Spring into Summer in He Sapa

Spring into Summer in He Sapa

The center of the Black Hills are 1.7 billion years old, rising from the plains in the shape of a heart. Each day brings a different and beautiful perspective. The ominous storm brews In the background as a warning to onlookers. The Hills go unfazed as they've borne witness to millions of storms. Rain, wind, hail, snow, and grit pelts the granite as it stubbornly resists and stands tall.

Dominant species of trees have come and gone like the mighty lodgepole and limber pine, only to give way to the Black Hills Spruce and Ponderosa. Little pockets of those relic forests remain protected as remnants of a time long ago.Figures can be seen in the rock much like clouds. Faces, animals, and the occasional phallic spires bring giggles to observers. Mountain lions, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, chipmunks, and many more animals call this place home.

This time of year spring acts as a referee between winter and summer, struggling to make the transition. Winter is giving way, but not without a fight. Heavy spring rains combined with sunlight whisper to the roots of grasses, forbes, and wildflowers. It's time, it's time to wake up. It's time to grow once again and stretch towards the vast open sky and brighten the landscape with emerald green, purples, yellows, and orange.

Summer has taken root and winter loosens its grip, knowing It cannot and should not hold on any longer. It's only a pause after all. The animals play, celebrating new life and a new world. The water echoes In the canyons. Shadows and light dot the landscape with patterns that move with the wind. Rocks settle in new places from the life-giving rains, exposing their undersides for the first time since rising from Inside the earth. This is the Heart of All Things. It is the Paha Sapa.

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Daniel Milks

Needle Threader, Adventure Seeker, Creator of Travel, Answerer of Phones and occasional writer.