Black Hills – Page 66 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 70 – East of Gillette Prairie (11-24-13)

Start (9:39 AM, 40°F), intersection of Slate Creek Road (County Road No. 309) & USFS Road No. 424, about 5 miles SE of Deerfield Reservoir

Oh no, not again! Ugh, seriously? What a chow hound! What was that icky red thing over there anyway? Some disgusting carcass no doubt. SPHP called a couple times before Big Sid came running.

No wonder you’re Big Sid, you’ll eat anything no matter how dreadful it is!

Sidney didn’t feel the least bit ashamed of himself. If anything, he took pride in his new found wilderness survival skills. On Expedition No. 69, he’d done the same thing. He’d suddenly disappeared, and after a short search SPHP had found him chomping away on an absolutely vile, sickly green, huge mucous-covered sac or organ he’d found in the woods.

What had it been that time? Maybe a deer liver or stomach. Whatever it was, Lupe had the good sense to show no interest. To SPHP the mere sight of it had been revolting. Yet there was Sidney, gulping it down with evident delight. An hour later, he puked it all up again. Charming. At least he hadn’t waited until he’d been returned home. The neighbors would have loved that.

Lupe wasn’t even 0.5 mile from the G6 yet when Sidney discovered this latest delicacy. Big Sid was only on his 4th expedition with Lupe. If he was going to be a regular, he was going to have to give up this nauseous-treat-in-the-woods routine. Other than that, Sidney had been doing fine on these expeditions and getting lots of needed exercise.

Onward! Lupe, Sidney and SPHP continued NW up USFS Road No. 424. The road turned N and climbed up to a minor pass. Staying on the road any further meant losing elevation, so everyone left it heading WNW. Snow was on the ground, but didn’t amount to much. Lupe was still gaining elevation. Before long, she was out of the trees and cresting a big, barren ridge. She had reached the E edge of Gillette Prairie.

Lupe reaches the E edge of Gillette Prairie, several square miles of rolling grasslands within the Black Hills. Photo looks W.

Looking NW toward high country of the limestone plateau from the E edge of Gillette Prairie.

This was Sidney’s 4th expedition with Lupe. He was supposed to be getting exercise so he could slim down, not finding disgusting things to eat in the forest, which he seemed to have a talent for. Photo looks W across Gillette Prairie.

Loop on the barren ridge E of Gillette Prairie Photo looks E.

No definite plan existed for Expedition No. 70, though SPHP thought it might be fun for Lupe to go clear around Gillette Prairie. W of Gillette Prairie were high ridges, part of the limestone plateau country. The ridges were some of the highest ground in the Black Hills. From Green Mountain (7,167 ft.) Lupe ought to have some fabulous views.

Going directly across Gillette Prairie wasn’t an option. Nearly all the open ground was privately owned ranchland, but it was all surrounded by Black Hills National Forest.

The highest part of the ridge Lupe was on was off to the NW. That might be the best way to go. Lupe and Sidney kept climbing along the ridge. The high point was back in the forest, but Lupe had enough of a view to see South Slate Creek valley ahead. Lupe would have to lose elevation crossing it.

Losing some elevation wasn’t a big deal. Lupe and Sidney proceeded on down toward the valley. Lupe was half way down or more when she came to a fence. The fence ran N/S. A house could now be seen on the NW side of the valley. That meant the land beyond the fence was likely private property. Continuing NW apparently wasn’t an option, at least not here. Lupe would have to follow the fence N for a while.

No problem, except where was Sidney? He was missing again! Lupe never wanders off for more than a few minutes. She was here, but Sidney was nowhere in sight. Where had he disappeared to this time? What had he gotten into now? SPHP quickly scanned the forest for movement. Nothing. Oh, brother – not good!

Shortly before reaching the fence, Lupe had crossed a dirt road. Loop and SPHP went back to it. No Sidney in either direction. No Sidney in any direction. SPHP started calling for Sidney. Several minutes went by. Big Sid did not appear. Worrisome, very worrisome.

Suddenly finding Sidney was top priority. The neighbors would be unhappy if SPHP delivered a queasy Sidney home to puke on their carpets, but absolutely and justifiably outraged if SPHP managed to completely lose their precious pooch!

The snow on the ground was insufficient to track him, and his Carolina Dog buddy wasn’t any help. Lupe didn’t seem the least bit concerned where her friend Sidney was. Maybe she reasoned that Big Sid had enough reserves to easily last him a month in the wilderness, and he would be fine. That might be true enough, but “We’ll go back to Gillette Prairie in a month or two to find Sid when he’s all nice and slim and trim.” sure wasn’t going to fly back home.

Gah! What to do? Where had he gone? Back to the red carcass? Back to the G6? Following some new wretched scent off into the forest? SPHP stood on a stump looking for movement, calling and calling for Big Sid.

Finally Big Sid reappeared, trotting happily back along the road from the S without a care in the world. Sheesh! He hadn’t been gone all that long, but SPHP was very glad to see him. At least Sidney finally responded when called, but better keep a closer eye on him from now on. SPHP was used to letting Lupe roam at will without having to worry she would disappear like that. Lupe always kept close tabs on SPHP, not the other way around.

OK, back to business. Lupe, Sidney and SPHP went down to the fence again and began following it N. Ten minutes later, the fence turned NE. Following it NE way down South Slate Creek valley meant losing a lot more elevation. Sigh. Maybe it was best to simply go S instead? Perhaps Sidney had the right idea after all?

Fine, let’s try that. Everyone went S. It was a fiasco. The fence went S for a while, a little W of the barren ridge Lupe and Sid had been on before, but eventually turned SE instead of SW. SPHP finally checked the USFS map and found that Lupe would have to go clear back to the G6, and then even farther S to get around Gillette Prairie this way. Everything to the W was private property.

No way! The northern route was better, shorter.

Following the fence S along the E side of the private ranchlands in Gillette Prairie backfired. There was no way W across the private land, and the fence eventually turned SE instead of SW. When SPHP finally checked the map, it was clear that going N was the best way around. All this time, Lupe and Big Sid had the same slightly closer view of Green Mountain (L) on the far side of Gillette Prairie that they’d had before. Photo looks W.

Lupe and Big Sid wound up back on USFS Road No. 424 heading N up to the same minor pass again. This time they stayed on the road beyond the pass, losing elevation for a while before leaving the road to venture NNW. They climbed up to a different rocky high point overlooking South Slate Creek valley where they stopped for a Taste of the Wild and water break.

The big useless loop back to the S and E had consumed 1.5 hours of daylight. Completely circumnavigating Gillette Prairie wasn’t going to be possible now. Maybe Lupe could still get over to the high country on the NW side, though, before turning back?

Lupe and Sidney continued on. They went clear down to South Slate Creek, crossed it, and found USFS Road No. 424.1B, a muddy road which led N up a hill on the other side of the valley. At the top of the hill, another road came in from the W. Since they had to be N of Gillette Prairie by now, Lupe and Sid turned W and followed it.

When the new road turned SW, Lupe and Sidney left it wandering W on level ground through the forest for a while. Exploring was fun, but the terrain eventually forced them S back to the road. Soon afterward, the road intersected USFS Road No. 297, the main N/S gravel road through Gillette Prairie. A marker said the side road they had been following was No. 297.4D.

Lupe and Sidney were finally getting somewhere! Another, better road (unmarked, but likely USFS Road No. 656) was on the W side of No. 297. No fences were over here, so it appeared to be USFS land. Lupe liked exploring the forest, so everyone left No. 656, but continued paralleling it a little to the N.

After a lot of circling around, Lupe and Sidney finally started making progress toward Green Mountain.

For a little while, Lupe and Sidney were making great progress toward Green Mountain. It was too good to last. No. 656 turned S and led into private property. A fence, a house and horses were up ahead. To get around them, Lupe would have to continue W down a thickly forested slope. How far she would have to go and how much elevation she would have to lose, was unclear.

Once USFS Road No. 656 turned S and entered private property, the jig was up. To continue W off the road down into this thick forest before starting a big climb up Green Mountain was not an option. It was too late in the day for such an adventure. Photo looks NW. **Hat Mountain (6,779 ft.)** which Lupe and Sidney had climbed on Expedition No. 69 is in view in the distance.

Too much time had been lost earlier. It was too late in the day for a long off-road, off-trail adventure through thick forest leading to a long climb. Green Mountain wasn’t happening. Ahh, well. So it goes. No big views today. Better turn back.

Lupe and Sidney didn’t care. Going to Green Mountain or back to the G6 was all the same to them. They were still having a blast exploring. At least Big Sid hadn’t disappeared again.

Although this was only Big Sid’s 4th expedition with Lupe, he was getting the hang of how things worked. He really enjoyed the long days in the hills, although his owners reported back after each trek that he was totally exhausted and could barely move for days on end afterwards.

For a while, the route back was a retracement of Lupe and Big Sid’s earlier travels. The dogs paralleled No. 656 through the forest back to No. 297, crossed it, and followed No. 297.4D to the junction with No. 424.1B. They then went S on muddy No. 424.1B down to South Slate Creek.

Going S down muddy USFS Road No. 424.1B into the South Slate Creek valley. Lupe and Sidney had taken their Taste of the Wild and water break earlier in the day up on top of the hill seen ahead. Photo looks S.

Loop checking for squirrels on the way down to South Slate Creek.

Upon reaching South Slate Creek, Loop and Sid made a change in the route back, exploring a road leading E downstream. The sun was getting low now. It seemed best to stick to the roads, at least until they were closer to the G6.

Bare aspen trees in South Slate Creek valley.

Down in South Slate Creek valley, the sun was already getting low.

Sidney in the snow in South Slate Creek valley.

Lupe and Sidney didn’t have to go too far down South Slate Creek valley before reaching a junction with USFS Road No. 424 again. They were farther N on it than they’d been before and took it heading S.

No. 424 would have led all the way back to the G6, but upon reaching the minor pass for the 3rd time today, this time from the N, SPHP decided to climb High Point 6624, the hill to the E. The last rays of sunlight were still glowing faintly on the highest distant peaks when Lupe and Big Sid arrived on top 15 minutes later. Everything else was in shadow.

The views were beautiful – peaceful, serene. The Black Hills stretched N to the horizon. To the E, the prairies of western South Dakota were dimly perceived beyond the hills.

The remaining light faded quickly from even the highest hills. A slow, steep trek down an ugly S slope covered with deadfall timber and thistles ensued. Reaching No. 424 again far down in the valley took a while, but the G6 was now close by. It was nearly dark when Lupe and Sidney jumped in (4:53 PM, 30°F).

A warning light came on when SPHP started the G6. Yikes! Not one, but two tires had low air pressure! Fortunately, enough pressure remained in each to make it home. Sidney was returned to his owners. Somehow he managed not to puke up any noxious materials overnight.

Even though Lupe’s adventures East of Gillette Prairie hadn’t led to any great accomplishments, it had still been a lovely day spent exploring the hills. Both dogs had fun, and various tragedies had been avoided. Some adventures that’s as good as it gets. Best to have enough sense to appreciate it!

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Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 227 – Centennial Trail No. 89: Spring Creek to Twin Sisters & Brush Creek (4-29-18)

Start – 9:09 AM, 68°F, Spring Creek trailhead of Centennial Trail No. 89

Half a dozen vehicles were at the Spring Creek trailhead off Sheridan Lake Road when Lupe arrived. Apparently the day was going to get off to a busy start, at least by the Carolina Dog’s standards.

Lupe didn’t mind having an opportunity to meet a few people and sniff with other dogs. They were all likely to be concentrated around this first part of the trail along Spring Creek and Sheridan Lake. She would have plenty of solitude soon enough. Loop was eager to get going, and was underway as soon as SPHP was ready.

The Spring Creek trailhead provides access to Flume Trail No. 50 and the 111 mile long Centennial Trail No. 89. A spur trail follows Spring Creek upstream for a mile to Sheridan Lake where intersections with both of the main trails are found. Spring Creek is one of the larger streams in the Black Hills. The upstream trek is easy and beautiful.

By **Spring Creek** only a short distance from the trailhead.

Several beam bridges cross Spring Creek on the way to Sheridan Lake. Before the first bridge a shortcut to the Dakota Point trailhead appears on the R. This seldom used side route is easy to miss, if not looking for it. The shortcut avoids the rest of Spring Creek and Sheridan Lake entirely.

Lupe wasn’t looking for a shortcut now. Water in all its forms lends beauty and tranquility to almost any scene. The American Dingo had plenty of time to take the scenic route. She skipped the shortcut and went on to the first bridge.

On the first beam bridge across **Spring Creek**. Lupe would cross a couple more of these bridges on her way to Sheridan Lake.

Lupe did meet several people and a couple of dogs, but only briefly. A fisherman hadn’t had any luck fishing Spring Creek. Although the sky was overcast, everyone was enjoying the unseasonably warm day.

The spur trail was practically level almost all the way to Sheridan Lake. Near the dam the trail became steeper, but not for long. Loop was soon up on the S end of the dam. She had reached Centennial Trail No. 89.

Lupe arrives at **Sheridan Lake** near the S end of the dam. Photo looks NNE.

Lupe could have taken Centennial Trail No. 89 SE along Sheridan Lake from here. Alternatively, Flume Trail No. 50 branches off just S of the dam. However, the plan was to explore the Centennial Trail N to the Brush Creek trailhead, a distance of nearly 8 miles.

The American Dingo trotted across the dam heading N. At the far end, a winding stone stairway led to the top of a small hill.

Looking S at the Sheridan Lake dam. The hill on the R is **Bluelead Mountain (5,170 ft.)** where Lupe had seen a mountain lion on Leap Day in 2016. The more distant higher hill R of Center is **Calumet Ridge (5,601 ft.)**.

E end of **Sheridan Lake**. Photo looks SW.

Leaving Sheridan Lake behind, Lupe crossed a footbridge over the Spring Creek outlet.

This footbridge spans the narrow chasm where Spring Creek flows out of Sheridan Lake. Lupe crossed it on her way to the Dakota Point trailhead.

After crossing this last bridge over Spring Creek, Lupe had nearly a mile to go on Centennial Trail No. 89 to get to the Dakota Point trailhead. This entire route was on an old road through the forest. For the first 0.5 mile, the road went N up a valley until it reached a saddle. At the saddle, the road leveled out and turned W the rest of the way.

No vehicles were at the Dakota Point trailhead. The road hike from Sheridan Lake to get here had been a bit dull. However, Lupe still had 6.8 miles to go to get to the Brush Creek trailhead, and the trail was about to get more interesting. The trail crossed a gravel road becoming a single track going downhill on the other side.

Being on the single track was more fun. The trail went both up and down in a forest that had been thinned. Overall, Loopster lost a little net elevation by the time she reached Sheridan Lake Road 0.5 mile NW of the Dakota Point trailhead.

After passing the Dakota Point trailhead, Centennial Trail No. 89 becomes a single track for 0.5 mile on the way to Sheridan Lake Road. Photo looks NW.

Once Lupe crossed Sheridan Lake Road, Centennial Trail No. 89 took her NW up a long valley. This was the start of a much more private and less traveled region.

Lupe had hardly gotten started up the valley when she crossed a tiny trickle of a stream. The day was quite warm, very warm if wearing a fashionable fur coat like Lupe was. The tiny stream featured a small, rather slimy green waterhole. The American Dingo was not shy about helping herself to a slimy drink, and a quick slimy, cooling bath.

*Slime? What slime? This is great! Nice and cool!*

Centennial Trail No. 89 followed an abandoned USFS Road up the long valley. The grassy road seemed like a part of nature.

Going up the long valley. Photo looks NW.

The trail continued NW or N following a maze of old roads. Most of this area was forested, but Lupe passed a few meadows, too. At one point she went by a large rock formation on the R. It was the only one, though. This wasn’t rough territory.

Lupe gained elevation steadily at a modest pace. A mile from Sheridan Lake Road she reached a minor crest. Beyond the crest the trail brought her to a large power line.

About a mile from Sheridan Lake Road, Lupe reaches a big power line. Centennial Trail No. 89 follows the power line for a couple hundred yards before disappearing back into the forest on the R. Photo looks NE.

Centennial Trail No. 89 turned NE here, following the power line for 200 yards before heading E back into the forest. Lupe quickly crossed a small saddle before losing elevation slowly as the trail entered a more open region. Stands of aspens were common.

After leaving the power line and crossing a small forested saddle, Lupe enters a shallow valley where aspens were common among the pines. Photo looks ESE.

Much of the Centennial Trail sees only light use. Trail maintenance is spotty. In many places trail markers are missing, have faded or fallen over. Unless some degree of alertness is maintained, it can be easy to miss turns. SPHP sensed Lupe might be approaching one of these places. The trail was going E or even SE. Somewhere around here, it would have to turn N again fairly soon.

The grassy road the trail followed took Loop well into the aspens before she reached the turn N. Fortunately, this turn was marked. Otherwise it would have been so easy to keep following the grassy road SE.

Centennial Trail No. 89 turns N (L) here. Fortunately, the turn is marked by an arrow on the brown wand (R). Photo looks ESE.

As soon as the trail turned N, Lupe began gradually regaining the nearly 100 feet of elevation she had lost on the way down into the aspens. She regained it all and more before reaching another saddle in a pine forest. This saddle was SE of High Point 5302 and SW of High Point 5331.

It was time for a short break. Small rock outcroppings a little SE of the trail seemed like a good spot. Lupe had water. She wasn’t interested in her Taste of the Wild yet, but was quite happy to help SPHP out with that chocolate granola bar.

Although there had been sections of downhill on the way here, none of them had been too significant. For the most part, Lupe had been gaining elevation. She was now at 5,200 feet, the highest point she would reach while actually on Centennial Trail No. 89 all day.

At the high point of Centennial Trail No. 89 between the Brush Creek trailhead and Sheridan Lake. Lupe’s at 5,200+ feet here. Photo looks N.

When break time was over, Lupe started the first significant downhill stretch she’d come to all day. At first, on the steepest part of the decline, Centennial Trail No. 89 followed an old road. Once Looper had lost 200 feet going generally N, the trail swung E while losing another 150 feet.

After losing more than 200 feet of elevation from the high point, Centennial Trail No. 89 leaves the road here to skirt the hillside on the L. Photo looks E.

Although the Black Hills are full of deadfall timber resulting from a pine bark beetle infestation, Lupe came to very little deadfall on the portion of Centennial Trail No. 89 that she explored today. This short stretch was an exception. Photo looks ENE.

0.75 mile from the high point where Lupe had taken her short break, Centennial Trail No. 89 bottomed out. It now started up a valley that led NNE. Lupe was about to enter the Bald Hills, an area of grasslands covering 2+ square miles within the Black Hills National Forest. She soon arrived at a saddle E of Twin Sisters (5,244 ft.).

Centennial Trail No. 89 passes right by the **Twin Sisters**. The **E Twin Sister** is the hill seen here. Photo looks WSW.

The E Twin Sister is the highest, and sits along the edge of the Bald Hills. Centennial Trail No. 89 goes right by it. This was an opportunity for Lupe to get a little peakbagging in! Loop and SPHP left the trail and made the short climb to the top.

Loop arrives at the summit of the **E Twin Sister**. **Peak 5800** is seen on the L. The lower grasslands are part of the area known as the Bald Hills. Photo looks WNW.

**Peak 5800** is on the L. The most distant forested hill R of Center is the mountain Lupe knows as **New Year’s Eve Peak (6,046 ft.)**. Photo looks WNW.

The summit of the E Twin Sister was a short ridge running N/S. Deadfall timber littered the entire N end, and part of the S end, too. A patch of ground right at the true summit was open and only a bit rocky. Many dead trees had fallen over, but enough dead and live pines were still standing to mar the views in most directions.

Still, this wasn’t a bad vantage point. Lupe could see a number of peaks she had been to before. She also enjoyed a commanding view of the Bald Hills to the E.

**Five Points (6,221 ft.)** (L of Center) is on the horizon. The nearest ridge beyond Lupe is the lower **W Twin Sister**. Photo looks SW.

Lupe liked this commanding view of the **Bald Hills**. Photo looks E.

The temperature must have been in the 70’s °F. The physical exertion of following the trail and climbing E Twin Sister was enough to make it seem very warm. Lupe and SPHP were both ready for water and a longer break. The Carolina Dog thought maybe it would be best to eat the other chocolate granola bar right now before the chocolate melted. That seemed like a good idea, and the deed was done.

The heat made Loop and SPHP lazy. Twin Sisters was a nice spot with at least some views. Why not relax a bit? Lupe laid down next to SPHP. She enjoyed being petted while scanning the Bald Hills below for any signs of movement. A few insects buzzed by. The warm air and light breeze felt good when you weren’t doing anything.

SPHP woke up. The American Dingo was still right there. She hadn’t moved a muscle. The sky had been overcast when Lupe arrived up on Twin Sisters, but now it was sunny. That really had been a nice break, but it was time to get going. Loop and SPHP headed NE down toward Centennial Trail No. 89.

After a nice long break up on Twin Sisters, Lupe heads back down to Centennial Trail No. 89. Photo looks NE.

Centennial Trail No. 89 headed NE losing elevation as it crossed the Bald Hills. It looked like it was going to go down a long valley, but instead curved E. The trail climbed again staying in the Bald Hills a little longer before turning N and heading for the trees. Before it reached the forest, Lupe took another look back at Twin Sisters.

Looking back across the Bald Hills toward **Twin Sisters** (L), **Peak 5800** (Center) & **New Year’s Eve Peak** (R). Photo looks SW.

0.5 mile NE of Twin Sisters, Centennial Trail No. 89 entered the forest once more. Lupe lost elevation gradually over the next 0.5 mile. The trail rounded a ridge and came to a tiny Dingo-sized forest.

Approaching the tiny forest. Photo looks NNW.

After climbing through the tiny forest, Lupe reached a saddle where she crossed a gravel road. On the other side Centennial Trail No. 89 began losing elevation again. The Carolina Dog was now on the final stretch approaching Brush Creek.

Near the start of the final stretch leading down to Brush Creek. Photo looks N.

*I’ll have you know this was a very exciting part of the trail. I found a squirrel!* Photo looks N.

Before long, Lupe was at Brush Creek. Brush Creek didn’t amount to much. Hardly a trickle. However, there were a couple of nice pools of water. The Carolina Dog was glad to see them!

*I was so thirsty after barking at that squirrel!*

*Maybe we should follow streams all the time now that it’s getting warm out? So nice to be able to cool off!*

The Brush Creek trailhead was across a gravel road from Brush Creek. One vehicle was here, but no one was around. The trailhead featured a map and information about Centennial Trail No. 89.

Centennial Trail No. 89 winds 111 miles from Bear Butte near Sturgis, SD to Wind Cave National Park in the southern Black Hills.

At the Brush Creek trailhead, Lupe was somewhere around 8.5 miles from where she’d started out at the Spring Creek trailhead this morning. This was far enough for one day, since she now had to go all the way back. When SPHP was done looking at the posted map and information about the trail, Lupe set off again. This time she was heading S.

By the time Loopster made it back to the Bald Hills, the sunny day had vanished. A thunderstorm was approaching out of the SSW.

A thunderstorm was approaching out of the SSW by the time Lupe made it back to the **Bald Hills**. The **E Twin Sister** is dead ahead. Photo looks SW.

Loop and SPHP left the trail to take a shortcut across the Bald Hills to Twin Sisters (5,244 ft.). The original plan had been to climb both the E and W Twin Sisters on the return trip, but with the storm approaching, Lupe would be lucky to beat it to just the E Twin Sister.

People were shooting guns somewhere off to the E not too far away. Lupe couldn’t see them, but the sound of gunfire so close by made her a nervous wreck. She wanted to find a place to hide, but SPHP urged her on toward the E Twin Sister.

Pasque flowers, the state flower of South Dakota, were blooming out on the Bald Hills.

When Loopster reached the summit of the E Twin Sister again, she felt better. The gunfire was far away now. She really wasn’t as safe as she thought, though. Trees swayed in a gusty S wind, light rain was falling, thunder rumbled, and occasional lightning flashes could be seen only a few miles away.

Back at the summit of **E Twin Sister** for the 2nd time today. Photo looks NW.

**Five Points** on the horizon seen through light rain. Photo looks SW.

**Five Points (6,221 ft.)**. Photo looks SW.

Although the storm wasn’t bad yet, due to the lightning SPHP was eager to leave the summit almost as soon as Lupe arrived. All thoughts of climbing the W Twin Sister had gone out the window, too.

When SPHP started down, Lupe didn’t follow. She wanted to stay. She felt safe from the gunfire here, and apparently had fond memories of the earlier nap on E Twin Sister. Clearly, the Carolina Dog was hoping for a repeat performance.

Despite the storm, Loopster wanted to stay up here on **E Twin Sister**. She was looking forward to another nap!

Loopster still had a long way to go. Even if there hadn’t been a storm, there wasn’t time for another nap. SPHP coaxed Loop into returning to the trail.

The storm struck only a glancing blow. It rained, but never too hard. After a while the sun came out. The air was cool now. It was evening. The secluded trek along Centennial Trail No. 89 was wonderful. Loop saw deer and wild turkeys. She went on and on, sniffing happily.

Another storm came and went, striking another glancing blow. Lupe got wet, but not soaked. Near the end of the day, she took the shortcut leading down to the spur trail near the first bridge over Spring Creek. The sun was down and light was fading by the time Lupe was closing in on the Spring Creek trailhead again. It wasn’t dark when she arrived back at the G6, but would be soon. (8:06 PM, 52°F)

Time to head home for Alpo, and a night dreaming of days yet to come on Centennial Trail No. 89.