Lupe’s first peakbagging objective for Expedition No. 120 (2-20-15) was to climb Pillar Peak (5,469 ft.) located in the NE Black Hills between Sturgis and Deadwood, SD. Despite the fact that Pillar Peak was only 1.5 miles S from where SPHP parked the G6, it took a long time to get there. Several inches of pristine new snow on the N slopes made the hillsides slick and in places there was a substantial tangle of undergrowth for SPHP to force a way through.
The main problem though, was that upon reaching the valley Two Bit Creek flows through, SPHP led Lupe on a futile exploration upstream without finding any place to cross the stream. Retracing the route all the way back to head downstream, Lupe soon found an easy place to cross, but by then 1.5 hours had already been lost on the upstream trek.
Once across Two Bit Creek, the rest of the way up Pillar Peak from the N was just a steady climb. The day was mostly overcast, but the weather was unsettled. Sometimes the sun came out, and at other times squall lines passed which dumped snow showers. Near the summit, there was a large rock outcropping. Years ago a fire had burned the forest away on the upper slopes of Pillar Peak. This was also the steepest part of the climb. Lupe didn’t much enjoy being completely exposed to the W wind while waiting for SPHP to struggle the rest of the way up the hill.
However, fortune soon smiled on Lupe again. By the time SPHP joined her at the summit, the wind had died down and the sun came out for a little while. Without any trees in the summit area, the views were great in all directions.
The original plan for Expedition No. 120 was to continue on to the SW to reach Dome Mountain (5512 ft.). There was plenty of daylight left to have reached it, but SPHP had cost Lupe so much time wandering upstream on the wrong side of Two Bit Creek earlier, night would have fallen before Lupe would have been able to get anywhere close to being back to the G6. With no trails or roads to follow over most of the route, that made the decision to skip Dome Mountain this day a foregone conclusion. Lupe barked enthusiastically when SPHP proposed heading back to the G6. She had lots of fun barking at a squirrel on the way back down Pillar Peak and before reaching the G6 endured the longest and strongest snow shower of the day.
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Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 262 – Peak 5400 & Pillar Peak (1-13-21)
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