Day 8 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Laramie Range & Beyond!
Colorado! For pity sake! Edward Earl’s trip report had warned that the sign for the turnoff to Pine Mountain was difficult to see from the highway. Supposedly, SPHP had been watching carefully for it. Not carefully enough, apparently! SPHP turned the G6 around. Lupe headed N back into Wyoming.
After leaving Prior Flat and the Shirley Mountains this morning, most of the day had been spent traveling. The afternoon drive S from Rock Springs on Hwy 430 had been gorgeous. High, remote ridges and hills stretched to the horizon, separated by dusty oceans of undulating sagebrush prairies. Classic Wyoming!
On the way S, Lupe had finally seen a mountain SPHP figured might well be Pine Mountain(9,550 ft.). Even with this advance warning that Lupe must have been getting close, the turnoff had been missed.
30 or 40 miles S of Rock Springs on Hwy 430, this mountain came into view to the SSW. Maybe it was Pine Mountain? Photo looks SSW.Getting closer. SPHP never really figured out if this was actually Pine Mountain, or another one close by. Photo looks SW.This road leading into a scenic valley W of Hwy 430 looked intriguing, but Lupe didn’t get to explore it. It turned out this road wasn’t far from the Colorado border. Lupe had already missed the turn to Pine Mountain by the time she reached this point. Photo looks W.
The turnoff to Pine Mountain was supposed to be about 5 miles N of the Colorado border. Of course, Edward Earl had been here way back in July, 2002. Maybe the sign at the turn he referred to in his trip report was damaged, no longer existed, or had fallen over? SPHP drove slowly N staring down each dirt road leading W from Hwy 430.
Maybe SPHP was just driving super slow, but it seemed like Lupe had gone well over 5 miles from the Colorado border. Still nothing. SPHP was considering turning around again for another pass at it going S, when at the top of a rise, there it was! A BLM sign in perfectly good condition said “Pine Mountain 12”. How had SPHP missed that? Didn’t matter, Lupe was on her way!
The BLM sign at the turnoff was small, but in perfectly good condition. The turn is at the top of a rise on the W side of Hwy 430 between mile markers 49 & 50. Photo looks WSW.
It remained to be seen how far Lupe would get, however. Edward Earl mentioned several sharply eroded ruts across the road within the first couple of miles. Maybe the G6 wouldn’t be able to get past them? That would be bad news. A hot, dry 10 mile one-way march just to get to Pine Mountain wasn’t going to happen.
Fortunately, the sharply eroded ruts no longer seemed to exist. Most encouraging! The road was supposed to be good the rest of the way. The next landmark Mr. Earl said to watch for was a fork in the road 4 miles from the highway. A BLM sign on the L would say 8 miles to Pine Mountain.
At 3 miles, and again at 4 miles, Lupe came to unsigned 4-way intersections at minor crossroads. Hmm. Edward Earl hadn’t mentioned these. SPHP drove straight at each one. 5 miles from the highway, Lupe did come to a fork in the road. A BLM sign near the L fork said “Red Creek Basin, County Road #71, Titsworth Gap”. No mention of Pine Mountain, or any clue as to where the road to the R went.
Pine Mountain was nowhere in sight. The sign looked fairly new, but even if it had been replaced since Edward Earl was here, why didn’t it mention Pine Mountain? None of the places listed meant anything to SPHP. Still, the road to the L was going the right general direction. It was probably the way. Maybe best, though, to go a little farther on the road to the R, just to make certain another fork wasn’t coming up soon?
A 0.5 mile jaunt down the R fork revealed nothing other than that the road deteriorated rather quickly. No other turns to the L could be seen for at least another 0.5 mile. That settled it. Lupe returned to the “Y” and took the road to the L.
A stuffed monkey hangs for no obvious reason from the new BLM sign at the “Y” about 5 miles from Hwy 430. Pine Mountain is nowhere in sight, but the road to the L, seen here winding off to the SW, is the right way to go!
Six miles later, SPHP parked the G6 at the base of Pine Mountain’s long NE ridge in a saddle just S of High Point 8510, a small butte mentioned by Mr. Earl. It was getting late in the afternoon (5:17 PM), and the 9,550 ft. summit was still more than 4 miles away.
After being cooped up in the G6 most of the day, Lupe was ready for action! A road goes all the way to the top of Pine Mountain, so getting to the summit would be a cinch. The sun stays up late in June, so even on paw and foot Lupe and SPHP would have plenty of time. Maybe Loop would even get to enjoy a nice sunset up there?
The trek had barely started, when SPHP nearly stepped on a baby pronghorn antelope hiding on the ground. It was very much alive. Lupe was already off racing around the fields, so she hadn’t seen it. Best that she didn’t. SPHP hurried over to the road leading up the mountain. Lupe never did see the baby pronghorn. No doubt she would have loved to, but it wouldn’t have been a good thing.
Lupe never did see this baby pronghorn antelope hiding on the ground.The G6 is parked in the saddle S of High Point 8510 (L), the small butte mentioned by Edward Earl. The road on the R goes all the way to the top of Pine Mountain. It was fairly steep in places, and had one rough section at the end of a big switchback, but overall it was quite good. Even the G6 might have made it to the top. Where’s the fun in that, though? Photo looks NNW.
Despite its woodsy name, only the N side of Pine Mountain turned out to be forested. Most of the mountain was bare or sported only scattered trees. The road to the top never entered the forest. Consequently, Lupe had big sweeping views all the way up the mountain. They only got better as she gained elevation.
Only the N slopes of Pine Mountain were forested. Lupe never entered the forest. She enjoyed huge panoramic views all the way up the mountain. The road to Hwy 430 is seen below. Photo looks NE.
The first 1.5 miles were by far the steepest. Near the end of it, the road made a single giant switchback followed by a short rocky section. After that the slope of the mountain decreased steadily.
Looking up the steepest part of the climb. Not bad at all, really! Beyond the high point seen above, the slope of the mountain decreased steadily. Photo looks SSW.Yellow wildflowers like these dotted the slopes of Pine Mountain.Still early in the climb. The tan tank in the distance may be the water tank Edward Earl referred to in his trip report. The main road to the top of Pine Mountain used to go by it, but has been rerouted. The mountain in the distance is Diamond Peak(9,640 ft.) in Colorado. Photo looks SSE.View to the NE in early evening light.Four J Basin from Pine Mountain’s NE ridge. Photo looks ESE.
Once past the steep part, the road headed SW up a wide, grassy, but otherwise barren slope. The view from the road would remain boringly the same for more than 2 miles. Far to the R was the edge of the forest. Far to the L was the SE edge of the mountain.
Yes, that’s right! The view along the road was like this for more than 2 miles. Boring! That’s why I went L over to follow the edge of the mountain. Great views over there! Photo looks SW.
After trudging nearly half of this dull distance on the road, even SPHP began to realize this trek would be a lot more fun over by the edge where Lupe could see the big views to the SE.
The edge of the mountain provided splendid views the entire way. The only disadvantage was that the higher Lupe went, the windier and colder the edge became. Loop didn’t care for the wind, but it wasn’t unbearable.
The wind makes Lupe squint, but she had a fantastic view of Middle Mountain (9,559 ft.) (R) and Diamond Peak(9,640 ft.) (Center in the distance) to the SE.Loopster along the SE edge of Pine Mountain. Photo looks SW.
The highest part of Pine Mountain forms a huge crescent pointing SW. The terrain features mostly small rocks, small plants, and is otherwise barren and flat. The topo map shows two high points near the S edge. At the far SE end, the former site of an old radio tower is shown as having an elevation of 9,546 ft. Nearly half a mile to the WNW is the official summit with an elevation of 9,550 ft.
Lupe arrived at the SE high point first. A small concrete platform only 3′ x 3′ was all that seemed to remain of the radio tower. The platform was located next to the start of a long fence which swept around to the W from here near the S edge of the mountain.
At the SE end of Pine Mountain, Lupe reached this concrete platform, apparently all that remains of an old radio tower installation. As near as SPHP could tell, this was High Point 9,546 on the topo map. Photo looks W.Near the old radio tower site looking SSE. The mountains in the distance are all in Colorado. Lupe is less than 2 miles from the border here.The snow-capped peaks barely visible on the far horizon on the L are likely part of the Uinta Range in Utah. Photo looks WSW.
A two track dirt road ran along the N side of the fence close to the edge of the mountain. Since she still hadn’t made it to Pine Mountain’s official summit, Lupe followed this road W, continuing on it as it curved gradually to the WNW, then NW.
Following the road N of the fence, Lupe came to several piles of old fence posts along the way. Photo looks N.
Edward Earl had mentioned that each of the two spot elevations on the topo map appeared higher when viewed from the other. In Mr. Earl’s opinion, HP 9546 near the old radio tower site was likely the true summit, not HP 9550 which was the true summit according to the map.
Like Mr. Earl, Lupe visited both of these points. In the end, SPHP had no firm opinion where the true summit actually was, only that Lupe must have reached it somewhere along the way. No matter where Lupe was along the rim of the mountain, the terrain in the distance always looked definitely somewhat higher!
Perhaps the American Dingo knew exactly when she reached the true summit, but she maintained silence on the point. Dingoes don’t fret about such things. As far as Lupe was concerned, she’d done her peakbagging job and reached the top of Pine Mountain(9,550 ft.).
Near the SW end of the mountain, not too far from the official 9,550 ft. summit on the topo map, Lupe came to a green gate in the fence. She went through the gate, and started a little down the slope before stopping near the edge of the steepest part. A fairly strong wind still blew out of the SW, making things rather chilly on the totally exposed edge.
As far as the Carolina Dog could see, unspoiled open territory stretched past grand valleys and hills to distant mountains, some snow-capped, on the far horizon.
Lupe enjoying tremendous views along the SW edge of Pine Mountain. Photo looks W.Barely visible snow-capped peaks are on the horizon. Perhaps part of the Uinta Range in NE Utah? Photo looks SW.The same snowy peaks with lots of help from the telephoto lens. Photo looks SW.The forested hill in the foreground is Kleins Hill (9,048 ft.) in Colorado. Photo looks S.
Nearly an hour remained before sunset. Other than the wind, which seemed to be gradually weakening as the sun sank, there wasn’t a reason in the world why Lupe shouldn’t stay to enjoy the show. Seldom has she had such a tremendous vantage point near the end of a day, plus a great route back to the G6 that would be easy to follow even after dark.
Lupe had water and Taste of the Wild, then curled up in the breeze to see how the evening would turn out.
Loop waits for sunset from her great vantage point on Pine Mountain. Photo looks NW.
For a while, the already splendid scene didn’t change much. The sun was still too far above the horizon. Lupe and SPHP sat huddled together against the breeze, gazing off toward Colorado and Utah, enjoying the solitude.
For a while, the views didn’t change much. The sun was still too far above the horizon. Enough clouds were around, though, to encourage the notion that the sunset might be a good one. Photo looks SW.
Slowly, the sun’s rays slanted more sharply. A golden glow crept over the land. Contrasts deepened between light and shadow, highlighting features of the terrain. In the distance, outlines stood out, sky now easily differentiated from mountains and ridges.
Slowly a golden glow spread over the land highlighting features of the terrain. Photo looks W.
Lupe bathed in the golden glow, too.
Looking SSW.
The light intensified rapidly in the final brief moments before sunset. Lupe was transformed to a brilliantly illuminated Dingo goddess!
Lupe stands brilliantly illuminated during the final brief moments before sunset. Photo looks S.The Dingo goddess.
The golden glow faded. Shadow spread over the earth. Sunlight retreated to the realm of sky and clouds.
Sunlight retreated to the realm of clouds and sky. Photo looks SW.Looking NNW.
The show wasn’t over yet, though. Not until the sun disappeared completely did the evening sky rise to its colorful peak of glory.
Not until the sun disappeared completely did the evening sky rise to its most colorful peak of glory. Photo looks WNW.
And then it was over. Colors collapsed. The sky turned gray, the earth black. Lupe had remained to the end. Now the former Dingo goddess started the long trek back, traveling in deepening shadow the barren, breezy surface of this lofty dark underworld.
The sky grew black. So black, the ancient dim light of stars and galaxies blazed above, a shining echo from the edge of infinity of what once was eons ago. Miles to the E, a single small grouping of bright electric lights. On the far N horizon, a faint glow that must have been Rock Springs. Elsewhere, the pitch black unbroken reign of night.
On the move, heading down, the beautiful, quiet evening slipped by. The dying breeze brought the only news, subtle hints from the wild, to a still curious, quivering nose on Pine Mountain. (10:52 PM)
Start: 8:35 AM, 42°F, at the first pullout SE of USFS Road No. 157 along West Deerfield Road near Castle Creek
A week shot by. The American Dingo was back! The G6 was parked no more than a mile NW of where it had been at the start of Expedition No. 212 only 7 days ago. Back then Lupe had gone N visiting 4 peaks along the E edge of the limestone plateau. Today she would be going mostly W farther into the high country.
A short walk NW along West Deerfield Road brought Loop to the start of USFS Road No. 157. Close to the intersection, a bridge went over Castle Creek. Lupe had started off Expedition No. 212 by checking out Castle Creek. May as well make it a tradition! Before crossing the bridge, Lupe went down near the stream. As always, Castle Creek was looking good!
Just like on Expedition No. 212 a week ago, Lupe started off Expedition No. 213 with a quick visit to Castle Creek. The creek was looking good, and a cheery American Dingo was expecting another great day exploring the Black Hills.
Returning to No. 157, Lupe crossed the bridge. The road went past a house over to the SW side of the Castle Creek valley, before turning SE for 0.5 mile. Lupe could still see the G6. Beyond it was a forested ridge featuring an impressive limestone cap. This late October morning was cool and bright. Everything was bathed in sunlight. What a beautiful day!
Lupe on USFS Road No. 157. The red G6 is in view parked near West Deerfield Road on the other side of the Castle Creek valley. Photo looks NNE.
The first part of the plan for the day was to take No. 157 from the Castle Creek valley up into the limestone plateau country. Lupe didn’t start gaining elevation until she was getting close to a big bend where No. 157 makes a nearly 180° turn going around the SE end of a forested ridge. After making the turn, the road climbed steadily heading WNW high on the SW side of the ridge. Private property down in the Silver Creek valley could be seen below.
About 0.33 mile from the big bend, Lupe reached an intersection with USFS Road No. 157.1A. Loop had followed No. 157 up the Silver Creek valley at least a couple of times on previous Black Hills expeditions, but she’d never been on No. 157.1A before. The topo map showed that No. 157.1A stayed higher up near the spine of the ridge, and would eventually feed back into No. 157 again in a couple of miles.
Why not? Exploring a new route is usually fun. Lupe took No. 157.1A.
No. 157.1A went NW for a while. Low juniper bushes provided scattered ground cover beneath a pine forest. The terrain sloped moderately up to the NE. The road stayed within a few hundred feet of the top of the ridge.
Lupe gained a fair amount of elevation. However, the day’s early sunshine seemed to have vanished. It actually seemed colder now than when Lupe had started out. The mood of the day had really changed. Gone was the bright cheerfulness. Suddenly the forest felt quiet, remote, sullen – like late fall of a dying year, with more than a hint of winter.
Lupe might get a decent look at the Castle Creek valley from the top of the ridge, if a place could be found where trees didn’t block the view. As she went on, a few rocks appeared near the ridgeline. Close to one of these rocks a narrow, gray opening could be seen between the pines. Might as well take a look! Lupe sniffed her way through the forest to the top of the ridge.
No wonder the mood had turned grim and chill! Lupe could see Castle Creek valley alright, but the sky was completely overcast. Not a speck of blue anywhere. Mountaintops across the valley were shrouded in fog.
At this little opening along the ridge near USFS Road No. 157.1A, Lupe could see Castle Creek valley below. However, the mountaintops were now cloaked in fog, and the day’s earlier cheerful, sunny mood had vanished. Photo looks N.
Lupe went NW through the forest a little way, then returned to the road. She reached it near a “Y” intersection. USFS Road No. 157.1C branched off to the N here, going over a small saddle. The maps showed it would eventually dead end.
The American Dingo stuck with No. 157.1A, which headed more W than before. The road climbed more steeply for a little way before leveling out. Lupe had left the edge of Castle Creek valley behind now.
Continuing W on USFS Road No. 157.1A.
As Loop traveled onward, it appeared as though there were high points off to the SW which might provide a view of Silver Creek valley. She didn’t bother going over there, though. Probably not worth the effort with low clouds and fog around. The Carolina Dog stayed on the road, which wound around still heading W.
Lupe continues W on USFS Road No. 157.1A. The scene varied somewhat along the way. Lupe saw high points off to the SW that she didn’t bother visiting that might have provided a view of the Silver Creek valley. Sometimes there were rock formations to the N or NE. This area had quite a bit of deadfall timber.
Suddenly, Lupe noticed a pickup truck ahead parked on the road. Two men dressed in camouflage were standing near it. Hunters! Lupe and SPHP had to go right by them. Neither looked or acted friendly. The younger one asked SPHP only where Lupe was going, and seemed suspicious of the answer – Crows Nest Peak. Meanwhile, the older man fiddled with a bow and ammunition.
No doubt Crows Nest Peak(7,048 ft.) was an unlikely response. Crows Nest Peak was still miles away. Furthermore, though one of the highest points in the Black Hills, Crows Nest Peak wasn’t much of a peak at all, just a spot in the woods nominally higher than the surrounding terrain. Why would anyone be going there? Wandering alone way out here on a gloomy day like this was probably suspicious enough itself. Crows Nest Peak must have seemed a doubly suspicious and evasive answer.
Lupe went right on by the hunters. SPHP had no intention of stopping to explain. If the hunters were surprised to see Lupe, seeing them had been a surprise, too. Best to avoid any possibility of getting into a quarrel with armed strangers with unfriendly dispositions, especially in such a remote place. These guys were weird – in an unbalanced, slightly threatening way.
That was it, though. Nothing happened. Lupe reached the end of USFS Road No. 157.1A where it met up with No. 157 again. This was familiar territory, although it had been 2 years since Looper had last been here. For more than a mile, she continued WNW on No. 157. She reached a junction with No. 157.1F, which headed N to Fulton Draw.
Lupe didn’t need to go to Fulton Draw. It only led back down to Castle Creek. She stayed on No. 157, which gradually began curving SW. The terrain was flat along in here. Lupe had already gained most of the elevation she would need to on the way to Crows Nest Peak.
More than 0.67 mile beyond No. 157.1F, Lupe reached another junction. An unmarked road branched off to the R. Just beyond this intersection, a barbed wire fence crossed No. 157. Lupe made a short foray along the unmarked road. She came to a place where ice rested in large, muddy ruts at a curve in the road.
A short exploratory foray along the unmarked road brought Lupe to these ice-filled muddy ruts at a curve.
Hmm. If Lupe managed to make it to Crows Nest Peak today, it would be her 4th successful ascent. However, she had only reached it once before coming from this general direction. On that occasion, traveling through the forest, Lupe had come to a small pond with cattails.
Was the cattail pond where this road was heading? It seemed likely. SPHP remembered a road near the pond, but Lupe hadn’t taken it. Instead, from the cattail pond she’d followed a barbed wire fence a long way N or NW through the woods. Although Lupe had ultimately made it to Crows Nest Peak, she’d gone a long way through a trackless stretch of forest with no real landmarks. Trying that again in this weather seemed unwise.
Lupe returned to No. 157 and continued past the barbed wire fence. SPHP expected her to reach a road going to Procunter Spring pretty soon, but she didn’t. Odd. After more than 0.5 mile, Lupe reached a “Y”. Only the branch to the R could possibly be the way to Procunter Spring, but even it didn’t seem quite right.
Lupe reaches another road intersection. Did the road to the R lead to Procunter Spring? SPHP knew Lupe was near the N end of Coulsen Hughes Draw, but being here in the fog was disorienting, as though Lupe was in a dream.
The Carolina Dog had been here before. Loop wasn’t far from Coulsen Hughes Draw. SPHP was certain of that. Yet it had been years since she had been at this exact spot. Being here now in the fog felt like a dream where things look familiar, yet are all jumbled up. Which way?
SPHP checked the map. Somewhere around here, Loop was supposed to leave No. 157 and travel NW staying on high ground. The actual terrain didn’t seem to match up very well with what the map showed, though. Slightly higher ground was back the way Lupe had come to reach this intersection. Maybe it made sense to retrace her route a little before plunging into the forest?
So that’s what Lupe did. She went back to a place where there was a bit of a hill off to the L. Despite misgivings, SPHP then followed her into the trees. In the fog, the forest seemed mysterious, abandoning the road faintly dangerous. The only real landmark Lupe would come to was a huge field 1.5 to 2 miles off to the NW. It might be terribly easy to get turned around and lost before ever getting there.
Lupe hadn’t gone far before there was reason for concern. She’d climbed the small forested hill, but the high ground she was supposed to follow NW from here didn’t seem to exist. Instead, the forest sloped gradually down in every direction. Not far ahead, a meadow could be glimpsed through the trees, which didn’t seem right either. May as well check it out, though.
Lupe reached the edge of the meadow. What she saw was surprising, almost shocking. The meadow was wide and very long, so long the end couldn’t be seen in either direction. It made no sense. How could Lupe have missed this huge meadow on her prior attempts to reach Crows Nest Peak from this direction? It seemed impossible, yet here it was.
Which way? Lupe looked expectantly at SPHP. What was the holdup? SPHP stood staring at the meadow, pondering the view first in one direction, then the other. Not a clue. Everything looked wrong. Nothing made sense. There had to be an explanation, though. What was it?
Confusion vanished. Certainty came flooding back. Oh, yeah, it all made sense now! This long meadow was the NW branch of Coulsen Hughes Draw. Had to be! SPHP had become disoriented in the fog, apparently even before Lupe had left the road. This meadow didn’t run E/W like SPHP initially believed. Lupe had been traveling W, not N, going over the hill. This meadow went N/S.
Lupe turned N, gradually gaining elevation. As expected, the American Dingo soon came to an old wooden sign where the road to Procunter Spring crossed Coulsen Hughes Draw. Whew! Back on track. Simply amazing how easy it had been to get turned around in the fog!
When Lupe found this sign along USFS Road No. 157 in Coulsen Hughes Draw, SPHP was finally certain where she was again. It was amazing how easily disoriented SPHP had become in the fog! Photo looks NE.
Puppy, ho! Lupe still had a long way to go to get to Crows Nest Peak. At least she knew which way to go now. From the sign, Loop followed No. 157 going NE. When the road curved E, she took a side road heading N through a gap in a fence.
The side road had a lot of deadfall timber on it. Lupe soon left it heading WNW across the upper end of Coulsen Hughes Draw. Moderately higher ground was ahead. Lupe reached the top of a broad forested ridge. This was part of the high ground she had been supposed to take NW, though she was farther W on it than SPHP had intended. No matter, Lupe could get to Crows Nest Peak this way. Onward!
On the broad ridge NNW of Coulsen Hughes Draw. Photo looks N.
For 0.75 mile, Lupe traveled N or NW on top of the broad ridge. It was still overcast, but not as foggy up here as it had been back at Coulsen Hughes Draw. Lupe ran and sniffed. There was no road or trail to follow. Lupe loved exploring, and things seemed to be going well.
Farther N on the ridge, Lupe came to this nice stand of white-barked aspens. Photo looks NW.
At the N end of the ridge, the terrain began sloping down. Lupe came to another road, which seemed vaguely familiar. Lupe had been here on one of her previous expeditions, hadn’t she? The American Dingo followed the road downhill to the W a short distance, before leaving it to continue N.
More pretty white aspens seen on the way down off the ridge. Photo looks WNW.
Lupe went over a small forested hill, and quickly arrived at the edge of a big field. Yes! Reaching this field meant Loop was less than a mile from Crows Nest Peak.
Finally at the big field. Reaching this point meant Loopster was less than a mile SE of Crows Nest Peak. Photo looks SW.
At the far side of the field, Lupe could see a road heading N into the forest. This might well be USFS Road No. 266. Lupe crossed the field. The road wasn’t marked, but it was going the right way. Loop and SPHP took the road.
After passing through a stretch of forest, what looked like the level top of an earthen dam for a stock pond could be seen off in the woods. Lupe went over to check it out. Sure enough, a small iced-over shallow pond was on the other side. Not 15 feet away, down next to the pond, was the carcass of a deer.
Something alive was feeding on the carcass! An instant after Lupe arrived on the scene, a head turned and fixed a beady yellow eye on her. Unhappy at being disturbed, a huge feathery eagle launched into the sky and flew off. It wasn’t a bald eagle, but the giant bird was still a sight to see. You would have had to been there, though. SPHP was way too slow to get a photo.
Lupe (L) at “Eagle Pond”. Photo looks SW.Another look at Eagle Pond. Lupe on the L again. Photo looks W.This deer carcass the eagle had been feeding on was only a couple feet from the frozen pond.
From Eagle Pond, the road Lupe was following turned W or WNW. Loopster hadn’t gone too far on it when another road came in from the ENE. A marker showed this was USFS Road No. 377.1B.
At the junction with USFS Road No. 377.1B. Finding No. 377.1B confirmed that Lupe had been following No. 266 since crossing the big field. Photo looks NE.
Finding No. 377.1B confirmed that Lupe had been following USFS Road No. 266 since crossing the big field. Lupe took the road leading W from the junction. Crows Nest Peak was no more than 0.25 mile away now. In fact, Loop could soon see a hill N of the road. The summit had to be up there.
Even though it was a slightly longer route, the Carolina Dog stuck with the road. When she reached a familiar meadow SW of the summit, she turned N on a spur road that would take her there. The spur is so seldom traveled that it didn’t even seem much like a road anymore. It was more like a single track trail.
Nearly there! This spur road, which is so infrequently traveled it now seems more like a single track trail, curls up to the top of Crows Nest Peak from the SW. Photo looks SSW.
The spur road went N climbing a hill before leveling out. A little farther on it curved E. Lupe immediately arrived at the frozen remnant of a tiny pond. She climbed up on a mound of red dirt at the W end. She’d made it to Crows Nest Peak! This wasn’t the official summit, which was still a football field E, but had to be about as high, and was the landmark Lupe always went by.
On the mound of red dirt at the W end of the tiny frozen pond. This pond is only a few hundred feet W of Crows Nest Peak’s summit. Photo looks SW.The browns, pale blue, and white of the frozen pond were kind of pretty.Looking E from the red mound on the W side of the frozen pond. The official summit of Crows Nest Peak is straight ahead a short distant into the trees slightly R of Center.
Lupe had come a long way. Time to claim her peakbagging success! The Carolina Dog left the frozen pond heading E. She crossed a small grassy area. There used to be a road here, but no trace of it remained. At a small opening in the forest maybe 60 or 70 feet back into the trees, Lupe came to a survey stake and benchmark.
This was it! This flat place in the forest entirely lacking views in any direction, a total and complete mockery of its name, was one of the highest spots in the whole Black Hills. Lupe was at the official summit of Crows Nest Peak(7,048 ft.).
Intrepid explorer and adventurer, Lupe the Carolina Dog, reaches the summit of Crows Nest Peak for the 4th time. Photo looks NE.105 years have passed since this survey benchmark was placed on Crows Nest Peak in 1912. While much of the rest of the world has been transformed since then, Crows Nest Peak can’t have changed too much, at least not yet. Lupe and SPHP like it that way.Crows Nest Peak summit. Some crow’s nest! This joint is flat as a pancake and devoid of views. Yet this remote high ground is still one of Lupe and SPHP’s favorite spots in the entire Black Hills. Photo looks E.Yes, I made it! You didn’t really think a little fog was going to stop an American Dingo, did you?
It had been a long, and occasionally confusing trek. Lupe and SPHP took a half hour break near the survey marker. Taste of the Wild, water, and an apple. Tiny snowflakes drifted down on a light swirling breeze. The temperature must have been at or below freezing, but the tiny flakes all melted as they hit.
Cold, humid, quiet. SPHP sat on the ground petting Lupe’s soft fur. She liked that. Snowflakes filled the air. It felt again like winter was coming. Hidden in the remote high country, despite the absence of views, Crows Nest Peak was still a magical place.
This foggy, overcast day had been the perfect day to come here. It didn’t matter that there weren’t any views. Lupe wouldn’t have been able to see them anyway, even if there had been some. Her journey here had felt more mysterious and adventurous beneath the close gray sky.
It seemed like Lupe still had plenty of time; she’d gotten off to a fairly early start this morning. Hard to tell for certain, though, without being able to see the sun. It was one thing to wander around in the fog, entirely another to get caught in darkness away from any road on a cold, snowy night. Lupe at least better get back to No. 157 before it got dark.
On the way back, Lupe had many more adventures. Although she was following the same basic route, she varied it enough to explore a fair amount of previously unseen territory along the way. The temperature slowly dropped. It didn’t snow all the time, but it did more and more often. Never too hard, and the snowflakes were never too big.
Starting back. Lupe near the tiny frozen pond toward the W end of Crows Nest Peak. Photo looks WSW.At the junction of USFS Roads No. 266 & 377.1B, this unmarked road went S. Lupe explored it all the way back to the big field. Photo looks S.Upon reaching the big field somewhere SW of where Lupe had crossed it before, the unmarked road went past this larger pond. Photo looks ENE.Back at the big field. Photo looks SSE.On another road after crossing the big field. Loop is now heading for the start of the big trackless ridge leading back to Coulsen Hughes Draw and USFS Road No. 157. The N end of that ridge begins only a little SE of here. Photo looks NW.
This seemed to be a big day for discovering frozen ponds. A little E of the ridge Lupe had followed N from Coulsen Hughes Draw earlier, Loop found yet another one in a shallow valley.
On the way back, Lupe discovered this pond E of the big ridge she had followed N from Coulsen Hughes Draw earlier in the day. Photo looks S.
A faint road leading S from this pond ultimately proved to be the same one where she’d left USFS Road No. 157 hours ago. This proved that the pond was situated at the far, far N end of Coulsen Hughes Draw.
Upon reaching No. 157 again, Lupe followed it E. She hadn’t gone too far, when she came to a barbed wire fence. Beyond it was the old cattail pond!
Lupe reaches the cattail pond along USFS Road No. 157. Photo looks NE.
The cattail pond was the last pond of the day. No. 157 turned S here, and quickly led Lupe past the muddy ruts with ice in them she had seen before. Another mystery solved!
The Carolina Dog’s explorations were nearly over now. Lupe stuck to No. 157 going E. She passed by No. 157.1F again. She returned to No. 157.1A. The weird hunters were gone. Good!
It snowed harder. In a few places, a little began to stick. A 15 minute off-road foray to a potential viewpoint revealed only snow and fog. OK, that was it. The rest of the way back was all business. Lupe watched, but didn’t even bark at a herd of cows grazing near the junction of USFS Roads No. 157.1A and No. 157.
Near the junction of USFS Roads No. 157.1A and No. 157. Lupe watched, but didn’t even bark at these cows. Photo looks S.Heading down USFS Road No. 157. The Silver Creek Valley is below on the R. Photo looks SE.
Lupe hopped into the G6 without hesitation (5:57 PM, 29°F). Moments later, a frigid wind came out of the NW blowing snow much harder than before down Castle Creek valley.
During October, 2017, Lupe had visited many of the highest peaks in the Black Hills along the E edge of the limestone plateau. In most cases she hadn’t been to these peaks in more than 2 years. Expedition No. 213 had been a fun day out, but suddenly it was looking like Crows Nest Peak would be the last the Carolina Dog would see of the high country this year.
On USFS Road No. 157 back in the Castle Creek valley at the end of the day. Photo looks NW.
And then it was over. Colors collapsed. The sky turned gray, the earth black. Lupe had remained to the end. Now the former Dingo goddess started the long trek back, traveling in deepening shadow the barren, breezy surface of this lofty dark underworld.
