Hill City Prevailer

With a title like this, some of you may be expecting to read a column about New Year’s resolutions and goals. After all, that’s what I usually write about for my first column in January. In a way, I guess this is my New Year’s goal. It just wasn’t one I was expecting.
Around Thanksgiving, my manager offered me a job at the Custer County Chronicle, which is owned by the same company as the Hill City Prevailer News. Many of you have already heard, but I accepted the position, which sadly means I’ll be leaving Hill City.

Here we are at the end of 2024. I have already crossed off one of my 25 new things in 2025 list; I am not sure it counts since it was done in 2024, but…
During my regular morning read of various spiritual books I came across the idea of leaving things behind. I had already thought a bit about this for the last few weeks, but today’s read cemented my thinking.

The radio is filled with songs about the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas can also be a time of reflection. After all, New Year’s is just around the corner. We start thinking about past Christmases, past resolutions and past plans. Some dreams have come true, but other dreams still sit on the shelf. Every so often we pull them down, dust them off and hold them close. But when the nostalgia fades, a lingering sigh escapes as we slide the dreams back into place.

I just completed my December Harney lookout. Once again in 2024 I have hiked to our state high point in each month. I believe I’m somewhere around 60 or so ascents of Black Elk for my lifetime, but I digress. This column is about this year’s attempts. I’ve learned a lot from them.