Voices of the Past

Historical Romance Author

Conquering Black Elk Peak and Staying Out of the Basement
Friday, June 3, 2022 by Sherry Shindelar

In June 2018, I climbed Black Elk Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Previously known as Harney’s Peak, it is the highest point east of the Rockies in the U.S.

The temps were in the 90’s, I didn’t have hiking shoes, and I only had one bottle of water. In addition, I was afraid of heights, heading out on a trail that looked like you could fall right off the mountainside.

I was tempted to spend the day at the foot of the trail sitting by the lake and taking a dip in the cool water or going kayaking. It would have been so much easier. And safer.

However, I chose to make the hike because my estranged 20-year-old son was going, and I didn’t want him to make the trip alone.

During my son’s last two years in high school, my husband and I had wondered how we’d survive until his 18th birthday. After raising two well-behaved, Christ-seeking teens, we were faced with their younger brother who was defiant and rebellious. We were literally in a battle for his life, and we had to make some hard decisions. We learned that love isn’t always about giving a person what they want. Sometimes, it’s about giving them what they need even at the risk of them hating you.

In the two years since our son had moved away from home the day before he turned 18, my husband and I had established a strained relationship with him, but we were far from close. We loved each other, but we didn’t trust each other.

But on the journey up the rocky, switchback-laden trail that led to the gnarled crown of Black Elk Peak, I got to know a young man whom I could start to trust again, a young man who offered me support and encouragement when I was hot, thirsty, and afraid of looking over the edges of the precipices. Someone I could build a friendship with and a strong mother-son relationship with.

God turned the hike into a trust-building, relationship-healing, fear-conquering adventure that was exceedingly abundantly above my expectations.

Now when I gaze at the image of the peak, I see victory, but as I look at the fire lookout tower at the pinnacle, I’m also reminded of how I stopped short. I halted at the basement of the stone tower because of a stairway that made it look as if you were stepping into the air with nothing beneath you. I conquered the mountain, but I allowed fear to prevent me from claiming the full reward. How many times do we end up in the basement of our victory? Thankfully, I did not make that same mistake in my relationship with my son. 

The hike was amazing! God was amazing! But a few more steps would have made it even more complete.


Photo by Black Hills Forestry Dept.

Photo by BRock

 


Join Sherry's
Writing Journey



Previous Posts

When We Can't, God Can
S.R. Shindelar

1/17/2025

A Civil War Christmas
Rev. John R. Paxton

12/18/2024

Maybe you
Erma Ullrey

9/20/2024

Interview with Historic Romance Author Susan Mathis
Sherry Shindelar

8/16/2024

I Was Born on the Prairie
Sherry Shindelar

8/12/2024

Waiting….
Jamie Ogle

2/9/2024

Quanah Wins His Bride
Sherry Shindelar

1/12/2024

Transforming Christmas
Sherry Shindelar

12/15/2023

Moravians: Missionaries to the Cherokee
Sarah Hanks

11/9/2023

A New Twist on Benjamin Franklin
Susan Page Davis

10/11/2023

Meet a Historical Romance Editor
Denise Weimer

9/15/2023

Making a Stand at King’s Mountain
Sherry Shindelar

8/11/2023

Female Spy Saves the Day
Sherry Shindelar

7/14/2023

Preparation Commune
Cathy Richmond

6/14/2023

The Teen Who Sculptured Lincoln
Sherry Shindelar

5/5/2023

Recipes from the Past: With Giveaway and Favor
Donna Schlachter

4/21/2023

Emeline Pigott: Confederate Spy
Sherry Shindelar

3/24/2023

First Great Awakening
Lynne Tagawa

3/10/2023

Stories that Haunt
Sherry Shindelar

2/24/2023

Valentine's Day 1983
Sherry Shindelar

2/10/2023

The Battle for Miss Nellie’s Heart
Sherry Shindelar

1/27/2023

Ukrainian Love Story
Sherry Shindelar

1/13/2023

Hannah
Sherry Shindelar

12/30/2022

The Bible Controversy of King James
Tamera Kraft

12/26/2022

Spymaster Extraordinaire
Sherry Shindelar

12/2/2022

Unshakeable
Sherry Shindelar

11/28/2022

God’s Tapestry: One Thread at a Time
Sherry Shindelar

11/4/2022

Ruth: Where Thou Goest, I Will Go (Part 1)
Sherry Shindelar

10/21/2022

Courtship in the Midst of War
Sherry Shindelar

9/30/2022

Identity Theft 597 BC
Sherry Shindelar

9/16/2022

Celebrating with Jamie Ogle
Sherry Shindelar

8/18/2022

Two Husbands for Pocahontas
Sherry Shindelar

8/5/2022

The Power of Stories
Sherry Shindelar

7/22/2022

Indian Princess and the Soldier: Love Story or Myth
Sherry Shindelar

7/15/2022

Tobacco Brides: Slavery, Indentureship, or Empowerment
Sherry Shindelar

7/1/2022

Jamestown: New Hope or Death Trap?
Sherry Shindelar

6/24/2022

Conquering Black Elk Peak and Staying Out of the Basement
Sherry Shindelar

6/3/2022

Encouraging Women and Shaping Culture with her Pen
Sherry Shindelar

5/20/2022

Operation Pied Piper
Linda Shenton Matchett

4/29/2022

A Crazy Summer of Romance
Kathy McKinsey

4/22/2022

When Prayers Aren’t Answered the Way You Expected
Sherry Shindelar

4/18/2022

Paper Bag Queen: A Female Edison
eMarie

4/1/2022

James Taylor: Capturing the World with a Pencil
Sherry Shindelar

3/18/2022

Undercover Girl Scout
Marie Sontag

3/3/2022

Forbidden Romance: From First Impression to Elopement
Sherry Shindelar

2/18/2022

What Can We Do with these Women
Sherry Shindelar

2/4/2022

Award-winning Historical Fiction Author Lori Benton Shares her Heart
Sherry Shindelar

1/21/2022

Bankrupt and Broke but Not Defeated
Sherry Shindelar

1/14/2022

From Shunned and Rowdy to Christmas as We Know It
Sherry Shindelar

12/17/2021

Where Thou Goest, I Will Go
Sherry Shindelar

12/3/2021

Edwardian Era: Most Photographed Woman
Jessica Sly

11/19/2021


    Free Short Story