SPHP parked the G6 at the intersection of USFS Roads No. 134 and No. 626.1F (9:08 AM, 64°F). Lupe leaped out. She seemed surprised. Yeah, Loop, it has been a while, but summer is over. It’s time to resume your Black Hills expeditions again! Lupe was all in favor of that. Soon she was running through the forest sniffing madly, while SPHP struck out along No. 626.1F.
The road went NW a short distance before turning SSW. Near the turn was a big mud puddle off the W side of the road. The leaves of the aspen trees beyond the puddle were turning yellow, contrasting nicely with the green pines, murky brown water of the puddle, and clear blue skies. Come on over here, Loopster! Fall colors are going to be near their peak today. Let’s get a picture.
Lupe passed more mud puddles as she continued SSW along USFS Road No. 626.1F. The puddles were of little interest for her, except as occasional sources of mineral water. Lupe was far more interested in trees, specifically the exciting possibility that they might contain squirrels! She dashed through the forest, frequently stopping to check out the most promising prospects.
In addition to her squirrel objectives, Lupe also had several peakbagging objectives for the day. The first one was Citadel Rock (5,480 ft.), located over 2.5 miles SW of the G6. Lupe’s route, though, was going to be circuitous and considerably longer.
Lupe followed USFS Road No. 626.1F for a couple of miles to an intersection with No. 626.1 at a point a mile E of Citadel Rock. Instead of immediately turning W, Lupe and SPHP followed No. 626.1 going NW to No. 626.1A. No. 626.1A subsequently went W, and then SW, to No. 626.1C.
No. 626.1C wasn’t really even a road any more. It was overgrown with weeds, and blocked at many points by mounds of dirt and rock that had scooped up out of the roadbed for that very purpose. Lupe and SPHP finally got a glimpse of Citadel Rock high above while heading S up a valley on No. 626.1C. The road passed to the W of Citadel Rock before curling E and climbing to the top of a ridge.
From the ridge it was possible to get the first halfway decent look at Citadel Rock, which was now 0.25 mile N.
A single track trail led NNW through the forest following the ridgeline toward Citadel Rock. Lupe soon reached the base of the rock formation.
Citadel Rock was only about 40 feet higher than the rest of the ridge, but the walls of the rock formation were nearly vertical. Although experienced rock climbers would have no problem reaching the top, Lupe could only get part way up the S face.
Lupe and SPHP went counterclockwise around the base of Citadel Rock looking for an easier way up.
There was no route up from the E. As Lupe proceeded around the shady N face, it began to dawn on SPHP that maybe there wasn’t a way up for the American Dingo. The N face was even more vertical than the S face had been.
By the time Lupe was around to the SW face, things were looking better. However, after some initial investigation, SPHP didn’t think Lupe could get up from here either.
Lupe went clear around Citadel Rock, but found no safe way up for a Carolina Dog.
To SPHP, it seemed just ridiculous. Lupe had found a way up many a towering, impressive peak on her Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation. In fact, she had ultimately succeeded in reaching the top of every peak she attempted. Now, here, back in the Black Hills of South Dakota, there was no way up to the top of the very first little peak she tried!
Back at the S face of Citadel Rock, Lupe and SPHP made one last attempt to find a way up. She could get higher here than anywhere else, but there simply wasn’t a reasonably safe route to the top.
Well, Loopster, looks like you are either going to have to sprout wings or leave this one to the rock climbers. Although SPHP was a bit disappointed, Lupe took it all in stride. She took a break, enjoying Taste of the Wild, water, and half of SPHP’s chocolate coconut granola bar.
Lupe had a couple more peakbagging goals for the day after Citadel Rock, but they were far enough away so she needed to return to the G6 to get closer to them. Lupe and SPHP gave up on Citadel Rock, and followed the trail along the ridge back to the S. Instead of returning to the G6 the way she had come, Lupe continued S up onto a larger ridge before turning E.
A single track trail wound along the bigger ridge past scenic aspens before continuing on down to USFS Road No. 626.1F. Lupe reached the road well S of its junction with No. 626.1 where she had left it earlier.
Lupe followed USFS Road No. 626.1F all the way back to the G6 (1:48 PM, 72°F). Despite failure at Citadel Rock, Lupe still had two more peakbagging goals – Beartown Hill and The Needles. After a short drive, she would start first for Beartown Hill from the intersection of USFS Roads No. 222 and No. 222.1N (2:16 PM, 72°F).
Getting to the top of Beartown Hill (5,880 ft.) took hardly any time at all. Lupe gained only a little elevation from where she started. She followed USFS Road No. 222.1N less than 0.25 mile NE to reach two high points a little E of the road that appeared to be candidates for the true summit of Beartown Hill. The high points were separated by perhaps 400 to 500 feet. Lupe visited both.
Well, that was easy. Too easy, actually! The summit area on Beartown Hill was so flat and wide it hardly seemed like Lupe was even on a mountain. At least going to Citadel Rock had involved some elevation gain, even though Lupe hadn’t been able to reach the top. Now, here she was at the top of Beartown Hill with virtually no effort. So far, Lupe had enjoyed nice outings in the woods, but as a peakbagging day, the results were not inspiring.
Only one peakbagging goal remained – The Needles (5,880 ft.). In the Black Hills of South Dakota, the area normally referred to by locals and tourists alike as “The Needles” is in the southern Black Hills in NW Custer State Park. That area includes the Cathedral Spires (6,840 ft.) as well as other granite spires commonly viewed from along The Needles Highway (Hwy 87). The Needles in Custer State Park are a rather famous tourist attraction.
However, The Needles that Lupe intended to climb this day, was in the far NW part of the Black Hills of South Dakota. In fact, SPHP had never even heard of this The Needles before noticing it labeled on an old USFS map. Was it another grouping of granite spires? Was it just another mountain? SPHP had no idea, but Lupe was going to find out. This The Needles was located about 2 miles NNE of Beartown Hill.
From the second high point on Beartown Hill, Lupe and SPHP returned to USFS Road No. 222.1N. Quite encouragingly, the road continued NNE in the general direction of The Needles. As Lupe followed the road, SPHP was hoping it might continue all the way to The Needles. No such luck. The road soon reached a dead end.
Lupe left the road, temporarily turning NNW to stay up on a ridge, which hopefully would eventually lead to The Needles. At first, the terrain along the ridge seemed encouraging, but after 0.25 mile or so, Lupe came to a dense part of the forest. Ahead to the N, the ridge seemed to end, dropping steadily down a forested slope as far as SPHP could see. Other ridges and valleys were partially in view to the NW and NE.
SPHP consulted the maps. To get to The Needles, Lupe needed to stay up on the ridge, although she would have to drop temporarily down into a couple of saddles along the way. Although the topo map made the ridge look like an easy thing to follow, in the real world, the terrain seemed confusing and more complicated. Already, SPHP wasn’t quite sure Lupe was even on the right ridge.
Staring down the densely forested slope, SPHP lost confidence. There weren’t many landmarks around. It looked like it would be easy to get turned around and lost in this territory. If it had been earlier in the day, that wouldn’t have been too big a deal, but it was already close to mid-afternoon. Lupe waited expectantly, wondering what the hold up was, while SPHP pondered.
SPHP wasn’t at all confident that Lupe would even be able to climb The Needles, assuming she could find them. She certainly couldn’t climb any of the vertical granite spires called The Needles in Custer State Park. Maybe it didn’t make any sense to continue. On the other hand, if Lupe didn’t climb The Needles, Expedition No. 175 was going to be pretty much a complete peakbagging dud, however much Lupe enjoyed her romp in the woods.
Sigh. We better turn back Loopster, I don’t like the looks of this, not this late in the day. How would you like to go see Iron Creek Lake instead? Lupe barked enthusiastically. She was fine with Iron Creek Lake or wherever, as long as SPHP started moving again. Lupe wanted action, not all this indecisive dawdling around! Lupe and SPHP turned around and headed back to the G6 (3:20 PM, 72°F).
A short drive brought Lupe to Iron Creek Lake, a small lake hidden at the end of a gravel road (3:36 PM, 70°F). There were cabins on private property around the W end of the lake. Along the N shore was a store (closed for the season), a boat launch, small beach and a dock. The lake looked great to Lupe! She was thirsty. Lupe immediately ran down to Iron Creek Lake for a big thirst-quenching drink.
Although Iron Creek Lake looked like it might be quite a busy place in the summer, it was pretty quiet this time of year. A few people were fishing along the shore, and one was fishing from a small boat trolling slowly around the lake. Other than that, no one seemed to be around.
The little lake was quite beautiful, sparkling in the sunlight. A path led around the E end of the lake. Lupe and SPHP took a pleasant stroll not only around the E end, but clear around the lake. The people Lupe passed by were having some luck catching rainbow trout. Lupe saw a few ducks fly off, and even saw a family of ducklings paddle away.
Although Lupe and SPHP were in no hurry, it took less than 40 minutes to stroll all the way around Iron Creek Lake (4:14 PM, 70°F). By then, SPHP had a new idea. Maybe Lupe could still climb The Needles? Although The Needles was 2 miles N of Beartown Hill, there was another possible approach from a much closer starting point. USFS Road No. 130 passed only a little over 0.5 mile to the E of it.
Earlier, SPHP had rejected the notion of climbing The Needles from the E. The topo map showed Lupe would have to leave the road, drop down into Beaver Creek canyon and find a way across the creek, before even attempting to ascend The Needles. SPHP had thought that the E side of the canyon might be a cliff from the close spacing of the contour lines on the topo map, or that Beaver Creek might be difficult to cross.
What if these obstacles really weren’t that bad? It was now pretty late in the day, but why not at least take a look? Lupe and SPHP left Iron Creek Lake (4:14 PM, 69°F) determined to at least drive far enough along USFS Road No. 130 to see if there was any realistic possibility of climbing The Needles from the E.
Initially, the drive N along USFS Road No. 130 was not encouraging. Although the road was on high ground E of Beaver Creek canyon, the forest hid any views to the W. SPHP parked the G6 briefly at a junction with USFS Road No. 222.1D, intending to follow it W at least far enough get a view of the canyon. Lupe, however, refused to budge from the G6.
SPHP reviewed the maps again. Maybe the Carolina Dog was right. Another mile N, and USFS Road No. 130 would be at its closest point directly E of The Needles. SPHP got back in the G6. OK, we’ll try it your way, Loop! Lupe grinned, but said nothing as SPHP started driving slowly N again.
After going more than 0.75 mile, two hills close together could be glimpsed off to the W. The view didn’t improve much as SPHP continued driving N. At 1.25 miles, SPHP parked the G6 along USFS Road No. 130 at a point already a little N of the two hills. Lupe again refused to leave the G6, preferring to wait until SPHP returned with a quick scouting report.
Loopster, come on out! This must be it. That highest hill toward the W has to be The Needles. Let’s see if we can get there. Lupe wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but with a little coaxing, she hopped out of the G6. It was already 4:50 PM (69°F). Rough terrain and lack of daylight might prove an insurmountable combination of obstacles. Lupe and SPHP struck off to the W through the forest, regardless.
Almost immediately, the ground started falling off more and more steeply. Lupe descended rapidly into the Beaver Creek canyon. SPHP hoped she wouldn’t cliff out, and she didn’t. After losing nearly 200 feet of elevation, a creek bed of light gray rocks appeared below. It was totally dry. Lupe and SPHP were soon down there, following the creek bed N.
The creek bed was rough terrain full of stones. The canyon made a sharp turn to the W, after Lupe had followed it only a few hundred feet N. If anything, the creek bed was even rockier after turning W. Lupe and SPHP abandoned the creek bed and scrambled up the opposite bank. Lupe headed SW through forested territory full of brambles, gaining elevation as she went.
For a while, SPHP wasn’t certain if Lupe had crossed Beaver Creek, or if she had only made it over a dried up tributary in a side canyon. As Lupe continued gaining elevation steadily, though, it slowly became apparent that she actually was across Beaver Creek. That was encouraging!
Lupe soon got more good news. She got out of the worst of the brambles, and reached the top of a low forested ridge. The two hills to the W were in view again, closer than before. The S hill was lower than the N one, but they weren’t too far apart. The ridge Lupe was on rose toward the SW. A check of the topo map showed that Lupe should probably follow this ridge toward the lower hill.
The ridge went SW farther than SPHP expected. Finally, Lupe found a saddle leading W toward the two hills. Lupe crossed the saddle and started climbing. Near the top, the climb up the S hill was tougher than expected. A combination of large boulders and deadfall timber made the going very slow.
By the time Lupe reached the top of the S hill, it was decision time. The N hill wasn’t far away, but the sun was low in the sky. Clearly, going on to climb the N hill meant Lupe wouldn’t be able to get back to the G6 before dark.
Nope! No way Lupe was turning back! As long as Lupe could get halfway back before dark, SPHP was confident the terrain was distinctive enough so that Lupe wouldn’t get lost. Lupe and SPHP hurried down into a shallow saddle leading to the N hill. Soon Lupe was gaining elevation again. The climb was moderately steep, but without all the big boulders and deadfall that had slowed her down on the S hill.
It looked like Lupe didn’t have far to go to reach the top of the N hill. What would she find there? Would she be able to reach the summit? Was this hill really The Needles?
The sun was sinking, as Lupe reached a collection of medium-sized stones at the top of a very small summit area. And sure enough, there it was! A survey benchmark saying “Needles” was affixed to a rock next to the highest rocks on the mountain. Lupe had her first notable peakbagging success of the day!
Lupe and SPHP stayed up on The Needles as long as the sun remained above the horizon. The mountain wasn’t particularly high or prominent. The views were nice, but not particularly impressive. Yet it was still fun to be here, up on a seldom visited remote outpost of the northern Black Hills – a remote outpost that had almost eluded Lupe on this beautiful early autumn day.
Before leaving The Needles, Lupe went down near the granite spires that likely gave the mountain its name. When the sun disappeared from view, it was time to go. Lupe and SPHP hurried through the darkening forest, bypassing the S hill to the E.
Stars were shining by the time Lupe made it back to the low ridge W of Beaver Creek. It was so dark out, SPHP had to bring out the flashlight. The batteries were dead! They had been dying for a long, long time. SPHP had been carrying spare batteries around for more than 2 years. Would they work? They did!
By the light of the little flashlight, Lupe and SPHP scrambled down a steep bank to the dry creek bed of Beaver Creek. Lupe was somewhere S of where she had crossed it on the way to The Needles. Climbing up the E side of the canyon, cliffs came into view above. Fortunately, there was a narrow passage between them. Lupe made it above the cliffs. The steep slope began leveling out.
Lupe and SPHP plunged E through the inky forest for a long way after the ground was almost level. Sooner or later Lupe had to come to USFS Road No. 130, no matter where she had crossed Beaver Creek. SPHP looked to the Big Dipper in the night sky to stay oriented. Suddenly the road appeared only a few feet away.
In darkness and silence, Lupe and SPHP enjoyed a surprisingly long march N beneath the faint glow of the Milky Way. When Lupe finally reached the G6, her Black Hills Expedition No. 175 adventures were over. (8:32 PM, 57°F)
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