Willow Creek Horse Camp, Norbeck Wildlife Preserve (10:28 AM, 49°F)
At last! Grandma was doing lots better, and it was an amazingly warm day for January. For the first time in a month and a day, Lupe was heading out on one of her Black Hills expeditions – her first of 2014. A few inches of snow only served to make the Carolina Dog even more joyous and revved up! Not a soul was around as she charged ahead on Willow Creek Trail No. 8, sniffing madly.
The trail went S through a forest of tall pines and spruce trees. It wound around going up and down before crossing small, frozen Willow Creek. Across the creek, the trail divided. One branch went S up the creek valley, the other turned NW and quickly brought Lupe to a cul-de-sac at the end of a gravel road.
Lupe’s ultimate objective for the day was to reach Sylvan Lake, which she had never been to before. Somewhere around here, Loop was supposed to take Lost Cabin Trail No. 2, but there were no signs indicating which way to go. A rather primitive trail headed SW from the cul-de-sac. Since that was the right general direction, Lupe and SPHP tried it.
The primitive trail gained elevation steadily. At first, a few footprints in the snow helped show where the trail went, but they ended at a large clearing where the snow became deeper. Lupe and SPHP had to guess which way to go. Continuing SW across the open ground toward the next part of the forest seemed to be the thing to do.
Near the trees, Lupe found the trail again. As expected, it did head into the forest. There was less snow here, but quite a few dead trees had fallen across the trail. The situation only became worse as Lupe proceeded. The deadfall timber slowed SPHP down significantly.
After a little while winding through the forest, Lupe reached another intersection where the trail divided. The trail heading S started climbing more steeply up the mountain. The trail going N was less steep. It went toward a less heavily forested hillside where it curved W. SPHP wasn’t sure which way to go, but tried the trail to the N.
As the trail turned W, it became apparent why this hillside wasn’t as heavily forested. Pine bark beetles had decimated the trees. Lots of tree trunks were still standing, but the upper portions of the trees had snapped entirely off the trunks. The trail was covered with deadfall timber. The snow was deeper here, too. It was slow going fighting both the deadfall and the snow. Lupe and SPHP spent far more time off the trail trying to get around all the obstacles than on it.
Fortunately, this bad stretch of trail didn’t last long. After 0.25 mile, Lupe came to a footbridge crossing Palmer Creek. A long field paralleled the creek on the other side of the bridge. Across the field, the trail ended at the Palmer Creek trailhead. A map posted at the trailhead showed that Lupe had been on Lost Cabin Trail No. 2 at least since leaving the cul-de-sac. However, the last 0.25 mile of difficult trail leading to this trailhead was only a spur. Lupe would have to retrace it to continue S on up the mountain.
Looking SW up the Palmer Creek valley from near the footbridge.
So Lupe followed the spur trail back across the field, over the bridge, and all the way back to the trail junction. This time she took Lost Cabin Trail No. 2 going S up the mountain. The trail entered a more heavily forested area again as it started climbing rapidly. The snow deepened. Deadfall timber continued to block the trail at regular intervals, but wasn’t as bad as on the spur trail.
Lupe climbed for what seemed like a long time. On the way, she entered the Black Elk Wilderness. The views were steadily improving. Finally the trail leveled out. Lupe had reached a high, rocky area, part of a massive ridge of granite. Lupe left the trail temporarily to explore the rock formations and take in some of the views from here.
Lupe left Lost Cabin Trail No. 2 to explore among the rocks on this big granite ridge. The long ridge with high points at both ends seen in the distance a little R of Center is Zimmer Ridge(6,600 ft.). Photo looks WNW.
Although Lupe had gained hundreds of feet of elevation, she could still see other peaks and ridges that were just as high or higher than where she was now. She returned to Lost Cabin Trail No. 2 to resume her climb.
The trail continued steadily up for a while, but eventually crested at a broad saddle near 6,350 ft. elevation. Due to pine bark beetles, the forest here was a mess. However, the devastation had opened up a view of a rocky high point just to the E.
This seemed like a good place to take a break. SPHP sat on one of the many fallen tree trunks near the trail. Lupe enjoyed Taste of the Wild, SPHP had the usual apple, and both had water.
Lupe reached the crest of Lost Cabin Trail No. 2 at this saddle 0.33 mile NE of Gap Lode Peak(6,560 ft.). The rocky hill seen here is E of the trail. Photo looks E.
After 15 minutes, SPHP’s feet started getting cold. Time to press on and get the circulation going again! Lupe continued S on the trail. It wound around through the forest, but was no longer gaining elevation. Farther along, the forest was in much better condition. The pine bark beetles hadn’t hit it nearly so hard here.
As Lupe continued S on Lost Cabin Trail No. 2, the forest was in better condition.
About 1.5 miles from the break point at the saddle, Lost Cabin Trail No. 2 left the Black Elk Wilderness and ended at a junction with Harney Peak Trail No. 9. At 6,405 feet, this was the highest elevation Lupe would reach all day.
Lupe wasn’t going all the way to Harney Peak(7,242 ft.). Instead, she turned SW on Harney Peak Trail No. 9 in the direction of Sylvan Lake. The trail would take her 0.75 mile down a valley to the Sylvan Lake trailhead, Custer State Park’smost popular starting point for the 3+ mile hike (one way) to Harney Peak.
Trail No. 9 was snow-packed, icy and very slippery. Even though it’s a wide, heavily traveled trail and not particularly steep, the going was treacherous for SPHP. The day was warm enough to melt some snow, allowing water to run over the ice. The ice, however, had hardly softened up at all. The wet ice was super slick. Even an American Dingo slipped and slid in some places.
Lupe had never been here before, but SPHP had. The valley along the trail had been transformed since the last time SPHP had seen it. Apparently pine bark beetles had hit hard. Consequently, bulldozers had been all over the NW side of the valley completing the destruction. The forest had been severely thinned. A once shady hike beneath tall pines and spruce was now far more open and exposed.
The damaged hillsides looked bad. On the plus side, it was much easier than it used to be to see some of the large rock formations on the SE side of the valley.
With so many beetle killed trees removed, views of large rock formations across the valley from Harney Peak Trail No. 9 on the way to Sylvan Lake were much better than they used to be. Photo looks SSE.
A surprising number of people were around when Lupe reached Sylvan Lake. A dozen cars were parked near the lake close to the picnic ground. Lupe and SPHP went over to the small sandy beach on the NE side of the lake. Nearly all the large beautiful pines that used to provide shade around the perimeter were gone. It was a sad sight.
Close to the beach, Lupe climbed up on a big granite formation that juts out into Sylvan Lake. The beautiful scenes looking across the lake from here were unchanged.
Lupe at Sylvan Lake for the first time. The rock formation seen beyond this part of the frozen lake is near the dam. Photo looks NW.
Lupe had made it to Sylvan Lake, but winter days are short. The sun was already getting low. Going back the way Lupe had come was not a good idea. Too many parts of the trail had been hidden under deadfall timber. Losing the trail on a winter night was not an option. Although it was 6 miles back to the G6 taking Hwy 87 and Palmer Creek Road, that was the only smart choice.
Lupe and SPHP left the rock formation and went down to the beach, intending to go around the S end of the lake to get to Hwy 87. However, the ice on Sylvan Lake looked thick. Lupe could just walk across to the W side of the lake! Why not?
The ice was full of cracks and fissures as Lupe started out, but felt solid. Lupe went W staying close to the granite formation she had been up on moments ago. She could see people out on the ice near the opposite shore.
Coming around a corner near the rocks, SPHP was surprised to see open water at the edge of the rock formation 30 feet ahead! The sight of open water was unexpected and worrisome, but the ice was still very thick and firm where Lupe was. The Carolina Dog continued across the lake, but swung wide to the S around the small patch of open water.
Lupe reached the W shore of Sylvan Lake without incident.
After crossing frozen Sylvan Lake, Lupe reaches the W shore. Photo looks N.
With the sun sinking fast, people were heading for their cars to go home. Lupe went N on the trail along the W shore of the lake.
Lupe on the trail on the W shore of Sylvan Lake. Photo looks N.
At the NW end of Sylvan Lake near the dam, the trail passes through a narrow gap between huge vertical rock formations. The gap is almost like a tunnel. Large boulders can be seen wedged into the top of the gap above. Lupe went through the gap.
On the other side, Lupe could have gone down beneath the dam that forms Sylvan Lake, but she needed to get to the highway. She took a trail W, passing below more large granite formations.
Walls of granite like this one are typical of the Sylvan Lake area.
SPHP thought Lupe might take the Sunday Gulch trail part of the way back, but missed the turn for it. Lupe arrived at Hwy 87 close Sylvan Lake Lodge.
The sun was still up as the American Dingo trotted N on Hwy 87, but she was in the shade of Sylvan Hill(7,000 ft.) all the way. The highway wound its way steadily down the mountain. Lupe passed through a short granite tunnel. Now and then cars or pickup trucks went by. The temperature was dropping, but Lupe and SPHP enjoyed the trek in the cool mountain air.
While still high up, Lupe saw deer. A few miles later, down in the valley, she saw horses. They kept the journey interesting. When the Carolina Dog reached the turn onto gravel Palmer Creek Road, she took it. Now there was no traffic. The final glow of sunset faded. Lupe passed the access road to the Palmer Creek trailhead.
Stars glittered above in the black night sky by the time Lupe reached Hwy 244. The turn for the Willow Creek Horse Camp wasn’t far now. Before long, a tired, but happy Carolina Dog arrived at the G6 (5:57 PM, 34°F).
Expedition No. 74 was over. Lupe’d had a wonderful time sniffing and exploring new places she’d never been to before. She’d made it all the way to Sylvan Lake, and even walked across the frozen lake. It felt great to be back in action, especially knowing that this was only a start to the many fantastic adventures she would have in 2014!
The final glow of sunset faded away as Lupe traveled Palmer Creek Road.
Willow Creek Horse Camp where Willow Creek Trail No. 8 originates is located off Hwy 224 about 5 miles W of Mount Rushmore, and 3 miles W of Horsethief Lake. The turn is on the S side of the highway a little E of the Palmer Gulch KOA.
The Palmer Creek trailhead where the spur to Lost Cabin Trail No. 2 originates is located off Palmer Creek Road, which can be approached from Hwy 244 a little W of the Palmer Gulch KOA, or Hwy 87 about 3 or 4 miles N of Sylvan Lake.
SPHP parked the G6 at the Big Pine trailhead for Centennial Trail No. 89 (9:50 AM, 49°F). The road to the Horsethief Lake trailhead had been closed, but this was close enough. Lupe crossed Hwy 244, followed Centennial Trail No. 89 a short distance, then left it to cut down through the forest to the Horsethief Lake campground.
The stroll through the campground was easy – a paved road wound between tall pines past campsites all the way to some sites right on Horsethief Lake. No one was around. The campground was closed. Tourist season wouldn’t start for another month. Only 2 or 3 miles from Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Horsethief Lake campground is a really nice place to stay when it’s open.
Lupe wasn’t staying, of course. She was here for her 200th Black Hills Expedition! She did go down to the lakeshore at a couple of spots on her way to the Horsethief Lake trailhead.
Lupe arrives at Horsethief Lake ready for her 200th Black Hills Expedition! She’s still in the campground here. The trailhead for Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 into the Black Elk Wilderness is in the forest on the far side of the lake. Photo looks SSE.Horsethief Lake isn’t very big. About half of it is seen here. Hwy 244 crosses the dam in view at the far side of the lake. Photo looks NNE.
An extensive trail system leads into the Black Elk Wilderness, some of which sees heavy traffic while the majority of it sees relatively little use. Trail No. 9 from Sylvan Lake to Black Elk Peak(7,231 ft.) (formerly Harney Peak) and Trail No. 4 to Little Devil’s Tower(6,960 ft.) are the most popular, but Lupe wasn’t headed to either of those places today.
A short walk S from the lake up a gravel road brought Lupe to the trailhead for the 2.8 mile long Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14. SPHP stopped briefly to register, and Lupe was on her way!
Lupe awaits the start of her day’s adventure at the Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 trailhead.
Lupe entered the Black Elk Wilderness. Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 went S in a narrow valley featuring a small stream. All around were massive granite formations, many with nearly vertical sides towering far above the creek. Lupe drank from the stream and watched for squirrels in the trees, while SPHP paid more attention to the impressive rocks.
Wow! How many expeditions have we been on since there’s been an actual stream, SPHP? Seems like forever! This is nice!Many massive granite formations tower above Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14. These formations are typical features of the Black Elk Wilderness.This first part of Trail No. 14 gained elevation most of the time as it went S. It was a bit steep only along a few short sections. The trail crossed the stream a number of times, but Lupe easily leapt across.
The first 0.75 mile of Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 followed the stream and led to a junction with the 111 mile long Centennial Trail No. 89. Near the end of this first stretch, Lupe saw a couple of women. They were watching children scrambling around on nearby rocks. Lupe would see no one else the rest of the day.
Getting to the junction with Centennial Trail No. 89 was easy and hadn’t taken long.
Well, this was easy! Piece of cake! … You’ve barely started sweet puppy, just wait!At the junction of Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 & Centennial Trail No. 89. Lupe had just come up the trail on the L and would be taking the trail toward the camera.
At the 3-way junction with Centennial Trail No. 89, Lupe took the trail to the R. For several hundred feet or more, Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 and Centennial Trail No. 89 share the same path. It only took Lupe a few minutes to reach another intersection where the trails divided again. Lupe went L, staying on Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14.
She was now headed into the heart of the Black Elk Wilderness.
Entering the heart of the Black Elk Wilderness, Lupe found these big mossy boulders near a stream.
Two miles of Horsethief Trail No. 14 remained after it separated from Centennial Trail No. 89. For the first mile, the trail continued winding S, gaining elevation at a slowly increasing rate. The small creek was sometimes nearby, and the trail crossed it again. Lupe still wandered among huge granite formations.
Lupe was still among massive granite formations as Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 continued S after separating from Centennial Trail No. 89.The trail crossed the small stream again. Eventually the stream disappeared entirely as Lupe gained elevation.
The sky had clouded up by now. Rain threatened, but only a few drops fell. Small patches of blue sky here and there showed that nothing serious was in the works.
The small stream eventually disappeared. Lupe was approaching a pass. When she got there, a fallen tree was wedged in place over the trail.
Lupe came upon this fallen tree suspended over Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 at the top of the pass.
The forest in the Black Elk Wilderness has been devastated by pine bark beetles in recent years. Dead trees have broken and fallen in tremendous numbers over much of the landscape. However, the trail had been clear so far. Lupe had only begun encountering limited quantities of deadfall timber actually on the trail as she drew near the pass.
On the S side of the pass, the situation deteriorated steadily. The farther Lupe went, the more deadfall she had to navigate over, under, or around. Most of the trail was still clear, though. She was still making good progress.
The trail lost elevation heading SW into the Grizzly Bear Creek drainage. After a brief climb to a lower pass, Lupe’s peakbagging objective came into view for the first time. Peak6735 was almost dead ahead, but still more than 2 miles away as the crow flies.
Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 descends through a shattered forest after going over a couple of passes. Lupe’s peakbagging objective, Peak6735, is seen for the first time as the high point between the trees on the L. Dead ahead at center is Peak 6710. Photo looks SW.
Beyond the lower pass, Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 lost elevation the rest of the way to where it ended at a junction with Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7. Grizzly Bear Creek was flowing across No. 7 just S of the intersection.
Lupe was now 2.8 miles from the trailhead at Horsethief Lake. She had lost 300 feet of elevation coming down to Grizzly Bear Creek from the pass. She still had to gain nearly 1,400 feet from here to reach the summit of Peak 6735.
Loop reaches the junction with Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 at the end of Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14.
So far, Lupe’d had an easy time of it. Now she needed to follow Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 upstream. Right next to the intersection, two trees had fallen over the trail the way Lupe needed to go. A couple of signs were taped to the trees. What did they say?
The signs on the deadfall blocking Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 weren’t encouraging.
Turn around? Hah! Not a chance. The truth was, Lupe had climbed Peak 6735 once before, almost 3 years ago in June, 2014 on Expedition No. 92. Lupe had come this same route back then. So what, if the trail hadn’t been maintained in a while? Lupe was going to leave Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 pretty soon anyway. Whatever deadfall was on the trail ahead was only a hint of what was in store off-trail.
Lupe and SPHP went right over the signs and started up Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7. The trail went NW following Grizzly Bear Creek upstream.
Lupe at Grizzly Bear Creek.
Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 had a lot of deadfall on it. Lupe’s progress was slowed considerably, since SPHP couldn’t keep up with the agile American Dingo. Lupe didn’t need to follow Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 very far. SPHP watched for a field to appear on the opposite (SW) side of the creek. When it came into view after 0.25 mile or so, Lupe left the trail and crossed Grizzly Bear Creek.
Lupe crosses Grizzly Bear Creek after leaving the trail. From here on, she had no trail to follow the rest of the way to Peak 6735.
From here on, there was no trail. Lupe traveled W through the tall grass field. This was as easy as it was going to get, but wouldn’t last long. She stayed in the field, gaining elevation gradually as long as possible.
In the big field SE of Grizzly Bear Creek. Lupe traveled W, staying in the field as long as possible. Photo looks NW.
The field ended. Lupe entered the forest. The hard part of Expedition No. 200 was about to begin. Peak 6735 was an unseen fortress in the sky defended by huge rock formations, a long steep climb, but most of all by a never-ending jungle of deadfall timber. Lupe’s ordeal began in earnest.
On the way to Peak 6735 shortly after leaving Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 and the big field behind.
At first, the terrain Lupe was on seemed unfamiliar. This was actually a good thing. The plan of attack was to stay NW of a rugged ridge leading SW up to High Point 6411. It would be best if Lupe could avoid High Point 6411 entirely, and not reach the ridgeline until she was beyond it at a saddle leading to Peak 6710.
On Expedition No. 92, the plan had been the same, but Lupe had wound up following the ridgeline quite closely, which meant she had climbed clear up to the top of High Point 6411. That feat was unnecessary, since she then had to find a way down, losing 130+ feet of elevation in the process.
The deadfall had been bad on Expedition No. 92. It hadn’t improved one bit since then. If anything, it was worse. Lupe climbed and climbed. She went over and under countless dead trees. Progress was excruciatingly slow. The higher Lupe went, the tougher things became. Lupe started coming to large rock formations separated by steep stretches of devastated forest.
Gah! Gradually it became apparent that, once again, Lupe was on the NE ridge.
Eh, Looper, looks like all reasonable routes from this direction lead naturally to High Point 6411. Guess we’re going to get stuck going all the way up there again.
No worries, SPHP. I’m doing fine, if we can just stop for a few water breaks now and then. Jumping over all this mess is hard work! When does the fun begin?
Heh, this is the fun! At least, in a way it is. The ultimate reward will be the views from the top of Peak 6735.
You know SPHP, there’s something sort of wrong with you. Yeah, this is better than all the cactus on recent expeditions, but not that much. Could we please go on some expeditions to easy terrain where the trees are alive and full of squirrels? Do you ever even think about that?
I’ll try to remember to prioritize squirrels more in the future, Loop.
Promises, promises, but that would be nice!
The going got tougher as Lupe kept climbing. Another big rock formation is just ahead.
Slowly, slowly, up and up. The rock formations on the ridgeline became larger and larger. They were too big to go over. Lupe had to go around them. Sometimes it was easiest on the NW side of the ridge, sometimes on the SE side. SPHP kept expecting Lupe to arrive at High Point 6411, but she didn’t. How many of these rock formations would she have to work her way around? SPHP couldn’t remember.
Meanwhile, the views were improving as Lupe gained elevation. Everything in the distance now looked familiar. Lupe was in one of the most rugged parts of the Black Hills here. Beautiful large granite formations were all around. Peak 6735 to the SW remained hidden from view most of the time, but Black Elk Peak(7,131 ft.) was often visible to the NW.
Yet another rocky high point on the ridge ahead. How many of these big rock formations would Lupe have to find a way past? SPHP couldn’t remember. Photo looks SW.Black Elk Peak (Center), the highest mountain in South Dakota, was often in view as Lupe climbed ever higher up the ridge. Photo looks NW.Lupe was in some of the most rugged country in the Black Hills. Photo looks NE back down the ridgeline she was coming up.
As expected, it finally happened. Lupe reached the top of High Point 6411. She’d had several water breaks on the way up, but now it was time for a longer break. Lupe had Taste of the Wild. SPHP ate an apple.
SPHP consulted the topo map. It seemed like it had taken a long time to get here, but Lupe had covered a depressingly short distance from Grizzly Bear Creek. On the bright side, she had gained a lot of the elevation required to reach Peak 6735. Unfortunately, she would have to give some of it back getting down off High Point 6411.
Since Lupe had come all the way to the top of High Point 6411, she might as well have a look around. Peak 6735 was in view, but still nearly a mile away.
Peak 6735 was in view from High Point 6411, but still nearly a mile of deadfall infested territory away. Photo looks SSW.At the summit of High Point 6411. Photo looks S.On Expedition No. 92, Lupe had come within 10 feet or so of reaching the summit of Peak 6710 seen here on the L. Parts of the Cathedral Spires and Little Devil’s Tower are in view farther off on the R. Photo looks WSW.Loopster at the very top of High Point 6411. Photo looks SSE.
The views were great from High Point 6411, but would be even better on Peak 6735. Onward! A first attempt to get down off High Point 6411 going WSW proved a little too steep for comfort. Ugh! Lupe climbed back up. SPHP couldn’t remember how Lupe had gotten down on Expedition No. 92.
A foray to the WNW didn’t look promising at first, but worked out just fine. Lupe made it down to the saddle leading to Peak 6710. Once across the saddle, she started climbing again. For a while, the terrain forced her to head directly toward Peak 6710, but this time she wasn’t going to go virtually all the way to the summit like she had on Expedition No. 92.
Once Looper made it past some more big rock formations, and was about as high as the saddle leading from Peak 6710 over to Peak 6735, she turned S and headed for the saddle. She wound up higher on Peak 6710 than she needed to be, but skirted the summit a little way off to the SE. Struggling through a thick forest of young pines choked with the endless deadfall, she finally got past Peak 6710. The saddle to Peak 6735 was now close by.
Once Lupe skirted around the SE slope of Peak 6710, the saddle leading to Peak 6735 was directly ahead. Photo looks S.
Across the saddle and straight up the N ridge. Lupe was getting close! Near the end, the terrain wasn’t as steep, the deadfall a little less troublesome. Suddenly Lupe was there! Despite the mountain’s deadfall defenses, the plucky Carolina Dog stood at the top of Peak6735.
Well, almost. A dead tree with many annoying branches was leaning against the very highest rock at the summit, preventing Lupe from getting up on it.
Oh, no! No way! Lupe had gone over, under, or around hundreds, maybe thousands, of dead trees to get here. The whole mountain was covered with and surrounded by wretched deadfall. All those jillions of dead trees could stay exactly where nature placed them, except this one. This one had to go!
Fortunately, the offending dead pine tree was smallish. SPHP managed to drag it away from the summit rock and push it over the edge. It fell only 10 feet, but at least it was out of the way. The summit rock was clear. Lupe stood on top!
After a long struggle through the deadfall, Lupe stands at the very top of Peak6735. Photo looks NW.
At the top of Peak 6735, a short uneven ridge of rock ran for 30 feet in a line oriented roughly E/W. The ridge sloped a little up toward a rock at the true summit near the E end. The greater summit area was much larger and sloped down toward the SW, where a massive, but lower, granite platform ran along the SE edge.
When Lupe had been here nearly 3 years ago on Expedition No. 92, Peak 6735’s summit had many large dead pines still standing. Some of them still were, but many had fallen over by now. The fallen trees made it harder to move around, but the views were more sweeping and open now than they had been back then. From seldom visited Peak 6735, Lupe had fantastic views of more than half of the entire Black Elk Wilderness!
After a suitably long rest break at the true summit, it was picture time. Naturally, Lupe toured the entire summit area.
Peak6920 (L) and Black Elk Peak(7,231 ft.) (R) from the true summit rock. Peak 6710 is the big rock formation to the R of Lupe’s head. Photo looks NW.Looking NNW. Black Elk Peak on the L.Looking E along the rocky summit ridge toward Loopster positioned at the very top.Another look at Loop at the top. Photo looks SE.Lupe found the cairn to her R sitting N of, and 8 or 10 feet below, the true summit of Peak 6735. SPHP hadn’t noticed any cairns when Lupe was here on Expedition No. 92, but maybe it was new since then? The large block of granite in the distance on the L is the back side of Mount Rushmore(5,725 ft.). Photo looks NE.Lupe now at the W end of the summit ridge. The highest point seen on the distant ridge at the far R is the top of Sylvan Hill(7,000 ft.). Photo looks WSW from the true summit.This photo shows a good deal of the greater summit area. Photo looks S.Lupe now along the SE edge of the greater summit area. Photo looks SSE.Looking SE.A glance back up toward the true summit. Photo looks N.Looking SW from the larger, but lower granite ridge along the SE edge of the summit area.Looper strikes a dramatic American Dingo pose. Photo looks NE back toward the true summit from the far SW end of the greater summit area.Looking S from the far SW end of the greater summit area.Much of the greater summit area. Photo looks NE from the SW end.Lupe near the true summit again after completing her tour. A lovely green carpet of kinnikinnick clings to a thin layer of soil. Photo looks NE.Back up on the little true summit ridge. Photo looks WNW.
Conditions were beautiful on Peak 6735. Lupe and SPHP lingered up here for quite a while, and would have loved to stay longer. However, even though the sun wouldn’t set for at least a couple of hours yet, it was time to go.
Already it was way too late to try to go back the way Lupe had come up. Traveling all that way through the deadfall took many hours. Getting stuck out here away from the trail when night fell would have made it nearly impossible to do anything other than wait for dawn. Even a deadfall-covered trail would be extremely difficult to follow at night.
On Expedition No. 92, Lupe had taken a shortcut back to Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 by going around the E side of Peak 6710 and continuing N. This shorter route back down to the trail had been very steep, but had worked.
SPHP wondered if Lupe shouldn’t try to avoid such a steep descent this time? By heading beyond Peak 6710 towards Peak 6920, she wouldn’t have to lose much elevation before reaching Norbeck Trail No. 3 not too far from its junction with Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7.
The advantage was, this might be the easiest route out of here. The disadvantage was, Lupe had never tried it before.
Lupe needed to get to a trail before dark, if she didn’t want to wind up stuck in all the deadfall all night long. SPHP pondered the possibility of heading W (L) of Peak 6710 (the lower rock formation on the R) and heading for Peak 6920 seen on the L. Lupe should reach Norbeck Trail No. 3 this way without having to lose a lot of elevation. Photo looks NW.
Lupe enjoyed a little more time up on Peak 6735 while SPHP pondered the best course of action.
Peak 6710 (L) with Black Elk Peak beyond it. Should Lupe try going around the W (L) side of Peak 6710? Photo looks NNW.The rugged terrain to the NNE. Lupe had come up from this direction, but there wasn’t enough daylight left to go back this way.The panorama to the NW. From L to R: Cathedral Spires, Little Devil’s Tower, Peak 6920, Black Elk Peak, Peak 6710.Last moments atop Peak 6735.High Point 6411 (lower R) is illuminated by sunlight. Photo looks NNE.
The final decision was made on the way down Peak 6735’s N ridge. Lupe would try going W of Peak 6710 and heading for Peak 6920. Hopefully, she would reach Norbeck Trail No. 3 well before sunset.
It was hurry up time, if possible, but the deadfall made the going dreadfully slow. By the time Lupe got over the ridge SW of Peak 6710, close to an hour had gone by. After crossing the ridge, the terrain and deadfall did not improve, but then they weren’t expected to. The only solution was to get to a trail. Any trail would do.
Looking up at the rock formations Lupe traveled beneath W of Peak 6710. Photo looks E.Looking back at the big rock formation at the far end of the ridge extending SW from Peak 6710. Photo looks S.A closer look with help from the telephoto lens.
Once she was over the SW ridge, Lupe lost some elevation before having to regain it to get up on the next ridge to the NW. This ridge went W from Peak 6710. Lupe and SPHP followed it a short distance, but within 5 or 10 minutes it was apparent a deep valley was ahead. This wasn’t going to work. Where to now?
Loop started back E toward Peak 6710. SPHP noticed a saddle off to the NE. It led to the NW, the way Lupe needed to go, and was every bit as high as where she was now. That was the route! Puppy, ho! Lupe maintained elevation and headed for the saddle.
It took a good 10 minutes to get there. The saddle wasn’t terribly wide or long. It led to a large rock formation immediately to the WNW. Climbing up there looked possible, but time consuming. Instead, Lupe crossed the saddle and turned NW to go around the high point.
Lupe was now way up in the upper Grizzly Bear Creek drainage. Somewhere down below was Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7. For a while, Lupe tried simply maintaining elevation and going NW. The plan was still to look for Norbeck Trail No. 3. A high ridge came into view to the NW. That had to be where Norbeck Trail No. 3 was, but it was still a considerable distance away and a bit of a climb.
SPHP debated whether Lupe should try simply cutting down through the forest directly to Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7, or getting on top of the ridge she was following? She tried a little of both, but didn’t lose all that much elevation going down, and never made it all the way to the top going up, either. The varied terrain kept changing SPHP’s mind on which way she ought to go.
A 50 foot deep ravine appeared ahead. Lupe had to kept going NW, so there was no choice, but to go down into it. Loop led the way down the slope. Suddenly SPHP realized she was standing on a trail! Odd, surprising. SPHP hadn’t thought she was anywhere close to a trail yet. Whatever works, though! The trail was good news!
The trail Lupe had found had to be Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7. SPHP wondered how far Loop was from the intersection with Norbeck Trail No. 3? Didn’t matter. The sun would still be up for a while. Best to make tracks, and use the available daylight to get past as much deadfall on the trail as possible. Without the slightest hesitation, Lupe and SPHP followed Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 going E.
The sun was still shining on the high peaks and would be for a while, but Lupe had a lot of elevation to lose. The trail went on and on. Fortunately, this upper section of Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 trail was not choked with deadfall. In fact, there was very little of it. Lupe made great progress, but the sun had set by the time she made it all the way down to Grizzly Bear Creek.
Lupe makes it back to Grizzly Bear Creek.
The trail crossed Grizzly Bear Creek a number of times, but the creek was low enough so the crossings weren’t a problem. Deadfall on the trail became a problem again and slowed things down, but was no big deal compared to what Lupe had been through already.
The forest was dim and the sky pale, by the time Lupe reached the intersection with Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 again. The race to make as much use of the fading light as possible continued. Lupe didn’t stop for a break until she was beyond the upper pass. SPHP could hardly see the trail now. The flashlight came out.
Stars had been shining above for a while. No worries, though. Lupe knew the rest of the trail ahead had little deadfall. It would be easy enough to follow.
A short break, then onward, but now at a relaxed pace through an inky black forest with incredibly bright stars above. What a gorgeous evening!
Well, Looper, Expedition No. 200 wasn’t a bad day’s adventure, was it?
No, not at all, but I still say it needed more squirrels!
