Day 10 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska
The sky was overcast, but it wasn’t raining. What time was it? Good grief! Almost 9:30 AM already! SPHP came to. Lupe was looking way perkier than SPHP. Her successful climb up King’s Throne yesterday only seemed to have enlivened her. SPHP on the other hand … well, it didn’t matter, today needed to be a rest day, anyway.
Lupe and SPHP got water and pitched garbage at the campground. SPHP straightened up the G6. There were a few squirrels around, so Lupe was happy. When all was back in order again, Lupe and SPHP drove down to see Kathleen Lake. A crew was taking down big tents that had been set up for some youth group over the weekend. The tents had been flapping noisily in the wind much of the night.
King’s Throne Peak(6,529 ft.) was across the bay. SPHP had been hoping for a clear, bright shot of Lupe at shining blue Kathleen Lake with mighty King’s Throne illuminated by morning sun in the background, but it wasn’t going to happen. The top of the mountain was scraping clouds. There wasn’t a ray of sunshine anywhere. Kathleen Lake looked green, instead of the brilliant blue it had appeared only yesterday.
Lupe at Kathleen Lake with King’s Throne Peak in the background. Lupe had been to the summit yesterday! Photo looks SW.
There wasn’t a real plan for the day. Lupe and SPHP drove to Haines Junction. SPHP managed to get a shower at a motel. Much better! The skies were clearing. Maybe it was time to head N and see what Lupe’s options were? On the way N, Lupe went by Mount Decoeli(7,650 ft.).
Mount Decoeli (R) from the Alaska Highway NW of Haines Junction. Photo looks WNW.
SPHP had hopes that Lupe would be able to climb Decoeli, but not today. It was too much for today, right after King’s Throne. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to check out the trailhead, though? SPHP found the trailhead on a hill more than 10 miles N of Haines Junction. The trailhead was really just a big paved pullout on the W side of the Alaska Highway. There was no sign, no information, nothing except free parking.
Mount Decoeli from the Alaska Highway, not far from the long paved pullout that serves as a trailhead. Photo looks W.
It seemed like a good idea to stop by the Tachal Dhal visitor center for information. SPHP knew the visitor center was located near the S end of Kluane Lake, a huge lake E of the Saint Elias range. Lupe and SPHP continued N on the Alaska Highway. Soon the lake could be seen ahead, flanked by mountains to the W.
Lupe near the Alaska Highway. Kluane Lake is in view! Photo looks NNW.
Kluane Lake was huge and gorgeous! Before even going to the visitor center, Lupe and SPHP stopped at a large pullout along the shore at the S end of the lake.
Lupe in Kluane Lake. She reported that the water was clear, cold, and good to drink. The weather, breezy and bright. Photo looks N.
Kluane Lake made a huge impression. To the N, the cold, blue waters stretched to the horizon like a Yukon sea. E of the lake, desolate unknown peaks marched N toward the Arctic until they vanished from view. NW across the lake was scenic Sheep Mountain(6,400 ft.), a peak SPHP hoped Lupe might be able to climb. To the W was the wide, flat Slims River valley. Strange clouds of dust blew from the valley toward Kluane Lake.
Blowing dust was unexpected and puzzling. Was the Alaska Highway gravel over there? SPHP figured the dust must be coming from traffic on the Alaska Highway or road construction. Later, it became evident the dust was being blown up by winds sweeping over dried out mud flats along the Slims River.
Clouds of dust were rising up from the Slims River valley, close to where the Tachal Dhal visitor center is located. At first, SPHP thought traffic or road construction was the cause. It turned out to be dust blown from dried out mud flats along the Slims River. Photo looks W.
After Lupe had a chance to wade in Kluane Lake and have a refreshing drink of Yukon water, Lupe and SPHP went on to the Tachal Dahl visitor center. The visitor center was located in a small building in the Slims River Valley W of both Kluane Lake and the Alaska Highway. SPHP went in to inquire about trails in the area.
There was bad news for Lupe about the trail to Sheep Mountain. It was temporarily closed due to recent grizzly bear activity. SPHP chatted with a ranger about a much longer trail up the Slims River Valley to the Kaskawulsh Glacier. The best glacier viewpoint was from Observation Mountain(6,824 ft.), but getting there would involve a 3 day/2 night backpacking trip and major stream fords.
As a nice day hike, the ranger suggested the Bullion Plateau trail. The Bullion Plateau sounded interesting, but it was already afternoon and the trail was too long to consider today. How about something short and easy? Right away, the ranger suggested Shepherd’s Knoll, a hill not too far away up the Slims River valley. A very short trail goes to the top of Shepherd’s Knoll where there are views both up the valley and back toward Kluane Lake. It sounded perfect!
A little N on the Alaska Highway from the turn to the Tachal Dhal visitor center, another gravel road leaves the highway. This road goes 2.6 km up the Slims River valley to the Tachal Dahl trailhead. Lupe left for Shepherd’s Knoll from here. Lupe and SPHP started out on the main trail, which ultimately goes to the Kaskawulsh Glacier. The trail began as an old roadbed going through a forest.
It didn’t take Lupe long, maybe 15 minutes, to reach an intersection with the Sheep Creek trail. A few hundred feet farther along, on the valley side of the main trail, Lupe found the side trail to Shepherd’s Knoll.
Lupe near the start of the Shepherd’s Knoll trail. Photo looks SE.
The Shepherd’s Knoll trail wasn’t long at all. It climbed partway up a small hill and vanished. Lupe continued on higher up the hill, checking out the views from different vantage points along her way.
Lupe climbing Shepherd’s Knoll. The trail soon vanished, but Lupe continued up, checking out the views from various vantage points along the way. Photo looks NE.
For as little effort as it took for Lupe to get here, the views from Shepherd’s Knoll were impressive.
Looking SW up the Slims River valley.Dust blows down the Slims River valley toward Kluane Lake. Photo looks E.Looking S across the Slims River valley from Shepherd’s Knoll.A closer look at the snow-capped mountain across the valley using the telephoto lens.The beautiful Slims River valley. Photo looks SSW.SPHP believes the high hill in the distance is part of the Bullion Plateau. Photo looks WNW.The Bullion Plateau? It seemed to be in the right direction. Photo looks WNW.A wider view of the Bullion Plateau vicinity.
Even though getting to Shepherd’s Knoll hadn’t taken Lupe very far up the Slims River valley, it was certainly a worthwhile easy trek. Lupe would have liked to do much more exploring in the Slims River area, but this was a rest day, and it was starting to get late. Lupe and SPHP returned to the Tachal Dahl trailhead.
No one had been at the trailhead before, but now there were nearly a dozen people here. They had just returned from an overnight backpacking trip to the Kaskawulsh Glacier. A campground near the glacier was about as far as most of them had made it. Only one person had succeeded in reaching the top of Observation Mountain. The trip was more strenuous than they’d anticipated.
Lupe and SPHP went back to Kluane Lake, but this time a bit farther N along the W side of the lake. A forested hill projected partway into the lake from mud flats deposited by the Slims River. Silt is gradually filling in this end of the lake.
Over time, silt and mud deposited by the Slims River will completely surround the forested hill seen here by filling in adjacent portions of Kluane Lake. Photo looks ESE.
Evening was coming. The views from the pullout along the S shore of Kluane Lake earlier in the day had been so beautiful that Lupe and SPHP returned to enjoy the evening there.
Lupe spent a few happy hours exploring the shore of Kluane Lake, while SPHP watched the ancient dust blow, and the waves roll in.
Sheep Mountain from mud flats at the far SW end of Kluane Lake. Photo looks NNW.Lupe along the S shore of Kluane Lake the evening of 8-8-16. Photo looks W.Happy times at Kluane Lake in the Yukon. Photo looks E.Evening at Kluane Lake, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada 8-8-16.
Days 8 and 9 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska
That guy at the Bell 1 rest area yesterday evening had been right. There were bears in these woods! As Lupe and SPHP rolled N along Cassiar Highway No. 37 early on August 6th, Lupe saw 7 bears near the road in a span of 1.5 hours. Each bear was cause for a ferocious barkfest – from the safety of the G6, of course – as Lupe sped on by.
Day 8 of Lupe’s summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation was going to be a travel day. SPHP drove. Lupe looked out the window watching for wildlife. After the bears, though, no wildlife appeared. Lupe got bored and snoozed.
Cassiar Highway No. 37 went past beautiful mountains and lakes. It crossed scenic rivers. The forest never ended. Even now, in 2016, with 7.5 billion people on the planet, Lupe really was in an unbelievably vast, uninhabited land. The narrow strip of highway was the only link to civilization. Everything else was unspoiled wilderness. It all hardly seemed possible. It felt like going back in time. Columbus may have landed in the Americas almost 524 years ago, but along the Cassiar Highway there were still few visible consequences.
Mehan Lake from the Bell 2 rest stop along the Cassiar Highway. The Cassiar Highway passed many beautiful lakes, some of them far larger than Mehan.
The hours and miles went by. There was traffic on Cassiar Highway No. 37, more than SPHP expected. Most of it was big trucks. Civilization may not have made much of a dent yet, but it is coming soon, even here.
For hundreds of miles, Cassiar Highway No. 37 had been good pavement, but N of the Bell 2 rest stop the road deteriorated. Rough, broken, patchy pavement appeared. Stretches of very dusty gravel became common. N of the tiny community of Dease Lake, the road turned to gravel for a long way. SPHP feared the Cassiar Highway might be nothing but dust from here on, but Lupe hit pavement again after 25 miles or so. The worst was over. Gradually, the Cassiar Highway improved again.
Now and then Lupe and SPHP stopped for short breaks. At least, they were supposed to be short. At the Beaver Dam rest stop, SPHP was so weary of driving that 15 minutes of shuteye unintentionally turned into nearly 2 hours of unconsciousness.
On the road again, SPHP felt better. Unconsciousness has its benefits! Lupe wasn’t far now from 2 major milestones on her journey. Suddenly, up ahead, there it was! A much anticipated sign was up on an embankment near the road. Lupe just had to stop for this!
Lupe reached the Yukon border on the afternoon of 8-6-16. It was hard to believe she was really here! Photo looks N, of course!
Lupe had made it to the Yukon! It was hard to believe she was really here. A relatively short drive N of the Yukon border brought Lupe to the next big milestone of the day. Lupe’s long journey on Cassiar Highway No. 37 was over. She had reached the Alaska Highway! Lupe and SPHP turned W, heading for Whitehorse.
The afternoon wore on. It was a long way to Whitehorse, hundreds of miles. Evening came. Nearing Teslin Lake, there was a bit of Dingo excitement when Lupe saw her 8th black bear of the day. Lupe didn’t make it to Whitehorse. Day 6 ended for Lupe W of Teslin Lake. Time to stop for the night.
Evening along the Alaska Highway, 8-6-16.Approaching Teslin Lake.
The next morning, Lupe did make it to Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon. She didn’t stay long, though. Lupe was on her way to her first mountain climbing adventure in the Yukon, instead!
Although there had been mountains much of the way along the Alaska Highway, Lupe first caught sight of the higher, more rugged peaks of the Saint Elias Range approaching Haines Junction.
Lupe along the Alaska Highway. Peaks of the Saint Elias Range near Haines Junction are in view ahead. Photo looks WSW.
At Haines Junction, Lupe and SPHP left the Alaska Highway, turning S on Hwy 3 to Haines. Lupe wasn’t going all the way to Haines. Her objective was only 17 miles away now. About halfway there, SPHP saw a mountain to the SSW resembling a long high wall. Was that it? It looked incredibly steep! SPHP’s heart sank. Would Lupe be able to climb anything like that?
The realization quickly grew that the N end of the mountain wall really was Lupe’s objective! Well, there was supposed to be a trail, or at least a route, to the top. It had taken hours to get here, and was already late in the morning. No time to second guess things, Lupe would just have to try it and see how things went.
A short drive from a turn off Hwy 3 brought Lupe to the Cottonwood Trailhead. SPHP parked the G6. Ten minutes later (10:32 AM, 63°F), Lupe was on the Cottonwood Trail. The first part of the trail was quite level and followed a road through a shady forest. Up ahead was Lupe’s mighty objective – King’s Throne Peak(6,529 ft.).
King’s Throne from the Cottonwood Trail. Photo looks SW.Lupe on the Cottonwood Trail.To climb King’s Throne, Lupe first had to get to the base of the giant cirque in the area shown in the lower R part of this photo. From there, she would follow the steep ridge leading up to the L, before circling back around to the summit on the R via the upper ridgeline. Photo looks SW.
About a mile from the trailhead, Lupe came to an intersection. The Cottonwood Trail headed NW on its way past Kathleen Lake. It is ultimately part of an 87 km 4-6 day backpacking loop. Lupe took the King’s Throne trail instead. The single track trail began to climb steeply.
At first, the trail was switchbacking up through forest, and Lupe couldn’t see much. Eventually, though, Lupe got above tree line. The views of Kathleen Lake to the N were already fabulous!
Lupe on the King’s Throne trail. Beautiful Kathleen Lake dominates the view to the N.The Cottonwood Trail starts in the forest to the R of the small bay seen on the far side of Kathleen Lake on the R side of this photo. The trail stays in the forest some distance from Kathleen Lake, which was not generally visible from the trail. The smaller long narrow lake seen beyond Kathleen Lake is Lower Kathleen Lake (Center). Beyond it to the L is even smaller Rainbow Lake. Photo looks NNE.
King’s Throne Peak is clearly named for the giant cirque which faces NNE. The cirque is the seat of the throne, with the high ridges wrapping around it serving as the throne’s arms and back. It really is pretty easy to imagine the mountain serving as the throne of a titan-sized king.
Evidently the giant cirque is the ultimate destination for many hikers, and they go no farther. As described in Kluane National Park literature, the King’s Throne trail goes only as far as the cirque. Elevation gain from Kathleen Lake required to reach the cirque is about 1,800 feet.
Lupe nearing the giant cirque. The steep NE ridge she would have to follow to reach King’s Throne summit is up ahead. Photo looks S.
Down in the forest below, it had been a nice calm day, but as Lupe approached the giant cirque, it was starting to get pretty windy out. The American Dingo is no great fan of wind, but she had no choice but to put up with it.
Lupe reaches the giant cirque, which is the imaginary seat of King’s Throne. It was annoyingly windy. Photo looks SW.Just getting to this giant cirque is the ultimate objective of many hikers. Several turned around here while Lupe was in the area, encouraged by the wind to do so. Photo looks SSW.
Lupe and SPHP weren’t the only ones on the King’s Throne trail. Quite a few other hikers were around. Some of them turned around at the giant cirque, satisfied with the grand view of Kathleen Lake and being able to say they had hiked King’s Throne trail, which officially ends here.
Of course, Lupe was going onward! Kluane National Park literature describes the rest of the way up to King’s Throne summit as a “route” rather than a “trail”, because it isn’t officially maintained. The first part of the route was every bit as good as the official trail had been. It climbed toward the steep NE ridge of the mountain.
Lupe starts on the “route” to King’s Throne summit. The steep rate of climb the route would soon adopt is evident on the slope ahead. Photo looks SE.Kathleen Lake from near the start of the “route” part of the trek to the summit. The trail leading to the base of the giant cirque is seen below. Lupe is on her way up to the summit, but hasn’t gotten to the steep part of the “route” yet.
When the route reached the steep NE ridge, it turned and worked its way almost straight up it. For a while there was some grass around. Later on it was all rock. The ridgeline became increasingly narrow. Most of the time, the trail was a bit to the E of the ridgeline. Off to the W, on the side of the ridge toward the giant cirque, were increasingly fearsome cliffs.
Lupe starts up the route along the NE ridge. Here it was still grassy and not so steep, narrow and rocky. The giant cirque is still in view. Higher up, it was too scary to look over the cliffs in the violent swirling winds to see it. Photo looks SW.Lupe gaining elevation, but still in the zone where some plants survived. Lupe’s goal, the summit of King’s Throne, is seen above on the R. Photo looks WSW.
The NE ridge was hard going. The route was either loose rocks or very hard packed soil difficult to maintain traction on. Hiking poles would have been an enormous help, but SPHP had none. Even some of the bigger rocks Lupe passed by at certain points were often crumbly, loose and rotten. Everything had to be tested.
The Carolina Dog had no problems, except for the wind. She hated it! As Lupe gained elevation, it swirled more and more violently around the ridgeline. SPHP joined Lupe on all fours, and virtually crawled up the mountain. Just trying to stand up and maintain balance was scary. The wind attacked first from one direction, then suddenly reversed and blew just as strongly from a completely different one.
Lupe in the rocky zone. She would see almost no plants the rest of the way along the route. The big lake in the distance is Dezadeash Lake. Photo looks SE.
Fortunately, it wasn’t cold out, which would have been unbearable in this wind. Still, the wind was taking a toll. People were coming down the mountain.
Most had simply turned around, having decided it wasn’t worth it in this gale. Among them Lupe saw climbers who had passed SPHP on the way up. A few groups who had left earlier in the day had succeeded in reaching the summit. They reported even windier conditions there. Looking down, climbers who had been gaining on Lupe and SPHP could no longer be seen. They had turned around, too.
The climb up the long, steep NE ridge seemed endless, but Lupe was gaining ground steadily. The last long stretch of the climb is seen here. Photo looks S.
Lupe kept climbing. Finally, a group of four guys appeared coming down the route. They had foreign accents and seemed very experienced. They too, reported very windy conditions at the summit, which they had successfully attained. They were the last people Lupe saw the rest of the day. Lupe and SPHP were alone on the mountain.
Lupe still had a ways to go up the steep NE ridge. Lupe pressed on. At last, she reached the end. She came upon a broad rocky plain which was almost level by comparison. The difficult part of the climb was over. The rest of the way to the summit would be much easier!
Wow, was it ever windy here, though! SPHP wouldn’t let Lupe get too close to the cliffs above the giant cirque for fear the Carolina Dog would sail right over the edge. For a few minutes, SPHP could only stand in one place. Taking a step was nearly impossible.
Lupe on the extremely windy rocky plain she came to at the end of the very steep climb up the NE ridge. The summit of King’s Throne Peak is the more distant high point seen on the R. Photo looks W.Kathleen Lake from the edge of the rocky plain above the NE ridge. SPHP wouldn’t let Lupe get any closer to the edge than this due to the gale. Photo looks N.
After a few minutes, a slight lull in the wind allowed SPHP to move again. For a little while, that was how it went. When the wind blew hardest, SPHP had to stand stock still, ready to crouch, if necessary. When there was a lull, progress resumed. Maybe it would be less windy away from the edge of the giant cirque?
It was! Away from the cliffs, the wind was noticeably weaker. Lupe and SPHP were on the move again. Lupe headed W toward the S side of a rounded high point where a saddle led over to the next peak to the S.
To avoid the worst of the wind, Lupe stayed to the L (S) of the near ridge. Cliffs above the giant cirque were on the other side. Photo looks WNW.The wide valley S of King’s Throne Peak on the back side of the throne is seen here on the R. Dezadeash Lake is in the distance. Photo looks SE.The saddle connecting to the next peak S of King’s Throne Peak. Photo looks SSW.
Maybe it was White Dingo Magic, but contrary to reports from climbers who had been here earlier, the wind was getting weaker, not worse! Lupe worked her way up and over a high point, and turned NW toward the King’s Throne summit. The reduced wind speed was a welcome relief.
On the high point N of the saddle leading to the peak to the S, Lupe came to this view of the King’s Throne summit ahead. Lupe was almost there! Photo looks NW.
Lupe and SPHP were making good time now. Even before Lupe reached King’s Throne summit, glorious sights came into view to the W.
Glorious sights appeared to the W as Lupe drew near King’s Throne Peak’s summit. The biggest lake seen here is actually the W end of Kathleen Lake. Beyond it is Louise Lake. Photo looks W.Lupe on the final approach to the King’s Throne Peak summit. Photo looks NNW.
By the time Lupe reached the summit of King’s Throne Peak, the wind had died down to just a breeze. Lupe and SPHP were free to really enjoy the stupendous views in every direction!
Lupe atop the summit cairn on King’s Throne Peak! It was still breezy when Lupe arrived, but nothing like the gale she’d faced coming up. The views were stupendous in every direction! Louise Lake is seen in the huge valley below. Photo looks W.Louis Lake from King’s Throne Peak summit. It was hard to believe Lupe was really here, high on this fabulous mountain in remote Kluane National Park in the Yukon! Photo looks W.Looking SE from the summit. Dezadeash Lake is on the L. Part of Lupe’s route up is visible to the R of Lupe, and also along the top of the dark lower ridge on the L.Far beyond Kathleen and Louise lakes, mysterious towering snow-capped peaks of the Saint Elias Range lurked partially hidden in the clouds. Photo looks W.Kathleen Lake from King’s Throne Peak. Mount Decoeli is the distant sharp peak seen faintly straight up from the island in Kathleen Lake. Photo looks NW.
On the NE side of the summit, the air was almost calm. SPHP sat down out of the wind to rest while taking in the magnificent views. Lupe curled up in SPHP’s lap. Lupe got petted and praised for bringing SPHP to such a wonderful place. The Carolina Dog seemed to enjoy every moment.
The W end of Kathleen Lake and Louise Lake again. A small part of Sockeye Lake is visible toward the L beyond Louise Lake. Photo looks W.Kathleen Lake. Photo looks NNW.
One distant peak Lupe could see was of particular interest. The steep top of Mount Decoeli(7,650 ft.) was faintly in view to the NW far beyond Kathleen Lake. Mount Decoeli was on the short list of peaks in Kluane National Park that SPHP hoped Lupe might be able to climb.
However, Mount Decoeli looked every bit as steep as the NE ridge coming up King’s Throne Peak. Clearly, Decoeli would be a huge challenge. SPHP gazed at Decoeli filled with both hope and doubt. Would Lupe ever be on top of that daunting mountain?
Mount Decoeli is the sharp most distant peak on the R. Decoeli was on the short list of peaks SPHP thought Lupe might be able to climb in Kluane National Park. However, the mountain looked daunting from King’s Throne Peak. Photo looks NW using the telephoto lens.
Lupe and SPHP lingered at the summit of King’s Throne Peak for more than 45 minutes. Conditions were great, and the views were awe-inspiring. Lupe would have stayed much longer, but she had gotten a late morning start, and it had taken a very long time for SPHP to climb, crawl and stagger all the way to the top.
The time came when Lupe had to think about starting down. She returned to the King’s Throne summit cairn for a final look. SPHP took another round of photos. After all the effort expended to get here, it was hard to think about leaving already to face the steep, windy NE ridge again.
Lupe returned to the summit cairn for a final look around. Photo looks SSE.The first part of Lupe’s route back is in view below on the lower L. It took her over the rounded hills above the snowbank. Photo looks SSE.This photo is a pretty good look at the easy part of the climb up King’s Throne Peak along the back of the throne. The upper end of the steep NE ridge is seen on the L. Dezadeash Lake is in the distance. Photo looks SE.A good deal of the steep NE ridge is in view here. Photo looks ESE.Far to the W of King’s Throne Peak were mysterious higher peaks of the Saint Elias range. Lupe never got a clear look at them, but what could be seen was most intriguing. Photo looks W using the telephoto lens.
The relative calm Lupe experienced on top of King’s Throne summit did not prevail elsewhere, although the wind wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier in the day. Lupe and SPHP made good time on the route back until reaching the steep NE ridge.
Going down the NE ridge, the wind was still strong and unpredictable. The terrain was so steep, the footing so unreliable, and the swirling wind so unnerving that SPHP became extraordinarily slow and cautious. SPHP crawled, slid, and took baby steps down the mountain. Lupe became so impatient with SPHP, the were-puppy attacked repeatedly to encourage some movement.
This was taking forever! The sun was long gone. The creeping Yukon twilight slowly faded. Yet the sweeping views of the desolate mountains of the far N were chillingly inspiring. Thousands of feet below, whitecaps could be seen on Kathleen Lake.
Even the official King’s Throne trail below the giant cirque seemed steeper and more difficult than SPHP remembered. By now SPHP’s toes were all sore from being mashed against the front of the boots for hours. The painful trek continued.
By the time Lupe was back on the Cottonwood Trail, SPHP was beat. Amazingly, Lupe was bursting with American Dingo energy. The dark forest, roaring waves crashing on the unseen shore of Kathleen Lake, and wildly swaying treetops made Lupe wild, too. Something darted across the trail in the gloom ahead. A coyote! Who knew, maybe it was a wolf? This was the Yukon! Lupe seemed ready to dash off into the forest to live wild and free, too!
11:07 PM. The animated American Dingo was finally back at the G6. SPHP was still mostly alive. What a day it had been! Lupe had succeeded in climbing King’s Throne Peak, a feat dreamed of for a long time now. Despite exhaustion, SPHP was filled with joy.
Congratulations, Loopster! You did it – all the way to the top! Well done, sweet puppy! King’s Throne was amazingly amazing! And you know what? Tomorrow you aren’t even going to think about trying another stunt like that again. Bunny hill, here you come!
Bunnies? That grabbed Lupe’s attention! The Carolina Dog was all in favor of Bunny Hill.
Last photo of Lupe on King’s Throne Peak summit before she headed down. 8-7-16
