Of Toadstools and Cranes

Note from Kent Hyde, husband of the author:As her husband and backpack carrier, I have accompanied Edith-Maria on every step of her hikes. It has been fascinating to watch her love for the outdoors, wildflowers and historic places spawn nine books about the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota.This year, after hikes at Wind Cave and a visit to a nearly extinct town in the far corner of South Dakota, we crossed the border to explore northwest Nebraska. One place was Toadstool Geologic Park, where massive rocks balance on eroded columns. Then came our pilgrimage to the final resting place of Mari Sandoz, the biographer of the Sandhills, on a solitary hillside of the family farm.During the spring migration of sandhill cranes, we shivered in the dusk at the North Platte River awaiting their nightly return. The infectious joy of thousands of cranes welcoming each other's arrival with loud whooping is incomparable.I hope you enjoy Edith-Maria's stories and photos as much as I do. But be sure to set her book down from time to time to take off on your own outdoor adventures. Read more