Lupe – Page 205 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 232 – Flag Mountain & the Dragon Caves with Cousin Dusty & Uncle Joe (5-26-18)

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 **Peak 6962**. 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

Links:

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Mount Riley, Chilkat State Park, Haines, Alaska (8-12-17)

Day 13 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!

Cloudy. Not too bad, though. The sun couldn’t be seen, but a bright spot revealed its position. The clouds must not be too thick. For the second day in a row, Lupe started her morning off with a look at beautiful Chilkoot Inlet.

Lupe starts another morning at Chilkoot Inlet near Haines, Alaska. Photo looks SE.

Maybe the sky would clear later in the day? Perhaps not. It might not even matter.

Lupe had seen Mount Riley (1,759 ft.), the high point of the Chilkat Peninsula, from Mount Ripinsky (3,675 ft.) yesterday afternoon. Mount Riley wasn’t high enough to get above tree line, even here in Alaska. The whole mountain appeared heavily forested. Maybe Mount Riley wasn’t going to amount to anything more than a peakbagging goal. Trees might be all Loop would get to see. On the other paw, if the sun did make an appearance, and mountain and ocean views were available from Mount Riley, they ought to be spectacular!

In any case, since it wasn’t raining, Lupe was going to find out what Mount Riley had to offer. After a few morning chores, SPHP drove to Chilkat State Park only a mile or two SE of Haines. Loop would set out for Mount Riley from the Battery Point trailhead at the end of Beach Road. (9:00 AM, 57°F)

Lupe arrives at the Battery Point trailhead. A second trailhead for Mount Riley exists on the other side of the Chilkat Peninsula at Mud Bay.

Setting out, Lupe followed the Battery Point trail, a wide, smooth path leading SE through tall open forest. The Battery Point trail was mostly flat, gaining little, if any, net elevation. Chilkoot Inlet wasn’t far from the trail, but was never in view. The forest hid everything, which might well be par for the course today.

Lupe started out on the wide, flat Battery Point trail going through a tall forest. Chilkoot Inlet wasn’t far away, but couldn’t be seen. Photo looks SE.

After 0.9 mile, Lupe came to an intersection. A trail to Mount Riley branched off curving W farther up into the forest. The Battery Point trail went down to Chilkoot Inlet from here. Although it was a mile to Battery Point, Kelgaya Point was only 0.3 mile away.

Loop and SPHP both agreed it might be fun to go to Kelgaya Point. Such a short side trip wouldn’t take long, and beat spending the whole day in the forest.

0.9 mile from the Battery Point trailhead, Lupe reached the intersection with the Mount Riley trail. The short 0.3 mile side trip to Kelgaya Point sounded like fun.

The Battery Point trail went right on down to Chilkoot Inlet. The tide was out. Lupe and SPHP headed E for Kelgaya Point across a rocky beach. At Kelgaya Point, a rock formation rose at the edge of the water.

Lupe on the beach near **Kelgaya Point**. Photo looks E.

Naturally, Lupe climbed up on the rocks for a look around.

Up on the **Kelgaya Point** rock formation. Photo looks E.

*Come on up, SPHP! It’s cloudy, but the view is still worth seeing. I can see Mount Ripinsky from here!*

SPHP joined Lupe up on Kelgaya Point. If anything, the day was even cloudier than earlier on, but the views of Chilkoot Inlet and surrounding mountains were still beautiful. Back toward Haines, Lupe could see Mount Ripinsky (3,675 ft.), which she had climbed yesterday.

Looking E across **Chilkoot Inlet** from **Kelgaya Point**.

**Chilkoot Inlet** from **Kelgaya Point**. Looking N now.

From **Kelgaya Point**, Lupe could see **Mount Ripinsky (3,675 ft.)** (L), which she had climbed yesterday. Photo looks NW.

Near the E end of Kelgaya Point a more prominent rock outcropping formed a crude miniature spire. Lupe scrambled up. From the spire, she had the best vantage point of all.

At the E end of **Kelgaya Point** was this small spire. Lupe managed to get up there, but SPHP didn’t even try. Photo looks SE.

*The views are even better up here, SPHP! What, you aren’t coming up?*

It was possible to go beyond Kelgaya Point all the way to Battery Point, but Lupe and SPHP didn’t do that. Mount Riley was the main goal for the day, so maybe it was best to be underway again.

Lupe could have gone farther all the way to Battery Point, which is beyond the forested hill on the R, but she went back to the main trail to Mount Riley with SPHP instead. Photo looks SE across **Kelgaya Bay**.

Loop and SPHP returned to the trail intersection to take the trail to Mount Riley. It curved W deeper into the Chilkat Peninsula climbing steadily. Near the end of this climb, a short section of switchbacks wound up the steepest part of the slope. Before reaching the top, the trail leveled out and turned SE again.

Lupe had to take what she could get. Spiffy Fern Rock was a trail highlight.

The Mount Riley trail bounced up and down on the side of a fairly steep slope. There was nothing to see except the forest. The trail here was much narrower and looked far less traveled than the Battery Point trail. Red ribbons and small wooden boards with fading red arrows painted on them were attached to the trees, helping to point the way. The trail was obvious enough so these assists were seldom needed.

For a long way, there was nothing to see except forest.

Lupe was passing through a coastal rainforest. Ferns and moss were common on the forest floor.

Every now and then there were obstacles like the fallen tree ahead, but they weren’t common. Note the mossy steep bank.

At least this territory was easy on the paws! *Oh, so soft!*

After traveling along the steep hillside, the trail finally turned S and started up a ravine. Lupe passed near big mossy rock outcroppings in this area.

As the trail began to climb again, Lupe passed by a few large mossy rock formations.

The mossy rock formations were confined to a small area along the ravine. Near the end of this section, the trail snuck up between two big rocks climbing fairly steeply. Above the rocks, the trail began to level out. Lupe was still gaining elevation, but at a reduced pace. For the first time, Looper got a glimpse of what was ahead. The view wasn’t terribly encouraging or inspiring.

Once up above the rock formations, the trail wasn’t as steep. For the first time, Lupe caught a glimpse of what was ahead. Gray skies, more forest, and higher ground, but not much of a mountain peak. Photo looks S.

All that was ahead was a higher forested hill. Nothing one might call a mountain peak. Until now, Lupe hadn’t even been able to get a good look at the sky. The news there wasn’t great, either. If anything, the sky was grayer and more densely overcast than before. Despite uninspiring prospects, Loop and SPHP pressed on.

Lower down there had been some blueberry bushes along the trail, but no blueberries on them. Up here, there were blueberry bushes galore! Even better, they were packed with sweet blueberries. SPHP soon had purple fingers. The pace of advance slowed markedly. Blueberries were everywhere! Blueberry bushes lined the trail and even overhung it.

The blueberries were delicious, but the blueberry bushes were all wet from overnight rains. SPHP was soon soaking wet nearly waist high. The Carolina Dog was getting nothing out of this experience. The trail amounted to a sopping wet blueberry bush tunnel to her. Poor Loopster couldn’t see a thing, and was soon as soaked as if she’d been swimming. She looked miserable.

Things stayed that way for a while. Then it started to rain. Lightly, but still rain. No matter. Conditions weren’t that bad. At least it wasn’t cold and windy like the summit of Mount Ripinsky had been yesterday. Lupe was going to make it to the top of Mount Riley. She had come too far to turn around now.

After a level muddy stretch, the trail steepened again. Blueberry bushes no longer crowded the trail as much. Lupe perked up. What really snapped her out of the doldrums, though, was a sudden, loud crashing in the forest. SPHP whirled around in time to see a moose run off.

Lupe couldn’t see the moose, but she knew something big was out there! She bounded around trying to see above the vegetation blocking her view, but was disappointed. The moose was gone.

Too much time had been spent devouring blueberries. Getting to Mount Riley was taking forever. After a steady climb, the trail finally leveled out at a meadow, the first real opening in the forest Lupe had come to.

After what seemed like a long trek, Lupe finally reached this meadow, the first real opening in the forest. On a sunnier day, the view would have been gorgeous.

The trail crossed the meadow. On the far side, Lupe reached a sign. She had made it to the junction with the trail from Mud Bay. The summit of Mount Riley wasn’t much further! That forested ridge ahead must be it.

After crossing the meadow, Lupe reaches an intersection with the trail coming up from Mud Bay.

Since the total distance to Mount Riley from the Battery Point trailhead was supposed to be 4.6 miles, Lupe was now only 0.6 mile away.

The summit of **Mount Riley** was somewhere on the forested ridge ahead.

Loopster soon arrived at the summit of Mount Riley (1,759 ft.). At the top of the mountain, she found an unimposing ridge of gray rock. The ridge barely stuck up above a stunted forest enough to provide what should have been a spectacular view of the Chilkat and Chilkoot Inlets ringed by snow and glacier clad peaks.

The American Dingo could claim Mount Riley as a peakbagging success, but the views were far from what they might have been. A light rain fell intermittently. Mist and fog were all around, but not to the point where Lupe couldn’t get an idea of what she was missing out there.

Lupe arrives at the summit of **Mount Riley** amid light rain, mist and fog. **Haines**, Alaska is straight up from her back. **Mount Ripinsky** is straight up from her head. **Chilkat Inlet** is on the L. Photo looks NW.

Looking N across **Chilkoot Inlet**. **Taiya Inlet** leading to Skagway is seen in the distance.

The delta seen on the far side of **Chilkat Inlet** is **Anchorage Point**. Photo looks SW.

**Chilkat Inlet**. Photo looks NW with help from the telephoto lens.

**Mount Ripinsky (3,675 ft.)** (Center) where Lupe had been yesterday. **Haines** is on the R. **Chilkat Inlet** on the L. Photo looks NW with help from the telephoto lens.

Oh, for a rare sunny day! Rain, mist and fog are no doubt very common in the Haines area. Lupe certainly wasn’t getting much out of these views at the moment. When she heard distant gunfire, she was done looking around. Somewhere far off, someone was doing some target practice.

Why stand out in the rain at the top of the mountain offering the best, and likely only, possible target? The American Dingo retreated to the safety of a stunted conifer offering protection from both rain and bullets.

*Look around all you like, SPHP. Paint a bullseye on yourself, if you want to! I’m staying right here!*

The ridge of rock at the top of Mount Riley was barely high enough to allow a view over the trees in some directions.

While the American Dingo hid out a few feet away, SPHP stood on Mount Riley’s diminutive summit ridge. Conditions were gradually getting damper, darker and drearier. The weather seemed to be moving up from the Lynn Canal to the S.

**Kal Benchmark (1,450 ft.)** (L) and **Sullivan Island** (Center). Rain and fog were moving in from this direction. Photo looks S.

Things weren’t that bad, but with the weather deteriorating instead of improving, there didn’t seem to be much reason to hang around either. Half an hour after she’d arrived, Lupe was ready to start back. She returned to Mount Riley’s summit rocks briefly before departing.

Loop comes out from under her safe, snug conifer tree for a last look around from **Mount Riley**. Photo looks N.

Looking back up at the summit ridge after starting down.

A few little birds and a couple of squirrels were all the wildlife Lupe could conjure up on the long return trip through the forest. The moose crashing around that she hadn’t even gotten to see on the way up was the highlight of the whole day as far as excitement was concerned.

SPHP gorged on blueberries again until the trail dropped below the short section of mossy rock formations. Despite the red ribbons and arrows, SPHP then cleverly managed to miss a turn on the trail, resulting in an unnecessary descent of 100 plus feet of elevation before the mistake was realized and corrected.

Looking down a narrow gap between mossy rock formations on the way back to the trailhead.

Of course, after leaving the summit, the weather gradually improved. The rain ceased, but the sky remained gray. Lupe made it back to the G6 (4:29 PM, 61°F). There wasn’t much of a plan for the rest of the day.

On the way back to town, Loop and SPHP stopped at a viewpoint where Mount Ripinsky could be seen towering over Haines.

**Haines**, Alaska across **Portage Cove** with **Mount Ripinsky** (L) in the background. Photo looks NW.

Then it was on to Lupe’s favorite pullout on Lutak Road with a view of Portage Cove, Haines and the Chilkoot Inlet. Lupe dined on Alpo and Ritz crackers. SPHP caught up the trip journal. More than an hour went by. The sky looked like it would be gray forever, but it was still light out.

If the weather had been better, Lupe had more to do in the Haines area, but it wasn’t. Looking out over Portage Cove, it was sad to think about leaving Haines, but the Carolina Dog had more adventures awaiting where the skies might be blue. Maybe it was time?

Despite the cloudy skies, the evening’s drive was beautiful. By nightfall, Lupe reached Dezadeash Lake.

Mount Riley Trailhead Notes:

Battery Point Trailhead: From the E end of Main Street in Haines next to Portage Cove, take Front Street S to Beach Road. After a mile, Beach Road angles R and turns to dirt. The Chilkat State Park Battery Point trailhead is at the SE end of Beach Road about a mile farther on. The summit of Mount Riley is 4.6 miles from the trailhead.

Mud Bay Trailhead: From Main Street in Haines, take 3rd Avenue going S. 3rd Avenue becomes Mud Bay Road. Watch for signs for Chilkat State Park. Parking is on the R (W) at the top of a hill roughly 3 miles from downtown. The Mud Bay trail starts on the other side of the road. It’s 2.8 miles to the intersection with the trail from Battery Point, and another 0.5 mile to Mt. Riley’s summit.

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