9:00 AM, 49ºF, Song Dog Road (USFS Road No. 682), 0.25 mile W of the Wind Cave National Park water supply area – Oh, what a fabulous day! Sunny and very warm for the beginning of February in the Black Hills. Lupe was here to make the most of it while she could! For the first time this winter, a long stretch of extremely cold weather was coming soon.
Loopster had been here a couple of times before back in 2017 to scale the Twin Sisters Range Highpoint (4,980 ft.), just a little over a mile ENE and already in sight. However, that wasn’t going to be the Carolina Dog’s destination today. On to something new! A couple of 300+ foot prominence peaks taken from Lists of John were her objectives.
The N face of the first one, Peak 5017, dominated the view from here.
Ready, Looper?
Been waiting on you, as usual, SPHP!
Ahh, yes, of course! This first peak should be a snap. Just follow the road!
The American Dingo hit Song Dog Road, which started out heading SW, sort of the wrong direction. However, after going up a long gentle slope, the road curved sharply to the E. Lupe quickly reached a saddle where a less traveled road on the L trended NE. Song Dog Road curved SE here, starting to head downhill.
Which way, SPHP?
Take the side road to the L, Loopster. Must say, I’m rather disappointed!
Why? What’s wrong?
We’re already done with Song Dog Road, and you didn’t even hum a tune!
There’s a reason for that, SPHP!
Really, like what?
It’s broad daylight! We Dingoes like to sing at night. Should have brought me here when there’s a full moon! I’d warble you up some real tunes then!
I see. Didn’t think of that, but I suppose it makes sense. Bad timing on my part. If we don’t get back from Peak 5316 before dark, maybe we can come back here tonight for a Dingo concert?
In that case, keep an eye out for coyotes today, SPHP!
What for?
So I can invite them to chime in on the chorus!
The side road didn’t go all the way to the top of Peak 5017, passing below the N rim instead. So Lupe left the road to climb up to the N high point, which wasn’t hard at all. Before heading S for the true summit, she spent a few minutes checking out the views.
Peak 5017’s true summit was now a mere 250 yards away, an easy stroll across completely open prairie.
In nothing flat, Loopster was scoring her first peakbagging success of the day. Rocks in a small group toward the SW edge of Peak 5017’s summit region were the highest points around. A large portion of the southern Black Hills was on display, with distant glimpses of Wyoming to the SW, Nebraska to the S, and the prairies of western South Dakota to the E.
Although this wasn’t rugged territory, the panorama conveyed an overall sense of scenic spaciousness, the most pleasing views off to the SW toward Parker Peak (4,848 ft.) and Matias Peak (4,780 ft.).
The scene to the W was pleasant, but undramatic. In the foreground was the same grassy ridge bordered with bits of crumbling limestone that Lupe had traveled on the side road she’d taken to get here. Beyond the grassy region was a flat, forested plain, backed by slightly higher forested ridges in the distance.
The highest ground visible from Peak 5017 was to the N, yet a lack of any particularly sharp peaks served to create a feeling that something better was hidden beyond what could be seen from here. The big, partly bald summit of Northeast Cicero Peak (6,240 ft.) was higher than anything else, and hinted at mountainous, rather than merely hilly, terrain.
Only took 30 minutes to get up to Peak 5017, so there really wasn’t much reason to take any long break. When SPHP looked into the backpack for the expectant American Dingo, that assessment was reinforced.
Criminy, Looper! I didn’t bring the chocolate coconut bars!
What? I saw you take some out of the box this morning!
Yeah, but I just threw them in a plastic sack. Must still be sitting on the kitchen counter back home, along with the apples.
A lot of good that does us, SPHP!
Sorry about that, Loop! Really am. Care for some Taste of the Wild?
Maybe a little bit. It’s not the same though. Got any water to go with it? Sort of dry.
Yes, I did bring water. Here ya go!
No chocolate coconut bars! I’ll be singing the blues at the concert tonight!
30 minutes on Peak 5017, and it was Onward, Puppy ho! The Carolina Dog was on her way again. Returning to the G6 by a much more direct route, she cut straight down Peak 5017’s N face from the side road.
10:35 AM, Song Dog Road, back at the G6 –
We’re not driving closer to the next peak, SPHP?
Nope! Peak 5316 is only 2.5 miles N of here, so we can just keep going on paw.
2.5 miles? That’s it? There goes the entire Dingo concert you wanted! We’ll be back way before dark.
Dem’s da breaks, Loop. Hate to miss out, but maybe I won’t. Peak 5316 might take a lot longer than you think. The region we’re going to travel through burned years ago.
So, lots of deadfall?
Yup, gonna be a mess, but who knows for how far?
Soon enough, Lupe was crossing Cold Springs Creek, no great feat, since it was frozen stiff. Ahead were the shattered burnt remains of a forest which had once covered the region near the now barren ridge SPHP intended to climb.
Lupe quickly reached the first deadfall. A fair amount of big stuff, but it wasn’t as bad as SPHP had feared. Winding around as needed, it was possible to avoid the worst of it without too much trouble.
The only real difficulty was going to be in getting above a line of limestone cliffs strung out along the ridge Loopster was approaching. However, the cliffs weren’t very high, and it appeared there were breaks the American Dingo could take advantage of. If that didn’t work, all she would have to do was stay more to the E (R), where the cliffs melted almost completely away.
Near the base of the ridge, Lupe came to a grassy region which must have been meadow all along, since there wasn’t any deadfall. She found an old road going E/W, and followed it E a little way before turning N.
SPHP decided that the measly cliff line didn’t look so bad. Loop headed right for the SE end of the ridge’s W lobe. A steep climb among lots of small deadfall put Lupe at the base of a 10 foot cliff that was a deadfall mess itself.
Lupe scrambled up with relative ease, while SPHP thrashed about trying to climb over or move dead branches. Would have been a breeze minus the deadfall. At any rate, SPHP soon joined Loopster on top. Nice view looking back at Peak 5017 from here, and the deadfall situation to the N looked a bit better, at least for a little way.
HP5100, the hill at the S end of the long ridge Lupe was about to follow N, was now in full view to the NE. No need to go all the way to the top of it. The topo map showed a trail W of HP5100 that would get Loop to the ridgeline farther N.
Staying toward the W, Lupe started N. She found what might have been a remnant of the trail, and had a little luck following it, but soon lost it as huge quantities of deadfall overwhelmed any remaining traces.
Fortunately, the forest that had burned up here must not have been terribly old. Most of the deadfall was only of moderate size instead of enormous tree trunks. Even so, it took a wretched, time-consuming slog to get to the ridgeline N of HP5100.
No relief here! Just more of the same ahead.
The ridge climbed steadily at a moderate to easy pace, as SPHP chugged N through the thicket. Looper stuck close by since doing anything else would only vastly increase the amount of effort required. Roaming any great distance was simply out.
Every now and then, Lupe reached a small patch of clear ground. Then it was time for a short break. Despite all the local ugliness, the largely unobstructed views were actually quite impressive.
After a while, the ridge became less of a steady climb, and more of a succession of little hills. A series of these high points appeared to the NW, where the ridge Lupe was on was about to merge with the next ridge to the W. A number of green pines, somehow missed during the conflagration, beckoned from the high points farthest N.
Maybe Looper was about to get past the burn? Wouldn’t that be nice!
Still took a while to get there.
Lupe finally reached the high points where the green pines were. She was already at more than 5,200 feet elevation as she continued N over a couple of minor high spots. Unfortunately, the hoped for end of the burn area, while in sight now, wasn’t anywhere close.
Off to the NW, though, something else was in sight, too. A skinny, little ridge, oriented NW/SE and capped with limestone, stuck up above the immediately surrounding terrain.
It was in the right direction. Was that Peak 5316?
Still a mile to go to get there, apparently a deadfall laden trek all the way. Ahead, the terrain sloped gently down to a skinnier part of the ridge Lupe was on that connected to another high spot. Instead of going straight across the skinny part, Loop roamed E a little way toward a somewhat grassier region to see what things looked like over there, getting a nice view of Peak 5208 in the process.
Heading NW back toward the skinny bridge to the N, Looper followed the brink of a line of limestone cliffs. Suddenly, intense excitement! Looking down, a herd of giant deers was racing away, having either heard or caught sight of SPHP snap, crackle, and popping through the deadfall. All the Carolina Dog could do was stand up here with a commanding view and whine.
After crossing the skinny section, Lupe reached the high point at the end of a 5,200 foot contour extending over 0.5 mile SE from Peak 5316. Poised on a chunk of white limestone, Loop took a final glance back at the territory to the SE. From here, she could see the whole ridge leading over to the N end of Peak 5208, and the Booker Ranch valley N of it.
Still plenty of deadfall around as Lupe turned NW for Peak 5316, but it wasn’t as bad as earlier on. In fact, the American Dingo found a faint road that helped tremendously until it curved SW over to another ridge.
Closing in on Peak 5316, Loop came to a ridge topped by a ragged line of limestone. When it got too gnarly, she stayed SW of it.
The ragged limestone ridge played out. Beyond it was a minor dip full of deadfall, but Lupe was soon climbing again. Passing beneath a power line, she scrambled up onto the SE end of the broader limestone cap on Peak 5316. More deadfall, of course! Loop worked her way through it, and reached the marginally higher true summit near the NW end.
A cairn! Quite a nice one. Surprising, actually. Lupe hopped aboard, accepting congratulations from SPHP on her peakbagging success.
Time for a break, the big one of the day. Lupe curled up on SPHP’s lap after munching some Taste of the Wild. The higher forested hills to the N that she’d seen from Peak 5017 were much closer now, and hemmed in the views in that direction. Everything to the S was wide open.
To the W were 2 similar flat-topped hills. Loopster had been to the more distant one, Peak 5240, about a mile away, in 2017. Fun to see it again!
Peak 5316 is mighty nice, SPHP, but it’s hard to get fully into the spirit of things without a chocolate coconut bar!
Yep, no apples, no bars. Life is tough, isn’t it?
Good chance we’ll live through these sufferings, though, SPHP! I see a couple of easier ways back. I can’t tell you how scintillating that long ridge trek to get here was, but it would sort of be nice not to have to leap over all those dead trees again.
Agreed, Looper. What’cha got in mind?
Two options! We could follow that power line S. Hardly any deadfall under it. Or we could go down that scenic valley, and cross over a single ridge into the next valley beyond. Looks a lot easier down there!
Think I like Option 2 the best, Loop. Thought we’d go explore the last little bit of Peak 5316’s NW ridge before we’re done. We can swoop down into the valley from there!
Clouds drifted by in the bright blue sky, and Lupe’s hour on Peak 5316 sailed away, too. Almost over and done with, by the time the American Dingo returned to the summit cairn for a last look around. Then it was off to explore the little stretch of ridge remaining to the NW.
More deadfall there, too, of course! The whole trek had been chock full of it, so anything less would have been a disappointment. A brief look at the beautifully forested hills to the N, a vision of what Peak 5316 must have been like not so awfully long ago, and the return to the G6 began.
The NW ridge curved W and sank into the pines. Lupe followed it down to a saddle where she picked up a dirt road heading S into the Option 2 valley she’d seen from above.
Oh, it was all so easy down in the grassy valley! Not a stick or stone to slow SPHP down one jot. Before long, the Carolina Dog was following the road higher as it climbed the ridge to the S.
Once on top, Loop followed the road SW until she was close to the rim overlooking the next valley. Deadfall covered the steep slopes, but the valley floor was all meadow with a dirt road running down the middle.
The valley was wonderful, once Lupe got down to it! An easy trek, and so many deer! This valley was the source of Cold Spring Creek, but it wasn’t until Lupe reached the lower end that a clear-running trickle appeared. Near the end, the valley curved SE and broadened out. And there was Peak 5017, glowing in the late afternoon sunshine!
Not much farther now!
4:11 PM, 50ºF, Song Dog Road – Well, that was it for Expedition No. 264. The American Dingo hopped in the G6, SPHP turned the key, and the 4 mile drive back to Hwy 89 began.
An awful lot of deadfall to deal with today, but we still had a good time, didn’t we, Looper?
Sure did, SPHP! That Option 2 route was fun and so easy with the roads and all the deer! Definitely the way to go.
Indeed! Went a little too well. Got back so soon that now I’m going to miss out on your Dingo concert this evening.
We’re still on Song Dog Road, aren’t we? Probably have time to warble you up a tune or two before we get back to the highway, if you want. I could probably do that much, even if the moon isn’t up yet.
That sounds great, Loopster! Warble away!
What would you like to hear, SPHP? Beethoven’s 9th? Led Zepplin’s Stairway to Heaven?
Oh, I had no idea it would be anything so elaborate! Whatever you have in mind would be fine.
How about the Chocolate Coconut Bar Blues?
Links:
Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition
Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 199 – Twin Sisters Twice & Castle Rock (4-12-17)
Want more Lupe adventures? Check out Lupe’s Black Hills, SD & WY Expeditions Adventure Index, Master Adventure Index, or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures!