Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 328 – Ruby Gulch to Horse Creek with Poppy, HV & LV (4-25-24)

7:55 AM, 49ºF – The sky looked like rain, but it wasn’t raining yet as SPHP made the turn off Hwy 385.  A short gravel drive curved back into a lovely hidden enclave.

Guess we can park over here, Loopster.

Wow!  What a sweet spot!  Is this Poppy’s house, SPHP?

Must be, Looper.  Let’s go see if HV (Dawnette) & LV (Rollie) are ready.

Of course, they were.  Lupe hadn’t even made it over to the deck in front of the house when suddenly Poppy was up there barking furiously with excitement down at the Carolina Dog.

I don’t think Poppy remembers me from Hat Mountain, SPHP.

I think she does – intruder!

Hey!  She must be barking at you, SPHP!

No matter.  HV appeared almost instantly and quickly calmed Poppy down.  A moment later LV joined the group.

After an exchange of greetings, the adventure began from right there at Poppy’s house.  Poppy, HV, and LV led the way NNE up a little draw to a fence, then W over a minor pass and on down to USFS Road No. 738 in Ruby Gulch.  Turning N on the road, Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) soon came into view back to the S.

Lupe had never been in Ruby Gulch before, but Poppy, HV, and LV knew all about it.  Rollie pointed out quite a few deer carcasses along the way.  Mountain lion kills!  Poppy wasn’t allowed off-leash until well beyond them.

The trek up Ruby Gulch wasn’t very long, less than 0.5 mile.  No. 738 soon left it continuing N over Pass 4980.  Poppy was free to roam just like Lupe from here on, and had an absolute blast leading the way.  HV and LV had to keep an eye on her, because she sometimes raced so far ahead.  Even Lupe couldn’t begin to keep up with Poppy.  Fortunately, Poppy returned often to check on how all the slowpokes were faring.

A gradual descent beyond Pass 4980 led to another minor pass, then on down to a junction with USFS Road No. 738.1B near a power line where Whaley Gulch split off from South Fork Gulch.  Looking SE, Peak 5741 was in sight.  Although the American Dingo had once been there, SPHP didn’t recognize it from here.

While either road would have worked as a route to Horse Creek, this expedition’s ultimate destination, Poppy and Lupe stuck with No. 738, which now angled NE up Whaley Gulch.  However, the road soon curved E, climbing out of the gulch.  When No. 738 flattened out at another pass, Rollie recommended abandoning the road to continue N, a shortcut that would save 0.75 mile.

The off-road exploration was fun!  Poppy and LV led the way through a hilly region where most of the forest had burned, which opened up the views to some extent.  Quite a bit of deadfall was around, but avoiding most of it was relatively easy.  After 0.5 mile, this shortcut eventually led down to USFS Road No. 669 in Gordon Gulch.

Gordon Gulch was wider than the other valleys had been.  Bordered by forest, the valley floor was mostly open meadow.  Following No. 669 NW, a small pond soon appeared.  Glad to see it, Lupe immediately helped herself to a drink.  Poppy wasn’t so certain about this water source, but took a few licks, too.  A small clear-running stream reached a bit farther on might have been a better choice.

After crossing the stream, USFS Road No. 669 began climbing at a faster clip.  Leaving Gordon Gulch, the road headed up to a low forested ridge extending SE from Peak 5549.  Lupe soon came to familiar territory, a junction SPHP recognized with USFS Road No. 669.1A.

Rollie was also familiar with this territory.  No. 669.1A connected with No. 738.1B, making it part of the alternate route leading back to Ruby Gulch.  Rollie happened to mention a hornet’s nest he had once seen along No. 669.1A.  Since Loopster and SPHP both like loops, a tour of this attraction during the return was an option well worth keeping in mind.

However, for the time being, the trek N on No. 669 continued.  The road curved E after another 0.25 mile, but only for a little way.  Reaching a meadow where Peak 5520 was in sight dead ahead, it began sweeping back around to the NW again.

3 years and a day ago, Lupe had been up on Peak 5520 with Cousin Dusty and Uncle Joe.  An easy one, it was one of the last Black Hills peaks Dusty had ever climbed.  Poppy could have climbed it in a flash with all her energy and enthusiasm, but there were no summit goals today.  After a brief contemplation of Peak 5520, everyone headed NW.

USFS Road No. 669 now descended a forested valley where several black mudholes lurked among the trees.  Rollie and Dawnette urged Poppy to avoid them.  0.5 mile from Peak 5520, the largest pond of all appeared at a junction with USFS Road No. 243.2J.

Abandoning USFS Road No. 669 for No. 243.2J, Poppy and Lupe’s ultimate destination was now less than another 0.5 mile away.  After passing a gate, No. 243.2J quickly led to Horse Creek, crossing it twice on the way to a stone marker commemorating “ECW Camp F-2 Horse Creek”, the site of an old Civilian Conservation Corp camp established back in the 1930’s during the Great Depression.

10:24 AM, 63ºF – The day had turned sunny and comfortably warm by the time Poppy and Lupe reached the CCC marker after a 4.6 mile romp.  Dawnette has a Facebook page called “Picnicking in the Black Hills” so she promptly produced a red and white checkered cloth, and placed it on the ground in front of the marker.  Poppy and Lupe posed for a few photos of this unique, rarely visited spot.  Dawnette would eventually post the best one.

The actual half hour combined picnic and rest break took place in the shade of a few big pines close to nearby Horse Creek.  Lupe and SPHP split the usual chocolate coconut bar, and sampled the tasty sausage sticks Dawnette offered.  Poppy enjoyed some of Lupe’s Taste of the Wild, then rolled over on the grass to let SPHP scratch her tummy.

The time flew.  All too soon, it was time to head back.  During the return, Poppy and Lupe did explore USFS Roads No. 669.1A and No. 738.1B.  This route was a little longer, and involved more elevation gain and loss since it passed much closer to Five Points (6,221 ft.).

The sky clouded up again.  A few raindrops fell.  Thunder rumbled to the SW, and an intermittent light rain began.  Rollie spotted the old hornet’s nest he’d seen before, but it was now abandoned and badly deteriorated.

1:40 PM, 47ºF – A reprieve from the intermittent rain ended as everyone arrived back at Poppy’s house.  The sky was dark when Poppy returned to her roomy kennel with a nice bed of straw after what both Dawnette and Rollie agreed was one of her longest off-leash adventures ever and a happy time.  Poppy demonstrated her joy and remarkable leaping ability with a series of vertical “boings” that would have made a kangaroo proud as a heavier, steady rain began.

Dawnette and Rollie kindly invited Lupe into their immaculate home.  SPHP accepted a Coke from Dawnette while Rollie lit the woodstove.  During a fun, relaxing visit, the American Dingo spent more than an hour snoozing or watching chipmunks play in the rain on impressive rock terraces outside a sliding glass door.

It was raining harder than ever when the time came to say good-bye.  Dawnette produced 3 bags of Canine Carry Out dog snacks for Lupe, then ventured out into the rain, too, as SPHP fetched Lupe’s gift to Poppy, a bag of duck jerky, from the RAV4.  Despite the rain, Dawnette noticed right away that they were Golden Rewards brand – entirely appropriate, since Poppy is a golden retriever.

Well, that was a blast, SPHP!  We ought to do this more often.  Kind of nice to have some canine company for a change.  Do you think Poppy would like to go on more Black Hills expeditions with us?

Oh, I bet she would, Loopster!  However, summer is coming, and it will soon be time for your Dingo Vacations to start.  We’ll have to check in with HV and LV again sometime after we get back in the fall.

Links:

Next Black Hills Expedition                 Prior Black Hills Expedition

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 314 – Hat Mountain with Poppy, HV & LV plus Nipple Butte, Flag Mountain & Peak 6962 (5-1-23)

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