Day 4 of Lupe’s 4th Summer of 2021 Dingo Vacation to the Bighorns!
8:14 AM, 0.6 mile SSE of Peak 12328 – Lupe stood gazing off to the WSW.
Not too bad, but kind of smoky again today, SPHP!
Yeah, I don’t know what it will take to put out all the wildfires out W, Loop. Fire season just goes on forever these days.
November should do it! You ready yet, SPHP?
10 minutes, Loop, and we’ll be on our way.
SPHP finished packing up the tiny house. If all went well, last night was the final time Lupe would be using it in 2021. 0.6 mile NNW, Peak 12328, her next objective, was all lit up by the morning sun. Plenty of talus to contend with again, but otherwise a straightforward proposition.
Alrighty, Looper! Think we’re ready. Head NE toward the low part of the ridge. Looks like the easiest route.
Maybe this time we’ll get to see something from the edge, SPHP?
Hope so! We’ll get to the top of this ridge. Really isn’t that far from here.
Once again, a more daunting prospect than it appeared from afar. The Carolina Dog had to scramble up several big talus benches to gain the ridgeline. Slow going, but she made it, and was immediately rewarded with a sweet view of the E end of Bomber Mountain (12,840 ft.) beyond Florence Canyon.
Having gained the ridgeline, the plan was to simply follow it NW to Peak 12328’s summit. It was all quite rocky, but not as big a deal as expected. Instead of endless piles of large talus to scramble through, most of the rocks were of more moderate size, and in quite a few places there was a bit of tundra, making those sections relatively easy walk ups.
Climbing toward a light-colored high point, clearly not the summit, but well up the mountain, Lupe enjoyed tremendous views from the edge of Peak 12328’s SE ridge overlooking Florence Canyon. Quite smoky to the E, where Ant Hill (10,980 ft.) was in sight, but skies were much clearer N toward Bomber Mountain and Cloud Peak (13,167 ft.).
Lupe got close to the light-colored high point, but didn’t go all the way to the top. No need to, since it wasn’t Peak 12328’s summit, and doing so would have involved expending a lot of unnecessary effort due to the amount of large talus in this region. Staying S of the light-colored high point, Lupe headed directly for a darker, more distant one to the WNW.
The dark high point didn’t prove to be Peak 12328’s true summit, either, but it wasn’t much farther. A 5 minute stroll, and Lupe was there!
10:30 AM, 53ºF, Peak 12328 – Air quality was deteriorating, with smoke pouring in from out of the SW on a 10-15 mph breeze, as Lupe arrived at Peak 12328’s true summit. Wasn’t too bad yet, especially toward the N.
Practically October, Loop, and still all this smoke! Kind of fitting, though, for the last peak of your Summer of 2021 Dingo Vacations. Been that kind of a summer!
This is my last peak this summer, SPHP?
Well, yes and no, Looper! Technically Mount Bailey was. We’re past the equinox now, so it isn’t even really summer any more.
Oh, so we’ve snuck a couple of peaks in after the deadline, aye, SPHP? Somehow makes me feel a little better about it, like we’re getting away with something!
That we are, Loop! Don’t think we’ve ever been on a mountain this high so late in the season before. Anyway, congratulations on climbing Peak 12328! May I shake your paw?
Of, course, SPHP! And a chocolate coconut bar, if you have one, would add a nice finishing touch to this little formality.
SPHP did have a chocolate coconut bar, but that changed quickly enough. As the American Dingo finished smacking her lips, it was time for a look around before it got any smokier.
There was lots to see! The true summit of Mather Peaks (12,400 ft.), where Lupe had been only yesterday, was only 1.25 miles SE. Mather Peak’s W summit, which Loop had run out of sufficient daylight to visit, was even closer. It was clearly lower than the E summit, but actually 20 feet higher than where the American Dingo was now on Peak 12328.
Elk Mountain (11,321 ft.) was 5 miles due W, and the standout peak in that direction. Interestingly, there was a small lake not shown on the topo map deep in the canyon to the SW.
The most stunning view, of course, was of Cloud Peak (13,167 ft.) and Bomber Mountain (12,840 ft.) to the N. Monument Peak (12,473 ft.) was also readily identifiable farther NW.
A green metal box, virtually identical to the one on Mather Peaks, was tucked away inside the cairn at the true summit. While Lupe relaxed, SPHP had a look at the registry contained within.
Unlike the registry at Mather Peaks, which had been damp, Peak 12328’s registry was in perfect condition. Russ and Bob Hamilton had placed it back on August 14th, 2009, more than 12 years ago. SPHP added Lupe’s name to the honor roll. Hers was only the 5th entry since Russ and Bob had been here.
Hey, Loop! Listen to this! Russ and Bob Hamilton’s entry is interesting. They came all the way from Powder River Pass climbing Loaf, Bighorn, Darton, Half-A-Day, and both Mather Peaks summits before coming here.
Wow, all in one trip? That’s amazing, SPHP! But which peak is Half-A-Day? You’ve never mentioned it before.
Dunno, Loop. I’ve never seen a Half-A-Day on any maps of this region. If I had to guess, since they mention it after Darton and before Mather Peaks, maybe they’re referring to Peak 12089 just N of Darton? It’s easily the most significant high point between Darton and Mathers.
That would make sense, SPHP.
Here’s the kicker, though, Loopster, and what’s really interesting. Russ and Bob planned on going down to Florence Pass from here, intending to camp at Gunboat Lake!
Oh, so they gambled on Florence Pass just like we’re going to!
Or maybe they knew the route would work, whereas I only suspect it will based on what we saw when you climbed Bomber Mountain from Florence Pass back in 2018? Anyway, I think this encouraging news!
Yes, indeed, SPHP! Unless we find Russ and Bob’s skeletons along the way!
Heh. That wouldn’t be such a great sign, now would it? Really hope that doesn’t happen, Loop. One other item of interest in what they wrote, too.
And what’s that, SPHP? Do tell!
They refer to Peak 12328, where we’re at now, as Scharazad Peak, which isn’t on any maps I’ve seen, either.
Scharazad? Strange name. Where did they come up with that?
Says here that Scharazad was the name of the B-17F bomber that crashed into Bomber Mountain, which is how it got its name. Everyone died.
You can stop reading now, SPHP, before you creep me out!
Creep you out? Why, what’s wrong?
Well, let’s see. First we see a blood-sucking vampire on the first evening of this adventure. Remember that, SPHP? It magically transforms itself into a rock before we can attack it just before sunset while it’s still weak. Then yesterday, shortly before we reach Mather Peaks, we see another rock that looks suspiciously similar. Everyone dies when their plane smashes into Bomber Mountain, and now we’re going to stumble across Russ and Bob Hamilton’s skeletons while searching for a safe route down to Florence Pass. These mountains are full of deadly dangers, SPHP!
Courage, sweet puppy! I’m feeling confident!
Of course you are, but what about me, SPHP? You’re traveling with an American Dingo to protect you. No wonder you’re feeling sassy! But all I’ve got is you!
Good point, Looper. Yeah, you’re pretty much doomed!
Hard to believe, but nearly an entire hour had already flown by! Even if the Florence Pass route worked without a hitch, the Carolina Dog had an extremely long trek ahead of her in order to get back to the RAV4 at the West Tensleep Lake trailhead tonight.
Loopster posed for a final photo of that splendid view of Cloud Peak and Bomber Mountain from Scharazad, or Peak 12328. Once the last minute of her traditional summit hour ticked away, it was time to start down.
Leaving Peak 12328, the plan was to find a way down to Florence Pass. If successful, Lupe would have it made. Well-maintained trails went the rest of the way back to the West Tensleep trailhead. It was a big gamble, though. Failure likely meant another long day at elevation, basically out of supplies.
Heading down Peak 12328’s W face, a long slope of huge talus dropped nearly 300 feet toward an almost level plain where the rocks appeared to be much smaller. SPHP’s progress was extremely slow. A much better scrambler, Lupe frequently forged on ahead, then had to wait for SPHP to catch up.
Took a while to get there, but once down to the plain, travel actually was significantly easier. The Carolina Dog promptly turned N, intent upon finding a route down to Florence Pass. Able to move freely now, SPHP did a better job keeping up.
The plain was extremely broad. Since Florence Pass wasn’t in view yet, it was a little hard to tell exactly how far E or W Loop needed to be, but the terrain across the pass over at Bomber Mountain provided a general guide. As Lupe continued N, the plain started dropping away.
Florence Lake, located right at the pass, soon came into view, removing all uncertainty over exactly where Lupe needed to go.
The slope steepened further, yet fortunately not enough to be an issue. Lupe was somewhat farther E than SPHP expected, but that turned out to be a good thing. The slope wasn’t quite as rocky here, and it quickly became clear that Loop was rapidly descending toward some big grassy stretches quite a bit farther down the mountain. Didn’t look difficult at all to get down to them.
The descent became easier and easier. Lanes of vegetation led down to the main grassy regions, which were essentially obstacle-free. Lupe had already lost the vast majority of the elevation she needed to in order to get down to Florence Pass when she reached the end of the grass.
A steep, but fairly short descent on large talus was ahead. A big gray stone shaped like a pyramid was near the start of this descent. Passing very close to it, requiring only minimal help from SPHP, Lupe discovered that this route down through the talus was about as short as it could be, and not that difficult. Proceeding more cautiously, even SPHP managed the descent without much trouble.
Large enough to be easily visible from both above and below, the gray pyramid rock turned out to be a great landmark for anyone wanting to travel between Peak 12328 and Florence Pass with minimal difficulty.
Gambling on Florence Pass had paid off! Lupe wasn’t quite there yet, but beyond the last potentially serious obstacle. In fact, she didn’t need to go all the way to Florence Pass, but could take a shortcut W down to Solitude Trail No. 038, which would take her past Gunboat Lake and the Fortress Lakes. They were already in sight down the valley to the SW.
2:38 PM – Roughly 0.2 mile S of Florence Pass, the American Dingo reached Solitude Trail No. 038.
Made it, SPHP! Our Florence Pass route gamble worked!
Yeah! Happy to say it went even better than I thought it would, Looper. Really nothing to it! Getting down Peak 12328’s W slope was the worst of it, and even that was just a tedious scramble.
Well, I’m glad it all worked out, SPHP. But I do have a question. What would we have done if we’d cliffed out?
Ugh! Don’t even think about it, Loop. We would have had to climb back up to the plain W of Peak 12328, then tried to head down the SW ridge all the way to Lake Helen, where we would have had to ford West Tensleep Creek to get to Mistymoon Trail No. 063. That’s actually a considerable shortcut we could have taken to begin with, but we would have missed out on seeing all these wonderful wilderness lakes.
A real treat was now in store for the Carolina Dog! Although the miles of trails leading back to the West Tensleep Lake trailhead passed through familiar, beloved territory of the Cloud Peak Wilderness, it had been a few years since Lupe had been here. The lucky Dingo was going to get to see many beautiful lakes and favorite places scattered among some of the most majestic settings in the entire Bighorn Mountain range.
Despite knowing the area well, both mood and scene were far different from what Looper had ever experienced here before as she headed SW toward Gunboat and the Fortress Lakes, first in line along the route. The sky had clouded up, and there was a bit of smoke in the air, creating the impression of a thin, veil-like surrealness.
Normally here during the bright hot days of July or August, the current morose browns of autumn and washed out grays of the mountains lacked the cheerful brilliance of summer wildflowers. Even the lakes possessed only a silver sheen devoid of color, depth, and sparkle.
The trail itself was empty, with no hint of its normal summer popularity, although this was a welcome change that only served to emphasize the remote vastness of the surroundings.
After passing the Fortress Lakes, Mistymoon Lake was next. Solitude Trail No. 038 dropped down to it, crossed West Tensleep Creek’s outlet, then came to a junction with Mistymoon Trail No. 063, the last trail Lupe would need to take.
Still 6+ miles to go when Lupe turned S on Mistymoon Trail No. 063. Two more lakes remained to add to the scenic splendor. Lake Marion came first, followed by Lake Helen, which was easily twice as large.
Despite the beauty of the surroundings, weariness was setting in. Going past the lakes, there had been more energy-depleting uphill stretches than SPHP remembered. The long march continued.
Beyond Lake Helen, 4 miles remained, mostly through silent forests, but Lupe eventually made it to large meadows. Passing a sign at the edge of the Cloud Peak Wilderness, a ford of West Tensleep Creek was less than 0.25 mile ahead.
The unseen sun had set, and dusk was deepening when the Carolina Dog’s ears perked up in response to a yipping chorus of coyotes, the wild dogs of the mountains. Re-entering the forest near West Tensleep Lake’s E shore, the little flashlight had to come out for the final stretch.
8:08 PM, West Tensleep Lake trailhead – What an adventure it had been! The Lost Twin Lakes Trail, base camp, Mather Peaks (12,400 ft.), camp again, Peak 12328, the Florence Pass gamble, then all the way back. All a grand and glorious success! Yet it was a very tired and hungry American Dingo that curled up high on her pink blanket prior to a bite to eat and the long drive home.
9-29-21, 1:29 AM, 70ºF – A light rain was falling as Lupe arrived home. She laid on the lawn watching, as SPHP immediately began unloading the RAV4 and lugging everything back into the house. 46.5 hours, and it would be October! Undeniably autumn now. No doubt about it, Lupe’s Summer of 2021 was completely and finally kaput.
Sad. Tragic. But summer would come again, 8 long months from now.
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