Start – 9:46 AM, 38°F along Horse Creek Road (USFS Road No. 243) near USFS Road No. 243.2J
New Year 2019 arrived on a subzero night in the Black Hills. Things had warmed up since then. Naturally, Lupe was anxious to get started on her 2019 adventures! False North Point(6,130 ft.), a peak she had first visited on Halloween in 2015, was going to be her first peakbagging goal of the new year. She might even make it to Five Points(6,221 ft.) today, with a little luck.
Lupe left Horse Creek Road on USFS Road No. 243.2J. The snowy road wound S crossing Horse Creek 3 times, but the creek was so small that flowing water was only present on the surface at the middle crossing. The Carolina Dog easily leapt over it.
Setting out for False North Point on USFS Road No. 243.2J. Photo looks SSW.Nearing the last crossing of the Horse Creek drainage. Photo looks SSE.
After 0.33 mile, Horse Creek flowed E. No. 243.2J crossed the drainage for the last time, and began curving SW up another valley. Lupe came to a locked gate, and went under a barbed wire fence. A small dry stock pond was just ahead where the valley forked. No. 243.2J ended here at an intersection with USFS Road No. 669.
Lupe could take No. 669 up separate valleys going either S or W. She stayed to the R taking the valley to the W.
No. 669 wound W, before eventually turning S. Looper came to sunny spots, but the road was often in the shadow of forested hills. At first, 6″ of snow was on the road, but as Lupe gained elevation, the snow became deeper, significantly slowing SPHP down. Lupe was forced to expend more and more energy bounding through it.
This was a beautiful trek, though. The snowy valley was quiet and still. Lupe maintained it could have been improved with the addition of a few squirrels. She kept a sharp eye and keen nose out, but didn’t find any.
Heading W on USFS Road No. 669.10 minutes from the stock pond, this gate blocked the road. Lupe went under it. Photo looks W.The N (R) side of the valley was often sunny, but the road was more apt to be in the shadow of hills to the S (L). Photo looks WSW.Lupe enjoyed the snowy road trek, but the snow was deep enough to discourage her from spending much time exploring away from the road. Photo looks WSW.Near this point, No. 669 started curving SW. Lupe saw a small pond and a little creek N (R) of the road here, but the rest of the long valley was dry. Photo looks W.As the snow deepened, Loop passed some deadfall timber, but there wasn’t much of it most of the way up the valley. Photo looks SW.The whole valley, but especially this upper part, felt very secluded. Photo looks SSW.
Lupe had been on USFS Road No. 669 several times years ago. An odd, sublime, sense of both discovery yet vague familiarity, as though having been here before in a dream, took hold. At last, after 1.75 miles on No. 669, Lupe reached a fork in the road that SPHP definitely recognized. The snow was belly deep on the American Dingo here.
After 1.75 miles on No. 669, Looper reaches a fork in the road.
Loop took the fork to the L (SE), which very quickly led up to a broad saddle that was also familiar. This saddle was strewn with a great deal of deadfall timber, the product of a severe pine bark beetle infestation a number of years ago. Many dead pines had fallen on a barbed wire fence, collapsing it. SPHP lifted Lupe over the dangerous fallen fence.
On the far side of the saddle, Lupe saw a forested hill ahead.
From the deadfall strewn saddle, Lupe could see a forested hill ahead. Photo looks SE.
SPHP checked the topo map. False North Point was only 0.33 mile away! Lupe could head directly for it by turning R and going SSW straight up the hill on the SW side of the saddle. She could then follow False North Points’ NNE ridge directly to the summit.
Only a low forested hill, and copious deadfall timber, could be seen in that direction. SPHP carried Lupe back over the collapsed fence. She then began her ascent of the wretched-looking slope.
Loop still at the saddle. According to the topo map, the low hill beyond her was the way to False North Point, 0.33 mile away. Photo looks SW.
The deadfall was inconveniently laying at a 90° angle to the direction Lupe needed to go. Her climb began slowly as SPHP laboriously picked a way up through the mess. Enough trees were still standing to hide any views. At first, there was nothing to see except the snowy forest.
After gaining some elevation, the deadfall thinned out. Lupe came to a small rock formation from which she had a bit of a view.
Partway up the NNE ridge, Lupe reaches a small rock formation. Photo looks N.
Looper kept going. The ridge wasn’t particularly steep. Exploring the forest was fun! The Carolina Dog had never been up False North Point from this direction before. She came to another rock formation. This one had a more impressive view of a wider area.
Exploring False North Points’ NNE ridge. Photo looks SSW.A better viewpoint higher up. Photo looks NW.
The mountain steepened. The snow was deeper. Lupe was getting close to the top. After toiling up a particularly steep slope, she came to much larger rock formations. Loopster traveled along the E side of the rocks looking for the summit.
Approaching the steepest part of the climb in deep snow. Photo looks SSW.Almost there! Lupe along the E side of large rock formations leading to the summit. Photo looks W.Another look. Same spot.
The last part of the climb was a short scramble. Lupe arrived at the top of False North Point(6,130 ft.) to find a cramped area of uneven rock. The summit was a somewhat precarious perch. Loop had no place to get comfortable or relax. A small cairn sat upon some of the highest rocks.
The last part of the climb was a very short scramble. Photo looks W.Success! Lupe stands at the cramped uneven summit of False North Point. Photo looks NNE.
Ponderosa pines hid the views to the SE, but False North Point provided an impressive 180° panorama to the NW. Lupe could see many peaks she had been to recently off to the N, and a huge expanse of territory off to the W all the way to the limestone plateau country.
Looking NW from the summit. The cairn is in front of Lupe.Looking NE. Lupe’s hind legs are on the cairn.Sylvan Hill(7,000 ft.) (L) is the highest distant ridge. Photo looks SSW.Looking N, Lupe could see many peaks she had visited fairly recently.The 4 peaks in the foreground are Peak6,167 (far L), Old Bald Peak(6,130 ft.) (L), Nugget Gulch Peak(6,000 ft.) (Center) and Peak6043 (R). Photo looks NNW with help from the telephoto lens.I’d forgotten how amazing these views are from False North Point!
Due in part to these great views, False North Point had gotten its name back on Halloween 2015 when SPHP had mistaken this peak for the northernmost summit of Five Points(6,221 ft.), which was actually 0.5 mile SE. Lupe had continued on to Five Points that same day, thereby quickly revealing SPHP’s error.
The true north point of Five Points was barely visible from False North Point, almost completely hidden by trees. SPHP could get a glimpse of it, but Lupe wasn’t tall enough to see it at all.
A glimpse of the true north point (L) of Five Points (R) was all that could be seen from False North Point. Photo looks SE with help from the telephoto lens.
No matter how wonderful the views, Lupe wasn’t going to balance up there on the tippy top of the mountain all day long. She stayed near the cairn for a short while, before checking out another part of the summit formation 12 feet to the SW. This wasn’t a much better perch.
Loop on another part of the summit knob. The cairn is out of sight 12 feet beyond her. Photo looks E.Summit of False North Point from the SW. Photo looks NE.
The summit ridge dropped off quite sharply in most directions. The SSW spine featured rocks that were flatter and offered essentially the same views. Lupe headed down there.
Lupe on the spine of the summit ridge. Photo looks SSW.On a flatter rock SSW of the true summit with an equally fabulous view. Photo looks WNW.
Lupe had arrived at False North Point with enough daylight left to linger here a while. However, the snow and deadfall had slowed things down enough to make continuing on to Five Points(6,221 ft.) a poor choice. Conditions were pleasant and the views magnificent, so Loop and SPHP simply relaxed up on False North Point and enjoyed the day.
A happy hour shot by, and it was time to go.
Loop on her favorite perch at False North Point before moving on. Photo looks NNE.
For a change of scene, Loopster headed down the SSW ridge instead of retreating the way she had come. Below the rocky summit, the ridge was heavily forested, but the Carolina Dog did come to a spot where she had a clear view of Five Points(6,221 ft.).
True North Point (far L), Five Points (L) and Black Elk Peak(7,231 ft.) (R). Photo looks SSE.
Then it was down, down through the snowy woods. Lupe gradually turned W, then NW. When the slope began to decrease, she emerged from the forest in a field of scattered pines and deadfall. USFS Road No. 249 was in sight at the bottom of the slope.
W of False North Point nearing USFS Road No. 249. Photo looks WNW.Going down the open slope. Photo looks SSW.
Upon reaching No. 249, Lupe followed it N.
On USFS Road No. 249. Photo looks N.
After nearly a mile, Loop reached an entrance to Whisper Creek Ranch, which sounded nice, but was private property. False North Point was in view to the S from here.
At the entrance to Whisper Creek Ranch. Photo looks NNW.False North Point from the entrance to the Whisper Creek Ranch. Photo looks SSW.
Thus far, the road had been snow-packed, but beyond the Whisper Creek Ranch entrance a metal gate blocked the rest of No. 249. That didn’t stop the American Dingo! Lupe continued N. No vehicle had been here to compress the snow.
Continuing N beyond a closed gate on USFS Road No. 249. Photo looks N.
Another 0.33 mile, and SPHP figured Lupe had gone far enough N on the road. She needed to turn E somewhere along in here. A low bare ridge was E of the road, so Lupe climbed it. From a minor high point, which SPHP figured was probably High Point 5686, Lupe had her final view of False North Point.
Lupe has a last look at False North Point (L) from High Point 5686. Photo looks S.
The Carolina Dog left High Point 5686 going N, but soon turned down into the valley to the E. She had never been here before, so exploring this new valley was interesting.
Exploring the valley NE of High Point 5686.
The valley eventually led back to USFS Road No. 669, somewhat below the fork in the road where Lupe had gone L to reach the saddle NNW of False North Peak. From here on, Loop simply retraced her route up all the way back to Horse Creek Road. (4:17 PM, 33°F)
Only later did SPHP realize that Lupe’s snowy return to False North Point had been exactly 100 Black Hills Expeditions after her very first ascent on Expedition No. 144 way back in 2015. Perhaps she will return again some fine day, 100 expeditions into the future?
False North Point was pretty fun! Maybe I’ll be back on Expedition No. 344? Hope to see you again here at The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe before then, though!
What better way for a lucky American Dingo to celebrate Halloween than a day spent exploring the Black Hills? Lupe was certainly in favor of it. When she saw SPHP getting the backpack ready to go, she quickly grew impatient for SPHP to head out the door. Finally, the great moment arrived.
For Lupe’s Black Hills Expedition No. 144, SPHP selected Five Points(6,221 ft.) as her peakbagging goal. Rather than being a single mountain, Five Points is actually a series of small mountains close together along a line running N/S. Five Points is located just a few miles NNE of Hill City in the central Black Hills. Its highest peak is the highest mountain N of Hill City for quite a few miles.
At 10:30 AM, SPHP parked the G6 just off Horse Creek Road (USFS Road No. 243). It was 48°F already, and was going to be quite a warm day for this late in the season. A breeze could be heard up in the trees, but the air was pretty calm down on the ground. Lupe and SPHP headed S on an access road that leads to USFS Road No. 669. Lupe crossed Horse Creek twice along the access road. Horse Creek isn’t a very big stream, but it had more water in it than other times Lupe has been in the area.
Lupe at Horse Creek.
The access road is less than 0.5 mile long, so Lupe was soon at the junction with USFS Road No. 669. There is a small stock pond near the junction. In keeping with the theme of slimy ponds like Hidden Slew from Lupe’s Expedition No. 143, here is a photo of the pond:
Lupe reaches the pond near USFS Road No. 669. This is the only pond shot in this entire post, I promise, even though she passed several more going up the valley along No. 669.
Lupe and SPHP headed W on No. 669. The road went up a small, mostly forested valley at an easy pace. There were quite a few aspen trees at the bottom of the valley, but the slopes were mostly pine-covered. There would be no traffic on the road; it was blocked in quite a few places with deadfall timber. Most of the road, however, was open for easy hiking. Lupe explored here and there, just glad to be out running around. The deadfall didn’t bother her.
Up ahead, SPHP saw something odd dangling from an aspen tree. From a distance, it looked like the size of a human head. That would fit in with a Halloween theme, but upon reaching it, SPHP saw that it was an old wasp’s nest. The bottom of it had deteriorated so there was quite a large hole in it. SPHP thought maybe the nest was abandoned, but upon closer inspection, there were still a couple of wasps flying around and entering it.
This wasp’s nest wasn’t very active, but there were still a couple of wasps that flew up into it.
Even though the hive wasn’t very active, SPHP figured nothing good could come from hanging around it. There was no reason to stay there anyway. Lupe and SPHP went on up the road. Lupe passed several more little ponds. Toward the upper end of the little valley, the tiny stream that fed the ponds was running right down USFS Road No. 669 beneath an archway of aspen trees.
Some nice tall aspens along USFS Road No. 669.A tiny creek flows down USFS Road No. 669 beneath an archway of aspens.
The road had turned SW by the time Lupe reached the area where the tiny creek was flowing on it. Eventually the road turned S and left the bottom of the valley. Lupe stayed on a path that continued up the valley. Before long, the path turned W and climbed more steeply up to a saddle along a ridge running N/S. There was lots of deadfall timber on the climb to the saddle, so it was slow going for SPHP.
USFS Road No. 249 was not very far W of the saddle, but Lupe did not go to the road. Lupe and SPHP turned S and followed the ridge. From the top of a small high point along the way, a considerably higher hill with a rocky top could be seen ahead. Lupe and SPHP climbed it. There was quite a lot of rock as Lupe drew near the summit.
From the top there were really nice views all around from the SW to the W, N, and NE. This high up, the wind was really roaring in the trees. The big rocks at the top were an effective barrier against the wind, which was coming out of the SW. Lupe liked it down out of the wind, but SPHP persuaded her to go up on top for a few photos.
Nearing the rocky summit of False North Point.Lupe at the summit of False North Point. Photo looks N.
Lupe had been here before, but quite a long time ago. Her first trip here had been on her first Black Hills expedition of 2013 on New Year’s Day. (Expedition No. 42, 1-1-13) Back then, SPHP had thought Lupe was up on the northernmost summit of Five Points. Accordingly, SPHP had named this mountain North Point.
Lupe had returned to the same area just 5 days later on Expedition No. 43 on 1-6-13. She had actually climbed up to the highest point of Five Points on Expedition No. 43. SPHP realized then that this mountain was not part of the Five Points grouping. This mountain was too far to the NNW. So SPHP changed the name to False North Point. The topo maps on Peakbagger.com show its elevation as 6,130 feet.
Looking S from False North Point.Looking NW.Lupe near the highest rocks on False North Point.Looking W.Lupe just below the summit.
The view to the SSE from False North Point toward Five Points was partially blocked by the forest. SPHP snapped a quick photo in that direction, and then Lupe was ready to get out of the wind.
Lupe and SPHP headed back to the NE end of the summit area on False North Point, which looked like the easiest way down to the saddle over to the ridge N of Five Points. Before Lupe lost much elevation, there was a place where an opening in the forest permitted a look to the E toward Boulder Hill(5,331 ft.).
Looking SSE at Five Points from False North Point. The real North Point is hidden behind the trees at the L side of the photo. The true summit of Five Points is in clear view. To the right, Harney Peak is seen in the distance. The road is USFS Road No. 249, which is coming N from China Gulch.Looking E from False North Point. A portion of Sheridan Lake is in view. Beyond the lake, the rocky high point is Boulder Hill.
Lupe and SPHP headed down from False North Point. SPHP led Lupe down a bit farther N than would have been ideal. She had to go S climbing up through an aspen forest just to reach the saddle over to the ridge N of Five Points. Instead of climbing up onto the ridge, Lupe and SPHP stayed W of it, gaining elevation slowly. SPHP was hoping to arrive at the saddle along the ridge just N of the real North Point. That’s exactly where Lupe did arrive, too.
The climb up the N face of the real North Point was the most challenging of the day. Near the top was a big boulder field. It was fairly steep. Lupe and SPHP went straight on up it, but repeatedly came to false summits. Each time it looked like Lupe was about to come out up on top, another set of rocks going 20 feet higher appeared.
The roaring wind made the climb seem more daunting than it really was. SPHP climbed slowly and carefully. Lupe wished SPHP would move in a more lively fashion. She had no trouble maneuvering among the rocks.
Lupe climbing North Point, the real one, not the false one. She isn’t really as close to the top as this photo makes it look. There are more rocks higher up than seen here.Looking NW during the climb up North Point.
Finally, Lupe and SPHP were within 10 or 12 feet of the top of the boulder field. The last part of the climb was a rock wall. It looked like there were plenty of hand holds, but SPHP decided against it. Lupe had to go back down about 20 feet to get to a shelf that led around to the W side of the mountain. Over there she came to an easier way up.
The actual summit of North Point was still a bit S of where Lupe and SPHP came up. Before going over there, though, Lupe and SPHP went N to the top of the rock wall which SPHP had decided against climbing. There was an excellent clear view back to the NNW of False North Point where Lupe had just come from.
Lupe still climbing the N face of North Point. Another false top is in view. This really was a fun rock climb.Looking NNW at False North Point (above Lupe’s head) from the top of the rock wall on the real North Point.False North Point (L) from North Point. Photo looks NNW.
After taking a look back at False North Point, Lupe and SPHP went to see what the true summit of Five Points to the S looked like from North Point. Lupe also visited the summit of North Point.
The true summit of Five Points is now in view from North Point. Photo looks S.Lupe very near the summit of North Point. Photo looks S. The small patch of open ground in the distance is part of Hill City.
The summit of North Point was along the W side of the mountain where the highest ridge of rock provided a commanding 180° view to the W. North Point also featured a slightly lower and wider ridge that extended out to the E. Lupe and SPHP explored this lower ridge to its eastern end.
The E ridge was forested, but there were some openings in the forest. Several rock outcroppings provided great views. Most views were to the N, but it was possible to see to the SE in a couple places, too. There was even a clearer view to the S toward the true summit of Five Points than Lupe had found near the summit of North Point.
From the E ridge on North Point, Lupe found this view of the True Summit of Five Points. It can be seen that there are actually two of the Five Points over there. The high point on the left is South Point. South Point is not quite as high as the True Summit on the R. Photo looks S.
After exploring North Point, it was time for Lupe to head over to the True Summit of Five Points. Although the way initially looked steep, it really wasn’t hard going down North Point into the saddle to the S.
SPHP expected another rocky climb up to the True Summit. Lupe stayed mostly to the E of a spine of rock heading up the N slope. The way up was pretty steep, but Lupe didn’t have to climb any big boulder fields to get up on top. It was an easier climb than going up North Point had been.
Looking N back at North Point (R) and False North Point (L) from the N end of the ridge on the True Summit of Five Points.
Up on top of the True Summit of Five Points was a rocky ridge oriented N/S, just like on the other peaks Lupe had already climbed. The rocks toward the S end were much larger than at the N end. Lupe had to pass just below the big rocks on the E side of the mountain to work her way over to the S end of the ridge. Near the S end, she found a steep grassy ramp that led right on up to the very top of the mountain.
Separated by less than 100 feet, there were two high clusters of rock. The grassy ramp brought Lupe up between them. Lupe went first to the S rock cluster. It had a great view toward Harney Peak(7,242 ft.). The N rock cluster was the very top of the mountain, and the True Summit of Five Points. It was only a few feet higher than the S cluster. There were views to the W, N, and E from here.
Since the most impressive view was to the S toward Harney Peak(7,242 ft.), Lupe and SPHP returned to the S rock cluster to take a break. SPHP had carrots and apple crisp. Lupe had Taste of the Wild and plenty of water. She got to lick the remaining apple crisp sauce out of the plastic container, too. Carolina Dogs like apple crisp!
Looking S toward Harney Peak from the S rock cluster at the top of the True Summit of Five Points. This photo shows two more of the Five Points. They are the rocky hills in the foreground L of Lupe. Both are clearly lower. Lupe did not go to either of those summits.Lupe up on the North rock cluster. These are the very highest rocks on the True Summit of Five Points. Lupe reached her Five Points peakbagging goal here. She had been here once before on Expedition No. 43 way back on 1-6-13. Photo looks N.
It was still windy out while Lupe and SPHP were taking the break on the True Summit of Five Points. However, the wind had shifted a bit and was now coming out of the W. It finally seemed to be weakening a bit. After eating, Lupe curled up for a few minutes in a spot where the rocks protected her from the wind.
Lupe had now climbed North Point and the True Summit of Five Points to achieve her peakbagging goal for the day. There were still 3 of the Five Points unclimbed. False North Point didn’t count, since it wasn’t really part of the official group. The sun was starting to get low. SPHP debated whether or not Lupe should climb any more of the Five Points mountains.
The 2nd highest mountain of the Five Points group was separated from the True Summit by a saddle extending off to the SE. SPHP was calling this mountain South Point, even though there were two lower points of the Five Point group farther S. South Point really wasn’t very far away.
The saddle to South Point didn’t lose much elevation, but there was a lot of deadfall timber and some pretty big rock outcroppings visible along the way. If Lupe could get by the rocks and deadfall, it wouldn’t take long for her to reach the summit of South Point.
As always, Lupe was willing to try it. So Lupe and SPHP went back down the steep grassy ramp and headed SE toward the saddle to South Point. It really wasn’t hard to cross the saddle area. The deadfall timber was more of a problem than the rocks were. Lupe succeeded in reaching the top of South Point. She found the highest rocks near the SE end of the ridge. The best views were from a rock platform at the very SE end.
Looking S from South Point. Harney Peak (L) and Hill City (R) are in view.Lupe on the rock platform at the far SE end of South Point. Photo looks SE.Harney Peak from South Point. The two points of the Five Points group that Lupe did not climb on Expedition No. 144 are seen in the foreground. (Only the rocks at the very top of the lowest point are seen at the lower R.) Photo looks S.The summit of South Point. Lupe is surrounded here by the highest rocks on South Point. Photo looks NW. The True Summit of Five Points isn’t very far away to the NW, but is hidden by the forest.
When Lupe reached the summit of South Point, she had climbed the 3 highest mountains in the Five Points group, plus False North Point. It was time to start heading back to the G6. Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult to just continue down off South Point continuing to the SE.
Lupe was losing a lot of elevation. As soon as the terrain permitted, SPHP led Lupe to the SW and then W. Lupe was going to go clear around to the W of the True Summit and North Point. It was a fairly long march through the forest, made longer by the steepness of the slope, deadfall timber, and big patches of thistles and thorny plants. Lupe had a great time, though. There was now room to run around in the forest. She sped around, happy to not be so confined up on high rocky places.
When Lupe had gone quite a long distance to the W, she came to a big square-shaped rock outcropping, which SPHP promptly dubbed Block ‘O Rock. Not too long after reaching Block ‘O Rock, the terrain leveled out and Lupe was able to head N. She was far enough W to see USFS Road No. 249 down the hill to the W, but she did not go down to the road.
At Block ‘O Rock.
Lupe continued N through the forest until she was just S of False North Point again. There a faint road went almost all the way up to the saddle she had crossed earlier in the day heading for North Point. Lupe continued N over the saddle and descended into an aspen filled valley. At first there was a path, but as Lupe continued on, the path became choked with deadfall timber.
A look back at North Point (L) and the True Summit (R) of Five Points. Photo looks SE.
It really wasn’t terribly far (0.5 mile?) to reach another saddle NE of False North Point that would take Lupe back to USFS Road No. 669. The forest was a mess, though. The deadfall was so thick it even slowed Lupe down. The sun disappeared. A little later, the last sunlight remaining on the peaks disappeared. It wouldn’t be good to be stuck out in this tangle at night. The moon wasn’t due to rise for several hours.
SPHP was confident, though. Lupe made it to the saddle while there was still twilight. She picked up USFS Road No. 669 again. Once on No. 669, it was easy to just retrace the early part of the day’s journey back to the G6. The stars were out by the time Lupe got there at 6:39 PM. It was 38°F. The wind was almost gone. A slight breeze was heard in the treetops.
Lupe and SPHP stood under the stars for a few more minutes. Then it was time for Lupe to go to her Grandma’s house for Halloween. When she got there, Lupe raced into the house, and up the stairs wagging her tail and whining in excitement. Grandma was very happy to see her! Time for ice cream!
Heading back. The pathway into the aspen-filled valley before it becomes choked with deadfall timber.
