| "If your dog is fat," the old saying
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| | Reynolds Prairie, the largest of three
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| goes, "you aren't getting enough
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| | open grasslands in the vicinity. Crow
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| exercise." But walking the dog need not
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| | Peak may only be 5,760 feet high but what
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| be just about a little exercise. Here are
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| | it lacks in height, it makes up in
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| 15 cool things you can see around the
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| | difficulty. Your reward for a grueling
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| Black Hills while you hike with your
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| | climb is 360-degree vistas at the
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| dog.ABANDONED MINES.
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| | summit.LOGGING FLUMES.
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| The old rail lines-turned trails are
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| | Water flumes served two purposes in the
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| good places to see vestiges of old mines.
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| | Black Hills: to transport logs to
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| Along the Deerfield Trail you can see the
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| | railheads or to move water into isolated
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| remains of the Black Tom Mine and there
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| | areas for hydraulic gold-mining. The
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| are traces of several mines on the
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| | latter is best exemplified by the
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| Mickelson Trail. Chief among them are the
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| | Rockerville Flume, that operated in the
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| White Elephant Trail, where feldspar was
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| | 1880s. An 11-mile trail (the flume was 20
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| pulled from the ground, and the Wasp
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| | miles long) in the Black Hills National
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| Mine, that collapsed on the rail line in
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| | Forest now follows the route of the
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| 1927.BISON.
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| | wooden flume. Remnants of the Warren-Lamb
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| When hiking the prairie trails through
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| | flume used to float logs can still be
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| the Black Hills it won't be long until
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| | seen along the Deerfield Trail.MOVIE
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| you see North America's largest land
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| | SETS.
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| animal. Herds that once numbered in the
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| | For the 1990 Oscar-winning Dances With
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| millions were reduced to as few as 15
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| | Wolves, star/director Kevin Costner
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| animals in the 1880s before conservation
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| | filmed the Indian winter camp was set up
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| efforts began. Now Custer State Park is
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| | in Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills
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| home to more than 1,500 free-roaming
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| | National Forest; the exact spot of the
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| bison, one of the world's largest public
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| | final scene where Costner and Mary
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| bison herds. Another small herd is in
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| | MacDonnell leave the tribe was once
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| Bear Butte State Park.BRIDGES.
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| | marked by signs but have long since
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| Railroad builders used bridges to level
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| | succumbed to souvenir-hunters. The
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| out the rollercoaster terrain of the
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| | opening sequence, where Costner receives
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| Black Hills. There are more than 100
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| | his orders at Fort Hays to travel to Fort
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| wooden trestles on the Mickelson Trail
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| | Sedgewick, was filmed on a private ranch
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| alone. The largest was the Sheep Canyon
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| | east of Rapid City. Two of the set
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| Trestle, 126 feet high and 700 feet long.
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| | pieces, the major's house and the
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| Therickety trestle was considered so
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| | blacksmith shop have been moved to this
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| dangerous that engineers and brakemen
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| | tourist spot known as the Fort Hays Film
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| would walk over the bridge instead of
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| | Set (four miles south of Rapid City). The
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| riding the train.COLD WAR RELICS.
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| | Sage Creek Wilderness Area in the
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| In Memorial Park in Rapid City stands
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| | Badlands National Park was the backdrop
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| America's largest exhibit devoted to the
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| | for the wagon trip through Sioux Indian
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| Berlin Wall - double 12-foot segments of
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| | country to Fort Sedgewick.OLD FORTS.
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| the concrete wall. On the ground on
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| | As you hike through Fort Meade
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| either side of the Wall are tank traps.
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| | Recreation Area you can still see stone
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| Photos and interpretive panels tell the
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| | jumps used to train horses in the old
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| story of the dominant symbol of the Cold
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| | cavlary outpost. If you look closely, you
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| War. Memorial Park is on the Rapid City
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| | may also notice some circular depressions
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| Recreation Path.DAMS.
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| | in the hillsides created by exploding
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| Flood control has been a theme in the
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| | shells from artillery practice. The Old
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| Black Hills since the 1930s. Dams across
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| | Fort Meade Cemetery is still on the
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| streams and rivers have spawned water
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| | grounds as well.PRESIDENTIAL FOOTSTEPS.
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| recreation areas that are favorite
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| | Calvin Coolidge became the first United
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| destinations for an outing with the dog.
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| | States President to spend the summer west
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| The largest such lake in the Black Hills
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| | of the Mississippi River, selecting the
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| is the Pactola Reservoir with trails
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| | State Game Lodge in Custer State Park for
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| along much of its 14 miles of
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| | his "summer White House." Today, the
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| pine-scented shoreline. Others include
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| | Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishing Area is an
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| the dam at Cold Brook Lake Recreation
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| | easy three-mile walk on a dirt path along
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| Area on the Fall River and the Cottonwood
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| | a creek to Center Lake. Earlier Theodore
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| Springs Dam.FAMOUS CABINS.
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| | Roosevelt was a frequent visitor to the
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| The Badger Clark Historic Trail in
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| | Black Hills and a short trail leads to
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| Custer State Park starts at the former
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| | Friendship Tower on Mount Roosevelt,
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| home of Charles Badger Clark, South
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| | named in his honor. Alas, dogs are not
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| Dakota's first poet-laureate. Clark rook
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| | allowed on the trails at Mount Rushmore
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| five years to build the stone-and-frame
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| | and can experience this presidential
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| cabin and lived here for 30 years. He
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| | memorial only from the car.PUBLIC ART.
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| also laid out most of the footpath. In
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| | As you walk your dog around Belle
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| Wyoming, along Sand Creek, publisher
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| | Fourche you can see bronze statues of
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| Moses Annenberg built historic Ranch A,
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| | some of the famous rodeo performers -
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| now used for meetings and classrooms.
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| | human and animal - that have visited
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| Canine hikers can view the log home at
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| | town. The favorite subject in Deadwood is
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| the Dugout Gulch Botanical Area.GHOST
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| | Wild Bill Hickok and you can see his
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| TOWNS.
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| | likeness several times as you hike
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| Mining towns came and went very quickly
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| | through the historic gaming town.RAILROAD
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| in the gold rush days of the 1880s in the
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| | SOUVENIRS.
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| Black Hills. The most intact deserted
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| | Anyone can appreciate obvious reminders
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| town in the region is Tinton, visited on
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| | of the railroad age in the Black Hills
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| the Big Hill Trails. There is an old
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| | like the caboose in Edgemont Park but a
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| miner's hall, a post office and the Black
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| | more discerning eye can see more
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| Hills Tin Company store to explore. At
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| | fascinating relics. For instance, on the
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| the Mystic Trailhead on the Mickelson
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| | Mickelson Trail near the White Elephant
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| Trail is theMystic Townsite, where seven
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| | Trailhead, a canine hiker can see a sign
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| buildings and 14 foundations remain from
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| | with a "W" emblazoned on it. This is one
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| a gold mining community.HISTORIC
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| | of four places in the more than 100 miles
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| BUILDINGS.
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| | of track that engineers were instructed
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| Hikers can check out the Bulldog Ranch
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| | to blow their whistles to warn people and
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| on Rochford Road that was a favorite
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| | animals. And near a bridge trestle you
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| stopping point for travelers in the late
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| | can see one of the original mile marker
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| 19th century. Proprietoress Sarah Anne
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| | signs made of heavy metal and painted
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| Erbe was known as "Madame Bulldog" for
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| | white with a numeral that pinpointed a
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| two dogs she kept died up out back to
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| | train's location on the line to .01 of a
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| dissuade chicken thieves. Another
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| | mile. Only a few of these old markers
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| building from that era that can be
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| | remain.copyright 2006I am the author of
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| inspected up close is the Kroll Meat
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| | over 20 books, including 8 on hiking with
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| Market and Slaughterhouse in Spearfish
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| | your dog, including the
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| City Park.LOFTY PEAKS.
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| | widely praised The Canine Hiker's Bible.
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| There are many mountaintops in the Black
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| | As publisher of Cruden Bay Books, we
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| Hills that can be reached with your dog.
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| | produce the innovative A Bark In The
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| Harney Peak, at 7,242 feet, is the
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| | Park series of canine hiking books found
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| highest and Bear Mountain (7,153 feet) is
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| | at
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| right behind. Ski enthusiasts have carved
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| | During the warm months I lead canine
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| 16 miles of year-round trails at Bear
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| | hikes as
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| Mountain. The craggy peak of Flag
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| | tour leader for tours, leading packs of
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| Mountain serves up expansive views,
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| | dogs and humans on
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| including a long look to the east of
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| | day and overnight trips.
|
