The beauty of peachy orange canyons and rock structures with jagged edges at their peaks and grass plains at their lows were suddenly incarcerated by white particles plummeting from the sky onto whatever laid in their path. What used to be a beautiful sight was now not able to be seen at all. Visions were obstructed, heavy winds caused hair, scarves, jackets and sweaters to be blowing in every direction and everyone's ability to pick one foot off the ground was getting increasingly more difficult. I can't even begin to describe the feelings blowing through me right now. First, I'm freezing because it's about 10 degrees. I'm tired because we've been trekking Castle Trail for what feels like eons. I'm disappointed in myself because I scheduled a tour for these kids, knowing that the weather would be crappy. I was watching KOTA last night, when I saw the forecast change drastically from the weeks prior. When the word blizzard appeared, I paid no attention to it. I thought "If you get the tour started at 9am, you can finish it at 1pm, and that gives enough time to get out of there before 3pm, when the blizzard is supposed to hit." When my colleagues and I gathered our amazing campers to start the trek, we pretty much knew what was going on weather wise. The sky was a faint gray with absolutely no sun peeking through thick gray clouds. I knew deep down inside that I should've cancelled, but it's three days before Christmas. I took on the challenge of touring these guys, and no matter the weather, I will deliver a quality and unforgettable tour for them. Thankfully, I found a small cave underneath a canyon slightly off the Saddle Pass Trail, and we've been here for hours.
YOU ARE READING
A Badlands Christmas
Short StorySerena and Brinley are two of the five at risk teenage campers who travelled to the Badlands, South Dakota for a quick getaway with a counseling group three days before Christmas 2009. The worst snowstorm the Midwest has seen in years forces the gro...
