8:36 AM, 26ºF, Mystic Road, Daugherty trailhead, Deerfield Trail No. 40 –
After that big storm last week, I never dreamed there would be so little snow up here, Loopster! We could have gone up to the high country, if I’d realized it was going to be practically snow-free.
Still can if you want to, SPHP, but this is fine with me.
Eh, I didn’t plan anything out for up there thinking the G6 wouldn’t even be able to get close. Maybe we should just go with the flow? You can knock out a section of the Deerfield trail today. We might even have time for a side excursion to Signal Knob (6,200 ft.) for some peakbagging fun!
You know I’m not picky, SPHP. Happy just to be here! If you are, too, let’s go! Don’t want to keep the early squirrels waiting!
Somehow I doubt an American Dingo is what the squirrels are hoping for, but onward! Puppy, ho!
Lupe was on it, anxious to make tracks and get in some long overdue sniffing action. Sprinting ahead, she left the Daugherty trailhead of Deerfield Trail No. 40 following USFS Road No. 182 W up Whitetail Gulch. Daugherty Gulch was 0.75 mile S of here, and why this wasn’t called the Whitetail trailhead instead of Daugherty had always been a mystery to SPHP.
However, it was more of a curiosity than a real mystery. Whatever the answer was, it made no difference at all to Lupe.
Not a cloud in the sky! Tiny sunlight diamonds sparkled on thin layers of frost and snow. The air was crisp and clean, summer’s smoky skies at long last a thing of the past. Deerfield Trail No. 40 wound gradually up Whitetail Gulch past ponderosa pine covered slopes and naked aspens. A tiny creek trickled in the ditch next to the roadbed. The road crossed it 10 minutes from the trailhead.
All of the terrain Deerfield Trail No. 40 would take Lupe through today was pretty easy stuff. Some variation, of course, but mostly a series of long gentle inclines and descents. A good 0.5+ mile from the trailhead, Whitetail Gulch curved S. The trail, however, continued W a little way before making a short steeper jog up to the N. Turning W again, the road leveled out, reaching a high point shortly after passing No. 182.1D, a side road on the R (N).
Just beyond this high point, the Deerfield Trail curved SSW as it began a gradual descent. Some open ground provided Lupe with her first views of nearby hills. Nothing too spectacular, but pleasant enough.
Lupe was soon past the open grassy region. The trail now dipped more steeply down into a shady canyon, entering a different drainage. At the bottom, the road crossed Crooked Creek, which was considerably larger than the tiny creek in Whitetail Gulch, but still a small stream. Paving blocks in Crooked Creek made for a trivial stream crossing.
Immediately beyond Crooked Creek, the road forked. A brown Deerfield Trail fiberglass wand was in sight ahead along the L branch. Going that way, Loop quickly came to a second Crooked Creek crossing, also blessed with paving stones.
Crooked Creek was a major low point. From here, Deerfield Trail No. 40 climbed steadily following the creek valley higher. Within 10 minutes, Lupe arrived at another place where the road forked. She stayed to the R entering a shaded, narrower portion of the valley. A snowy trek on a straight stretch led to a curve to the L where the road crossed Crooked Creek yet again, which this time flowed beneath it in a culvert.
Immediately beyond the culvert crossing, the road curved sharply R (NW), starting up a hill at a steeper pace. However, Deerfield Trail No. 40 parted from the road at this curve. SPHP nearly missed the trail as it headed off to the L. The only sign was 25 feet from the road where a big ponderosa pine had a metal “40” diamond nailed to its trunk, and a pink ribbon could be seen behind it flapping in the breeze.
Deerfield Trail No. 40 now continued SW up Crooked Creek as a single track. At first, the single track looked a little like an abandoned ATV trail, but soon lost that characteristic as it promptly entered a narrow, V-shaped valley. The shady forest seemed dank and dark, but the trail was easy to follow.
Before long, Lupe came to another creek crossing. This one was a bit of a mess. A mostly frozen-over pool of water was surrounded by deadfall and tree trunks that had been cut to clear the trail, but which were still crowding the crossing. The ice wasn’t thick enough to be trusted, and getting past this little spot was more trouble than it ought to have been. On the far side, SPHP had to crawl under a downed spruce, but the Carolina Dog enjoyed plenty of clearance.
As it turned out, Loopster came to 3 of these stream crossings in quick succession. None were significant obstacles, but they did slow SPHP down, which admittedly doesn’t take much.
Shortly after Lupe passed the third stream crossing, the valley turned S and began to open up. The single track reached an old forest service road again, which continued up the valley at an easy pace, crossing Crooked Creek one last time at a point where the stream was a simple rock hop, almost a step-across.
The old road eventually began curving R (W), and soon arrived at a 3-way junction at a sunny clearing. Another 3-way junction was just 150 feet away up a hill to the S. A check of SPHP’s maps showed that all Lupe had to do was continue straight W on a road clearly marked as USFS Road No. 443.
No. 443 headed W from the junction, then gradually curved NW. What was left of Crooked Creek was still on the L (S) side of the road, but was now largely reduced to a strip of mucky terrain with only a little free flowing water among tufted grasses. A little after No. 443 turned NW, Lupe reached an unmarked fork.
Directly ahead, a grassy slope lay between the two choices, either a road to the R (N) which went uphill into an area where several trees had pink plastic ribbons tied around them, or a road to the L (W).
The road to the L looked more heavily trafficked, as though it might be a continuation of No. 443. After some debate, Lupe went that way. She soon came to a place where the hillside N of the road had been carved away by a bulldozer. In fact, the guilty bulldozer was still rusting away up in the scar. Orange signs in the trees nearby said this was an “active” mine site, but it sure didn’t look like it.
Continuing W past the inactive active mine site, the road soon curved NW again, leaving the last remaining trickle of Crooked Creek behind for good. Lupe came to a 3-way junction in a large clearing. A tree on the E side of this junction had a 40 diamond nailed to it. The positioning made it look like this meant the road heading NE up a little hill was actually the Deerfield Trail, not the way Loop had just come.
Wondering if the road from the NE was a continuation of the branch to the R that Loopster had not taken at the last fork before the mine, SPHP led her up to the top of the little hill. Off to the L (N) was a somewhat higher ridge that looked like it might provide some distant views. The road kept going NE, instead of bending around to the R (S) like it should have if it was going to head back to that last fork.
Inconclusive. Didn’t really matter. SPHP was certain Lupe needed to go back down and take the road going SW. She sure didn’t need to be going NE. Might as well forget this for now. Maybe the Carolina Dog had taken a little shortcut by going past the mine, and maybe she hadn’t, but it was true that she hadn’t seen any 40’s along the road that went by the mine.
Lupe turned around, went back down the little hill, and continued SW past the 3-way junction. The road climbed gradually for a while, then leveled out. Was this the place? Nothing stood out, but then again, that was to be expected. There wouldn’t be anything to make it stand out. A brown fiberglass “40” wand confirmed Loopster was definitely on the Deerfield Trail again.
A long time ago, the Carolina Dog had been this way. In fact, back in the early days of her Black Hills expeditions she had traveled both the entire Deerfield and Centennial trails, among the longest in the Black Hills. That was years before she had her very own adventure Dingo blog. In the last few years, Loop had revisited some sections of both trails, which was more or less what this expedition was all about, too.
Today’s re-exploration had all seemed like a completely new voyage of discovery. Nothing had triggered memories of having been here before until now. Yet a growing eerie feeling of long lost familiarity still wasn’t conclusive.
Keep an eye out, Loop. I think somewhere up here the trail veers off to the R, going downhill as a single track again. If I remember right, the turn is marked, but still easy to miss.
I’ll try, SPHP, but I’m sort of busy watching for squirrels and deer, too. Are we close to the turn you’re expecting, now?
Not sure. Suddenly feel like I’m in an ancient dream walking in a real, but long forgotten land. All I really remember is being up on a stretch of flat high country like this that didn’t offer any views, and subsequently missing the turn. That scarred hill and rusting bulldozer we passed now seem vaguely familiar, too, but I could be confusing all this with some other completely different place.
Well, that’s really helpful, SPHP! Let me know if your dream walk is due to turn into a nightmare somewhere up here. Think I’ll stick to the squirrels and deer in the meantime.
The march SW went on and on, just like SPHP “remembered” it would, but Lupe still didn’t come to anything definitely recognizable, and no single track trail appeared veering off to the R. Instead, Loop eventually came to a 3-way junction SPHP had no recollection of at all with USFS Road No. 429, which was marked with a brown wand and continued SW.
No. 429 soon started dropping. Slowly at first, but Looper hadn’t gone far before she was losing elevation at a good clip. She came to a place where the road curved R (N) into a valley. SPHP called a brief halt to check maps, and take a little break. A building was off to the SW on a partially open hillside of mixed grasslands and pines.
Well, we’ve done it again, Looper.
Done what, SPHP?
Missed the turn onto the single track. No harm done, though. I suspect we’ll find it right around this bend. That grassy hillside with the building makes me think we’re getting close to Slate Prairie.
Loop wasn’t hungry, but SPHP ate an apple. Once it was gone, onward!
Apparently, the few brain cells that hadn’t suffered a memory dump were right. Continuing around the curve down into the valley to the NNW, Deerfield Trail No. 40 crossed the road only a few minutes from the rest spot.
Leaving No. 429, Lupe turned WSW following a single track up a ravine. This ravine was the upper end of the Bittersweet Creek drainage, a very small stream at this point. The creek was a mucky mess where the trail first met it. Loop avoided crossing it, staying along the S bank for a little way, waiting until SPHP found an easy spot to leap over.
A use path on the N bank led up to a boulder where it merged with the official Deerfield Trail. The use path contained a hazard the official trail did not. Several strands of rusty barbed wire from a downed fence were hidden in the grass just before the boulder. Fortunately, Lupe did not get tangled in it.
Following the official trail up the ravine, Loop came to a flat region on the edge of Slate Prairie. Signal Knob (6,200 ft.) could now be seen 0.6 mile to the SSE.
Signal Knob wasn’t impressive, merely a small pine-forested hill isolated out in the Slate Prairie grasslands. Lupe had been there before, more than 5.5 years ago. SPHP remembered a deadfall timber laden summit due to a severe pine bark beetle infestation.
Noon already, but Looper had been making fairly decent time. She was only a little over a mile from the Kinney Canyon trailhead, her minimum goal along the Deerfield Trail today. No more significant peaks were close to this section of the trail, so SPHP figured the Carolina Dog might as well pay Signal Knob another visit. The side trip would cost her an hour or so, but no more than that.
Leaving Deerfield Trail No. 40, Loopster struck out heading S across the rolling grasslands of Slate Prairie. After crossing a ravine containing what remained of tiny Bittersweet Creek, she passed through a big field leading to County Road No. 307. Ducking under a fence to cross the road, she was soon approaching Signal Knob from the NW.
The N end of Signal Knob was private property, but the S half was USFS land. Lupe circled S partway along the W slope before turning toward the summit. The entire W slope was a mess of deadfall and stickers, making what should have been a trivial romp higher a slow process.
As expected, Signal Knob’s flat summit was still littered with deadfall, but patches of open ground existed, too. Despite the pine bark beetles’ work, enough trees were still standing to interfere with the views. The only really clear view was a nice one of Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) far to the SE. The last time Lupe had been here, it had still been Harney Peak.
12:29 PM, 55ºF, Signal Knob – A 10-15 mph breeze blew out of the W, but it was still nice up here for almost the end of October. SPHP was glad Lupe had returned to Signal Knob. However, if she was going to get as far along Deerfield Trail No. 40 as SPHP hoped, Loop couldn’t stay long.
Time enough for a relaxing light lunch, and that was about it. Taste of the Wild for Lupe, who was somewhat hungry now. Another apple for SPHP. A small chocolate coconut bar served as desert. Naturally, it got shared with the insistent sweet tooth Dingo.
A pleasant 20 minutes, and it was time to go. At least the Carolina Dog had one minor peakbagging success to show for the day! Bidding Signal Knob farewell, Lupe started down the W slope again. The lower part wasn’t forested, and actually provided quite nice views of the E edge of the limestone plateau region off to the W.
A number of peaks Loopster had been to before were in sight, including South Castle Rock (6,840 ft.), Castle Rock (6,783 ft.) and Nipple Butte (6,800 ft.).
Once down off Signal Knob, Lupe went NW intent upon getting back to Deerfield Trail No. 40 again. She didn’t return to it at the exact same spot she’d left it, but picked the trail up somewhat farther W where it crossed USFS Road No. 187.
From USFS Road No. 187, the trail left Slate Prairie heading W into the trees. Lupe soon came to a metal gate. At roughly 6,220 feet elevation, this gate was the highest point along the entire Deerfield Trail. From here the trail continued WNW on a long gradual descent. At the bottom, Lupe popped out onto County Road No. 307 again, the same road she’d crossed near Signal Knob.
On the other side of No. 307 was a big grassy clearing, site of the Kinney Canyon trailhead.
Not yet 2:00 PM, but close to it. Looper had met her minimum goals for this Black Hills expedition. Sure would be nice to continue far enough to link up with the Deerfield Lake Loop Trail No. 40L, though. Another mile would almost do it. SPHP actually hoped the American Dingo could get even farther than that.
Wha’dya think, Loop? How are you feeling?
Great! What’s up?
We can turn around here and call it a day, but want to keep going? Be kind of fun to go all the way to the Deerfield Reservoir dam and see the lake. On the other paw, the sun goes down mighty early these days. We won’t get back to the G6 until well after dark, if we do all that.
I’m having a blast! Let’s keep going! You brought the flashlight?
Yup. Extra batteries, too, if we need ’em.
So onward it was! From Kinney Canyon, the Deerfield Trail continued SW up a little valley, now as a road again. Shortly after the trailhead was out of sight, however, the trail veered off to the R as a single track. A steady climb eventually leveled out in a young pine forest.
A long descent was about to begin. Beyond the young pines, Lupe went through a second metal gate. Past the gate, she came to a big field. On the far side was a road. The last of the single track trail led over to it.
Upon reaching the road, Lupe followed it R. It immediately entered the shade of a forested valley. The snowy road lost elevation more quickly than the single track had, but wasn’t steep. Winding W down this valley, Loopster came to a sign for the Deerfield Recreation Area. The junction with Lake Loop Trail No. 40L couldn’t be much farther.
A few more bends in the road, and there was the intersection at a small sunny clearing.
A couple of signs were at the junction of No. 40 & No. 40L. One said Loop was now 7 miles from the Mystic Road trailhead, which is just another name for the Daugherty trailhead. The other sign said the Custer Trails trailhead, accessible from No. 40L, was 2 miles away.
Only one more objective left! Lupe headed NW on Deerfield Lake Loop Trail No. 40L. Castle Creek wasn’t as far as SPHP remembered, only 0.33 mile. Another 0.33 mile past Castle Creek, and the Carolina Dog reached the top of the Deerfield Reservoir dam near its NW end.
A cool W breeze swept across the lake. Trotting along the length of the dam, Lupe headed for a grassy region at its opposite SE end. Leaving the dam, SPHP walked along a steep slope below a fence, stopping to rest where as much of the lake was in view as possible. Loopster thought this slope was a little too steep, but SPHP helped her get comfortable.
Tall strands of yellow grass danced in the wind. Sunlight glittered on Deerfield Reservoir as an unceasing parade of shimmering blue waves rippled into the dam’s rocky shore. Beyond the lake were ponderosa pine forested hills and ridges of the western Black Hills, dark green nearby, bluer in the distance. Other than the wind sighing in the pines, silence. Solitude.
Most of the rest of the Taste of the Wild disappeared. The last chocolate coconut bar vanished. Partially resting on SPHP’s lap, Lupe stayed a while, watching the waves.
3:11 PM, Deerfield Reservoir – Two hours until sunset. Nearly 8 miles to go. Better get with it! The American Dingo paused at the SE end of the dam for a final look, and was on her way.
The return was fun! Such a beautiful evening! Returning to Deerfield Trail No. 40, Lupe headed E. Long uphill and downhill stretches, but never very steep, and more downhill going this way than uphill. No rest breaks, no photo stops, no side trips, except a brief one that proved the road past the bulldozer and the inactive “active” mine site really was part of the official Deerfield trail.
Looper sniffed and explored to her heart’s content. In Slate Prairie, she saw cattle grazing in the fields N of Signal Knob. Later, she came upon several small groups of whitetail deer in the Crooked Creek valley.
Minus the stops, it all went by much faster than before, yet the last rays of sunlight vanished and dusk came on. A bright star appeared, most likely a planet, and as the darkness grew, a circular glow highlighted the black outlines of pines in the E.
Tomorrow was Halloween, and October’s second full moon – a blue moon. It was nearly full tonight. As the moon rose above the treetops, Deerfield Trail No. 40 became a mix of shadows and moonlight, where a homeward bound Carolina Dog roamed at will. (End 6:54 PM, 50ºF)
Links:
Next Black Hills Expedition Prior Black Hills Expedition
Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 240 – Deerfield Lake Loop Trail No. 40L & Hat Mountain (11-14-18)
Deerfield Trail No. 40 – Map & Brochure
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