Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 345 – Peak 6821, Peak 6823, Crooks Tower & Peak 7148 (5-30-25)

9:03 AM, 61ºF, Tillson Creek – SPHP backed the RAV4 into a roomy spot just off USFS Road No. 234.  Perfect!  Moments later, the American Dingo was out, excitedly surveying the scene.

About time, SPHP!  Finally a Black Hills expedition!  What’s it been since our last adventure with Poppy, HV & LV?  A month?  That’s way too long!

I know it, Loop, but the news is even better than you think.  June is right around the corner.  Before long, you’ll be setting off on your Summer of 2025 Dingo Vacations.

Oh, that’s more like it, SPHP!  Certainly hope we’ve got a good Black Hills romp on the agenda today as a prelude to a summer of non-stop action.

We’ll be visiting 4 peaks, Looper.  Nothing too difficult, but I have a hunch that you’ll be satisfied with the workout.  Onward!  Puppy, ho!

After taking USFS Road No. 234 over Tillson Creek, Lupe trotted under a closed forest service gate.  The road immediately began a slow curve S.  A gradual 0.5 mile climb along a dandelion-strewn stretch brought the Carolina Dog to a flat, open area where USFS Road No. 234.1D headed off to the E.  Didn’t look like it ever saw much traffic these days.  Not at all surprising.  A large blue plastic water trough SW of the junction was far more unexpected.

What’s this, SPHP?  A giant kid’s swimming pool?

Sure looks like it, Loopster.

Got any water in it, SPHP?

Yeah, about a foot.  Not all that wonderful, though.  You’re not getting in there, I’m telling you that.

Not even for a drink, SPHP?

Yuck!  No.  I brought clean water, if you want some, Loop.

Already warm in the morning sunshine, the American Dingo did.  After a quick water break, SPHP led Lupe toward a meadow W of the junction.

Crossing the meadow, Lupe entered the forest.  The ground ahead sloped up toward the WNW.  Encountering a typical Black Hills mess of deadfall and large bushes mixed in among the live trees, Lupe explored narrow, relatively open lanes that made a reasonable rate of progress possible along a winding route.  The slope steadily steepened, soon bringing the Carolina Dog to the base of a limestone bluff.

Circling around the S side, Lupe quickly discovered a spot where she could scramble to the top.  Beneath a cloudless, suspiciously gray sky, Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) was visible far to the SE.

Is that smoke in the air, SPHP?

Sure looks like it.  I hear that Canada is already on fire, Looper.

Seriously?  It isn’t even summer yet, SPHP!  Is another Arctic Apocalypse going to happen this year?

Who knows?  Hope not, Loopster, but the way things seem to be going, Arctic Apocalypses may become an annual event.

Continuing WNW along the high ground, it wasn’t far to a second bluff.  Lupe again scrambled up from the S.  Even though this bluff was higher, trees completely hid whatever views there might have been.

Following a broad ridge, Lupe kept wandering WNW through the forest, enjoying occasional, tree-broken glimpses of distant views.  Happily, the American Dingo seldom ran out of open lanes that avoided most of the bushes and deadfall.  Near HP6695, she reached a small clearing.

Sure haven’t been many scenic highlights on this expedition so far, SPHP.  Nothing to see here, either, except trees.

Not expecting much in the way of scenic highlights for a while, Loopster.  We’re heading for Peak 6821.  You’ve been there before, many moons ago.  Even way back then, there was never much to see other than another clearing surrounded by more pines.

Peak 6821, SPHP?  Doesn’t even ring a bell.

That’s because Peak 6821 is the new name based on Lidar data.  It used to be Peak 6820.

So glad that we’ve got a one foot difference to add some confusion, SPHP!  I think I do remember Peak 6820.  Didn’t we hide from a storm in a cave somewhere on the NW slope once?

Yeah, I have a vague recollection of that, too, Loop, now that you mention it.  You were the only one that fit in that little cave, though, I got soaked.  So long ago now, that I’m not even sure that it happened at Peak 6820.  Maybe it was somewhere else?

HP6695 seemed to be a spot just beyond the the small clearing, and a bit SW.  Hard to tell for sure, because the surrounding terrain was so flat.  In any case, it was buried in pines.  A little farther W, though, Lupe broke out of the forest, reaching the start of a larger meadow.

Scattered pines were distributed throughout this bigger meadow.  Lupe made excellent progress on the super easy, mostly open terrain.  Losing minor elevation as she explored SW, the meadow didn’t end until the ground began to rise again.

Entering a denser forest, there was more deadfall here, much of it bigger diameter than what Lupe had run into earlier.  SPHP’s progress slowed considerably.

Look off to the R, SPHP.  Isn’t that an old road?

Sure enough, toward the W there was a strip of land that might have once been a road.  Unfortunately, it, too, was clogged with deadfall.

Does sort of look like a road, Loopster.  Fat lot of good it does us, though.  It’s no better than roaming through the forest.

Not entirely true.  Circling around the initial deadfall clog, a clear stretch was beyond it.

The old road enabled a brief spurt of progress, but more deadfall soon appeared across it.  The Carolina Dog was back to roaming S though the forest.  Hardly mattered.  She didn’t have much farther to go.

11:00 AM, 65ºF, Peak 6821 – Lupe stood smiling and blinking in the sun, her front paws on the little cairn she hadn’t seen in more than 8 years.  The first time the she’d been here, there hadn’t been a cairn at all.

I do remember Peak 6821, SPHP.  Not much up here, is there?

Nope.  A flat summit with a long, narrow clearing running in a crescent along the S and W sides is about it, Loop.  Sort of the middle of nowhere.

That’s why I always liked it.  Peak 6821 seemed so mysterious and remote.

SPHP shook Lupe’s paw.

I always liked it here, too, Loopster.  Congratulations on your successful return.  You look hot.  How about some water?

Sitting in the shade of the pines that completely surrounded the clearing, Lupe eagerly lapped up the water SPHP provided, gobbled down a bit of Taste of the Wild, and inhaled a couple of bacon and cheese flavored Canine Carryouts.  SPHP peeled an orange.

One mountain down, three to go, Loopster!

Peak 6821 was easy, SPHP.  What’s next?

Next one should be easy, too, Loop.  Only 0.75 mile SW of here, the map shows a high point with an elevation of 6,801 feet.  Lidar says it’s actually Peak 6823, which is high enough to give it 301 feet of prominence.

Barely exceeding our 300 foot cut-off, SPHP.

Precisely!  We’ve been in that vicinity quite a few times before, way back when we used to come here, Looper.  However, I don’t recall whether we ever visited the high point.  Peak 6821 was on the list of Black Hills 6500-foot peaks as Peak 6820 back then, but Peak 6823, as Peak 6801 without much prominence, wasn’t.

A little confusing, SPHP, but whatever.

It’s all due to Lidar, Loop.  Just keep climbing mountains, and don’t worry about it.

With 4 peaks on the agenda, staying for a full traditional summit hour on each one wasn’t going to work.  Half an hour enjoying the tranquil solitude of Peak 6821 had to suffice.  Following the clearing over to the W end of the summit region after leaving the cairn, SPHP encouraged Lupe to sniff down the NW slope a little way, hoping to spot the cave where she had once hidden from a storm.

No luck.  The territory didn’t look the least bit familiar.  Maybe that cave had been somewhere else?  With the tremendous amount of deadfall in the forest after leaving Peak 6821’s summit region, SPHP quickly gave up on finding the cave.  Turning SSW, Lupe soon rediscovered an old jeep trail that SPHP remembered.  It had always had some deadfall across it, but was even worse now.

The American Dingo spent more time off-road than on it, as she tried to follow the jeep trail down to the saddle leading to Peak 6823.  The road vanished completely before she got there.  Although the saddle had lots of deadfall, too, the forest was much more open here.

Beyond the saddle, the forest closed in again as Lupe started regaining elevation.  Abundant long, big diameter deadfall frequently blocked the way.  The slope Lupe was climbing wasn’t all that steep, except at two points where she came to 20 foot high rock outcroppings.  Scrambles to the top of each, revealed only more thick forest and deadfall ahead.

Progress remained slow until the forest finally began opening up a bit.  Coming across a game trail, the situation changed completely.  The trail was obstacle-free, and soon led to meadows.

Got it made now, Loopster!  We’re almost there.

12:26 PM, 66ºF, Peak 6823 – Approaching from the ESE, Lupe simply marched up a gentle slope onto a limestone outcropping with 3 N-facing lobes along a line of 20 foot cliffs.  Several tall, slender, Ponderosa pines grew right out of the rock.

SPHP dropped the pack on the W lobe, which seemed marginally higher than the others, and even offered a bit of a view toward the NW.  Had the Carolina Dog ever been here before?  SPHP didn’t think so.

Congratulations once again, Loopster.  This is it, Peak 6823!

I like it, SPHP!  At least we’ve got a nice breeze, and can see something.

Repeating the Peak 6821 routine, SPHP shook Lupe’s paw, then offered water, Taste of the Wild, and a couple more bacon and cheese Canine Carryouts.  SPHP consumed a second orange, then it was time to wander about the summit region a bit, which took only a few minutes.

Somehow 45 minutes had slipped away by the time Lupe stood below the summit, enjoying a final look at Peak 6823 from the N.

2 peaks down already, and only 2 more to go, SPHP.  We’re doing great!

Yeah, but it’s a lot farther to the next one, Looper.

Which one is that, SPHP?  Crooks Tower (7,133 ft.)?

Yup.  Planning on hitting the viewpoint N of it first, though, Sweet Puppy.

Heading WNW through the forest, Lupe soon popped out on USFS Road No. 206.2D.  The road made life easy as the American Dingo followed it N, since it was wide and virtually obstacle-free.  However, after 0.5 mile, taking a shortcut NW to Besant Park Road (No. 206) seemed like a good idea, so it was right back into the forest again.

The map showed a spring along in here, and SPHP kind of wanted to see it, but when Lupe got close, that area was so full of deadfall that trying to find the spring didn’t seem worth the effort.  Continuing NW, Lupe broke out of the forest into an enormous green field.  Visiting a fenced area a bit farther N, Lupe saw a pond, but couldn’t get to it.

Well, phooey!  We never got to the spring, and now I can’t get a drink from the pond, either, SPHP.

No worries, Loop.  Besant Park Road is right across this field.  We’ll find a spot in the shade over there, and you can wet your barker.

Besant Park Road was a major gravel road, and a correspondingly dull, hot trudge as Lupe followed it SW to a spot where the promised water break took place.  Continuing on, Lupe soon abandoned the road to sniff through an open forest with few obstacles.  Before long, the junction with South Rapid Creek Road (No. 231) appeared ahead.

Lupe had often taken South Rapid Creek Road SSW from here on the way to Crooks Tower, but today SPHP was in the mood for something different.

Let’s go W, Loopster.

The trudge along South Rapid Creek Road wasn’t much better than Besant Park Road had been.  Between the trees, another inviting green field was visible S of the road.  Lupe eventually went down to it.  Sadly, no cows to be seen, but following an old cow path was fun!

At the NW end of the field, Lupe reached USFS Road No. 231.5C.  Starting out obstacle-free, this road took her gradually uphill as it wound SW.  Naturally, No. 231.5C eventually faded away, lost beneath deadfall.  By then, the Carolina Dog was already within sight of a grassy slope leading up to a ridge.  A short, steepish climb, and Lupe was on it.

There’s another road up here, SPHP.

I’m not surprised, Loopster.  It isn’t shown on the map, but I believe we’ve been on this road before, not right here, but farther W.

This assessment turned out to be correct.  More than a mile WSW along the gently undulating, unmarked road brought Lupe to a familiar spot.  Abandoning the road here, she wandered 600 feet NW through a region of open forest and scattered bushes to the edge of a small cliff.

3:29 PM, 70ºF – Exposed to a 10 mph NW breeze along the cliff edge, the air felt pleasantly cooler than back in the forest.  Although slightly out of the way, the American Dingo had often stopped by this viewpoint.  1.33 miles due N of Crooks Tower, it was a favorite spot.  Lupe was glad to be here again today.

Water, Loop?  Taste of the Wild?

Yes, please, SPHP, with a bacon and cheese flavor Canine Carryout chaser.

SPHP produced the desired repast.

What, no orange?  You aren’t having anything, SPHP?

Forgot that we’d be dropping by here, Looper, so I didn’t bring anything for it.  I still have a couple of vanilla Equates, but I’m saving them for your last 2 peaks of the day.

Feel free to have some of my Taste of the Wild then, SPHP.

Thanks, Loopster.  Very kind of you, but water should be sufficient.

Due to the trees, all distant views were either N or W.  SPHP had always suspected that an elevated ridge visible on the far NW horizon might be Cement Ridge (6,669 ft.), but whether that was true, or not, remained an unsolved mystery.

Treating this viewpoint as if it were another peak, Lupe lingered for half an hour.  Toward the end of her stay, she checked on the stone campfire ring someone had built near the W edge years ago.  It was still here, along with a small stack of wood clearly intended for a future fire.

Looks like we’re all set, if we’re ever get stuck here in the winter, SPHP.

Not unless Carolina Dogs are great at rubbing 2 sticks together, Loop.  I don’t carry any matches.  No point in it.  Campfires are illegal in a spot like this.

Oh, so we’re at a hotbed of illegal activity, SPHP?

Apparently, literally so, at least once upon a time, Looper.  Anyway, we’ve still got a long way to go.  We better get back in gear.

Returning to the unmarked road, Lupe now followed it S.  When it began losing elevation and angling more to the W, she left the road to continue S through a series of meadows strung out along the high ground.

After reaching and crossing USFS Road No. 189.4F, the forested N slope of Crooks Tower was directly ahead.  Staying a little more toward the W than Lupe usually did here proved beneficial.  The slope wasn’t quite as steep, and there were more open lanes through the forest.  As a bonus, once the terrain leveled out, the Carolina Dog ran into a jeep trail SPHP knew would get her to USFS Road No. 189.4A very close to the summit.

5:06 PM, 68ºF, Crooks Tower (7,133 ft.) – After circling around the S side of the summit block on No. 189.4A to climb it via a path coming up from the SW, Lupe stood on a 30 foot wide platform of limestone she’d now been to a dozen times.

SPHP shook Lupe’s paw.

Congratulations, Loopster!  Back on Crooks Tower.  Remember the last time we were here?  It was on your 13th Birthday!

Always good to be here, SPHP, despite Crooks Tower’s deceptive name.

Yeah, for being some of the highest ground in the entire Black Hills, Crooks Tower lacks a certain pizzaz to it that the name conjures up.  Not much in the way of views from here, is there, Loop?

At least we can see Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) way off to the SE, SPHP, and maybe even Cement Ridge (6,669 ft.) to the NW.

Actually, White Tail Peak (6,971 ft.) and Green Mountain (7,167 ft.) are both in sight, too, Loop, although neither looks at all dramatic from this vantage point.

Crows Nest Peak (7,052 ft.) has to be the most deceptively named peak in the Black Hills, SPHP.  Can’t see anything at all from there!  Can’t even tell you’re on a mountain.

Hah!  Yeah, so true.  But we love Crooks Tower and Crows Nest anyway, don’t we, Looper?  Despite appearances, they’re both high and remote.

We do, SPHP, and some of us would also love something more to eat after climbing 3 mountains.  Got any more bacon and cheese Canine Carryouts in that pack?

I do!  In fact, I’ve even got a chocolate coconut bar.  Only one, though.  I was going to save it for your last peak today, but want to split it here?

Never procrastinate when it comes to chocolate coconut bars, SPHP.  Bring it on!

Snacks consumed, Lupe relaxed for a while.  All too soon, another half hour had flown.  Already time to move on.

Returning to USFS Road No. 189.4A, it was full of large mud puddles as Lupe followed it W.  Naturally, the American Dingo waded through each puddle, sampling a few licks of the opaque, brown water.

It’s a wonder you never get sick doing that, Loopster.

Mineral water is good for you, SPHP.  You ought to try some.

I’ll pass, thank you.  Maybe in a pinch someday.

Going downhill for 0.5 mile, it didn’t take long to reach a junction with USFS Road No. 189.  Several other roads branched out from this area, too, including No. 189.5B and No. 631.2C.

So, which way, SPHP?  Where is this last peak we’re going to, anyway?

Head S on No. 189, Loopster.  As a result of the new Lidar data, Peak 7148 has stolen nearly all of Crooks Tower’s former purported prominence, so it’s about time you tagged it.

For most of the 2 miles it took to get there, Lupe simply followed No. 189, then No. 189.3G when she came to it, both of which did seem to be going slightly uphill most of the way.  No. 189.3G led to a region that was like a park.  Leaving the road, Lupe began her search for the highest ground.

Roaming S through a vast, flat area of mixed forest and meadows, deer flitted off in various directions, exciting Lupe.  Near the Carolina Dog’s ultimate destination, the terrain tilted slightly higher toward the SW.

7:01 PM, 62ºF, Peak 7148 – Impossible to ascertain the exact true summit location in such flat territory, but it didn’t feel like Lupe stopped going up until she reached the edge of a cliff that might have been a 30 or 40 foot drop.  Looking around, a nearby stone appeared to be a bit higher than anything else.

Congratulations once again, Loopster!  Mission accomplished as far as I can tell.  You’ve reached Peak 7148!

This would be another Crows Nest Peak, SPHP, if not for the sudden cliff, and lack of a deceptive name.

We could give it a name, Looper.  What would you suggest?

How about something descriptive instead of deceptive, SPHP?  Pancake Peak!

Makes sense, I guess, except for the cliff part.  Apparently, this mountain is so flat that the original cartographers didn’t even realize how high it was, Loop, or this might have been Crooks “Tower” all along.

Whatever.  In any case, it had taken all day to get to Pancake Peak.  Lupe and SPHP were both ready for a break.  Water, Taste of the Wild, bacon and cheese Canine Carryouts for the American Dingo, and the last vanilla Equate for SPHP.

Other than gazing down into the region below the cliff, there was really nothing worth mentioning in the way of views from Peak 7148, at least not from this part of it.  Lupe sniffed a few tiny, deep pink flowers 10 feet from the edge.

Been quite a day, Loopster.  Think I’ll make a cairn.

The Carolina Dog practically laughed out loud.

You haven’t built a cairn in years, SPHP!  Do you even remember how?

Oh, you’d be surprised.  I believe I still retain the required technological and advanced engineering skills necessary to pull it off, Looper.

A Doubting Dingo gazed back at SPHP.

7:40 PM, Peak 7148 – The sun was near the horizon by the time the mighty feat was accomplished, and Lupe stood next to a very modest monument recognizable as a primitive cairn.  The Taj Mahal of cairns, it was not, but SPHP pronounced it a success.  Even the American Dingo admitted the cairn was convincing evidence of SPHP’s Stone Age skills.

Can’t tell you how impressed I am, SPHP, but the sun is getting low, and it’s a long way back to the RAV4.  Shouldn’t we be moseying along?

No denying it, Loopster.  We’re done here.  Onward!  Puppy, ho!

As shadows lengthened, Lupe explored more of the Peak 7148 plateau, venturing clear over to the E edge where she enjoyed a bit of a view, and sniffed many pink wildflowers.

On the way back to USFS Road No. 189.3G, a giant deer running through the forest provided a final episode of excitement.  The rest of the return was simply a long march along a series of USFS roads, while the sun set, and dusk deepened into an ever weaker twilight.  For a couple of hours, a yellow crescent moon cast a pale glow over all, before it, too, vanished into the W, and only silver stars remained in the black void above.  (End 5-31-25, 12:58 AM, 45ºF)

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