Day 12 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast.
Lupe and SPHP went down to Howard Lake early in the morning before Lanis was up. The lake was calm and quiet. Even the fishermen weren’t up yet. Perfect! Lupe and SPHP took the single track trail heading S along the E shore.
Lupe saw ducks floating peacefully on the lake. She crossed a tiny inlet stream. Near the S end of the lake, the trail left the shoreline and went back into the cedar forest. A large crane was spooked by SPHP’s approach, and flew away with a great flapping of wings. Lupe found a few early-rising squirrels. SPHP did as much as possible to discourage her from barking at this early hour.
Looking back to the N, it was possible to see some of the higher mountains to the NW Lupe had seen the evening before on the mysterious Great Northern Mountain Trail No. 117. At the very S end of the lake, Lupe crossed another small inlet stream, shortly before reaching the broad cedar-lined trail on the W side of the lake.
By the time Lupe and SPHP had completed their circumnavigation of Howard Lake, Lanis was stirring. It was time to break camp, and continue W. Lupe was soon on her way. NW of Libby, a huge beautiful river, the Kootenai, flowed NW paralleling Hwy 2. Near Troy; Lanis, Lupe and SPHP turned S on Hwy 56 in order to go see the Ross Creek Scenic Area Giant Cedars.
The turn for the Giant Cedars off Hwy 56 was 0.5 mile S of Bull Lake. The side road ended at a trailhead 4 miles from the highway. Lupe, Lanis and SPHP all took the 1 mile loop trail through the towering forest. A small creek meandered through the area, and the trail crossed it several times. The ancient western red cedars had huge trunks. Ferns and moss grew between the monstrous trees. The forest felt prehistoric, like a dinosaur could come crashing along at any time. Lupe hadn’t been allowed to go on the Trail of the Cedars in Glacier National Park, but the Ross Creek Scenic Area Giant Cedars had to be just as impressive.
Lupe’s travels continued. Hwy 200 took her W into Idaho for the 1st time. Idaho became the 4th Lupe state! Soon huge Lake Pend Oreille was in view SW of the highway. At the N end of Pend Oreille, 3 bears ran across the road, right in broad daylight. They were gone in a flash. At Sandpoint, Lupe got back on Hwy 2 again. Washington became the 5th Lupe state. The American Dingo’s empire was expanding rapidly!
Hwy 2 took Lupe through Spokane, and then out onto barren plains in eastern Washington state. The area is probably quite pretty at other times of the year, but in late August it felt like a desert. It had been 95°F back in Sandpoint, ID, and it wasn’t any less out here. The sun beat down mercilessly.
The Element was air conditioned, of course. Lupe rode in comfort past yellow wheat fields, and many black fields that had burned or been plowed under. Dust devils whirled across the desolate landscape. Far to the N, mountains were on the horizon. To the S, there was nothing.
SPHP had bought a fried chicken at Safeway in Spokane. The plan had been to eat it at a city park in one of the little towns along the way. However, there didn’t seem to be any parks. Lupe passed through Deep Creek, Reardon and Davenport, and found nothing. On the way to Creston, there was a forlorn rest area with a couple of picnic tables. Lupe, Lanis and SPHP devoured the chicken there, but there wasn’t a green blade of grass anywhere. The place was like an oven.
Of course, at Creston there was a pretty nice little park, but with the chicken already gone, there was no longer a reason to stop. Lupe continued W. Past Coulee City, Lanis turned SW on Hwy 17. Soon Lupe came to a most amazing sight – Dry Falls. Lanis and SPHP had never even heard of Dry Falls before, but there was a parking area and a little visitor center right next to Hwy 17. Lupe, Lanis and SPHP stopped to take in the scene.
Dry Falls is thought by some to have been the site of the mightiest waterfall ever known. At the end of the last ice age, it is estimated there were recurring floods here with a volume of water 10 times that of all the rivers in the world combined!
On the opposite side of a chain link fence were sheer 400 foot cliffs down to a broad canyon below. As the name implies, there is no giant waterfall at Dry Falls now, but the huge canyon downstream is thought to have been carved by recurring flooding on a cataclysmic scale at the end of the last ice age. A volume of water 10 times that of all the rivers now in the world combined plunged over a precipice 5 times as wide as Niagara Falls.
The canyon below Dry Falls.
Hwy 17 eventually sloped down into the canyon several miles downstream of Dry Falls, and went past a series of lakes. At Sun Lakes State Park, lots of people were actively boating, swimming and camping. Of all the lakes, Lenore Lake was the largest. Hwy 17 went for miles along its E shore.
Lenore Lake is the largest lake in the Dry Falls canyon, but is miles downstream from the falls. This photo looks back upstream toward the N.Lenore Lake in the canyon downstream of Dry Falls. Photo looks S (downstream).
The entire canyon below Dry Falls was close to 20 miles long. Along the way, the canyon walls slowly became less impressive, gradually fading away completely before reaching Soap Lake.
From Soap Lake; Lupe, Lanis and SPHP took Hwy 283 SW to I-90. Pretty soon, Lupe came to another river gorge, that of the mighty Columbia River.
Lupe crossed the Columbia River on this I-90 bridge.The Columbia River.
The light started slowly fading as Lupe, Lanis and SPHP rolled on W of the Columbia River. Suddenly it didn’t feel like it was too much farther to Puget Sound and Seattle. Off to the N of I-90, an impressive mountain came into view in the distance. SPHP figured it was probably Mt. Stuart.
The bright searing heat of eastern Washington state was gone. Clouds hung over the Wenatchee mountains ahead. It was much cooler and foggy as Lupe went over 3,022 ft. Snoqualmie Pass. Darkness fell. Near Lake Sammamish State Park; Lupe, Lanis and SPHP stopped for the night. Lupe was almost to Seattle. Tomorrow, Lupe would see the ocean!
Record setting warmth in December in the Black Hills region meant it was expedition time for Lupe! When it hit an unbelievable 70°F+, SPHP planned to take Lupe to Cicero Peak(6,166 ft.) the very next day. Unfortunately, when morning came, SPHP got off to a late start – too late to justify the travel time. It might be extraordinarily warm out, but that didn’t do a thing to boost the limited number of daylight hours.
Since Calumet Ridge(5,601 ft.) was closer, and Lupe had never been there before either, Calumet Ridge became Lupe’s primary peakbagging goal for the day. Expedition No. 108 started at a little side road just off USFS Road No. 358 (Boulder Hill Road). Lupe was less than 0.5 mile S of Boulder Hill (5,331 ft.) and a mile N of Hwy 16, as she left the G6 at 9:43 AM (57°F) following the little side road W.
There was still ice on the road, and snow in the shadier parts of the forest. The road skirted to the N of Silver Mountain(5,405 ft.), which Lupe had climbed for the first time only a few weeks earlier on Expedition No. 105. Years ago, the Ponderosa pine forest on Silver Mountain burned almost completely in a devastating wildfire. In less than a mile, the road Lupe was following turned WSW and entered the burn area.
The road disappeared completely in the grass as Lupe headed up onto a barren ridge sweeping down to the NW from Silver Mountain. Lupe followed the ridge a little way, and then turned W heading back into the forest. She soon crossed USFS Road No. 366 at the saddle marking the high point on the road. Lupe and SPHP continued W of No. 366, climbing two forested ridges separated by a snowy little valley that drained to the N.
From the second ridge, Lupe saw another larger valley to the W. There was some open ground down there and a road. Lupe and SPHP headed down into the valley, but as Lupe neared the road, a Jeep came along and parked in the open part of the valley a bit to the S. A man with a rifle got out of the Jeep. SPHP realized he intended to do some target practice.
Lupe has never liked gunfire, and she wasn’t going to like this. SPHP hurried NW to reach the road and start heading N. When the man opened fire, Lupe was greatly alarmed. She instantly started begging SPHP to stop and hide. It was all SPHP could do to persuade her to keep going. Fortunately, it wasn’t far to a jeep trail that left the main road to climb NW up a little side valley. Lupe relaxed a little, as the sound of gunfire became less distinct and more intermittent.
The jeep trail split after about 0.25 mile. Lupe and SPHP took the branch that curved W. It started climbing more quickly as it bent around to the S. Lupe arrived up on a little ridge, where SPHP thought there might be some views, but all that could be seen were nearby low forested hills. Lupe was now up on the E slopes of Calumet Ridge, still about 400 feet below and 0.5 mile SE of the summit.
Very conveniently, Lupe found another jeep trail nearby that went NW. This jeep trail was icy, and gained elevation at a steady moderately steep pace. Lupe and SPHP soon reached the top of the ridge at a broad, flat saddle area S of the summit. The jeep trail continued on down the other side of Calumet Ridge.
Lupe and SPHP turned N. Lupe found the summit of Calumet Ridge at a rock outcropping in a shady forested area. She perched up on the highest boulder to claim her Calumet Ridge peakbagging success!
Lupe claims her peakbagging success on the summit boulder near the N end of Calumet Ridge!
There really weren’t any views from the forested summit, but a little exploring around revealed that there was a good viewpoint not too far to the E. From there, Lupe enjoyed a wide open view off to the N and E. She could see Boulder Hill and Silver Mountain, and far beyond them out onto the plains of western South Dakota.
Boulder Hill (L) and Silver Mountain (R) from Calumet Ridge. They are both about 2.5 miles away. Photo looks ESE.
There was another viewpoint, too. This one was at some big rocks a very short distance NW of the summit. From here, there was a narrow view to the NW toward Sheridan Lake and the central Black Hills.
A glimpse of Sheridan Lake to the NW from Calumet Ridge.Sheridan Lake
Lupe and SPHP took a little break at the summit. That meant Taste of the Wild for Lupe, and an apple for SPHP. Now what? SPHP checked the maps. The highest parts of Calumet Ridge extend for about 0.5 mile running NNW/SSE. Lupe was near the N end where the 5,601 ft. summit was shown. However, the topo map also showed a very small area enclosed by a 5,600 ft. contour toward the middle of the S end of the ridge.
Well, Lupe had better check that S summit out, too! It was so close in elevation to the N summit, that it was even possible it might actually be a bit higher. In any case, to be certain Lupe had really visited the true summit, she needed to visit the S one, too. Lupe and SPHP headed S, and started following a dirt road that winds partway along the ridge.
S of the saddle where Lupe had first reached the ridgeline, the dirt road brought Lupe to a big open pit toward the E side of the ridge. Lupe sniffed around exploring the pit. Although the Black Hills are full of old dig sites from the gold rush days in the late 1800’s, this pit was too large and too new to date back anywhere close to that long ago. SPHP could discern no particular reason why the pit was here, but there it was.
Lupe investigates the open pit on Calumet Ridge.
The dirt road eventually disappeared as Lupe and SPHP continued SSE along the ridge. Lupe arrived at a high spot on the W side of the ridge where there was a rock outcropping with a clear view toward Mount Warner(5,889 ft.) to the SW. Lupe could see Harney Peak(7,242 ft.), too.
Someone had left a white metal chair up here, positioned to take advantage of the view. Sadly, Lupe also noticed an old dilapidated couch fallen down below the viewpoint. It must have served the same purpose once upon a time. People and their trash! Although they like to claim everything is sacred – in practice, nothing really is.
Lupe at the viewpoint on the way to the S summit of Calumet Ridge. Photo looks SW toward Mt. Warner (R) in the foreground, and more distant Harney Peak (L) on the far horizon.
It wasn’t much farther to the S summit. The S summit was comprised of a large rock formation, surrounded by cliffs on most sides. However, at the N end from which Lupe approached, it was only 12-15 feet up to the top, and it wasn’t quite a cliff. It looked possible to scramble up, without too much difficulty, using rocks and trees for support.
The S summit of Calumet Ridge. Photo looks S at the N end of the summit block where Lupe would scramble up to the top.
The short scramble up to the top of the S summit was scarier than the photo shows. You sure wouldn’t want to have small children attempt it. However, between the rocks and trees, there were plenty of good handholds and footholds. There must have been adequate pawholds, too. Lupe and SPHP were soon up on the S summit of Calumet Ridge.
The summit area was the size of a modest room in a house. There were trees and grass growing up there, and enough room to walk around a bit. The best views were off to the SE toward Silver Mountain, and the SW toward Mount Warner.
Lupe up on the S summit of Calumet Ridge. Silver Mountain is seen 2.5 miles to the SE.Silver Mountain using the telephoto lens from the S summit of Calumet Ridge.Looking SW toward Mount Warner (L).
Since the N and S summits of Calumet Ridge weren’t in view from one another due to the forest, it wasn’t possible to form any firm opinion on which might actually be higher. In any case, Lupe had visited both.
Lupe and SPHP returned NNW to the broad saddle area where Lupe had first reached the ridgeline. Instead of going SE back down the way she had come up, Lupe took the jeep trail down the W side of the mountain. The road started off heading W, but soon made a sharp turn back to the SE. Someone was using a chainsaw in the forest a little way below the road. He didn’t see Lupe go by when she passed his truck parked in the middle of the road, but she saw him.
The road dropped rather steeply along much of its length. Lupe and SPHP soon arrived down in a valley just W of a saddle area S of Calumet Ridge. SPHP briefly considered having Lupe go on to make an attempt at climbing Samelius(5,856 ft.) and Hardesty(5,562 ft.) Peaks, located close to each other more than 2 miles to the SW. Lupe could probably climb both of them before sunset, but then there would be a long trek back to the G6 in the dark. Samelius and Hardesty would have to wait for another day.
Lupe turned E and went over the saddle. Almost immediately, she started hearing gunfire again. It was distant, but still made her nervous. She made persistent efforts to persuade SPHP to stop and hide. SPHP stopped to pet and console her. SPHP assured Lupe she wasn’t going to get shot, if she stayed close. Lupe wasn’t entirely convinced. She stuck to SPHP like glue, but still campaigned for taking shelter. SPHP had to stop several times to boost her spirits.
The area E of the saddle was a maze of little roads among low, mostly forested hills. To stay as far as possible from the gunfire, Lupe and SPHP wandered in a generally SE direction, sometimes on the roads, and sometimes just in the forest. Lupe came to a field where traffic noise from Hwy 16 could be heard not that far off to the S. Part of the field extended up into a little valley to the NE. Lupe and SPHP went that way, re-entering the forest at the end of the field.
Lupe passed a number of interesting plants like these while wandering the forests SE of Calumet Ridge.
Lupe reached USFS Road No. 366 again, a little S of the saddle where she had crossed it going W earlier in the day. This time she crossed it heading E. Although she hadn’t gone on to climb Samelius and Hardesty Peaks, she now headed for Silver Mountain. This would be Lupe’s 2nd ascent of Silver Mountain in just a few weeks. Lupe and SPHP hoped to see a dramatic sunset up there.
Lupe arrived at the top of Silver Mountain about half an hour before sunset. With the forest completely burned off the top of Silver Mountain, Lupe and SPHP enjoyed 360° views. Lupe wasn’t actually too interested in the views. Target practice was still going on off to the NW toward Calumet Ridge. She huddled under SPHP’s jacket, which made her feel safer.
Nervous Lupe up on Silver Mountain. Photo looks SW toward Harney Peak.
Together Lupe and SPHP watched the sunset, but it never really developed much color. Once it became clear that the show was over, Lupe and SPHP started down the steep N slope of Silver Mountain.
Lupe ready to follow SPHP down off Silver Mountain.
There was a lot of dead timber on the N slope, and despite two days of very warm weather, there was still some snow, too. It was slow going coming down the mountain. Target practice continued off to the W until it was so dark stars were starting to come out.
By the time Lupe reached a road down below, twilight had faded to darkness. The road was icy and slick. SPHP didn’t recognize the place and turned the wrong direction. After about 10 minutes, SPHP realized the error and turned around. The road led Lupe all the way back to the G6. Lupe arrived at 5:31 PM. It was still a crazy 57°F out!
Lupe had a mostly fun day going to Calumet Ridge. There was too much target practice going on in the area to the E of Calumet Ridge, though. It had basically gone on all day long. Lupe and SPHP both agree that more remote locations are more to their liking.
Lupe on Calumet Ridge, 12-11-14.
As for Cicero, Samelius and Hardesty Peaks, which Lupe never made it to this day – Lupe did go on to climb all three and more before the end of 2014. But those Lupe adventures are the subjects of other posts.
