Makoshika #11 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

The processing I performed on this back-lit image to bring out the front of the rock formation (which was in the shadows) makes the whole thing look perhaps a little too hyper-real. But then, maybe such treatment is to be forgiven (or at least expected) given Makoshika is kind of a hyper-real place to begin with.]]>

Makoshika #10 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

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Makoshika #9 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

Another phenomenon I don’t understand about Makoshika is how something like this can happen. This was relatively flat ground, with nothing overhanging it. It appeared relatively homogeneous in it’s make-up and consistency. (The difference between the darker and lighter halves of the soil isn’t really as distinct as it appears here.) Yet, there is a dramatic shift in the erosion pattern and depth on either side of a straight line–and not much happens in a straight line when it comes to erosion. Strange.]]>

Makoshika #8 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

This combination of a hard rock layer sandwiched between two soft layers of sediment is the source material for the balanced rocks and similar features in Makoshika. That a balanced rock is formed when the softer material washes away except underneath a chunk of rock is easy to understand. What determines when that happens instead of just the less interesting breaking and crumbling seen here is a mystery to me.]]>

Makoshika #7 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

It’s a tough life amongst the eroding formations in Makoshika. They don’t call them badlands for nothing.]]>

Makoshika #6 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

On the left, one of the many balanced rocks in the area below my campsite.]]>

Makoshika #5 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

I was camped up in the trees on the edge of this ridge, making this area quite handy for exploring late in the day during the fabled magic hour before sunset.]]>

Makoshika #4 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

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Makoshika #3 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

There’s a lot of elevation change within the badlands at Makoshika State Park, but the most interesting features occur only in a rather narrow elevation range that is layered with the right combination of harder rock over softer, more erodible material.

I’ve been meaning to mention that the name Makoshika (Ma-ko’-shi-ka) is a variant spelling of a Lakota phrase meaning ‘bad land’ or ‘bad earth’. The above pronunciation is from the park’s web site, but everyone seems to pronounce it as “Muh-kōsh-ika”.

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Sky Bench #2 Makoshika State Park, Montana 2014

Although not quite as hard to get to as it looks, taking in the view from this bench required considerably more effort than the one I walk by almost daily. (See that one here.)]]>