Rock Climbing Pics (crime, construction, live)

[Jammie]

Probably not. You could just go rock climbing with Danny.

[SD4020]

Originally Posted by camping!

Beautiful pictures.

I was wondering if you could give me a bit of advice? This year when we are camping in the black hills I thought I would splurge for my dh and dds and have them go rock climbing with a 'school'. What do you think? Is it worth the money?

Yes I think it would be. The needles would be great climbing area. It would at least get you a good foundation to do some climbing.

Danny do you ever do any climbing in the needles area? If so where are the pictures?

[DannyBanany]

I haven't climbed The Needles yet, mostly just around Falling Rock and an indoor wall. A class would be a good idea because I get impatient with people! Haha!

Here's a local school. They provide EVERYTHING too.
Sylvan Rocks Climbing Instruction - SD Black Hills Vacation- Devils Tower - Custer State Park

[DannyBanany]

Went hiking the other day. Here's some shots of the views!


Distant Harney Peak


The Needles from Harney Peak

[SD4020]

Danny where was that first picture taken from?

We would always take a horse to the top of Harney Peak. Nice fun ride. First time up there a twin engine Cessna was flying just below the summit. Was cool he was hoofing it along and you could look down at the top of the plane.

[DannyBanany]

That first pic was taken along Skyline Drive before I headed up to the hills. When we were up there, a helicopter was flying below us too!

[AJTucson]

Danny - Those pictures are just fantastic. Living in a city with a lot of "haze" (as per the locals - truth told, it is pollution), I am awestruck by the mountain to city views and their clarity. Just beautiful pics; what a great way to spend a weekend.

[Jammie]

AJ, fortunately we have no smog here and hopefully we can keep it that way.

I've browsed pics from your area and our mountains/Hills are a lot different. We were in Vegas several months ago and I kinda chuckled at how proud they were of their "mountain". I don't mean to offend anyone, but it was b*tt ugly. There was no grass on it~no trees on it, etc. I didn't think it was pretty at all. Again, I do apologize if it offends someone. Just my opinion.

[AJTucson]

Hi Jammie - hey, no offense taken by me. It is just so sad how smoggy things have become in ten years. When we first moved here we had very pretty mountain views, and when the monsoon season took hold they were beautiful. Now, with the over development and just other decisions to inane to go into, the "haze" is omnipresent. Which is why I love looking at the picture of the SD areas.

That also brings up another question. What are the building/zoning rules in SD? Are they enforced (can't even begin to go there with where we currently live)? There just has to be so many people, including your politicians(?), who value clean air and open spaces. Can you tell me about how you are able to keep things so clear?

[Jammie]

AZ, I don't know a lot about our zoning laws or if there's even a committee at the state level. I do know that our counties have zoning boards and they meet at least monthly.

For one thing, we're fortunate to have just under 800,000 in our entire state. Most of us definitely want to keep our clean air and our clear waters.

Maybe the biggest incentive at all is called "FINES". If a factory dirties the air or the water, it's their job to pay for the cleanup. If a gas station has old pumps that leak gas into the ground, it's their responsibility to have them dug up and fix the problem. At this point, that is still enforced and I hope it doesn't change.