Black Hills Expeditions – Page 125 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 142 – Castle Peak (10-17-15)

On Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 140 down Bittersweet Creek, Lupe and SPHP had failed to find a way to get down to Castle Creek when USFS Road No. 429 disappeared into a tangle of deadfall timber. Lupe’s peakbagging goal had been to reach Castle Peak (6,358 ft.) that day. Since Lupe and SPHP did not find a Northwest Passage to it from No. 429, it was time to take another approach.

SPHP parked the G6 just 0.25 mile N of Mystic at the intersection of USFS Road No. 428 and Mystic Road. It was a beautiful sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky. Lupe and SPHP started up Pony Gulch following No. 428. Pony Gulch and the road wound around some, generally heading W. The road gained elevation steadily, at an easy to moderate pace.

When Lupe spotted a mud puddle ahead on the road, she ran to get a drink. She was shocked to find that the water cracked beneath her paws – the puddle was frozen! This was the first ice Lupe had encountered on her Black Hills expeditions this fall. This puddle proved to be the only puddle that was frozen, but Lupe didn’t come to very many other puddles. It has been a very dry autumn so far in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Lupe was happy to soon discover a little stream, which had evidently gone underground before reaching the lower end of Pony Gulch where the G6 was parked. The little stream was close to the road for a while, but then went up a side canyon. Another little stream appeared farther up Pony Gulch, but it soon disappeared underground at both ends.

The first (lower) tiny stream in Pony Gulch.

On USFS Road No. 428 exploring Pony Gulch NW of Mystic, SD.

Near the upper end of Pony Gulch there was an intersection. It wasn’t marked, but this was USFS Road No. 238, also known as Divide Road, probably because it winds around hills up on a ridge dividing the Rapid Creek and Castle Creek drainages. Rapid Creek is the largest stream in the Black Hills. Castle Creek is its largest tributary.

Lupe and SPHP followed No. 238. It continued climbing, but very slowly. Lupe was now out of Pony Gulch and up pretty high. There were some open points with nice views off to the S. The road then wound around to the N side of the ridge, but the forest hid the views in that direction.

Lupe pauses along No. 238 where there were views of distant hills to the S.

The fall colors are virtually done now in the Black Hills. This small stand of aspens with a few yellow leaves still clinging to the trees along USFS Road No. 238, was the best remaining example Lupe found on her way to Castle Peak.

Lupe eventually came to the intelligence test intersections along No. 238. Of course, this Carolina Dog passed both tests with flying colors! No, she didn’t want to take USFS Road No. 184 to a place called Bloody Gulch. And no, she wasn’t taking any dead ends to Poverty Gulch either.

Lupe at the 2nd Intelligence Test intersection. Not really all that difficult to figure out. No, Lupe did not want to take any dead ends into Poverty Gulch.

Shortly after passing the Dead End to Poverty Gulch test, Lupe reached USFS Road No. 238.1A, which goes 0.75 mile all the way up to the top of Castle Peak from the N. Lupe was soon there. Although Castle Peak is heavily forested, the summit featured an open area clear of trees. There were good views SE toward Harney Peak (7,242 ft.). Custer Peak (6,804 ft.) was visible to the N. Trees around the open area still blocked the views in other directions.

At one time there must have been a fire lookout tower on Castle Peak, but nothing remains of it except a bit of the foundation. There was a USGS Survey Benchmark set into solid rock. The benchmark did not show the elevation, but did say “Castle Peak” and “1950”.

The USGS Survey Benchmark on Castle Peak.

Someone had built a crude, but effective, bench out of some rocks and a board. There were also three poles lashed together so they stood up like a big tripod. Lupe used the bench as a platform for a few pictures.

Lupe on the bench. Photo looks SE toward Harney Peak. — Lupe on the bench. Photo looks SE toward **Harney Peak** **(7,242 ft.)** , the highest point in the distance on the left.

**Custer Peak (6,804 ft.)** is the high point in the distance. The USGS Survey Benchmark is at lower right. Photo looks N.

After spending a little time at the summit, Lupe and SPHP headed SW through the forest. Before long, Lupe reached a viewpoint where it was possible to see to the W. On the horizon, a number of peaks and high ridges Lupe visited earlier in 2015 were in sight.

**Whitetail Peak (6,962 ft.)** from Castle Peak.

Looking WSW. The N end of Reynolds Prairie is the grassland in the distance. Beyond it to the WSW is **Nipple Butte (6,800 ft.)** (L of Lupe’s ears). **Flag Mountain (6,937 ft.)** is to the W (R of Lupe’s ears).

Lupe was hungry and thirsty. She took a break at the viewpoint SW of the Castle Peak summit. Water and Taste of the Wild were on the menu, as usual. While Lupe dined, SPHP considered Lupe’s options from here. Her next objective was to reach the Castle Peak campground along USFS Road No. 181. It wasn’t far away at all, only 0.5 mile S as the crow flies.

Lupe chows down on some Taste of the Wild on Castle Peak.

Lupe isn’t a crow, though, and neither is SPHP. There were cliffs to the S. The way down to the campground was through a valley just W of the SW viewpoint. How would Lupe get down there, though?

Lupe could try to go directly down the steep W slope of Castle Peak, or backtrack to the summit and go down on USFS Road No. 238.1A the way she had come up. About 0.5 mile to the N, Lupe would reach No. 238.1E, which did curve around to the W and down into the valley, but it was a rather long detour. SPHP took a couple more pictures before having Lupe explore the options.

A last look at White Tail Peak from Castle Peak.

Looking down the steep W slope of Castle Peak, it looked like a long way down to the valley floor. It appeared possible to go that way, but it would be slow going. SPHP decided Lupe may as well take the long, but easy route. Lupe returned to the summit of Castle Peak and headed N on No. 238.1A. She turned W on No. 238.1E when she reached it.

The maps had shown No. 238.1E heading W and then turning S into the valley W of Castle Peak, only to dead end in the valley. However, another road, No. 181.1A, came up into the lower end of the same valley from Castle Creek not far from the campground. It also dead ended in the valley before reaching No. 238.1E, so that there was a gap between the roads. All Lupe had to do when No. 238.1E ended was continue on down the valley and find No. 181.1A.

So that’s what Lupe did. When No. 238.1E ended, Lupe just kept going down the valley. The valley became rocky and narrow with a deep gully in the valley floor. There was a lot of deadfall timber in the way for quite some distance, too. It wasn’t too terrible, though, and eventually Lupe reached No. 181.1A.

In the meantime, a small creek had appeared. No. 181.1A had a lot of deadfall timber on it at first, but finally it pretty much ended. The little creek then flowed on the road, but was too small to cause any problems. Lupe enjoyed splashing through the cold water. No. 181.1A linked up with Castle Peak Road (No. 181) very close to the campground.

Lupe reaches the Castle Creek Campground. — Lupe reaches Castle Peak campground. The Castle Peak campground is located in a remote part of the central Black Hills. It is one of the nicest campgrounds in the hills, but has only 9 campsites. All of the campsites are next to Castle Creek, which is one of the largest streams in the Black Hills.

Lupe and SPHP walked through the campground. It looked very nice. All of the sites are level, spacious and right next to Castle Creek. There was plenty of grass beneath the shade of big pines and spruce trees. The campground was deserted, except for two guys living the good life at one of the sites. They had a campfire going. Although the sun wouldn’t set officially for a couple of hours, there wouldn’t be sunlight down in the valley much longer.

Lupe checks out a campsite at Castle Peak campground. Hidden in the trees, Castle Creek flows at the base of the cliffs.

It was a long way back to the G6 – 8 miles along Castle Peak Road back to Mystic Road. Another 2 miles along Mystic road would take Lupe to Mystic. The G6 was 0.25 mile N of Mystic. Lupe and SPHP started the long trek back.

Down in the valley there were no distant views, but Castle Creek flowed merrily along. Above the valley floor, rocks and hills were still in sunlight. Gradually the sunlight retreated up the slopes until it disappeared altogether.

There was no traffic along the road. None whatsoever. Twilight came on. An owl hooted far away. Except for the soothing sound of flowing water, it was quiet. Lupe explored the forests and fields until darkness, then she traveled close to SPHP. There was another break for Taste of the Wild. SPHP got out the flashlight and put on a sweater.

The flashlight wasn’t really needed. A crescent moon, low in the SW, put out an amazing amount of light. Another expedition ended the way many of them do, with Lupe and SPHP traveling the road together beneath a night sky full of shimmering stars.

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Black Hills, SD & WY Expedition No. 141 – Old Baldy Mountain & Cement Ridge (10-11-15)

Lupe was happy and excited. She was on her way to another Black Hills Expedition. On USFS Road No. 256, SPHP stopped the G6 along the road. There was a very nice stand of yellow aspens, and SPHP wanted a photo of it. This late in the season, most of the aspens higher up were probably past their prime already, but these still looked good. Their golden glory wouldn’t last long, though. Leaves fell by the thousands with every gust of the NW breeze.

Aspens along USFS Road No. 256 E of Minnesota Ridge. — Aspens along USFS Road No. 256 east of Minnesota Ridge.

Lupe’s chance to sniff around along No. 256 didn’t last long. Soon it was time to continue on. Lupe enjoyed the long ride through the hills. She rode with her head out the window in the wind, barking ferociously at cows and horses along the way. By the time most of them even looked up to see what the commotion was all about, she was already past them. It didn’t matter, Lupe was satisfied she had done her barking duty.

At 10:59 AM, SPHP parked the G6 at the Old Baldy trailhead off USFS Road No. 134 . It was 67°F, overcast and breezy. Old Baldy Trail No. 66 goes to Old Baldy Mountain (6,096 ft.). There is a W route and an E route to get there, the W route being a little longer. Both routes meet up again 0.8 mile from the summit for the final climb. Both trails go up and down through the hills, but there really isn’t all that much net elevation change – the trail is pretty easy.

Lupe and SPHP took the E route to Old Baldy Mountain. This trail is a bit unusual for the Black Hills. It goes through a forest consisting mostly of aspens with some scattered pines. Usually it is the other way around, and the pines dominate. Most of the aspens were well beyond their peak for fall colors, but there was still enough color around for a very pleasant journey. The trail and forest floor were now decorated with the speckled browns, pale yellows and golds of the fallen aspen leaves.

Lupe on the E route of Old Baldy Trail No. 66.

At the low point along the E route of the Old Baldy Trail, there was a sign for Baldy Lake. Beyond the sign was a big beautiful pasture and a tiny stream, but no lake. Baldy Lake couldn’t have been more than just a stock pond, even when it did exist. The tiny creek trickled through a breach in a low earthen dam where Baldy Lake used to be. After crossing the tiny creek, it didn’t take Lupe long to reach the junction of the E and W routes to Old Baldy Mountain.

The bridge across the tiny creek at the low point of the E route of Old Baldy Trail No. 66.

The trail up to the summit of Old Baldy Mountain gains only about 300 feet of elevation. It didn’t take Lupe long to reach the top. The NW breeze was still blowing, but the clouds were gone. Now it was sunny, clear and rather warm out, especially for 1/3 of the way through October. Lupe was thirsty! She had a big drink of water up on Old Baldy, one of many this day.Old Baldy Mountain isn’t particularly high for the area, but there were some pretty nice views. Terry Peak (7,064 ft.) could be seen about 11 miles to the ESE. The Beaver Creek valley was just S of Old Baldy. Lupe’s next destination, Cement Ridge (6,674 ft.), was several miles to the WSW.

Cement Ridge, Lupe's next destination. — Cement Ridge, Lupe’s next destination.

Lupe and SPHP went back down Old Baldy Mountain. This time Lupe took the W route on Old Baldy Trail No. 66. Lupe followed it quite a long way as it wound around through the forest. She came to one spot where there was an unobstructed view of Old Baldy Mountain from the S.

Looking W at the Beaver Creek valley. Lupe is SE of Old Baldy Mountain here, not far from the W route of Old Baldy Trail No. 66. — Looking W at the Beaver Creek valley. Lupe is SE of Old Baldy Mountain here, near the W route of Old Baldy Trail No. 66.

Looking N at Old Baldy Mountain from the W route of Old Baldy Trail No. 66.

When the W route of the Old Baldy trail started taking Lupe SE, she left the trail and plunged into the forest. Lupe needed to head W to get to Schoolhouse Gulch Road, USFS Road No. 222. Going W through the forest was a short cut. Lupe was happy in the forest. She likes being off any road or trail. It really wasn’t very far to No. 222. Soon Lupe and SPHP were there. Lupe may have been disappointed the shortcut was so very short.

Looking W from USFS Road No. 222 (Schoolhouse Gulch Road).

Lupe and SPHP headed N on No. 222. Part of the time, Lupe and SPHP just paralleled the road out in the field to the W. Lupe got a drink out of Beaver Creek where she crossed it still heading N. No. 222 curved to the NW. As a road hike on a fairly major gravel road, Lupe wasn’t all that thrilled with it, but it was still quite pretty. Lupe dashed in and out of the forest checking for squirrels. SPHP started collecting some of the inevitable trash along a main road.

After following USFS Road No. 222 for a couple of miles, Lupe reached USFS Road No. 103. This road was more to Lupe’s liking. It was more like a jeep trail or logging road. It wound around to the S before turning W to connect with USFS Road No. 850 up on Cement Ridge. Before reaching Cement Ridge, Lupe crossed the border from South Dakota into Wyoming.

From where Lupe reached No. 850, the Cement Ridge lookout tower was still a mile or more off to the NW. Lupe and SPHP mostly stayed NE of the road following the highest part of the ridgeline. There were big views off to the NE over the northern Black Hills of South Dakota. The prairie could be seen beyond the hills.

Vehicles started coming and going on the road. Lupe was going to have company up at the lookout tower. As it turned out, Lupe was never alone up there. Four or five carloads of people with kids and dogs arrived. Lupe was a bit overwhelmed with so many dogs, so Lupe and SPHP went a bit W of the lookout tower to an old picnic table. Lupe panted and rested in the shade of the table.

Cement Ridge is located at the NW end of the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is so far NW, that the lookout tower is actually a mile into Wyoming. The hillside surrounding the lookout tower is barren, and has a commanding view of a good deal of territory. Crow Peak (5,787 ft.) was off to the NNE. Warren Peaks (6,650 ft.) and Sundance Mountain (5,824 ft.) were far away to the NW. Inyan Kara (6,360 ft.) was on the horizon to the SW.

Unfortunately, there was a fair amount of smoke haze in the air. The views, especially to the W towards the sun, were not as distinct as they normally would be. The camera just didn’t want to pick up the hazy peaks in the distance towards the W.

Lupe on Cement Ridge. The lookout tower is now in view to the NW. — Lupe on Cement Ridge. The lookout tower is in view to the NW.

Looking NW from near the picnic table W of the lookout tower. Warren Peaks is on the horizon, but the camera wouldn't pick it up with all the haze around. — Looking NW from W of the lookout tower. Warren Peaks is on the horizon, but the camera wouldn’t pick it up with all the haze around.

Looking SW. In this shot, Lupe is a purple-eared puppy, due to a reflection of sunlight on the lens.

Looking SW. Inyan Kara Mountain is the high point just right of center.

The Cement Ridge fire lookout tower from the NW.

The topo maps on Peakbagger.com show the true summit of Cement Ridge more than a mile to the SE of where the lookout tower is. Peakbagger shows a high point there of 6674 feet, compared to 6647 feet at the lookout tower. It doesn’t really look higher than the lookout tower, especially from the lookout tower. SPHP doubts that it really is higher.

Lupe did not say what she thought. She seemed unconcerned by this issue. Nevertheless, when Lupe was done at the lookout tower, Lupe and SPHP went and climbed up to this other high point. There was what might of been a small limestone cairn next to a bush, but nothing else of note. The only view from the purported true summit of Cement Ridge was back to the NW towards the lookout tower.

Lupe leaves the Cement Ridge Lookout Tower on USFS Road No. 850. Photo looks NW.

The high point on the ridge shown here is shown on Peakbagger.com topo maps as the true summit of Cement Ridge at 6,674 feet. SPHP really thinks the lookout tower is higher, but Lupe went to investigate. — The high point on the ridge seen here is shown on Peakbagger.com topo maps as the true summit of Cement Ridge at 6,674 feet. SPHP really thinks the lookout tower is higher, but Lupe went to investigate. In any case, the views are much better at the lookout tower.

Lupe at the supposed true summit of Cement Ridge according to Peakbagger.com topo maps. Photo looks NW. The Cement Ridge lookout tower is seen at the top of the bare spot more than a mile away.

Lupe at what might be a poorly assembled cairn at the purported true summit of Cement Ridge.

By now it was time to start making tracks back to the G6. The sun was still above the horizon, but only for another 30 or 40 minutes. Lupe and SPHP left the controversial summit of Cement Ridge. Lupe explored the rest of this ridge, which trended to the SE. The ridge remained quite high for at least 0.25 mile. Although this ridge was all forested, there were some small NE facing cliffs at regular intervals. There were often quite nice views in that direction from these cliffs.

The ridge didn’t lose much elevation until it curved to the S, then it went steadily downhill. Lupe loved following the ridge. There was no trail at all. She played wild forest Dingo, running here and there exploring everything. The sun went down a little while before the ridge ended at a pasture full of cows. The cows made way for Lupe. Just beyond their pasture was a dirt road.

SPHP was looking for USFS Road No. 105, but knew this wasn’t it. Lupe and SPHP started following the dirt road S. When it curved to the SE, suddenly there was rather loud gunfire. The sound was coming from over the ridge to the W. Lupe was immediately anxious. She wanted to stop and hide. SPHP made a number of short stops to encourage the nervous Carolina Dog, but mostly urged her to just keep going.

Lupe reached USFS Road No. 105. A marker showed she had been following No. 105.1D. There was a nice red barn in the field to the S of No. 105. SPHP now knew for certain where Lupe was. She was maybe 3 miles from the G6. The gunfire continued for 30 minutes. Finally it ended, but Lupe wasn’t immediately relieved. She kept begging to stop. SPHP even carried her a couple of times, but only for short distances. Lupe made slow progress in between many stops along the way.

When it got dark enough for the stars and flashlight to come out, Lupe finally felt better. The gunfire was long gone. Under cover of darkness, her confidence was back. When she reached the G6 at 7:44 PM (47°F), she wasn’t ready to get in and go home. Instead, she wanted to stay out under the stars and play wild forest Dingo all night.

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