Day 8

The Badlands to Gillette, WY

mileage: 250

Camping

I forgot how cold the desert gets at night. We set up camp by the light of the full moon, with jackets on, but comfortable. I don’t think I slept at all last night. I couldn’t stop shivering. I’d force my teeth to stop chattering, then my legs would begin convulsing. I’d concentrate on warming my legs, then my arms would begin shaking. This continued all night.

The first words out of my mouth this morning were I’m sorry. Normally camping is so much more fun than this. See, this was Daniel’s first camping adventure. When planning our trip, we somehow had this romantic notion that we would camp in the national parks we visited. I love camping. Just not in late October where it gets really cold. Daniel was an amazingly good sport. If I were him, I wouldn’t have spoken to me. I tried to make it up to him by making grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast. Which would have been great. Had I not served them New Orleans style, blackened.

Badlands Wildlife Tally

Heard coyotes howling at the full moon

Observed deer by the side of the road, standing so still we thought they were statues

Saw chipmunks scurrying across the trail path

Watched a jackrabbit bound out of sight

Almost stepped on a rattlesnake