9-21-22, 8:00 PM – Shrill barking told the tale. They were here! Lupe was ecstatic, racing out the door to greet Uncle Joe, Aunt Andrea, and Cousin Laddie as soon as SPHP opened it. Sadly, no Cousin Dusty ever again, but the Carolina Dog put on as enthusiastic a display as possible for those who had arrived. Good times were sure to follow!
But what had happened to Cousin Laddie? He looked strikingly different from the last time Lupe had seen him back in April. Laddie’s luxurious long coat was gone! Joe and Andrea explained that they’d had most of it shaved off to help Laddie stay cool this summer. His coat was returning, but still had a considerable amount of growing out to do. As Uncle Joe maintained, in the meantime, Laddie was part fuzzy caterpillar.
9-22-22 – It was already early afternoon by the time Uncle Joe parked the RAV4 at the high point of Boulder Hill Road on this unseasonably cool, gray day with low clouds spitting a few raindrops now and then. Despite the weather, everyone was in good spirits on the way up the access road to the base of the mountain.
Boulder Hill (5,331 ft.) was a short, easy trek, offering plenty of scenic bang for relatively little effort. At least, that was the general consensus among Lupe, Joe and SPHP. Laddie had no expectations, having never been to Boulder Hill before. All went well until the access road ended at the base of the rocky ridge atop the mountain. Partway up the single track trail that wound up to the summit, there was a spot requiring a pretty good jump for Laddie’s short legs.
Seeing that Laddie might have a problem with the jump, SPHP offered encouragement. Laddie gave it one half-hearted effort, failed miserably, and promptly started back down the mountain. SPHP would have given Laddie the boost required to get past the trouble spot, but having once been latched onto and shaken like a rag doll by another dog, Laddie was extraordinarily fearful and opposed to ever being picked up.
Farther up the trail, Lupe watched and waited as Uncle Joe called Laddie and shouted encouragement. SPHP demonstrated how easy it actually was to get up past the trouble spot, leaving Laddie alone below. Laddie responded to Joe a couple of times, but turned around and went back down again each time he reached the trouble spot.
Well, this would never do! If Cousin Laddie hoped to be a peakbagging Sheltie in the Black Hills, he’d have to develop a little more spirit and gumption. Joe finally went down to Laddie, attached a leash, and with a gentle tug got him past the trouble spot. Only took a second or two. With Joe by his side, Laddie demonstrated more confidence.
Uncle Joe proclaimed Laddie “a weird and needy little dog”, but Laddie did manage to make it the rest of the way up under his own power.
Ordinarily, a nice, long break would have been taken up on Boulder Hill to enjoy the magnificent views so easily obtained. However, the summit was much windier than it had been on the way up, and the cold breeze seemed to be gaining strength with every passing moment.
Furthermore, although Silver Mountain (5,405 ft.) was in sight less than 1.25 mile SSW, most higher peaks were in the clouds.
10 minutes up top were about it before a general retreat was decided upon. The descent went fine. Laddie was somewhat bolder, having so recently gone this way before.
Approaching the RAV4, a change was evident. A pickup truck with a trailer was now parked nearby. Of even more interest, a horse was tied to the trailer. Despite how much bigger the horse was, Laddie felt plenty bold now. Unafraid, he rushed at the enormous equine, barking.
Unable to run away, the horse did nothing, but seemed nervous. Not a good situation! Uncle Joe sprang into action, running over to re-attach Laddie’s leash, then dragging Cousin Watch-Me-Get-Kicked-in-the-Head away from the confrontation.
No harm done! The Boulder Hill jaunt having taken minimal time, there was still opportunity to do a little more this afternoon. Driving down to the official Boulder Hill trailhead less than a mile farther N, the plan was to explore part of Loop B of Flume Trail No. 50.
Going clockwise around the loop, everyone made it to a slimy gray-green pond on a tiny tributary of Bitter Creek.
A few cows were standing in the muck, so Joe restrained Laddie again. Going only a little farther before turning back, the cows moved away as Lupe and Laddie approached a second time. Halfway back to the RAV4, a whole herd appeared moving through the forest from out of the SW.
Turned out a cowboy was rounding the cows up. He was riding a horse that looked strangely familiar. On his best behavior, Laddie watched the cows cross the trail, maintaining both a respectful silence and distance until they were gone.
Not a particularly long or strenuous outing, but it had nevertheless been a successful day. Laddie was learning the ropes! He was both surprised, and evidently quite pleased, when he was ultimately rewarded with a big bowl of the spaghetti SPHP made for dinner.
9-23-22 – A much nicer day! Only partly cloudy, and considerably warmer. Still a rather leisurely start as everyone piled out of the RAV4 at Legion Lake shortly before 11:00 AM. A jaunt along Centennial Trail No. 89 was the intended order of the day.
Since the Centennial Trail’s Badger Hole trailhead was a 0.25 mile SE of Legion Lake down the Galena Creek valley, Lupe and Laddie started out following another trail circling the lake’s W and S shores to get to where the creek leaves the E end of the lake. This was the long way around, but in the process, they got to cross the dam along the W shore, and had an opportunity to do a short quick scramble up to a viewpoint provided by a large rock formation overlooking the lake’s S shore.
After yesterday’s Boulder Hill experience, Laddie had no problem with this scramble, although he wasn’t cooperative as far as posing for SPHP up at the viewpoint. Loopster filled in for him, since she loves posing!
The trek down the Galena Creek valley was a mere road hike. Upon reaching the Badger Hole trailhead, a single track spur went SW up a shallow, forested valley to the main Centennial Trail No. 89 N/S route.
At the intersection, Lupe and Laddie turned L, taking the route S. The trail steepened somewhat as it continued SW up the valley. Still forested at first, a more open region of tall grass was soon reached. The lower NE slopes of Mount Coolidge (6,023 ft.) were now in sight directly ahead.
Continuing toward Mount Coolidge, the trail began curving S, becoming rocky and quite a bit steeper before leveling out at Pass 5180. Heading ESE from here, the trail was flat for a little way. This elevated stretch was more scenic, offering views of nearby rock formations, plus a great look at Peak 5440 off to the NE.
After passing some smaller rock formations offering viewpoints, the trail turned S, heading steeply down into the next valley. This descent was eroded and quite rocky. When reached, the broad valley floor was a mix of meadow and open forest. The trail turned E here, paralleling a tiny tributary of Galena Creek that was completely dry.
The valley was flat, a nearly effortless trek on a pleasantly warm, sunny day. After going E for a while, Centennial Trail No. 89 curved SW prior to looping most of the way around a small hill. Uncle Joe was starting to think this was about far enough.
Before turning back, a break was taken on the little hill. Joe shared some beef jerky, a treat eagerly accepted by one and all. Apples, water, and a chocolate coconut bar SPHP offered to Lupe and Laddie were also a hit.
During the return, a few minutes were spent exploring some of the smaller rock formations in the Pass 5180 region. Several towers on Mount Coolidge were visible from here.
In all the times Joe and Dusty had been to the Black Hills, they’d never been to Mount Coolidge (6,023 ft.). A newcomer in just the past year, Cousin Laddie had never been there, either. Once back at Legion Lake, SPHP suggested making the drive to the fire lookout tower. Joe agreed.
The winding gravel road to the summit was much busier than SPHP ever dreamed it would be. Arriving at the parking lot on top, a small crowd was streaming to and from the lookout’s viewing deck. Although it had been a nice, sunny day down at Legion Lake and along Centennial Trail No. 89, a 40 mph wind was roaring out of NW up here.
By Black Hills standards, Mount Coolidge offers some pretty impressive panoramic views. With the unexpected gale creating such an ominous, eerie moan among the various towers, Mount Coolidge seemed like a much more formidable and higher peak than it really was. Joe decided Cousin Laddie ought to stay in the RAV4 rather than risk being blown right off the mountain.
Lupe wasn’t worried by the wind. She didn’t want to miss out! Crazy Horse, Sylvan Peak (7,000 ft.), Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.), and many other notable high points were in sight, along with a vast expanse of western South Dakota plains beyond the Black Hills.
Up in the roaring wind, Mount Coolidge made quite an impression on Joe. He’d never really experienced the Black Hills quite like this. Even SPHP was surprised. Cousin Laddie had completely missed out on the highlight of the day!
Laddie begged to differ, though, after SPHP later offered him a big bowl of sloppy joe meat for dinner. Unsure of it at first, after just a couple of bites, Laddie was a believer, requesting and receiving a second helping!
9-24-22, 10:42 AM – Joe parked the RAV4 at the Lakota Lake picnic ground, then sauntered over to the little lake for a look. A light breeze rippled the surface of this glorified pond beneath a thinly overcast sky. Big rock formations were visible over on the far shore near the dam.
Like Legion Lake yesterday, Lakota Lake was merely a starting point, not the focus of today’s outing. The main event was going to be a trek up Iron Creek Trail No. 15. To get to the trailhead, everyone set off heading SW along the picnic ground access road, which overlooked a skinny arm of Lakota Lake that extended nearly all the way back to Iron Mountain Road. Crossing the highway, the trailhead was found on the other side.
Although Iron Creek Trail No. 15 was only going to wind gradually up the Iron Creek valley, a bit of Black Hills adventure dog training was in store for Cousin Laddie. The trail would cross Iron Creek 11 times over just a couple of miles.
Reaching the first crossing immediately beyond the trailhead, Laddie was uncertain what to do. Iron Creek had some flow, but was running low this time of year. With encouragement from Joe, Laddie managed to ford the stream, while Joe rock-hopped it with ease. Having been here before, Lupe and SPHP crossed on a narrow plank bridge.
Past the equinox, it was officially early autumn now. The leaves on the trees were just beginning to turn. As the trail wound its way W up the Iron Creek valley, there were some pretty spots. Laddie forded a couple more creek crossings before attempting to use the plank bridges. Soon he was crossing them with confidence.
Towering rock formations were soon visible way up on the S side of the valley. They were part of the E end of Woodpecker Ridge (5,680 ft.). Lupe had been up there once upon a time. Horrid deadfall was what SPHP remembered, but there had been some worthwhile views, too.
All seemed to be going perfectly well, when Joe suddenly announced deep concern over the amount of poison ivy along the trail. He was soon pronouncing the poison ivy collection along Iron Creek Trail No. 15 the most extensive he’d ever seen. Knowing he was quite susceptible to it, having suffered through poison ivy infections before, Joe seemed on the verge of wanting to beat a hasty retreat.
Fortunately, Joe stuck with it. Continuing on, the worst of the poison ivy was left behind.
On a late September weekend, Iron Creek Trail No. 15 was surprisingly busy. Quite a few other canines were out exploring with their humans. Two in particular had some rather Old West names. Lupe and Laddie got to meet an Australian Shepherd named One-Eyed Jack, and a Husky named Outlaw. Jack actually had 2 eyes.
Farther upstream, the bridges got better. Instead of mere planks, several were regular footbridges with railings. The upper end of the Iron Creek trail wasn’t much farther. Rather than a complete dead end, the trail led to a gravel road. Continuing a little farther, this road went past the Iron Creek Summer Home Group, a collection of classic, rustic cabins.
One with a sign saying “Minnelusa” looked particularly sweet.
0.75 mile from Iron Creek Trail No. 15, Iron Mountain Trail No. 16 would leave this same road, eventually intersecting a spur of Centennial Trail No. 89 leading to the Iron Mountain picnic ground. A bushwhack clear to the top of Iron Mountain (5,445 ft.) itself is possible from there.
Eh. More than Uncle Joe wanted to take on. Shortly before reaching Trail No. 16, it was time to turn back to rerun the poison ivy gauntlet.
Cousin Laddie got to visit Iron Mountain, anyway. On the way back to Hotel Lupe, Iron Mountain Road went practically right over the top of it. A quick stop to enjoy a terrific view of both Black Elk Peak (7,231 ft.) and Mount Rushmore (5,725 ft.) was the highlight of the day.
Well, except for Cousin Laddie, who was anxiously looking forward to a heaping helping of SPHP’s spaghetti or sloppy joes this evening. SPHP didn’t disappoint. Laddie got 2 big bowls of spaghetti.
9-25-22 – Cousin Laddie had one more day in the Black Hills, but Uncle Joe wasn’t going to be available. He and Andrea were taking Grandma down to Mush and David’s 40 acre ranch in the southern hills for a visit. Mush and David’s dog, Chewy, was easily bigger than both Lupe and Laddie put together, much stronger, younger, and very territorial.
To prevent any possible tragic outcomes, SPHP stayed home with Laddie and Lupe. After 3 days running of adventures in the hills, that was fine with both of them. So, a leisurely day was spent at Hotel Lupe. Sloppy joes were once again served for dinner, much to Laddie’s delight.
9-26-22 – Sadly, it was time. Bright and early, Uncle Joe, Aunt Andrea, and Cousin Laddie hit the road home to Colorado. Laddie’s Black Hills adventure training had gone just fine, and the cuisine at Hotel Lupe had apparently been among the best he’d ever experienced. His Black Hills visit had been a big success.
Sure was fun, SPHP! Hope they’ll be back again sometime soon!
Indeed it was, Looper! Realistically, though, I doubt they’ll be back until sometime next spring.
Oh, that’s too bad! Makes me wonder, though.
Wonder about what, Loop?
Any spaghetti or sloppy joes left?
Hah! Fat chance! Not when Cousin Fuzzy Caterpillar has been around. About time you got back on your Taste of the Wild diet, anyway.
Well, shucks! Now I really am sad that they’ve left.
I thought you liked Taste of the Wild, Loop?
Oh, I do! But it isn’t spaghetti or sloppy joes!
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