Carolina Dog – Page 84 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 293 – Peak 4900 & Peak 5160 (1-28-22)

12:01 PM, 47ºF, start of USFS Road No. 359.3C along Playhouse Road – Wow! What a gorgeous day! Didn’t seem like January at all. Scarcely even any snow around. Perfect conditions had Lupe out in the hills again. Her Lists of John mini-blitz was in full swing. Going around a gate, she headed SE on USFS Road No. 359.3C through a sunlit forest.

About to set out on USFS Road No. 359.3C.

The road descended gradually to a meadow where Loopster made a somewhat unusual discovery. An old abandoned house was closed off by a pole fence around its perimeter. Fairly large, it must have been quite the place once upon a time, but was in a sad state of affairs now.

After a good sniff around the house, Lupe returned to the road. Curving NE, it quickly led to a fork. SPHP checked the topo map. Didn’t quite match up with what the Carolina Dog was seeing.

At the fork. USFS Road No. 359.3D goes L. Photo looks E.

Which way, SPHP?

Not entirely sure, Looper. Think we’re already on USFS Road No. 359.3D, which should get us in a roundabout way close to Peak 4900, if we stay to the L here. This other road looks like it might go over toward the Spokane Mine, but doesn’t seem to be in the right place. Should have been a road going that way closer to the house, but I never saw it.

Well, maybe the map is wrong, SPHP?

Yeah, maybe. Usually I’m the one that’s wrong, though.

Do we have time to go see the Spokane Mine, SPHP?

Oh, I think so. Shouldn’t be very far. Want to do that, Loop?

She did. Taking the road to the R, Lupe slowly gained elevation going ESE up a shallow valley. The road soon faded to a single track trail.

The trail led up to a fairly level region where more trails headed off in various directions. Turning S, because that was where the Spokane Mine ought to be, Lupe went over a small rise. On the other side was a sunny little clearing. No sign yet of the Spokane Mine, but there was something else.

A grave!

By the mysterious grave. Photo looks SSW.

The lone grave was outlined with rocks. A flat headstone was so covered with memorabilia that SPHP had to move some of it to reveal the name.

What does it say, SPHP?

James Fernando Shepard. Says he was born on February 3, 1850, and died on June 21, 1908. Get this, Loopster! He was murdered for a mining claim! This headstone was set in memory from his grandchildren.

Murdered! For a mining claim! Must have been for the Spokane Mine, SPHP! Let’s get out of here!

Silly Dingo! He was murdered more than 113 years ago. Nothing to worry about now. Besides, we don’t have anything to do with any mining claims, for the Spokane Mine, or any other one.

Not taking any chances, SPHP! Forget the Spokane Mine. Let’s vamoose!

Slinking E through the forest, Lupe came to another abandoned house. This one was also large and surrounded by a pole fence, but appeared to be in considerably better shape.

By the second abandoned house. Photo looks NE.

This is giving me the willies, SPHP! Why all these abandoned homes?

Oh, I don’t know, Loopster. The mine probably played out, and Spokane became a ghost town.

Ghost town! We’re in a ghost town?

Well, sort of seems that way, doesn’t it?

What mountain are we going to, anyway, SPHP?

Peak 4900, Loop. Only 0.25 mile E of here, although we still have a mile to go, if we want to take advantage of USFS Road No. 359.3D.

Well, let’s get there before a ghost comes. I don’t care what route we take.

Heading N from the second abandoned house, Lupe traveled through open forest and occasional meadows. Big rock formations could be seen to the E high on Peak 4900’s W slope, which was quite steep. Eventually a minor pass appeared ahead. The Carolina Dog went up to it.

Looked feasible to go E from here, so Lupe kept climbing. Shortly after the terrain began leveling out she reached USFS Road No. 359.3D again. The road was fainter up here, but still easy to follow. It dipped a little, then flattened, as Loop followed it first S, then SE.

At the pass, about to head up the slope. Photo looks ENE.

No. 359.3D eventually went by a big field. Shortly after that, Lupe came to a small clearing where the road appeared to end. A couple of trails left this point. Following the one that went straight, it soon disappeared. By now, Peak 4900’s summit couldn’t be too much farther SW.

Turning W, the American Dingo began climbing again. The ground started getting rocky as Peak 4900’s N ridge appeared ahead.

The small clearing at the end of USFS Road No. 359.3D. Photo looks S.

Approaching the N ridge. Photo looks SW.

Upon gaining the ridge, Lupe turned S. The climb was relatively easy. Soon a high point was directly ahead.

1:11 PM, 50ºF, Peak 4900 – Lupe had come up at the NW end of a 400 foot long summit region. This was the highest part of the mountain. One of these flat, blocky boulders had to be the true summit, but several were nearly the same elevation. Hard to say for certain exactly which one was it.

So many trees were around, that views were extremely limited. To the NW, a narrow look at Mount Rushmore (5,725 ft.) was available from one of the likeliest true summit candidates. Other than that, a partial view of big forested ridges to the SW was about it.

On what might well have been the **true summit**. **Mount Rushmore** (L) in the distance. Photo looks NW.

**Mount Rushmore** with lots of help from the telephoto lens.

Chocolate coconut bar time, SPHP!

As usual, after taking a seat on one of the big rocks, and congratulating Lupe on her successful ascent, SPHP split one with her.

At the short rest break rock. Photo looks N.

Gone in an instant.

Sheesh, Loop. Do you always have to wolf it down like that?

Dingo it down, you mean, SPHP. And yes, as a matter of fact, I do!

Whatever. Guess I sill have all my fingers. Anyway, see that biggest hill to the SW, Loopster? I bet that’s Peak 5160, where we’ll be going next.

Don’t rush me, SPHP. I’m not done with this mountain yet. We are going to explore Peak 4900’s summit ridge, aren’t we?

Of course! Ready whenever you are, Loop.

Ready to explore **Peak 4900’s summit ridge.** Photo looks ESE.

SPHP harbored hopes that Peak 4900 had some better viewpoints, but Lupe got all the way to the lower SE end of the summit ridge without catching more than glimpses in this or that direction. Rocks near the SE end offered limited views of the prairie beyond the Black Hills, but no sweeping panoramas.

A glimpse of the prairie from the **SE end of the summit region**. Photo looks E.

**Western South Dakota prairie** beyond the E edge of the Black Hills. Photo looks E with help from the telephoto lens.

Pleasant enough, but nothing too amazing. Ready to head back, Looper?

Soon Lupe was back at Peak 4900’s true summit. After lingering briefly to admire what views did exist and bask in the Peak 4900 ambience for the last time, the Carolina Dog headed back down the N ridge.

Back at the **NW end near the true summit**. Photo looks WNW.

This time Lupe explored farther N along the ridge before leaving it for USFS Road No. 359.3D. Found a nice viewpoint along the way where both Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) and Mount Rushmore were in sight.

**Black Elk Peak** (L), **Mount Rushmore** (far R). Photo looks NW.

Once on No. 359.3D, Looper stuck with it until the road entered posted private property, which forced a detour. Lupe wound up wandering so far S on various trails through the forest that she got quite close to the grave again. From there she retraced her earlier route back to the first abandoned house and No. 359.3C.

Despite this second foray past the ghost town of Spokane, the luck of the Dingo held. No ghost materialized to haunt her.

On an unmarked trail leading back to the ghost town of Spokane. Photo looks SW.

We didn’t get murdered, either, SPHP! Made it back to the RAV4 in one piece. Don’t forget that!

Oh, thanks for the reminder, Loop. A crucial point! (End 2:26 PM)

2:35 PM, 47ºF, start of USFS Road No. 753.1A along S Playhouse Road – Having escaped the terrors of Peak 4900, Lupe was ready to take on her second Lists of John peak of the day. There was another gate to get by, and beyond it was a road less traveled. A mere grassy lane, USFS Road No. 753.1A turned S just past the gate.

By the gate at the start of USFS Road No. 753.1A. Photo looks SE.

On the road less traveled. Photo looks SSE.

Loop had barely gotten started on No. 753.1A, when No. 753.1B branched off to the E. That was the way to Peak 5160, but the road didn’t look all that promising. A short distance from No. 753.1A, No. 753.1B was choked with deadfall as it curved SE entering a narrow, shaded valley.

On USFS Road No. 753.1B after getting past the deadfall. Photo looks SE.

Continuing up the narrow valley. Photo looks SE.

After almost 0.25 mile, the valley broadened out. The road was fainter here. If not for the topo map, SPHP wouldn’t even have realized that there was a fork. USFS Road No. 753.1C branched off to the NE (L), going up a sunlit hillside. No. 753.1B turned S (R), continuing up the valley.

USFS Road No. 753.1B continues almost straight ahead here, but slightly to the R.

The Carolina Dog stuck with No. 753.1B, which improved and started to climb more aggressively. Soon there were glimpses of towering granite formations off to the E. Kind of a red flag! Although a bit farther S, Peak 5160 was in that general direction. If it looked like that, Lupe was never going to be able to get to the top.

Yikes! Peak 5160 better not look like that! Photo looks E.

A gate in a wire mesh fence was ahead. Would have been a problem, since the gate was locked, but a gap near one of the posts allowed Lupe to slip through.

Think we’re in Custer State Park now, Looper.

Gate at the **N boundary of Custer State Park**. Photo looks S.

No. 753.1B continued higher, but was looking like it would soon level out. The road curved SSE, then W, as Lupe neared a sunlit ridge. Near a saddle, the road forked again. One branch went back to the NNW, the other continued S over the saddle, and on down into another valley.

More big granite formations were in this region.

Approaching the sunlit ridge. Photo looks S.

More rock formations ahead. Photo looks SSE.

A massive rock formation SE of the saddle was concerning. Even if it wasn’t the true summit of Peak 5160, it might well be an indication of what to expect. A check of the topo map showed the summit NE of here. Oddly enough, it also showed USFS Road No. 753.1B dead-ending. None of these other branches of the road appeared on the map.

No choice, but to press on. Leaving the saddle, and all of the roads, Lupe passed N of the enormous granite formation heading E. Surprising SPHP, she soon came to a wide, forested ramp leading higher.

Heading up the lovely ramp. Photo looks ENE.

Oh, yeah! The news got even better! At the upper end of the ramp, Lupe came to a grassy field. Off to the NNE, it slanted up to an obvious high point, right where Peak 5160’s summit was supposed to be.

Nothing to it, SPHP! We’ll be there in just a couple of minutes!

3:32 PM, 45ºF, Peak 5160 – And so it was. A quick trek to the top, and there was Loopster, poised on the very highest rock.

Hah! Knock me over with a feather, Looper! Thought we were doomed!

Duck soup, SPHP! About time for another chocolate coconut bar, isn’t it?

That it was. Rather rocky up on this little ridge, but SPHP found a spot to sit down. Lupe curled up on SPHP’s lap.

The views were very nice! Nothing to the E was as high as Peak 5160. Lupe could see way out to the prairie beyond the Black Hills, a genuine panorama this time, not merely a glimpse. Peak 4900 was in sight off to the NE, but looked like a mere twerp of a hill from here. Due N on the horizon, Silver Mountain (5,405 ft.), Boulder Hill (5,331 ft.) and Storm Hill (5,192 ft.) were all on display.

The distant prairie panorama. Photo looks E.

**Silver Mountain**, **Boulder Hill** and **Storm Hill** on the horizon. Photo looks N.

**Silver Mountain** (L), **Boulder Hill** (Center) and **Storm Hill** (R). Photo looks N with help from the telephoto lens.

The chocolate coconut bar vanished in an instant. SPHP offered Lupe some Taste of the Wild, but she didn’t seem interested until a helicopter appeared, flying this way out of the SW. At that point, Loopster gobbled all the Taste of the Wild down as quick as she could so the helicopter wouldn’t steal it, a maneuver which worked brilliantly. The famished helicopter flew away, cruelly disappointed.

Careful examination of the topo map showed two more tiny 5,160 foot contours along the ridge Peak 5160 was part of. Lupe was where Lists of John showed the true summit, but was that really the case?

The most distant of the competing contours represented the top of a hill visible 0.5 mile SSE. From here, that hill looked definitely lower.

SPHP judged the **competing high point** (R of Center) definitely lower. Photo looks SSE.

However, the second tiny contour represented the top of the massive rock formation that Lupe had gone by on the way up. Trees hid the high point over that way from the summit where Lupe was, but it was visible from only a little way down the S slope.

The **competing rock formation** (R) from a little way down the S slope. Photo looks S.

Another look from a little farther down the slope with help from the telephoto lens.

Hmm. I don’t know, Looper. Mighty close call! In fact, if I had to put money on it, think I’d bet on that rock formation being the true summit.

Maybe so, SPHP, but that’s rock climber territory. We’ll never get up there!

Yeah, sure looked that way. Not even going to attempt it. Completely kosher or not, this was good enough for Dingo work. Lupe was claiming her second Lists of John success of the day!

Nearly an hour after arriving, Loopster was on her way back down the ramp. Upon reaching the roads over at the saddle near the problematic rock formation, she took a little time to sniff around exploring among the big rocks near its base. This was pretty cool territory! Might be fun to come back sometime for another look around.

Below the massive rock formation. Photo looks ESE.

More interesting territory in the area. Photo looks S.

But the sun was almost down, and the Carolina Dog ought to be, too. After a little fun among the big rocks, she returned to the saddle. This time, instead of taking USFS Road No. 753.1B again, Lupe explored the road going NNW.

Taking an alternate, unmarked route back. Photo looks NW.

The road soon wrapped around the end of the ridge. Curving W, it started a steep descent.

SPHP suspected this route might ultimately lead back to USFS Road No. 753.1A again, but it didn’t. Instead, Lupe reached S Playhouse Road 150 feet S of the N boundary of Custer State Park. An easy downhill trek along the paved road was all that remained.

Two more peaks climbed! No ghosts, and didn’t get murdered! Lupe’s Lists of John mini-blitz was going well. Little did the American Dingo suspect that it would all come to an end tomorrow. (5:05 PM, 36ºF)

**Peak 5160**, Black Hills of South Dakota 1-28-22

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Abercrombie Mountain, Selkirk Mountains, Washington (8-11-21)

Day 6 of Lupe’s 3rd Summer of 2021 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast!

9:42 AM, Hwy 508, far NW Montana –

Hey, Loop! Yaak Falls is coming up! Any interest in sniffing the air, and having a peek at it?

Sure, SPHP! Let’s do it!

And why not? This was probably going to be just a rest and positioning day, anyway. Bit of a drive to Abercrombie Mountain (7,308 ft.) in NE Washington from here. With the sky looking as smoky as it was this morning, didn’t look like Lupe needed to be in any big rush to get there.

Yaak Falls was practically right along the highway. SPHP parked the RAV4 at a pullout, and Lupe sniffed her way over to the river for a look at the falls. Drought conditions appeared to have the Yaak River running very low, even for August.

The **Yaak River** on a smoky August morning. Photo looks N.

Very nice, SPHP! Bet Yaak Falls is a lot more impressive in the spring, though.

Heh. Doesn’t seem to be much doubt about that, does there? Probably many times the flow we see here today.

Yaak Falls was the last stop in Montana. The American Dingo was soon cruising in air-conditioned comfort through the Idaho panhandle. An otherwise scenic drive was marred by the discouraging amount of smoke in the air. Loopster might have to skip Abercrombie Mountain entirely.

The drive W was mighty inefficient, since the highways kept making big swings N and S. By the time Lupe was in NE Washington, she was ready for another waterfall. SPHP stopped at Crystal Falls on the Little Pend Oreille River, but only a rather restricted view of it was available.

Entering Colville from the E on Hwy 20, SPHP spotted Aladdin Road on the R. That was the way to the W approach to Abercrombie Mountain, which was still many miles NNE. A quick stop for supplies in Colville, and Lupe was on her way! Road construction close to town caused a few delays, but eventually the RAV4 was bouncing along USFS Road No. 300, which was soft, and a bit rough, after having been recently churned up while graded.

Glad we’ve got the RAV4, Loop! Not sure the trusty old G6 would have made it!

Oh, ye of little faith! Don’t be dissing the G6 now, SPHP! Got us to the Arctic Ocean twice, and Alaska 4 times! The G6 could have done this.

Come on, Looper! You know I would never disparage the G6! Even so, a little better clearance sure improves confidence.

Still quite narrow, but No. 300 had improved a great deal by the time a very encouraging sign appeared. Abercrombie trailhead! Right around the next bend, No. 300 dead-ended at a small, vacant parking area.

Hah! Made it! You’re golden now, Loopster!

3:48 PM, 79ºF, Abercrombie trailhead – Plenty warm out, but definitely cooler up here at the trailhead than it had been during the drive through Idaho into Washington. Overhead, despite some smoky haziness, the cloudless sky looked surprisingly blue.

What do you think, Looper? I’d been expecting on the way over that it was going to be too smoky to climb Abercrombie Mountain (7,308 ft.) today, and that we’d just have to hope for the best in the morning. Really doesn’t look all that bad right now, though. Want to try it?

Do we have time, SPHP? How far is it?

Less than 4 miles one way, I believe. Under 2,400 feet of elevation gain, with what’s supposed to be a decent trail all the way.

Shoot, we can do that, SPHP! Why wait and take a chance on what the smoke will be like tomorrow? Should cool off some more as the sun sinks, too. Might be a pretty pleasant evening on Abercrombie Mountain!

For better or worse, Abercrombie Mountain was a go! A wooden box next to the start of Trail No. 117 contained registration forms, but they were all old and already used.

Guess we can skip this step, Loop. Doesn’t look like anyone cares.

American Dingoes don’t care for paperwork, that was for sure. Not their strong suit, nor SPHP’s for that matter, either.

Onward! Puppy, ho!

Start of Trail No. 117 to Abercrombie Mountain.

Trail No. 117 was good – smooth and easy to follow, with few rocks or roots. Lupe trotted gradually higher on a series of long switchbacks that snaked through a jungley forest full of ferns and big-leafed plants. 10 minutes from the trailhead, she got a drink from a small stream.

This same stream crossed the trail a couple more times higher up. Last time Loop came to it, the stream was reduced to a mere mossy trickle. The switchbacks went on and on, steepening and getting tighter as they worked up the side of a big ridge. Nothing to see, really. Dense forest hid whatever views there might have been.

Definitely a tougher climb toward the end, but Trail No. 117 never did get all that steep before finally starting to level out up on the big ridge. Lupe had gained more than 800 feet of elevation by now, at least a third of what she needed to do. No ferns or big-leafed plants up here, but the forest was otherwise unchanged.

Heading S across the ridge at a saddle just E of HP5985, Loop came to a 3-way intersection. An old sign was only partially legible. Trail No. 119 came up from the North Fork of Silver Creek here, a starting point to the SW nearly 2,000 feet lower than the Abercrombie trailhead.

At the junction with Trail No. 119. Photo looks S.

How about a short break, Looper? Want to split a chocolate coconut bar?

Panting while laying in the shade, the Carolina Dog showed no interest in the chocolate coconut bar. SPHP ate the whole thing. How often did that happen?

Are you OK, Loop? You aren’t getting sick, are you?

I’m fine. Just hot, that’s all, SPHP.

Well, here. Have some water, then.

Sticking with Trail No. 117, Lupe left the junction going ENE. A mere 50 feet brought her to a tree bearing a marker.

By the tree with the trail marker. Photo looks ENE.

Hey! Guess what, Loop? This is a PNT marker!

We’re on the Pacific Northwest Trail again, SPHP? We could have taken the PNT all the way from Northwest Peak to Abercrombie Mountain?

Heh. Yeah, if we weren’t interested in doing much of anything else on this Dingo Vacation. Probably could have been here by September!

The trail was almost flat. Lupe gained only a little elevation as it curved around the N side of a minor hill along the ridgeline. Once beyond the hill, No. 117 swung S, dipping 20 feet down into a ravine before starting up again.

Heading down into the ravine. Photo looks S.

Climbing steadily now, No. 117 began switchbacking higher with long runs SE interrupted by shorter ones N. Soon the trail seemed sunnier.

The forest is thinning out, SPHP! Maybe we’re finally going to get to see something?

Getting sunnier as the trail climbs more steeply. Photo looks SSE.

Sure enough! At the end of one of the first long runs SE, Lupe reached a meadow. There was a big view to the S.

Not good.

Gone were the blue skies that had prevailed when the American Dingo set out from the trailhead. A smokey haze, brought in by a breeze that had sprung up, filled the air. Still sort of blue to the E, but the air quality was much worse, an opaque white, off to the W where the breeze was coming from.

Criminitly, Loop! We better pick up the pace, or we aren’t going to be able to see a thing from Abercrombie Mountain!

Trail No. 117 turned N back into the forest. More switchbacks. Same pattern. Long runs SE interspersed with shorter ones N. The hillside steepened, but the trail wasn’t bad at all. The forest continued to thin. All views told the same story. Better keep at it, if Lupe hoped to have any possibility of a view from the top.

The switchbacks ended shortly before reaching Abercrombie Mountain’s S ridge. The broad, rounded ridge sported only scattered stands of live forest. Gnarled skeleton trees, bleached white by the sun, stood forlorn and alone whispering of days long past, dead companions collapsed here and there about them.

Too late! Air quality was getting worse. Blasted breeze! Why couldn’t it have held off for an hour or two? Would have made all the difference.

Finally up on the S ridge. **HP6631** (R). Photo looks S.

0.5 mile away and 600 feet higher, the summit was now visible almost due N. Hurrying on, Trail No. 117 dipped over to the E side of the ridge before heading straight for it.

**Abercrombie Mountain summit** (Center). Photo looks N.

Up the rest of the way, a relatively easy trudge higher as mountains go. Naturally, it got steeper toward the end. Lupe roamed the meadows at will, enjoying this landscape with it’s mixture of trees and open ground.

An easy trudge higher. **Summit** (Center). Photo looks N.

Lupe was already very high, getting close to the end, when Trail No. 117 went right past an incredibly gnarled Ent at the base of a hill where the mountain finally became rocky. Immediately beyond this first hill was a larger and even rockier one.

Near the **Ent** (L) guarding access to the summit region. Photo looks N.

On the rocky path to the summit plateau. Photo looks N.

At the top of the second hill, Lupe reached the S end of a summit plateau that sloped higher to the N. Somewhat surprisingly, the plateau wasn’t all rock, but featured grassy areas and even a few stunted trees. As Loop headed for the summit at the N end, she passed assorted human-made rock walls, remnants of the foundation of a now absent lookout, and even a Dingo fort.

Sweet! Hang on, SPHP. Gotta check out this fort!

On the **summit plateau**. **Dingo fort** (L)! Photo looks N.

Approaching the old fire lookout foundation. Photo looks N.

6:35 PM, 63ºF, Abercrombie Mountain (7,308 ft.) – Maybe should have waited until tomorrow, after all? Visibility was poor when Lupe reached the true summit at the N end of Abercrombie’s summit plateau. An hour earlier that might not have been the case. Disappointing.

In the odd, diffused light of a sun soon sinking into the murk, Lupe stood on what appeared to be Abercrombie Mountain’s natural highpoint. Hard to say if these rocks really were undisturbed, or not. The highest rocks on the mountain were part of an artificially created rock wall. Perhaps this mound had been rearranged, too?

Nearby, a brass survey benchmark was fastened to the top of a chunk of concrete. Several rocks were stacked on top of a green metal box.

At the apparent true summit of **Abercrombie Mountain**. Photo looks ENE.

Visibility wasn’t totally obscured. Outlines of mountains and ridges could be seen through the haze. Hooknose Mountain (7,210 ft.) 3 miles NE was about it, though, as far as being able to see any detail. The W breeze was bringing even worse smoke this way, so even these views might vanish. After a few quick photos in case that happened, SPHP opened the green box.

**Hooknose Mountain** (Center). Photo looks NE.

**Abercrombie’s summit plateau** from the true summit. Photo looks SSW.

Another look at **Hooknose Mountain** showing more of the territory leading to it. Photo looks NE.

Mostly trash inside. Only one decent registry, a small one with a green cover that had been started in 2020. It was already full of entries. No room to add Lupe’s name. A much larger registry was all chewed up by animals to the point where it was basically worthless. SPHP shoved it into a sack along with rotten candy, sopping wet playing and business cards, empty plastic bottles, etc. for disposal later on, leaving only the green registry, pens, and pencils in a zip lock bag.

Mind if we take a break, SPHP?

Retreating back down to some stunted conifers along the W edge of the summit plateau, Lupe found a place with some greenery to relax.

Going to take it easy for a bit. **Summit** (R) beyond Lupe. Photo looks ENE.

Old lookout foundation (L). Back side of **Fort Dingo** (Center). Photo looks SSW.

Facing W toward HP6014, Loop and SPHP hung out together for a while watching the sun sink as horrid, thick smoke drifted in out of the NW.

**HP6014** (L of Center) in the haze. Photo looks W.

Not even going to be any sunset, is there, SPHP?

Naw. Too smoky! At some point the sun will just vanish in the murk.

Are we still close to Canada?

Yup! We should have been able to see Canada again from up here. It’s less than 6 miles N. Not going to happen tonight, though, Looper.

Being on Abercrombie Mountain, a super prominent peak with more than 5,000 feet of prominence, was still pretty cool, even if the views were basically shot. Not too many supers around! Intent upon staying up here for her traditional full summit hour, Lupe had time enough for another tour of the true summit region. Might as well!

Near the true summit again. Photo looks N.

By a cairn along the N edge. Photo looks W.

**Hooknose Mountain** (Center) again. Photo looks NE.

Well, getting to be about that time. Rooting for a sunset, but knowing it wasn’t going to happen, Lupe and SPHP watched the golden orb turn red as it sank into the smoke. Didn’t even get close to the horizon before, suddenly, it was gone.

Sunset, sort of, from **Abercrombie Mountain**.

A few minutes later, the Carolina Dog was gone, too. With a great trail to follow, the descent was fun and went fast.

By the ancient Ent again. Photo looks S.

Dusk came on even faster. SPHP was forced to bring out the flashlight well before Loop made it back to the junction with Trail No. 119. Soon there was movement in the gloom of the forest floor next to the trail. Lupe got her first sniff ever of a big, fat mountain toad.

Mountain toad? Even SPHP had never heard of such a thing! But there it was, a real, live, ugly mountain toad hopping along in the underbrush. Turned out it wasn’t the only one on Abercrombie Mountain, either. Kind of creepy in the dark, but hardly dangerous. (End, 9:18 PM, 65ºF)

You’ve got to be kidding me, right SPHP? That’s it? “Mountain toads – hardly dangerous.” That’s how you’re going to end our tale of adventure about Abercrombie Mountain, a super prominent peak?

Well, what do you expect me to say, Loop? Mountain toads seem unusual enough to deserve mention, but beyond that, they give me writer’s block.

Oh, I don’t know, SPHP, but snazz it up a bit! How about something about the Attack of the Killer Mountain Toads!

Attack of the Killer Mountain Toads? No one’s going to believe that, Looper!

Use your imagination, then, SPHP! This is Washington state, right? I know! How about an amusing or scary tale about Big Wart!

Big Wart! You mean like Big Foot, only, umm …

Yes! Wartier!

Wartier! That’s not even a word, Loopster. I’m calling it. Scintillating end or not, it’s just plain old, never-even-heard-of them-before mountain toads, and this is a wrap.

On **Abercrombie Mountain**, Selkirk Mountains, Washington 8-11-21

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GPS track by Scott Rice (7-7-18)

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