Black Hills Expeditions – Page 126 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 140 – Bittersweet Creek, The Northwest Passage, Dingo of the Mists (10-5-15)

Nearly all of September, 2015, the Black Hills of South Dakota were hot and exceptionally dry. Relief came the first weekend of October. The hills were socked in with clouds, fog, and at least some much needed rain. Lupe was bored, bored, bored spending long hours looking out the front window. An occasional squirrel was about all the excitement there was.

By Monday, October 5th, the forecast was better. When SPHP started getting the backpack ready, Lupe brightened up and looked very hopeful. SPHP did not disappoint her. When she realized an expedition was really in store for her, Lupe raced around leaping and barking with excitement encouraging SPHP to hurry up!

Although the great day for Expedition No. 140 had arrived, SPHP hadn’t really given much thought as to where Lupe might go. The decision wasn’t made until almost the last minute. The plan was to explore Bittersweet Creek down to Castle Creek, head upstream to the Castle Creek Campground, and then climb Castle Peak (6,358 ft.). The maps didn’t show any reasonably short alternative routes back, so Lupe would have to return the same way.

About 0.5 mile N of Signal Knob (6,200 ft.), SPHP parked the G6 at 10:13 AM (49°F) near the top of the highest hill on USFS Road No. 187 (Golden West Road). SPHP had expected sunshine, but the sky was still mostly overcast. The clouds were starting to break up, though. Here and there, patches of sunshine came and went.

Lupe and SPHP headed N on No. 187. Off to the NW, the high ridges at the E edge of the Limestone Plateau country, still mostly in the clouds, attracted SPHP’s attention. Lupe eagerly sniffed around in the fields near the road.

Looking NW towards the ridges of the Limestone Plateau country.

Looking N near No. 187. Lupe is very happy to be out exploring the Black Hills again.

Although the fall colors are mostly past their prime already, Lupe did come to some stands of aspens that still looked pretty nice.

SPHP wasn’t paying enough attention. Almost right away, SPHP missed the turn E on Deerfield Trail No. 40. A mile N of the G6, SPHP realized Lupe was already well beyond the trail. It didn’t matter. Lupe and SPHP just turned E and wandered through the forest. Lupe went up over a very small ridge and down into a valley on the other side.

There was a road down at the bottom of the valley. Lupe followed it SE to a junction with USFS Road No. 429. A marker there showed that Lupe had been on side road No. 429.1B. No. 429 was the road Lupe and SPHP had been looking for. The maps showed it following Bittersweet Creek about 3 miles NE from here to USFS Road No. 181 down by Castle Creek.

Bittersweet Creek is a minor tributary of Castle Creek. It was just a tiny stream at the intersection of No. 429 and No. 429.1B. As Lupe followed No. 429 downstream, Bittersweet Creek soon became more than a trickle. The road looked seldom used, but was in good shape. Following No. 429 down Bittersweet Creek was easy. Lupe ran up and down the road making forays off of it to investigate whatever interested her along the way. Gradually the creek got bigger.

On USFS Road No. 429 in the Bittersweet Creek valley.

After Lupe had gone a mile or more on No. 429, she came to an intersection with USFS Road No. 429.1D, which headed up a side valley. Near this intersection, there was a series of very small waterfalls along Bittersweet Creek. Just below the first waterfall, the creek bed was orange. Naturally, SPHP dubbed this first waterfall Orange Falls.

While Orange Falls was kind of pretty, Lupe recommends that you NOT cancel your trip to Niagara in favor of Orange Falls. Orange Falls is perhaps one foot high and about the same width. Below Orange Falls, the area was rather swampy. There were some very nice displays of vibrantly green moss growing close to the creek. Below Orange Falls, the creek bed remained orange the entire rest of the way Lupe followed it.

The color of the creek bed was not the only thing that changed at the intersection with No. 429.1D. As Lupe continued down Bittersweet Creek on No. 429, the road started to deteriorate rapidly. The ground was all churned up like the road had been purposely destroyed. No. 429 was no longer an easy hike. The ground wasn’t the real problem, though. Soon there started to be more and more deadfall timber that had fallen across the road.

Deadfall starts to make its appearance on USFS Road No. 429 in the Bittersweet Creek valley.

Lupe, of course, had little problem working her way through the deadfall. SPHP, however, faced increasing difficulty. If Lupe wanted to climb Castle Peak, though, it was important to follow Bittersweet Creek all the way to Castle Creek. Once at Castle Creek, SPHP knew that USFS Road No. 181 was a good road. So SPHP persisted, but the going got steadily worse.

The creek bed of Bittersweet Creek remained orange below Orange Falls as far as Lupe went. SPHP doesn’t know what causes the orange color. It is not typical for Black Hills streams.

Although SPHP kept hoping the road would improve as Lupe drew closer to Castle Creek, it didn’t. Finally, the road completely disappeared in a tangle of deadfall timber. Lupe was probably only a mile from Castle Creek by now, but it looked like getting there would take SPHP hours.

Umm, yeah, thinking this isn’t going to work.

Clearly, staying on the valley floor down by Bittersweet Creek was no longer an option. Lupe and SPHP started climbing up the side of the valley. SPHP hoped maybe there was a way forward up there, or at least a view of what lay ahead. Lupe gained about 100 feet of elevation. Trees blocked any view of Bittersweet Creek and what, if anything, remained of USFS Road No. 429 below. Steep slopes rose another 150 to 200 feet higher. It wasn’t practical to try to move forward on the slopes, either.

SPHP gave up on the notion of Lupe reaching Castle Peak. SPHP decided to just continue climbing up the steep slope however far it took to reach more level ground. Once there, Lupe could just return to the G6. There should still be time to do something else. Sometimes adventures just don’t turn out the way one expects. It’s part of what makes them adventures.

At least the steep slope didn’t have much deadfall timber on it. Most of the dead trees seemed to have fallen clear down to the valley floor to choke No. 429. Instead, the slope was infested with thistles. After climbing 200 more scratchy feet up the slope, Lupe arrived unexpectedly at another USFS road.

This high road was nice and level. It was in good shape. There was almost no deadfall timber on it. Suddenly SPHP could make progress again. Lupe followed the high road a short distance NW and reached an intersection. None of the roads had any marker. SPHP checked the maps. The most detailed map showed a maze of side roads coming off USFS Road No. 187 up in here.

Lupe reaches the high roads hundreds of feet above Bittersweet Creek. It was much easier going up here!

While they got very close to Castle Creek, the map didn’t show any of the side roads ever connecting to USFS Road No. 181. SPHP knew that meant that they all probably ended high up on the ridges and steep slopes on the S side of the Castle Creek valley. Still, maybe one of them would lead to a reasonably easy way down. If Lupe could get to Castle Creek, she could still climb Castle Peak.

Like the explorers of old, but on a tiny scale, Lupe and SPHP started looking for the fabled Northwest Passage. This Northwest Passage only needed to take Lupe to a point where she could finish her journey to Castle Peak. Initial results were somewhat encouraging. Castle Peak was soon in view. Lupe was clearly already on the slopes just above the Castle Creek valley. All that was necessary was to find an easy way down.

From a ridge near the high roads Castle Peak was in view to the NW.

Looking E down the Castle Creek valley from one of the high roads.

Lupe and SPHP spent a couple of hours exploring various branches of USFS Road No. 187 looking for her Northwest Passage. Sometimes Lupe could see the Castle Creek valley floor and USFS Road No. 181 below. Some of the high roads lost considerable elevation. In the end, though, none of them got close to the valley floor. All of them ended at cliffs or steep slopes still at least 200 to 300 feet above Castle Creek.

The old explorers never found their Northwest Passage. It was there, but frozen solid and impassable. Lupe never found her Northwest Passage either. It may have been there, but on some side road there wasn’t time to explore. By now so much time had passed that even if Lupe found a way through, she wouldn’t be able to climb Castle Peak and return before dark. And SPHP wasn’t about to scramble up some steep hillside in the dark.

Of course, Lupe was having fun the entire time. She wasn’t worried about getting to Castle Peak. She was looking for squirrels and other interesting things in the forest. While SPHP tried to figure out which of the many branches of USFS Road No. 187 to take to get back to the G6, Lupe had her own little adventures in the forest. SPHP managed to find the junction of USFS Roads No. 187.2E and No. 187.2F. From there the way back was clearly indicated on the maps.

On the way back to the G6 on USFS Road No. 187.

The sun wasn’t down yet when Lupe got back to the G6 at 4:31 PM (59°F). There was more than an hour yet before sunset. What now? Lupe and SPHP drove NW to Reynolds Prairie. From the S end of Reynolds Prairie, SPHP took USFS Road No. 189 heading N. Just N of Nipple Butte (6,800 ft.), near the junction with USFS Road No. 599, was a beautiful stand of aspens that hadn’t even reached the height of their fall colors yet. Lupe agreed to pose for a few pictures.

From there, Lupe and SPHP drove up to the end of USFS Road No. 599. At it’s N end, No. 599 is just S of White Tail Peak, which Lupe had climbed on Expedition No. 138. SPHP had hoped to get a view of White Tail Peak (6,962 ft.) from the S, but by the time Lupe got there, fog was rolling in. Lupe and SPHP turned around, and returned to USFS Road No. 189 where there were more pretty aspens.

The fog started rolling in before Lupe even reached the side road to Flag Mountain. This photo was taken near USFS Road No. 189. — Fog above aspen trees near USFS Road No. 189.

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 140 ended with a climb up the spur road to Flag Mountain (6,937 ft.) from USFS Road No. 189. Normally Flag Mountain has great 180° views to the E. Lupe has seen them before. This time, Flag Mountain was enveloped in fog.

Lupe loved the fog. She raced through the now mysterious forests, sniffing madly. For an hour, as the gloomy fog thickened and the light faded, Flag Mountain was haunted by the wild Dingo of the Mists.

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Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 139 – Crows Nest Peak (9-27-15)

With a forecast high near a ridiculously hot 90°F on Saturday, 9-26-15, SPHP postponed Lupe’s Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 139 to Sunday, when it was supposed to be about 10°F cooler. Even 80°F is warmer than either Lupe or SPHP like for long days outdoors, but by going far enough W to some of the highest ground in the Black Hills, the heat would at least be tolerable.

Lupe and SPHP got off to a pretty early start. In a bit of an unusual twist, there was time for a Lupe photo op at the cool Tyrannosaurus Rex outside the Dinosaur Museum on Hwy 16 S of Rapid City, SD.

Lupe drops by the T Rex at the Dinosaur Museum on Hwy 16 S of Rapid City, SD. SPHP notes that American Dingoes make much better companions than Tyrannosaurs.

NW of Deerfield Reservoir in the west central Black Hills, SPHP parked the G6 at the last pullout overlooking Castle Creek before reaching USFS Road No. 157. It was 8:10 AM, and a very pleasant 53° F under totally clear blue skies. Lupe and SPHP headed NW to reach USFS Road No. 157.

After crossing Castle Creek, No. 157 turned and went SE for 0.5 mile at the edge of the forest in Castle Creek valley. The road then turned W and went up a side canyon for several miles. Lupe ran around following game trails and exploring the forest. She ran down to Silver Creek to cool off and get a drink.

Eight days earlier, on Lupe’s Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 138 to White Tail Peak, there weren’t many fall colors yet. Now nearly all the aspens had turned to yellow blazes of glory. Although Ponderosa Pines are by far the most dominant tree species in the Black Hills, aspens are probably the next most numerous. They are pretty widespread in scattered groups in the central and northern hills. Lupe saw many beautiful golden aspen trees, a treat that doesn’t last very long.

Lupe saw lots of aspens with beautiful yellow leaves this day. These were along USFS Road No. 157.

USFS Road No. 157 came to an intersection with USFS Road No. 655. No. 655 went left. No. 157 went right. Lupe and SPHP went straight ahead towards the WNW on the faint track of an old logging trail. There were more pretty aspens and tall grass. Lupe eventually reached No. 157 again near an intersection with No. 157.1F.

Aspens along the shortcut to USFS Road No. 157.1F.

SPHP checked the maps. No. 157.1F would eventually dead end in Fulton Draw, but the first 0.5 mile or so went N, which would help Lupe get closer to Crows Nest Peak (7,048 ft.), her peakbagging goal for the day. A quick scouting of No. 157.1F proved disappointing, however. The road started losing elevation, and looked like it would continue to do so. SPHP thought it would be better to go back and stay on higher ground.

Backtracking nearly to No. 157, Lupe and SPHP headed W into the forest. A wicked looking 6-strand barbed wire fence blocked any advance to the NW. SPHP kept Lupe away from that fence. The terrain looked like it dropped in that direction anyway. Between the fence and the terrain, Lupe and SPHP were slowly forced to keep turning more and more toward the SW. Lupe was essentially just paralleling USFS Road No. 157, which wasn’t far to the S.

Lupe had been to this same area before on prior expeditions long ago. On at least a couple of those occasions, she had been trying to reach Crows Nest Peak from the S. Too much snow and lack of time had prevented her from reaching it. SPHP found a deflated helium party balloon that had flown all this way from somewhere just to welcome Lupe back to the region.

Lupe is welcomed back to the region N of USFS Road No. 157 by an errant balloon. — Lupe is welcomed back to the region near USFS Road No. 157 by an errant balloon.

Lupe and SPHP hadn’t gone too far SW, when Lupe came to a road heading W. It had no marker, but since Lupe needed to go NW to reach Crows Nest Peak, it was a better choice than No. 157 at this point. Lupe followed the unnumbered road W. Pretty soon she came to a small pond with some cattails growing in part of it.

Aspens seen from the unmarked road to the little pond with cattails.

Lupe reaches the small pond with cattails in it. — Lupe reaches the cattail pond.

There was a game trail heading N into the forest from the cattail pond. Since Lupe seemed to be far enough W so that the land no longer lost much elevation heading N, Lupe left the unmarked road. Lupe and SPHP followed the game trail N for quite a long way through the forest. Just E of the trail was a barbed wire fence. A little way off to the W there was a small ridge of higher ground.

The forest went on and on. Eventually an eastern spur of the ridge to the W forced Lupe and SPHP to climb up on the ridge. Once up on the ridge, Lupe turned away from the fence to head NW, allowing her to stay up on the highest ground.

Lupe was excited to see some of her giant deers (elk) up on the ridge. The giant deers saw Lupe, too. They weren’t any happier with the companionship of a Carolina Dog than they would have been with a Tyrannosaurus. The giant deers disappeared farther into the forest. Lupe saw more elk and white tail deer now and then as she continued onward.

Lupe was up in the high limestone plateau country of the western Black Hills. It is rolling territory, mostly forested, characterized by a maze of ridges usually no more than a few hundred feet higher than the intervening valleys. In this kind of terrain, there aren’t typically many places where there are clear long distance views. Although it was possible to catch glimpses of more high ridges a little farther off through the trees, Lupe and SPHP were more or less lost wandering in the forest.

Of course, SPHP knew roughly where Lupe was, but the area was unfamiliar. Just navigating by the sun, it wasn’t easy to know for certain which way to go. Fortunately, the Black Hills are full of various USFS Roads, ATV trails, and logging roads. Sooner or later Lupe would reach one. In the meantime, she just needed to keep heading NW.

The ridge ended. Lupe still had not come to any road. Finally she found a logging road heading NW, the direction she needed to go. It soon ended at an intersection with another logging road. There were more golden aspens nearby, some quite nice specimens, but none of the roads continued N or NW. Lupe took the logging trail heading W, but didn’t stay on it long. SPHP thought she should continue NW through the forest. A 10 minute trek NW brought Lupe to a long, broad open field.

Lupe near the aspens close to the intersection of logging trails.

Fall colors, yellow aspens in particular, seem to be a theme of Expedition No. 139 to Crows Nest Peak. Lupe is seen near this magnificent stand close to where she left the logging road to head NW again. — Fall colors, yellow aspens in particular, seem to be a theme of Lupe’s Expedition No. 139 to Crows Nest Peak. Lupe is seen near this magnificent stand close to where she left the logging road to head NW again.

Lupe reaches the long, broad open field. Photo looks SW. Lupe had been to the far end of the field seen here on a previous expedition long ago.

While Lupe had never been to this exact place before, SPHP was pretty certain she had been to the far SW end of this same field on a previous expedition while trying to find Crows Nest Peak from the S. Back then SPHP had wanted to explore up this way, but there hadn’t been time. Lupe had plenty of time left to explore today, though.

Lupe continued NW across the field and went into the forest on the other side. Before too long, she came to a road heading N. She followed it until SPHP noticed some unusual fall colors to the NE. Lupe was happy to go take a look. What had caught SPHP’s eye were some aspens that were not the usual yellow – their leaves had turned a light orange. Some of their leaves were even rather reddish.

Wow! Orange aspens. Not your typical aspen fall color. What made these trees turn a different color?

Lupe poses near the biggest stand of orange aspens.

Although Lupe saw many groves of beautiful yellow aspens on Expedition No. 139, the orange ones were only in this one area SE of Crows Nest Peak. — Although Lupe saw many groves of beautiful yellow aspens on Expedition No. 139, the only orange ones were in this one area near Crows Nest Peak.

From the orange aspens, Lupe and SPHP went NNW and reached the road again. The road continued N. It arrived at an intersection that seemed familiar. The road heading W from the intersection was marked No. 377.1B. Lupe had been here back on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 86 on 5-3-14. Expedition No. 86 was the only time Lupe had ever actually succeeded in getting to Crows Nest Peak before. That time she had approached from the N. Crows Nest Peak wasn’t far to the W from here.

SPHP remembered that back on Expedition No. 86, Lupe had come to a pond E of Crows Nest Peak. SPHP thought it was close by just a little to the NE. Lupe took the road NE from the intersection. She didn’t find any pond, but she did come to another intersection with No. 377.1A, which SPHP definitely recognized. Just N of that intersection was a white water tank that SPHP remembered, too.

Lupe near the white water tank along USFS Road No. 377 just N of its intersection with No. 377.1A.

From the white water tank, Lupe and SPHP cut through the forest heading SW back to No. 377.1B. SPHP thought maybe the pond was hidden in the forest, but it wasn’t. There were more lovely aspens, though.

Aspens SE of the white water tank, but where was the pond SPHP remembered? — Aspens in the forest SW of the white water tank, but where was the pond SPHP remembered?

SPHP decided the pond had to be farther W along No. 377.1B, closer to Crows Nest Peak. So Lupe followed No. 377.1B heading W. Both Lupe and SPHP abandoned the road to walk near it in the forest. The road was covered with a couple of inches or more of very fine powdery dust. The area really needed rain to settle that awful dust down. SPHP didn’t want Lupe breathing it.

The pond came into view. A flock of small birds flew off as Lupe approached. Crows Nest Peak wasn’t far away now.

Lupe at the pond near Crows Nest Peak. This one is ESE of the peak. There is a smaller pond even closer to the peak, just 200 feet W of the US Geological Survey Benchmark.

Lupe and SPHP returned to follow No. 377.1B farther W. When higher ground appeared off to the NW, Lupe left No. 377.1B behind and went through the forest to climb as high as possible. She reached the top of the low hill and came to a big flat area that had been logged recently. There was slash on the ground everywhere. There was a small pond. Lupe had reached Crows Nest Peak for the 2nd time.

With the trees cut down and all the slash around, Crows Nest Peak wasn’t very pretty, certainly not as pretty as the last time Lupe was here on Expedition No. 86. It couldn’t have been very long since the loggers had been through here. The pine needles on the slash were still green. SPHP hoped the loggers hadn’t gone as far E as the U. S. Geological Survey Benchmark for Crows Nest Peak. Lupe had found it under 6″ of snow on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 86, its position revealed by a survey post.

Lupe and SPHP went to look for the Crows Nest Peak benchmark. SPHP remembered it as being a couple hundred feet E of the little pond. Lupe found it again. The loggers hadn’t come quite that far E. It was still there. The benchmark said “Crow” and “1912”.

The Crows Nest Peak U.S. Geological Survey benchmark was still there. Loggers hadn't disturbed it. — The Crows Nest Peak U.S. Geological Survey benchmark was still there. Loggers hadn’t disturbed it.

Lupe on Crows Nest Peak 9-27-15. This photo looks W.

Right there near the U. S. Geological Survey marker post and benchmark, Lupe enjoyed water and Taste of the Wild to celebrate her 2nd ascent of Crows Nest Peak. SPHP had an apple and applesauce. It was quite the celebration. Lupe, of course, was the life of the party. Soon she lay panting and resting in the shade of a small tree to recover. It sure was warm out. It felt like the mid 70’s °F. Pretty hot for way up here at almost the end of September.

Ordinarily, this is where photos of the towering summit and fabulous distant views from the highest prominences of Crows Nest Peak would appear. Lupe has none to offer. Despite its name and the fact that Peakbagger.com lists Crows Nest Peak at 7,048 feet as the 7th highest point on the list of Black Hills 6,500+ foot peaks, it is hardly what one thinks of as a “peak” at all.

Crows Nest Peak is the high point on a hill not an awful lot higher than much of the surrounding country. The summit area is big and flat. Even after the loggers thinned the forest, there just aren’t any unobstructed mountain views. From the W edge of the hill, it is possible to see some more high ridges off to the W or NW, but nothing too impressive.

Nevertheless, Lupe and SPHP both love Crows Nest Peak. It is up in the remote and beautiful limestone plateau country of the western Black Hills. Not far from Crows Nest Peak, in the broad open fields between the forested ridges, seasonal streams appear in the spring when the snow is melting. By late May and June, the green fields are filled with wildflowers. Few people come here. It is far from the famed tourist attractions (think Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Spearfish Canyon) of the Black Hills.

Lupe did return to the little pond a couple of hundred feet W of the U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark.

Lupe at the small pond on Crows Nest Peak. Photo looks W.

By the time it was time to leave Crows Nest Peak, the sky was starting to cloud up. Lupe and SPHP headed NE through the forest, taking a shortcut to USFS Road No. 377. SPHP was planning on taking Lupe along No. 377.1C toward Knutson Spring. Unfortunately, No. 377.1C was unmarked, and hardly exists any longer where it branches off from No. 377. SPHP didn’t even recognize it when Lupe found the right spot.

In the end, Lupe went down No. 377.1A from near the white water tank, which she passed again on the way. No. 377.1A took her down into Bjornland Draw and E several miles back to Castle Creek. No. 377.1A went a couple of miles, but faded out completely a mile before Lupe was back at the main road along Castle Creek. Several times it threatened to rain while Lupe was in Bjornland Draw, but the clouds could only muster a few drops.

You did want to see more fall colors, right? These aspens were near USFS Road No. 377.1A at the upper end of Bjournland Draw. — You did want to see more fall colors, right? These aspens were near USFS Road No. 377.1A at the upper end of Bjornland Draw.

After leaving Bjornland Draw, it was about 3 miles SE along Castle Creek back to the G6. Part of the way Lupe and SPHP were on the main gravel road, but wherever possible stayed down closer to the creek. The creek was prettier, and vehicles on the main road raised a lot of dust.

Lupe on a rock near the main road on the way back to the G6.

At 5:48 PM (69°F), Lupe got back to the G6. At first, Lupe wasn’t sure she wanted Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 139 to be over yet. She liked the soothing sound of the water flowing by in Castle Creek. She only jumped in the G6 when SPHP promised her Alpo when she got home. (American Dingoes don’t live by Taste of the Wild alone!) On the way, she barked at lots of cows, deer and horses. There were even a few wild turkeys along the way! Rest assured they got the same enthusiastic treatment.

Lupe hopes you will stay tuned to The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe. More dingo adventures are coming soon! — Lupe hopes you will return again to The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe. More dingo adventures are coming soon!

Crows Nest Peak is most easily reached from USFS Road No. 117 which passes by about a mile to the W. There is a road off No. 117 which goes to the summit. High clearance vehicles will have no problem reaching Crows Nest Peak. While Lupe and SPHP enjoy peakbagging, Lupe often purposely starts far from her peakbagging goals to explore the surrounding area and enjoy the day.

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