10:39 AM, 31°F – Intersection of USFS Road No. 710 & Hwy 385, a few miles S of Pactola Reservoir
Lupe was off to a late start, but for a good reason – two good reasons, actually. Last week’s Expedition No. 79 – The Snow Trek, had been an 11 hour in the field ordeal, and subsequent complete social fiasco. Big Sid, the neighbor’s dog who had been joining Lupe on recent expeditions, had been returned home late – 10 PM, and totally exhausted. Though Loop recovered quickly, Sidney had hardly been able to move for days afterward.
The neighbors were not amused. They’d been worried sick about Sidney being gone so long. Apparently Big Sid had a curfew. Who knew? Sid’s exhausted condition had earned SPHP the rather unflattering nickname “Dog Killer”. Sidney wasn’t going to be allowed to join Lupe on her expeditions any more. SPHP hadn’t even bothered checking this morning whether there had been a change of heart. Back to the old ways – just SPHP and Loop from now on.
So after The Snow Trek fiasco, something less arduous had sounded good to get back into the swing of things again. Rushing off early for another super long day wasn’t in the cards this time around.
The other reason Lupe was off to a late start was that it had been only 6°F when she’d gotten up. No sense in following up The Snow Trek with the Frozen Solid Trek was there? Lupe’s adventures are supposed to be fun, not dubious episodes of “Survivor”. Although Lupe had been eager to get going, SPHP had insisted on hanging around the house for a few hours letting the day warm up.
At any rate, Lupe was here now, and happy to be out and about again. She trotted W on USFS Road No. 710, following it gradually up a forested valley. A dusting of new snow that had fallen overnight was unspoiled, showing no tracks. Snow was plentiful, but not nearly as plentiful as it had been in the higher hills W of Nahant last week.
After going a mile, Lupe reached the upper end of the valley. Here the road leveled out as it went through an open forest of large, beautiful pines. Beyond the pines was barren ground, all clean and white beneath a blanket of snow. Lupe saw a big white hill (High Point 5217) only 0.33 mile away to the W.
This barren area must have burned in a forest fire many years ago. The dazzling white snow beneath the blue sky made everything look bright and cheerful. Lupe stayed on No. 710 as it curved to the S. The road soon circled back to the SE, passing through another stand of tall pines on the way.
By the time No. 710 emerged from this second stand of trees, Lupe was gaining elevation again. Off to the N was a smaller, snowy hill. The American Dingo left the road to climb it. From here, Lupe could see much more of the burn area. With so few trees around, she was treated to a panoramic view to the S and W, a rare sight in the mostly heavily forested central Black Hills.
To the SE, Peak 5800 was in view only 0.5 mile away. Earlier, SPHP had been thinking maybe Lupe should climb it. However, the day was now so nice out that greater ambitions had started to set in. SPHP had visions of Lupe making it all the way to Old Bald Peak (6,130 ft.).
The views were so wonderful from this small hill, that it seemed to make sense for Lupe to head W up to High Point 5917, the first snowy hill she had seen. High Point 5917 was considerably higher than where Lupe was now, so the views should be even better over there. Furthermore, High Point 5917 was on the way to Old Bald Peak, if Lupe was really going that far.
So instead of continuing SE to climb Peak 5800, Lupe went S back down to the road and started following it NW. She passed through the second grove of trees again, then kept going NW, leaving the road and ultimately climbing all the way to the top of High Point 5917.
No doubt about it, the views were even better here!
After enjoying the terrific views from High Point 5917, Lupe left going SW down the hill. She lost a couple hundred feet of elevation on the way down to a saddle leading over to the next ridge. Right away, she had to regain nearly all of the elevation she had just lost. When she arrived up at the first real high point on the next ridge, SPHP recognized this place.
Lupe had been here before, way back on Expedition No. 41. This ridge would go a little farther W, and then turn N on its way up to Peak 6046 about 0.5 mile away. Lupe had come down this way on Expedition No. 41 after climbing Peak 6046 by another route. It had been the last day of 2012, which was how Peak 6046 had become privately known as New Year’s Eve Peak (6046 ft.).
Returning to New Year’s Eve Peak was an appealing idea. 2014 wasn’t exactly new anymore, but there was still snow on the ground and the year was still young! Lupe set off to the W, following the ridgeline as it curved N. The final climb up the S slope was a little steep, but soon Lupe was back on New Year’s Eve Peak again.
It hadn’t taken all that long to get here, but the mood of the day had changed by the time Lupe reached the top of the mountain. The blue skies were gone. Gray clouds hung low over the hills. A chill light breeze blew in from the NE.
Lupe and SPHP sat together looking at the view to the W. Lupe had some Taste of the Wild. SPHP ate an apple. Old Bald Peak was still 2.5 miles off to the WSW. It was easy to see Lupe would have to lose hundreds of feet of elevation again to continue any farther W. Then it would be up and down all the way to Old Bald Peak.
In the end, SPHP decided the change in weather meant Lupe shouldn’t continue W looking for Old Bald Peak. Instead, the original idea of climbing Peak 5800 returned. It was much closer to where the G6 was parked.
Even that never happened. After leaving New Year’s Eve Peak, Lupe made it all the way back E to the NW face of Peak 5800. By then, the mountaintops were all hidden in the clouds. Beneath the dark, foggy sky, the gloom was thicker than ever. Tiny snowflakes fell. The top of Peak 5800 was no more than 200 feet higher, but Lupe would have to start by climbing a slippery snow-covered boulder field.
SPHP hesitated. Snowflakes swirled in the cold breeze. Maybe this wasn’t the day for Peak 5800, either.
And that was it. Lupe and SPHP left the mountain. Lupe took a shortcut going N down a long slope through a snowy forest. On the way, she heard gunfire. Now she was desperate for SPHP’s protection. SPHP urged her onward. Lupe reached USFS Road No. 710 again. Still, she didn’t feel safe until she was back in the G6 (3:07 PM, 32°F).
Barely 4.5 hours. Not much of an expedition compared to The Snow Trek ordeal a week ago. Too bad big Sid hadn’t been along today, he would have loved it! The shorter day would have been better suited to his needs. Who knew, though, if Big Sid would ever come along again?
As for Lupe, she hadn’t made it back to Old Bald Peak (which she had visited once before) or to the top of Peak 5800, but maybe she still would some day. At least, she’d had a good time, and seen some beautiful sights. And whether the calendar said it was the right day for it or not, she had enjoyed her journey back to the cold, lonely summit of New Year’s Eve Peak.
Links:
Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition
Expedition No. 41 – New Year’s Eve Peak (12-31-12)
Expedition No. 112 – New Year’s Eve Peak (12-31-14)
Expedition No. 147 – Silver Peak & Old Bald Peak (11-24-15)
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