NORTH DAKOTA'S “HUNDRED MILE WILDERNESS”

by Carsten and Kristian Bjornstad

(NOTE ON THE PICTURES: You can click on the pictures to the

left and see them in a "lightbox". If you move your cursor to either

edge of the picture you can see the arrow to move to the next

picture. If you are interested in ordering any of these prints you

can go to www.prettygoodportraits.smugmug.com and click on the

"Maah Daah Hey" gallery.)

Did you know that North Dakota has a “wilderness” hiking trail? It's

called the Maah Daah HeyTrail. The name is Mandan for “A place

that has been and will be here a long time.” You'll find it in western

North Dakota joining the two units of Teddy Roosevelt National

Park. Ninety-six miles long, it crosses country as wild, untamed, and

lonely as any place in the the upper-Midwest.

There are other wilderness trails in the world. The Appalachian Trail

in Maine offers, for example, a “Hundred Mile Wilderness,” but it is

very different from the Maah Daah Hey. Maine's wilderness trail is

an easy walk through forests and lake country with a lean-to or a

campground every eight miles. There are few vistas, no road-

crossings and no places to resupply. North Dakota's Maah Daah

HeyTrail, in contrast, takes you over many different kinds of terrain.

There are semi-arid badlands, prairies, hills, buttes, no lakes, a river-

crossing and only four campgrounds. A few roads exist, but you

can't buy food anywhere. The trail in Maine is busy and sees many

hikers; the Maah Daah Hey is lonely and sees few.

The U.S. Forest Service manages and maintains the Maah Daah Hey.

The four campgrounds are located every twenty miles or so along its

way. Its northern trailhead is just south of the northern unit of the

national park, and its southern trailhead is in Sully State Park south

of Medora. Most of the land the trail crosses is national grassland.

Two portions of the trail are routed through the National parks and

the rest is over privately owned ranches.

The trail meets the needs of mountain bikers, trail-riders, and day-

hikers especially well. The twenty-mile distances between the

campgrounds are easy for bikers to cover in a day. If they have

Dakota Cyclery in Medora move their gear from campground to

campground, they can ride the trail end-to-end in five days with

nothing more to carry on their bikes than water, lunches, and

emergency gear. Day-hikers and trail-riders tend to use the trail

differently, but they are equally well served. For them, the

campgrounds are key. The campgrounds offer places to rest and

regroup and provide bases for hikes and rides out and in. Loop hikes

are even possible. All four campgrounds have road access and offer

shade, well water, space for horses, vehicles, and tents, and good

toilet facilities. Well water in the campgrounds is the only water on

the Maah Daah Hey Trail that is certified potable.

Multi-day hikers on the Maah Daah Hey have to be a bit creative.

For them, the twenty mile distances between campgrounds are

something of a test. Rain and heat can interfere. If they choose to

hike more slowly and camp on the trail, water supplies may get

problematic. Planning has to be good. Mistakes and forgetfulness

can be costly. Support, at some level, is imperative. At the very least,

multi-day hikers need someone to shuttle them to trailheads and

serve as a go-to person in case of trouble. Dakota Cyclery in Medora

offers hikers support services that meet many needs.

Despite the problems, thru-hiking the Maah Daah Hey is very

exciting way to go. It offers a plunge into the wilderness, an

experience that will test you, and an invitation to relate to nature in

new ways. The Maah Daah Hey passes through a land that is silent.

There is a mystery. There is beauty. There is also something

unforgiving and harsh.. There is tremendous variety. And there is joy

– wildflowers, color, a “big sky.” Multi-day hikers may, indeed, be

subject to discomforts and the forces of nature, but they get to see

wildflowers and bugs close up; they get to be part of the world

around them in a way the others can't match.

I learned of the trail several years ago on a day-hike in the southern

unit of the Teddy Roosevelt National Park. It attracted me right

away, but it wasn't until this summer that I found a companion. You

can imagine my joy when my eldest son, Kristian - pastor, husband,

father, and photographer - , volunteered to join me. His interests were photographic. Mine were

more “romantic.” Together, we made a good team.

As things turned out, we weren't able to hike the Maah Daah Hey end-to-end in five days as we'd

planned. Mistakes cost us, and our hike ended up being one of sixty miles in four-days instead. We

were happy with our experiences and accomplishments, however. The rains had caused the desert

to bloom, allowing us to see the grasslands and badlands at their most beautiful. We had hiked the

trail at our own pace; Kris had taken hundreds of photos; we had lived in the wilderness, and we

had let the trail and the land change us.

THE MAGIC OF THE TRAIL

What is it in the badlands that will change you? I'd like to suggest that it is the aloneness, the

silence, the humbling sense of walking through time, the varieties of beauty, and living with risks.

The aloneness may bother you, but it may also deepen your sense of self. Other than at Elkhorn

Campground, where we met a delightful party of trail-riders and a rancher, we met only four

people in our four days on the trail – a national park ranger named John Heiser, a biker from

Vermont named Steve, a north-bound hiker from Devil's Lake named Mike, and a Forest Service

ranger named Travis. Adding to the strangeness of the isolation, the four or five oil installations we

passed were all automated. Except for birds, a couple of deer, rattlesnakes, and dung-beetles, we

saw no wildlife. Twenty miles between campgrounds is a long way; ranches are few and far

between. It is, indeed, a lonely place, a place that will ask you who you are.

The silence will impress you. In our experience, no planes flew overhead. With one exception, no

cars or trucks plied the few roads we crossed. The only sound we heard through the day was that of

the wind. Once, when we were walking by an oil pump, I thought I heard singing. It was only the

pump needing grease. Cows mooed as we passed. Once, when we were pitching our tents in a

shady spot, they mooed in annoyance as well. It must have been a favorite spot for them. The

nights, in our experience, were silent. Perhaps I slept too well. As a hiker, you will learn to love that

silence.

The badlands will take you back in time. The buttes, like mute sentinels, will look down on you as

you pass. You'll see how the years of wind and water have carved intricate, wrinkled patterns in

them and exposed their colors of grey, yellow, brown, and even red. Petrified tree stumps, long

dead trees, and occasional bones complete the picture of age and harshness.. But you'll see life

asserting itself everywhere, too. The coulees – wooded ravines – offer protection from the burning

sun; flowers everywhere offer bright colors and joy; grasses wave greetings in the breeze, and stands

of trees, small but triumphant, decorate the landscapes. The “big sky” embraces it all. You'll feel

small perhaps as you walk under it. But you'll feel part of the land, too, and you'll be thrilled.

Perhaps you'll even feel loved.

The variety is astounding. There are prairies, rugged climbs, rolling hills, and desert. Striking land-

formations like the “China Wall” and “Devil's Pass” will take you into different worlds. There will be

a river valley that you won't want to leave. The vistas – often 360 degrees – will take your breath

away. Miles and miles of buttes, partly green, with blue sky overhead, will spread themselves out

before you. You'll wish for wings. You'll feel blessed. Perhaps, like Kris, you'll burst into tears and

say, “It's so beautiful.”

Meeting the dangers will change you, too. The risks are real. Dehydration is one of them. John

Heiser, the ranger we met, told us that few hikers carry and drink enough water. Snakebite is

another. Rattlers are timid, but they'll bite if they are stepped on. There are no rocks to fall from,

but drop-offs abound. Storms arise. As you meet the challenges, experience the fruits of your

planning, and walk the distances, you'll discover strengths in yourselves, as we did, and you'll grow

in confidence. You will feel marvelously alive. Perhaps you'll even become aware of being watched

over and cared for, maybe even “rescued” at some time. I know we did.

THOUGHTS FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO HIKE THE MAAH DAAH HEY

The Maah Daah Hey makes unique demands on a hiker. To anyone interested in hiking the Maah

Daah Hey end-to-end or as a multi-day experience, I'd like to suggest that you prepare with the

following things in mind:

Plan to drink a gallon and a half of water every day. Start with that much in your pack in

the morning. Plan to sip it as you walk. Be prepared to re-supply from spigots at stock tanks. Spigot

water is not certified “safe,” but it is an option. If you want to be sure, bring iodine tablets and/or a

water filter.

Go as ultra-lite as you can. Forgo coffee and hot meals, slippers, and other luxuries. Keep

weight of the backpack and water to 30 pounds if you can.

Cache water in collapsible plastic containers at road crossings before the hike. Cache food

and other supplies at the campgrounds before the hike as well. Plan to pick them up as you go

through.. (You can work with Dakota Cyclery in Medora or with friends in doing this..) If you are a

fast walker and can do the twenty miles between campgrounds every day, you might consider

having Dakota Cyclery move your food and gear from campground to campground so that it will be

waiting for you when you arrive. They do it for cyclists; they can do it for you, too. This will enable

you to “slackpack” with only water and emergency gear.

Be well versed in survival skills and first-aid. I found the book Survival Wisdom & Know-

How

compiled by Amy Rost, Blackdog & Leventhal Publishers, 2007 especially helpful.

Use tested, good quality gear. There's no substitute for good gear, especially shoes.

Bring spare items - a backpack buckle, cell phone battery, safety pins, duck tape – to cover

unexpected happenings. Everything must be light.

Stay out of the afternoon sun. Plan to get on the trail by 6 in the morning, hide out in a

coulee from 1 to 4, and hike again in the evening. Bring SunScreen and wear long sleeved shirts,

long pants, and hat.

Protect yourself from snakebite. Wear high-topped boots, long pants, and preferably, long

gaiters. Bring a snake bite kit, and be sure your cell phone is working.

Food for the hike might well include tortillas, tuna and/or chicken in pouches, dried milk,

breakfast drinks, oatmeal-to-go bars, dried fruit and vegetables, trail mix, beef jerky, and energy

bars. If you are working with Dakota Cyclery, you can have many more options..

10.

Hike with a companion who maintains a pace similar to yours. (My son could walk much

faster than I, but his picture taking took so much time that our paces ended up the same.)

11.

Give some thought to taking a “zero day” of rest at one of the campgrounds. Have food

and a good book cached there for that purpose.

12.

Have a cell phone and a “go-to” person available in case of problems. Better yet, have two

or three people to call. Cell phone coverage is spotty on the Maah Daah Hey, but it's not impossible

to get calls through from the top of a butte.

13.

Talk to people who have experience on the trail. Take their advice seriously. Get your map

from the Forest Service.

The U.S. Forest Service maintains the campgrounds and the trail very well. The trail is well marked

and well designed. Its switch-backs make climbing the buttes easy. The routes take you to many

scenic overlooks. If you are interested in hiking the Maah Daah Hey, you might want to do it soon.

It's easy to imagine pipelines and increased oil activity there in the future. The Forest Service, as the

regulator, has to balance many competing interests.

Will I ever do the thirty-six miles that remain for me? I've already talked to Jennifer Morelock at

Dakota Cyclery about it. If I were to use the Cyclery for support, cache water at road crossings, and

“slackpack,” I could easily do the twenty miles between the Elkhorn and Wannagan Campgrounds

in a day. The miles in the national park, which I would do the next day, would be unsupported, but

there are water sources there. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

______________________________________

Biographical note: Carsten is a retired teacher, missionary, and church musician making his

home in New London, MN. He has been hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail for the past ten

years. Kristian is a Lutheran pastor in Scranton, PA. He and his wife, Monica, have four

daughters. His hobbies include sailing and photography. Together, Carsten and Kris hiked the

Maah Daah Hey from the CCC Camground to Elkhorn Campground from June 30 to July 3,

2009.

** A note on the“The Hundred Mile Wilderness” in Maine. Maine's wilderness trail starts just

south of Baxter State Park and ends at the town of Monson. People, especially Europeans, who

want a “taste“ of the Appalachian Trail but are limited in time, often choose to hike this portion of

the AT rather than other stretches. Unless times have changed, there is, incidentally, a place to

resupply along its way. It's a small resort near its midway point, a mile east, and across a lake. If

you get to the lake, you'll find a dock and an airhorn. If you blow the airhorn, someone in a boat

will come over to pick you up. The hamburgers are good; the ride back is free.