Lupe – Page 273 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 183 – Iron Mountain & Woodpecker Ridge (11-20-16)

Time for a change of focus. Lupe had spent most of her Black Hills Expeditions of the last couple of months peakbagging in the NW Black Hills, often going as far as the Bear Lodge Mountains in NE Wyoming. Only one named peak remained in that general direction that was a current peakbagging priority for her, Sweetwater Mountain (6,440 ft.), but she didn’t have permission from the land owner to climb it until hunting season was over in December.

So, what to do? Looking over the topo maps on Peakbagger.com, SPHP noticed a couple of peaks a few miles SSW of Iron Mountain that Lupe had never been to. They weren’t far away, which was kind of important on a short November day, since Lupe was getting off to a late start. Woodpecker Ridge and Peak 5688 should be fun! Lupe could start from Lakota Lake.

To get to Lakota Lake, Lupe and SPHP took Iron Mountain Road (Hwy 16A) going S from Mount Rushmore National Memorial near Keystone. Iron Mountain Road is a fun drive. It ultimately winds all the way up to the top of Iron Mountain (5,446 ft.). Along the way, Iron Mountain Road spirals up several pigtail bridges, features a couple stretches of “divided highway” consisting of one-way single lanes, and passes through short tunnels deliberately constructed to frame Mount Rushmore.

Naturally, Lupe and SPHP stopped to enjoy a few of the sights along the way up Iron Mountain.

Lupe by one of the pigtail bridges along Iron Mountain Road.

Lupe at the start of the longest tunnel on Iron Mountain Road. Three tunnels were purposely constructed to frame Mount Rushmore. The camera couldn't handle the light contrast well enough for Mt. Rushmore to show up in this shot. Photo looks NW. — Lupe at the start of the longest tunnel on Iron Mountain Road. Three tunnels were purposely constructed to frame Mount Rushmore. The camera couldn’t handle the light contrast well enough for Mt. Rushmore to show up in this shot. Photo looks NW.

Lupe now at the other end of the tunnel closer to Mt. Rushmore. Photo looks NW.

Here's how it looks driving through the tunnel on the way to Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Photo taken with help from the telephoto lens. — Here’s how it looks driving through the tunnel on the way to Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Photo taken with help from the telephoto lens.

Mount Rushmore, Black Hills, South Dakota, Photo looks NW.

At the top of Iron Mountain is a paved parking lot, and a short walking path to a viewpoint. Right next to the viewpoint is a ridge of rock roughly 20 feet high, where the absolute summit of the mountain is located. Lupe and SPHP stopped briefly to make the tiny climb to the absolute summit for a look around.

Since the true summit is on the W edge of the large summit area, the best views were toward Harney Peak (7,242 ft.) to the W, and Mount Rushmore (5,725 ft.) to the NW. From Iron Mountain, Lupe had a great view of some of the most rugged terrain in the Black Hills!

Lupe on Iron Mountain. Harney Peak, the highest mountain in South Dakota, is in the background. Photo looks W.

Harney Peak, the highest mountain in South Dakota, from Iron Mountain. Photo looks W using the telephoto lens.

Mount Rushmore from Iron Mountain. Photo looks NW with help from the telephoto lens.

After all the sight-seeing stops coming up and over Iron Mountain, it was 10:01 AM (46°F) by the time Lupe arrived at Lakota Lake. SPHP left the G6 parked at the empty picnic ground.

Lupe arrives at the Lakota Lake picnic ground. Photo looks E toward the dam.

Lupe near Lakota Lake. Lakota Lake is E of Iron Mountain Road about 3 miles ESE of Iron Mountain. A short gravel road leads to the picnic ground on the W shore near the N end of the lake. Photo looks NE.

Lupe’s first peakbagging goal was Woodpecker Ridge (5,680 ft.). Woodpecker Ridge is about 2 miles long, running SW/NE. The ridge is W of Iron Mountain Road, and S of Iron Creek. The topo map showed that the summit was near the far SW end of the ridge, about 3 miles from where Lupe was starting at Lakota Lake. Lupe and SPHP followed the gravel road SW from the Lakota Lake picnic ground back to Iron Mountain Road.

Iron Creek Trail No. 15, starts on the W side of Iron Mountain Road, right across from the road to Lakota Lake. The plan was for Lupe to follow Iron Creek Trail No. 15 up the valley for a mile, or so, to where the topo map showed the easiest approach to the Woodpecker Ridge summit from the NNE. After a relatively gentle mile-long climb, Lupe would reach the ridgeline about 0.25 mile E of the summit.

At first, everything went according to plan. Lupe enjoyed trotting along the single track Iron Creek trail looking for squirrels. Less than an inch of new snow on the ground made things look fresh and bright. The trail crossed Iron Creek several times, but there were plank bridges or good stepping stones to help SPHP get across.

Lupe on the plank bridge at the first Iron Creek crossing on Iron Creek Trail No. 15.

On Iron Creek Trail No. 15. Less than an inch of new snow made the trail look clean and bright.

At the fourth creek crossing, there was no bridge. SPHP didn’t see any convenient stepping stones around either. No way was SPHP going to wade across chilly Iron Creek this time of year! Lupe and SPHP went a little back downstream looking for a way to cross the creek.

Lupe hadn’t gone far, when a rather questionable way across the creek presented itself. SPHP had to reach out over the creek to lean against a boulder on the other side. SPHP was barely able to grip the top of the boulder and shinny up, but it did work. Lupe, of course, had no problem simply leaping over the creek. Carolina Dogs don’t let little things like minor creek crossings interfere with their plans!

Lupe and SPHP were now on the S side of Iron Creek, but not yet anywhere near where SPHP had planned for Lupe to start up Woodpecker Ridge. Lupe was only a little past the NE end of the ridge. Cliffs could be seen high above. It wasn’t at all clear if there would be a way up that would avoid the cliffs and allow Lupe to reach the ridgeline from here, but SPHP decided to try it anyway.

The start of the climb didn’t go very well. Lupe and SPHP climbed onto a small ridge to the E, before turning S. Right away, Lupe had to climb up onto a big rock outcropping. Ten paces later, a drop-off forced her right back down to the W. However, once around the rock formation, she was able to climb steadily through the forest, heading SSW.

There were plenty of rocks scattered around the whole way. Lupe eventually came to an area of fairly large boulders. The boulders slowed SPHP down quite a bit, although Lupe had fun exploring them.

Lupe among the boulders on the way up Woodpecker Ridge. Photo looks SSW.

As Lupe got closer to the cliffs above, the boulders got larger. At the base of the cliffs were boulder fields that would have taken a long time to traverse. Lupe and SPHP worked around to the W of them.

Lupe below the base of the cliffs. She is on the N side of Woodpecker Ridge, not too far from its NE end. Photo looks SE.

Fortunately, the line of cliffs was not continuous. Lupe bypassed them to the W, too. She was able to keep climbing steadily SSW through the forest. On the way up, Lupe even saw a woodpecker, but it wasn’t close enough for SPHP to get a decent photo.

As it turned out, Lupe wound up climbing well above the first cliffs. Lupe and SPHP reached the ridgeline near High Point 5537. Lakota Lake, and the top of the cliffs Lupe had bypassed, could be seen far below.

Part of Lakota Lake, where Lupe had started her journey to Woodpecker Ridge, is seen far below. The tops of the cliffs Lupe bypassed on the way to High Point 5537 are in view in the foreground. Photo looks NE.

Mount Rushmore from High Point 5537, near the NE end of Woodpecker Ridge. Photo looks NW using the telephoto lens.

Harney Peak from High Point 5537. Photo looks NW.

Lupe on High Point 5537 near the NE end of Woodpecker Ridge. Photo looks NE.

SPHP was glad Lupe had reached the ridgeline at High Point 5537. It meant Lupe would get to explore most of the length of Woodpecker Ridge. She now faced only about 150 feet of net elevation gain on the way to the summit. SPHP expected a relatively easy hike SW along the ridge.

Exploring Woodpecker Ridge was fun, but soon proved to be a lot of work, too. The ridgeline was rough, not level. Lupe had to climb over or around many rock formations. The rocks weren’t the worst of it, either. The farther SW Lupe went, the more deadfall timber she encountered. The rocks and deadfall weren’t terrible, but SPHP’s progress became very slow.

Another problem began to worry SPHP. Since there was so little net elevation change along the way, it might be hard to tell where the true summit of Woodpecker Ridge was. SPHP started taking photos of Lupe at notable high points, just on the chance that she was already at the summit.

Lupe at one of the notable high points along Woodpecker Ridge. This turned out not to be the true summit, or even close to it. Photo looks N.

Lupe finally reached a place where there were significant elevation changes ahead. Two distinct hills weren’t too far away. SPHP hoped the closest one was the summit of Woodpecker Ridge, and the more distant one was Peak 5688, Lupe’s other peakbagging goal for the day. A brief halt to check the topo maps was in order.

Lupe finally arrived at this high point from which two distinct hills could be seen ahead. SPHP initially hoped that the one on the L was the summit of Woodpecker Ridge, and the one on the R was Peak 5688. In truth, both hills were summits of Woodpecker Ridge enclosed by the 5680 foot contour, with the one on the R likely being the true summit. Photo looks SW.

The topo maps said differently. What they showed was disappointing. Lupe hadn’t made nearly as much progress along Woodpecker Ridge as SPHP had believed. Both of the hills in view were high points of Woodpecker Ridge, the summits of which were both enclosed by the 5680 foot contour.

On Peakbagger.com, the more distant hill farther to the W with a much larger area enclosed by the 5680 foot contour was shown as the location of the true summit. Still, there was a chance that the closer hill was actually the true summit. Lupe would have to visit both to make certain she reached the top of Woodpecker Ridge.

One more thing was evident, too. At the pace Lupe and SPHP were going, there was absolutely no chance Lupe was going to reach Peak 5688 today. By the time Lupe reached the W summit of Woodpecker Ridge, the sun was going to be too low in the sky to do anything but start looking for an easier way back to the G6. Oh, well. That’s often how things go in the mountains.

Lupe still near the point where SPHP realized the two hills ahead were both summits of Woodpecker Ridge enclosed by the 5680 foot contour. Harney Peak is seen in the distance. Photo looks NW.

Harney Peak from Woodpecker Ridge about halfway between High Point 5537 and the E summit enclosed by the 5680 foot contour. Photo looks NW using the telephoto lens.

Most of the time, trees blocked the views from Woodpecker Ridge. However, Lupe did come to points with views in various directions. This photo looks E or SE out onto the prairies beyond the Black Hills.

Lupe and SPHP pressed on toward the two hills. If anything, the rock formations Lupe had to find a way around were bigger than before, and the deadfall still worse. There was more elevation loss and gain to deal with, too. It took more than half an hour just to reach the E summit, even though it hadn’t been very far away.

Lupe reaches the E summit of Woodpecker Ridge. Although the W summit is probably the true summit, the views were more open and better from this E summit. Harney Peak is seen in the distance. Photo looks NW.

Mount Rushmore from the E summit of Woodpecker Ridge. Photo looks NNW using the telephoto lens.

Lupe and SPHP took a break up on the E summit of Woodpecker Ridge, but only stayed 15 or 20 minutes. It was nice up there, but it was too late in the day to lounge about given the continual difficulties Lupe faced negotiating all the obstacles nature placed in her path along Woodpecker Ridge.

The time arrived to begin the final push to the likely true summit of Woodpecker Ridge. Lupe headed W down into a broad saddle. The more level terrain should have made the going much easier, but the deadfall timber here was the worst Lupe had faced all day.

The W summit can be seen ahead, but it was hard to make any decent time getting there through this mess! Photo looks W.

Although Lupe is generally very good at making her way through deadfall, SPHP encourages her to take her time. At least a couple of times in the past, Lupe has been impaled on broken branches, resulting in a lot of pain and hundreds of dollars worth of vet bills. Photo looks W.

It took close to another 45 minutes to make it over to the W summit of Woodpecker Ridge. Sadly, the W summit was ugly. There was a lot of deadfall. Even so, enough trees were still standing to block the views. Although Lupe could now claim a successful ascent of Woodpecker Ridge, the achievement seemed anti-climactic.

Lupe reaches the W summit of Woodpecker Ridge. She could finally claim a successful ascent. Photo looks NE.

Lupe questions SPHP's judgment in selecting this ugly spot for her peakbagging objective of the day. — Lupe questions SPHP’s judgment in selecting this ugly spot for her peakbagging objective of the day.

Lupe and SPHP took another break. Lupe relaxed. SPHP took a look at the topo maps again. The sun was low enough so Lupe really needed to start making tracks toward a decent route out of here.

Lupe relaxes on Woodpecker Ridge while SPHP checks the topo maps.

The topo maps showed some kind of a trail off to the W that would lead N before curving NE down a ravine into the Iron Creek valley again. There was a road down there that would take Lupe back to Iron Creek Trail No. 15 again. Somehow, SPHP would just have to deal with the creek crossings, even if it meant fording the stream.

SPHP polished off the last apple. Time to pack up and go. The sun would be down in minutes. Lupe was ready. Puppy, ho! Onward!

Lupe's last moment on top of Woodpecker Ridge, just before heading down. Photo looks S. — Lupe’s last moment on top of Woodpecker Ridge, just before heading down. Photo looks S.

Lupe and SPHP left the summit heading N. Before long, Lupe reached a cliff edge. The terrain forced her down to the W. She saw two more woodpeckers as she progressed down the slope. As soon as it was possible, Lupe turned N again. Lupe and SPHP wandered through a forest with less deadfall than before, but it was still slow going. The area was full of thistles. Time passed. The light was fading. Lupe still hadn’t found a trail or road.

SPHP decided to check the topo maps again. The maps could not be found. It became clear they had somehow been left up on Woodpecker Ridge. Not good. Still, they probably wouldn’t be needed. The distance Lupe needed to cover to reach Iron Creek wasn’t that far. One way or another, she would make it.

It’s hard to say exactly where Lupe and SPHP went, but probably somewhere in the area where the topo maps on Peakbagger.com show a point marked 5190 feet of elevation, 0.5 mile NNW of the Woodpecker Ridge summit. As Lupe and SPHP wandered N, Lupe finally came to a faint remnant of a road. It did curve NE down into a ravine. Lower down, the ravine had huge solid rock walls.

Lupe reached the road leading to the W end of Iron Creek Trail No. 15 before it was dark. Old cabins were strung out along the road, but there was no sign of activity anywhere. By the time Lupe reached the start of the trail, stars were coming out. At the trailhead, a sign said Iron Creek Trail No. 15 had 11 water crossings. Oh, boy!

It wasn’t a problem, though. Lupe and SPHP made great time along the single track trail. Luckily, there was a decent way across Iron Creek at every crossing – a bridge, stepping stones, a fallen log – always something. The stars became bright against a black sky. The flashlight came out. Lupe and SPHP enjoyed a last hour of quiet travel in the darkness.

Somehow, even in the dark, a way across Iron Creek appeared near crossing No. 4 (No. 8 counting in reverse). Funny that it could be found in the night, when SPHP hadn’t seen it during daylight, but there it was. Yay! No fording of the freezing stream was required! And that, was that. No suspense remained over the outcome of Expedition No. 183.

Lupe and SPHP made it back to the G6 (5:57 PM, 33°F). All the way back over Iron Mountain, the Carolina Dog rode with her head out the window, hoping to see a deer in the headlights, but she saw none. By the time she reached Keystone, Lupe had given up. It was kind of an anti-climactic end, like reaching the summit of Woodpecker Ridge had been.

Yet for Lupe and SPHP, it had been another great day adventuring together in the Black Hills. It’s often the journey, and not the final goal, that make the day and the memories.

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Decoeli, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (8-9-16)

Day 11 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska.

No matter what hour of the night Lupe woke up, there was light in the northern sky. Twilight moved slowly around the horizon, but never completely disappeared. Lupe was N, as far N as she had ever been in her life. Beyond huge, dark Kluane Lake, a line of mysterious unknown mountains marched away to the Arctic. It all seemed surreal, but Lupe really was here, in the fabled Yukon!

Two days ago, Lupe had climbed her first peak in the Yukon, King’s Throne Peak (6,529 ft.) in Kluane National Park. It had been a long, hard climb in powerful, swirling winds, but Lupe had made it to the top. She had been rewarded with spectacular views of Kathleen Lake, Louise Lake and mountains of the Saint Elias range.

From King’s Throne Peak, Lupe had seen another peak off to the NW, the mountain she would attempt to climb today – Mount Decoeli (7,650 ft.). If Lupe could reach the summit of Decoeli, it was possible she would get to see the highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan (19,541 ft.), far off to the WSW!

At some point, the long twilight became a long dawn, as the sun started sneaking back up toward the horizon again. Twenty minutes after the sun finally appeared (6:30 AM, 39°F), Lupe was at the long, paved pullout on the W side of the Alaska Highway that serves as the trailhead for the trek to Decoeli. No one else was here. The G6 was alone in the huge parking area.

At 7:23 AM, all was ready. Lupe and SPHP left the pullout heading S to a cairn marking the start of the route to Decoeli. Nearby an old jeep trail headed SW into a forest of stunted trees and tall soapberry bushes. Lupe and SPHP followed the jeep trail, which soon met another similar road coming from the E. Lupe took the new road W. Mount Decoeli was in sight up ahead.

Mount Decoeli from along the jeep trail. Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens.

About a kilometer from the Alaska Highway, the road ended at Summit Creek. From here, Lupe’s route followed Summit Creek upstream. The creek led Lupe toward a still unseen rock glacier S of Mount Decoeli.

Lupe reaches Summit Creek at the end of the road. From here, Lupe followed the creek upstream toward a still unseen rock glacier at the base of the snow streaked mountain on the L. Lupe's objective, the summit of Decoeli, is seen on the R. Photo looks WSW. — Lupe reaches Summit Creek at the end of the road. From here, Lupe followed the creek upstream toward a still unseen rock glacier at the base of the snow streaked mountain on the L. Lupe’s objective, the summit of Decoeli, is seen on the R. Photo looks WSW.

Summit Creek was running low, but not low enough for SPHP to cross without getting wet feet. Lupe and SPHP stayed on the S side of the creek for as long as possible. It was generally easiest to simply travel right up the creek bed. However, Summit Creek often ran right along the S bank of the stream channel, forcing Lupe and SPHP up into the bushes above the bank.

At first, there were usually some pretty decent trails to follow through the brush, but as Lupe got farther and farther upstream, these trails deteriorated, becoming hard to find and follow. The jungle of bushes was so dense, it was almost impossible to make any headway where there wasn’t some kind of path.

Being in the tall bushes made SPHP increasingly nervous. Nothing more than a few feet away was in view. With the stream babbling along close by, it wasn’t easy to hear anything else. SPHP kept up a lively, loud conversation with Lupe, counting on Lupe to give some warning if she smelled bears in the area.

After being repeatedly forced up into the jungle, SPHP finally decided enough was enough! Lupe and SPHP forded Summit Creek, and stayed out in the open on the wide, rocky creek bed.

Of course, fording the stream meant SPHP’s feet were now soaking wet. They stayed that way. Summit Creek kept insisting upon flowing back and forth all the way from one side of the stream channel to the other, so Lupe and SPHP had to keep crossing the creek. Nevertheless, Lupe’s upstream progress was much faster out on the rocks. Furthermore, if any bears were in the area, at least out on the creek bed they could be seen well before coming right up on them.

After a long trek, Lupe could see the rock glacier S of Decoeli up ahead.

The rock glacier is now in view below the snow-streaked mountain up ahead. Photo looks WSW.

By the time Lupe reached the toe of the rock glacier, the dense jungle of bushes on the banks of Summit Creek was gone. Lupe left the creek bed to start climbing the green, mossy slope on the N bank. A trail showed others had taken this route before. Lupe liked being out on the spongy, mossy slope a lot better than being down on the rocky stream bed.

Lupe nears the toe of the rock glacier. About the time she reached it, she left the creek bed to follow a trail up the mossy slope on the R. Photo looks WSW.

Lupe greatly preferred being on this spongy, mossy ground. She would eventually climb from the little knob seen on the ridgeline at (Center), up to the summit of Mount Decoeli on the R. Photo looks NW.

Lupe had already gained a fair amount of elevation on the long, gentle trek up Summit Creek to the rock glacier. Now that she had left the creek bed, though, things were about to get a lot steeper! Photo looks NW.

Only a few minutes after Lupe left the creek bed, SPHP heard voices. Looking back, two people and a big brown dog were in sight not too far away. They were moving fast, coming up the creek bed, just like Lupe and SPHP had.

Lupe’s route was much steeper up on the green, spongy ground, than it had been down by Summit Creek. Rather than turn NW directly up the steep slope, it seemed best to follow the trail W for a little while making a more gradual climb. Lupe had already crossed a big ravine and gained a fair amount of elevation above the rock glacier, by the time the two hikers and their dog overtook SPHP.

Two hikers and their big brown dog overtook SPHP near this point. Photo looks SW over the rock glacier.

The two hikers were Milo and Ben, from Smithers, British Columbia, with their dog, Lucca. Lucca was bigger than Lupe, and not too sociable. Lucca growled menacingly. Lupe wisely kept her distance. Milo, Ben and SPHP had a brief, friendly conversation.

Had Lupe and SPHP seen the grizzly bear? Uh, no. What grizzly bear? Where? Milo and Ben said they had come across a huge, steaming, fresh grizzly scat at the junction of the two roads leading to Summit Creek. Shortly after that, they saw the grizzly. Fortunately, it just ambled off into the bushes where they lost sight of it.

SPHP was certain that a giant steaming bear scat hadn’t been at the road intersection when Lupe passed by. Even if SPHP hadn’t noticed it, Lupe certainly would have! The bear must have been fairly close by, though, for it to come through before Milo and Ben showed up. Yeah, avoiding the bushes, and staying out on the rocks on the wide Summit Creek channel was definitely the way to go on the way back!

All resumed the climb up Decoeli. Milo, Ben and Luca were soon well ahead of Lupe and SPHP. Everyone had turned NW going directly up the steep slope. For a little way farther, the ground was still covered with nice spongy, green plants. Pretty soon, though, Lupe reached rocky ground again. From here on, Lupe faced a long, steep climb up very loose scree mixed with occasional large rocks.

Lupe reaches the scree. She isn't to the steepest part of the climb quite yet. Worryingly, a cloud had appeared, and now clung to the summit of Decoeli. Photo looks NW. — Lupe reaches the scree. She isn’t to the steepest part of the climb quite yet. Worryingly, a cloud had appeared, and now clung to the summit of Decoeli. Photo looks NW.

Lupe on her way up Decoeli. She went over the orange-tan colored knob beyond her, and then climbed toward the saddle seen L of Center on the ridge. Photo looks NW.

Although most of the sky was clear, a worrisome cloud formed and grew around the summit of Decoeli. It hung around for a while, but eventually blew away to the E. In the meantime, Lupe was making steady progress up Decoeli. She was now approaching the most challenging part of the climb.

Lupe and SPHP reached a long, incredibly steep, scree slope. The climb became rather unnerving. Virtually everything was loose. With each step up, the mountain gave way. Rocks slid and careened down the mountain from under SPHP’s feet. Now and then, entire areas began to slide, taking SPHP sliding back down, too, before stabilizing. Nothing wanted to hold. It was like trying to navigate a river of rock flowing in the opposite direction.

Most of the few large rocks on the slope were loose, too. SPHP avoided coming up directly below them. Even Lupe was causing showers of rocks to tumble, sometimes bounding hundreds of feet down the mountain. It was dangerous for Lupe and SPHP to be directly above or below each other, for fear of the projectiles being released from above.

Lupe on the scary steep scree slope. The American Dingo was doing fine. She was heading for the saddle just L of Center. Photo looks NW.

Lupe headed up toward large rock formations along the ridge to the WNW. She gained elevation relentlessly. The view back down the precipitous scree slope toward the rock glacier was tremendous. Lupe was as calm as ever. SPHP, however, found it better not to look down too long upon the dizzying scene.

Lupe nears the first big rock formation. No wonder the Carolina Dog was so calm on this steep scree slope – she was keeping her eyes closed! Photo looks WNW.

Lupe reached the top of the first big rock formation. On a small area of relatively level terra firma, Lupe and SPHP took a break. At Summit Creek, the air had been calm, but up here a cool breeze was blowing. The views were already fantastic, even though Lupe still had a considerable climb ahead. Lupe and SPHP relaxed for 10 minutes, recovering from the ordeal on the treacherous scree slope.

Lupe at the first rock formation above the treacherous scree slope. Photo looks S toward the rock glacier, now many hundreds of feet below.

Lupe was now on the ridge that had been visible from below. Another, longer ridge was in view off to the W. The longer ridge looked like it might very well have been a considerably easier route up. Perhaps Lupe should have stayed down near the rock glacier longer, following it farther SW before turning N to start her climb. Maybe she should take that ridge on the way back down?

The long, low ridge seen beyond Lupe would have been a much easier route up Decoeli. To get to it, Lupe would have had to follow the rock glacier farther SW before turning N to start her climb. Photo looks W.

Off to the NW, SPHP saw another climber! He was at about Lupe’s level. Apparently, he had come up somewhere along that longer ridge, thereby avoiding the super steep, scree slope. This new climber also saw SPHP, and waved. SPHP waved back. No doubt, Lupe would get to meet him at the top of the mountain.

Lupe continued her climb up Decoeli. She was now traveling up the ridgeline, no longer on the scree slope. The ridge was still very rocky, and quite steep, but the rocks were more stable than before. Soon, Lupe came to another rock formation where there was a small patch of level ground.

Lupe reaches a 2nd rock formation along the ridgeline. There was a little level ground here, but Lupe still faced a fairly long climb to reach the top of Decoeli. Photo looks NW.

Lupe was getting closer to the top of Decoeli. She still had to gain hundreds of feet of elevation, but the nature of the climb was changing. The slope ahead, while still steep, was broader and covered with talus. The large rocks were much more stable. Projectiles were no longer being released with every step.

Lupe and SPHP toiled upward. A cold W wind was blowing. The sky overhead was a clear, brilliant blue. The slope diminished. A weather vane, spinning rapidly, came into view. Beyond it, a silver metal shack perched atop the mountain. Milo, Ben and the new climber were all there, engaged in conversation. Weary, Lucca had collapsed on the rocks. She didn’t stir at all, as Lupe went by.

After gaining nearly 4,400 ft. of elevation, Lupe had made it to the top of Decoeli (7,650 ft.)! The views were fantastic, but disappointingly, off to the WSW, there were clouds in the direction where Mount Logan should be. High, snowy peaks were partially in view, but many summits were not.

Far to the WSW, partially shrouded by clouds, were giant snowy peaks of the Saint Elias range. This photo was taken as Lupe arrived at the summit of Decoeli. Even a partial view was a stirring sight! SPHP wondered if Lupe was gazing upon Mount Logan, the highest peak in all of Canada, among the distant giants she could see? Photo taken with the telephoto lens.

Milo and Ben chat with Richard Baker. Poor, exhausted Lucca was passed out on the rocks. Photo looks WNW.

After a few minutes gazing at the amazing views, Lupe and SPHP went to see Ben, Milo, and Lucca and meet the other climber. He was Richard Baker, owner of a seasonal window cleaning business in Tucson, Arizona. Richard was quite animated, and busy expounding upon his philosophy of life among other topics.

Milo and Ben were telling the tale of the grizzly bear. Richard couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen the bear scat, or noticed the grizzly. He is normally very wary in bear country, and was well-equipped with bear spray and other protective devices.

Milo and Ben were both wearing shorts, and feeling a bit uncomfortable in the cold breeze. Since they intended to start back down soon, it was time for a photo op with them at the summit cairn. Milo said they had just built the cairn higher while Lupe was coming up Decoeli, which explained it’s magnificently balanced slender height.

Ben (L) and Milo (R) at the newly improved Decoeli summit cairn with their dog, Lucca, and Lupe. Ben is 16, and in school. Milo is 50, and works in the lumber industry. They were all from Smithers, British Columbia. They had been climbing mountains on 5 of the past 7 days. Like Lupe, they had also been to King's Throne. Photo looks S. — Ben (L) and Milo (R) at the newly improved Decoeli summit cairn with their dog, Lucca, and Lupe. Ben is 16, and in school. Milo is 50, and works in the lumber industry. They were all from Smithers, British Columbia. They had been climbing mountains on 5 of the past 7 days. Like Lupe, they had also been to King’s Throne. Photo looks S.

Spurred on by the cold wind, Milo, Ben and Lucca started down Decoeli. Lupe did not see them again. Richard, Lupe and SPHP were in no hurry to leave. Richard and SPHP chatted while admiring the views. Gradually, the clouds were lifting in the W! Many towering ice-clad mountains were in sight. Richard shared his binoculars with SPHP.

Both Richard and SPHP wondered whether or not Mount Logan was in sight, and if so, which giant peak it might be. Richard thought it was one farther to the N than SPHP believed. In truth, neither Richard nor SPHP really knew, but it was fun to speculate. It remained a pretty good bet that Lupe was seeing Mount Logan somewhere over there!

Lupe scans distant giants of snow and ice from Decoeli. Somewhere over there was Mount Logan, the highest peak in all of Canada, and 2nd highest peak in North America! SPHP believes Lupe did see Mount Logan, even though neither Richard nor SPHP knew exactly which peak was it. Photo looks WSW.

SPHP believes the highest mountain at Center is Mount Cairns (9,186 ft.). Photo looks WNW. — SPHP believes the highest mountain at Center is **Mount Cairns (9,186 ft.)**. Photo looks WNW.

Looking SE from Decoeli. Two large lakes are seen faintly on the L. Kathleen Lake is the closest. Dezadeash Lake is the more distant. The long slope rising to the R from between them is the NE ridge that Lupe climbed 2 days earlier to reach the summit of King's Throne (6,529 ft.), which is barely in view. — Looking SE from Decoeli. Two large lakes are seen faintly on the L. Kathleen Lake is the closest. Dezadeash Lake is the more distant. The long slope rising to the R from between them is the NE ridge that Lupe climbed 2 days earlier to reach the summit of King’s Throne (6,529 ft.), which is barely in view.

Kluane Lake from Decoeli. Photo looks NW.

Gradually, the clouds to the W lifted, allowing a better view of the stunning, distant peaks of the Saint Elias range. Neither Richard nor SPHP knew the names of any of them, but nevertheless, they were an inspiring sight! Photo looks W.

A world of snow and ice. Was that huge snowy ramp on the R, Mt. Logan? It was SPHP's favorite candidate. It would be fun to know the truth! Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens. — A world of snow and ice. Was that huge snowy ramp on the R, Mt. Logan? It was SPHP’s favorite candidate. It would be fun to know the truth! Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens.

Mount Logan? No one knew. It's some grand and massive peak, for certain! Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens. — Mount Logan? No one knew. It’s some grand and massive peak, for certain! Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens.

More spectacular high peaks. Photo looks W.

A lofty white peak R of Center looks almost made of clouds. But what's that slope on the L? It was hard to tell if it was a cloud or part of some colossal mountain. Photo looks W. — A lofty white peak R of Center looks almost made of clouds. But what’s that slope on the L? It was hard to tell if it was a cloud or part of some colossal mountain. Photo looks W.

Richard and SPHP spent so long taking turns looking through the binoculars, that Lupe became a bit bored with it all. She was tired of standing around, and disliked the cold wind. Lupe had water, some Taste of the Wild, and curled up on as flat a spot as she could find. SPHP covered her with a jacket to help her keep warm.

Richard Baker on Decoeli. Richard was quite animated and friendly. He shared his binoculars and philosophy with SPHP. Richard’s window cleaning business in Tucson, AZ is seasonal enough to permit him time to travel and climb mountains part of the year.

After Lupe and SPHP had been at the summit for 50 minutes, Richard announced that he was ready to head down. Lupe and SPHP remained on top of Decoeli alone a little longer for a last look around. The views remained simply astounding! Climbing Decoeli had been a challenging, yet magnificently rewarding experience.

Lupe not far from the Decoeli summit cairn for the last time. Photo looks S.

The best route down Decoeli passes to the R of the small prominence seen L of Center overlooking the rock glacier. Photo looks S..

Richard Baker starts down Decoeli. Mount Cairnes is in view at Center. Photo looks WNW.

Sadly, it was time to move on. Lupe and SPHP set off following Richard down the mountain. This time, Lupe stayed on the longer ridge going SSW. The first part of the descent down the talus slope was still quite steep and slow, but by staying on the SSW ridge, Lupe was able to avoid having to go down the treacherous scree slope to the SE where she and SPHP had come up.

Richard was leading the way, taking the same long SSW ridge. Even this route was steep enough so SPHP had to be careful not to send rocks bounding down the mountain toward him. Several times SPHP had to shout a warning.

The SSW ridge led down toward a wide saddle. The rock glacier Lupe would eventually have to turn toward is out of sight farther down to the L. Although this route wasn't as difficult as the scree slope Lupe and SPHP climbed going up, it was still plenty steep. Richard can be seen ahead. SPHP had to be careful not to send loose rocks bounding down the mountain at him. Photo looks SSW. — The SSW ridge led down toward a wide saddle. The rock glacier Lupe would eventually have to turn toward is out of sight farther down to the L. Although this route wasn’t as difficult as the scree slope Lupe and SPHP climbed going up, it was still plenty steep. Richard can be seen ahead. SPHP had to be careful not to send loose rocks bounding down the mountain at him. Photo looks SSW.

Unnamed peaks beyond the saddle SSW of Decoeli. Photo looks SSW.

Partly out of fear of rocks hurtling down the mountain, Richard stopped off to the side long enough to let Lupe and SPHP catch up. While climbing Decoeli, Richard had originally come up from the SE to reach this broad, gentler slope on the long SSW ridge. He had also had to climb up a steep, scree slope on the way, but not for nearly as far as Lupe.

Ahead was a small prominence overlooking the rock glacier to the S. The question was whether to start down to the SE now, or circle around the W side of the prominence? After a little discussion and scouting around, it was decided to go the long way around the W side. There were numerous sheep trails Lupe could follow in this area.

Going down around the prominence overlooking the rock glacier. The top of the prominence is out of sight up the L slope. Richard leads the way, while Lupe wonders what's keeping SPHP? The rock glacier is in view ahead. Photo looks SSE. — Going down around the prominence overlooking the rock glacier. The top of the prominence is out of sight up the L slope. Richard leads the way, while Lupe wonders what’s keeping SPHP? The rock glacier is in view ahead. Photo looks SSE.

Looking SSE at the mountains beyond the rock glacier. It's possible the more distant peak on the L is Mount Archibald (8,491 ft.), but SPHP isn't certain. — Looking SSE at the mountains beyond the rock glacier. It’s possible the more distant peak on the L is **Mount Archibald (8,491 ft.)**, but SPHP isn’t certain.

Lupe on her way down Decoeli. Photo looks N.

Eventually, Lupe, Richard and SPHP all arrived down at the rock glacier. Up close, it was possible to see there really was melting snow and glacial ice under all the rock.

Richard, Lupe and SPHP all started the journey NE toward the rock glacier’s toe. The terrain along the NW side of the glacier was often rough and broken. After staying near the glacier’s edge for a while, SPHP tried leading Lupe up a steep bank to a green, spongy area overlooking the glacier. This maneuver did not help. Lupe quickly arrived at a ravine leading right back down to the glacier.

Richard had stayed down by the rock glacier. He forged ahead, while Lupe and SPHP navigated the ravine. By the time Lupe reached the toe of the glacier, Richard was out of sight somewhere down Summit Creek.

Lupe and SPHP made great progress going down the wide, rock-strewn Summit Creek channel. This time, SPHP didn’t hesitate to simply ford the creek whenever necessary. Every now and then, Lupe caught sight of Richard far ahead. The long trek down the creek bed was actually quite easy and fun. Lupe and SPHP enjoyed the beautiful long Yukon evening.

Near the start of the jeep trail, Lupe and SPHP caught up with Richard again. Richard and SPHP chatted as Lupe trotted along the road. Richard expounded upon grizzly bears. He was carrying bear spray and other anti-bear devices to deal with them. He talked about how all these tall bushes with small red berries growing along the road were soapberry bushes, and how bears love soapberries!

At the intersection where the road forked, there it was, just like Milo and Ben had said. A huge grizzly bear scat full of soapberries was right there at the intersection. Richard still couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it in the morning!

The sun was getting low when Lupe reached the G6. She’d had a long, long day. Without the slightest hesitation, she hopped into the G6. Lupe curled up on her blankets and pillows, looking forward to a soft, comfy snooze. For more than an hour outside, Richard and SPHP conversed about Decoeli, bears, and other things. Richard even offered SPHP a free canister of bear spray. SPHP thanked him, but declined.

When Richard said good-bye and drove off, SPHP joined Lupe in the G6. The sun was about to set. What a fantastic, memorable day it had been! Lupe had made it to the top of Decoeli. She had almost certainly seen Mount Logan, the highest mountain in all of Canada.

Lupe and SPHP drove N on the Alaska Highway on the way to Kluane Lake, as the still glowing evening faded slowly from the wild Yukon mountains and sky.

Lupe's long, fabulous Day of Decoeli draws to a close. — Lupe’s long, fabulous Day of Decoeli draws to a close.

Sunset, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada 8-9-16

Note: The trailhead for Mount Decoeli is a long, paved pullout 12.5 miles N of Haines Junction on the W side of the Alaska Highway. (1.4 miles N of the Spruce Beetle trailhead.) Decoeli is near, but not actually in, Kluane National Park. The route up is not maintained or signed in any manner. There is no formal trail. Elevation gain is a bit under 4,400 feet, or 1330 meters. Distance is roughly 11 miles or 18 km round trip.

A free description of the route up Decoeli is available from visitor centers near Haines Junction and Kluane Lake.

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