Bright and early Lupe was all corked up. The lucky American Dingo’s enthusiasm soared higher yet when she realized another outing with Cousin Dusty and Uncle Joe was in the works. Flag Mountain(6,937 ft.) along the E edge of the western Black Hills limestone plateau country was today’s destination.
By 9:00 AM, Joe was parking the G6 at the start of a spur road off USFS Road No. 189. The spur road gains nearly 400 feet of elevation in a little less than a mile before ending near the summit of Flag Mountain. Lupe and Dusty could get a good romp in on the way to the top while Joe and SPHP chatted.
Nipple Butte(6,800 ft.) from the spur road leading up Flag Mountain. Photo looks S.
The trek up the spur road went by quickly. Before long the end was in sight. Leading the way, Dusty and Joe followed an old rock stairway to the top of Flag Mountain.
Approaching the end of the spur road. Photo looks NE.A short flight of stairs at the end of the road winds up to the summit.Dusty and Joe on top of Flag Mountain. Photo looks W.This was Lupe’s 6th ascent, but Dusty & Joe had never been to Flag Mountain before.
Flag Mountain(6,937 ft.) used to sport a fire lookout tower at the E end of the summit ridge. Part of the old rock foundation wall still exists. Lupe got up on the wall for a look around. Off to the W, the limestone plateau country was about as high as Flag Mountain, but the views to the N, E and S were fabulous.
Loop up on the old lookout tower foundation. The ridge on the L is Peak6962. The more distant ridge beyond Lupe is White Tail Peak(6,962 ft.). Terry Peak(7,064 ft.) is even farther away at far R. Photo looks N.Looking S now. Castle Rock(6,783 ft.), South Castle Rock(6,840 ft.) and Nipple Butte(6,800 ft.) appear clustered together on the L.
No one else was around when Dusty, Joe, Lupe and SPHP first arrived, but that didn’t last long at all. This was the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Within a few minutes the roar of engines could be heard. ATV’s appeared. People started coming and going. Dusty, Joe, Lupe and SPHP moved to the W end of the summit ridge to let others enjoy the views from the lookout point at the E end.
While a steady stream of people came and went, Joe began setting up his portable Ham radio. A small pine tree provided good support for a 16.5 foot long antenna.
The Flag survey benchmark is located on the limestone summit ridge W of the old fire lookout tower foundation.Numerous ATV’s came and went. Several are seen below at the end of the spur road. Parts of Deerfield Reservoir are in sight beyond Reynolds Prairie. Photo looks SSE.
The original plan had been for Joe to “activate” Flag Mountain using the Summits on the Air (SOTA) website. On prior trips to the Black Hills, Joe had activated Custer Peak, Boulder Hill and Silver Mountain. Joe had gotten a huge, essentially overwhelming response each time. Summits on the Air had been a blast!
Unfortunately, when Joe tried to schedule an activation alert for Flag Mountain on the SOTA website yesterday evening, there no longer seemed to be a way to do it. Something had changed. Despite best efforts, neither Joe nor SPHP could figure out the problem. The system now seemed to require a second password and wouldn’t take anything Joe submitted. Phooey!
Summits on the Air or not, Joe was planning on transmitting Morse Code from Flag Mountain. Of course, without an activation alert scheduled, whether anyone would pick it up was uncertain. Another potential problem was that the 11 year sunspot cycle is at its low point during 2018. Conditions for transmitting radio waves tend to be poor.
Joe getting ready to transmit from Flag Mountain with American Dingo Lupe standing by ready for action! Photo looks NE.A small pine tree provided support for a 16.5 foot antenna. The setup also included 4 lateral wires running out from the center.
Dusty relaxed in the shade of the pine tree supporting the antenna. Lupe, however, stayed on alert near Joe. She knew how this worked. Her job was to bark a warning if anyone showed up and started getting too close to the thin lateral wires strung out from the antenna.
Lupe on the alert for intruders. Her job was to bark if anyone else showed up and got too close to any of the wires.Dusty relaxing happily in the shade.
So he could hear better and wouldn’t get too many questions about what was going on, Joe waited until a quiet period when all the people and ATV’s had left before beginning to transmit.
Right away Joe had good news! Some sort of amateur radio contest was going on. Hundreds of people were on the airwaves! And despite the unfavorable sunspot cycle, the atmospheric conditions were excellent. Joe stayed busy making contacts from around the nation. He could even hear stronger stations in Europe and South America.
Joe & Lupe broadcasting live from Flag Mountain!Joe’s portable radio.Despite not being able to set up a Summits on the Air alert this time, Joe stayed plenty busy making successful contacts with other Ham radio operators. Photo looks N toward White Tail Peak.
After a good half hour of Ham radio fun, Joe was satisfied. Time to pack it all up, and think about heading back down the mountain.
Joe and lateral wire defender, Lupe, after the Ham radio fun was over. Defending the wires had been a cinch. No one had come along to threaten them. Photo looks ENE.Lupe, Joe & Dusty ready to depart. Photo looks E.Heading back down. Photo looks SW.
On the way back to the G6, there was some discussion about possibly climbing nearby Nipple Butte(6,800), too. However, the day was warm beneath a cloudless sky. Cooler activities sounded like more fun. Joe drove while SPHP gave directions on how to get to the Dragon Caves.
About 3 miles SW of Deerfield Reservoir on USFS Road No. 291 is a turn to the W onto a bridge over Ditch Creek. This is the start of USFS Road No. 385. Immediately past the bridge a dusty side road goes straight on up a little hill. The Dragon Caves are right around a bend to the R (N).
Apparently the Dragon Caves are no great secret. Hordes of ATV’s were coming down the hill when Dusty, Joe, Lupe and SPHP arrived. While the dust they stirred up settled, Dusty and Lupe gladly took advantage of this opportunity to cool off in Ditch Creek.
Lupe in Ditch Creek. Cooling off in the creek was way better than a hot climb up another mountain.Dusty takes a turn in Ditch Creek, too.
When the last of the ATV’s left, everyone headed up to the Dragon Caves. SPHP wasn’t sure what Joe was expecting of “Dragon Caves”, but he may have been surprised to see 3 huge horizontal shafts disappearing into the mountainside. The openings really were large enough for dragons!
Dusty, Joe and Lupe arrive at the Dragon Caves.
No one else was around when Dusty, Joe, Lupe and SPHP walked into the middle cave. The air was much cooler than out in the sunshine only a few feet away. A vast dimly lit corridor led into the mountain.
Perhaps 100 feet in, the corridor met up with similar corridors coming from the other two cave openings. Several more passages went off in other directions. Despite the size of the openings, it was rather dark this far from the entrance. SPHP brought out a small flashlight. It helped, but the batteries were low. The huge caverns remained dimly lit.
Joe at the end of the middle cave looking toward other passages.Dusty and Joe head farther in.
Joe doesn’t really believe much in dragons. As a geologist, he puzzled over why anyone would go to such expense as to mine out huge passages like this in sedimentary rock? Lupe, however, wasn’t so sanguine.
SPHP, don’t you think we better get out of here before the dragons return? Those ATV’ers probably stole all the dragon’s treasures while they are away. The dragons are going to be mighty unhappy when they get back and find us here instead of their piles of loot!
None of the passages seemed to go much farther into the mountain. A few looked like they had caved in. The only clue to Joe’s question about why anyone would mine out a place like this was an odd discontinuity in the rock. A smooth, vertical wall of rock of a different color completely blocked one passage.
Lupe immediately suspected a magical door, but didn’t say so to avoid unnerving everyone else. What if the dragons were still actually at home just beyond it? Joe wondered out loud about that apparent fault line, too, but the notion of a magical door isn’t the sort of conclusion an experienced geologist is apt to leap to at first blush.
Joe takes a picture while Dusty sniffs for clues.
Fortunately, the magical door never did open. Although the outside world seemed very bright and hotter than ever, the American Dingo was relieved when the exploratory tour of the mysterious Dragon Caves was finally over. Joe wanted to go up on top of the hill over the Dragon Caves to see if any clues about the local geology could be discovered. Everyone made a brief foray up into the forest above the caves.
Disappointingly, nothing of geological note was really to be seen above, although stands of lovely wild irises were blooming on the way there.
Wild iris.
Back down below, Joe noticed a pile of big brown rocks some distance from the front of the Dragon Caves. These large rocks showed signs of mineralization, but nothing significant enough to justify the amount of excavation evident here. The Dragon Caves remained a mystery.
As far as the Carolina Dog was concerned, that was fine with her. At least the dragons hadn’t returned to explain it all in fiery detail.
After visiting the Dragon Caves, enough time remained in the day for a couple more quick sightseeing excursions. Ditch Creek campground was only a mile S of the Dragon Caves. Maybe Dusty and Joe would like to see it? The whole place was packed with people when Dusty, Joe, Lupe & SPHP arrived, but Loop and Dusty managed to sneak in another quick plunge into clear, cold Ditch Creek.
Looper and Dusty at Ditch Creek again, this time near the Ditch Creek campground a mile S of the Dragon Caves.
Staying cool had become a theme on this warm day. The final stop was at Deerfield Reservoir. Dusty and Joe had seen Deerfield Lake for the first time only yesterday during Expedition No. 231 to Hat Mountain(6,779 ft.). The lake had been a hit then, and Cousin Dusty was looking forward to another refreshing swim while fetching sticks.
W end of Deerfield Reservoir. Photo looks W.Oh, yeah! What a great way to end the day!Dusty and her prized stick du jour.
The afternoon wore on. The time came to return to Grandma’s house for dinner, and an evening of fun and relaxation. Tomorrow, Cousin Dusty and Uncle Joe were going with Aunt Andrea down to David & Mush’s 40 acre ranch in the southern Black Hills. Lupe wouldn’t see them again before they all left for home in Arvada, Colorado.
Lupe’s adventures with Cousin Dusty and Uncle Joe were over for now. Dull days laying around resting up at home were ahead, but not too many of them. June was almost here! The Carolina Dog didn’t know it yet, but soon she would be setting off on her first big Summer of 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and beyond!
Cousin Dusty & Uncle Joe in the Dragon Caves, Black Hills, SD 5-26-18
In early May of 2014, SPHP discovered Peakbagger.com, “an online resource for summit-focused hikers, climbers, and mountain lovers”. User accounts are free, and it seemed like it might be fun to record a few statistics on Lupe’s expeditions and explorations there. So, on 5-12-14, SPHP created an account for Lupe.
Using Peakbagger.com was fun! Almost instantly, Lupe and SPHP were hooked! Lupe started climbing as many mountains as possible on Peakbagger’s list of Black Hills 6500-foot Peaks. Some of them Lupe had been to before, of course, but the list contained many peaks she had never climbed.
For Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 90, SPHP was excited to have 5 peaks along the E escarpment of the limestone plateau high country of the western Black Hills lined up for Lupe to climb. All 5 peaks were on the Black Hills 6500-foot Peaks list. They were strung out along a N/S line W of Reynolds Prairie. Lupe would start from the S end climbing South Castle Rock(6,840 ft.) first.
Almost 2 miles NW of Deerfield Reservoir on W Deerfield Road, is a R turn on County Road No. 306 to Reynolds Prairie. No. 306 winds NE up a hill for more than a mile before turning N and leveling out. Right there, on the W side of No. 306, is a L turn on a side road going up a little hill. The side road is USFS Road No. 189.1D. SPHP parked the G6 at the top of the first short rise (9:57 AM, 67°F).
Lupe was starting out her ambitious day of peakbagging about 0.75 mile SSE of South Castle Rock. She began following No. 189.1D N across a green field, but soon left the road as it angled NW. Lupe continued N, gradually going uphill. The sun felt hot out in the open field. Lupe and SPHP were both glad to reach the shade of the forest, although the climb became increasingly steep.
Before long, Lupe reached the first significant limestone outcropping. Lupe and SPHP went out to the SE end of it, where there were great open views from the NE around to the S.
Parts of Deerfield Lake are in view from the first big limestone outcropping going up South Castle Rock from the S. The S end of Reynolds Prairie is seen on the L. Photo looks SE.The E end of Castle Rock(6,783 ft.) is the forested ridge with the many beetle-killed trees on the L. The N end of Reynolds Prairie is seen on the R. Photo looks N.County Road No. 306 winds across Reynolds Prairie. Part of Deerfield Lake is seen on the R. Photo looks E.
From the SE viewpoint, Lupe continued climbing N up South Castle Rock. She quickly reached a high point in the forest, but it was a false summit. The topo map showed that the true summit was just a little bit higher and farther N. There were many trees killed by pine bark beetles. The deadfall timber made progress getting to the true summit rather slow.
The true summit proved to be located up on a limestone cap surrounded by small cliffs in every direction. Lupe and SPHP scouted around looking for a way up. The only easy way up was from the SW, where Lupe and SPHP were able to make it up to the top. The summit area was flat and forested. The highest point was located toward the N end. Lupe posed for her South Castle Rock(6,840 ft.) summit photo next to SPHP’s backpack.
Lupe claims her first peakbagging success of the day at the summit of South Castle Rock! Photo looks WSW.
With the all views blocked by pines, Lupe didn’t linger very long on South Castle Rock. Lupe and SPHP climbed back down using the same SW route. Lupe then went around the W side of the summit escarpment heading N to her next peakbagging goal, Castle Rock(6,783 ft.).
Looking back at the N end of the low limestone cliffs below the summit of South Castle Rock. Photo looks S.
Castle Rock is slightly lower than South Castle Rock, and less than 0.25 mile farther N. It didn’t take Lupe long to reach the W end of the main Castle Rock ridge, which extends out to the ESE. Lupe and SPHP went all the way out to the E end looking for the highest point. Somewhere along the way, Lupe must have gone over the true summit, but exactly where was never clear. Near the E end, she posed for a couple of photos.
Happy Lupe on Castle Rock. Photo looks SW toward South Castle Rock.Lupe looks a little less friendly here, but it was partly due to the sun making her squint. Lupe’s next two peakbagging goals are in view behind her. Nipple Butte(6,800 ft.), capped with white limestone, is closest with Flag Mountain(6,937 ft.) beyond it. Photo looks N.
Lupe was off to a great start with 2 of her peakbagging goals already accomplished! Lupe and SPHP returned to the W end of the main Castle Rock ridge. Nipple Butte(6,800 ft.), over 0.5 mile N, was Lupe’s next stop. Lupe and SPHP started going N following a somewhat lower and much skinnier ridge.
The N ridge wasn’t as heavily forested. The views were actually better here than they were from up on the higher E ridge. However, as Lupe proceeded N, it soon became apparent she wasn’t going to find any safe way down. She reached a crevasse in the limestone that prevented her from going any farther N.
So Lupe and SPHP had to backtrack almost all the way to the S end of the N ridge again, before finding a steep route down off the E side. Lupe lost 150 feet of elevation before turning N again. While SPHP plodded along gradually regaining elevation, the American Dingo roamed the forest. She eventually reached the saddle to Nipple Butte and started up the S slope. The climb quickly became steep and very rocky.
Looking up the steep, rocky S slope of Nipple Butte. Photo looks N.
Lupe climbed up the broken limestone. She got very high, but near the top it became clear that there were deep fissures in the limestone. The fissures divided the summit area into several different rock islands in the sky. The highest one was farther N. There was no way for Lupe to get over to it from here.
Lupe and SPHP went back down. Lupe circled around the W side of the mountain looking for another route up. She found a steep approach from the WNW. Lupe climbed until she reached a small grassy area between limestone outcroppings. Once again, she was almost at the top of Nipple Butte. The summit was now just to the S, above a 6 or 7 foot high wall of limestone.
SPHP had to lift Lupe to help her get up on the limestone platform. She was nervous about it, but got up there OK. SPHP climbed up next. The limestone platform wasn’t very big. There were sheer drops all around. They weren’t tremendously high drops, but falling off wouldn’t have been healthy at all. A 2 or 3 foot high chunk of limestone rested on the platform. This was the true summit!
Lupe on Nipple Butte with the boulder that is the true summit seen right behind her. Photo looks SW.Reynolds Prairie from Nipple Butte. Photo looks E.
Nipple Butte was a real island in the sky! Being up there was a little like being on a cloud. No trees blocked the views. Lupe could see in every direction. Lupe and SPHP relaxed for a while, just taking it all in.
Flag Mountain(6,937 ft.) (Center), another mile N, was Lupe’s next destination. USFS Road No. 189 is seen below. Photo looks N from Nipple Butte.Castle Rock. Photo looks S.The S end of Reynolds Prairie (L) from Nipple Butte. Photo looks SSE.
When it was time to leave, SPHP carefully crawled off the N edge of the summit area first. Lupe didn’t know how to get down! It looked scary to the 2 year old Carolina Dog. She didn’t really trust SPHP to help her either. She stood up on top trying to figure out what to do.
Lupe looked happy enough, but she was more than a little worried about how she was going to get down off Nipple Butte.
SPHP finally managed to grab Lupe’s front legs and pull her near the edge. Lupe was alarmed, but SPHP got a secure hold on her and helped her safely off Nipple Butte. The Carolina Dog was greatly relieved! Lupe and SPHP made the steep descent down the WNW slope.
Once completely down off Nipple Butte, Lupe headed N across USFS Road No. 189. She began climbing the S ridge going up Flag Mountain(6,937 ft.). By now it was afternoon. Despite the shady protection of the forest, the heat forced frequent stops for water. Lupe didn’t reach the rough road to the top of Flag Mountain until she was already quite close to the summit. She followed the road the rest of the way to the rock stairs up to the remnants of the old lookout tower.
Lupe near the remnants of the old lookout tower on Flag Mountain. Photo looks E.
Not much could be seen to the W, but in every other direction Flag Mountain featured impressive views. Lupe felt more secure here than at Nipple Butte, too!
Lupe’s final peakbagging goal of the day was Peak 6962, the ridge on the L. White Tail Peak(6,962 ft.) is the far ridge on the R. Photo looks N.Lupe feeling safe and secure in the remnant of the old lookout tower on Flag Mountain. Photo looks E.Another look at Peak 6962 (L) and White Tail Peak (Center) from Flag Mountain. The gravel road is USFS Road No. 599. Photo looks N.
The afternoon was wearing on, but Lupe had only one more peakbagging goal left. Peak 6962 was more than 1.5 miles to the NNW. Staying on high ground, Lupe would have to go twice that far to get there. Instead of taking the road, Lupe and SPHP left the remains of the Flag Mountain lookout tower going W along the ridge.
The ridge didn’t stay level for very far. Lupe went down into the forest. She briefly came to the road near the N end of a sharp bend. Five ATV’s roared on by heading up. Lupe continued W beyond the road and back into the forest. Lupe and SPHP tried to stay on high ground as much as possible, as the terrain went up and down over a series of small rises and intervening saddles. Nipple Butte, now to the SE, came into view at one point.
Nipple Butte (Center) viewed from the NW as Lupe was heading for Peak 6962.
Lupe had to go almost a mile W before the terrain allowed her to start turning N. She eventually came quite close to USFS Road No. 189 again, but she stayed on a slightly higher ridge to the E of it. When Lupe finally reached a point about a mile SW of Peak 6962, she was able to turn NE and follow another ridge toward the summit.
There had been quite a lot of deadfall timber to contend with on the way from Flag Mountain, but this last stretch going NE to Peak 6962 was simply terrible. Dead trees had tumbled over everywhere, sometimes stacking several high. To make matters worse, an old barbed wire fence followed the same ridgeline Lupe was trying to follow. Along most of the route, the fence had collapsed under the weight of the many trees that had fallen across it.
SPHP was constantly worried that Lupe would get ripped up by the dangerous barbed wire. The deadfall and terrain forced Lupe and SPHP back and forth across the fence line many times. It was a struggle to make any progress through the seemingly endless obstacles. Getting to Peak 6962 was taking a very long time. The area felt very isolated and remote. Protected by the shattered forest, Peak 6962 must not have many visitors these days!
Lupe gradually got closer to Peak 6962. She started coming to a few places along the ridge where there were views of Flag Mountain off to the SE. She also started seeing an abundance of beautifully blooming crocuses. SPHP dubbed the area “Perfect Crocus Ridge”.
Finally, Lupe reached the area where the summit of Peak 6962 was supposed to be. The topo map showed a couple of areas within 6960 foot contours. Lupe arrived at the S one first. The topo map was right. The top of Peak 6962 was quite flat. Both of the 6960 foot contours were contained within a 6940 foot contour covering a much larger area. Lupe found no obvious summit.
There were no views either. Forest was all around. Even near the steep E edge of the mountain, the were enough trees still standing to quite effectively hide the view. Lupe and SPHP trudged on to the N, to check out the terrain over there. SPHP was hoping to find a view of White Tail Peak(6,962 ft.) to the N. There really wasn’t one. If anything, the forest was even thicker here. The terrain here didn’t seem any higher than back to the S, either.
Lupe was tired from leaping over all the countless dead trees on the ground. The Carolina Dog wanted to stop for a rest. SPHP was tired, too. SPHP sat on the ground. Lupe had some water and curled up. SPHP considered what to do next. From Flag Mountain, SPHP had seen some big cliffs at the very end of a long ridge protruding S from the E edge of Peak 6962. SPHP was certain those cliffs would provide some great views, but going there would add another 0.5 mile one way.
SPHP decided against it. It was just too much work going through all the deadfall. Maybe another time, if there ever was another time.
After 10 minutes, Lupe was ready to go again. The highest spot on the mountain had seemed to be within the area contained within the S 6960 foot contour. Lupe and SPHP went back there for Lupe’s Peak 6962 summit photos. The forest badly damaged by pine bark beetles wasn’t very pretty, but there was a beautiful green carpet of kinnikinnick.
Lupe smiling on the lovely green carpet of kinnikinnick at the summit of Peak 6962. Note the semi-transparent white object to her R. Photo looks ENE.This photo documents the existence of a genuine fire-breathing American Dingo on Peak 6962! Note the smoke coming out of her nose!
It was time to leave Peak 6962. The shortest route back to a road was to head SW back along Perfect Crocus Ridge. To avoid the worst of the deadfall timber, Lupe and SPHP tried staying below the ridgeline by going through a lower field to the SE. For a little while, this worked well. Lupe could run around without having to constantly be leaping over dead trees. After a while, though, the terrain forced Lupe up and over to the NW side of the ridge.
Flag Mountain from Perfect Crocus Ridge. Photo looks SE.
Staying off the top of the ridge helped more than SPHP initially realized. Lupe came to a clearing in the forest. Down a grassy slope to the SW was a good gravel road. Lupe was already almost back to USFS Road No. 189! SPHP stopped to look at the maps. After marching along all day through the forest, SPHP was tired of dealing with all the deadfall. Lupe was going to stick to the roads on the way back to the G6!
The quickest way back was to just follow No. 189 SE to Reynolds Prairie. Too easy and dull! A more interesting route was to take No. 189 only 0.5 mile S to USFS Road No. 239. No. 239 went S through Horsethief Creek valley for 3 miles to W Deerfield Road down in the valley of the North Fork of Castle Creek.
Since it was already getting late in the day and SPHP was already fairly tired, naturally SPHP chose a third route, the longest possible one. Lupe would go W on No. 189 for nearly 2 miles to USFS Road No. 129 before taking it S through Hughes Draw down to the North Fork of Castle Creek. Lupe and SPHP headed on down to No. 189 and turned NW.
Gradually, it began to dawn on SPHP that going NW was a big mistake. The sun was getting low, Lupe was heading away from the G6, and this route added at least another 5 miles to the trek back. No matter how interesting this route might be, it was going to get dark. It was really too late in the day for such silliness! SPHP was regretting the decision to go NW when a road going S into a shallow valley appeared a short distance ahead.
A marker at the start of the road said this was No. 129.1B. A quick check of the maps showed it was a shortcut down to No. 129 and No. 129.1A on the way to the North Fork of Castle Creek. Good! Lupe and SPHP immediately turned S on No. 129.1B.
The little valley No. 129.1B went down was very inviting. Beyond a grove of aspen trees, Lupe and SPHP heard frogs croaking. Lupe ran ahead to investigate. She found a pond where she got a huge drink. SPHP had completely run out of water more than a mile back.
The frog pond near USFS Road No. 129.1B where Lupe got a huge drink of water. The frogs did not resume croaking until Lupe left.
SPHP made good progress hiking down No. 129.1B. There was open ground on both sides of the road. Lupe had a blast racing back and forth across the valley. She hadn’t had an opportunity to run like this all day. She was having a great time. Despite all the hours that had gone by, Lupe was still full of energy.
No. 129.1B reached an intersection with No. 129. Two springs (Lyons Spring on the USFS map) combined to form a small creek, presumably Lyons Creek. Instead of following No. 129 SE, Lupe went W a short distance to take No. 129.1A going S.
No. 129.1A was a decent road, but did not lose elevation as quickly as Lyons Creek did. At first, Lupe was able to easily run down to the creek to get drinks of water. Pretty soon, however, the road was well above creek level. Lupe frequently saw deer down in the meadows by the creek below.
Lupe rests on the green grass above Lyons Creek. Photo looks SE.USFS Road No. 129.1A. Photo looks S.
Lupe finally reached W Deerfield Road down by the North Fork of Castle Creek. Lupe couldn’t resist getting in this much larger creek for another big drink.
Getting a drink from the North Fork of Castle Creek.
Lupe was still at least 3 miles NW of the junction with County Road No. 306 to Reynolds Prairie. The G6 was another 1.25 miles beyond that. Lupe and SPHP followed W Deerfield Road SE. Cows were in the fields nearby. Lupe was very interested. Although the temptation was huge, she was a very good American Dingo and didn’t bark.
At 9:01 PM (55°F), Lupe finally reached the G6 again. Light was still fading from the sky. Lupe had been gone over 11 hours, but she did reach all 5 of her peakbagging goals! Although she had just completed her 90th Black Hills, SD Expedition, Lupe’s peakbagging days were just beginning.
Lupe on W Deerfield Road in the valley of the North Fork of Castle Creek. Photo looks SE.Some of the very tempting cows Lupe didn’t bark at.
