8:57 AM, 61ºF, Hunter Ranch at the end of Crook County Road No. 198 –
Wish you hadn’t brought the dog!
Doug Hunter, owner of the ranch that Lupe needed permission to cross to get to Inyan Kara Mountain (6,360 ft.), was soft-spoken. A tall, older man, he didn’t look entirely well. His face had a reddish-purple cast to it. SPHP felt a little bad about showing up unannounced to ask this favor of him. The softly smiling reply was a bit sheepish.
Well, I did.
Doug sighed.
I’ll tie up my dog then. If I don’t, he’ll follow you.
Thank you, so much! By the way, we brought you a present.
You didn’t have to do that.
It is your land. Realize that we’re asking you a favor, so thought we better come prepared to do a little something for you, too. It’s nothing much. Hang on a moment.
Opening the trunk of the G6, SPHP produced a 6 pack carton of Corona Extra. Doug seemed surprised, maybe even faintly pleased, but said nothing. He didn’t turn it down, though, when SPHP handed it to him. A truck pulled up, as Doug accepted the gift.
They’re here for Inyan Kara, too.
Hunters?
No, hikers like you.
Doug went to tie up his black and white salt and pepper-coated dog, which was about the same size as Lupe and showing a lot of interest in her. SPHP parked the G6 near the fence close to the house, let Lupe out, and grabbed the backpack. As the Carolina Dog passed by, Mr. Hunter was chatting with the new arrivals.
We’ve established a no pet policy. One dog got bit by a rattler, and another was attacked by a badger. The owners wanted to blame us.
Yikes! Awkward! Maybe that young couple had a dog, too, had called ahead, and been told not to bring it? Clearly, Doug had been expecting them. Waving cheerily, but briefly, SPHP stepped up the pace.
Thanks again! We’ll be out of your hair in just a few minutes.
Making it to the end of the fence around the ranch house yard, Lupe turned W following a dirt road down into a little dry creek bottom, then up the other side. In bright sunshine, Inyan Kara loomed ahead. Not all that far to the fence line marking the boundary of the Hunter ranch, and start of the isolated 2 square miles of Black Hills National Forest on which the mountain sat.
Even after ducking under the fence, Lupe and SPHP hurried on, angling NW now toward the trees. Out of sight, out of mind!
Reaching the forest, Lupe continued NW for a little way, still climbing gradually. When SPHP figured she’d gone far enough, it was time to turn W straight up the steep slope leading to the top of the E ridge. Loop was soon there, popping up onto the ridgeline near a minor rock formation. Inyan Kara’s summit was already in sight only 0.5 mile away.
Looper was going to have to go a lot farther than 0.5 mile, though, to get to the top of Inyan Kara. The igneous mountain, an ancient wanna-be volcano that never erupted, is shaped like an elongated horseshoe, or an enormous, partially coiled serpent. A V-shaped valley hundreds of feet deep was between the American Dingo and the summit.
This E ridge was part of the serpent’s tail. Loop would have to travel the length of the serpent’s coiled spine clear around to the S and SW before heading NE to the summit. Before doing all that, Lupe wandered a little farther N to where the serpent’s tail began to drop more steeply. Her clockwise journey around to the summit would start from here.
As Lupe started the journey S, the forested ridge was narrow, but nicely rounded. Minor rock outcroppings protruded at various points like petrified serpent vertebrae. Slowly, but steadily, Loop gained elevation as she went, occasionally coming to minor dips and high points along the way. An even higher spot was always reached a little farther on.
Tree effectively blocked the views, but every now and then, Loop came to small openings where she could see off into the distance. At first, all of these openings looked E or SE out over the plains surrounding Inyan Kara. From the first of these openings, the main body of the Black Hills looked like little more than a long blue ridge. Farther on, the piney tablelands of the Sweetwater Mountains High Point (6,440 ft.) were discernable on the SE horizon.
Lupe was SE of the summit by the time she got her next look at it. From this angle she had the best view of the columnar jointing on the S face of the summit region she would have all day. Although not as spectacular, Inyan Kara bore a certain resemblance to Devils Tower (5,112 ft.), NE Wyoming’s most famous and dramatic mountain.
Inyan Kara had not escaped a pine beetle infestation that hit the Black Hills region more than 10 years ago. Considerable quantities of deadfall timber were strewn along the ridge. As Lupe turned W along the S part of the ridgeline, she had to dodge more and more deadfall. Many broken tree trunks amidst this shattered mess were laying perpendicular to her direction of travel, greatly slowing SPHP’s progress.
The weather was deteriorating, too. What had started out as a sunny morning had clouded over to a considerable degree, especially toward the S. An early gentle breeze was now a 15 to 20 mph wind sweeping in out of the SW. SPHP kept an eye on some of the more threatening trees still standing in the swaying, creaking forest.
At the S end, Lupe came to broader grassy region. For the first time, she could now see the plains SW of Inyan Kara. Turning NW to explore the SW part of the ridge, the deadfall was really icky, and the Carolina Dog had to put up with the full force of the SW breeze roaring up the slope.
Beyond the worst of the deadfall, Lupe came to a dip in the ridgeline and another, smaller grassy spot. This led to a short climb, culminating at forested HP6262, the highest point along the Inyan Kara serpent’s body.
The serpent’s neck had been crushed. To get to the head (summit!), which was now off to the NE, but not easily seen due to all the trees, Lupe had to descend 130 feet into a wide saddle leading to Inyan Kara’s N ridge. She was happy to do so. This descent immediately got her into the leeward protection of the ridge and out of the wind.
The downslope was full of deadfall, slowing progress again, but even so, Lupe was soon approaching the bottom. The highest part of the saddle was also littered with deadfall. However, by staying toward the SE, Loop was able to cross the saddle in nearly obstacle-free open forest. A few minute’s tramp, and the American Dingo stood confronted by the first rock formations of the N ridge.
Inyan Kara’s N ridge was much rockier than the long outer spine of the serpent Lupe had just come from. Exactly where to start up wasn’t clear, and maybe didn’t make much difference, although it seemed to SPHP it might be best not to start too close to the S end. Picking a spot just N of some thin-layered rock formations, Lupe began her ascent.
Open lanes strewn with pine needles existed among the rocks, making for a fairly easy, though somewhat steep, trek higher. Upon regaining the elevation she’d lost on the way down to the saddle from HP6262, Looper reached an initial top at HP6285. To the S, she already had a good view of the ridge she’d traveled to get here. Off to the NNE, she could once again see Inyan Kara’s summit.
As Lupe and SPHP were taking a look around from HP6285, the young couple that had arrived shortly before Loop left the Hunter ranch caught up. A quick exchange of greetings, and they pressed on ahead.
Lupe was soon hot on their trail. The summit was only 0.25 mile away now, and not even 100 feet higher. However, the route N following breaks among knobby rock formations was up and down with several steep or narrow spots along the way. The top of the ridge was rough enough so it was often best to stay somewhat below it, usually toward the E overlooking the deep central valley.
At one point, a large rock formation provided a break in the trees. Both Devils Tower (5,112 ft.) and the Missouri Buttes (5,374 ft.) were faintly visible on the far NW horizon.
Just before the final rocky spurt to the summit, Lupe came to a big dip requiring a bit of a down climb. The young couple were already beyond the dip, paused not far below the top, as Loopster approached.
The young man pushed on as Lupe passed the woman, who remained where she was. Up a little rocky ramp, and the Carolina Dog was there! On top of Inyan Kara (6,360 ft.), Lupe and SPHP met Marcus Neiman. He’d already removed the rocks of a cairn located a little W of the true summit.
Roughly carved into the bedrock where the cairn had been was an item of historical significance. “74 Custer”. The inscription had been here for more than 146 years, since July 23, 1874, when an expedition led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer had been in the Black Hills searching for gold.
SPHP asked Marcus about the young woman with him.
She’s just nervous about this last part? She’s practically here already! A shame to come so far, get so close, and not make it to the summit. Really nothing to it now. Mind if Lupe and I talk to her? We’d just like to give her a little encouragement. No question she can do this!
Marcus had no objection.
What’s her name?
Martina.
Lupe and SPHP returned to where Martina sat in a partially sheltered spot below a juniper bush. She couldn’t have been any more than 15 or 20 feet lower than the true summit, or 100 feet from it, but the top wasn’t visible from where she waited.
What could be seen of the rocky ramp higher might seem a bit exposed to someone not used to the mountains. In fairness, Inyan Kara’s N ridge, which Martina had already come across, was more intimidating than the vast majority of mostly gentle peaks in the Black Hills region. The gusty SW wind was blowing up here, too, which couldn’t have been helping matters.
Despite Lupe’s calming presence, and SPHP’s attempts to reassure her, Martina repeatedly said she was fine with staying right where she was. Her choice, of course. SPHP was about to give up when an idea struck. The problem was that short, but psychologically intimidating, rocky ramp higher into the wind and the unknown. Was there another route?
Climbing only a few steps N past the juniper bush, there was! Piece of cake! Martina could even see the critical part from right where she was. Not expecting any miracles, SPHP pointed out that, if she could get to where SPHP stood only a dozen feet from her, Martina had Inyan Kara made. The rest was even easier.
A moment’s hesitation, then without saying a word, Martina stood up. Something inside had clicked! Literally 2 minutes later, though perhaps still a bit nervous, Martina was standing, smiling and hugging with her husband, at the true summit of Inyan Kara.
Congratulations, were in order, of course! Then a few photos. SPHP had the temerity to ask Martina if she liked coconut?
Yes …
How about chocolate?
Martina shot SPHP an incredulous look.
Yeeessss …
3 small chocolate coconut bars were in the backpack. SPHP offered one each to Martina and Marcus, then split the remaining one with an eager Dingo.
A registry was in a round plastic bin tucked under a juniper bush along the N edge 10 feet from the true summit. Somehow, the upper edge of the registry notebook had been gnawed away. Marcus and SPHP both created new entries.
A couple of survey markers were up here, too. One was 10 feet W of the true summit. The other, stamped with an arrow, was 15 feet NE.
Half a dozen miles W of the main body of the Black Hills, Inyan Kara stood in grand isolation out in the high prairies of E Wyoming, part of a line of mostly smaller hills. Sweeping views in all directions, although a bit murky on this unsettled day.
Marcus said he had climbed Missouri Buttes (5,374 ft.). Surprising! The buttes were on private property, so SPHP was under the impression that only a limited number of people had ever been there.
Marcus and Martina were soon ready to go. After Marcus rebuilt the cairn over “74 Custer”, they bid Lupe farewell and were on their way.
Alone again. Lupe had been here once before on a November day, nearly 6 years ago. SPHP had seen her old entry in the registry, still there and legible on a page now smudged and dirty. That had also been a gray, windy day, but colder, darker, and even windier than this one. SPHP encouraged Looper to pose as she had stood back then, buffeted by the breeze with clouds approaching out of the SW.
6 years gone, a sobering thought. Who knew if the Carolina Dog would ever return to Inyan Kara again? What once was, is no more.
146 years ago when someone inscribed “74 Custer” up here, this had still been Sioux territory. Lupe might have seen bison on the prairies below. Despite the coming huge Native American victory at Little Bighorn in June, 1876, that had all been about to change forever. By the end of 1877, with the surrender of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, no numerous native tribe still roamed freely in the United States.
As the afternoon wore on, the winds died down. Clouds sailed away. The day became sunnier and warmer. On a remote sacred mountain, Lupe lingered.
On a clear day, it might be possible to see the Bighorn Mountains far to the W, but Loop saw no sign of them today. A second somewhat lower region of the summit area was hidden in forest off to the E. Together, Lupe and SPHP went over to explore it. Cactus! Had seen only a little of it back near the true summit, and none on the way up, but there was a fair amount of it way out at the E end.
Loopster got a couple of small, but painful cactus spines in one of her paws. SPHP pulled them out, but she had had it! The American Dingo demanded SCOP (Standard Cactus Operating Procedure) from then on as long as she was in this region. She wouldn’t budge unless SPHP either carried her, or explored ahead before giving her the signal indicating that the route was cacti-free!
1.5 hours after arriving, and, well, you know the drill. A final look around, and Lupe stood perched in a light breeze at the true summit of Inyan Kara (6,360 ft.) for the last time. Solitude, beauty, isolation, joy!
Onward! Puppy, ho!
Actually, SPHP led the way for the first little bit. Lupe hung out up on Inyan Kara’s summit, waiting until SPHP had already gotten a good start. She then came bounding along the rocks, catching up in a jiffy.
The first part of the return was a retracement of the same route Looper had taken up Inyan Kara’s N ridge.
Still time! Looper’s explorations of Inyan Kara weren’t over. Once the American Dingo made her way back to the saddle leading to HP6262, Lupe instead turned N, venturing into a valley she’d never seen before.
Usual sort of thing. The remote valley steepened, becoming V-shaped with plenty of deadfall to contend with. 0.75 mile later and 850 feet lower, Loop emerged from the pines as the valley widened and flattened out. She was way over on the NW side of the mountain now.
Traveling a grassy road that soon turned to dirt, the Carolina Dog circled the base of Inyan Kara clockwise, usually out on open prairie, but at times in darkening forest. Not all that late, but evening comes stealing out of the E early while stalking the weary November sun.
To the N, Peak 5475 and O’Haver Peak (5,530 ft.) across the rumpled prairie, both looking much more significant now than they had from above. To the NE, Hooker Peak (5,862 ft.), Iron Mountain (5,887 ft.) and Duling Hill (6,005 ft.), old friends Lupe had once visited before.
Near the end, shortly before the dying day passed away, the sun cast a brief gleaming glance back as it fled into the W. The American Dingo paused. A moment of tranquil beauty.
Then it was gone. Lupe was too, trotting S in the shadow of Inyan Kara. (End, Hunter ranch HQ, 4:47 PM, 59ºF)
Links:
Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition
Black Hills, WY Expedition No. 104 – Inyan Kara Mountain (11-9-14)
The American Surveyor: Sacred Mountain – Climbing Inyan Kara
Many thanks to Douglas Hunter for granting Lupe permission to cross his ranch!
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