Campaign Hill – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 115 – Campaign Hill, Peak 6048 & Flag Mountain (1-18-15)

There was too much snow, more than a foot on the ground. It was everywhere, too. Lupe sank in up to her belly even where it hadn’t drifted. Clearly going N had been a mistake. With a forecast high in the low 50’s °F, SPHP had chosen four peakbagging objectives for Lupe near Galena in the northern Black Hills. However, as SPHP drove N on Hwy 385, the amount of snow around had increased steadily.

Lupe and SPHP were at Custer Crossing, and hadn’t even reached the starting point for the day’s planned expedition near Galena yet. Lupe loves the snow, but this wasn’t going to work. A day spent out here, and even Lupe would wind up freezing and exhausted. Time for Plan B. Lupe and SPHP got back in the G6 and headed S.

NW of Hill City, Lupe and SPHP hopped back out of the G6 at Newton Lake, (a little pond really) on Newton Creek. It was 9:32 AM, but only 35°F. Maybe the day wasn’t going to be as warm as advertised. There was still snow around, but much less than back at Custer Crossing. This would work.

Lupe started off heading W on the Mickelson Trail. She soon found some squirrels to bark at, so she was happy. The day was getting off to a good start after all. Lupe met a couple of cross country skiers on the trail, and sniffed with their big yellow lab. Less than a mile from Newton Lake, Lupe left the Mickelson Trail and turned S on USFS Road No. 386.USFS Road No. 386 is a major gravel road. It was slick with packed snow and ice. The road curved around as it climbed. SPHP trudged along the uninteresting big road. Lupe was having some luck finding squirrels to bark at in the forest, though, so she was busy dashing off here and there having a good time.

About a mile S of Deerfield Road, Lupe and SPHP reached the intersection with USFS Road No. 386.1B, a minor road much more to SPHP’s liking. Lupe and SPHP followed No. 386.1B. It went E until it got close to the W slopes of Smith Mountain (5,897 ft.) and then turned S. Lupe stuck with No. 386.1B until it got close to the S end of Smith Mountain. Then Lupe and SPHP took off heading SSW through the forest.

Lupe soon came to a big open field, which she and SPHP crossed, continuing SSW. Lupe eventually returned to the forest S of the field. Before long, Lupe ran into USFS Road No. 727.1F at a point just NW of Flag Mountain (5,896 ft.). No. 727.1F took Lupe S skirting just W of Flag Mountain. It linked up with No. 727 just a little W of the saddle between Flag Mountain on the N, and Campaign Hill on the S.

Lupe in the big field SSW of Smith Mountain. Photo looks NE.

The huge field had several branches to it. This photo looks W.

Of course, SPHP actually had a peakbagging goal in mind for Lupe. Back on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 106 on 11-28-14, Lupe climbed a couple of mountains she had already passed by today – Smith Mountain and Flag Mountain. On Expedition No. 106, she hadn’t had time to continue S to Campaign Hill (5,800 ft.), but now she was practically there.

Lupe and SPHP went E on No. 727 just a few hundred feet to the high point of the saddle. There, Lupe and SPHP left the road to start climbing straight up the N face of Campaign Hill. Lupe only had to gain a little over 200 feet of elevation from the saddle to reach the summit ridge. She reached the top of the ridge near the E end.

Lupe reached the top of the Campaign Hill summit ridge close to this point near the E end. Lupe went to check out the rock formation seen here a short distance to the W. Photo looks W along the ridge line.

From this first rock formation toward the W end of the Campaign Hill summit ridge, Lupe was able to see higher rocks to the SSW. Even though Flag Mountain was only 1/3 mile to the N, the forest was so dense Lupe could barely see it. Photo looks NE.

Lupe and SPHP explored the ridge up at the top of Campaign Hill looking for the true summit. The ridge line went W from the E end of the mountain to the first (NW) rock formation, and then curved SSW. Lupe climbed up on the first rock formation, but there were so many trees she couldn’t even see Flag Mountain just 1/3 mile to the N. However, she could see more big rocks off to the SSW. They looked even higher. The true summit of Campaign Hill had to be over that way.

Lupe didn’t have to go very far to reach two more high points. The middle one was higher than the NW high point she had just come from, but the true summit was at the next high point beyond it. All of the high points featured exposed rock formations. The largest rock formation was at the summit.

The rock formation at the true summit of Campaign Hill seen from the NE.

SPHP had to lift Lupe up onto the highest rocks at the true summit of Campaign Hill. Lupe had accomplished her primary peakbagging goal for the day! Other than the satisfaction of just being there, Campaign Hill wasn’t providing much of a reward. The forest was so thick, there weren’t clear views in any direction. Lupe could catch only a glimpse of Harney Peak (7,242 ft.) through the trees from the highest rocks, and that was about it.

Lupe on the very top of Campaign Hill. Harney Peak can be glimpsed through the trees toward the L. Photo looks SSE.

Happy Lupe on the rocks just below the summit of Campaign Hill. Photo looks SE.

There was still plenty of time left in the day. Why not go visit Peak 6048? It was just a mile to the S of Campaign Hill, and Lupe and SPHP had never been there before, either. So Lupe and SPHP headed SSW down along the ridge line from Campaign Hill. To the E, the terrain dropped off steeply. To the W, the terrain sloped away much more gently.

A little less than halfway to Peak 6048, there was an opening in the forest along the ridge line as it was dropping down into a saddle. Here Lupe got her first clear look at Peak 6048. The steep N face was snowy, and appeared to be covered with a maze of deadfall timber. Lupe could see that Peak 6048 had a double top, with the true summit being to the E. It also looked like there were rocks at the E end of the mountain where there might be some pretty decent views.

At this clearing, Lupe had her first clear view of Peak 6048 to the S.

Lupe and SPHP continued down into the little saddle, and then climbed over a small hill heading S. Beyond the small hill, the ridge line leading to Peak 6048 continued. The ground to the E still fell off sharply, but to the W the land sloped gently toward sunlit forests and little fields full of snow and light.

The climb up Peak 6048 from the NW was slow. A few inches of snow made everything slippery. The worst obstacle was the large amount of deadfall timber to be navigated. Lupe reached the NW high point on Peak 6048. There were some pretty big rocks up here. Lupe found a cairn at the top of them. Trees blocked the views in most directions, but it was possible to get a pretty decent view off to the NW.

Lupe reaches the NW high point of Peak 6048. The true summit was farther to the SE.

Looking NW from the NW high point of Peak 6048.

Lupe continued SE looking for the true summit of Peak 6048. She lost only a little elevation, and then came to another snowy climb through more deadfall. For a short stretch, SPHP was reduced to climbing up on hands and knees while clinging to rocks and trees.

At the SE summit, there were two large rock formations. The one farthest to the SE seemed to be slightly higher and the true summit of Peak 6048.

Lupe achieves a 2nd peakbagging goal for the day by reaching the true summit of Peak 6048 for the first time. Five Points is seen in the distance just to the L of the dead tree. Photo looks NE. — Lupe achieves a 2nd peakbagging goal for the day by reaching the true summit of Peak 6048 for the first time. **Five Points (6,221 ft.)** is seen in the distance just to the L of the dead tree. Photo looks NE.

Zimmer Ridge can be seen through a forest of dead trees from Peak 6048. Photo looks SSW. — **Zimmer Ridge (6,600 ft.)** can be seen through a forest of dead trees from Peak 6048. Photo looks SSW.

The best views from Peak 6048 were not at the summit. They were from the top of a cliff about 25 feet lower than the summit and a short distance to the E. Naturally, Lupe and SPHP had to check it out. There were sweeping open views all the way from the N around to the SE. This cliff with the fabulous views was a good spot to take a little break. Lupe had her Taste of the Wild. SPHP had an apple.

Yes, this is more like it! Harney Peak from the E cliff on Peak 6048. Photo looks SE.

Another view of Harney Peak. At 7,242 feet, Harney is the tallest mountain in South Dakota.

Campaign Hill is the forested hill in the foreground just R of center. Flag Mountain is just beyond and to the L of it at center. The low forested ridge on the L side of the photo is Smith Mountain. Photo looks N from Peak 6048.

"I thought Carolina Dogs lived in the swamps. How come you never take me to any swamps, SPHP? It would be more relaxing than all this standing next to the edge of cliffs!" — “I thought Carolina Dogs lived in the swamps. How come you never take me to any swamps, SPHP? It would be more relaxing than all this standing next to the edge of cliffs!”

After hanging out at the E cliff for a little while, it was time to go. Lupe and SPHP climbed back up to the true summit of Peak 6048. The 2nd large rock outcropping, the one that wasn’t quite as high, was nearby to the NW. Lupe and SPHP went over there for a few minutes. Even though these rocks weren’t quite as high as the true summit, the whole rock formation was more interesting. The American Dingo graciously posed for a couple of photos.

Yeah, these rocks are pretty cool! Glad they aren't really the true summit of Peak 6048, though. The last few feet up to the top look steeper than a Carolina Dog might want to tackle. Would probably call it good right here. — Yeah, these rocks are pretty cool! Glad they aren’t really the true summit of Peak 6048, though. The last few feet up to the top look steeper than a Carolina Dog might want to tackle. Would probably call it good right here.

Lupe and SPHP did a little more exploring of the summit area over towards the W, before beginning the journey down the mountain. A pleasant sunlit ledge offered a nice view to the NW.

The sunlit ledge with a view to the NW. Lupe and SPHP liked this quiet sunny spot, even though it wasn't the highest point and didn't offer the grandest view from the mountain. Sometimes beautiful places are just where you find them. — The sunlit ledge with a view to the NW. Lupe and SPHP liked this quiet sunny spot, even though it wasn’t the highest point and didn’t offer the grandest view from the mountain. Sometimes beautiful places are just where you find them.

The trek down the NW slopes of Peak 6048 seemed to take a long time for no farther than it was. Going down, the snow seemed more slippery. The deadfall seemed denser and more bothersome. Finally, SPHP was down off the steepest part of the mountain, and Lupe could race on ahead.

Just for fun, and since it was on the way back to the G6, Lupe and SPHP returned to climb Campaign Hill again. Before reaching it, Harney Peak was visible from the ridge line all lit up in the slanting rays of the January afternoon sun.

Although it had been fairly cloudy out most of the day, by the time Lupe was on her way to climb Campaign Hill for a 2nd time, the skies had cleared enough for the afternoon sun to light up Harney Peak.

Lupe went clear up to the very top of Campaign Hill for a 2nd time, but didn’t stay there long. SPHP still wanted to climb Flag Mountain to the N, too. Lupe and SPHP went past the other high points along the ridge, and then headed down the N slope of Campaign Hill. Lupe crossed USFS Road No. 727 at the saddle, and started up the SW slope of Flag Mountain.

The climb up Flag Mountain from the SW was easier than expected. It was kind of steep, but there wasn’t any snow. There wasn’t much deadfall timber either, except near the very top. The sun was starting to get low in the SW by the time Lupe arrived on top of Flag Mountain. A cool NW breeze was starting to blow.

Lupe on Flag Mountain, the last mountain she climbed on Expedition No. 115. Photo looks SW.

Yes, yes, it's true! Another shot of Harney Peak from the NW. This one, of course, was taken from Flag Mountain. Read enough of The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe, and you will eventually see Harney Peak from just about every conceivable direction. — Yes, yes, it’s true! Another shot of Harney Peak from the NW. This one, of course, was taken from Flag Mountain. Read enough of The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe, and you will eventually see Harney Peak from just about every conceivable direction.

The top of Flag Mountain. Photo looks W toward the small rocks that jut up at highest point.

It was getting to be time to hurry on. Lupe left Flag Mountain heading down the N slope. SPHP lost a lot of time again picking a way slowly down through the snow and plentiful deadfall timber. After losing sufficient elevation, the terrain began to level out a bit and there was much less deadfall. Lupe and SPHP could make progress again.

Lupe crossed Patterson Creek in a big field N of Flag Mountain. This field connected to the big open field she had traversed earlier in the day. By now the sun was on the horizon.

Lupe after crossing Patterson Creek. Photo looks WSW at the field the creek flows through.

After crossing Patterson Creek and the big field, Lupe was almost to USFS Road No. 386.1B just SW of Smith Mountain again. Before Lupe and SPHP could even reach the road, the sunset suddenly developed into a beautiful display of color. It almost looked like the forest was on fire!

The glorious sky faded as quickly as it arrived. Lupe and SPHP reached USFS Road No. 386.1B again. The rest of Lupe’s return trip to the G6 was just a retracement of the first part of her day’s journey. She still had 3 miles to go to get to the G6.

Lupe and SPHP trudged onward in the gathering gloom. Every now and then, Lupe would hear something undetectable to SPHP in the forest. Each time she raced off to investigate, returning to SPHP a few minutes later with a big grin on her face, as if some animal out there had told her a really good joke.

It was 6:40 PM, and still a balmy 43°F out when Lupe reached the G6. Lupe jumped very willingly into the G6, and curled up. Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 115 was over. It had been a great day. Lupe hardly stirred on the drive home. She must have had a great day, too!

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Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 148 – Smith Mountain, Flag Mountain & Campaign Hill (12-5-15)

The Black Hills experienced a cold snap over Thanksgiving and the following long weekend. Several nights there was light snow. At the very end of November, there was about 4″ of additional new snow overnight at Lupe’s house. Then it started to warm up. SPHP decided to wait for a few days to let some of the snow melt before Lupe’s next expedition.

Finally, on December 5th, Lupe and SPHP headed out for adventure again. Lupe was excited. She could hardly wait. At 9:29 AM, SPHP parked the G6 at the Newton Lake trailhead. It was 37 °F and overcast. Lupe leaped over SPHP to get out of the G6 at the first possible moment. She was expecting great things!

SPHP had 4 peakbagging goals in mind for Lupe. The first was Smith Mountain (5,897 ft.), which was very close at hand. Soon Lupe and SPHP were heading up the fairly steep NE slope. It was very slow going. There was still some snow on the ground, which made it a bit slippery. The real problem, though, was the terrible condition of the forest. There were lots of dead trees, killed by the pine bark beetles, that had fallen over.

For SPHP, it was a struggle getting over, under or around all the deadfall timber. At one point, SPHP lifted Lupe over a dangerous barbed wire fence that was partially collapsed by the dead trees. Lupe only needed to gain a little over 600 feet of elevation to get up on the ridge, but it was taking SPHP a long time to get up there. Finally, the ground began to level out a bit, and there was somewhat less deadfall around.

View from the upper NE slopes of Smith Mountain looking SE towards Harney Peak. There is less deadfall timber here than lower down.

Once Lupe and SPHP were up on the ridge, the going was a bit easier. The deadfall wasn’t quite as bad, and the ground wasn’t so steep. Lupe and SPHP reached the ridgeline near the N end of Smith Mountain. There was a series of rock outcroppings spaced out along the ridge as Lupe headed S toward the summit.

Lupe on one of the rock outcroppings near the N end of Smith Mountain. It took so long for SPHP to get up here, by now the formerly overcast skies were almost clear. It was going to be a beautiful day! Photo looks W or SW.

Here Lupe is shown at another rock outcropping farther S on Smith Mountain. At first, SPHP thought this might be the true summit, but it wasn't. — Here Lupe is shown at another rock outcropping farther S on Smith Mountain. At first, SPHP thought this might be the true summit, but it wasn’t.

Lupe up on the false summit of Smith Mountain. Despite the pine bark beetle carnage, there were still too many trees standing to permit any really decent distant views.

The Smith Mountain ridge runs N/S for about a mile. The ridge was all forested, and provided only occasional glimpses of distant hills. It was pretty easy going along the ridge, since it was plenty wide. Although it went up and down some, it was overall pretty level. Lupe found the true summit of Smith Mountain at a big rock outcropping a bit S of the mid-point along the ridge.

Lupe reaches the true summit of Smith Mountain.

Although the highest rock on Smith Mountain was too steep for Lupe to reach the tippy top, she got pretty close. Close enough for Dingo work!

SPHP reached up to touch the top of the closest high rock. It was still a foot or two below the very highest point. Lupe and SPHP are both claiming success, though.

With her Smith Mountain peakbagging goal accomplished, Lupe continued S along the Smith Mountain ridge. It was easier going along in here, since there wasn’t nearly so much deadfall. This part of the forest seemed to have been thinned by loggers some years ago. Whatever the reason, the forest was in better condition. SPHP was a bit surprised to find some big rock outcroppings near the S end of the mountain, but is pretty certain they weren’t quite as high as the rocks farther N.

Lupe’s 3 remaining peakbagging goals were all mountains along a line S of Smith Mountain. Her next goal was Flag Mountain (5,896 ft.). To get to Flag Mountain, Lupe went down the S end of Smith Mountain, and crossed Patterson Creek. Patterson Creek isn’t very large, and didn’t have much flow at this time of year. Lupe and SPHP had no problem crossing it. S of Patterson Creek, Lupe started climbing the N slope of Flag Mountain.

Lupe on her way to Flag Mountain, seen to the S in the background. Lupe is developing a habit of taking picture time very seriously, kind of like they did back in the late 1800's. Here she strikes her very best stiff and serious historic 1870 Carolina Dog pose. She often starts smiling again as soon as SPHP turns off the camera. It's a bit frustrating sometimes! — Lupe on her way to Flag Mountain, seen to the S in the background. Lupe is developing a habit of taking picture time very seriously, kind of like they did back in the late 1800’s. Here she strikes her very best stiff and serious historic 1870 Carolina Dog pose. She often starts smiling again as soon as SPHP turns off the camera. It’s a bit frustrating sometimes!

The last part of the climb up Flag Mountain was the steepest. There was snow again on the N slope, but only a couple of inches. The situation on Flag Mountain was the reverse of what it had been on Smith Mountain. Most of the deadfall timber was up on the highest slopes. The first part of the climb went fast, but the last part was slow.

Despite the deadfall, Lupe and SPHP reached the top of Flag Mountain. Lupe had accomplished her 2nd peakbagging goal of the day. It was time for a break. Lupe had some water and a bit of Taste of the Wild. She licked herself for a few minutes, and laid down to rest, but SPHP didn’t think a thing of it.

The top of Flag Mountain is pretty flat. Unlike Smith Mountain, Flag Mountain is not a long ridge. There is no chance of mistaking the summit. Toward the E is a spacious open grassy area. The actual highest point is over at some slightly higher rocks toward the W.

There are trees around the summit, some of them dead, which effectively block the views from Flag Mountain in most directions. However, there were really nice open views to the SE toward Harney Peak (7,242 ft.) from the grassy area. There was also a pretty good view to the NW, from the highest rocks at the W end of the summit area.

Lupe reaches the grassy area at the E end of the top of Flag Mountain. Photo looks SE toward Harney Peak. — Lupe reaches the grassy area at the E end of the top of Flag Mountain. Photo looks SE toward Harney Peak, the highest point on the horizon.

Harney Peak from Flag Mountain. The E part of the top of Campaign Hill, Lupe's 3rd peakbagging goal of the day is seen in the foreground on the R. — Harney Peak from Flag Mountain. The E part of the top of Campaign Hill, Lupe’s 3rd peakbagging goal of the day, is seen in the foreground on the R.

Lupe on the highest rocks on Flag Mountain. Photo looks NW.

Lupe had now completed 2 of her 4 peakbagging goals of the day. Her next goal wasn’t very far away. Just to the S of Flag Mountain is Campaign Hill (5,800 ft.). Campaign Hill isn’t quite as high as Flag Mountain, so it didn’t look like a very impressive goal. Due to the trees, it was hard to get a very good look at it, except from the very SE edge of the summit on Flag Mountain.

Since the sun stays pretty low this time of year, even at mid-day it always feels like sunset isn’t very far off. Lupe and SPHP enjoyed a little time up on Flag Mountain, but didn’t linger up there too long before Lupe began descending the SW slope. She only had to lose a few hundred feet of elevation to get down to the saddle between Flag Mountain and Campaign Hill.

Down at the saddle, there was a USFS road junction. USFS Road No. 727 passes through the gap between the two mountains. No. 727.1F branches off to head N on the W side of Flag Mountain. Lupe crossed No. 727, and started climbing directly up the N slope of Campaign Hill. It was fairly steep, especially near the top. Again there was some snow, but SPHP was glad that this time there wasn’t much of the pesky deadfall timber. Lupe was soon up on the highest rocks at the E end of Campaign Hill.

Lupe reaches the highest rocks at the E end of Campaign Hill. This was not the true summit.

There were too many trees near the rocks at the E end of the Campaign Hill ridge to really see much. It proved not to be the true summit anyway. Lupe headed W along the ridge, which soon turned SW, and came to a big rock that was clearly higher. Beyond it was a grouping of rocks that were even higher yet. This was the true summit of Campaign Hill.

SPHP had to lift Lupe up to get her up on top of the true summit. The entire Campaign Hill ridge, which wasn’t terribly long, was all pretty heavily forested. There weren’t really hardly any views. There was a glimpse of Harney Peak, though, from where Lupe was up on top.

An American Dingo is just visible peering out from the rocks on top of Campaign Hill.

Lupe was very good about staying up on top of Campaign Hill for photos while SPHP scrambled around on the rocks below for position.

Usually Lupe just jumps down off rocks, when SPHP says it is OK after taking photos. The rocks up on Campaign Hill were a bit high, however. Lupe waited for SPHP to come back up to help get her down off the rocks. She was reluctant to jump down. Again, SPHP thought nothing of it.

Lupe’s 4th and last peakbagging goal of the day was Peak 6048, about a mile to the S of Campaign Hill. The sun was definitely getting lower, so Lupe was soon on her way. She enjoyed running around in the slanting sunlight filtering through the forest, as she and SPHP continued S along the ridge. Near the lowest saddle on the way to Peak 6048, there was a little opening with a glimpse of Peak 6048 ahead. It wasn’t going to be long before Lupe would be up there!

Looking S at Peak 6048, the high point on the L. Lupe would be there soon, to complete her 4th peakbagging goal of the day!

Except Lupe never made it to Peak 6048. Lupe raced ahead of SPHP into a thick forest of small trees at the low point of the saddle. When she came out again, suddenly SPHP saw red. There was blood between Lupe’s hind legs! SPHP made Lupe stop and lay down. SPHP lifted up a hind leg. There was a gash at least 2 inches long where her left hind leg and abdomen meet. A big area of flesh was exposed where the skin was peeled back.

Fortunately, it didn’t look like anything other than the skin had been pierced or torn. Lupe wasn’t bleeding much, and she could still walk and run around. In fact, if SPHP hadn’t seen the blood, there wasn’t anything at all alarming about her behavior. She showed no sign of pain or distress. She didn’t want SPHP to touch the wound, though. It had to hurt!

Expedition No. 148 was essentially over. There would be no continuing on to Peak 6048. The only thing left to do was to get Lupe back to the G6. She needed to see a veterinarian ASAP. It was 5 miles back to the G6 along the only road SPHP was certain about. Before heading for the G6, though, it was time for first aid! Lupe had been hurt back on Expedition No. 135. Since then SPHP has been carrying bandages and gauze in case of an emergency.

SPHP tried a bandage first. Lupe was cooperative and let SPHP work on her, but the bandage was of no real use. Lupe’s fur was kind of long where her wound was, and the bandage wouldn’t stick to the wound. It stuck to her fur, but hung below her belly. The bandages were going to be useless without a way to shave the fur off around the wound.

SPHP tried using gauze wrapped up over Lupe’s back to hold the bandage in place closer to the wound. This would have worked, but it didn’t feel right to Lupe. She took a few steps and sat down. She just looked piteously at SPHP and refused to move. Maybe it hurt. Maybe it just felt weird. Probably both. Whatever. It was clear Lupe would not go on under her own power with the gauze wrapped around her like that. SPHP took the gauze off.

Injured Lupe with gauze wrapped around her back. She refused to move with it on.

What had happened to Lupe? SPHP didn’t see the injury occur, but it is almost certain she was impaled by a sharp broken limb sticking up from one of the hundreds of deadfall trees she had jumped over. It is a constant threat in the Black Hills these days. Perhaps the original injury was small, but once the wound was opened, it would have been easy for the edges of the broken skin to get caught on other sticks and twigs and tear further each time.

Thinking back, SPHP wondered if Lupe hadn’t been injured coming over the deadfall timber while climbing Flag Mountain. She had licked the area where the wound was up on top of Flag Mountain during her break. Up on Campaign Hill, she hadn’t wanted to jump down off the rocks like she usually does. Perhaps the poor injured Carolina Dog had been putting on a brave front for quite some time.

She was still putting on a brave front. Once the gauze was off, she was ready to go again. With nothing to protect her belly where the wound was, though, it was vitally important to stay away from any more deadfall timber. The last thing she needed was to get the broken skin caught on anything else and torn some more. Lupe needed to get to a road.

Lupe and SPHP headed down through the forest to the W of the saddle. Fortunately, USFS Road No. 727 wasn’t very far away. Lupe and SPHP reached the road very quickly. Lupe followed it N. She took No. 727.1F at the intersection between Flag Mountain and Campaign Hill, staying W of Flag Mountain.

No. 727.1F ended before reaching Patterson Creek. Lupe and SPHP had to continue off-road down to the creek. Fortunately, there wasn’t much deadfall in this area. N of the creek was another road, USFS Road No. 386.1B. Lupe and SPHP had explored No. 386.1B once before heading around the W side of Smith Mountain on a prior expedition. Upon reaching the road, SPHP stopped and looked at the map.

It was still close to 4 miles back to the G6 by the route around the W side of Smith Mountain. The map showed No. 386.1B also curled around the E side of the mountain, though, too. It didn’t show the E route going all the way to the highway, but it looked like it got pretty close. The E route would be less than half as long. It might easily save 1.5 hours, if it worked.

It was hard to know what to do. If the E route ended in a tangle of deadfall, Lupe and SPHP would have to come all the way back. She would then still have go clear around the W side of Smith Mountain. On the other hand, time was of the essence. Just because Lupe seemed happy enough didn’t mean things were fine. With nothing protecting the open wound, no doubt infection was setting in. The longer it took to get to the vet, the worse it would be for Lupe.

The road to the E looked pretty good. SPHP hesitated only a minute or two, before Lupe and SPHP took it. Thankfully, the shortcut worked. At 4:10 PM, Lupe was back at the G6. SPHP drove her directly to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital in Rapid City. Emergency veterinarian Dr. David Christensen saw Lupe almost right away. She was soon led away for wound cleaning, anesthesia, and stitches.

SPHP waited for Lupe to return. And waited. And waited. The clinic staff and Dr. Christensen were busy early on a Saturday evening. A woman brought in a black and white dog that was trembling all over. She thought her dog had been poisoned. A man brought in a little white dog that had a badly abscessed tooth. One side of its face was all bloody.

Eventually, a staff member told SPHP that Lupe was waking up from the anesthesia, and it would be another 5 or 10 minutes. Nearly an hour passed, though, with no further word. Finally, Lupe returned. She was walking, but looked dazed from the experience. Her fur on her chest was all wet from drooling. She was all stitched up, though! She was going to be fine!