bit of bouldering experience--something Guadalupe Peak does not have. Goes to show: Some highpoints might be tough to get. But they aren't guaranteed to be the toughest climbs from state to state.