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View fullsize We spent the day exploring both Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, learning more about the history behind each monument and taking in the beauty of the Black Hills along the way. We also briefly considered a helicopter tour… until we sa
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View fullsize Day 3 marked the end of our Mickelson Trail backpacking adventure. It started with a tough decision at Mystic Trailhead, and eventually a hitchhike in the back of a flatbed truck back toward Custer. Not every adventure goes perfectly, but this trip s
View fullsize Having not seen any wildlife on our Needles Highway drive through Custer State Park, we were a little disappointed. But…as soon as we left the park and headed back towards Custer we had a bison encounter! I have to admit I felt a little expose
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View fullsize Before leaving South Dakota we wanted to experience the Needles Highway in the Black Hills…it did not disappoint. Since our truck camper was much too tall for the tunnels, we rented a three-wheeled Slingshot! The highway goes through Custer St
View fullsize We also made a stop at the Crazy Horse Memorial and though it looks small from that far away, the scale of the carving is hard to wrap your head around. Even unfinished, it’s absolutely massive, and when completed it’s set to become the l
View fullsize We’ve been through here several times but we finally took the time to stop at Mount Rushmore and it exceeded our expectations. It’s one of those places you see in photos your whole life, but standing there in person is something completel
View fullsize Day 2 of our Mickelson Trail backpacking trip is live! 🥾 This one had sore legs, sunshine, beautiful Black Hills scenery, historic railway tunnels, and rain rolling in right as we reached Mystic Trailhead. We’re definitely feeling the miles n
View fullsize Day one on the Mickelson Trail is officially up! 🥾 We started in Custer, South Dakota with full packs, big ambitions, and absolutely no idea how our bodies were going to feel 16 miles later. 😂 The trail was beautiful though…Forests, rock f
View fullsize Here’s a backpacking gear shoutout because this stuff unexpectedly became one of the MVPs of our Mickelson Trail trip 😂

The very first night out, I dumped marinara sauce all over my brand new sun shirt. Not exactly ideal when you’re car
View fullsize These photos feel like the Mickelson Trail to me. Not just the scenery, the campsites, the meals, or the miles, but us. In that first photo, we were exhausted. Sore feet, tired legs, heavy packs, and still a long stretch ahead of us. But somehow, th
View fullsize A few more moments from our time on the Mickelson Trail.❤️ #mickelsontrail #blackhills #backpackinglife #traildays #careyon
View fullsize Well… our Mickelson Trail backpacking trip didn’t exactly go according to plan. 😅 Sometimes the trail has other ideas, and after listening to our bodies and weighing things out, we decided to cut the trip shorter than we originally int