Every time SPHP woke up, there they were. Big soft Dingo ears bathed in moonlight stood erect, listening. Lupe was too excited to sleep, instead she was watching – fascinated by whatever was going on in the darkness outside on Elk Mountain. Now and then, SPHP let her out of the G6. The excited American Dingo wandered back and forth between moonlight and shadows, sniffing the night air.
Finally, the nearly full moon hung low in the W. Dawn was coming soon. SPHP dozed a while longer. The sun was up when SPHP came to again. Lupe, of course, was wide awake, still watching events on Elk Mountain from her pile of gear, blankets and pillows. She was glad when she realized her long watch was over. It was time for action!
SPHP repositioned the G6 a mile farther SW, at the junction of USFS Roads No. 118 & No. 123 (6:21 AM, 41°F). Lupe was 0.25 mile across the border into Wyoming. She would start her journey to Wildcat Peak (5,500 ft.) from here. Although Wildcat Peak was less than 2 miles away back in South Dakota, to get there Lupe had to cross an equally high un-named ridge first. Lupe and SPHP set off following a faint old jeep trail SE.
The morning was cool, clear and bright. It was great getting off to an early start! The old jeep trail wound around, but stayed very close to the E edge of the ridgeline, gaining elevation steadily. Lupe got pretty high up on the ridge. Elk Mountain was in view just to the N. Lupe could see the Elk Mountain Lookout Tower (5,662 ft.) at the far NE end of the mountain, but the true summit at the Elk Benchmark (5,669 ft.) remained out of sight to the NW.
The jeep trail didn’t go all the way up to the top of the un-named ridge. It got quite high, but then took a more level route through a thin forest on the W side of the ridge. Lupe and SPHP stayed on the jeep trail until it virtually disappeared. Then Lupe abandoned it to resume a slow, steady climb while continuing S. She eventually reached the top of the ridge well S of its highest point.
Lupe and SPHP followed the un-named ridge to its S end, where Lupe’s first peakbagging objective, Wildcat Peak (5,500 ft.), was now in view.
Wildcat Peak was less than 0.75 mile away now, but to get to it, Lupe had to go down into a big intervening saddle area. On the way, she had to lose virtually all of the elevation she had just gained coming up the un-named ridge. There was no choice, though, but to just go ahead and do it.
After crossing the saddle area, Lupe and SPHP started the climb up the NW slope of Wildcat Peak. There weren’t any old roads or jeep trails here, but the climb wasn’t particularly steep or difficult. Lupe found the true summit of Wildcat Peak up at the very NW end of a rocky summit ridge. A big boulder, clearly higher than any of the others, was the very top of the mountain.
From the highest boulder on Wildcat Peak, the rocky summit ridge extended off to the SE for at least several hundred feet. Most of it wasn’t much lower than the big boulder crowning the NW end of the ridge. A lot of deadfall timber strewn among the rocks made the terrain considerably more difficult to navigate than it should have been. Lupe and SPHP went to the SE end of the summit ridge to check out the view.
The view was awesome! Lupe could see Sullivan Peak (4,967 ft.), Red Point (4,680 ft.), and Twin Buttes (4,949 ft.) where she had been on Black Hills SD, Expedition No. 166 just 11 days before. It was fun to see them all again from Wildcat Peak!
After taking a little break while admiring the views to the S, Lupe and SPHP returned to the big boulder at the NW end of the summit ridge. Lupe went out on a rock ledge sticking out just below it to the NE for a final look around.
Climbing Wildcat Peak had been fun, but SPHP had several more peakbagging goals in mind for Lupe before the day was over. Lupe and SPHP left the summit of Wildcat Peak heading back down the NW spine of the mountain.
Lupe’s route back to the G6 was essentially the same one she took to Wildcat Peak. The only significant variation was that on the way back, she went all the way up to the very top of the un-named ridge NW of Wildcat Peak.
The day had warmed up considerably by the time Lupe reached the G6 again (10:12 AM, 59°F), but it was still very pleasant out. Before departing, Lupe and SPHP sat in the shade of a big tree and ate brownies, a pure nutritious health food snack Carolina Dogs love. Re-energized, Lupe and SPHP headed out in the G6 toward Lupe’s next peakbagging goals.
Near the junction of Boles Canyon Road and Roby Canyon Road (USFS Roads No. 117 & No. 264 respectively), SPHP parked the G6 again (10:49 AM, 61°F). Lupe’s next objective was Fanny Peak (5,884 ft.) more than 2 miles to the NNW. SPHP’s old USFS map showed USFS No. 264.1A leaving Boles Canyon Road somewhere nearby. If Lupe and SPHP could find it, No. 264.1A would lead Lupe NNW to a point a short distance E of Fanny Peak.
Lupe and SPHP backtracked a little S along Boles Canyon Road looking for No. 264.1A. Just N of a short bridge over a ravine, Lupe found a rough track heading N. It was blocked to vehicles by boulders and unmarked, but this was almost certainly No. 264.1A. Lupe and SPHP followed the road N beginning a long, gradual climb.
Almost right away, there was trouble. No. 264.1A went up a long sunny dry hillside. Scraggly bushes and a few juniper trees dominated the parched landscape. And cactus. There was very little cactus right on the rocky road, but all around on both sides cacti grew in great spiny profusion.
Whether Lupe stepped on a small cactus somewhere along the way, or whether she could smell the cacti, SPHP didn’t know. Her paws looked fine. What was certain was that Lupe didn’t want to go this way. She stood on the road and wouldn’t move. SPHP put her leash on her to encourage her, and help make certain she didn’t get into the cactus. This time, the leash barely made any difference to Lupe. Her ears drooped. She hated this place!
What to do? Part of the problem was that Lupe had started from less than 4,800 feet of elevation down on Boles Canyon Road. If Lupe could gain enough elevation, she would probably get above “cactus line” at some point. SPHP decided to keep encouraging and helping Lupe, believing she could make it to Fanny Peak.
It was a long, slow process. Lupe stopped again and again on the road. Sometimes her ears drooped, and she resisted the tug of the leash. Sometimes she just stood there in the bright sunshine smiling at SPHP, but not budging. Now and then she was willing to go onward for a little way. SPHP carried her for short stretches again and again.
It was sunny. SPHP felt hot totally exposed to the sun. Wearing a fur coat, Lupe must have felt that much hotter. Repeatedly, Lupe and SPHP took temporary shelter in the shade of occasional large juniper trees next to the road. Lupe drank a lot of water. This really wasn’t much fun, but it wasn’t terrible either. Despite the long, slow grind, Lupe was making progress and gaining elevation.
Somewhere around 5,600 feet, it turned out that a “cactus line” really did exist! SPHP didn’t notice exactly where it happened, but suddenly the cactus was gone. Ponderosa pines were growing among more prosperous looking juniper trees. There was more shade. Lupe started to perk up. For a little while, SPHP kept Lupe on the leash, but it wasn’t too long before it was apparent the leash was pointless. There wasn’t any cactus anywhere. Hallelujah!
Lupe raced happily through the woods. She was making great progress. The road started leveling out as it entered a more purely pine forest. Fanny Peak couldn’t be much farther away now! SPHP stopped again to carefully study the topo map. Without the topo map, it would have been very hard to find Fanny Peak.
The topo map showed that the road was supposed to pass along the E side of a 5,840 foot high un-named hill. Less than 0.5 mile N of High Point 5840, there should be a couple more slightly higher hills to the W of the road. The high ground formed an arc curving around to the S. Fanny Peak was the high point at the S end, less than 0.33 mile from the road.
Soon the road did pass along the E side of a forested hill. SPHP figured this must be the 5,840 foot high un-named hill. Lupe continued on. The road again passed along the E side of another hill. SPHP was thinking Lupe must be getting very close to where she would need to turn W, when suddenly there was a hissing and thrashing noise coming from the hillside right next to the road. A snake!
Snakes aren’t terribly common in the Black Hills, at least not in the upper elevations Lupe usually frequents. Despite all her many adventures in the hills, Lupe has only encountered snakes on a very few occasions. Lupe didn’t quite know what to make of this one. She stood motionless a few feet away, simply staring at the strange unpleasant creature.
The snake was at least a few feet long, making it the biggest one Lupe had ever seen. It wasn’t the least bit happy to see Lupe and SPHP. The snake was hissing, coiling and thrashing around trying to look as scary as possible.
A glance at the snake’s head told SPHP there was nothing to fear. It wasn’t poisonous. The only poisonous snakes in the Black Hills region are prairie rattlers, and this wasn’t a rattlesnake. It was almost certainly some sort of bull snake. The snake was an exciting find, but it was harmless.
Of course, where there’s one snake, there may be more! Lupe wasn’t as high up in the Black Hills as she normally is, and snakes are much more common at lower elevations in this territory. Just the fact that the bull snake was out and about indicated that Spring had progressed far enough along to encourage the reptiles to slither out of their holes.
The bull snake was still having a hissing fit when Lupe and SPHP left it behind. Somewhere pretty soon, Lupe needed to turn W. When she came to an intersection not shown on the maps, SPHP decided this was the place. Three slender pale blue posts stood near the intersection. There were no other markers, and no road numbers. One of the roads went W. Lupe and SPHP followed it.
Lupe hadn’t gone very far on this new road when it started to lose elevation. Rather than lose elevation, Lupe and SPHP climbed up a forested hill close by to the S. There were so many trees, it wasn’t possible to see much, but SPHP did see that there was another forested hill about the same height a short distance to the W. Lupe and SPHP headed over to it.
Lupe was soon up at the top of the 2nd hill. The summit featured a collection of red rocks. SPHP looked warily around for snakes, but saw none. Trees again blocked the views, but it was possible to determine that there was an even higher hill somewhat farther off to the SSW. Looking at the maps one more time, SPHP was almost certain that hill had to be Fanny Peak!
Lupe and SPHP pressed on from the 2nd hill toward Fanny Peak, losing only minor elevation. As Lupe got closer, she reached a barbed wire fence. SPHP’s old USFS map showed Fanny Peak right on the South Dakota/Wyoming border, but the Peakbagger.com topo map showed the summit a short distance into Wyoming. The fence was probably right on the border, which made sense.
Since the Black Hills National Forest ends at the border, Fanny Peak might well be on private property. In any case, there weren’t any “No Trespassing” signs, and Lupe wasn’t going to harm anything. Fanny Peak was only a short stroll to the SW from where Lupe went under the fence. Lupe passed through a little meadow, before climbing a small forested hill to two large rocks at the summit. The views left no doubt that Lupe really was on Fanny Peak (5,884 ft.)!
SPHP soon noticed that one of the two big pink rocks at the top of Fanny Peak contained a treasure! It was a money rock! In a small depression on top of the rock was a 1999 dime.
Lupe didn’t really need a dime. As treasures go, she would have preferred a rawhide chew, ice cream, T-bone steak or a lot of other things instead. Lupe and SPHP decided to leave the dime where it was. No doubt some other bold peakbagger will be willing to brave cacti and snakes to claim it someday!
Forest pretty much hid any views toward the N from Fanny Peak. The best view was to the S back at Elk Mountain where Lupe had visited the Elk Benchmark (5,669 ft.) yesterday evening and spent a long restless moonlit night. Lupe could also see the 5,840 foot hill 0.33 mile to the SE where SPHP first realized Lupe was getting close to Fanny Peak.
By reaching Fanny Peak, Lupe had accomplished her 2nd peakbagging goal of the day! Having braved cacti and snakes to get here, naturally she was quite proud of her accomplishment. However, the view from the top was not at all encouraging as far as her chances of successfully completing her next goal went.
Lupe’s 3rd peakbagging goal was Frannie Peak (5,340 ft.), more than a mile to the W. Between the trees, SPHP could catch a glimpse of it. The view was discouraging. Frannie Peak appeared to be a jagged ridge of red rock. From this far away it was hard to know for certain, but the rock formations along the jagged spine of Frannie Peak looked too steep for Lupe and SPHP to climb.
Even if the rock formations on Frannie Peak weren’t insurmountable, there were other problems, too. There was no road SPHP knew of to Frannie Peak, which at 5,340 ft. was well below cactus line. Although it wasn’t that far away, even a mile over rough ground through cactus country didn’t sound like any fun. Getting back would double the distance, too.
A lot of time had already been lost due to cactus just getting to Fanny Peak. A million cacti would seriously slow down any attempt to get to Frannie Peak, too. Furthermore, there might be rattlesnakes! SPHP pondered all these negative factors. It would have been fun to find out if Lupe could climb Frannie Peak, but all SPHP truly expected was failure to reach the top, even if Lupe did manage to get over there.
Fanny Peak would have to suffice. Frannie Peak was out! As a consolation 3rd peakbagging goal, Lupe could continue N 2 more miles to the lookout tower on Summit Ridge (6,096 ft.). Roads would take Lupe all the way there. She wouldn’t be hindered by cacti or unclimbable rock formations. Lupe hadn’t been to Summit Ridge for over 3.5 years. It would be fun to go see it again.
Right or wrong, the decision was made. Lupe and SPHP left Fanny Peak going back the way they had come. Lupe returned to the intersection along USFS Road No. 264.1A where the three slender pale blue posts were. Instead of turning S back to the G6, Lupe went N toward Summit Ridge.
Except for one short off-road shortcut, Lupe followed No. 264.1A all the way N to the intersection with No. 264 in the upper reaches of Roby Canyon. No. 264 took her the rest of the way up to the Summit Ridge lookout tower. No snakes, cactus, rock formations or anything else bothered Lupe along the way.
However, as Lupe got close to the old cabin near the Summit Ridge lookout tower, 2 big dogs came running over to bark at her and sniff. They seemed a bit aggressive, and Lupe didn’t like them. She growled, and became snappy. SPHP picked her up. The owners of the 2 big dogs came over to retrieve them.
SPHP was surprised to see anyone around, but the dog owners said they were renting the old USFS cabin here for a few days. Relatives were staying in a 5th wheel trailer nearby, too. After a pleasant brief chat, Lupe and SPHP left the dogs and their owners to go check out the lookout tower.
Lupe arrived at the base of the lookout tower to find the stairway padlocked shut.
Although the tower provides a great vantage point, from down below there weren’t any views. Lupe and SPHP wandered off to the NW a little way, but there were too many trees to see much. Lupe returned to pose in front of the cool old cabin, but that was about all there was to do.
One of the big dogs (Stevie) kept barking at Lupe, and wanting to come over to confront her. The owner prevented that from happening, but it was time to go and let the people enjoy the peace and solitude they bargained for. Lupe and SPHP returned to USFS Road No. 264 and went S.
When Lupe came to the intersection with No. 264.1A again, this time she stayed on No. 264. She followed it all the way through the entire length of Roby Canyon. It was easily 4 miles, probably closer to 5, before Lupe reached Boles Canyon Road. The Roby Canyon trek was secluded, pleasantly scenic, and downhill or level all the way. Best of all, there weren’t any cactus down in the canyon.
Lupe had a good time running around in Roby Canyon. She found a few squirrels to bark at. SPHP collected Lupe treasures. When Lupe finally got back to the G6, it was 5:54 PM (68°F). Earlier, before Lupe left to go to Fanny Peak, SPHP had noticed Lupe Treasures down in the ravine under the bridge near the start of USFS Road No. 264.1A. Now Lupe and SPHP went back there to collect them.
On the way home, Lupe continued having a good time. She barked at lots of deer, as she sped by in the G6. She stopped briefly at Ditch Creek campground where she got to lay down in beautiful, clear, cold Ditch Creek to cool off. She drank deeply. Ditch Creek was the only stream she had seen in two whole days of Black Hills Expeditions. She rolled and frolicked in big patches of snow still melting at the campground.
At home, after milk and a big bowl of Alpo, Lupe drifted off to more adventures in Dingo Dreamland. What she does there, even SPHP can’t relate. However, it was clear SPHP wouldn’t be seeing those big soft Dingo ears standing at attention in the moonlight all night tonight!
Lupe Treasures collected: 9 glass bottles, 3 plastic bottles, 39 aluminum cans, plus miscellaneous non-recyclables.
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