Huge sigh! One of many at long intervals. Dejected, Lupe lay bored on the floor. Sometimes she stared out the window. Sometimes just out into space. After a promising start with a trip to the Laramie Mountains in Wyoming in late May, Lupe had returned to the Black Hills on June 1st expecting great things from the summer of 2016. Instead, June immediately turned hot – too hot for her Black Hills expeditions. June shot by, and Lupe didn’t get to go anywhere in the hills.
Early July started out a little better, with two short Summits on the Air outings (Custer Peak & Boulder Hill) with Joe and Dusty. Then it was back to laying on the floor, forlorn and disappointed day after day. The middle of July came and went. Still Dullsville.
Lupe didn’t realize it yet, but great things were in the works. Preparations for her fabulous Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation were nearing completion. Lupe would soon be on her way much farther than she had ever been before to visit beautiful places and climb some spectacular peaks!
One mountain on the list, however, wasn’t that far away. Cloud Peak (13,167 ft.), the tallest mountain in the Bighorn range of north central Wyoming, was easily the highest peak Lupe would attempt to climb this year. For Lupe and SPHP, Cloud Peak meant a 3 day/2 night backpacking trip.
Why not take Lupe to the Bighorns even before the start of her summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation? Getting Cloud Peak out of the way beforehand would free up several days on her summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation she could use to climb much more distant peaks she might never otherwise have a chance to attempt. It was a good idea, and high time for some action anyway.
SPHP checked the weather forecasts. Starting July 18th, 4 consecutive days of 100°F heat with little or no chance of rain were coming to Buffalo, WY. Perfect for adventuring in the high country, where it would be considerably cooler! Much to her surprise and delight, Lupe was on the road headed for the Bighorns before dawn.
Only a few hours later, Lupe was in the Bighorns! Before tackling Cloud Peak, though, SPHP had a couple of other easier peakbagging objectives in mind for Lupe. The first one was really easy – the Washakie County High Point (9,600 ft.). At 9:48 AM (66°F), SPHP parked the G6 just S of Hwy 16 along USFS Road No. 25. This intersection is in Washakie County only a short distance W of the Johnson County line.
The only thing time consuming or unusual about the Washakie County High Point is that there are three candidates for the actual highest point. Two of them are about 0.25 mile S of Hwy 16 on a low forested ridge. The third candidate is about the same distance N of Hwy 16. Lupe and SPHP headed across the field toward the S candidates first. As a guide, SPHP had a copy of a trip report by Edward Earl dated July 30, 2002.
At the edge of the forest was a barbed wire fence. The lower part of the fence was a wire mesh which Lupe could not get through. Lupe and SPHP followed the fence W until Lupe reached a gate with orange posts where she was able to get by. After that, Lupe sniffed around exploring the forest while making the climb to the first of the high points.
Lupe visited the two Washakie County High Point candidates S of Hwy 16. Both were very rocky. They were only a few minutes walk apart, but due to the forest, not really visible from each other. Neither had much in the way of views, although there were partial views to the S and E from the SE high point. The most open views were actually from a lower rock outcropping a bit to the S of the area between the two high points.
Edward Earl’s trip report mentioned a cairn at both high point candidates S of Hwy 16, but Lupe only saw a cairn at the NW high point. After visiting both of the S candidates, Lupe headed NE through the forest until she reached USFS Road No. 25 near a cattle guard providing an opening in the fence line. Lupe is an expert at crossing cattle guards, which present no obstacle to her at all.
Lupe and SPHP proceeded across Hwy 16 a few hundred feet E of the Hwy 16/USFS Road No. 25 intersection. Shortly after re-entering the forest N of the highway, Lupe came to another barbed wire fence. It had 5 wires, and the lowest wire was dangerously close to the ground for Lupe. SPHP lifted Lupe over the fence. Lupe then continued N, once again up a gentle forested slope while looking for her final objective – the third and last Washakie County High Point candidate.
Edward Earl’s trip report mentioned a small summit, with perhaps 20′ of prominence just E of the Johnson County line in Johnson County. Lupe came to a pile of boulders that looked likely to be this small summit.
According to Edward Earl, the 3rd Washakie County High Point candidate was located on a small E/W running ridge 50 to 80 yards to the W of the small summit. Only 100 feet W of the small summit there was supposed to be a 4 foot high boulder with a cairn on it and a log leaning against it. Mr. Earl thought the true high point was 50 to 100 feet farther W of this boulder.
It sounded pretty easy to find. Lupe and SPHP headed W from the small summit looking for the 4 foot high boulder and E/W ridge. However, Lupe had no luck. She went well beyond 100 feet without seeing the 4 foot high boulder. There didn’t seem to be any sign of the E/W ridge either. The forest in this area was all on gently sloping terrain. A 4 foot high boulder or a ridge of any significant size should have been easy to spot. Lupe and SPHP circled around the area several times, but found nothing of interest.
Puzzling. Lupe and SPHP returned to the small summit with all the boulders. Was it possible this wasn’t the summit Edward Earl had mentioned? A short distance to the N, the forest sloped up toward higher ground. Well, Loop, let’s go check it out. I can’t think of anything else reasonable to try.
After going a little farther N, Lupe and SPHP arrived up on a ridge that was definitely higher than the small summit. This ridge seem to go roughly E/W, although it was N of the small summit, not W of it. Maybe Lupe was too far E? Lupe and SPHP headed W along the ridge. Lupe hadn’t gone too far, when there was a break in the ridge. Not far away on the other side of the break was a small hill or continuation of the ridge. Lupe headed for it.
On the W side of the break, Lupe did have to climb up about 20 feet to get up on a little hill from which the ridge continued on in an E/W direction. Perhaps this was the small summit Edward Earl had mentioned? There was another possibility, too. The hill featured a rock several feet high with a cairn on it. A rotting tree to the N of it might have been the log leaning against the 4 foot high boulder?
SPHP wasn’t completely certain where Lupe was in relation to Edward Earl’s directions, but this area did seem to fit the general description. It seemed clear that Lupe should continue exploring farther W along the ridge for at least a few hundred feet in any case. If this was Mr. Earl’s small summit, Lupe should find a four foot high boulder about 100 feet to the W. If not, Lupe should still cross the 3rd high point candidate somewhere along the way. Lupe and SPHP headed W.
Lo, and behold! There it was! Roughly 100 feet away Lupe did find a 4 foot high boulder with a cairn on it! It was sitting off by itself in the forest, like a true landmark. SPHP felt 90% certain this had to be the boulder Edward Earl was referring to.
Since Mr. Earl thought the actual Washakie County High Point candidate was a point along the ridge 50 to 100 feet to the W of this boulder, Lupe and SPHP wandered over in that direction. The ridge sloped gradually down toward the W, so the actual high point candidate was simply located along the ridge wherever the Washakie and Johnson County border crossed it.
There was no fence or other indication where the county line was. Lupe went far enough to make certain she had crossed the third Washakie County High Point candidate somewhere along the way. She then returned to the area about 80 feet W of the boulder. Smile, Lupe! As far as I’m concerned, you’ve done it and can claim another peakbagging success. Congratulations on visiting all three candidates for the Washakie County, Wyoming High Point!
Well, that really hadn’t been hard at all. By 11:48 AM, Lupe was back at the G6. Still plenty of time left in the day for another, more scenic and challenging adventure! Hazelton Pyramid (10,534 ft.) was close at hand to the SE. Lupe’s fun in the Bighorn Mountains was just beginning!
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