Even standing right next to the marker, the numbers on it were so faded SPHP could barely make them out. 313.1G. Excellent! No doubt about it now, this icy dirt road leading into the trees was a USFS Road. Come on out, Loop, this is it! Lupe was out of the G6 in a flash (8:58 AM, 39°F). She thrashed around rolling on the ice in her excitement and desire to cool off.
Most of the land right along Carroll Creek Road (County Road No. 313) was privately owned in this area, but SPHP’s old USFS map did show national forest land coming right down to Carroll Creek Road in a few places. Finding USFS Road No. 313.1G meant Lupe had national forest access around the private property nearby. She could get to Peak 5360.
Much of the snow that had been in this vicinity a week ago had melted. What was left had turned to ice on No. 313.1G, making it quite slippery. Off road, patches of crusty, crunchy snow lingered in shady spots.
Peak 5360 was another of the series of peaks in the southern Black Hills that Brian Kalet had added to the Peakbagger.com data base last spring. On recent expeditions, Lupe’s adventures had been focused on climbing these Brian Kalet peaks. She now had a good start on visiting all of them. A successful summit of Peak 5360 would “X” another one off the list.
Peak 5360 was only 0.67 miles N as the crow flies. Lupe would have to go more like a mile to actually reach the summit. No. 313.1G started out curving across the lower end of a draw to the NE. It then went around the SW end of a forested ridge before turning NE. Here, Lupe already had a view of Peak 5360 to the N beyond a field of private property.
Displaying limestone cliffs at the SW end, Peak 5360 looked like it was probably easiest to climb from the NE. Lupe followed No. 313.1G up the valley. After the road got beyond the end of the private field, Lupe came to two intersections in rapid succession. At the second one, she left No. 313.1G to continue NE on No. 313.1H. She hadn’t gone far at all before reaching a fence with a “No Trespassing” sign.
SPHP checked the USFS map again. Yes, a very narrow strip of private property within the national forest extended farther up the valley from here. Lupe ought to be able to go around it easily enough. SPHP led Lupe NW directly toward Peak 5360. Sure enough, the fence ended shortly after reaching the trees. Lupe turned NE again.
As she got closer to the NE end of the mountain, Lupe started climbing. She had already gained a fair amount of elevation by the time she was able to turn SW to tackle the steepest part of the slope leading to the summit. The remaining snow was getting soft and starting to melt, making things slick for SPHP. The Carolina Dog had no problem, though. She was rapidly approaching the small limestone outcroppings near the top of the mountain.
The exposed limestone cap at the NE end of Peak 5360 was not thick or continuous enough to create a solid line of cliffs. Lupe had no problem reaching the top of the mountain. The mountaintop was heavily forested, but she had good views from an opening looking NE.
Now that she had made it up here, it was time for Lupe to explore the top of Peak 5360 to find the true summit. The summit ridge extended another 0.125 mile to the SW, so the high point might be some distance away.
As it turned out, Lupe didn’t have far to go. The true summit was only 100 feet from where she’d reached the top of the mountain’s limestone cap. Brian Kalet had marked the true summit on Peakbagger.com as being close to the NE end of the mountain. Brian was absolutely correct.
A dead tree had fallen over right at the actual summit, and made a great prop from which Lupe could claim her 1st peakbagging success of the day.
Simply because she had reached the true summit of Peak 5360 so quickly didn’t mean Lupe was done here. Loop was ready to explore the entire summit area to see what else she might discover. Two ridges converged at the true summit. The shorter one went W, while the longer one went SW. Lupe went SW first.
The SW ridge varied from 50 – 200 feet wide. Although the ridge was fairly level, Lupe lost elevation steadily as she conducted her exploration. From cliffs along the SE edge, Lupe often had nice views in that direction, but the forest hid everything to the NW.
Lupe had lost significant elevation by the time she reached the cliffs at the end of the SW ridge. Unsurprisingly, the best views were to the SSW. Lupe could see both Parker Peak (4,848 ft.) and Matias Peak (4,780 ft.). Both were far away on the horizon and looked like mere bumps from here.
Since the views were better here at the end of the SW ridge than back at the true summit, SPHP suggested taking a short break. Lupe was fine with that for 10 minutes. Then she disappeared. SPHP had to call her. She came running back from the NE. Apparently she had seen enough of this end of the mountain!
Lupe and SPHP started back up to the NE. When the Carolina Dog was getting close to the true summit again, she turned W to explore the shorter W ridge. This was the only part of the mountain with decent views toward the N or NW. Lupe saw both Sylvan Hill (7,000 ft.) and Thunderhead Mountain (6,567 ft.), but they were quite a long way off.
Lupe’s explorations of Peak 5360 were now complete. She returned briefly to the true summit before heading back down the NE slope. She retraced her entire route back to the G6 (11:12 AM, 46°F).
Lupe wasn’t done with Brian Kalet peaks yet today. Another one, Peak 5240, was her next destination. Peak 5240 is nearly 4 miles SE of Peak 5360 on the opposite side of the little town of Pringle. Ordinarily that would have been close enough for Lupe to consider simply exploring a route to it through the hills, but the USFS map showed a lot of private property in the Pringle area. Lucky Lupe was going to get a ride over to Peak 5240 in the G6.
That was fine with the American Dingo! She kept a keen eye out for cows and horses to bark at along the way. She saw several on the way to Pringle, and hit the jackpot when she got there. A whole herd of black cattle was grazing SE of the intersection of Hwy 385 and Hwy 89. Peak 5240 was close by, in full view beyond the herd.
The old USFS map made it look like there was national forest access to Peak 5240 starting less than 1 mile E of Pringle on the S side of Hwy 385. A possible USFS road shown on the Peakbagger.com topo map was nowhere in evidence, though, when SPHP drove by. Quite a bit of private property was in the area.
In fact, an apparently long-established commercial business, the Pringle Bed & Breakfast resort, sat on fenced land S of Hwy 385 where SPHP had expected to find the national forest. The Pringle Bed & Breakfast looked affordable to begin with, and they were advertising winter rates. SPHP was in a generous mood. Did Lupe want to go in for a luxurious, comfy snooze and hearty, nutritious breakfast?
SPHP still thought the land the Pringle Bed & Breakfast sat on was national forest ground, but the expected access road didn’t seem to exist and there was nowhere to park. Maybe there was access from the W? SPHP drove back W to Shirttail Canyon Road and turned S. After passing by several private properties, a USFS marker appeared near the start of a dirt side road. Lupe was in luck! SPHP parked the G6, and Lupe was back in business (11:41 AM, 47°F).
The USFS road led up the W slope of Peak 5240 through an open forest of Ponderosa pines. It soon ended at the old Townsite Mine, where a couple of signs indicated someone from Oklahoma had recently staked a new mining claim. Lupe found nothing else here other than the big scar in the hillside left by the original mining operation. She did have quite a good view back toward Pringle to the NW.
It doesn’t take a Carolina Dog long to look at a hole in the ground, even if it’s a fairly big one. Lupe left the Townsite Mine going a little S before turning E. She had to make her way up a short, fairly steep slope, but quickly reached the top of a limestone outcropping. Lupe stopped briefly here for a look at the already great view to the SSW.
The view from here was similar to the one Lupe had from the SW ridge on Peak 5360, but was more open and panoramic. Loopster could see Parker Peak (4,848 ft.) and Matias Peak (4,780 ft.) again. They were still far away, but a little closer than before.
The rest of the climb up Peak 5240 was only moderately steep. At the top of the mountain, one medium-sized rock stood out as being the true summit of Peak 5240. Lupe stood on it to claim her 2nd peakbagging success of the day, striking a somewhat dramatic pose. There was little doubt she was merely following a tradition already established by Brian Kalet.
Near a cairn E of the true summit, Lupe found a survey marker, but it seemed to have more to do with a section line than anything having to do with Peak 5240. The top of the mountain formed a ridge running E/W. The ground was close to level for about 200 feet in this direction. Lupe had surprisingly good views in most directions except to the W and NW, where pines blocked the view toward Pringle.
After looking at the views from the E end of the summit, Lupe and SPHP took a break over toward the W end. The trees here provided welcome shade. Lupe wasn’t really hungry yet, but she stayed close by while SPHP munched an apple.
The view down the S slope was lovely. On the horizon was a distant blue ridge that might be part of the Seven Sisters Range (4,420 ft.), where Lupe hopes to visit some more Brian Kalet peaks in the relatively near future. SPHP must have been daydreaming and munching away for a while. Suddenly an American Dingo was right there, demanding an explanation.
Lupe was ready for action! OK, OK! SPHP finished the apple. Lupe cooperated with SPHP for one last photo looking down the S slope. She returned briefly to stand atop the summit rock one more time. Then she headed down the S slope to continue her exploration of Peak 5240.
Lupe went all the way down to the drop-off at the bottom of the S slope. Although she had lost a fair amount of elevation, she still had a great panoramic view.
Lupe’s investigations on Peak 5240 were now complete. She left the mountain, stopping by the Townsite Mine one more time along the way. Soon she was back at the G6 (1:04 PM, 47°F).
More than 4 hours remained before sunset. Lupe had run out of Brian Kalet peaks to explore near Pringle. However, while Loopster had been climbing all the Brian Kalet peaks farther N in recent weeks, SPHP had noticed a mountain not in the Peakbagger.com data base that Brian had somehow missed. Buckhorn Mountain (6,330 ft.) was just N of Custer, SD.
Lupe had seen Buckhorn Mountain from Peak 6181 only a few weeks ago. It looked like a fairly impressive peak which might have some pretty sweet views from the top. The Custer area, especially to the N, is rugged territory for the Black Hills featuring lots of huge granite rock formations. SPHP wasn’t even certain if Lupe could get to the top of Buckhorn Mountain, but she was about to find out!
After driving to Custer, SPHP parked the G6 again at the intersection of Hwy 89 and USFS Road No. 362, about a mile N of Hwy Alt 16 (1:33 PM, 45°F). Buckhorn Mountain was only 1.5 miles to the NW.
On the first half of the trek to Buckhorn Mountain, Lupe followed USFS Road No. 362. The road wound NW through a forest which had been thinned by loggers fairly recently. Lupe liked the open forest, and trotted along on or near the road sniffing happily. She gained elevation steadily, but only gradually, on the way. She passed by a private drive on the N side of the road, but No. 362 continued on beyond it.
At the high point on No. 362, Lupe found an intersection. From here, No. 362 went W starting downhill. USFS Road No. 362.1C went N. By now, Lupe was very close to the end of the part of the forest the loggers had thinned. Buckhorn Mountain’s thickly forested SE ridge came right down to No. 362.1C nearby. Lupe took No. 362.1C going N, but arrived almost immediately at a gate barring the road. A sign said she had reached private property.
Lupe didn’t need to go any farther N anyway. Time for the American Dingo to begin her ascent of Buckhorn Mountain! Lupe and SPHP plunged into the forest, starting up the SE ridge.
The climb was really fun! It was steep, but not too steep. At first the forest was the only obstacle to navigate, but very quickly Lupe began coming to granite rock formations along the top of the ridge. The higher up Lupe went, the more the rock outcroppings grew in size. At any moment Lupe might come to a wall of solid rock preventing further advance along the ridge, but she didn’t. Each time that kind of situation seemed to be developing, Lupe found an easy way over, around, or through.
SPHP knew that Lupe would eventually come to an intermediate high point, sort of an ESE shoulder of the mountain. The shoulder area had some towering granite at the top. It was the first area of real concern. Would Lupe be able to get past this area without having to lose a bunch of elevation going around it?
A wall of rock 40 feet high appeared ahead. Lupe’s prospects weren’t looking too good, but she kept climbing right up to it. The luck of the Dingo held. Looper found an easy route around the NE side of the rock formation. She was past the ESE shoulder. Nothing to it!
Now that she was beyond the ESE shoulder, Lupe could see the top of Buckhorn Mountain ahead. It was still a bit of a climb, but wasn’t that far away!
Lupe lost only a little elevation traversing the saddle from the ESE shoulder to start the remaining climb up the E slope of the mountain. The forest in the saddle had been thinned by loggers. SPHP staggered through all the annoying slash the loggers had left behind. Before reaching the end of the slash, Lupe was already climbing again.
It still wasn’t clear if Lupe would be able to reach the top of Buckhorn Mountain or not. The final climb had stretches near the top which were even steeper than before. SPHP had to grab onto rocks and trees in some places to get up. None of this was difficult or scary – just a little light scrambling, but with snow and some deadfall timber around, it was slow going.
Near the top, suddenly the ridge was much flatter and easier than before. Lupe and SPHP went W making rapid progress. High rocks appeared ahead. SPHP’s heart sank. There was no way Lupe could reach the top, at least not from what SPHP was seeing from this direction. The rocks were nearly vertical and way too high.
Nothing to do, but check it out. Lupe worked her way around the N side of the rock formation, and found herself in a saddle between it and another rock formation to the N. It still didn’t look like Lupe would be able to climb up the first rock formation. So disappointing! The rocks to the N looked easier, so Lupe went that way first.
The rocks extended farther N than SPHP had seen at first. Lupe kept climbing along a surprisingly easy route. As she reached the N end, SPHP looked back and saw that she appeared to be every bit as high as the highest rocks to the S! In fact, the very highest rocks at the N end looked like they might even be slightly higher. Lupe had reached the true summit of Buckhorn Mountain (6,330 ft.)! Easy as pie in the end!
The views were fabulous! Poor Brian Kalet had really missed out by not getting to this peak. Lupe had a sweeping 180°+ panoramic view everywhere to the N. The Carolina Dog could see lots of the highest, most rugged territory and peaks of the Black Hills from here.
Lupe decided to celebrate her successful ascent of Buckhorn Mountain by taking a break. She feasted on Taste of the Wild, then curled up for a rest at a comfy spot in the warm sunlight.
While Lupe relaxed, SPHP took a couple of close-ups using the telephoto lens.
After her short rest, Lupe got back up on the true summit at the N end of Buckhorn Mountain again.
The time had arrived to explore the rest of the summit area. Maybe it was possible for Lupe to reach the top of the first rock formation she had come to farther S? If she could, there wouldn’t be any question whether she had reached the true summit of Buckhorn Mountain. The Carolina Dog headed S to check it out.
It turned out that the S rock formation was really the middle high point on Buckhorn Mountain. Between the trees, another high point could be seen even farther off to the SSW. However, it was clear that the actual S high point wasn’t as high as either the central or N ones were.
From the NW, the middle rock formation didn’t look nearly as daunting as it had from the E. Lupe could probably climb it from the SW!
A couple of minutes later, Lupe and SPHP were at the top of the middle summit. Getting there was an easy little scramble. The area at the top was all lumpy granite, but Lupe had a little room to move around. From here, she had terrific views to the E. She could see part of the town of Custer to the SSE, and beyond all the way to Northeast Cicero Peak (6,240 ft.).
Having climbed both the N and Central high points now, no matter which one was actually the true summit of Buckhorn Mountain, Lupe had been there. All that was left to do was check out the views from the lower S high point. As Lupe approached it from the N, there seemed to be little prospect of reaching the top. The rocks were vertical.
Sadly, SPHP didn’t think Lupe could even reach the S end of this rock formation, where there ought to be a sweeping panoramic view. Wrong! Lupe discovered an easy way around the W side that led directly up to a fantastic viewpoint.
Lupe couldn’t get to the top of the highest rocks at the S high point, but reached a point that wasn’t too much lower. It didn’t matter anyway, since the S high point was definitely not the true summit. After enjoying the grand view, Lupe returned to the N end of the mountain. SPHP needed to retrieve the pack, which had been left there.
After SPHP retrieved the pack, Lupe left Buckhorn Mountain. What a splendid fun climb and summit it had been! Lupe went back to the G6 following the same scenic route she had taken up. Near the wild-looking rock with a hole in it, SPHP found the topo maps on the ground. SPHP had dropped them on the way up.
Fortunately, when the route is obvious, a map isn’t required. Just keep following that curly Dingo tail onward and upward! (5:27 PM, 36°F)
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