7-18-24, 6:40 PM –
C’mon, Loopster! Time to go!
Oh, good! Finally some action! Where are we going, SPHP?
To the Highpointers Club’s 2024 annual National Konvention! It’s being held right here in South Dakota this year at the Ramkota Hotel in Rapid City. It’s the reason why we’re back home in the Black Hills between Dingo Vacations for a few days. I promised Dave Covill months ago that you’d be here for the konvention. Registered you for it online a while back, so we’re all set.
Really? I’m registered? What is a konvention, anyway, SPHP? Have I ever been to one before?
No, I don’t think so, Looper. Certainly none that started with a “k”, which is rather strange, but seems to be deliberate. Most conventions are spelled with a “c” and involve a lot of people, meetings, displays, presentations, speeches, and that sort of thing.
Crowds, meetings, and speeches? About what? Doesn’t sound like the sort of adventure we’re used to, SPHP. Boring!
What it’s all about depends on what kind of organization is putting on the convention, Loop. I bet you’ll like this one. The Highpointers Club was formed to promote climbing the highest mountain in each of the 50 United States. This was the first day of the konvention, and the konventioneers have already climbed Bear Butte (4431 ft.) this morning and visited Crazy Horse this afternoon.
Now that sounds like fun! Why didn’t we go, too, SPHP?
Sorry, no Dingoes allowed either place, Loopster. However, cheer up! Since all the highpointers naturally want to visit the highest mountain in South Dakota while they’re here, Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) is tomorrow! We can do that!
Terrific! And what are we climbing this evening then, SPHP?
Nothing. We’re attending the konvention’s Liar’s Club Social at the Ramkota Hotel, Loop.
Liar’s Club!? I suppose you’ll fit right in, SPHP, but what am I going to do there?
You’ll get to meet a lot of highpointers, listen to tall tales, and I understand that there’s supposed to be food. Light fare – but I bet something you’ll like will be on offer.
Will there be bacon, SPHP?
In the evening? Kind of doubt it, Looper.
7-18-24, 6:59 PM – Lupe arrived right on time for the Liars Club Social at the Ramkota Hotel in Rapid City. Sure enough, a big red banner was out front welcoming all Highpointers!
While Lupe was still at the banner, she met her first Highpointers Club member, Alison Wenzel Kieffer, who had come all the way to the Black Hills of South Dakota from Caribou, Maine. Alison was very nice, and had already climbed 33 state high points!
I’ve got a feeling we aren’t going to be impressing anyone with our 6 state high points climbed, are we, SPHP?
Hah! Don’t worry about it, Loopster. We may only be state highpointer newbs here, but that just means we have more potential state highpointing adventures still ahead of us. Besides, no one’s going to know we’ve only been to 6 tonight. We’re on our way to the Liar’s Club Social, remember?
After a pleasant stroll through several long, air-conditioned corridors of the Ramkota Hotel, Lupe and SPHP reached a small outdoor courtyard with grass and a gazebo, all completely surrounded by the hotel. The Liar’s Club Social was just getting started. Only about 10 people were present, but the evening was still young, and the cash bar was open. SPHP steered the Carolina Dog away from it, knowing she’d overdo it.
As the crowd swelled, Lupe met many Highpointer Club members. Early on she ran into Quinn and Phyllis McCutchen from Clemmons, North Carolina. They were great travelers, and had visited Deadhorse, Alaska, just like Lupe. The McCutchens had even been to Point Barrow during a festival where they’d eaten whale blubber, an Alaskan delicacy.
Speaking of eating, why don’t you see what’s available, SPHP? I’ll hang out here with the McCutchens while you check. Bring me something good!
SPHP soon returned with water and a big, soft pretzel topped with melted cheese.
Oh, that will do, SPHP! I love cheese.
The McCutchens were very friendly and kind to Lupe, but it was soon time to mingle with the rest of the gathering throng, too.
Guess what, SPHP? Quinn and Phyllis have been to 49 state high points!
Wow, that’s a lot! How many did you tell them we’d been to, Loop?
87. Think I impressed them, SPHP?
That’s the Liar’s Club spirit, Loopster! How could they not be impressed?
Dave and Beckie Covill showed up. They came over to greet Lupe, and she met John Mitchler, too! Of course, Dave and John had both been to all 50 state high points long ago. Together they’d co-authored Hiking Colorado’s Summits: A Guide to Exploring the County Highpoints way back in 1999. John was very friendly, and even seemed to know in advance who Lupe was!
Lupe met Robert and Gordon Simpson, a father-son Highpointer team from Vermont. At only 10 years old, Gordon had already been to 48 state high points, lacking only Mount Rainier (14,407 ft.) in Washington, and Denali (20,310 ft.) in Alaska to finish them all.
The Carolina Dog met so many Highpointers that SPHP couldn’t begin to keep track of them all. They were all very kind, and many petted Lupe. A fair number of them said that they’d read some of her trip reports on either Peakbagger.com or on The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe. One or two even told Lupe she was famous.
Loopster loved all the attention!
Did you hear that, SPHP? I’m famous!
I did, Loop! I can hardly wait until they start saying you’re rich and famous.
Rich and famous! Really? When do you think that will be, SPHP?
Oh, any day now, I’m sure. You’ll see!
Well, it was the Liar’s Club, after all, and made Lupe even happier. She left the Ramkota Hotel well after 10:00 PM with dreams of T-bone steak for dinner every night, and as much ice cream, chocolate coconut bars, and other treats as she wanted every day.
Highpointers Club Konventions are a blast, SPHP! So glad we came!
Yeah, it was fun, wasn’t it, Loopster? More to come tomorrow and the next day, too! It’s a 3 day konvention!
Fabulous, SPHP! One thing puzzles me, though.
What’s that, Loop?
For a Liars Club Social everyone seemed so sincere!
Quite agree, Looper. Not what I expected. Guess it was BYOL night.
BYOL, SPHP? What’s that mean?
Just an abbreviation for “bring your own lies”, Loopster. Either these Highpointer types are the smoothest liars ever, or we were the only ones who brought any at all.
7-19-24, 6:55 AM – The Highpointers Club 2024 National Konvention was already in full swing when Lupe showed up at the Ramkota Hotel. Many more people were here for a continental breakfast in the Rushmore Room than had been at the Liars Club Social yesterday evening.
Lupe continued to attract attention from various Highpointers who came over to say hello and give her a pat. Many mentioned how much they missed their own dogs. John Mitchler reappeared to wish Lupe a good morning.
SPHP once again went to check out what there was to eat.
It’s morning, SPHP! Did you bring me any bacon?
Tough break, Loopster. Got myself orange juice, little Danish rolls, and some yogurt, but there isn’t any bacon. Brought you some cookies, though. Only thing up there that you might like.
Such sad news! Cookies for breakfast? You were right, SPHP. I’m starting to feel rich already! Can you bring me some more of these cookies with the white chocolate chips in them? They’re scrumptious!
Your wish is my command, oh soon to be portly Dingo!
7-19-24, 8:09 AM, Willow Creek trailhead off Hwy 244 – According to the official Konvention schedule, today’s big outdoor event was a “Hike of Black Elk Peak by your own chosen route at your own chosen pace. Expect to see lots of Club members out on the trail.”
However, SPHP didn’t really expect Lupe would see many Highpointers going this way, but the American Dingo had already been on the most popular, shorter routes recently, and she hadn’t taken Willow Creek Trail No. 8 and Black Elk Peak Trail No. 9(N) since her 10th birthday way back in December, 2020.
Might not see anyone going this way, Loopster. Expect most Highpointers will head up from Sylvan Lake on Black Elk Peak Trail No. 9(S), or chose Trail No. 4 going past Little Devils Tower (6,981 ft.).
No worries, SPHP! We’re all going to the same place, aren’t we? We’ll see them up on Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.)!
That’s pretty much how it worked out, too. Lupe saw only one group of hikers, a family of 4 that weren’t Highpointers, along the longer S part of the Willow Creek No. 8 loop. SPHP was surprised by how tall and lush the vegetation was. There were lots of wildflowers, and less happily, quite a few mosquitoes near Willow Creek.
Guess I’ve forgotten what the Black Hills are like in the summer, Loop, since we’re almost always gone on your Dingo Vacations this time of year.
The wildflowers are amazing, but it’s going to be hot, SPHP. I can tell already!
Along Black Elk Peak Trail No. 9(N), the views got better and better as Lupe gained elevation. Interesting rock formations were sometimes close by. Views of both Elkhorn Mountain (6,445 ft.) and more distant Black Elk Peak began to appear.
After passing Elkhorn Mountain, Lupe reached a favorite section of Trail No. 9(N) that goes along a stretch of exposed bedrock with views of both Peak 6735 and Black Elk Peak.
Black Elk Peak Trail No. 9(N) was also pretty quiet. Although Lupe met a few people going the opposite direction, none of them were members of the Highpointers Club here for the Konvention.
That changed as soon as the Carolina Dog reached the junction with the 0.3 mile spur trail to Black Elk Peak’s summit. The spur trail was super busy! In addition to the usual assortment of tourists and locals climbing Black Elk Peak on a summer day, Highpointers Club members were everywhere.
Almost right away, Lupe ran into Highpointers Sam Spinrad and his 8 year old daughter, Nava, from Bowdoinham, Maine. They were already on their way back down the mountain, having just tagged their 5th (maybe 6th?) state high point.
No sooner had Sam and Nava moved on than right around the next bend Lupe saw another Highpointers Club member. Vincent Pace of Illinois (28 state high points) had already been to Black Elk Peak’s summit, too, and was now about to abandon the trail to explore the rock formations leading to the S high point, which was nearly as high.
7-19-24, 12:11 PM, 83°F, Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) – Most of the spur trail to the summit was flat and easy. Soon Lupe was headed up the final short, steep climb leading to the fire lookout tower. As she arrived, she met Janet, another Highpointers Club member. Robert and Gordon Simpson were already up here, too!
It was busy July day at the summit, and a hot one if you’re wearing a fur coat. After a quick look at the views from the tower’s observation deck, Lupe chose to spend most of her traditional summit hour hiding from the sun while laying on the cool, shaded cement floor inside the tower. Tourists, locals, and many Highpointers Club members came and went. SPHP couldn’t begin to keep track of all the people and dogs Lupe met.
The Carolina Dog did venture out the tower’s basement exit for a little while to visit the highest remaining natural point along the N wall, and do a bit of scrambling around on the mountain’s massive W shoulder.
Near the end, Alison Kieffer showed up! Lupe got to congratulate Alison on attaining her 34th state highpoint.
On the way back to the Willow Creek trailhead, the plan was to complete a big loop via Black Elk Peak Trail No. 9(S), the Lost Cabin Spur, and Lost Cabin Trail No. 2. While still on No. 9(S), Lupe ran into Highpointers Tony Payne and his mother, Denise Knox, both from Virginia.
Years ago, Denise had sustained injuries including a broken back during a car accident, but she was still climbing mountains! Lupe accompanied Tony and Denise all the way to the Lost Cabin Spur junction. Here it was necessary to part ways, since Tony and Denise needed to stick with Trail No. 9(S) to where it started at Sylvan Lake.
Lost Cabin Trail No. 2 was certainly the long way back, but Lupe hadn’t been along this route in years, and it was fun to see it all again. So much vegetation had grown up that parts of the trail no longer even seemed familiar. Even the trees were noticeably taller.
The American Dingo met only 2 people coming the opposite direction, near the pass NE of Gap Lode Peak (6,570 ft.). They were looking for Trail No. 9(S), and hoping they were close to it. SPHP had to give them the unwelcome news that they still had a mile or more to go.
The sky was clouding up. Looked a bit threatening to the W, source of a faint rumble of thunder. A brief rain shower passed through. Didn’t amount to much, but it was enough to get the thick vegetation crowding the trail wet. Soon Lupe was soaking wet, too. Happily, by the time she made it back to the RAV4 at the Willow Creek trailhead, the sun was out again and had already dried her off. (6:10 PM)
Black Elk Peak had been fun, but that wasn’t it for the day! Lupe got to attend another Highpointers Club social this evening at the Ramkota Hotel. Apparently this social was more of a generic one having nothing to do with the Liars Club. Held in the Rushmore Room, light fare was served again. SPHP dined on sliced melons, while Lupe did her best to Dingo down another delicious cookie for each new Highpointer she met.
SPHP managed to get a photo of Lupe with Kamell Abdnor (46 state high points) from Henderson, Nevada, and Don Holmes (50 state high points) of Castle Rock, Colorado. Don is the author of High Points of the United States: A Guide to the Fifty State Summits.
7-20-24, 8:00 AM – This was it! The last day of the Highpointers Club 2024 National Konvention! Although Lupe and SPHP showed up at the Rushmore Room at the Ramkota Hotel again an hour after breakfast started, there was still plenty of food. This time, it was a full “Dakota” breakfast with lots of things to choose from.
Luck of the Dingo! You’ve hit the jackpot this morning, Loopster!
What did you bring me, SPHP? Any bacon?
Oh, yeah! In fact, I’ve brought you not only Bacon Fest, but Sausage Fest, too!
Loopster’s eyes grew big when she saw the pile of bacon and sausages SPHP had brought her.
This Highpointers Club Konvention keeps getting better and better, SPHP!
SPHP dined on more of the little Danish rolls, scrambled eggs with salsa, orange juice, coffee, and even managed to wrest a few slices of bacon and a sausage or two away from Lupe’s hoard.
When it was gone, Lupe licked her chops.
Mighty tasty! That was awesome! What’s next, SPHP?
The Wendy and Gordie Comstock Memorial Watermelon Feast will be held early this afternoon at the Gordon Stockade near Custer.
Watermelon? I know you like it, but watermelon isn’t really my thing, SPHP.
I understand that there’s going to be pizza, too, Loop.
Pizza? Why didn’t you say so in the first place, SPHP? Watermelon feast, here we come!
With plenty of time to get down to the Gordon Stockade, Lupe and SPHP finally visited the Konvention registration table. SPHP got one of those fancy South Dakota 2024 T-shirts that almost everyone else was wearing, along with a name badge sporting the number “6” for the number of state high points Lupe had climbed dangling from a long necklace.
6 is a tad short of 87, isn’t it, SPHP?
Several tads short, at least, Looper. Don’t worry about it. No ones going to hold us to 87. Anyway, I’d been thinking that we would just drive down to the Gordon Stockade in the RAV4. However, there’s a bus going down there, too, that would bring us back here when the watermelon feast is over. Would you rather take the bus and ride with some of the other Highpointers, or take the RAV4?
Let’s ride the bus, SPHP! I’ve never been in a bus before.
As it turned out, the bus company wouldn’t actually allow a Dingo who had never even been in a bus before drive it. However, Lupe and SPHP sat up front right behind the bus driver, which was the next best thing.
Upon arriving at the Gordon Stockade, tables were already set up under several awnings where watermelon and pizza were being distributed to the considerable crowd of Highpointers that had turned out for the event.
Sam and Neva Spinrad were at the watermelon feast! Lupe met Nava’s two brothers, and her mother, Hannah. Jackson was 7, and had been to 3 state high points. Even Emmett, who was only one, had already been to 2, the same as his mother.
Lupe also met Andrew (35 state high points), Stephanie (15), and James Claudy from Omaha, Nebraska. James was quite taken with Lupe, and liked petting her. At his tender age, James had already been to 3 state high points – half as many as Lupe!
The pizza was good, and SPHP vouched for the watermelon. Everyone had a great time. As the party wound up, Lupe got to be part of not only a photo of the entire gathering, but also a much more exclusive group of Highpointers from South Dakota.
During the bus ride back to the Ramkota Hotel once the watermelon feast was over, SPHP chatted with Stony Burk (49 state high points). A Highpointers Foundation board member, Stony runs cattle on 200 acres near Apple Springs, Texas. A bit of a quirk, Stony has a toy cowboy on a horse named Billy Bob Joe Ray Paul III that he takes with him like an “elf on a shelf” whenever he travels.
The grand finale of the Highpointers Club 2024 National Konvention in South Dakota was the annual club banquet held later on in the evening in the Rushmore Room at the Ramkota Hotel. When Lupe arrived shortly after Happy Hour a few minutes past 6:00 PM, the whole room was packed. It seemed hundreds of Highpointers were there!
SPHP grabbed one of the few remaining seats. By coincidence, it turned out that Stony Burk was at the same table. Alison Kieffer was, too.
Tables were already being called up to the buffet-style line. There was plenty of good food to choose from: chicken, hamburgers, beans, salads, mashed potatoes, etc. SPHP never even made it to the dessert line. Lupe had both chicken and hamburger, then snoozed contentedly under the table at Alison’s feet.
While the banquet was still in progress, various awards and recognitions were announced. After that, Gordon Simpson drew slips of paper from a hat, with Dave Covill calling out the names of the lucky winners of door prizes. Lupe’s name got drawn! She won the book Seven Summits by Rick Ridgeway about Dick Bass & Frank Wells, who were the first to climb the highest mountain on each continent.
After dinner, local photographer and author Paul Horsted gave an hour long presentation on the 1874 Custer Expedition to the Black Hills and Black Elk Peak. It was all very interesting.
The last order of business was the nomination and selection of the state that would host the 2026 National Konvention. For this purpose, the Highpointers Club divides the country into 4 different regions, rotating through them in the following order: Midwest, W, NE & SE. California had been chosen a year ago to host the 2025 National Konvention, so only states in the NE section of the country were eligible to host the 2026 Konvention.
West Virginia had a booster who had come prepared. Every day he’d been passing out colored flyers promoting Spruce Knob (4,861 ft.), the state’s high point and highlighting other attractions nearby. As soon as the floor was open to nominations, he leapt up and nominated West Virginia, giving a short speech on it’s behalf.
Along with a nomination comes a responsibility. Whoever nominates a state is agreeing to organize the entire konvention with whatever help is available from volunteers. For a couple of minutes after West Virginia was nominated, it looked like there would be no other nominations at all, but as nominations were about to be closed, a young man suddenly nominated Connecticut in rather comical fashion, in what appeared to be a spur of the moment decision.
And that was it. No other state got nominated. Each Highpointers Club member had a vote. By show of hands, either Connecticut or West Virginia would prevail.
Organized West Virginia won, by 3 to 1. The guy who had nominated Connecticut shouted out that this was a much better result than he had expected, and that he had beat the spread. Everyone laughed.
A mystery had been solved during the annual banquet. An explanation had been given as to why the Highpointers Club spells konvention with a “k”. It seems that the club’s founder, whose first name was Jack had a typewriter back in the early days used for producing club literature and correspondence that had a defective “c”. As a result, he always coped by substituting “k”, even typing his own name as Jakk.
Well, the Highpointers Club 2024 South Dakota National Konvention was over. As people began to leave, Lupe stayed late, continuing to meet more people, including some club leaders and several Highpointers Foundation board members. Everyone had been so nice to her! Most had even tolerated SPHP admirably well.
The Highpointers Club’s 2024 South Dakota National Konvention sure was fun, SPHP! We ought to attend the next one in California, too! Can we?
Dave Covill told me that he expects the 2025 Konvention will be held in the second half of September, so maybe we can, Loopster. We ought to be back from your Summer of 2025 Dingo Vacations by then, so we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ve still got lots to do before we’ll be ready to head out on your 2nd Summer of 2024 Dingo Vacation to Canada & Alaska.
Well, better get at it then, SPHP. I sure don’t want to miss out on that!
Links:
Lupe’s Black Elk Peak GPS Track (7-19-24, ascent only)
Note: In 2018, the Highpointers Foundation provided roughly $9,500 in funding for labor and materials to replace old windows, doors, flagstone steps, and support other needed repairs at the Black Elk Peak lookout tower to help keep it open to the public. The foundation has also provided 2 beautiful stone benches, one along each of the shortest, most popular routes to the summit – Trail No. 9(S) from Sylvan Lake, and Trail No. 4, which goes past the spur to Little Devils Tower and by some of the Cathedral Spires (Needles).
After returning from Alaska, Lupe became an official member of the Highpointers Club on 9-21-24.
Want more Lupe adventures? Check out Lupe’s Black Hills, SD & WY Expeditions Adventure Index, Master Adventure Index, or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures!