South Dakota – Page 89 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 200 – Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 & Beyond to Peak 6735 in the Black Elk Wilderness (4-15-17)

SPHP parked the G6 at the Big Pine trailhead for Centennial Trail No. 89 (9:50 AM, 49°F). The road to the Horsethief Lake trailhead had been closed, but this was close enough. Lupe crossed Hwy 244, followed Centennial Trail No. 89 a short distance, then left it to cut down through the forest to the Horsethief Lake campground.

The stroll through the campground was easy – a paved road wound between tall pines past campsites all the way to some sites right on Horsethief Lake. No one was around. The campground was closed. Tourist season wouldn’t start for another month. Only 2 or 3 miles from Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Horsethief Lake campground is a really nice place to stay when it’s open.

Lupe wasn’t staying, of course. She was here for her 200th Black Hills Expedition! She did go down to the lakeshore at a couple of spots on her way to the Horsethief Lake trailhead.

Lupe arrives at Horsethief Lake ready for her 200th Black Hills Expedition! She’s still in the campground here. The trailhead for Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 into the Black Elk Wilderness is in the forest on the far side of the lake. Photo looks SSE.

Horsethief Lake isn’t very big. About half of it is seen here. Hwy 244 crosses the dam in view at the far side of the lake. Photo looks NNE.

An extensive trail system leads into the Black Elk Wilderness, some of which sees heavy traffic while the majority of it sees relatively little use. Trail No. 9 from Sylvan Lake to Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) (formerly Harney Peak) and Trail No. 4 to Little Devil’s Tower (6,960 ft.) are the most popular, but Lupe wasn’t headed to either of those places today.

A short walk S from the lake up a gravel road brought Lupe to the trailhead for the 2.8 mile long Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14. SPHP stopped briefly to register, and Lupe was on her way!

Lupe awaits the start of her day’s adventure at the Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 trailhead.

Lupe entered the Black Elk Wilderness. Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 went S in a narrow valley featuring a small stream. All around were massive granite formations, many with nearly vertical sides towering far above the creek. Lupe drank from the stream and watched for squirrels in the trees, while SPHP paid more attention to the impressive rocks.

*Wow! How many expeditions have we been on since there’s been an actual stream, SPHP? Seems like forever! This is nice!*

Many massive granite formations tower above Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14. These formations are typical features of the Black Elk Wilderness.

This first part of Trail No. 14 gained elevation most of the time as it went S. It was a bit steep only along a few short sections. The trail crossed the stream a number of times, but Lupe easily leapt across.

The first 0.75 mile of Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 followed the stream and led to a junction with the 111 mile long Centennial Trail No. 89. Near the end of this first stretch, Lupe saw a couple of women. They were watching children scrambling around on nearby rocks. Lupe would see no one else the rest of the day.

Getting to the junction with Centennial Trail No. 89 was easy and hadn’t taken long.

*Well, this was easy! Piece of cake! … You’ve barely started sweet puppy, just wait!*

At the junction of Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 & Centennial Trail No. 89. Lupe had just come up the trail on the L and would be taking the trail toward the camera.

At the 3-way junction with Centennial Trail No. 89, Lupe took the trail to the R. For several hundred feet or more, Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 and Centennial Trail No. 89 share the same path. It only took Lupe a few minutes to reach another intersection where the trails divided again. Lupe went L, staying on Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14.

She was now headed into the heart of the Black Elk Wilderness.

Entering the heart of the Black Elk Wilderness, Lupe found these big mossy boulders near a stream.

Two miles of Horsethief Trail No. 14 remained after it separated from Centennial Trail No. 89. For the first mile, the trail continued winding S, gaining elevation at a slowly increasing rate. The small creek was sometimes nearby, and the trail crossed it again. Lupe still wandered among huge granite formations.

Lupe was still among massive granite formations as Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 continued S after separating from Centennial Trail No. 89.

The trail crossed the small stream again. Eventually the stream disappeared entirely as Lupe gained elevation.

The sky had clouded up by now. Rain threatened, but only a few drops fell. Small patches of blue sky here and there showed that nothing serious was in the works.

The small stream eventually disappeared. Lupe was approaching a pass. When she got there, a fallen tree was wedged in place over the trail.

Lupe came upon this fallen tree suspended over Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 at the top of the pass.

The forest in the Black Elk Wilderness has been devastated by pine bark beetles in recent years. Dead trees have broken and fallen in tremendous numbers over much of the landscape. However, the trail had been clear so far. Lupe had only begun encountering limited quantities of deadfall timber actually on the trail as she drew near the pass.

On the S side of the pass, the situation deteriorated steadily. The farther Lupe went, the more deadfall she had to navigate over, under, or around. Most of the trail was still clear, though. She was still making good progress.

The trail lost elevation heading SW into the Grizzly Bear Creek drainage. After a brief climb to a lower pass, Lupe’s peakbagging objective came into view for the first time. Peak 6735 was almost dead ahead, but still more than 2 miles away as the crow flies.

Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 descends through a shattered forest after going over a couple of passes. Lupe’s peakbagging objective, **Peak 6735**, is seen for the first time as the high point between the trees on the L. Dead ahead at center is **Peak 6710**. Photo looks SW.

Beyond the lower pass, Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 lost elevation the rest of the way to where it ended at a junction with Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7. Grizzly Bear Creek was flowing across No. 7 just S of the intersection.

Lupe was now 2.8 miles from the trailhead at Horsethief Lake. She had lost 300 feet of elevation coming down to Grizzly Bear Creek from the pass. She still had to gain nearly 1,400 feet from here to reach the summit of Peak 6735.

Loop reaches the junction with Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 at the end of Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14.

So far, Lupe’d had an easy time of it. Now she needed to follow Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 upstream. Right next to the intersection, two trees had fallen over the trail the way Lupe needed to go. A couple of signs were taped to the trees. What did they say?

The signs on the deadfall blocking Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 weren’t encouraging.

Turn around? Hah! Not a chance. The truth was, Lupe had climbed Peak 6735 once before, almost 3 years ago in June, 2014 on Expedition No. 92. Lupe had come this same route back then. So what, if the trail hadn’t been maintained in a while? Lupe was going to leave Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 pretty soon anyway. Whatever deadfall was on the trail ahead was only a hint of what was in store off-trail.

Lupe and SPHP went right over the signs and started up Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7. The trail went NW following Grizzly Bear Creek upstream.

Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 had a lot of deadfall on it. Lupe’s progress was slowed considerably, since SPHP couldn’t keep up with the agile American Dingo. Lupe didn’t need to follow Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 very far. SPHP watched for a field to appear on the opposite (SW) side of the creek. When it came into view after 0.25 mile or so, Lupe left the trail and crossed Grizzly Bear Creek.

Lupe crosses Grizzly Bear Creek after leaving the trail. From here on, she had no trail to follow the rest of the way to Peak 6735.

From here on, there was no trail. Lupe traveled W through the tall grass field. This was as easy as it was going to get, but wouldn’t last long. She stayed in the field, gaining elevation gradually as long as possible.

In the big field SE of Grizzly Bear Creek. Lupe traveled W, staying in the field as long as possible. Photo looks NW.

The field ended. Lupe entered the forest. The hard part of Expedition No. 200 was about to begin. Peak 6735 was an unseen fortress in the sky defended by huge rock formations, a long steep climb, but most of all by a never-ending jungle of deadfall timber. Lupe’s ordeal began in earnest.

On the way to Peak 6735 shortly after leaving Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 and the big field behind.

At first, the terrain Lupe was on seemed unfamiliar. This was actually a good thing. The plan of attack was to stay NW of a rugged ridge leading SW up to High Point 6411. It would be best if Lupe could avoid High Point 6411 entirely, and not reach the ridgeline until she was beyond it at a saddle leading to Peak 6710.

On Expedition No. 92, the plan had been the same, but Lupe had wound up following the ridgeline quite closely, which meant she had climbed clear up to the top of High Point 6411. That feat was unnecessary, since she then had to find a way down, losing 130+ feet of elevation in the process.

The deadfall had been bad on Expedition No. 92. It hadn’t improved one bit since then. If anything, it was worse. Lupe climbed and climbed. She went over and under countless dead trees. Progress was excruciatingly slow. The higher Lupe went, the tougher things became. Lupe started coming to large rock formations separated by steep stretches of devastated forest.

Gah! Gradually it became apparent that, once again, Lupe was on the NE ridge.

Eh, Looper, looks like all reasonable routes from this direction lead naturally to High Point 6411. Guess we’re going to get stuck going all the way up there again.

No worries, SPHP. I’m doing fine, if we can just stop for a few water breaks now and then. Jumping over all this mess is hard work! When does the fun begin?

Heh, this is the fun! At least, in a way it is. The ultimate reward will be the views from the top of Peak 6735.

You know SPHP, there’s something sort of wrong with you. Yeah, this is better than all the cactus on recent expeditions, but not that much. Could we please go on some expeditions to easy terrain where the trees are alive and full of squirrels? Do you ever even think about that?

I’ll try to remember to prioritize squirrels more in the future, Loop.

Promises, promises, but that would be nice!

The going got tougher as Lupe kept climbing. Another big rock formation is just ahead.

Slowly, slowly, up and up. The rock formations on the ridgeline became larger and larger. They were too big to go over. Lupe had to go around them. Sometimes it was easiest on the NW side of the ridge, sometimes on the SE side. SPHP kept expecting Lupe to arrive at High Point 6411, but she didn’t. How many of these rock formations would she have to work her way around? SPHP couldn’t remember.

Meanwhile, the views were improving as Lupe gained elevation. Everything in the distance now looked familiar. Lupe was in one of the most rugged parts of the Black Hills here. Beautiful large granite formations were all around. Peak 6735 to the SW remained hidden from view most of the time, but Black Elk Peak (7,131 ft.) was often visible to the NW.

Yet another rocky high point on the ridge ahead. How many of these big rock formations would Lupe have to find a way past? SPHP couldn’t remember. Photo looks SW.

Black Elk Peak (Center), the highest mountain in South Dakota, was often in view as Lupe climbed ever higher up the ridge. Photo looks NW.

Lupe was in some of the most rugged country in the Black Hills. Photo looks NE back down the ridgeline she was coming up.

As expected, it finally happened. Lupe reached the top of High Point 6411. She’d had several water breaks on the way up, but now it was time for a longer break. Lupe had Taste of the Wild. SPHP ate an apple.

SPHP consulted the topo map. It seemed like it had taken a long time to get here, but Lupe had covered a depressingly short distance from Grizzly Bear Creek. On the bright side, she had gained a lot of the elevation required to reach Peak 6735. Unfortunately, she would have to give some of it back getting down off High Point 6411.

Since Lupe had come all the way to the top of High Point 6411, she might as well have a look around. Peak 6735 was in view, but still nearly a mile away.

Peak 6735 was in view from High Point 6411, but still nearly a mile of deadfall infested territory away. Photo looks SSW.

At the summit of High Point 6411. Photo looks S.

On Expedition No. 92, Lupe had come within 10 feet or so of reaching the summit of Peak 6710 seen here on the L. Parts of the Cathedral Spires and Little Devil’s Tower are in view farther off on the R. Photo looks WSW.

Loopster at the very top of High Point 6411. Photo looks SSE.

The views were great from High Point 6411, but would be even better on Peak 6735. Onward! A first attempt to get down off High Point 6411 going WSW proved a little too steep for comfort. Ugh! Lupe climbed back up. SPHP couldn’t remember how Lupe had gotten down on Expedition No. 92.

A foray to the WNW didn’t look promising at first, but worked out just fine. Lupe made it down to the saddle leading to Peak 6710. Once across the saddle, she started climbing again. For a while, the terrain forced her to head directly toward Peak 6710, but this time she wasn’t going to go virtually all the way to the summit like she had on Expedition No. 92.

Once Looper made it past some more big rock formations, and was about as high as the saddle leading from Peak 6710 over to Peak 6735, she turned S and headed for the saddle. She wound up higher on Peak 6710 than she needed to be, but skirted the summit a little way off to the SE. Struggling through a thick forest of young pines choked with the endless deadfall, she finally got past Peak 6710. The saddle to Peak 6735 was now close by.

Once Lupe skirted around the SE slope of Peak 6710, the saddle leading to Peak 6735 was directly ahead. Photo looks S.

Across the saddle and straight up the N ridge. Lupe was getting close! Near the end, the terrain wasn’t as steep, the deadfall a little less troublesome. Suddenly Lupe was there! Despite the mountain’s deadfall defenses, the plucky Carolina Dog stood at the top of Peak 6735.

Well, almost. A dead tree with many annoying branches was leaning against the very highest rock at the summit, preventing Lupe from getting up on it.

Oh, no! No way! Lupe had gone over, under, or around hundreds, maybe thousands, of dead trees to get here. The whole mountain was covered with and surrounded by wretched deadfall. All those jillions of dead trees could stay exactly where nature placed them, except this one. This one had to go!

Fortunately, the offending dead pine tree was smallish. SPHP managed to drag it away from the summit rock and push it over the edge. It fell only 10 feet, but at least it was out of the way. The summit rock was clear. Lupe stood on top!

At the top of Peak 6735, a short uneven ridge of rock ran for 30 feet in a line oriented roughly E/W. The ridge sloped a little up toward a rock at the true summit near the E end. The greater summit area was much larger and sloped down toward the SW, where a massive, but lower, granite platform ran along the SE edge.

When Lupe had been here nearly 3 years ago on Expedition No. 92, Peak 6735’s summit had many large dead pines still standing. Some of them still were, but many had fallen over by now. The fallen trees made it harder to move around, but the views were more sweeping and open now than they had been back then. From seldom visited Peak 6735, Lupe had fantastic views of more than half of the entire Black Elk Wilderness!

After a suitably long rest break at the true summit, it was picture time. Naturally, Lupe toured the entire summit area.

**Peak 6920** (L) and **Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.)** (R) from the true summit rock. **Peak 6710** is the big rock formation to the R of Lupe’s head. Photo looks NW.

Looking E along the rocky summit ridge toward Loopster positioned at the very top.

Another look at Loop at the top. Photo looks SE.

Lupe found the cairn to her R sitting N of, and 8 or 10 feet below, the true summit of Peak 6735. SPHP hadn’t noticed any cairns when Lupe was here on Expedition No. 92, but maybe it was new since then? The large block of granite in the distance on the L is the back side of **Mount Rushmore (5,725 ft.)**. Photo looks NE.

Lupe now at the W end of the summit ridge. The highest point seen on the distant ridge at the far R is the top of **Sylvan Hill (7,000 ft.)**. Photo looks WSW from the true summit.

This photo shows a good deal of the greater summit area. Photo looks S.

Lupe now along the SE edge of the greater summit area. Photo looks SSE.

A glance back up toward the true summit. Photo looks N.

Looking SW from the larger, but lower granite ridge along the SE edge of the summit area.

Looper strikes a dramatic American Dingo pose. Photo looks NE back toward the true summit from the far SW end of the greater summit area.

Looking S from the far SW end of the greater summit area.

Much of the greater summit area. Photo looks NE from the SW end.

Lupe near the true summit again after completing her tour. A lovely green carpet of kinnikinnick clings to a thin layer of soil. Photo looks NE.

Back up on the little true summit ridge. Photo looks WNW.

Conditions were beautiful on Peak 6735. Lupe and SPHP lingered up here for quite a while, and would have loved to stay longer. However, even though the sun wouldn’t set for at least a couple of hours yet, it was time to go.

Already it was way too late to try to go back the way Lupe had come up. Traveling all that way through the deadfall took many hours. Getting stuck out here away from the trail when night fell would have made it nearly impossible to do anything other than wait for dawn. Even a deadfall-covered trail would be extremely difficult to follow at night.

On Expedition No. 92, Lupe had taken a shortcut back to Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 by going around the E side of Peak 6710 and continuing N. This shorter route back down to the trail had been very steep, but had worked.

SPHP wondered if Lupe shouldn’t try to avoid such a steep descent this time? By heading beyond Peak 6710 towards Peak 6920, she wouldn’t have to lose much elevation before reaching Norbeck Trail No. 3 not too far from its junction with Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7.

The advantage was, this might be the easiest route out of here. The disadvantage was, Lupe had never tried it before.

Lupe needed to get to a trail before dark, if she didn’t want to wind up stuck in all the deadfall all night long. SPHP pondered the possibility of heading W (L) of Peak 6710 (the lower rock formation on the R) and heading for Peak 6920 seen on the L. Lupe should reach Norbeck Trail No. 3 this way without having to lose a lot of elevation. Photo looks NW.

Lupe enjoyed a little more time up on Peak 6735 while SPHP pondered the best course of action.

Peak 6710 (L) with Black Elk Peak beyond it. Should Lupe try going around the W (L) side of Peak 6710? Photo looks NNW.

The rugged terrain to the NNE. Lupe had come up from this direction, but there wasn’t enough daylight left to go back this way.

The panorama to the NW. From L to R: Cathedral Spires, Little Devil’s Tower, Peak 6920, Black Elk Peak, Peak 6710.

High Point 6411 (lower R) is illuminated by sunlight. Photo looks NNE.

The final decision was made on the way down Peak 6735’s N ridge. Lupe would try going W of Peak 6710 and heading for Peak 6920. Hopefully, she would reach Norbeck Trail No. 3 well before sunset.

It was hurry up time, if possible, but the deadfall made the going dreadfully slow. By the time Lupe got over the ridge SW of Peak 6710, close to an hour had gone by. After crossing the ridge, the terrain and deadfall did not improve, but then they weren’t expected to. The only solution was to get to a trail. Any trail would do.

Looking up at the rock formations Lupe traveled beneath W of Peak 6710. Photo looks E.

Looking back at the big rock formation at the far end of the ridge extending SW from Peak 6710. Photo looks S.

A closer look with help from the telephoto lens.

Once she was over the SW ridge, Lupe lost some elevation before having to regain it to get up on the next ridge to the NW. This ridge went W from Peak 6710. Lupe and SPHP followed it a short distance, but within 5 or 10 minutes it was apparent a deep valley was ahead. This wasn’t going to work. Where to now?

Loop started back E toward Peak 6710. SPHP noticed a saddle off to the NE. It led to the NW, the way Lupe needed to go, and was every bit as high as where she was now. That was the route! Puppy, ho! Lupe maintained elevation and headed for the saddle.

It took a good 10 minutes to get there. The saddle wasn’t terribly wide or long. It led to a large rock formation immediately to the WNW. Climbing up there looked possible, but time consuming. Instead, Lupe crossed the saddle and turned NW to go around the high point.

Lupe was now way up in the upper Grizzly Bear Creek drainage. Somewhere down below was Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7. For a while, Lupe tried simply maintaining elevation and going NW. The plan was still to look for Norbeck Trail No. 3. A high ridge came into view to the NW. That had to be where Norbeck Trail No. 3 was, but it was still a considerable distance away and a bit of a climb.

SPHP debated whether Lupe should try simply cutting down through the forest directly to Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7, or getting on top of the ridge she was following? She tried a little of both, but didn’t lose all that much elevation going down, and never made it all the way to the top going up, either. The varied terrain kept changing SPHP’s mind on which way she ought to go.

A 50 foot deep ravine appeared ahead. Lupe had to kept going NW, so there was no choice, but to go down into it. Loop led the way down the slope. Suddenly SPHP realized she was standing on a trail! Odd, surprising. SPHP hadn’t thought she was anywhere close to a trail yet. Whatever works, though! The trail was good news!

The trail Lupe had found had to be Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7. SPHP wondered how far Loop was from the intersection with Norbeck Trail No. 3? Didn’t matter. The sun would still be up for a while. Best to make tracks, and use the available daylight to get past as much deadfall on the trail as possible. Without the slightest hesitation, Lupe and SPHP followed Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 going E.

The sun was still shining on the high peaks and would be for a while, but Lupe had a lot of elevation to lose. The trail went on and on. Fortunately, this upper section of Grizzly Creek Trail No. 7 trail was not choked with deadfall. In fact, there was very little of it. Lupe made great progress, but the sun had set by the time she made it all the way down to Grizzly Bear Creek.

Lupe makes it back to Grizzly Bear Creek.

The trail crossed Grizzly Bear Creek a number of times, but the creek was low enough so the crossings weren’t a problem. Deadfall on the trail became a problem again and slowed things down, but was no big deal compared to what Lupe had been through already.

The forest was dim and the sky pale, by the time Lupe reached the intersection with Horsethief Lake Trail No. 14 again. The race to make as much use of the fading light as possible continued. Lupe didn’t stop for a break until she was beyond the upper pass. SPHP could hardly see the trail now. The flashlight came out.

Stars had been shining above for a while. No worries, though. Lupe knew the rest of the trail ahead had little deadfall. It would be easy enough to follow.

A short break, then onward, but now at a relaxed pace through an inky black forest with incredibly bright stars above. What a gorgeous evening!

Well, Looper, Expedition No. 200 wasn’t a bad day’s adventure, was it?

No, not at all, but I still say it needed more squirrels!

End (9:42 PM, 38°F)

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Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 199 – Twin Sisters Twice & Castle Rock (4-12-17)

Start (10:25 AM, 54°F), intersection of Dog Song Road & USFS Road No. 373, 4 miles SE of Pringle.

Cool rainy weather, even a skiff of snow, had delayed Expedition No. 199 for several days, but Lupe was finally on her way! Although she had finished up the last of the Brian Kalet peaks she was going to climb in the southern Black Hills on Expedition No. 198, she was still headed S, just not quite as far S as before.

Lupe’s first peakbagging objective for the day was the high point of the Twin Sisters Range (4,980 ft.). The Twin Sisters Range is really no more than a 2 mile long ridge running E/W within the Black Hills. For some reason this ridge, which isn’t particularly high even compared to nearby terrain, has its own name on the maps while countless similar ridges do not.

No matter, if the Twin Sisters Range was on the maps, that was good enough for Lupe! After she reached the high point, the plan was to explore much of the rest of the ridge. Maybe Lupe would even go on to Elk Knob, another minor high point 0.5 mile farther S?

Approaching the area from the W, it became clear Lupe would not only have an easy time up on the ridge, she would have some great views, too. The Twin Sisters Range looked barren and exposed.

The W end of the Twin Sisters Range looked barren and exposed. Lupe was going to have some great views up there! Photo looks E from Dog Song Road.

At the starting point. The G6 is parked just off Dog Song Road (not pictured). Lupe would follow USFS Road No. 373 to get to the W end of the Twin Sisters Range, about a mile E of here. High Point 5017 is the ridge seen in the background. Photo looks SE.

From the G6, Lupe followed USFS Road No. 373 going E toward the W end of the Twin Sisters Range. This was a super easy, level stroll in upper Cold Spring Creek valley. The creek must have been underground here. It was nowhere in sight. A steady E breeze made the day seem cooler than it really was, but meadowlarks were singing cheerfully. Lupe was cheerful, too! She liked this place.

Shortly after setting out, Loop reached a locked gate across No. 373 at the W end of an area serving as the water supply source for Wind Cave National Park. The 0.5 mile long area is not connected to the rest of the park, located 2 miles farther E. No vehicles could go beyond the locked gate, but Lupe could. It didn’t take her long to reach the far E end where she found no gate, only a cattle guard.

After passing through the park water supply area, No. 373 angled SE and entered a thinly forested area. Lupe began to gain elevation. The W end of the Twin Sisters Range was now close at hand.

Getting close to the W end of the Twin Sisters Range. Photo looks E from USFS Road No. 373.

Lupe followed No. 373 gradually uphill until she was SW of the W end of the Twin Sisters Range. Here, SPHP led her off the road to begin the real climb.

Lupe and SPHP left the road to begin the climb up to the W end of the ridgeline here. Photo looks NE.

After all the cactus she had been having to dodge for the last couple of months while climbing Brian Kalet peaks farther S, Loop wasn’t at all certain leaving the road was a good idea. In fact, she was pretty positive it wasn’t. This barren ridge looked a lot like some of those cactus-infested areas. She begged SPHP to carry her.

The Twin Sisters Range was a few hundred feet higher than most of the peaks Lupe had been climbing lately. It was definitely sunny and exposed, which is good for cactus, but SPHP hadn’t seen any yet. Maybe this area was high enough to be above cactus line? Cactus usually disappears somewhere in the 4,700 to 5,000 foot range in the Black Hills.

SPHP didn’t carry Lupe, only encouraged her to keep climbing. She followed somewhat reluctantly. However, her confidence grew as she made rapid progress up the slope without encountering any cacti.

Shortly before reaching the ridgeline, there was movement on the ground. Lupe saw a snake! It was gray-green and smallish, but coiled up and surprisingly active. SPHP didn’t know what kind of snake it was, but it was clearly harmless.

Lupe came across this snake as she neared the top of the ridgeline. It was harmless, but surprisingly active on this cool, breezy day.

Even though the snake was harmless, SPHP was a little concerned about seeing it. The snake seemed plenty lively despite the cool, breezy day. Snakes are quite rare in most of the Black Hills, but are much more common at lower elevations. In all her expeditions and adventures in the Black Hills, Lupe has never seen a rattlesnake.

One of the reasons Lupe had been climbing the lower Brian Kalet peaks of the southern hills early in the year when it was cold out was to avoid encountering rattlesnakes. Due Lupe’s small size, a rattlesnake would be much more of a danger to her than to SPHP, and she might not know to stay away if she came to one.

Lupe might be above cactus line here, but seeing the harmless snake proved she wasn’t above snake line yet. SPHP couldn’t ever remember seeing a rattlesnake above 5,500 feet in the Black Hills, but that was more than 500 feet higher than the Twin Sisters Range. Seeing the harmless snake also proved spring had progressed far enough along so snakes were now active.

Dry, sunny, and topped by a layer of weathered limestone undoubtedly offering plenty of little caves and crevasses to hide in, the Twin Sisters Range did look like prime rattlesnake country. Still, seeing a single harmless snake didn’t mean the area was infested. SPHP encouraged Lupe to stay close from now on, though, as she finished her climb.

It only took Lupe a couple more minutes to reach the top at the W end of the ridge. The views were excellent!

Lupe reaches the W end of the Twin Sisters Range ridge. The views were excellent! Without any trees around, Loop could see in every direction. Photo looks W at the Cold Springs Creek valley she had traveled through to get here.

The high point of the Twin Sisters Range (R) from near the W end of the ridge. Photo looks ENE.

The Twin Sisters Range High Point (4,980 ft.) was less than 0.25 mile away. An easy stroll E along the ridge, and Lupe was claiming her first peakbagging success of the day! That was easy!

Lupe reaches the summit cairn at the Twin Sisters Range High Point. Photo looks W.

The lower end of the Cold Spring Creek valley. Photo looks ENE.

With the 360° view available from the Twin Sisters Range High Point, Lupe could see many mountain peaks she had visited in the past, including a lot of the ones she had been to in the last couple of months in the southern Black Hills. Most of them were many miles away.

Looking N toward **Northeast Cicero Peak (6,240 ft.)**(Center). **Mount Coolidge (6,023 ft.)**(far R) is also in view.

**High Point 5017** is the large, barren ridge in the foreground. On the far horizon are **Parker Peak (4,848 ft.)**(L) and **Matias Peak (4,780 ft.)**(Center). Photo looks SW.

Much of the territory around (and including) the Twin Sisters Range had burned years ago. This photo looks NW at some of the devastation.

From the summit, Lupe could see the rest of the Twin Sisters Range ridgeline to the E. She would get to explore much of this territory on her way to Elk Knob. It looked like fun! The Carolina Dog would enjoy great views all the way.

Looking SE at the rest of the Twin Sisters Range ridgeline. Lupe would have a great time exploring it on her way to Elk Knob! Buffalo Gap is in view in the distance at the edge of the hills a little R of Center. **Peak 4160** is the long ridge to the L of it at Center. **Unkpapa Peak (4,280 ft.)** is the long ridge to the R. Lupe had been to both only 10 days ago on Expedition No. 198.

After enjoying the views from the breezy summit, Lupe headed SE down the ridge starting her trek to Elk Knob. For 5 minutes, it was fun being able to see so much. In an instant, everything changed.

Looper, you OK?!

Yes, of course! You were right, no cactus up here. Makes life a lot more pleasant! This is way better than some of those other mountains.

Yeah, but we’re not staying. Time to go! There’s worse things than cactus. Hear that buzzing?

With these big soft Dingo ears, how could I not hear it?

Well, remember that sound. That’s a rattlesnake. Poisonous, perhaps deadly to Dingoes if one bites you! We must have passed within a few feet of it seconds ago. It’s right over there somewhere. Stay here! Don’t go over there.

Yikes! Are you serious?

Very. Two snakes in what, maybe 20 minutes, up here? One of them poisonous. It changes everything. We aren’t going to spend hours strolling around on Rattler Ridge courting disaster. Forget that. If you like this place, we can come back another time, like on a warmish day in December or January. Won’t be any snakes then.

Yeah, suddenly I’m thinking this place would look gorgeous with a couple inches of snow on the ground!

Yup, exactly, let’s skedaddle, but stay close till we’re down off this ridge.

The buzzing had lasted maybe 20 seconds before it stopped. SPHP pitched 8 or 10 rocks back toward the source, but the buzzing didn’t start up again. SPHP walked a little closer, but saw nothing. Maybe the snake had slithered into some hole? Didn’t matter, there wasn’t any doubt. A rattler had been there. Elk Knob wasn’t happening. Not today. No way!

Looking NW back up at the Twin Sisters Range High Point. This was as far as Lupe got on her way to Elk Knob due to the rattlesnake she’d heard only a few minutes ago.

Lupe didn’t go back up to the Twin Sisters Range summit. She took a shortcut going SW down off the ridge. This route was more direct and less steep than the way she’d come up. She came to no more snakes.

The return trip to USFS Road No. 373 was uneventful. SPHP did see the one and only cactus patch of the day, but it was easily avoided. The most exciting thing Lupe encountered along the way was some sort of huge ant festival going on at a rotting log.

Lupe starts down the S side of the ridge. If you want a good idea of what prime rattlesnake territory looks like, this is it. Photo looks W.

Lupe saw no more snakes. The most exciting thing she saw coming down off the ridge was this big ant festival being held at a rotten log.

All’s well that ends well. Loopster reached USFS Road No. 373. At least she had made it to the top of the Twin Sister’s Range High Point! Elk Knob could wait.

On the way back to the G6 along USFS Road No. 373. Photo looks WNW.

The stroll back to the G6 along the road was nice and relaxing. The whole journey to the Twin Sisters Range High Point hadn’t taken long, only a little over an hour and a half (12:07 PM, 54°F). There was oodles of time left in the day.

That was OK! SPHP had a backup plan. There was another Twin Sisters on the maps Lupe could visit.

On the way back to Hwy 89 on Dog Song Road, SPHP stopped the G6 for this look back at the Twin Sisters Range High Point (L). *Goodbye Rattler Ridge!* Photo looks E.

Well, Loopster, that was it! We are done with this low country stuff now until it gets cold again in the fall. No more cactus. No more snakes. We are staying high. If we manage not to fall off of anything and can avoid the barbed wire, we should be golden. Of course, there’s always mountain lions, and hunters, but oh well, never mind. We’ll be fine.

That sounds, great! I can’t tell you how sick I was getting of cactus.

No doubt, but you were getting better at handling it, too. We had fun! Saw some great stuff.

Maybe, not nearly enough squirrels, though. So where we going now?

Twin Sisters again. Another Twin Sisters (5,920 ft.), a different one. These next Twin Sisters are W of Custer. They are nearly 1,000 feet higher than the ones we just left. Should be plenty of trees, no cactus, no snakes, and maybe you will see some squirrels.

I hope you’re right. Strange that both places have the same name.

Yeah, actually, there is a third set of Twin Sisters (5,244 ft.) in the Black Hills, too. It’s even farther N, between Pactola and Sheridan Lakes, practically right off the Centennial Trail. You’ve already been there, but it was a long time ago. You weren’t even 14 months old yet. So after this next set, you will have visited 3 different Twin Sisters in the Black Hills.

Like a whole litter of sisters!

You could say that.

When Lupe jumped out of the G6 again at Comanche Park campground off Hwy 16, she knew instantly this place was more to her liking (12:59 PM, 52°F). She sniffed the air briefly, then took off running in circles. It was true! No more cactus! One of the first trees she checked even had a squirrel in it! Things were definitely looking up.

The new Twin Sisters were less than 2 miles away. Lupe and SPHP headed S through Comanche Park campground. A little beyond it, a few houses were around, part of some subdivision, but the private property wasn’t hard to avoid. Most of the area was national forest land.

The terrain Lupe traveled through was rolling and forested. Much of the forest had been thinned, so it was quite open and easy to see what was ahead. Before long, the N Twin Sister (5,920 ft.) was in view. It was the highest of the two.

The N Twin Sister comes into view S of Comanche Park campground. Photo looks S.

Lupe headed straight for the mountain. As she got closer, it looked like it might be best to start up along the NW ridge. The climb wasn’t difficult, although it became steeper as Lupe got higher up.

When she was already fairly high, Lupe reached a prominent point capped by some unusual looking rocks. The rocks formed a couple of platforms, one large and one small. Lupe got up on both to look around. From the smaller platform, she had a decent view to the NNE.

Lupe on the small platform of cool rocks on her way up the N Twin Sister. She was already high enough to have a pretty decent view from here. Photo looks NNE.

A happy finally-out-of-cactus-country American Dingo on the smaller platform. **Sylvan Hill (7,000 ft.)** is the distant ridge on the R. Photo looks NNE.

Trees blocked the views from the larger platform. Still, it was fun climbing around on the interesting rocks.

Lupe below the highest rocks of the larger platform.

Lupe finished her climb following the N ridge. The route was modestly steep, but not difficult. Soon Looper was standing on a stump at the very top of the N Twin Sister. Since this was the highest sister, she’d already accomplished her peakbagging goal here. Easy, squeezy!

Ta da! Lupe stands on a stump at the summit of the N Twin Sister. Since this was the highest one, she was able to claim another Dingo peakbagging success! The S Twin Sister is in view beyond her. Photo looks S.

The summit area was plenty roomy. Three prongs radiated out from the central high point. One off to the N, one to the E. The third and longest prong sloped down to the SW. The views were best from the two shorter prongs, due to breaks in the forest.

Lupe at the edge of the E prong. **Northeast Cicero Peak (6,240 ft.)** (Center) is the high point on the horizon. Photo looks ESE.

The summit area on the N Twin Sister was plenty roomy. This photo looks W from the E prong, and shows more than half of the summit area.

Lupe and SPHP took a break near the summit. Lupe had her Taste of the Wild and water. SPHP consumed an apple.

A number of birds were flying around. The Bluebird of Happiness showed up and hung around for quite a while. Lupe was glad to see him! She was certain now that her past few months of cactus ordeals were over. The Bluebird of Happiness would never steer you wrong, would he?

The Bluebird of Happiness paid Lupe a visit up on the N Twin Sister. It had been a year since she’d last seen him up on **Twin Buttes (4,949 ft.)** during **Expedition No. 166**. Maybe the Bluebird of Happiness had a thing for twins?

After the break, Lupe went down into the saddle leading to the S Twin Sister. It was an easy jaunt down a modestly steep slope. The climb up the S Twin Sister was steeper, but not bad. A lot more rocks were over here. Lupe went up along the NW side since there were cliffs on the N and NE sides.

Lupe got up on the cliffs for a look back at the N Twin Sister.

On top of the cliffs along the NE edge of the S Twin Sister. The N Twin Sister where she had just been is in view. Photo looks N.

The S Twin Sister had a much larger summit area than the N Twin Sister. There were two high points, one to the N and one to the S. The N one seemed to be a little higher than the S one, but Lupe found great viewpoints from both. Trees always blocked the views to the NW, but it was possible to see in any other direction from some part of the mountain.

Lupe took a tour of the entire summit area. She enjoyed lots of fabulous views.

Lupe at the edge of the S rim of the S Twin Sister. **Parker Peak (4,848 ft.)** (L) and **Matias Peak (4,780 ft.)** (Center) are barely in view in the haze on the horizon. Photo looks S.

**Peak 5846** is the closest big ridge on the R. Photo looks SE.

Lupe stands at the SW end of the S Twin Sister. A lower rock platform seen on the R stuck out a little farther to the W. A small connecting saddle made it possible to get onto the lower platform. Photo looks SSW.

Looking down across a gap toward the lower platform. Photo looks SW.

The view through the gap between the platforms. Photo looks SSE.

Looper on the lower platform. Photo looks S.

*Can I come down yet? …. Sure, that was great Loop, thank you!*

Lupe at the S high point of the S Twin Sister. The topo maps give the elevation here as 5,889 ft. Photo looks NNE.

After touring the whole area near the S high point, Lupe returned to the cliffs near the N high point for a final look around.

The N Sister (L) from the cliffs at the N end of the S Sister. The large gray rock formation sticking up out of the forest on the R is Castle Rock. Photo looks N.

Loop on top of the cliffs along the far NE edge of the S Sister. Peak 5846 (Center) is the first big ridge seen in the distance beyond her. Photo looks SE.

Looking S across the summit area of the S Twin Sister from near the N end.

Having completed her explorations of the S Twin Sister summit, Lupe went back down the NW slope and crossed the saddle over to the N Twin Sister. Down in the saddle she found a pretty grouping of crocuses.

Crocuses (officially Pasque flowers) are the state flower of South Dakota. They bloom in early spring in the Black Hills.

Lupe returned briefly to the summit of the N Twin Sister before heading down the N ridge.

Lupe back at the summit of the N Twin Sister. Photo looks N.

On the way down the N ridge, Lupe could sometimes see a large, gray rock formation off in the forest to the NNE. This was Castle Rock (5,600 ft.). SPHP had also caught a glimpse of Castle Rock off to the E on Lupe’s way to the Twin Sisters. It wasn’t terribly high, but the sides looked like nearly vertical walls – not anything a Dingo could climb.

Castle Rock as seen on Lupe’s way down the N ridge of the N Twin Sister. Photo looks NNE using the telephoto lens.

Despite not being any larger than hundreds, maybe thousands, of similar rock formations in the Black Hills, Castle Rock had its own name and was shown on the maps. Since it was kind of on the way back to the G6, SPHP thought Lupe might as well go check it out. Even if she couldn’t climb Castle Rock, she could say she’d been there.

Surprisingly, when Lupe arrived, it looked fairly easy to climb at least partway up from the S end. Lupe began climbing. She needed a boost at one scrambly spot, but to SPHP’s amazement, she made it all the way to the top of Castle Rock!

To SPHP’s amazement, Lupe made it all the way to the top of Castle Rock. Photo looks N.

Castle Rock wasn’t all that tall, but it jutted up high enough to be well above the surrounding forest. Consequently, Lupe had views in every direction. The true summit of Castle Rock was near the N end of the formation where several large boulders sat on the rest of the granite. Lupe got up on one of these boulders.

Lupe on one of the huge boulders at the true summit near the N end of Castle Rock. Photo looks N.

*Hah! And you thought I couldn’t do it, SPHP. Not a bad Dingo perch either, I can see for miles!* Photo looks SSW.

After scanning the forest below for deer and squirrels from her lofty perch, Lupe got off the big boulder to explore the summit area some more. It wasn’t very large, but was kind of dramatic with all the huge rocks around and cliffs to the E & W.

Lupe exploring the summit area. Twin Sisters are in view on the L. The highest boulder of all on Castle Rock is seen on the R. Photo looks SSW.

Of course, the Twin Sisters where Lupe had just been were in view to the SSW.

Twin Sisters (Center) from Castle Rock. Photo looks SSW.

After a brief summit area inspection, Lupe returned to the huge boulder.

After a few more minutes enjoying the views from her favorite lofty perch, it was time to go. Retreating back down the S end the way she had come up was the only feasible route. Soon Lupe was down and on her way back to the G6.

Expedition No. 199 should have been over now for all practical purposes, but by the time Lupe made it back to the G6 (5:34 PM, 52°F), SPHP had hatched a new plan.

Near Mount Rushmore is another mountain shown on the maps called Old Baldy Mountain (5,605 ft.). Lupe had never been there, even though it was in the Peakbagger.com data base. SPHP had always assumed based on its location near many other impossible-for-a-Dingo-to-climb soaring granite formations that Lupe wouldn’t be able to climb Old Baldy.

However, Loopster’s unexpected success reaching the top of Castle Rock made SPHP start thinking maybe she could also get to the summit of Old Baldy Mountain? Time to check it out!

On the way home, Lupe dropped by the Wrinkled Rock Climbing Area (6:09 PM, 50°F). A short walk along one of the paths brought Lupe to a view of Old Baldy Mountain.

*Forget about this one, SPHP, unless you’re ready to spring for a helicopter ride! This one’s not happening!* Old Baldy Mountain (Center). Photo looks ENE.

Directions:

Twin Sisters Range High Point: Dog Song Road (USFS Road No. 682.1) leaves Hwy 89 1.7 miles S of Pringle. The junction with USFS Road No. 373 is 3 miles from the highway.

Twin Sisters (W of Custer): Comanche Park campground where Lupe started is 6 miles W of Custer on the S side of Hwy 16. However, it may be possible (and necessary when the campground is open) to start much closer on an alternate route from the E. Click here for details.

Links:

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