After Xochitl and Steve’s successful visit to Cheyenne Crossing and Roughlock Falls with Lupe the day before, Xochitl had intended to wait another day before venturing out with Lupe again. However, Lanis wanted to join the fun, and he couldn’t get his day off work changed. So the very next day, Xochitl, Steve, and Lanis showed up at Lupe’s house to join her next Black Hills, SD Expedition.
Since Lanis didn’t have the entire day off, and Xochitl was still acclimating to the Black Hills elevation, Custer Peak(6,804 ft.) was chosen as a suitable objective. It’s a pretty easy hike along a USFS road up to the lookout tower, but does involve over 800 feet of elevation gain. Prior to heading out, Xochitl prepared for the adventure by fortifying her biological systems with a sip of Macadamia Nut Oil.
Xochitl sips a bit of Macadamia Nut Oil in preparation for another adventure with Lupe.
About 2 miles from Hwy 385, Xochitl parked the G6 at an intersection along USFS Road No. 216 a bit over 0.5 mile SE of Custer Peak. Lupe led her pack of humans NW up No. 216, eventually following a spur road off it that winds entirely around the mountain before almost reaching the summit. A short single track trail completed the route up.
Near the start of the trek up Custer Peak, USFS Road No. 216 passes by this scenic field which is a favorite with both Lupe and SPHP.
Even with the winding route the road takes, it was only a mile or so to the lookout tower on top of Custer Peak. Lupe and her pack were soon there. Custer Peak is the dominate peak of the N central Black Hills and features 360° views.
Lupe is joined by Steve (L), Xochitl, and Lanis (R) at the lookout tower on the summit of Custer Peak.
There are expansive views of the north central Black Hills in every direction from Custer Peak. Here, Lupe poses with Lanis (L), Xochitl, and Steve (R) in a photo looking NE. Bear Butte(4,422 ft.) near Sturgis, SD can be seen faintly on the horizon above Lanis.Lupe squints looking into the sun in this photo looking NW toward Terry Peak.Terry Peak(7,064 ft.) from Custer Peak.
After enjoying the views up on Custer Peak, everyone started down from the lookout tower. It was time to head back to the G6. Lanis didn’t really have the entire day off. He needed to get back to Blue Room Studios to spend at least some time mixing and mastering music that was due for completion.
Lanis, Xochitl & Steve depart the Custer Peak lookout tower.
Lupe and SPHP lingered on the mountain for a few more photos.
Looking SW. USFS Road No. 216 is seen below.Looking S. Harney Peak(7,242 ft.) is on the horizon L of center.Lupe and SPHP get left behind. Lupe will have no problem catching up.Maybe you want to think about getting a move on SPHP!Nah, what’s the rush? Oh, yeah, Lanis needs to get back.Terry Peak from rock outcroppings on Custer Peak.Heading down Custer Peak.
Xochitl had no problems climbing or returning from Custer Peak. Clearly, fortifying her biological systems with a sip of Macadamia Nut Oilhad worked.
Still, Lupe preferred Xochitl’s prior day’s method of fortifying her biological systems with a buffalo burger and carrot cake. After the hike, Lupe missed fortifying her own biological systems with a big helping of Cheyenne Crossing carrot cake from a Dingo box.
Lupeo – “Carrot Cake or Macadamia Nut Oil, that is the question: Whether ’tis more fortifying for the biological systems to suffer the oiliness and slipperiness of outrageous Macadamia Nut Oil, or to take fangs against an entire Dingo box of caramel-drizzled Carrot Cake, and by devouring it, end it?”
Since discovering the site Peakbagger.com in early May, 2014, SPHP has used Peakbagger.com to record many of Lupe’s climbs and explorations. Peakbagger helps keep track of which mountains Lupe has climbed along with various other statistics about Lupe’s climbing exploits. Peakbagger also maintains a data base on mountains worldwide including maps and all kinds of statistical information. Users can even add “provisional peaks” to the data base for review and possible acceptance to the permanent data base.
Even including the still provisional peaks, Lupe has already climbed nearly all of the Black Hills, SD mountains currently in the Peakbagger.com data base. Most of the remaining ones Lupe will never climb for one reason or another. Some of them, like the Cathedral Spires(6,840 ft.) and Peak 6920, are basically cliffs and require technical rock climbing equipment. Others, like Mt. Rushmore(5,725 ft.), are illegal for her to climb. A few peaks are on private property where it would be difficult to get permission from the landowner. Thunderhead Mountain(6,567 ft.) where the Crazy Horse Memorial carving is would be an example.
However, prior to Expedition No. 127 there were still a couple of Black Hills, SD mountains in the Peakbagger.com data base that Lupe had never climbed where she might be successful. Both are provisional peaks. Hat Mountain(4,883 ft.) (the one NW of Norris Peak(4,982 ft.), not the one S of Deerfield Reservoir) was one. Anchor Hill(5,720 ft.) was the other. Lupe had already made prior attempts in 2015 to climb both of these peaks. Hat Mountain was a secondary goal on Expedition No. 116 (1-24-15), and a primary goal on Expedition No. 117 (1-31-15). Lupe never even got to Hat Mountain either time, since SPHP had started both of those expeditions from too far away (rain, fog and short daylight hours also played a role).
Lupe had tried to find Anchor Hill on Expedition No. 119 after climbing to the Meade County High Point(5,460 ft.) , but the approach from Hwy 385 was confusing to SPHP and led to a dead end at the old Gilt Edge gold mine. On Expedition No. 120 Anchor Hill had been the most distant possible goal, but Lupe only reached Pillar Peak after SPHP wasted a bunch of time on another dead end down in Two Bit Creek valley. SPHP actually thought Lupe had succeeded in climbing Anchor Hill on Expedition No. 122 only to realize later that she had really climbed a slightly higher hill (now dubbed “Fake Anchor Hill”) about 0.5 mile to the NE of Anchor Hill.
SPHP resolved that Lupe was going to find and climb both Hat Mountain and Anchor Hill, or find out why she couldn’t, on Expedition No. 127. At last Lupe would have done all that she could do to climb all of the Black Hills, SD peaks currently in the Peakbagger.com data base.
At 10:18 AM, SPHP parked the G6 at the intersection of Norris Peak Road and Geary Blvd, a point just a little over 0.5 mile S of Hat Mountain. This was a much, much closer starting point to Hat Mountain than Lupe had on either Expedition No. 116 or No. 117. There were scattered little puffy clouds racing across the mostly sunny sky driven by a 25 mph NNW wind. With the wind, the 40°F temperature seemed a bit chilly. Fortunately, most of the time the forest provided considerable relief from the wind.
This time, Lupe had no problem getting to Hat Mountain. A very nice brief hike along mostly level ground through a forest crisscrossed by all kinds of little roads and trails brought Lupe to the SW slope of Hat Mountain in what seemed like no time at all. (For an even shorter hike to Hat Mountain, take USFS Road No. 721 from Norris Peak Road. No. 721 passes just S of Hat Mountain.)
The small cliffs along the S side of Hat Mountain.
Hat Mountain wasn’t really all that much of a climb. However, it still wasn’t certain in SPHP’s mind that Lupe could reach the top. SPHP had seen Hat Mountain from a distance before many times. From a distance Hat Mountain appeared round, and near the top it seemed to be surrounded by a ring of solid rock cliffs. It remained to be seen if the cliffs extended all the way around the mountain top or not. Lupe was soon at the base of the cliffs on the SW slope. The cliffs were only maybe 20-30 feet high, but there was no way up them for Lupe here.
In the cleft in the small cliffs on the SE side of Hat Mountain.
Lupe started scouting around the mountain near the base of the cliffs along the S and then SE side. On the SE side was a narrow cleft in the rocks with a steep, but easy way up. In just a few minutes, Lupe had climbed up the cleft and gone on up to the summit of Hat Mountain. Success! Already, only Anchor Hill remained to be conquered.
Norris Peak (L) and Thrall Mountain(5,091 ft.) (R) from Hat Mountain.Norris Peak to the SE from Hat Mountain.Quick & easy success! Lupe on the Hat Mountain summit.
Lupe wandered around exploring on top of Hat Mountain for 10 minutes or so while SPHP checked to see if there were other easier routes down. The cliffs went pretty much all the way around the summit, but they were highest to the S. In many places on other sides of the mountain, the cliffs were only 10-15 feet high or even less. There proved to be several places where there were ways up or down without any problem.
On the little cliffs at the NNW end of Hat Mountain, just above the easy way down.
Lupe and SPHP took a very easy route down on the NNW side of Hat Mountain. From there Lupe headed S along the W side of the mountain just below the cliffs. Once completely down from Hat Mountain, Lupe headed S through the forest. She eventually came to the edge of a small cliff perhaps 10-20 feet tall. Lupe then headed E along the rocky rim of the cliff. Before long the rocks and cliffs played out, but by then Lupe was already pretty close to the G6. She reached the G6 again at 11:28 AM.
On the rim rock ledge a short hike S of Hat Mountain. Thrall Mountain is the highest point seen just to the R of the tree.
Anchor Hill was quite some distance away, so Lupe enjoyed a ride through the hills while SPHP drove to Galena about 5 or 6 miles SE of Deadwood. Back in the late 1800’s, Galena was a thriving mining camp for a few years, but eventually became a ghost town. These days Galena is no longer a ghost town. There are quite a few homes and cabins in the area scattered along Bear Butte Creek. The homes and cabins vary tremendously in size, age and condition.
Lupe at Galena.Umm …. OK …. will we even know if we hit one? Lupe stares closely at the road trying to discern any ghosts. If she saw any, she never told SPHP.
SPHP drove through Galena and continued on Galena Road perhaps 0.25 or 0.50 mile to a big wide spot in the road and parked the G6 at 12:35 PM. This wide spot was a short distance from a sign indicating the end of county road maintenance. The puffy clouds in the sky were now bigger than before, but it was still sunny out. Surprisingly, even next to Bear Butte Creek the wind was blowing hard down through the deep canyon. The plan was to hike from Galena up through Butcher Gulch to an area just NE of Anchor Hill.
Lupe and SPHP headed back up Galena Road. SPHP had seen a sign along a side road crossing Bear Butte Creek to the N for public access through private land to Butcher Gulch. Lupe took this side road to enter Butcher Gulch. Soon the private property was left behind. Lupe came to a sign for the Vinegar Hill cemetery, where a little road in poor condition led up a steep hill to the left (W). Lupe had no bones to bury, so she skipped the cemetery.
Twin rock spires on the way up the narrow rocky road in Butcher Gulch.
The road up Butcher Gulch wasn’t that great either. It was narrow and rather rocky. Pretty soon Lupe reached a fork in the road. The best part of the road swung around the hillside switch-backing above where Lupe had just been and then disappeared from view. A very rocky and narrow road continued on straight ahead. SPHP guessed that straight ahead was probably the correct choice, which it later proved to be.
Two of the three limestone walls forming a big terrace in Butcher Gulch. Part of some old mining operation?
The road up Butcher Gulch is the type of road only a shocks, struts and tire salesperson could love. Unsurprisingly, SPHP found a couple of vehicle parts for recycling along the way. Happily, this poor excuse for a road made a great hiking trail. Butcher Gulch was full of squirrels to bark at and Lupe had a blast. There was absolutely no one else around, which was perfect. In addition to squirrels, highlights along the way up Butcher Gulch included a little creek, a couple of unusual pointy up rocks, and a terrace of three limestone walls positioned one above another (probably somehow connected with some old mining operation).
The climb up Butcher Gulch was unrelenting, but Lupe did finally reach the upper end of the gulch. Fortunately, the terrible road had gone all the way up the gulch and now intersected a better road. Lupe and SPHP went across this new road and took a break up on a small hill. Lupe had her usual water and Taste of the Wild. SPHP had the usual apple and pored over maps in between scans of the nearby terrain.
Lupe on “Fake Anchor Hill”. SPHP recognized this pipe with a block of wood on it from when Lupe was here on Expedition No. 122.
The highest ground nearby was a hill just to the NE. SPHP suspected this was the same hill, now known as Fake Anchor Hill, that Lupe had climbed back on Expedition No. 122. At the time, SPHP had believed it was Anchor Hill, but later concluded otherwise. After the break, the first thing Lupe did was to climb this hill to see if it really was Fake Anchor Hill. Sure enough, it was. That meant that the real Anchor Hill was still about 0.5 mile to the SW.
Lupe and SPHP left Fake Anchor Hill and headed SW. SPHP used topo maps and the curvature of the road encountered at the top of Butcher Gulch to navigate towards Anchor Hill. Everything was matching up. Anchor Hill was marked on the map as being just to the S of this same road about 0.25 mile SW of the intersection at the top of Butcher Gulch. All along the S side of the road, however, was a barbed wire fence with frequent signs saying “Danger” and/or “No Trespassing”. One said “EPA Superfund Site 2012”. Peering S from the road up through the forest, SPHP could see that Anchor Hill ended abruptly perhaps 40 feet in elevation above the road.
Anchors aweigh! Lupe learned that the original Anchor Hill set sail and moved! The top of Anchor Hill was removed by the Gilt Edge gold mining operation and apparently repositioned S to the big tailings pile seen here. The tailings pile appears to be a little bit higher than Anchor Hill ever was. Thus ended Lupe’s ambition to climb the original Anchor Hill.
SPHP was now certain that Lupe would never climb Anchor Hill. The top 20 or 30 feet of elevation, at least as shown on the Peakbagger.com topo map, is no longer there. The summit of Anchor Hill had weighed anchor and set sail to the S or SE where it is now part of a big tailings pile, helped along by the former Gilt Edge gold mining operation. So Lupe’s quest to climb Anchor Hill, which had been a potential goal of four expeditions, had been doomed to failure all along. There was no question of climbing the tailings pile, as it is also clearly mining property. Interestingly enough, the tailing pile looks to be slightly higher than Anchor Hill originally was.
SPHP took consolation in the fact that Lupe had now at least climbed Fake Anchor Hill to the NE twice, which was a higher hill than Anchor Hill had ever been. Anchor Hill was only a provisional peak on Peakbagger anyway. It’s hardly likely to be accepted as part of the Peakbagger.com permanent mountain data base having gone AWOL.
Anchor Hill is shown on SPHP’s old USFS maps, but why remains a mystery. There were other hills just as high or higher nearby. What was so special about Anchor Hill? One thing was special about it for sure, there must have been some gold there to encourage the Gilt Edge mine people to go to so much trouble.
On a rare decent stretch of the road in Butch Gulch.
Lupe and SPHP headed back down Butcher Gulch again on the way back to the G6. Lupe had lots of fun again. She certainly was taking the decapitation of Anchor Hill in stride. Going downhill was so easy and pleasant that even SPHP was soon in a great mood again. It was 47°F and 4:23 PM when Lupe reached the G6. Still hours of daylight left and time to do something else!
SPHP had been considering what else Lupe might do on the way down Butcher Gulch. Peakbagger.com really needed a decent photo of Custer Peak(6,804 ft.). About 0.5 mile to the WSW of Custer Peak was a 6,600 ft. high ridge from which a very nice photo of Custer Peak might be obtained. There was even time for Lupe to climb Custer Peak for the third time.
NE of Custer Peak along the road from Brownsville (Boondocks).
So Lupe and SPHP got in the G6 and headed back through Galena. After a little side trip for a photo of Custer Peak from the NE, SPHP wound up parking the G6 at a sharp turn in USFS Road No. 216 at 5:06 PM. Custer Peak was now 0.5 mile to the NW, although a much greater distance along the road. During the drive from Galena, the weather had changed. Now big clouds covered most of the sky. It was only 35°F and occasional snow squalls were sweeping over the area. The wind was still roaring up in the trees. Lupe and SPHP started hiking up USFS Road No. 216.
Approaching Custer Peak
Lupe and SPHP followed USFS Road No. 216 up to a side road that goes all the way up to the lookout tower. About 100 feet in elevation from the top, a thin sheet of ice covered about 2/3 of the ground. The wind wasn’t too bad until the last 50 feet. There it was a steady 30 mph gale out of the N. Mentally SPHP thanked the Canadians for their traditional generosity with their healthy and undeniably fresh air, but Lupe wasn’t so sure.
At the lookout tower, Lupe and SPHP took shelter from the wind at the S corner of the tower. Lupe had icicles hanging down from the fur on her belly, but that didn’t seem to bother her. She didn’t want to stay in an extra jacket SPHP had brought along to warm her up. She eagerly ate some Taste of the Wild. SPHP ate the last apple. The view was pretty awesome. To the E of the Black Hills, the prairie was all lit up in sunlight. Bear Butte(4,422 ft.) was glowing in the light. The W edge of the Black Hills had some sunlight and fewer clouds too. But all of the heart of the Black Hills was in shadow and snow showers could be seen here and there.
Lupe on the rock wall at the ranger tower on Custer Peak. Photo looks SW towards snow squalls sweeping the region. Lupe was most anxious for SPHP to get some sense and head down out of the N wind.
Lupe could only be persuaded to pose for one photo up on the N side of the lookout tower exposed to the relentless wind. She clearly wanted to leave and head down the mountain. Lupe is the brains in this operation, so when the wind showed no signs of giving any respite, SPHP conformed to her wishes. The retreat down the mountain along the road was actually pretty pleasant soon after leaving the totally exposed summit. SPHP did manage to get a couple of photos from just below the summit looking WSW toward the 6,600 foot ridge about 0.5 mile to the WSW. SPHP was hoping to get over there for a nice photo of Custer Peak.
Still very close to the summit of Custer Peak, this photo looks WSW towards the nearby 6,600 foot ridge. Lupe later posed for photos of Custer Peak from the snowiest high spot on the ridge seen here as a white patch above and just to the left of Lupe.
Lupe was happy going down the mountain. The wind at the top was her whole objection. At the saddle between Custer Peak and the 6,600 foot ridge to the WSW, she was quite happy to follow SPHP away from the road and up through the dense forest and maze of deadfall timber. Amazingly this little trek up to the 6,600 foot ridge proved to be the most satisfying part of the day.
Little intermittent snow showers pelted the area with round mini-ice balls instead of normal fluffy snowflakes. With the sun getting low, at times the forest seemed dark and forlorn. But a little layer of snow on the ground brightened the setting. Every now and then the sun made a brief brilliant appearance up on Custer Peak. The clean fresh snow and brisk air seemed wonderful after the warm dry Expedition No. 126 just 8 days earlier.
Lupe near the top of the 6,600 foot ridge, but before reaching it. SPHP snapped this quick photo of Custer Peak not knowing if the sun would still be out by the time Lupe could get to the top of the ridge. It was!
The climb got steeper and steeper. Near the top, Lupe and SPHP were at the edge of a little cliff along a spine of the mountain. The sun broke through and shone on the surrounding forest. The snow was pure white, the spruce tree needles bright green, Lupe’s fur a glowing golden brown, and the sky a clear light blue above. The wind was fresh and exhilarating, and not so strong as up on Custer Peak. SPHP hoped Lupe could make it to the top of the 6,600 foot ridge in time for a photo of Custer Peak before clouds hid the sun again.
Custer Peak from the top of the 6,600 foot ridge to the WSW.Lupe in the last rays of sunlight on the 6,600 foot ridge. This was the photo of Custer Peak that SPHP chose to add to Peakbagger.com.
She did! Lupe and SPHP were in beautiful slanting sunlight for 10 minutes or so at the top of the 6,600 foot ridge. Lupe posed for several photos of Custer Peak. And then it was over. The sun sank beneath the last big cloud to the WNW. A hoped for glorious sunset never materialized. Lupe and SPHP headed down the steep W slope off the 6,600 foot ridge. The slope was much steeper than SPHP had anticipated, but fortunately no cliffs were encountered. Heading S as much as possible, Lupe and SPHP worked their way down through the maze of deadfall timber on the W slope.
Big clue to SPHP that it might be time to head down from the 6,600 foot ridge and put an end to Expedition No. 127.
After losing maybe 200 or 250 feet, the ground began to level out. SPHP continued to lead Lupe S or SSW as much as possible. SPHP knew that USFS Road No. 216 couldn’t be too far away to the S. Lupe and SPHP had been in the area many expeditions ago. Soon No. 216 was found and could be followed all the way back to the G6. It was a great hike and over too soon. There was still some light in the sky when Lupe arrived back at the G6 at 8:04 PM. The G6 said it was 32°F. That didn’t stop Lupe from sticking her nose out the window to sniff the cold air for miles on the way home.
After a couple of weeks of very warm weather (including two straight record setting days), colder weather was on its way to the Black Hills. So Friday, February 13, 2015 was Lupe’s last chance for a while to get out for an expedition on an unseasonably warm day.
SPHP decided on the Meade County, SD High Point(5,460 ft.) as the main objective for Lupe on Expedition No. 119. Although the roads remained quite muddy, much of the snow had melted so that only scattered large patches were still around. SPHP parked the G6 at the intersection of USFS Roads No. 151 (Old Ridge Road) and No. 151.2G . This point is at least a couple miles SW of the Meade County HP. (There are much closer and better access points, but SPHP often parks miles from the intended destination so Lupe can enjoy the fun of exploring the region.) It was 48 degrees when Lupe set out from the G6 at 10:34 AM under mostly clear skies.
Lupe followed No. 151 heading N for about 1.5 miles. Here she left the road and went ENE through a still snowy forest (northern exposure) down towards the saddle at the W end of Virkula Gulch, which was snow-free.
Lupe near the saddle at the W (upper) end of Virkula Gulch.
After crossing the saddle, Lupe started the climb up the hill shown in the above photo. Close to the first high point, she came to some rocks where there was a view back to the WNW towards Terry Peak(7,064 ft.).
The snow on the ski runs at Terry Peak to the WNW can be seen beyond Lupe in the distance.
Near the rocks, a jeep trail headed E. It made a short climb up to a big nearly level area above 5,400 feet which was heavily forested.
SPHP hadn’t checked the maps and initially thought the Meade County HP was somewhere around here, not realizing Lupe was still in Lawrence County. Consequently Lupe explored the thick forest looking for the highest point. Towards the E side of this area Lupe found a rocky jeep trail. She followed it N to where there was a cliff with a very nice unobstructed view of the big valley Elk Creek runs through.
Still in Lawrence County, Lupe stands near the edge of the N cliff. Elk Creek flows through the valley below.
A NW wind made it quite breezy here, although back in the forest the breeze had been barely noticeable. Even though the view was better here, SPHP led Lupe back S to a point along the S edge of the high ground with a sunny and less windy view of Virkula Gulch. While SPHP chomped an apple and surveyed the view of Virkula Gulch, Lupe took a little Taste of the Wild break.
Finally consulting the maps, SPHP suddenly realized the Meade County HP was still close to 0.75 mile farther E. So once the break was over, Lupe headed E back to the rocky jeep trail. She followed it SE down off the high ground. Before Lupe had lost much elevation, the big limestone rock outcropping at High Point 5401 came into view. Lupe left the jeep trail and made the easy climb up HP 5401 from the W. The views from HP 5401 are the best available in the general vicinity of the Meade County HP.
The rock at the left is the summit of High Point 5401. The W end of Virkula Gulch is beyond Lupe. Custer Peak(6,804 ft.) is the sharp peak on the far horizon near the center of the photo.
From HP 5401 it was also easy to see the heavily forested hill close at hand to the E which is the site of the Meade County HP. (Due to thick forest, this hill had NOT been visible from the hill W of HP 5401.) Lupe left HP 5401 and headed E to climb this hill. Although the hilltop seemed fairly level, it had been easy to see from HP 5401 that the highest point on this hill was towards the N. This also agreed with the topo map SPHP had printed out from Peakbagger.com showing the Meade County HP near the NNW end of the hill.
Towards the far N end of the hill was a small area noticeably 2 or 3 feet higher than the rest of the ground around it. On this high ground stood two large pine trees about 10 or 12 feet apart. The bases of their trunks seemed to be on the very highest ground. Just a few feet NW from the easternmost tree was a very small whitish limestone cairn. Lupe posed for a photo next to the cairn, which as near as SPHP could tell, appeared to mark the Meade County HP. (This is the photo featured at the start of this trip report.) Before leaving, SPHP lifted up and then carefully replaced several of the larger rocks forming the cairn hoping to find a survey marker, but there was nothing.
There were no views from the cairn in any direction other than the thick forest. Lupe did scout around a short distance to the N, but it was soon clear there wasn’t any higher ground on this hill anywhere farther N. Before heading S to see what could be seen from the S end of the hill, Lupe returned briefly once more to the Meade County HP cairn so SPHP could retrieve the backpack. Soon Lupe was at the S end of the hill, which presented a pretty view of the E end of Virkula Gulch.
Lupe above the E end of Virkula Gulch at the S (opposite) end of the hill the Meade County HP is located on.
Having achieved her main objective by reaching the Meade County High Point, it was time for the return trip to the G6. Lupe returned by nearly the exact same route. She didn’t climb HP 5401 again, but did go to the N end of the hill to the W where the cliffs with the view of Elk Creek valley were for one more look.
It was 50 degrees and only 3:36 PM when Lupe arrived back at the G6. There were still a couple of hours of daylight left. Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 119 was not over! SPHP thought it might be interesting to explore USFS Road No. 151.2G to the W, but just before setting out on it, Lupe heard a gunshot from that direction. Lupe hates gunfire and immediately hopped into the G6.
SPHP knew Lupe wasn’t about to hop back out of the G6 again here with gunfire around. So the idea of heading NW towards the Strawberry Hill area on Hwy 385 came to mind. From there Lupe might find a way to Anchor Hill(5,800 ft.) which she has never climbed before. Lupe got to have a nice long ride in the G6 while hanging her head out the window, which is great good fun!
Upon reaching Strawberry Hill, SPHP turned onto Gilt Edge Road. It was only a couple of miles to Anchor Hill, but the area was full of homes and private property. Gilt Edge Road ended down in a deep valley at what appeared to be an EPA superfund site connected with the old Gilt Edge gold mine. It was clear Lupe wasn’t going to find easy access to Anchor Hill from anywhere along Gilt Edge Road. SPHP turned the G6 around, drove back to Hwy 385, and headed S.
SPHP had one more idea for Expedition No. 119. Lupe could climb Custer Peak(6,804 ft.) which she had seen from HP 5401 earlier in the day. At 4:42 PM, SPHP parked the G6 at the sharp turn in USFS Road No. 216 about 0.5 mile SE of Custer Peak. No. 216 to the NW was closed to vehicles from here for the season by a gate across the road. It was 44 degrees out when Lupe hopped out of the G6. The sun was still shining up on Custer Peak.
Lupe headed NW on No. 216 up the E side of a scenic valley that is one of SPHP’s favorites. About a mile from the G6, she left No. 216 and crossed over a saddle beyond which she turned E. A spur road heads toward Custer Peak and eventually winds clock-wise around the mountain on up to the summit. However, the spur was covered with so much snow it made the hike difficult for SPHP. It was actually easier going directly up the W slope of Custer Peak, even though it meant working through a considerable amount of deadfall timber. (Pine bark beetles killed the trees a few years back.)
Lupe actually got up into the sunlight while on the upper slopes of Custer Peak, but by the time she reached the old abandoned lookout tower at the summit, the sun had set. A steady breeze was blowing out of the NW. SPHP had hoped for a dramatic sunset, but the sky was almost totally clear. Everything just faded unspectacularly into twilight. Lupe posed for a few photos to document her ascent, but they didn’t turn out that great in the low light conditions.
Lupe on the rock wall around the old lookout tower on Custer Peak shortly after sunset.
On the way back, SPHP didn’t want to have to try to scramble down through the deadfall timber in the dark, so Lupe took the spiral road from the summit back down the mountain. There were feet of snow on much of the road and it was slow going for SPHP, although Lupe could mostly trot along on top of the snow without breaking through.
The stars were out and the Milky Way was on brilliant display by the time Lupe reached the G6 again at 6:55 PM. It was 39 degrees and calm. Lupe stood sniffing the air for a few extra minutes and then hopped into the G6 for the ride home.
Lupe and SPHP lingered on the mountain for a few more photos.
