Smitten with the Mountain West

When folks asked us what we were most excited for on our 3-4 month road trip around the country, I said that I couldn't wait to see the big mountains in the West. Growing up in West Virginia, I knew our mountains to be constant features of life. True, their peaks were small, but their frequency made up for that.

Our first real taste of the monstrous western mountains was climbing Black Elk Peak in South Dakota. This mountain is the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies. So, of course, when Sam and I were camping at Custer State Park, we decided to make the 8-mile trek up to the top of the mountain. The fresh (and thin!) mountain air filled our lungs as we navigated the rocky terrain, and the sounds and sights of nature surrounded us. We both agreed that this has been – after hundreds of hikes – our favorite hike that we have ever taken.

Seemingly every time we turned, a new amazing view popped up in front of us. The rocks here formed special shapes such as an area of two-hundred foot needle-like rocks known as the Cathedral Spires. From the top, the views seemed to continue forever in 360 degrees around us. Overall, the landscape and nature in Custer State Park brought so much joy to my soul. I swear I could feel this place in my bones.

Custer State Park, South Dakota

Incredible as Custer was, the views didn’t end there. After this stop, we continued heading West on into Wyoming crossing the Bighorn mountains and eventually into Yellowstone National Park. While driving through the basin leading up to the first mountain pass, we discovered a driving app called “Autio”. This app presents historical tidbits to you about the land you’re driving through using your GPS location.

So, we of course decided to try this out. Listening to the 20-minute narrative, we were confronted with a gut-wrenching truth: the land we had been admiring was once home to tens of thousands of indigenous peoples. The land felt special because it is indeed sacred. The early settlers and U.S. Army committed atrocities to genocide and displace those who call this land their ancestral home.

The weight of this realization hung heavy in the air, and the ghosts of the past seemed to whisper through the landscape. There’s a palpable heaviness to it. While we are still far from fully comprehending the depth of this issue, we hold onto the hope that there may be a path forward, a way to acknowledge the past and strive for a better future.

As we continue our road trip, we carry with us a renewed sense of responsibility to be better stewards of this land and its legacy. We are forever changed by the beauty we have witnessed and the truths we have confronted, and we will carry these lessons with us long after our journey ends. We so grateful to be able to experience joy and live in special moments in these special places.

With love,

Ankur (& Sam)