Notes
Woke up to the sunlight at 5:15, but I felt more rested than that sounds. It was nice to beat most people to the trailhead though. I did take the wrong trail right away, but quickly figured it out and kept going (I did it counter clockwise rather than the intended clockwise, but I think this made the whole route better for me).
Right away, I felt like crap. My quads were tired and my upper body was tired for some reason (it can't be the handheld right?). The first few bunnies were not enjoyable, even the downhills were slow. Somehow I made it up the first long climb towards "Little Devil's Tower" with an increasingly difficult slope and heart rate. I did take the opportunity, though, to stop at the top for some pictures and when I found I finally had 3g internet, I checked my email.
The rest got me feeling better, though I only had flat and downhill for a bit. The final long uphill was a challenge and didn't enjoy the jumping efforts to get on some rocks, but the peak came much quicker than anticipated, so I'm not complaining. I did walk the final stretch as it was all actual steps up to the fire tower. So Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak) is the highest point in SD, highest point in the US East of the Rockies, and a plaque said the highest point between Rockies and Pyrenees, though that plaque was pretty old.
The downhill went smoothly, some technical sections, some easy; finally saw a lot of the groups heading up. Overall a much better run than it started out to be.