Big changes were in the air as Lupe’s super Summer of 2021 got off to a quick start in early May. SPHP replaced the good ol’ G6, which had been Lupe’s ride to adventure all her life, with a brand new bright blue 2021 Toyota RAV4!
The Carolina Dog lost no time in putting the shiny RAV4 to good use. A stay at Cousin Dusty’s house in Arvada, Colorado was followed up with Lupe’s first ever Dingo Vacation to sunny, exotic New Mexico to climb some of the state’s most prominent peaks.
Wyoming was the American Dingo’s next mountain playground with a second Dingo Vacation in June spent climbing fabulous peaks in the Bighorn, Absaroka, Gros Ventre, and Wyoming ranges.
It was all going great, until on July 10th, there was another big change in the air, this time not a good one. Smoke came pouring in from extensive wildfires raging out West, forcing a retreat from Wyoming back to home base in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Covid-19 dominated the news for the second year running. Travel to Canada was prohibited until so late in the season that SPHP decided it was simply too late for the Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood to make the long journey North.
So in early August, the plucky Carolina Dog set out again, this time on her first Dingo Vacation to the American West Coast in 9 years on a quest to find blue skies and escape the never-ending smoke.
Dodging smoke and/or fog in Washington and Oregon became the order of the day. Many partial successes, distressingly frequent defeats, and several glorious victories made for never a dull moment.
Lupe’s Summer of 2021 finally ended on a high note with a quick dash in late September to the Bighorns for a smoke-free backpacking trip to Mather Peaks.
Summer of 2021 Dingo Vacations Adventure Index
1st Summer of 2021 Dingo Vacation to New Mexico!
End of an Era – Farewell, G6! Hello, RAV4! (5-8-21)
Sierra Blanca, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico (5-13-21)
South Baldy & Peak 10281, Magdalena Mountains, New Mexico (5-15-21)
Whitewater Baldy, Mogollon Mountains, New Mexico (5-17-21)
Mount Taylor & La Mosca Lookout, San Mateo Mountains, New Mexico (5-19-21)
Sandia Crest, Sandia Mountains, New Mexico (5-20-21)
Chicoma Mountain & Polvadera Peak, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico (5-21-21)
Panorama Point, the Nebraska State High Point (5-22-21)
2nd Summer of 2021 Dingo Vacation to Wyoming!
Elk Peak, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming (6-23-21 & 6-24-21)
Bruce Mountain, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming (6-25-21)
Cedar Mountain, Absaroka Range, Wyoming (6-26-21)
On & Off the Reef Creek Trail to Windy Mountain, Absaroka Range, Wyoming (6-28-21)
North Breccia Cliffs, Absaroka Range, Wyoming (6-30-21)
Mount Leidy, Gros Ventre Range, Wyoming (7-2-21)
Doubletop Peak, Gros Ventre Range, Wyoming – Part 1: On the Dry Fork Trail to Brewster Lake (7-3-21)
Doubletop Peak, Gros Ventre Range, Wyoming – Part 2: Brewster Lake to the Summit! (7-4-21)
Hoback Peak, Wyoming Range, Wyoming (7-7-21)
Bradley Mountain, Wyoming Range, Wyoming (7-9-21)
3rd Summer of 2021 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast!
Illinois Peak, Bitterroot Range, Montana/Idaho Border (8-8-21)
Ross Creek Scenic Area Giant Cedars & Lake Koocanusa (8-9-21)
Robinson Mountain, Purcell Mountains, Montana (8-9-21)
Northwest Peak, Purcell Mountains, Montana (8-10-21)
Abercrombie Mountain, Selkirk Mountains, Washington (8-11-21)
Winchester Mountain, Cascade Range, Washington (8-16-21)
The Chain Lakes Trail & Table Mountain, Cascade Range, Washington (8-17-21)
Gray Wolf Ridge, Olympic Mountains, Washington (8-18-21)
Sunrise Peak, Cascade Range, Washington (8-21-21)
Sleeping Beauty, Cascade Range, Washington (8-22-21)
Silver Star Mountain, Cascade Range, Washington (8-23-21)
Multnomah Falls, Devils Rest & Angels Rest, Cascade Range, Oregon (8-24-21)
Lookout Mountain, Cascade Range, Oregon (8-25-21)
South Sister, Cascade Range, Oregon (8-26-21)
Paulina Peak, Columbia Plateau, Oregon (8-27-21)
Diamond Peak, Cascade Range, Oregon (8-28-21)
Marys Peak, Coast Range & the Devils Punchbowl to Beverly Beach, Oregon (8-30-21 & 8-31-21)
Roman Nose Mountain, Coast Range & Sunset Beach, Oregon (8-31-21)
Humbug Mountain, Coast Range & Ophir Beach, Oregon (9-1-21)
Brandy Peak & King Mountain, Coast Range, Oregon (9-2-21)
Mount Bailey, Cascade Range, Oregon (9-3-21)
2021’s Last Gasp
Mather Peaks, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming – Part 2: Base Camp to the Summit & Beyond! (9-27-21)
Peak 12328 & the Florence Pass Gamble, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming (9-28-21)
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