Xochitl flew in from Chicago to spend nearly a week in the Black Hills over Thanksgiving. Naturally, she wanted to spend a little time adventuring in the hills with Lupe. Steve had some time off, so he wanted to come along, too. So Lupe had quite a pack along with her when she set off on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 146(a) on 11-22-15.
Since Xochitl needed a little time to acclimate to the elevation, Lupe started her off easy. Real easy – the first stop was at Cheyenne Crossing in Spearfish Canyon for buffalo burgers and dessert. Lupe got to sit waiting patiently in the G6 while Xochi, Steve & SPHP dined acclimated in cozy warm comfort.
Lupe at Cheyenne Crossing in Spearfish Canyon. Lupe had to wait in the G6 while Xochitl, Steve and SPHP acclimated inside the restaurant.
The buffalo burgers disappeared, and there wasn’t much left of Steve’s mountain medley berry pie and ice cream when the meal was over. However, Xochi had ordered carrot cake for dessert. It arrived drizzled with caramel, which she doesn’t really care for, so about 2/3 of the carrot cake was left over. The patient American Dingo was in luck! A big piece of carrot cake went into a Dingo box for later on.
From Cheyenne Crossing, Lupe’s pack headed N for Savoy farther downstream in the heart of Spearfish Canyon. Savoy is the site of the Latchstring Inn & Restaurant. Near Savoy are two waterfalls. From opposite ends of the Latchstring Restaurant parking lot, there is a short (0.5 mile?) loop trail that goes down to Spearfish Falls. Little Spearfish Creek enters Spearfish Creek at the base of the falls.
Limestone cliffs near the Latchstring Inn at Savoy in Spearfish Canyon.Lupe near the Latchstring Inn.
Lupe wasn’t going to Spearfish Falls, though. Instead, Lupe and her pack of humans were taking the trail to Roughlock Falls. Roughlock Falls is up the side canyon Little Spearfish Creek flows through. The trailhead is near the Latchstring Inn parking lot.
The Roughlock Falls trail is no more than about a mile long, and involves very little elevation gain. It was going to be a nice stroll, with views of the creek and limestone cliffs along the way.
Lupe was just happy to be on a snowy trail again.
Little Spearfish Creek a short distance upstream of the Latchstring Inn.Continuing up Little Spearfish Creek.Lupe on her way to Roughlock Falls.Steve, Xochitl & Lupe on the Roughlock Falls trail.Sunlit cliffs on the N side of the canyon.
In the summer, the Roughlock Falls trail is popular and busy. On this cool day in late November, Lupe & company had the trail to themselves. When Lupe reached the falls, it was time for some pictures with Xochitl and Steve.
Roughlock Falls on Little Spearfish Creek.Lupe, Steve & Xochi at Roughlock Falls.Years ago, it was possible to wade up Little Spearfish Creek right into Roughlock falls. The water was always cold, even on the hottest summer days. Now safety railings and signs prevent such adventures. November wouldn’t have been such a good time for it, anyway.
The Roughlock Falls trail continued on across a bridge over Little Spearfish Creek, and up to a picnic ground just above the falls. Various little walkways with railings led to a number of viewpoints along both sides of the falls and creek. Lupe, Xochi and Steve checked them out.
The main falls. Roughlock Falls is only a mile or so from the Latchstring Inn at Savoy in Spearfish Canyon.The brink of Roughlock Falls.
A look downstream from the falls.“Lupe, look, is moose & squirrel!” We interrupt this episode of The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe to bring you this scene from The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends – starring Xochitl as Bullwinkle the Moose, and Steve as Rocky the Flying Squirrel. (Steve’s Rocky still needs a bit of work. Steve, how about a jet pack so you can zoom around in the air a bit, or if that’s too expensive, at least a pair of aviator goggles?)
At the picnic grounds upstream of Roughlock Falls, a dramatic love scene was re-enacted starring Lupeo & Xochiet.
LupeoXochiet“Lupeo, O’ Lupeo, wherefore art thou O’ Lupeo?”“Why, I’m sitting right in front of you, Xochiet, here right beside Little Spearfish Creek at the picnic grounds just above Roughlock Falls. To get here take Hwy 14A from Spearfish, SD to Savoy. Turn right at the Latchstring Inn and park at the Roughlock Falls trailhead, or just drive 1 mile up USFS Road No. 222. You can also get here by taking Hwy 85 SW of Lead, SD to Cheyenne Crossing. At Cheyenne Crossing take Hwy 14A going N to Savoy. On the other hand, if you’re coming from Cement Ridge(6,674 ft.) , take …. blah, blah, blah….” Xochiet is pretty sure Lupeo doesn’t know his lines….
Lupe and Xochitl had two different impressions of the Roughlock Falls picnic grounds. To Lupe, the place was a frozen wilderness full of exciting smells, danger and mystery. Here she conveys a feeling of being lost and alone in the 1.2 million acre Black Hills National Forest:
A lone, brave Carolina Dog sits lost in the vast Black Hills National Forest on a cold wintery day next to a wild, rushing stream.Along Little Spearfish Creek just upstream of the picnic ground.
Although Xochitl makes a good living as a computer engineer in Chicago, she is always ready to explore new opportunities. To her, the time spent in a different setting at Roughlock Falls along Little Spearfish Creek brought new possibilities to mind. She practiced auditioning for Vanna White’s job on Wheel of Fortune.
Xochitl auditions for Vanna White’s job on the TV game show Wheel of Fortune. Here she demonstrates what contestants who simultaneously buy the consonants S, T, R, M and vowels E & A will get. She does seem to be getting the hang of it. When she gets to where she can do this without Steve propping her up, Vanna White had better look out!
Down in the canyon, the sun disappears from view pretty early this time of year. Soon it was time for Lupe, Xochitl, Steve & SPHP to take the snowy trail back to the G6.
USFS Road No. 222 near Roughlock Falls.
Much later, back at home, SPHP offered Xochitl’s uneaten Cheyenne Crossing carrot cake to Lupe. Turns out Carolina Dogs love carrot cake AND caramel! A few nanoseconds later, Lupe was licking the Dingo box clean of any remaining morsels.
“Lupeo, O’ Lupeo, wherefore art my carrot cake, O’ Lupeo?”
What better way for a lucky American Dingo to celebrate Halloween than a day spent exploring the Black Hills? Lupe was certainly in favor of it. When she saw SPHP getting the backpack ready to go, she quickly grew impatient for SPHP to head out the door. Finally, the great moment arrived.
For Lupe’s Black Hills Expedition No. 144, SPHP selected Five Points(6,221 ft.) as her peakbagging goal. Rather than being a single mountain, Five Points is actually a series of small mountains close together along a line running N/S. Five Points is located just a few miles NNE of Hill City in the central Black Hills. Its highest peak is the highest mountain N of Hill City for quite a few miles.
At 10:30 AM, SPHP parked the G6 just off Horse Creek Road (USFS Road No. 243). It was 48°F already, and was going to be quite a warm day for this late in the season. A breeze could be heard up in the trees, but the air was pretty calm down on the ground. Lupe and SPHP headed S on an access road that leads to USFS Road No. 669. Lupe crossed Horse Creek twice along the access road. Horse Creek isn’t a very big stream, but it had more water in it than other times Lupe has been in the area.
Lupe at Horse Creek.
The access road is less than 0.5 mile long, so Lupe was soon at the junction with USFS Road No. 669. There is a small stock pond near the junction. In keeping with the theme of slimy ponds like Hidden Slew from Lupe’s Expedition No. 143, here is a photo of the pond:
Lupe reaches the pond near USFS Road No. 669. This is the only pond shot in this entire post, I promise, even though she passed several more going up the valley along No. 669.
Lupe and SPHP headed W on No. 669. The road went up a small, mostly forested valley at an easy pace. There were quite a few aspen trees at the bottom of the valley, but the slopes were mostly pine-covered. There would be no traffic on the road; it was blocked in quite a few places with deadfall timber. Most of the road, however, was open for easy hiking. Lupe explored here and there, just glad to be out running around. The deadfall didn’t bother her.
Up ahead, SPHP saw something odd dangling from an aspen tree. From a distance, it looked like the size of a human head. That would fit in with a Halloween theme, but upon reaching it, SPHP saw that it was an old wasp’s nest. The bottom of it had deteriorated so there was quite a large hole in it. SPHP thought maybe the nest was abandoned, but upon closer inspection, there were still a couple of wasps flying around and entering it.
This wasp’s nest wasn’t very active, but there were still a couple of wasps that flew up into it.
Even though the hive wasn’t very active, SPHP figured nothing good could come from hanging around it. There was no reason to stay there anyway. Lupe and SPHP went on up the road. Lupe passed several more little ponds. Toward the upper end of the little valley, the tiny stream that fed the ponds was running right down USFS Road No. 669 beneath an archway of aspen trees.
Some nice tall aspens along USFS Road No. 669.A tiny creek flows down USFS Road No. 669 beneath an archway of aspens.
The road had turned SW by the time Lupe reached the area where the tiny creek was flowing on it. Eventually the road turned S and left the bottom of the valley. Lupe stayed on a path that continued up the valley. Before long, the path turned W and climbed more steeply up to a saddle along a ridge running N/S. There was lots of deadfall timber on the climb to the saddle, so it was slow going for SPHP.
USFS Road No. 249 was not very far W of the saddle, but Lupe did not go to the road. Lupe and SPHP turned S and followed the ridge. From the top of a small high point along the way, a considerably higher hill with a rocky top could be seen ahead. Lupe and SPHP climbed it. There was quite a lot of rock as Lupe drew near the summit.
From the top there were really nice views all around from the SW to the W, N, and NE. This high up, the wind was really roaring in the trees. The big rocks at the top were an effective barrier against the wind, which was coming out of the SW. Lupe liked it down out of the wind, but SPHP persuaded her to go up on top for a few photos.
Nearing the rocky summit of False North Point.Lupe at the summit of False North Point. Photo looks N.
Lupe had been here before, but quite a long time ago. Her first trip here had been on her first Black Hills expedition of 2013 on New Year’s Day. (Expedition No. 42, 1-1-13) Back then, SPHP had thought Lupe was up on the northernmost summit of Five Points. Accordingly, SPHP had named this mountain North Point.
Lupe had returned to the same area just 5 days later on Expedition No. 43 on 1-6-13. She had actually climbed up to the highest point of Five Points on Expedition No. 43. SPHP realized then that this mountain was not part of the Five Points grouping. This mountain was too far to the NNW. So SPHP changed the name to False North Point. The topo maps on Peakbagger.com show its elevation as 6,130 feet.
Looking S from False North Point.Looking NW.Lupe near the highest rocks on False North Point.Looking W.Lupe just below the summit.
The view to the SSE from False North Point toward Five Points was partially blocked by the forest. SPHP snapped a quick photo in that direction, and then Lupe was ready to get out of the wind.
Lupe and SPHP headed back to the NE end of the summit area on False North Point, which looked like the easiest way down to the saddle over to the ridge N of Five Points. Before Lupe lost much elevation, there was a place where an opening in the forest permitted a look to the E toward Boulder Hill(5,331 ft.).
Looking SSE at Five Points from False North Point. The real North Point is hidden behind the trees at the L side of the photo. The true summit of Five Points is in clear view. To the right, Harney Peak is seen in the distance. The road is USFS Road No. 249, which is coming N from China Gulch.Looking E from False North Point. A portion of Sheridan Lake is in view. Beyond the lake, the rocky high point is Boulder Hill.
Lupe and SPHP headed down from False North Point. SPHP led Lupe down a bit farther N than would have been ideal. She had to go S climbing up through an aspen forest just to reach the saddle over to the ridge N of Five Points. Instead of climbing up onto the ridge, Lupe and SPHP stayed W of it, gaining elevation slowly. SPHP was hoping to arrive at the saddle along the ridge just N of the real North Point. That’s exactly where Lupe did arrive, too.
The climb up the N face of the real North Point was the most challenging of the day. Near the top was a big boulder field. It was fairly steep. Lupe and SPHP went straight on up it, but repeatedly came to false summits. Each time it looked like Lupe was about to come out up on top, another set of rocks going 20 feet higher appeared.
The roaring wind made the climb seem more daunting than it really was. SPHP climbed slowly and carefully. Lupe wished SPHP would move in a more lively fashion. She had no trouble maneuvering among the rocks.
Lupe climbing North Point, the real one, not the false one. She isn’t really as close to the top as this photo makes it look. There are more rocks higher up than seen here.Looking NW during the climb up North Point.
Finally, Lupe and SPHP were within 10 or 12 feet of the top of the boulder field. The last part of the climb was a rock wall. It looked like there were plenty of hand holds, but SPHP decided against it. Lupe had to go back down about 20 feet to get to a shelf that led around to the W side of the mountain. Over there she came to an easier way up.
The actual summit of North Point was still a bit S of where Lupe and SPHP came up. Before going over there, though, Lupe and SPHP went N to the top of the rock wall which SPHP had decided against climbing. There was an excellent clear view back to the NNW of False North Point where Lupe had just come from.
Lupe still climbing the N face of North Point. Another false top is in view. This really was a fun rock climb.Looking NNW at False North Point (above Lupe’s head) from the top of the rock wall on the real North Point.False North Point (L) from North Point. Photo looks NNW.
After taking a look back at False North Point, Lupe and SPHP went to see what the true summit of Five Points to the S looked like from North Point. Lupe also visited the summit of North Point.
The true summit of Five Points is now in view from North Point. Photo looks S.Lupe very near the summit of North Point. Photo looks S. The small patch of open ground in the distance is part of Hill City.
The summit of North Point was along the W side of the mountain where the highest ridge of rock provided a commanding 180° view to the W. North Point also featured a slightly lower and wider ridge that extended out to the E. Lupe and SPHP explored this lower ridge to its eastern end.
The E ridge was forested, but there were some openings in the forest. Several rock outcroppings provided great views. Most views were to the N, but it was possible to see to the SE in a couple places, too. There was even a clearer view to the S toward the true summit of Five Points than Lupe had found near the summit of North Point.
From the E ridge on North Point, Lupe found this view of the True Summit of Five Points. It can be seen that there are actually two of the Five Points over there. The high point on the left is South Point. South Point is not quite as high as the True Summit on the R. Photo looks S.
After exploring North Point, it was time for Lupe to head over to the True Summit of Five Points. Although the way initially looked steep, it really wasn’t hard going down North Point into the saddle to the S.
SPHP expected another rocky climb up to the True Summit. Lupe stayed mostly to the E of a spine of rock heading up the N slope. The way up was pretty steep, but Lupe didn’t have to climb any big boulder fields to get up on top. It was an easier climb than going up North Point had been.
Looking N back at North Point (R) and False North Point (L) from the N end of the ridge on the True Summit of Five Points.
Up on top of the True Summit of Five Points was a rocky ridge oriented N/S, just like on the other peaks Lupe had already climbed. The rocks toward the S end were much larger than at the N end. Lupe had to pass just below the big rocks on the E side of the mountain to work her way over to the S end of the ridge. Near the S end, she found a steep grassy ramp that led right on up to the very top of the mountain.
Separated by less than 100 feet, there were two high clusters of rock. The grassy ramp brought Lupe up between them. Lupe went first to the S rock cluster. It had a great view toward Harney Peak(7,242 ft.). The N rock cluster was the very top of the mountain, and the True Summit of Five Points. It was only a few feet higher than the S cluster. There were views to the W, N, and E from here.
Since the most impressive view was to the S toward Harney Peak(7,242 ft.), Lupe and SPHP returned to the S rock cluster to take a break. SPHP had carrots and apple crisp. Lupe had Taste of the Wild and plenty of water. She got to lick the remaining apple crisp sauce out of the plastic container, too. Carolina Dogs like apple crisp!
Looking S toward Harney Peak from the S rock cluster at the top of the True Summit of Five Points. This photo shows two more of the Five Points. They are the rocky hills in the foreground L of Lupe. Both are clearly lower. Lupe did not go to either of those summits.Lupe up on the North rock cluster. These are the very highest rocks on the True Summit of Five Points. Lupe reached her Five Points peakbagging goal here. She had been here once before on Expedition No. 43 way back on 1-6-13. Photo looks N.
It was still windy out while Lupe and SPHP were taking the break on the True Summit of Five Points. However, the wind had shifted a bit and was now coming out of the W. It finally seemed to be weakening a bit. After eating, Lupe curled up for a few minutes in a spot where the rocks protected her from the wind.
Lupe had now climbed North Point and the True Summit of Five Points to achieve her peakbagging goal for the day. There were still 3 of the Five Points unclimbed. False North Point didn’t count, since it wasn’t really part of the official group. The sun was starting to get low. SPHP debated whether or not Lupe should climb any more of the Five Points mountains.
The 2nd highest mountain of the Five Points group was separated from the True Summit by a saddle extending off to the SE. SPHP was calling this mountain South Point, even though there were two lower points of the Five Point group farther S. South Point really wasn’t very far away.
The saddle to South Point didn’t lose much elevation, but there was a lot of deadfall timber and some pretty big rock outcroppings visible along the way. If Lupe could get by the rocks and deadfall, it wouldn’t take long for her to reach the summit of South Point.
As always, Lupe was willing to try it. So Lupe and SPHP went back down the steep grassy ramp and headed SE toward the saddle to South Point. It really wasn’t hard to cross the saddle area. The deadfall timber was more of a problem than the rocks were. Lupe succeeded in reaching the top of South Point. She found the highest rocks near the SE end of the ridge. The best views were from a rock platform at the very SE end.
Looking S from South Point. Harney Peak (L) and Hill City (R) are in view.Lupe on the rock platform at the far SE end of South Point. Photo looks SE.Harney Peak from South Point. The two points of the Five Points group that Lupe did not climb on Expedition No. 144 are seen in the foreground. (Only the rocks at the very top of the lowest point are seen at the lower R.) Photo looks S.The summit of South Point. Lupe is surrounded here by the highest rocks on South Point. Photo looks NW. The True Summit of Five Points isn’t very far away to the NW, but is hidden by the forest.
When Lupe reached the summit of South Point, she had climbed the 3 highest mountains in the Five Points group, plus False North Point. It was time to start heading back to the G6. Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult to just continue down off South Point continuing to the SE.
Lupe was losing a lot of elevation. As soon as the terrain permitted, SPHP led Lupe to the SW and then W. Lupe was going to go clear around to the W of the True Summit and North Point. It was a fairly long march through the forest, made longer by the steepness of the slope, deadfall timber, and big patches of thistles and thorny plants. Lupe had a great time, though. There was now room to run around in the forest. She sped around, happy to not be so confined up on high rocky places.
When Lupe had gone quite a long distance to the W, she came to a big square-shaped rock outcropping, which SPHP promptly dubbed Block ‘O Rock. Not too long after reaching Block ‘O Rock, the terrain leveled out and Lupe was able to head N. She was far enough W to see USFS Road No. 249 down the hill to the W, but she did not go down to the road.
At Block ‘O Rock.
Lupe continued N through the forest until she was just S of False North Point again. There a faint road went almost all the way up to the saddle she had crossed earlier in the day heading for North Point. Lupe continued N over the saddle and descended into an aspen filled valley. At first there was a path, but as Lupe continued on, the path became choked with deadfall timber.
A look back at North Point (L) and the True Summit (R) of Five Points. Photo looks SE.
It really wasn’t terribly far (0.5 mile?) to reach another saddle NE of False North Point that would take Lupe back to USFS Road No. 669. The forest was a mess, though. The deadfall was so thick it even slowed Lupe down. The sun disappeared. A little later, the last sunlight remaining on the peaks disappeared. It wouldn’t be good to be stuck out in this tangle at night. The moon wasn’t due to rise for several hours.
SPHP was confident, though. Lupe made it to the saddle while there was still twilight. She picked up USFS Road No. 669 again. Once on No. 669, it was easy to just retrace the early part of the day’s journey back to the G6. The stars were out by the time Lupe got there at 6:39 PM. It was 38°F. The wind was almost gone. A slight breeze was heard in the treetops.
Lupe and SPHP stood under the stars for a few more minutes. Then it was time for Lupe to go to her Grandma’s house for Halloween. When she got there, Lupe raced into the house, and up the stairs wagging her tail and whining in excitement. Grandma was very happy to see her! Time for ice cream!
Heading back. The pathway into the aspen-filled valley before it becomes choked with deadfall timber.
